Turning Heads and Restoring Panther Pride on Campus

UW- Milwaukee students gathered in UWM’s Gasthaus Monday night for a night of food, fun and Panther basketball.  “More people are at the games now that we are better,” Trista Deuster, a member of the Panther Pit crew, said. “A lot of students are more enthusiastic, and I’m seeing new faces at games.”

School pride was shown last night in the dimly lit Gasthaus as students cheered on the Men’s basketball team as they competed in the Horizon League Semifinal championship game. If the Panthers had won, they would make the Finals of the Horizon League Championship and had a chance of being in March Madness. More than 50 students sat on bar stools and stared in excitement at any of the five projected games or five television screens. Food orders were flashing on the walls by the dozens; fried food was the entrée of the evening.

The Panthers entered the tournament seeded 6^th while their opponent, Wright State, was seeded 2^nd. Hopeful students watched the Panthers go into the half trailing behind Wright State by 2 points.

The chants of champions echoed through the restaurant as fans cheered, “Let’s go Panthers” while raising their drinks high to the toast of victory. Nervous and excited smiles brightened the room as the anticipation of a come-back tapped on the backs of their opponent.

As promise began to disappear in the second round of opponent free throws, fans hesitantly put on their coats, eyes still glued onto the screens, hoping for a miracle. The final horn brought a sorrowful end to Milwaukee’s season, leaving them with a loss of 53-59.

The Panthers finished their season with 16 wins and 17 losses compared to their 2016-2017 record of 11 wins and 24 losses making their record this year an advancement. The Panthers beat Wright State at home on January 20^th in Milwaukee and again on February 10^th on the road.

Guests to the restaurant were greeted by television announcers on T.V. placing bets on their teams, recaps of each team’s season and representatives of UWM athletics handing out free Panther t-shirts.

Trista Deuster, a sophomore at UWM, is a part of the Panther Pit Crew and Athletic Marketing team that handed out these t-shirts.

Duester was joined by the Athletic Department’s social media coordinator. He made sure that all stats were being taken and recorded so that those unable to attend the event, could still feel as though they were seated front and center.

Deuster also helped coordinate the buses that would bring students to the game at the UWM Panther Arena in downtown Milwaukee on Tuesday, if the Panthers had won.

“People are excited. We have more than 200 people signed up to go on the bus tomorrow if we win and that’s not even all the people going to the game.”

The Gasthaus, located in the basement of UWM’s Union, hosts sports events spanning from soccer to basketball game showings. They also offer a full menu and full-service bar.

For some, the bar and grill is a great place to do homework while also having fun. A group of fraternity members sat together while multitasking between doing homework and keeping a watchful eye on the game.

Many students attended the showing of the semi-final game Monday night, though many seats were left vacant.

Brett Johnson, a junior at UWM, is a Milwaukee sports enthusiast and has been following the Panthers since he transferred from Missouri in 2015.

“Students didn’t care about our athletics here at all, many still don’t,” Johnson said. “I think that the more that we can start winning, the more our programs can make pushes like they are this year and did last year, then more students will come around.”

Johnson believes that school pride has lessened since he transferred here.

“I was a broadcaster at a non-conference game for the Panthers. The attendance was not as good as it could have been that day,” Johnson said. “The only games that tend to do well are those that give away promotions.”

Though the Gasthaus was not a full house, those who were there made sure that the room did not stay quiet for long and filled the room with cheers and standing ovations.

Students were disappointed. After a long road of losses and catching up to opponents, the season is over. Though, optimistic students held their heads high.

“Even though they lost, it’s still much further than any of us expected them to go,” Johnson said.