A star of UWM's Sweet 16 team offers a glimpse into how NIL works for a basketball mid-major

Monday marks the 20th anniversary of the zenith for UW - Milwaukee men’s basketball, its first and only game in the Sweet 16.

Joah Tucker was an instrumental part of that 2004-05 team, a Milwaukee native who graduated from Nicolet High School .

Tucker launched the Panther Future Fund to support the school's current players through NIL opportunities.

Tucker remains optimistic about UWM 's basketball future, believing the program can consistently compete for NCAA tournament berths.

The Panther Future Fund is vital to getting high-quality athletes into the program.

It's also about more than simply paying young men to play basketball.

UWM finished the 2024-25 season with a record of 21 -11 overall and 14-6 in the Horizon League.

Tucker is proud of what the Panther Future Fund is doing, but he and Lundy aren't kidding themselves.

They know a project Tucker takes on in his spare time can’t compete with fulltime fundraisers and athletic departments hiring people dedicated to managing NIL packages and the transfer portal.

“Recruiting character has always been important, but now it becomes crucial,” Lundy said.