Basketball season has arrived and the UW-Platteville men’s basketball team begins with full force. The Pioneers began practice Oct. 19 being ranked eighth in the country by the Sporting News 2008-09 College Basketball Preview, according to the Sports Information Web site.

Photograph by Kate Olsen
Clockwise, from left: Senior center Jeff Skemp working on his footwork at a practice on Bo Ryan Court; the four seniors from left: Charlie Lohoff, Bo Richter, Skemp and Kyle Tetschlag; senior guard Richter jumps over a practice hurdle; sophomore guard Nick Allen looks to pass to Richter.

“Being ranked nationally in the pre-season is a credit to our players and their consistent commitment to this program and each other,” men’s basketball head coach Paul Combs said. “We are focused on getting better each day and understanding our roles.”

A strong core of seniors return to the roster to lead the team through a very demanding schedule Combs said. Coach Combs has a career of 80 wins and 50 losses with the Pioneers and with the 2008-2009 season he enters his sixth year as head coach for the team.

“All four [senior guard Charlie Lohoff, senior guard Bo Richter, senior guard Jeff Skemp and senior forward Kyle Tetschlag] student-athletes are committed to UW-P and this program on and off the court,” Combs said.
The rankings don’t mean anything to us unless the team can back them up Tetschlag said.

“We know we have a strong team this year with a lot of experienced players back,” Tetschlag said. “Now we just have to put it together and play towards our own goals and expectations. We would rather be one in the rankings in March rather than eighth in the nation preseason.”

The team has worked hard to be at the level they are at Ritcher said.

“It’s nice to be recognized as being one of the top teams to watch, but in the end, no one is going to remember our team being ranked eighth in the country in October,” Lohoff said.

The Pioneers returned 15 lettermen for their first practice. The team went 19-7 last season with a second place finish in the WIAC, tying with UW-Stevens Point.

Besides being ranked eighth in the country, senior center Jeff Skemp received first-team preseason All-American. Skemp has career highs of 30 points in a game, 17 rebounds and six assists. Skemp is only the fifth Pioneer to be named to the WIAC All-American and the first one in eight years.

“Jeff Skemp is very deserving of all the accolades he receives,” Combs said. “He has played a very important role in our program since the day he walked onto this campus. We are most pleased with the type of person Jeff has become off the court as well.”

Skemp is in his fifth year at UW-P and will be graduating with a degree in business administration in May.

“We are all very excited for Jeff and the recognition he has received, but he will be the first to tell you that preseason rankings aren’t as rewarding as the awards after the season,” Lohoff said. “He has worked hard to get to where he is at, and we all look forward to the season.”

The Pioneers are hosting an O Zone Appreciation Night on Thursday Oct. 30 from 7:30 to 9:30 p.m.. The Pioneers’ first appearance will be an exhibition game at Bradley Sunday, Nov. 9 at 4 p.m. followed by their first regular season home game Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. against the Viterbo V-Hawks at Bo Ryan Court.