When you first walk into the Orthopedic Hospital of Wisconsin (OHOW) Center on the UW-Milwaukee campus, you notice it's bright, like the Panthers' future.
"The basketball kids got to come in and shoot on the baskets," UW-Milwaukee Athletic Director Amanda Braun says. "A lot of wows and this is really cool. Similar with recruits. We get the same kind of reaction. Kids are looking for a place that they can come and get better. Coach Lundy talks about being pros and this is a place that they can get that work done. Off the court, on the court. So they're looking for that. And then the quality and the branding. It just feels good. It feels fresh."
And you'd be surprised, but you have to think of everything. Literally, everything.
"What should we be putting in here? What are the things that we should down to? What size should the cup holders be in the theater," Braun says. "We had to fit those big green Gatorade bottles. We learned that. Every speck has been done with them in mind with their help. So I think it's first-class and makes a huge difference in the quality of training."
And for those that didn't see the Klotsche Center, with track athletes almost running into basketball athletes along with baseball cages, well, this is first class.
"It was a little bit like a recess," Braun says. "Right? Like a recess out on the playground. But we made due. And that's kind of the way that we operate and this is huge for them to have this dedicated space and then it opens up space for our other student-athletes also, to have a committed space while they're practicing with less going on. Less distractions and as a Division I program? That's what we need and that's the commitment we need to make."
Now the Panthers have something to truly purr about.
It’s about time to watch on your time. Stream local news and weather 24/7 by searching for “TMJ4” on your device.
Available for download on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, and more.
