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By Angela Kelm
UW-W Assistant Athletic Director for Sports Information
— Warhawk Men’s Basketball Coach Pat Miller Announces Retirement
Pat Miller, head coach of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater men’s basketball team — who led the program to 10 NCAA national tournament appearances and two national championships — will retire after 22 years at the helm for the Warhawks. Athletic Director Ryan Callahan has announced that current Assistant Coach Jarod Wichser will be the interim head coach for 2023-24.
“Pat will go down as one of the most successful college basketball coaches ever,” said Callahan. “His legacy and impact will be felt in Warhawk athletics forever. I am grateful for my time working with Pat and getting to know his wonderful family. His service to UW-Whitewater is outstanding and he has made our athletics department and the Warhawk family stronger.”
Miller took over the Warhawk men’s basketball program prior to the start of the 2001-02 season and quickly rose through the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and NCAA Division III coaching ranks. Leading UW-Whitewater to 20 or more wins in four of his first five seasons, Miller hit the 100-win mark in 2005-06, reaching the milestone faster than anyone in WIAC history. In 2014-15, he was the fastest coach in Division III to hit the 300-win milestone among active coaches. Now after 22 seasons, Miller has compiled a career record of 434-167. His .722 winning percentage is a top 15 mark in Division III history.
In 2011-12, Miller led the Warhawks through an incredible season that culminated in a national title. Coming off of a season that saw the Warhawks make an early exit from the WIAC tournament, Miller helped largely the same cast of players grow and develop as they claimed the regular season crown and garnered hosting rights to start the playoffs. UW-Whitewater rolled through the early games including a 91-62 win over the defending Division III champion St. Thomas in the second round. Cruising all the way to the national championship game, Miller captained his crew to a remarkable comeback from an 18-point deficit for a 63-60 win over Cabrini to secure his first national title as a head coach. Chris Davis was named the Division III Player of the Year while Miller captured Division III Coach of the Year recognition. UWW was 29-4 on the season – a mark that would be matched just two years later.
The 2013-14 season saw another thriller in the finals as Miller and the Warhawks would hoist the trophy once again. With Quardell Young’s last second basket and free throw sealing a 75-73 win over Williams College, Miller had led UWW to its second national title in three seasons and fourth in program history. With the title, Miller, Warhawk men’s basketball and UW-Whitewater in general made NCAA history as the only school in any division of NCAA competition to win national championships in basketball (men’s or women’s) and football in the same year – twice. Miller was again named Division III Coach of the Year.
Miller led the Warhawks through the uncertainty of the pandemic with shortened/canceled seasons, but was faced with an unimaginable test prior to last season. Following the tragic death of Derek Gray, a phenomenal player and member of the Warhawk men’s basketball family, Miller helped the team cope and led UW-Whitewater back to the court in 2022-23. The squad honored their fallen teammate and friend with arguably one of the greatest seasons in Miller’s career. Following an up-and-down regular season campaign, the Warhawks likely needed to win the WIAC Tournament and they were up for the challenge. With Miller at the helm, UWW won three straight including a 92-79 upset of UW-Oshkosh on their home court to claim the league’s automatic bid into NCAA action.
Finding themselves back on the road for the playoffs, Miller and the Warhawks traversed 1,900 miles over a six-game span (dating back to the WIAC Tournament Semifinal in La Crosse), to punch their ticket back to the Final Four. Their incredible journey would end there, but the season still stands as one of the greatest in Miller’s career.
Over his 22 seasons at the head of the men’s basketball program, Miller has led the Warhawks to six WIAC titles and five WIAC Tournament championships. UWW has made 10 NCAA Division III Tournament appearances and won a pair of national titles in three trips to the Final Four.
He has helped guide players to All-WIAC honors more than 65 times including 32 first team honors. Miller coached one national player of the year (Chris Davis, 2012), five WIAC Players of the Year, one WIAC Newcomer of the Year, two Max Sparger Scholar-Athletes, as well as seven All-America honors and numerous All-Region honors.
