UW-Milwaukee guard Markeith Browning II is dismissed from team

A turbulent season for the UW-Milwaukee Panthers got quite a bit bumpier Monday.

Markeith Browning II, a junior guard expected to be one of the Panthers’ top players coming into the season, has been dismissed from the program.

“Announcements like this are never easy,” coach Bart Lundy said in a statement released by UWM. “It was an internal decision done with the best interests of the program in mind. We certainly wish Markeith the best moving forward. The entire program hopes for nothing but success in his future and will do what we can to help him on that path.”

The 6-foot-4 Browning, a native of Ypsilanti, Michigan, was perhaps the Panthers’ best all-around athlete and someone who could be a difference-maker on the defensive end of the court.

But offensively Browning had struggled – not unlike the rest of the 4-7 Panthers – as he was averaging only 8.5 points on 40.7% shooting to go with 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists.

In fairness to Browning, he was being asked to play out of position much of the time due to UWM’s lack of a true point guard. Still, his overall impact was nowhere near what it was expected to be coming into a season with exceedingly high expectations.

Browning was the lone scholarship player remaining from the Pat Baldwin era. He played in 54 games at UWM.

To help fill the void caused by Browning’s absence, freshman Makuei Riek is planning to drop his redshirt and will be available moving forward for the Panthers.

A 6-6, 170-pounder from Rochester, Minnesota, Riek is raw but also is a solid athlete capable of playing multiple positions.

UWM, which next hosts Tennessee-Chattanooga at 1 p.m. Friday, is also expected to get leading scorer BJ Freeman and key reserve Langston Wilson back from injuries in the short term.