The J. Martin Klotsche Center is one of the homes of the Panther Basketball.

UWM will play two exhibition games and three regular season games in the on-campus arena, while also using the facility for most of its practices.

The Koltsche Center was originally erected in 1977 and a major renovation of the facility is underway. The $45 million project, scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2005, will add new office space, weight rooms, locker rooms team room and a practice gymnasium with an upper-level running track.

Prior to this project, which broke ground in May of 2003, the latest renovations had come prior to the 1998-99 school year. The $2 million project including the addition of comfort and chair back seating. In 1996, new wood flooring and a new indoor track wer added to the Klotsche Center. The floor has been renovated as recently as this past summer with the addition of the new Horizon League logo, and the addition of the new Panther and UWM logos was completed in the summer of 1999.

The Klotsche Center can hold as many as 5,000 spectators for a sporting event, and the volleyball capacity is approximately 2,000. The largest crowed to ever see a sporting event at the Kotsche Center if %,015, present when the UWM men's basketball teams faced Butler last season. The record for a volley ball crowd at the Klotsche Center is 1, 012 set when UWM defeated ninth-ranked Wisconsin Sept. 1, 1999.

The Koltsche Center is used as a practice facility for most of UWM's varsity sports, and serves as the home court for the volleyball and men's and women's basketball. A four-lane indoor track, added in 1996, is home to the UWM men's and women's track and field teams, and the Klotsche Center pool, located on the lower level, is home to the UWM swimming and diving teams.

The Klotsche Center has been home to a number of major sporting events, including the 1999 MCC Indoor Track and Field Championships, the 2001 Horizon League Women's Volleyball championship, the 2002 Horizon League Track and Field Championship and the 2003-04 women's basketball championship.

In August of 2002, the Klotsche Center played host to a game involving the Yugoslavian National Basketball team and NBA superstar Vlade Divas. The team would up winning the World Basketball Championships. The arena also played host to an appearance by President George W. Bush that same month.

The Klotsche Center is also home to UWM's intramural program and recreation center. It features a 25-meter pool, racquetball courts, weight rooms, training rooms and classrooms for instructional use, along with upstairs office space.

The University's first Convocation was held in the Klotsche Center on Oct. 16, 1998 and a number of campus and community special events continue to be schedule for the facility.


THE ON-CAMPUS HOME OF THE PANTHERS

The on-campus Klotsche Center has developed into a strong home court advantage for the UWM basketball program.

Crowds have also grown exponentially over the past few years, with a school-record average of more than 3,200 fans attending games last season. Numerous times last season crowds exceeded 4,000, while the games against Butler and UIC were both sold out.


MILWAUKEE BASKETBALL

The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Wisconsin Center District have reached a multi-year agreement to allow the panthers to play their men's basketball games at the U.S. Cellular Arena.

The four-year agreement began last year and runs through the 2006-2007 season.

"Just the thought of one of the great basketball venues in America being the home of Milwaukee basketball is extremely exciting," Pearl said. "The challenges we face to maintain the level of success parallel the challenges to make this move work."

"Its and exciting move to be making and the timing is certainly right," IW< Athletic Director Bud Haidet said. "The feedback we received from our fans and alumni about the tournament at the arena was tremendous and we are thrilled to be getting the chance to call the renovated U.S Cellular Arena our home. This will provide us with increased opportunities for ticket sales, marketing and publicity and provide an extremely positive experience for our growing numbers of fans."

The move downtown is another commitment by the university toward athletics and toward raising its profile throughout the city and state.

"We are excited about this move downtown because it will give the university the opportunity to open its doors to new people and new fans." UWM Chancellor Bob Greenstreet said. "Whit UWM position as the access university, this will offer more people the opportunity to have access to some of our major athletic events."

The Wisconsin Center district is excited about adding the Panthers to their list of tenants.

"Milwaukee had a wonderful experience with the 2003 Horizon League Championship, "Richard Geyer, President and CEO of the Wisconsin Center District, said. The U.S. Cellular Arena will be an exciting place for UWM's games during the next three seasons. We are honored to host coach Bruce Pearl and the UWM team."

The Panthers moved their schedule to the arena for the 1992-93 season, two years after returning to the Division I ranks, and proceeded to win all 12 of their games downtown that season while drawing more than 8,000 fans for a contest with UW-Green Bay. UWM continued to play its games at the arena through the 1997-98 campaign before moving back to the on-campus Klotsche Center for the past five season.

The storied building has been the home to the NBA's Milwaukee Bucks and to Marquette University when it won a national championship in 1977. The building has undergone extensive renovations in recent season and will rank as one of the finest facilities in the Horizon League.

The last regular season games the Panthers played at the arena was Feb. 21, 1998, when UWM fell to Wright State. The panthers have played a total of 105 games as the home team at the arena, compiling a 3-52 mark. UWM has also plaed Marquette a handful of times at the arena and was the road team for each contest.

The U.S. Cellular Area is a major (8,910 permanent seats - 12,700 capacity) sports and entertainment venue in downtown Milwaukee. The facility was built in 1950 and has regularly been home to some of the greatest events in Milwaukee history.

With no obstructed-view seats, the Arena's configuration puts every patron close to the action; it enjoys a reputation as highly-conducive to spectator excitement. It has hosted college and professional basketball, hockey, circus, concerts, mort sports, banquets, ceremonies and assemblies, including UWM's commencement.

$10.5 million in renovations to the U.S. Cellular Arena were completed in 1998. These include a new video scoreboard, totally-refurbished seats, improved access for people with disabilities, wider concourses, improved concession stands, new floors and finishes, new catwalks, better lighting and improved HVAC-an all-around superior environment for both patrons and show needs.

In 2000, ice-making ability was restored, and bold new outdoor lighting, signage and electronic messaging system were added. More recently, constructed of a new, outdoor, public promenade alongside the building - the Wisconsin Athletic Walk of Fame - was completed. A New basketball floor was acquired in late 2001 and dasher boards have been added in 2003 as the U.S. Cellular Arena get ready to be the new home of the Milwaukee Wave.

The U.S. Cellular Arena is part of the Wisconsin Center District, which also included the Midwest Express Center and the new Milwaukee Theater. A $42 million project has turned the old Milwaukee Auditorium into the theater, which will seat 4,100 people and be one of the premier theatrical and concert venues in the Midwest.