Going into the offseason, the University of Wisconsin—Milwaukee men’s basketball team has looked to rebuild a roster that was stuck with departures and injuries at the end of the campaign.

Coach Rob Jeter and the Panthers have to replace two of their top three scorers from this past season in Marcus Skinner and Paige Paulsen. Paulsen, a deft three-point shooter and a tireless worker, will most likely pick up a job overseas after graduation. Skinner, who went from an end-of-the-bench player to arguably the team’s MVP, injured his ankle in the final week of the regular season and wasn’t at 100 percent for the team’s first-round tournament loss to Loyola.

The Panthers also have to replace Allan Hanson, one of the team’s leaders and the final remaining member of the Sweet 16 team from 2004-05.

Jeter and his coaching staff have been on the offensive in filling the void left by these players as well as the group that last played in the game against the University of Wisconsin last December.

First, the coaching staff inked two forwards to letters of intent in the early signing period of November. James Eayrs, a 6’7”, 300 lb. junior college sophomore from Roseville, Minn. is a dominating scorer. Eayrs, who was third in the country in scoring for the North Dakota State College of Science, adds a big inside presence with the ability to step out and shoot.

Riley Walker, the 6’7” senior from McFarland, suffered a torn ACL injury early in the season and is currently recovering. He’s been described as a solid shooter with a high ceiling.

The new year has shone brightly on the Panthers. Jeter and his staff have gone the extra mile, picking up players who will help both next year and others who have great potential down the road.

One of the project players, Ryan Haggerty of Glen Ellyn, Ill., has grown into his role just this past year. He went from being a bench player on his school’s team to being the star his senior season.

At 6’8”, Haggerty is another tree that will be in black and gold next season. Also standing that tall is senior Tony Meier from Lafayette Senior High School in St. Louis. Meier, who grew six inches over the past year, has played guard his entire career and will be a serious matchup problem in a conference where 6’1” is a tall guard.

Besides Eayrs, Milwaukee has gone the JUCO route with a couple other players. Tone Boyle, a sophomore who grew up in Middleton, is a 6’2” combo guard that can step in and be a pivotal member of the rotation immediately. Boyle is a good outside shooter and a great defender.

Perhaps the best news of all came in the form of Burleigh Porte, a 6’8” power forward from Liberia. Porte is currently a sophomore at Olney Central Community College in Ill. Porte is a physical specimen and will most likely be pushing for a lot of minutes next fall.

With the addition of senior Patrick Souter from Racine St. Catherine’s as a walk-on, the Panthers look to have roped in a great recruiting class.

Milwaukee is still hoping to receive a commitment from South Plains College sophomore Jonathan Hall, a 6’5” forward from Miami who was NJCAA Tournament MVP for the champion Texans. The Post will keep its eyes peeled for any news regarding Panther recruits, so keep your eyes on sports.uwmpost.com for any developments.

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