New coach aims to establish trust.
New coach faces challenges
New UW-Milwaukee men’s basketball coach Patrick Baldwin has talked to each returning player and incoming recruit either in person or on the phone since being named as LaVall Jordan’s replacement on Tuesday. That was the easy part. Now the real work begins for the Panthers’ third head man in three seasons — turning the page from the turmoil and tumult that’s engulfed the program over the past 15 months and re-establishing stability for a team in search of some.
“The one thing I talk about all the time is patience, and that’s what it’s going to require,” said Baldwin on Thursday afternoon, shortly after his introductory news conference at the Union Art Gallery on the UWM campus.
“It’s going to take time, because there’s trust issues now. When I tell them something or when we talk, maybe they’re not all in yet. It’s going to be that trust, that safe haven aspect of it — can they come and talk to me about anything? Can we trust each other? Can we work to be on the same page?
“It’s going to take some time and it’s going to take communication. I won’t always be the talker. I’ll be the listener. I think that part will be better than me talking their ears off.”
Baldwin will meet all his charges face to face at a team meeting on Sunday and five of them — including the team’s best returning player, redshirt junior Brock Stull — already have played for Rob Jeter and Jordan the previous two seasons.
Jordan inherited a toxic situation that ended with the Panthers’ top three returning scorers transferring to other schools. Baldwin, who also has a four-player recruiting class coming in, is hopeful he won’t be hit with a mass exodus of key players.
“I haven’t been told specifically that anyone won’t be (coming back), but I’ve talked to every single one of them and I’m excited to coach them,” he said. “They’re going to all be there on Sunday.
“If something changes, it could happen in the next few days. If it does, we’ll address that then.”
Baldwin — who received the same five-year deal that Jordan did last year that pays $350,000 a season — also said “time is of the essence” with regard to hiring a staff. One of Jordan’s former assistants, Omar Lowery, will join him at Butler.
“What I care about is continuity within our program,” Baldwin said. “We’ll see if we can carry that forward. With this new staff, I want to pick it carefully and I want to make sure our staff is aligned with my goals, the vision that I have and that aggressive mindset to work and get after it.
“I’m in conversations with a ton of people, and hopefully we can come to a conclusion there.”
Baldwin, 44, comes to UWM from Northwestern, a one-time Big Ten doormat that he played for, graduated from and most recently helped coach to its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance alongside head man Chris Collins.
He choked up a bit when talking about what Collins meant to him and his coaching career. Baldwin also thanked Doug Collins, the former NBA coach and TV analyst and Chris’ father, and Northwestern Vice President of Athletics Jim Phillips.
“They brought me back to Northwestern,” he said. “They helped me. I knew I was a winner inside; it just hadn’t happened as a player. They brought me there, and we achieved something that nobody can take away from me.
“We experienced a great four-year run culminated by making it to the NCAA Tournament. That made me.”
Baldwin admitted leaving Evanston was tough. His wife, Shawn, was a volleyball player there, and the entire family — including son Patrick Jr. and daughters Tatum, Brooke and Claire — had put down roots.
“We grew up there,” he said. “My wife and I are alums, we have our DNA on the floor there at Northwestern. We have a lot equity built up in that area and in that school. It was extremely tough.
“It had to take a special place to leave Northwestern, because that’s my heart. And I’m ready to open my heart to this community and to this school.”
Asked about his coaching style, Baldwin said he favors an uptempo offense. As a former Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, he obviously likes aggression but said his personnel will dictate the approach.
“I’m not going to try to reinvent the wheel. I’m going to draw a lot on my experience,” said Baldwin, who also had previous assistant’s stints at UWGreen Bay, Loyola and Missouri State.
“I will coach with a lot of enthusiasm, a lot of energy and I’ll make sure my players are playing with 100% energy every time they’re out there on the floor.
“That’s going to be my calling card with Milwaukee basketball.”
In addition to recruiting players to UWM, Baldwin will also be dealing with recruiters trying to attract Patrick Jr. in the coming years. Checking in at 6 feet 6 inches, he’s considered one of the top incoming high school freshmen in the nation.