UWM Men’s Basketball Attendance Trending up; Program Looking for More Growth

Posted on by
The Klotsche Center at tip-off of the Panthers vs. Golden Grizzlies quarterfinal. Credit: Jack Laude

The Panthers average home attendance for the 2024-2025 season was reported at 2,147. The highest average attendance since the 2015-2016 campaign.

The attendance has risen each season Lundy has been spearheading the program. Lundy’s first season brought in 1,717 fans on average, and his second season the average jumped to 2,035.

For the three years (2022-present) Lundy has coached the Panthers, the average home-attendance has been 1,966. The Pat Baldwin era (2017-2022) averaged 1,648 fans per home game. LaVall Jordan’s one season in charge (2016-2017) brought in an average of 1,481 people per game in Milwaukee.

Five days before UW-Milwaukee’s men’s basketball quarterfinal matchup in the Horizon League Tournament, a decision was made to move the game from Panther Arena, where the Panthers played most of their home games throughout the season, to the Klotsche Center on UWM’s campus.

The Klotsche Center is much smaller and compact than Panther Arena, which can hold 12,700 people, around 9,200 more people than the Klotsche Center.

A section of the fanbase did not approve of the decision.

UWM alum and men’s basketball fan Ken Peterson cited the livelier area around Panther Arena and in-stadium amenities as why he preferred the downtown location.

Peterson is also a co-founder of The Black & Gold Club, a booster club that has supported Milwaukee Panthers athletics since 2013.

“Here there’s no place to go,” said Peterson about the Klotsche Center, which is a different from when the Panthers play at Panther Arena. “Everyone goes to [Major] Goolsby’s, but I’m sure some people would go where the Bucks are on the Deer District.”

Head coach Bart Lundy said it was a “no-brainer” decision to have the game at the Klotsche Center on the Mar. 3 edition of The Bart Lundy Basketball Show.

“Hopefully there’s a day that comes that we feel like our advantage is to play at [Panther] Arena,” said Lundy. “[Playing at the Klotsche Center] just gives these guys the best chance to advance.”

UWM Director of Athletics Amanda Braun also spoke at The Bart Lundy Basketball Show on the third. Braun wishes the average attendance was around 4,000 people at Panther Arena, and said the conversation of playing at the Klotsche Center for a playoff game wouldn’t have come up if that was the case.

Men’s College Basketball games have been won by the home team 70% of the time over the last couple of years, according to assistant coach Mike Winans on the Feb. 24 edition of The Bart Lundy Basketball Show. A big reason for the wide margin is the home fans.

“The energy from the crowd is contagious,” said Lundy. “It influences the play on the floor, influences the referees, it influences everything.”

Panthers Lose, but Fans Show up

The Panthers lost 72-64 to the Oakland Golden Grizzlies in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Tournament on Mar. 6 at the Klotsche Center.

Despite the loss, the crowd lived up to the decision. The reported attendance was 2,151 in the tightly packed gymnasium.  

Senior Kentrell Pullian played for the men’s basketball team the past three seasons.

“Since I’ve been here the crowd has definitely been showing more love to Milwaukee basketball,” said Pullian. “I’m grateful for that, hopefully they start coming out more.”

Lundy also has seen growth in the fanbase since he took over in 2022, which the attendance numbers have reflected.

“It’s been more community than students, which has been the challenging part,” said Lundy.

Future Goals

Braun spoke about what her “north star” is for the men’s basketball program.

“Brand visibility, enrollment, engagement with our community on campus,” said Braun.

Jimmy Lemke is a UWM alum and UWM athletics fan. Lemke is another co-founder of the Black & Gold Club. He believes a successful men’s basketball program could help achieve that north star.

“Basketball is the front porch of the university, it’s the way that people are brought in,” said Lemke. “You use athletics as the hook and then you sell them on the academic experience and the residential experience.”

His idea to propel the program forward is to put more focus into marketing the team.

UWM freshman Eric Swartz is open to going to school athletic events but has not attended any yet.

“I don’t know too much about tickets or when the games are,” said Swartz. “Also, for a semester not knowing too many people, I know more people now that I’d be willing to go with.”

Trinity Thao is a sophomore at UWM and has attended a couple of men’s basketball games at Panther Arena and the Klotsche Center in the past.

“It was always really packed, and the students brought a lot of energy,” said Thao. “I see posters, maybe in the Union, maybe in Sandburg [hall], but I think that’s it.”

Thao also noted that emails were sent to her about men’s basketball games.

Lemke thinks a more engaging campus environment would help keep students involved with the school in the long run.

“They need to be engaged on campus and sports is a big way, specifically men’s basketball, that you can create the engagement that makes students want to stay.”