The 2007 Alumni Game drew a big crowd

Saturday marks a special day in the UW-Platteville program, as the Pioneers welcome back their alumni. The men's game is at noon, immediately following the women's contest. The Pioneers then face UW-Stout, with the women's game at 3 p.m. and the men to follow 30 minutes after that contest's conclusion.

For the alumni, the day is a chance to reconnect with teammates, tell some stories and share some laughs.

While the day means a lot to the alumni, it means just as much for the 2008 Pioneers, Coach Paul Combs said.

“Any time you can bring back former student-athletes who lived the dream and have been successful not only on the floor, but also off the floor, it’s a great representation to our current players,” he said.

The Pioneers soak up the experience of those who wore the orange and blue before them.

“As a player it was a great thing for a couple of reasons,” said Frank McGettigan, who played 2000-04, “one being able to interact with alumni and the tradition they carried with them from their years at UWP. Their history is hanging on the south wall in Williams Fieldhouse, and hearing their stories and good words were a big part in learning how to play the game the Pioneer way. The other reason is the entertainment factor, seeing some of the guys that were seniors when you were a freshman, and guys that were there before them play the alumni game, and need a breather every couple of minutes.”

Many of the alumni here Saturday played during the magical 1990s, when UWP compiled the best record in all of college basketball at 266-26, won NCAA III national championships in 1991, 1995, 1998 and 1999, and ripped off 96 straight regular-season wins on the Williams Fieldhouse floor. That floor was named Bo Ryan Court last January in honor of the coach who led those teams and who currently has his Wisconsin Badgers in first place in the Big Ten and ranked 11th nationally.

“The levels the 1990 teams reached were remarkable and levels that may never been seen again on the DIII level,” Combs said. “What makes it special for us, though, is the people involved with those teams. They did, and will continue to have, so much influence on the University and the UWP community. It’s something we’re very proud of.”

The pride is evident by the large turnout every season, and that pride and tradition gets passed down from year to year. Every single team wants to defend that tradition.

“The Pioneer tradition to me is the brotherhood that is formed by putting on that Pioneer uniform,” McGettigan said. “Every player who has come through the program has had a different experience in his own right, but the one thing for me is that I wore the Pioneer uniform for the guys that played before me, the guys I played with, for the guys who are, and will be, wearing the uniform in the future.”

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