Miller has garnered numerous accolades during his tenure at the top – he is a four-time WIAC Men’s Basketball Coach of the Year, three-time Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Division III College Coach of the Year, two-time D3hoops.com National Coach of the Year, two-time National Association of Basketball Coaches Division III Coach of the Year, Schelde North America/DIII News Coach of the Year and CollegeInsider.com Glenn Robinson Award finalist. In 2019, Miller was inducted into the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
Miller’s storied career at UW-Whitewater began as a student-athlete in the late 1980s. He played three seasons under head coach Dave Vander Meulen and was a co-captain of the team that won a national championship in 1989, the second title in program history up to that point. That year, he was also named the WIAC Max Sparger Scholar-Athlete of the Year. By the end of his three-year playing career as a Warhawk, Miller had written his name in the program record book in multiple categories as one of the best from beyond the arc, shooting .480 from three-point range. In 2006, Miller was inducted into the UW-Whitewater Hall of Fame.
Following his graduation from UWW in 1989, Miller went on to play a season with the Horsens Idrets Club in the Danish Basketball Federation before returning to the states to begin his career in coaching. His first stop was a two-year stint (1991-93) as the boys’ basketball coach at Harvard High School. In 1993, he returned to UW-Whitewater as an assistant coach while also serving as the head coach of the women’s golf program, as well as an instructor in the health, physical education, recreation and coaching department. He led the Warhawk women’s golf team to a pair of WIAC titles (1996-97, 1999-00) during his six-year tenure. Miller was tabbed the league’s Coach of the Year following both championship campaigns.
Wichser — who has been part of the Warhawk men’s basketball program for the last six seasons, including the last four as Miller’s lead assistant — will take over at the helm on August 14.
“I would like to congratulate Coach Miller on having one of the best careers of any college basketball coach at any level,” said Wichser. “While the numbers speak for themselves, Coach Miller has always prided himself on being about people first. The relationships he has forged and the lives he has impacted during his tenure at UW-Whitewater are what truly sets him apart as one of the all-time greats.”
Editor’s note: The following announcement was posted to the city Facebook page. For your information, the city’s policy for the size/type of brush that may be picked up is as follows: Brush must be between 3/4″ and 6” in diameter. The brush must be a minimum of 3′ in length. Vines, rakings, roots, and root balls will not be accepted. Property owners can dispose of vines, rakings, roots, and root balls at the compost site. The City reserves the right to not collect brush for just cause.” The compost site is open on Wednesday from 3-7 p.m. and on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Post Storm Brush Clean up 
Due to the recent storm, the Public Works Department will continuously pick up brush this entire week. Please be patient as the Department works to facilitate this.
Additionally, thank you to the city staff who has worked over the weekend and continues to work on keeping our community safe!
Editor’s note: The photo on the homepage was taken in Fort Atkinson on July 30 by Lynn Binnie.
According to an article in The Gazette, “Pat Miller met with his UW-Whitewater basketball team at 10 p.m. Sunday night [July 30].
The following are excerpts from the Gazette article, which may be viewed here.
“He had to make the difficult announcement that he was not going to be their head coach this coming season.
Miller has decided to take a job with BrandTek, a Middleton-based company that offers customized apparel and other items to clients…
The 1985 Janesville Craig High School graduate coached 22 seasons at UW-Whitewater, finishing with a 434-167 overall record and a 214-114 Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference record…
As the Warhawk’s head coach, Miller’s teams earned NCAA Division III national championships in the 2011-12 and 2013-14 seasons…..
“I’ve been going to Whitewater for 34 years,” Miller said. “Between being a student and an employee. There’s a part of me that says it’s time for something new.”
Ferradermis was one of 21 robots from Wisconsin, Illinois, and Michigan that competed at the Mukwonago Robotics Off-Season Competition (MROC) on Friday and Saturday, July 28-29 at Mukwonago High School. The team finished the two-day event as the Captain of the Finalist (2nd place) Alliance and the Judges’ Award Winner.
