I entered fall of 2007 as the administrative assistant for men’s basketball at UW-Milwaukee. Officially, I had gone from Klotsche Center employee and student section leader, to head manager, to a volunteer member of the coaching staff in 15 months. My work ethic was helping me gain opportunities but I had a lot to learn about… well, everything… really.
After a 9-22 season in Coach Jeter’s second year, enthusiasm spiked with the arrival of Oklahoma State transfer Torre Johnson and Simeon High School stars Tim Flowers and Kevin Johnson, both teammates of Derrick Rose. Avery Smith, Paige Paulsen and Marcus Skinner were all returning with a lot of experience. Deion James and Joe Allen were eligible after sitting out due to transfer rules. For some reason, I picked us as conference champions again. Ever, the optimist.
I was in a unique situation because I was friends with some of the older players, the guys who ran the student section and almost all of the alumni season tickets holders, but working for the coaching staff. I never talked about it with the staff, but getting pulled in so many different directions was a challenge and my maturity level was not ready to handle it.
Panther Madness went from being a big event at the US Cellular Arena downtown to a relatively small event at the Klotsche Center with only one side of bleachers down. In the layup line, we took our first casualty of the year as Joe Allen tore his ACL while dunking. Joe was a former military man who played D2 before transferring back home to play at UWM. Allen would’ve been a huge piece for us. He was a strong 6-6 forward who took up a ton of space and rebounded like a maniac.
In our “secret scrimmage” in late October against IUPUI, George Hill created our second casualty of the fall by just flat-out kicking our tails. Hill would go on to be a NBA star while our best returning player, Avery Smith, walked away from the program after an argument with Coach Jeter in the huddle.
Personally, I had a moment to learn from as well as I got defensive sticking up for my clock-working skills as Coach Jeter accused me of not starting the clock in time for IUPUI to get off a game-winning shot. The game didn’t count but I certainly understand now why the coaches were upset. Later while getting flack from a few coaches and players for the clock issue, I said “It takes three people to do what I do.” Duffy Conroy started to make the motion of taking notes as he looked at me with his head tilted down.
Point taken.
A few weeks earlier, when I was talking to the Citadel about a graduate assistant position, Duffy called me into his office and told me to close the door. “Justin, you work extremely hard and I think you’re going to be really good at the Citadel. But you’ve… got… to change one thing.”
I was curious and confused. What could he be talking about? My baggy shorts? My long sideburns? My comments under my breath during games that were sometimes so ridiculous that it made Boudreau laugh?
I once yelled out “oh give him a ballet outfit and a tuto too” as a player spun through the lane and laid it in without a travel call. Not my proudest memory.
“You’ve got to start walking faster. You walk soooooo slow. If you go down to a military institution, you’ve GOT to walk with a purpose. You can’t be like one of our guys. You have to walk like a coach.”
At first, I was taken aback because of my standard high level of pride at the time. But I started to think about it on the bus home that night. If I wanted to be a coach without having any real playing experience, I better do everything intensely. The hustle I gained in all facets of my life could be attributed back to that conversation with Duffy Conroy. And interestingly, I’ve had the exact same conversation with players I’ve coached since.
Being proud or defensive kills opportunities like nothing else can. I had a lot of excuses at the time and because of that, I thought I actually had a reason to use them. I was living in a condemned house, bussing to and from Marquette every day, working all day and night for free. I was an assistant video coordinator, an assistant director of operations, an assistant academic advisor, an assistant to the assistants and still the head manager. I had a lot going on but none of that mattered. I had an opportunity that was literally once in a lifetime. Panther point guard and current D1 assistant Al Hanson told me one day, “You just get rattled, man.”
My entire life at the time was a job interview. I’m not sure I fully understood that at the time and I certainly think it affected my career going forward. These were lessons that stuck with me and helped me in the future. In my journal, I documented a slump I went through in late October that lasted about three days. Small mistakes and defensive outbursts really set me back. I wrote in my journal about my mistakes but wrote a lot more about how much I hated my responses to being called out. I was growing up.
“I’m curious to see how these setbacks affect my future. I really hope I don’t look back at this journal and curse myself for my missed opportunities,” I wrote.
Much like the year before, UW-Parkside gave us absolutely all we could handle in the annual exhibition game. But this time, we snuck away with an 86-83 win over the pesky Rangers. Six-foot-five freshman center Tim Flowers scored 17 points in his first collegiate action, making everyone involved with the program extremely excited about the pieces we had.
After a 25-point win over Upper Iowa in our first regular season game, we hopped on a plane to Muncie, Indiana to take on Ball State. We took three separate private jets at the time and our plane full of coaches was not on the ground when we arrived. A few players joked that I was the highest ranking coach on the ground if Jeter’s plane didn’t make it. It made it, but apparently it hit an issue in the air that I don’t fully recall. It was a few minutes behind and the coaches were laughing nervously as they left the plane. That, I remember clearly.
The Ball State trip was where I learned the value of a junior college experience. Two of our key players had issues with their shorts where the drawstring came all the way out. In 2007, if you didn’t have a drawstring on your shorts, you might as well go out there in your underwear. Everyone was wearing insanely baggy shorts at the time and the drawstring was the most important piece of the entire uniform.
