Rob Jeter was UWM’s men’s basketball coach for 11 seasons. Credit: Rick Wood

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The contentious relationship between University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee athletic director Amanda Braun and men's basketball coach Rob Jeter came to an abrupt end Thursday.

Jeter, in his 11th year leading the Panthers, was fired with a year left on a contract that paid him $452,130 this past season.

"I've been clear about the fact that our program is really well-positioned to be successful in our league, and we believe that we can achieve that level of success, competing in the top three and for championships every year," said Braun. "So it seemed like the right time given the recent history and the long history of our program to do that."

The move comes less than a week after Braun put the kibosh on the 20-13 Panthers' hopes of taking part in either the College Basketball Invitational or CollegeInsider.com postseason tournaments because the team hadn't posted a top-three finish in the Horizon League, and because taking part in such tournaments this year wasn't, she said, in the best interests of the program.

Braun made the announcement of Jeter's firing in a statement released Thursday morning, then addressed reporters in the afternoon at a hastily arranged news conference at the Klotsche Center on UWM's campus.

The third-year AD indicated her decision had been in the works for some time.

"That's a process that you kind of go through," she said. "Actually for me it's been a couple years of watching and observing and learning, really, a lot about the quality of our program and the support we provide.

"We just weren't getting to that level."

Jeter worked under six ADs and interim ADs since being hired by Bud Haidet in 2005 to replace Bruce Pearl, who left the Panthers for the University of Tennessee. Whereas his working relationship with Haidet was a good one, Jeter's relationship with Braun was nearly nonexistent from the start.

"I think there's always some challenges between head coaches and the administration," said Braun when asked if there had been friction with Jeter. "If there isn't, that means they're probably not advocating for their program. So sure, yeah, there are disagreements and we work through them.

"I wouldn't say there was any major drama or trauma going on."

Jeter would not address the conflict publicly when reached Thursday.

"I'm really proud of what we accomplished," he said. "This is something me and my family have to get through. It's going to be a teaching moment for my kids. It's part of life. Sometimes you have things that don't go your way, but it's about what you do next."

Braun's handling of the men's basketball program has also ruffled the feathers of a number of donors and sponsors, and her refusal last week to allow the team to participate in the CBI or CIT even after at least one donor offered to underwrite all costs was a flashpoint.

Braun was asked if she was concerned about more negative feedback from those factions.

"I think always," she said. "It's rarely 100% on one side or the other, and so we do our best to make our decisions based on our expectations, our goals and our values."

State Sen. Lena Taylor even weighed in on Jeter's firing. After posting several critical tweets in the morning, she appeared at the afternoon news conference at the Klotsche Center and at one point had an exchange with Braun.

"Do you feel like a lot of your decisions actually created the sabotage of the athletic department and of Coach Jeter's ability to be even more effective?" Taylor asked. "Because he was as effective as his predecessor."

"I've never done anything to sabotage any coach or any administrator," responded Braun.

Jeter compiled a 185-170 overall record in his 11 seasons at UWM. He fell one victory short of tying Guy Penwell for the all-time lead in school history. Penwell finished 186-145 in 18 seasons at UWM (1930-'42; 1946-'52).

Jeter's 101 Horizon League Conference victories rank him third all-time in the league, and he registered five 20-win seasons overall. But, Braun pointed out, the Panthers finished third or higher in the regular season only twice in his tenure and not since the 2011-'12 season.

Jeter led the Panthers to four postseason berths, including two NCAA Tournament appearances. The most recent was in 2013-'14, when they earned a No. 15 seed and lost to No. 2 seed Villanova, 73-53, in Buffalo, N.Y.

UWM was banned from any postseason play in 2014-'15 for failing to meet Academic Progress Rate requirements in a four-year window spanning from 2009-'10 through 2012-'13. The team compiled a program-best 3.104 grade-point average during the fall 2015 term.

UWM's victories at Wisconsin and Minnesota were high-water marks this season. The Panthers finished 10-8 in the Horizon League, which was good for fifth in the 10-team conference. Their season ended with a 70-61 loss to UW-Green Bay in the Horizon League Tournament on March 6

Senior forward Matt Tiby, an all-Horizon League first team selection who averaged team highs of 15.6 points and 8.2 rebounds, said the past week has been a painful one for him and his teammates.

"It's been hell for me," he said. "I've been watching games and I know I should be out there. It just sucks because we had our chance to go to the CBI or CIT and just weren't given our chance. Twenty wins, and to see our hard work from last year and the development from the APR ban is just, it's pretty sad and disappointing for the university to not have our backs.

"I've felt really betrayed and I still feel really betrayed and I don't know if the feeling will ever change. I've given so much to this university, and I just wish they'd give me something back."

Players were alerted to Jeter's firing in a group text message from Braun, who alerted them to an email containing the university's statement.

"I'm very shocked that this happened right now and how things escalated so quickly," junior guard Cody Wichmann said. "It kind of caught me off guard, and I think that speaks for the majority of the team. Coach Jeter and his staff have been nothing but amazing for this program on and off the court."

Added Tiby: "I'm very shocked and very disappointed. He gave me nothing but opportunities to better myself. He's made me mature a lot and made me a better man than I was before, coming from junior college and I appreciate everything he's ever done for me."

Before becoming head coach at UWM, Jeter was an assistant under Bo Ryan at both Wisconsin (2001-'05) and UWM (1999-2001), an assistant at Marquette (1998-'99) and an assistant at UW-Platteville under Ryan (1994-'98).

Jeter's father, Bob Jeter, was a defensive back for Vince Lombardi's Green Bay Packers.

Braun said an immediate, national search would take place for a new coach. She was asked what she is looking for in her new hire.

"I think pretty generically it's somebody that believes in the success that we can achieve, shares our values with regard to excellence and education," she said. "Cares a lot about being a part of something bigger than themselves on a campus and in a community.

"And, you know, a little bit of fire. Definitely want to get some fire."