Friday’s events began with a series of morning workshops on topics of interest to students with varying roles on their FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) teams. The Ferradermis programmers focused on the topics of using vision to track AprilTags and the use of debugging tools. The electro-mechanical team members attended workshops on strategic design and effective prototyping, while the competition logistics team members learned more about scouting tools. Members who work on the administrative side of the team gathered fundraising ideas, learned about team branding, and heard ideas on how to best advocate for robotics funding. Various team leaders also attended a leadership workshop led by the Director of FIRST Wisconsin, and on Saturday morning, most of the team was able to attend a workshop on structuring team workflow.
The host team for many off-season FRC events will incorporate an aspect of community service into the event. This weekend, the host Mukwonago Bears ran a school supply donation drive, and Ferradermis families were happy to contribute three backpacks stuffed with various school supplies.
Qualification matches began after lunch on Friday, with each team scheduled for a total of 10 matches before playoff alliance selections at noon on Saturday. After 6 matches on Friday, the team compiled a record of 4-1-1 and was ranked #2. Rankings are based not only on wins but also on other tasks completed during matches.
Before heading home on Friday, team members took part in a team social which included options for indoor soccer, dodgeball, and other yard games, allowing students from various teams to get to know each other better. A large focus of FRC is “Gracious Professionalism” which encourages teams to work together to make every team and every robot the best they can be. Relationship-building with other teams is a key element.
Ferradermis (#6574) played their final 4 qualification matches on Saturday morning, going 3-1, and maintaining their #2 ranking behind host Mukwonago. Ferradermis’ final qualification match record was 7-2-1.
As the Captain of the #2 seeded playoff alliance, Ferradermis first invited Team #1714 MORE Robotics from St. Thomas More High School in Milwaukee to join their alliance. Despite being ranked #9 at MROC after receiving a red card which resulted in a match disqualification, the scout team had a lot of confidence in the MORE robot as it had won both the Lake Superior and Wisconsin Regionals during the regular season. To fill out the alliance, Ferradermis invited Team #2062 CORE, a combined team from all the Waukesha high schools that was ranked low after missing quite a few qualification matches but whose robot could successfully complement the tasks that the other two robots could complete during the period at the beginning of each match when the robots operate autonomously.
As this is a double-elimination tournament, the Ferradermis alliance faced off against the #1 seeded alliance after working their way through the rest of the upper bracket, falling 153-142 in a hard-fought match which dropped the Whitewater High School team into the lower bracket. The alliance then set the unpenalized high score for the event, scoring 172 points in the last match in the lower bracket before moving on to the finals.
In the finals, the Ferradermis-led alliance again faced the #1 seeded alliance led by host Mukwonago. Team #930 from Mukwonago High School is considered the best team in the state and is ranked #10 in the world out of 3,381 FRC teams by the Statbotics website which tracks the results of all events worldwide. Mukwonago’s first pick for their alliance was Team #3538 The RoboJackets from Rochester, Michigan, who are currently ranked #7 in the world by Statbotics. Interestingly, Dilpreet Randhawa who served as a Ferradermis coach and mentor for the last seven years is now living and working in Michigan and was at the event as a mentor for 3538. Due to a medical emergency, Dilpreet stepped back into his role as Drive Coach for Ferradermis at MROC, demonstrating 3538’s gracious professionalism. Ferradermis fell in the best-of-three finals 167-124 and 179-102, bringing home the title of Finalist Alliance Captain.
During regular season events, teams of judges roam the pits, interviewing students from each team to determine a variety of awards. MROC implemented this system at their event, presenting three awards. Ferradermis was the recipient of the Judges’ Award for their work promoting STEM in the Whitewater community.
