Remember when you were choosing up sides back on the playground. Some poor kid would never get picked, then he’d stand off to the side waiting around, hoping to maybe get called in as a substitute. And eventually, one of the starters would fall down and scrape a knee or get called home for dinner. So the remaining players reluctantly let the lone sub into the game.
And lo and behold, the kid could actually play. Maybe he wasn’t a star, but he’d hit an occasional jump shot or set a good pick or slap a clean single up the middle. One way or another, he helped the team. So next time you were choosing up sides, an observant captain might not pick the kid early, but he’d definitely choose him ahead of somebody. Most likely, the whiner who called phantom fouls or picked his nose.
Well, UW-Milwaukee is that little kid off on the side just waiting for his shot. The one with the potential to surprise you, if only you’d give it a chance.
And now that UWM has George Koonce in its corner, that chance may finally come.
UWM athletics routinely gets drowned out in the city’s collective sports conversations. The Panthers usually produce solid work, but rarely get noticed for it. Kinda like Jason Bateman. (You know, the star of “Arrested Development”? No? What if I said Justine “Family Ties” Bateman’s brother? Still no? Then I suppose mentioning “It’s Your Move” is a complete waste of time. Well trust me, he’s funny. Now go rent the first season of “Arrested.”)
The point is, while Marquette and the Badgers and the various pro teams get all the press, UWM toils in obscurity. And yes, I’m as guilty of ignoring the Panthers as anyone.
Most people couldn’t even tell you where UWM’s spotlight program, the men’s basketball team, plays its home games (U.S. Cellular Arena). About the only time the Panthers made headlines in the past couple of years was when coach Rob Jeter took the bold step of kicking some top players off the team.
And there’s more to UWM’s athletics program than just the hardwood. The women’s volleyball team is a mainstay in the NCAA Tournament. And if you like Division I college baseball, UWM is your only option in Wisconsin. There are other stories up in Panther land, but you’d never know it.
The problem, simply put, is demand. If people clamored for UWM coverage the way they did for stories about Marquette or the Brewers, then you can bet media outlets would provide it. But attendance at UWM events lags behind the other local teams, so the coverage follows suit.
Maybe Koonce can change all that. As UWM’s new athletic director, Koonce gives the Panthers a vanguard figure to build around. UWM hasn’t had a “name” on campus since Bruce Pearl left town. And no, I’m not mentioning Pearl just as an excuse to link to this photo, but it’s certainly a nice fringe benefit.
Koonce immediately becomes that “name.” Just by choosing him as its AD, UWM made statewide news, whereas an average suit-type hire would barely have registered a blip. It certainly wouldn’t have merited a few hundred words from me.
Having Koonce on board is built-in marketing. With his Green Bay Packers calling card, Koonce can open sponsorship doors that others would find slammed in their face. When football season arrives, writers and broadcasters know they can hit up Super Bowl champion Koonce for a colorful quote on the Packers. And that story will inevitably mention him as UWM’s athletic director.
Is Koonce’s hiring a sure thing? Of course not. Marketing may get people in the door, but only substance will bring them back. And for all the good that’s going on at UWM, Koonce has to make that foundation even stronger.
But consider this scenario. Maybe some high school kid on a basketball court just loves the Packers. And when it comes time to choose a college, the Koonce factor is the tipping point that sways him into UWM’s camp. And that kid’s play is the tipping point that gets UWM back into the NCAA Tournament for a couple years running. Those two tourney runs get UWM’s alumni interested in checking out a few more games. Then that spills over into the rest of the city. Eventually, you reach something of a critical mass.
And maybe one day, UWM is finally off the sidelines and into the game.
Risking Ryan Braun?
I can’t shake the feeling that the Milwaukee Brewers are playing Russian roulette with Ryan Braun’s ribcage.
Last season, Braun rushed back from his intercostal strain, and his production predictably suffered. Now, he’s been dogged by the same injury for much of the spring, but he’s taken very little time to rest it.
Yes, the doctors have said there’s no structural damage and Braun says he can play through it. Yes, Braun needs his at bats to get ready for the regular season. And yes, you’d like him to break camp on the field, not on the disabled list.
But which of these two options seems more palatable? 1) Being overly protective of Braun, shutting him down completely for a week or two, and missing him for the first week of the regular season. Or 2) keep him on his regular spring schedule – even though, according to the Journal Sentinel’s Tom Haudricourt, Braun admits to still feeling some tightness – only to have the problem continue into the season.
Option 1 guarantees you’ll lose him for the first week of the season. Option 2 opens up the possibility of losing for a much longer time. Give me Option 1 every single time.
Bucks Get Spent
Apparently, it really does matter when you lose your two best players for half the season.
It’s not mathematically official, but there will be no playoffs for the Milwaukee Bucks again. Scott Skiles has publicly conceded the point. Milwaukee entered the week 4.5 games out of a playoff spot with just eight left to play. So by winning just four of their last 18 games, the Bucks have receded into their traditional postseason home: the NBA Draft Lottery.
Looking back, it’s easy to see that the season ended about the same time Michael Redd’s knee exploded and Andrew Bogut’s back bottomed out. The Bucks used smoke and mirrors for awhile, but this is plainly a different team without Bogut and Redd. You don’t take them out of the lineup and expect success, just like you don’t lose De Niro and Joe Pesci and still expect Goodfellas.
The good news is, for the first time in a long time, there is reason to be optimistic about this franchise. A healthy triumvirate of Redd, Bogut and Richard Jefferson is the cornerstone of a 50-win season. And who knows what they’ll find in the lottery during the offseason. Cross your fingers for Oklahoma’s Blake Griffin.
Hey, their luck has to change sometime, right?
Tune in every Tuesday morning during the 6 o’clock hour when I join Doug Russell and Mike Wickett on SportsRadio 1250 AM for Tuesdays with Howie. You can also find the segments in their Audio Vault. And don’t forget to check out our new fitness column, Training with Tim.
