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Jeter Welcomed To UWM (April 2005) Rob Jeter Introductory Press Conference Photo Gallery It hasn't taken long for Rob Jeter to make his mark as the head men's basketball coach at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. In fact, in two seasons at the helm, Jeter has taken a team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament before embarking on a plan to reload the Panthers' roster. In the process, Jeter set a school record for wins by a first-year head coach before assembling a recruiting class that ranks as the best in the Horizon League. In 2005-06, Jeter led his team to its third-straight Horizon League regular season title and its second-straight berth in the NCAA Tournament. Once in the tourney, Jeter guided the Panthers to a first-round win over Oklahoma before UWM was eliminated by eventual national champion Florida in the second round. He also guided the Panthers to a fourth-straight 20-win season. Plus, he helped three of his players earn All-Horizon League honors, a school record, and three players also earned league all-tournament team recognition. Then, this past season, Jeter confronted the difficult task of replacing seven seniors head on, fielding a roster with 16 newcomers. By the time the year was complete, transfer Paige Paulsen had earned league all-newcomer honors while youngsters Roman Gentry and Ricky Franklin emerged as two bright stars of the future. The ups and downs of his first two years on the sidelines in Milwaukee mean Jeter has gained a great deal of experience in a very short amount of time. He believes his first two seasons at UWM have allowed him to grow by leaps and bounds as a head coach. "I know I am a much better coach and much better prepared to handle this year than I was to handle last year or even my first year," Jeter said. "I had a team full of seniors that first year and it was a challenge. And then I had a team full of players that hadn't played at this level last year, and it presented a whole different set of challenges. So I am not sure what else you can throw at us as a staff and me as a coach. I think we've been through a lot." His first two years in Milwaukee have also allowed him to fine-tune just how he'll get his messages through to his players. "I think last season really reinforced a lot of things I feel very strongly about," Jeter said. "I think it really makes you understand there is a certain personality that goes with everything. Coming in as a first-year head coach with a big group of successful seniors, you are really trying to co-exist. Then last year, you are really trying to get your will to win over the guys, knowing we were facing an uphill battle. I think this year it is going to be a lot easier for my personality as a coach to come through." Specifically, Jeter feels more comfortable with how much his team will grow and improve throughout the season. While during 2006-07, the urge was to drive the team to improve overnight, the 2007-08 season should be one of steady and consistent growth and improvement throughout the season. "I'll relax a little bit and try not to rush things, rush development, and where we are as a group," Jeter said. "You can kind of let things happen knowing the system is here and guys can really teach themselves now. I think that's the biggest part as a head coach. I can have my second year with this group and my third year with a few of the guys, and there is no need to try to rush things. I think, no matter how successful of a team we're going to be at the start of the year, there is more of a comfort level about who we are." Off the court, Jeter has built his new Full-Court Club luncheons from audience of 30 at the beginning to more than 150 people for the final event of 2006-07. He also spearheaded the outfitting of UWM's new locker room and team room in the Pavilion, including wooden lockers, furniture and a large-screen television. Jeter's work has already been recognized, as he was named the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches' Association Division I Coach of the Year in 2006 and was inducted into the UW-Platteville Athletic Hall of Fame in September of last year. Jeter's work has continued into the off-season with the assembling of a pair of recruiting classes that is helping to provide the UWM roster with a makeover. He has signed players from Wisconsin, Iowa and Illinois, with a number of publications rating his current recruiting class as the best in the Horizon League. Jeter returned to UWM as the 20th head coach in the school's history after serving for four years as an assistant coach and associate head coach at the University of Wisconsin. He previously served as an assistant at both UWM and Marquette after working and playing at Division III power UW-Platteville. Jeter worked under Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan for 10 of his 11 years as an assistant coach, spending one year under Mike Deane at Marquette. At Wisconsin, Jeter served as the Badgers' lead recruiter while also coordinating Wisconsin's scouting and academic efforts. In four seasons at Wisconsin, Jeter helped the Badgers to remarkable success. They won two regular season Big Ten championships and a Big Ten Tournament title. Wisconsin also made four-straight NCAA Tournament appearances, including berths in the Sweet 16 in 2003 and the Elite Eight in 2005. Plus, Wisconsin averaged nearly 23 wins per season under Ryan and Jeter and posted a school-record 38-game homecourt winning streak. Jeter served on Ryan's staff for two seasons at UWM, recruiting just-departed Panthers Adrian Tigert and Chris Hill while helping to lay the foundation for success on the basketball court. Under Ryan and Jeter, UWM recorded its first two plus-.500 seasons since the early 1990's while increasing attendance nearly 300 percent. Winning has never been a problem for Jeter. All told, he has been a part of 11 conference championships, including nine as a coach. He has won three national championships, including two as a coach. As a player at UW-Platteville, his teams went 102-16 in four seasons. In his 11 years as an assistant coach, his teams posted a 245-85 combined record, good for a .743 winning percentage. In league play, his teams recorded a 126-46 record. One of the most popular questions asked of Jeter after taking the job in Milwaukee two years ago was the style of play he would employ. His first answer has always been easy - a winning style. But a closer look at history shows he'll likely continue to put all 94 feet of the floor to good use. In fact, as a player at UW-Platteville, Jeter played on a national championship team that averaged more than 97 points per game and pressed the entire game. In four years as a player, Jeter's teams cracked the 100-point mark 29 times, including a record-setting 149-point outing. Jeter's collegiate basketball life started at UW-Platteville, where he played for Ryan from 1987-91 and then was an assistant from 1994-98. As a player for the Pioneers, Jeter captained the team to the 1991 NCAA Division III title and was named to the All-Final Four team. A two-time All-Wisconsin State University Conference selection and two-time All-Midwest Region choice, Jeter still holds UW-Platteville records for career field goal percentage (.601) and consecutive starts (89). Jeter was also named to the Wisconsin State University Conference honor roll three times. As an assistant coach, Jeter helped guide the Pioneers to a 108-6 overall record, two NCAA Division III titles and four conference championships. In addition to his coaching duties at UW-Platteville, Jeter coordinated the program's academic, recruiting and scouting efforts and directed the Bo Ryan Basketball Camps. He was also an admissions coordinator at the school. In between playing and coaching at UW-Platteville, Jeter spent a season playing basketball overseas. He starred for the Olivias Futebol Clube in Portugal in 1992-93, leading the Portuguese national league in scoring. Jeter was born in Pittsburgh, Pa., on May 15, 1969, and then grew up in Chicago, Ill., as part of an athletic family. His dad, Bob, is a member of the Green Bay Packers Hall of Fame and his brother, Carlton, played basketball alongside Rob at UW-Platteville. Jeter attended high school at Quigley South Preparatory School and then headed to UW-Platteville, where he earned his business administration degree in 1991. Jeter also received a master's degree in adult education from the school in December of 2001. Jeter and his wife, Deanna, have a five-year old son, Robert, and a two-year-old son, Jonathan.
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