Oct. 7, 2002

MILWAUKEE - The UWM men's and women's basketball teams will kick off the 2002-2003 season with "Panther Madness" at the Klotsche Center Friday, Oct. 11 and Saturday Oct. 12.

The activities on Friday evening will lead up to a midnight practice for the two teams on Saturday, the first day Division I college basketball teams can begin practicing.

Events, which are free and open to the public, will kick off at 10:30 Friday evening at the Klotsche Center on the UWM campus with a performance by Comedy Sportz. The evening will continue with performances by the UWM cheerleaders and dance squad and other activities led by head coaches Bruce Pearl and Sandy Botham. Then, at 12:01 a.m., the Panther men and women will take the floor for a 60-minute joint workout, which will include a three-point shooting contest and dunk contest.

The first 500 fans through the doors will receive a free Panther basketball t-shirt, plus free pizza and Coca-Cola will also be distributed to the first 500 fans. A variety of contests and raffles, including a chance to win tuition for the semester, will also take place throughout the evening.

The Panther men have been picked to win the Horizon League by a number of pre-season magazines, while the Panther women return Horizon League Player of the Year Maria Viall from a squad that won 20 games a season ago.