Longtime UW-Milwaukee head men's basketball coach and Wisconsin Badgers assistant Rob Jeter is expected to return to the head coaching ranks at Western Illinois, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.

Jeter, 50, has been an assistant coach for the past four seasons, two at UNLV and the past two at the University of Minnesota. He was with the Panthers from 2005-16, coaching UWM to two Horizon League tournament tiles (and the conference's automatic NCAA Tournament berths), as well as two regular-season titles. Overall, he was 184-170 at UWM and won 20 games five times.

In his first season, the Panthers followed up their thrilling Sweet 16 run under Bruce Pearl (who left for the Tennessee job) by again winning a first-round game in the NCAA Tournament, toppling Oklahoma. Jeter is the winningest coach in Milwaukee's Division I history and was named Horizon League Coach of the Year in 2012.

Western Illinois did not renew the contract of Billy Wright after six seasons.

Jeter served as a longtime assistant under Bo Ryan, first at UW-Platteville (1994-98), then at UWM in 1999-01 and Wisconsin from 2001-05. He played under Ryan at Platteville and was captain of the 1991 team that won the NCAA Division III title.

Jeter was inducted into the Platteville athletics hall of fame in 2006. He's also part of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Hall of Fame.

Jeter also held the role of assistant at Marquette in 1998-99. His father, Bob, is a member of the Green By Packers Hall of Fame.

JR Radcliffe can be reached at (262) 361-9141 or jradcliffe@gannett.com. Follow him on Twitter at @JRRadcliffe.