W-Whitewater men’s basketball added two new staff members for the upcoming season, both who understand what it means to be a Warhawk.

Lou Chapman and Jarod Wichser were announced as assistant coaches to the Warhawks’ 2017-2018 staff Sept. 14 by head coach Pat Miller.

“He [Chapman] brings a lot of intensity to practice and basketball knowledge,” Miller said. “He’s very good on the floor, evaluating film and developing scouting reports.”

Chapman previously held a tenure with the Warhawks from 2011-2013 as associate head coach and assistant lecturer.

“It was a no-brainer,” Chapman said regarding his return to UW-W. “When coach Miller and I discussed the possibility, I was sold from our initial discussion. All the tradition that’s here, where the university is going, it’s just an awesome place to be.”

Following Chapman’s departure from UW-W in 2013, he ran Lou Chapman Basketball Services, a basketball training program. The company focused on youth basketball development in Milwaukee and the surrounding areas.

The company grew fast, and eventually became associated with Nike and Jr. NBA. Still, there was an itch to get back to coaching at the college level, Chapman said.

Just as Chapman aided in the growth of players at his camp, he hopes to achieve something similar in his return to the Warhawks.

“Helping the players is first and foremost,” Chapman said. “I was a college basketball player and had good college coaches. Just being here as mentor for them, being a shoulder they can lean on and someone that can set an example for them.”

For Wichser, his initial year at UW-W will be his first college coaching experience. Whitewater isn’t an unfamiliar place for him though. He graduated from UW-Whitewater in 2011 and enrolled in UW-W’s Higher Education Athletic Administration program this semester.

“Being from around here I was aware of coach Miller and the success he’s had, the program he’s had,” Wichser said. “It’s something I always wanted to do, so when this opportunity became available I jumped at it.”

Before Wichser was hired by UW-W, he was the boys’ varsity basketball head coach at Belleville High School. Wichser’s responsibilities at Belleville not only included game preparation and coaching, but fundraising, video analysis, budget, community service and staff hires.

“The biggest thing I want to do is to make sure that they [Miller and Chapman], and that our kids have everything they need to be successful,” Wichser said. “Taking care of all the behind the scenes stuff for them, fundraising, organization, whatever I can do to make coach Chapman’s and Miller’s jobs easier.”

Although there will be a bit of a learning curve for Wichser, there’s high expectations for him, Miller said.

“He has head coaching experience, so he brings good basketball knowledge,” Miller said. “He’s very discipline on how he goes about things and is good on the floor.”

Chapman and Wichser will look to help improve the 22-7 record the Warhawks posted last year when the season kicks off Nov. 17.