Chad Boudreau was an assistant at Indian Hills, a powerhouse junior college in Iowa, for seven years. He grabbed the shorts, the string, and popped off the cap of a pen, and fixed a pair within about 30 seconds. He stuck the end of the drawstring inside the pen cap, closed the pen as tight as he could, and pushed the pen through the shorts with his thumb. I was amazed at how rudimentary this was and how easily Boudreau completed the task. I went to work on the next pair and became the go-to guy for any shorts-related issues from then on. I still use this method to this day.
The Ball State game was also memorable. The Cardinals led by 15 into the locker room and a surprisingly calm Rob Jeter came in and talked about what was going to change and how we were going to walk out with a victory. It was a different vibe from Jeter than we were used to from the year before and it worked. Down four points with 20 seconds left, Paige Paulsen pulled up from three from the right wing and hit it while being fouled. This wasn’t the last time Paulsen would hit a clutch three late in a game but this one brought us to 2-0 on the season as we pulled away in overtime.
We had a blast on the plane rides home but lost to Northern Iowa on our home floor a few days later to drop to 2-1 on the year. We had serious lapses in effort that would plague us when the schedule got harder. We got one more dose of optimism though with a 89-80 win over South Dakota State where Paulsen netted 29 and Torre Johnson added 22. Again, we went into the locker room down 10 and Coach Jeter went ballistic at first. Eventually, he got inspirational.
“You all have two eyes, two arms, to legs and a brain. It’s what you do with those common tools that make you who you are.” I wrote down that quote from Jeter but I would’ve remembered it without reading it. He has a gift for memorable quotes.
Paulsen lost a shoe and played two defensive possessions galloping with one but, for some reason, he was still passed the ball in transition and he took it to the rim and was fouled. We had lapses in effort from time-to-time but it was clear who was here to win.
We hosted Drake at 3-1 with a great opportunity to go into our crosstown clash with Marquette on a high. Unfortunately our lapses in effort led to a 80-59 bludgeoning by the Bulldogs on our home floor. The next day, our star freshman, Tim Flowers, skipped morning film and evening practice. After an impressive start to the year, Tim was showing some red flags. It wasn’t going to take him long to become one the year’s casualties. His highschool teammate, Kevin Johnson, was moving right along with him. While they watched their buddy Derrick Rose shine for Memphis, they were on their way out the door at Milwaukee.
On November 30th, 2007, we finally got the UWM vs. Marquette game that Panther fans had clamored for. We were coming off some very disappointing losses to Drake and Sam Houston State. We were also reeling from the issues in our own locker room with our two promising freshmen (who were also bragging about taking Derrick Rose’s ACT every chance they got.) I wasn’t very optimistic and living on Marquette’s campus wasn’t ideal. Especially when I couldn’t hold my tongue when my Marquette friends talked about how excited they were to kick our tails at the Bradley Center.
One night the previous summer, I was in bed listening to Armen, Paul and Elijah talk in the living room in hushed tones about how Milwaukee really doesn’t have any weapons that worried them. I swung open the door and went down the roster and how Marquette’s little guards couldn’t guard our strong ones. To this day my Marquette buddies randomly break down into, “But who’s guarding Charlie Swiggett?” when they feel like mocking me. Yep, I said that. Very confidently, I might add.
If you’re wondering, Charlie Swiggett went scoreless in the Marquette game.
I walked onto the floor at the Bradley Center and sat down on our bench while I waited for our guys who were getting ready in the locker room. In front of me was Buzz Williams, the Marquette assistant who gave up his head D1 job at New Orleans to join Tom Crean’s staff. I was enamored with energy and how clearly he relayed his expectations to the freshman he was working with alone in the empty arena. I had a feeling I’d be seeing more from him in the future. He would eventually become one of my biggest role models in coaching. Buzz started as a junior college manager that turned into a very successful Division I head coach.
The atmosphere at the Milwaukee-Marquette game was fantastic. The younger fans took this game very seriously because of how much smack was talked online and in the neighborhood bars about which program was better from 2004-2006.
One thing I remember distinctly is how bright everything was. The lighting in major arenas is different than anywhere else. It’s like being on a stage when you’re on the court or the bench. The fans added to the brightness because both fanbases prominently wear gold.
Midway through the first half, our freshman center Anthony Hill, took a shot from midrange that literally cleared the backboard like it was a football goal post. I swear I heard 15,000 different people laugh at the same time. The cool thing about that memory is that Anthony Hill ended his career as one of the best Milwaukee Panthers ever and played many years overseas as a pro.
Torre Johnson was putting on an offensive clinic but we couldn’t keep Marquette’s guards honed in with our 2-3 zone. We had it 35-30 for a bit but Marquette went on a 13-0 run into the locker room. The second half was just a Marquette party. We were dismantled and Tom Crean never called off the dogs. The place went nuts when Marquette scored its 100th point and we lost 100-65. I was extremely annoyed by how Crean left his guys in to score 100 and how the place was so invested in embarrassing us.