Ferradermis members participating in the event included Class of 2023 alumni Daniel Portwine, Jazmin Cederberg, and Mel Prince, incoming seniors Cosette Wildermuth-Breitzman and Ghati Binagi, incoming juniors Andrew O’Toole, Maddi LaHaie, Emerson Dunham, Zoe Olson, Luc Pomazak, and Andrew Zimmermann, incoming sophomores Ace Hudec, Erison Dreksler, Rae Breisath, Chacha Binagi, Margaret Brown, and Elora Wildermuth-Breitzman, and incoming freshmen Ian Kowalkiewicz and Toby Kapfer.
Ferradermis will be taking a break from large group activities for a few weeks, allowing the 2023-2024 leadership team to make plans for onboarding additional new members in September. However, you can still catch team representatives demonstrating the robot at the Whitewater City Market on August 8 and 22 (weather permitting). There will be a parent meeting for new and veteran members on Wednesday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. in the high school library.
Article and Photos Submitted by Laura Masbruch
Whitewater High School Robotics Advisor and Banner Volunteer
lmasbruch@wwusd.org
Editor’s note: The following announcement was provided by the City of Whitewater.
Starting July 31, 2023, Indian Mound Parkway south of Walworth Avenue [commonly nicknamed “The Bridge to Nowhere”] will be closed to all traffic for approximately three weeks. Construction is scheduled to start on the Southwest water main project connecting the dead-end water main at the water tower to a dead-end water main by the railroad tracks. Due to the amount of expected construction traffic using Indian Mound Parkway, the street will be closed to all traffic, including pedestrians.
Editor’s note: According to the city’s Capital Improvement Program, this project will install approximately 2600 feet of watermain from Well #9 and the new water tower east to an existing water main that is stubbed in under the railroad tracks from Hwy 59. Well #9 feeds water to the distribution system via one pipe along Indian Mound Parkway. If that main would need to be shut down, water could not be introduced to the system from well #9 nor from the new water tower. The city now has only one other functioning water tower, and it is important for the new tower to have dual service to the distribution system.
The image on the homepage is from the Discover Whitewater Facebook page.
Sheriff Fell is pleased to announce that the Rock County Sheriff’s Office will offer two Hunter Safety Education Courses this fall at the Edgerton Conservation Club, 900 Stoughton Road, Edgerton, WI 53534. Anyone born on or after January 1, 1973, is required to complete a Hunter Safety Education Course to legally hunt in Wisconsin. It is recommended that participants be at least 12 years of age or turn 12 shortly following completion of the class.
Hunter Safety Education Courses:
Class #1
Mandatory Registration: August 9, at 6 p.m. @ Edgerton Conservation Club
Class: August 26, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. & August 27, from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m. @ Edgerton Conservation Club
Class #2
Mandatory Registration: September 5, at 6 p.m. @ Edgerton Conservation Club
Class: September 23, from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. & September 24, from 8 a.m. – 1 p.m.@ Edgerton Conservation Club
Online enrollment is now open for Class #1. Complete the online enrollment form to reserve a seat. Class size is limited to thirty (30) students. Upon submission of the online enrollment form, the submitter will see an onscreen confirmation message with information on the mandatory in- person registration meeting. Online enrollment for Class #2 will open after Class #1.
Enroll At: https://www.co.rock.wi.us/departments/sheriff-s-office/recreational-patrol/hunter-education
A class fee of $10 per student will be collected at the in-person registration meeting. The student, and a parent or legal guardian if the student is underage, must attend the mandatory registration meeting for the student to take the course. Students will receive course materials at the in-person registration meeting.
Please direct any questions to Deputy Trevor Lund at trevor.lund@co.rock.wi.us.
By Lynn Binnie
Whitewater Banner volunteer staff
whitewaterbanner@gmail.com
According to the WE Energies website as of Saturday, July 29 at 11:00 p.m., percentage wise, the city of Whitewater is faring much better than many municipalities in getting its power restored from Friday night’s vicious storm. Early on Saturday morning it was reported that 1995 customers were without power in Whitewater. As of this writing only 246 customers are reported to be without power. This, of course, does not diminish the discomfort and loss of perishable food that these residents may be enduring. By contrast, Fort Atkinson started the day with 5252 customers in the dark. That number actually climbed at some points during the day and remains at 4505.
