THE ROAR IN LUNDY‘S FIRST SEASON

It’s the kind of season that makes people take notice.

UWM’s men’s basketball team was the Horizon League’s surprise package for the 2022-23 season. The Panthers, a preseason pick to place ninth out of 11 teams under new coach Bart Lundy, answered the doubts by finishing second and posting a whole lot of firsts.

In addition to their league success, the Panthers made their first postseason appearance since 2014 by playing in the College Basketball Invitational. An 87-83 victory over Stetson – highlighted by BJ Freeman’s tournament-record 43 points –marked their first postseason win since 2006. The final 22-12 record was UWM’s first winning season since the 2015-16 campaign, when they went 20-13. And it was the most wins for the Panthers since they went 22-9 in 2005-06

The success rekindled local interest in the team, boosting home attendance and generating a positive media buzz. It also caught the eye of national outlets. Looking back on the ’22-’23 season, CBSSports.com called Lundy one of the best coaching hires among mid-major schools and even suggested a league title could be on the horizon.

As far as Lundy’s concerned, the Panthers are just getting started.

“We want to build on this,” Lundy told UWM’s Roar Report. “The core coming back should get better. And then if you do it the right way and you add good pieces, good character guys, to that core, you continuously get better. But the most difficult thing is to stay relevant and good. Sometimes it’s easier to get there than it is to stay there. But, I mean, we’re going to work.”

They’ll do so in the brand-new Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Center, which is connected to the Klotsche Center and Pavilion and houses modern practice facilities for the men’s and women’s basketball teams.

“This facility does a lot of things for our program,” Lundy said. “It's game-changing.”

You could say the same thing about Lundy’s first season with the Panthers. – Howie Magner