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In 12 years at the the helm of the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee women's basketball team, Sandy Botham continues to guide the team to the top of the Horizon League and onto the cusp of post-season competition. Botham has consistently kept UWM in the thick of the league title chase, including second-place-or-better finishes eight times since 1999. Last season, while leading the Panthers to another runner-up finish in the league standings, she broke the league record for league coaching wins. Her teams have won 129 league games in her tenure, already the longest of any coach in the league's history. Two seasons ago, she eclipsed the 200-win mark for her career with a thrilling 89-83 comeback win over UIC March 1. With 197 career wins on the Milwaukee sidelines, she is on the verge of 200 wins at UWM, a milestone just one coach has reached before. In Botham's 12 years at UWM, she has compiled a 197-149 mark, including a 129-57 mark in Horizon League contests. In 2006, Milwaukee advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history after winning the Horizon League Tournament at the Klotsche Center. The homecourt advantage was made possible by UWM's second regular season championship and its first-ever No. 1 seed. All told, UWM won a school-record 22 games that season, including a school-record 12-straight through the league tournament and 17-of-19 after the calendar turned to 2006. In league play, Milwaukee tied its best ever mark of 14-2 for its share of the league crown. When the dust settled, Botham collected a third Horizon League Coach of the Year honor and her players garnered six post-season league honors themselves, including Newcomer of the Year. Two Milwaukee players also received all-league first team awards for the first time in school history. Botham led the Panthers to their first-ever league crown and NCAA Tournament berth in 2001 and to their first 20-win campaign the following season. Her teams have gone 98-30 in the league since 1999-00. The building process started right away for Botham, who took over a team that won just four games the year before. She led the squad to 16 wins in 1996-97, earning conference coach of the year honors in the process. That season started a trend for UWM under Botham's direction. The next year, the Panthers posted an eight-game winning streak and claimed a win over No. 13 Nebraska. The 1999-00 season then included a second-place finish and an undefeated league home campaign. Things got even better for the Panthers in the next two years, as UWM claimed its first ever regular season and tournament titles, while earning the school's first-ever NCAA Tournament berth in women's basketball in 2001. Milwaukee has been dominant at home versus Horizon League opponents under Botham. Under her direction UWM owns a 74-19 home record in Horizon League play. Overall, Botham's teams have won nearly 70 percent of their home games. Not only has Botham led UWM to enormous team success, but she has also aided in individual player development. One look at the individual accolades earned during Botham's 12 years in Milwaukee tells it all. During the Botham era, 28 players have been selected to the all-league and league all-newcomer teams. Botham recruited and helped mentor Maria Viall (2000-03), a two-time Horizon League Player of the Year and UWM's all-time leading scorer. Botham came to UWM in 1996 following a successful season as head coach at Beloit College in Beloit, Wis. Her team went 22-4 in 1995-96, making it the most successful team in school history. That Beloit squad advanced to the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament before losing to eventual national champion UW-Oshkosh. Before becoming a head coach at the collegiate level, Botham spent five seasons as an assistant at the University of Notre Dame under head coach Muffet McGraw. During her time in South Bend from 1991-95, the Irish won the league regular-season title twice, the league tournament twice and twice went to the NCAA Tournament. Prior to her assistantship at her alma mater, Botham spent a year in Milwaukee, assisting Marquette University head coach Jim Jabir in 1990-91. As a player, Botham played at Notre Dame from 1984-88. A four-time all-league performer, she ranks among the top-10 in career scoring (1,460), rebounding (773) and field goal percentage (.588). A native of Madison, Wis., Botham attended Madison West High School from 1980-84 where she was a standout in three different sports. In addition to basketball, Botham starred in volleyball and softball at West High. As a sophomore, Botham helped lead Madison West to the state basketball championship. She was inducted into the Madison Sports Hall of Fame in 2008. Botham earned her bachelor's degree from Notre Dame in 1988 while majoring in psychology with a minor in business. Botham remained in South Bend for her graduate work, earning a Masters of Science in Administration from the school in 1990. |
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