Shown below are the reported outages in a number of nearby communities. WE indicates that they anticipate that 95% of their customers will have power restored by Sunday night. They state, “All available We Energies crews, including specialized forestry workers and extra contract crews, will continue to work around the clock to make repairs and restore power to customers affected by these severe storms.”
| Municipality | Customers without power | Total customers |
| Cold Spring | 85 | 436 |
| Eagle (town) | 1396 | 1882 |
| Eagle (village) | 933 | 941 |
| Fort Atkinson | 4505 | 6411 |
| Hebron | 490 | 632 |
| Lima | 15 | 669 |
| La Grange | 436 | 2201 |
| Palmyra (town) | 340 | 943 |
| Palmyra (village) | 662 | 935 |
| Richmond | 14 | 1436 |
| Whitewater (city) Jefferson County | 1 | 748 |
| Whitewater (city) Walworth County | 245 | 5359 |
| Whitewater (town) | 6 | 1174 |
City of Whitewater Common Council – Tuesday @ 6:30 p.m.
Agenda includes update on businesses operating without a Conditional Use Permit, campaign planning study for Aquatic & Fitness Center, discussion re: library expansion, discussion regarding city manager evaluation policy, discussion re: water credits practices, discussion and possible action on lakes dredging bid, closed session (followed by possible discussion in open session) re: MOU/MSP with UWW and Aldi development agreement.
City of Whitewater Municipal Building – Community Room
312 West Whitewater St.
This will be an IN PERSON and a VIRTUAL MEETING
Please click the link below to join the webinar:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/83198282604?pwd=cDdLWjUvTTRqRUQ4UVcwQWcrcW1BUT09
Or dial
1 312 626 6799
Webinar ID: 831 9828 2604
Passcode: 137945
City of Whitewater Landmarks Commission – Thursday @ 6:00 p.m.
Agenda includes Effigy Mounds Preserve recent progress and next steps.
In Person and Virtual
Cravath Lake Front Room
312 Whitewater Street, Whitewater, WI 53190
Join Virtually at:
https://meet.goto.com/986513669
Obituaries
Sally A. Schutte, age 73, of Whitewater, went home to be with her Lord and Savior on September 21, 2026, while at Hearthstone Memory Care in Whitewater. Sally was born on November 6, 1952, to Roy and Elsie (Rohloff) Haas. Sally married William Schutte in the spring of 2003. Sally grew up on the family farm in the Town of Hebron and graduated from Jefferson High School. She dedicated nearly her entire career to Fort HealthCare, where her hard work and versatility shone through various roles. Over the years, she served in housekeeping and medical records, Center for Dermatology. Sally … Read more
Zachariah “Zach” Schoenke, 41, of Whitewater passed away peacefully on Tuesday, September 22, 2026. He was born April 4, 1985, to Keith W. Schoenke and Kathleen Schoenke in Fort Atkinson, WI. He grew up and graduated from Whitewater High School in 2003. Zach worked various jobs over the years but was currently working at Cracker Barrel in Janesville. He was a big Packers Fan and liked to play fantasy football. He enjoyed reading, cooking, and watching horror shows. Zach fiercely loved his son, Lincoln, his sisters, Cami and Cary, his mom and stepdad, and his aunt Robin. He will be dearly … Read more
Carla Winn, 82, died September 5, 2026. Funeral Service will be at 12:00 PM, Saturday, September 12, 2026, at East Heights United Methodist Church, 4407 E Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67218, followed by a burial at 2:00 PM at White Chapel Memorial Garden 1806 N Oliver Ave. Carla is preceded in death by her parents, Vivian Dwight and Wilma Lois Krehbiel; and sister, Jennifer Krehbiel. She is survived by husband, Stephen; daughter, Ashley (Clint) Gagel, of Overland Park; siblings, Paul (Kay) Krehbiel, of Socorro, NM, Lynn (Bill) Oetting, of Wichita, Ellen (John) Querner, of Wichita, Teresa Woodson, of Lawrence, KS, … Read more
