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APR sanctions result in postseason ban next season for Milwaukee

Rob Jeter

Rob Jeter

AP

Less than a month after representing the Horizon League in the NCAA tournament, falling to No. 3 Syracuse in the Round of 64, the Milwaukee Panthers learned Wednesday that they will not have the opportunity to return in 2014-15.

The school announced that its appeal of sanctions related to substandard Academic Progress Rate (APR) figures was denied by the NCAA Committee on Academic Performance, resulting in the basketball program being banned from postseason play in 2014-15. As a result Rob Jeter’s team will also be prohibited from participating in the Horizon League tournament.

“The academic success of our student-athletes will always be the top priority in the Milwaukee athletic department,” UWM Athletic Director Amanda Braun said. “We are aware that problems did occur in the past, but we have faced them and made changes and are accepting the consequences from the NCAA. Well before we even started the appeals process, we began implementing new processes to help all of our student-athletes have more success in the classroom.”

According to the school the program will have to replace four hours of practice time with four hours of academic support, and they’ll be allowed five days of practice during the season instead of six. During the current four-year window, which ended with the 2012-13 season, schools are required to have an APR score of at least 930. Milwaukee’s score of 908 obviously fell short of that mark.

Of Milwaukee’s top five scorers from this season three have eligibility remaining: guard Steve McWhorter (7.8 ppg, 4.1 rpg, 4.0 apg; will be a senior next season) and forwards Austin Arians (11.1, 3.5) and Matt Tiby (12.0, 6.5). Both Arians and Tiby will be juniors in 2014-15.

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