Report: Milwaukee to name Pat Baldwin head coach

Milwaukee is expected to name Northwestern assistant Pat Baldwin its new head coach, Gary Parrish of CBS Sports reports.

Baldwin’s hiring is the final head coaching domino to fall following Ohio State’s surprising decision to fire Thad Matta earlier this month. Baldwin will replace LaVall Jordan, who left to take the Butler job, which Chris Holtmann vacated in favor of Ohio State.

Though the exact terms are still unknown, Jeff Goodman of ESPN reports that Baldwin and the university have agreed to a five-year contract.

Baldwin takes over a Milwaukee team that was in rebuilding mode in 2016-17, going just 11-24, with primarily freshmen and sophomores leading the way. The Panthers seemed to put it together in the Horizon League Tournament, however, ripping off three wins, including one over Valparaiso, before falling to Northern Kentucky in the conference championship game.

The former standout guard for Northwestern spent four seasons on the Wildcat bench alongside Chris Collins, helping take the team to its first-ever NCAA Tournament in 2017. Baldwin was also an assistant at Missouri State for two years.

Milwaukee fans can expect a coach who knows the guard position, both as a player and developer of talent. Not only does Baldwin hold the Northwestern record for career steals and is second in assists, he also played a key role in developing current Wildcat point guard Bryant McIntosh, according to his staff bio.

As of this writing, no official announcement has been made.