That was just the beginning of an absolutely hilariously bad night for me. I was helping Chip record games at the time and was in charge of hooking our computer up to the TV feed. Of course, the game never recorded on our computer. So now, I had to run back to school the next day. I didn’t make a comment about it but that would mean I’d have to get up as soon as the busses started running, ride it 45 minutes back to the east side and upload and send the film before we started practice the next morning.
Naturally, it got worse. We crossed the river as a group of jovial Marquette fans and defeated Milwaukee fans and landed at Sullivans, a popular spot on Water Street for students from Marquette, UWM and MSOE. Because it was a road game, our normal athletic department and ticket office workers had a chance to let their hair down during the game. It must have gotten pretty rowdy because one of them threw up all over me as I was still wearing my suit and tie from the game. I had been at the bar for about five minutes at the time.
A friend drove me back to change and I couldn’t even be mad about the events of the night anymore. It was a comedy of errors. Members of the Milwaukee program and fans had wanted a chance at Marquette for years. We got it and lost by 35 while giving up 100 points. Then, our technology didn’t work. Then, I got puked on. The icing on the cake was later that night at Caffrey’s the famous bar on Marquette’s campus. Some of my old friends from Marquette couldn’t even stop themselves from ripping into me. Katie Shay laughed and pointed in my face over the big Marquette win. I couldn’t blame her. I felt like I deserved it. Katie was not the type to taunt but she let me have it. I couldn’t help but chuckle.
The most popular I ever felt to that point in my life was being the UWM manager on Marquette’s campus after they trounced us.
Looking back, nothing has been better for me than the humbling I’ve taken in my life. Bigger things would humble me in coming years but this was a nice start. Every time I see a kid taunt during a game or spout off on social media, I know what feeling is probably coming for them.
Horizon League play started a few days later with two games against our rivals from Chicago, UIC and Loyola. There was some optimism on the surface about what we’d be able to do against our own conference after taking on the schedule we had to that point, but UIC scored 91 points and sent us to 3-5 on the year.
Two days later, we had a late lead at Loyola because of the efforts of Marcus Skinner on the offensive glass. With 30 seconds to go, we led by four. Milwaukee native and Loyola star JR Blout cut the lead to 2 and Ricky Franklin was called for a charge. The Ramblers took a shot for the win late and Roman Gentry missed a box out. The Ramblers tied the game and cruised in overtime. Roman announced he was transferring a few days later. I wasn’t sure if this was the reason, but the staff had me put the DVD in as soon as we got to the bus. The entire bus watched and many of the coaches yelled “Roman” as they saw Tracy Robinson go right past him with no box out to tie the game.
On December 15th, we hosted Bo Ryan’s Wisconsin Badgers. Bo coached Rob Jeter and my high school coach in college. His influence is so big on basketball in the state of Wisconsin that I named my son after him. I’ve never had a chance to sit down with Bo alone for an extended period of time but I’ve been lucky enough to have quite a few short conversations with him. His ability to remember details blew me away. After meeting me one time, he remembered that I was Ron Einerson’s great nephew. Some coaches are remembered for what they do on the floor and some are remembered for how they make people feel about themselves. Bo is one of the few I know that’ll be remembered for both.
The Badgers matched our slow pace of the time and beat us 61-39 in front of a big crowd at US Cellular Arena. We didn’t play poorly, we just couldn’t match the Big Ten firepower in front of us. We were 3-7.
The next morning I was rummaging around the offices when Coach Jeter called me into his office. This was a rare case since I spent less time working for him directly than anyone on the staff. He was laying on his back on the couch and staring up at the ceiling. He asked, “Justin, what are you learning from all this.”
“I’m learning that you have to recruit discipline, work ethic, and character because it’s almost impossible to teach.”
We chatted for a few minutes and I really appreciated him taking a moment to check in with me. Now, as a head coach myself, albeit at a much lower level, I can certainly see how humbling losing streaks can be. These are always great times to make sure to put your arms around everyone in the program and thank them for their service.
We were at rock bottom. We had to be, right?
Nope. Not yet.
While out on the town a couple of nights later, Torre Johnson punched a girl in the face and spent the night in jail. He was immediately removed from the program. Roman Gentry transferred. Tim Flowers and Kevin Johnson were let go. We never fully recovered from Avery Smith walking away from the program in October. We also lost Joe Allen to an ACL tear in October.
We were down to 12 eligible players.
Ricky Franklin, sophomore guard
Charlie Swiggett, sophomore guard
Deonte Roberts, freshman guard
Marcus Skinner, senior center
Paige Paulsen, senior forward
Allan Hansen, senior guard
Kaylan Anderson, sophomore wing
Deion James, junior guard
Anthony Hill, freshman center
Jason Averkamp, sophomore walk-on forward
Brad Carroll, redshirt freshman
The day we heard about Torre, I don’t know how many of us thought we’d win another game. I know it didn’t feel like things were going to go well as we flipped the calendar to 2008. But, without any warning, something clicked. And for the next two months, I was taught the most important and impactful lesson I’ve ever been taught in my career.