Susan Miller Celebration of Life There will be a gathering of friends and acquaintances at Susan’s Farm Store to celebrate Susan’s life on Saturday, September 19th from 2-5 p.m. at N6623 Lake Lorraine Rd., Delavan, Wisconsin
Our loving mother, JoAnn E Harrop, age 95, passed away on September 11, 2026. Our sorrow is deep, but we are filled with gratitude for the many years we had with her. Even as her mind was failing, she remained strong and appreciative of all who cared for her. JoAnn was born on January 13, 1931, daughter to Fred Braun and Evelyn Braun {Storck). She was raised in Whitewater, Wisconsin by her grandparents, Otto and Edith Storck. She attended Whitewater High School and helped at the Storck tavern where she met her husband Earl C. Harrop. They married on November … Read more
Russell O. Johnson “Russ,” 88, passed away on September 4, 2026 in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Russell was born on July 12, 1938, in Janesville, Wisconsin. Russ grew up in Janesville, and after high school he joined the Air Force on May 1, 1958, serving as an aircraft mechanic until June 12, 1962. He then worked at Parker Pen in Janesville for a time, where he met his future wife, Avis. After marrying Avis Mason in April 1964, Russ worked for Gillman Manufacturing for a time, then began a career at Dana until its closing in 1980. In 1981, Russ started working … Read more
Marcia Zingg, beloved wife, mother, grandmother, businesswoman, and friend, passed away peacefully on September 1, 2026, at the age of 75. Marcia will be remembered for her unwavering love, remarkable strength, generous spirit, and lifelong devotion to her family. She shared 40 wonderful years of marriage with her husband, Jeffrey Zingg, who considered her not only his wife but also his best friend, business partner, and the love of his life. Together, Marcia and Jeffrey built a successful life rooted in perseverance, hard work, laughter, and love. As entrepreneurs in Whitewater, Wisconsin, they owned and managed new car franchises and … Read more
Amanda Jean Hunter was born to Ralph and Malinda (Thomas) Hunter of Whitewater, Wisconsin, on October 6, 1976. She passed away on August 4, in Fort Worth, Texas, where she lived with her family. Amanda passed peacefully in the hospital, surrounded by her loved ones. Amanda was a kind-hearted free spirit with an unmistakable hippie warmth. Generosity, spontaneity, a quick wit, a macabre sense of humor, and an open heart were traits that she embraced. She was a tireless champion of those in need, an innate characteristic that became among the best of her qualities. She proved to be a … Read more
Ellen Eichmiller, 82, of Whitewater, Wisconsin, passed away on Saturday, August 22, 2026. Ellen was born on September 10, 1943, in Monroe, Wisconsin, to Chester “Guy” and Irene (née Holmen) Steig. She married the love of her life, Paul Eichmiller, on December 7, 1963, and together they made their home in Whitewater, Wisconsin. Ellen spent much of her working life as a secretary at the University of Wisconsin–Whitewater, where she formed many lasting friendships and memories. Ellen cherished her family and friends and treasured the time she spent with those closest to her. She was known for her love of … Read more
Janet Quinn, age 71, of Jefferson passed away on Thursday, August 20th. Janet was born on December 22nd, 1954 in St. Joseph, MI to Robert Mounsey and Edith Christison Mounsey. She was a granddaughter to Herbert Bragg Mounsey, Charlotte Mounsey, and Ester Christison West. She married Michael Durden in 1979 and later married Eury Quinn Jr. (J.R.) in 1988. Janet grew up in Benton Harbor, MI, and subsequently lived in New York and Arkansas before moving to Wisconsin in 2016. She was a dedicated caregiver to her disabled Mother, and worked as a custodian for various employers over the years. … Read more
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