Bart Lundy has set the bar high in his first three years with the Panthers, leading the team to three consecutive 20-victory seasons, marking the first for the program since a record four straight back from 2002-2006. He also became the first head coach to claim 20+ wins in each of his first three years on the bench in Milwaukee’s NCAA Division I era.
The 2024-25 campaign concluded with an overall record of 21-11, including a 14-6 mark in the Horizon League that resulted in a tie for second place. His offense finished with Top-5 entries in the school’s record books in scoring average (78.4 ppg), total points (2,510), field-goal percentage (.468), field goals made (907), and field goals attempted (1,939). The team finished first in the NCAA in fastbreak points with 18.4 per game as the team embraced Lundy’s “Tilt The Floor” motto. The Panthers also set a program record in rebounds per game at 39.2 to rank No. 21 in the nation, helping Milwaukee place second in the NCAA in rebound margin at +9.3.
Lundy’s first campaign brought a much-needed resurgence and energy back to the program and resulted in MKE’s first 20-win season in seven years, the first national postseason appearance in nine years, and the first national postseason victory for a Milwaukee squad in 17 years after it knocked off Stetson in the first round of the CBI.
Lundy led the way as the team rewrote the record book, setting new program records in total points (2,659), blocks (186, which also was fourth in the NCAA), field goals made (944), field goals attempted (2,062), total rebounds (1,330), and rebound average (39.1, good for 15th in the NCAA), while leading the Horizon League in with a .408 field-goal defense that finished as the second-lowest in school history.
He directed his team to a 12-win improvement over the prior year, finishing as the 10th most-improved team in the NCAA (22 wins up from 10 in 2021-22). The team went 22-12 overall, the most overall victories since the 2004-05 campaign. Lundy led the team to a 14-6 mark in league play, placing second for its best league finish since a regular-season title in 2010-11. The Panthers also finished an impressive 15-3 in home games, tying the program mark for most victories on their home court set back in 2004-05. Lundy’s 22 victories also tied for the most in program history for a first-year head coach.
Two winters ago, the team was at it again, riding a late-season surge to a memorable postseason run that came up just one game short of the NCAA Tournament after falling in the championship game.
At 20-15 overall, it marked the 12th 20-win season in program history. The team battled all season despite numerous injuries to starters and bench players alike, producing six different victories in which they dug out of double-digit deficits to claim wins. The Panthers went 9-2 at home against league opponents, the second straight season with the same mark. Milwaukee again added more entries to the record book, establishing new marks in total points (2,782), field goals made (980), field goals attempted (2,198), three-point field goals attempted (861), total rebounds (1,364), and offensive rebounds (473), while adding runner-up entries in rebound average (39.0 rpg) and blocked shots (155). Plus, the offense finished with a scoring average of 79.5 points per game – the highest for a Milwaukee team since 1992-93.
Lundy was named the head coach of the Milwaukee men’s basketball team on March 19, 2022, becoming the eighth head coach since Milwaukee’s 1990 move to NCAA Division I.
Panthers Welcome Bart Lundy to Milwaukee
Lundy arrived following a very successful nine-year run at Queens University in Charlotte, North Carolina, posting a 30-4 record during the 2021-22 campaign. He took his program to the NCAA Division II Tournament for the seventh year in a row his final season, advancing all the way to the Southeast Regional Championship game.
His team reached No. 4 in the national poll in 2021-22 to mark the seventh straight year Queens finished ranked in the Top 25 of the NABC national poll as well as make an appearance in the Top 10 over the course of the campaign. In fact, his teams had been ranked in the Top 25 in 111 of the last 112 polls dating back to November of 2015.
“Coach Lundy is deeply committed to the success of student-athletes, both on and off the court,” said UWM Chancellor Mark Mone said at the time of his hiring. “And he has a remarkable track record as a mentor and head coach. We look forward to some great basketball seasons ahead.”
“Today is an exciting day as we get set to welcome Coach Lundy and his family to Milwaukee,” Director of Athletics Amanda Braun said at the time. “We want our program to be led by an experienced head coach who is a proven winner, recruits high-level student-athletes of good character, and is highly regarded by his peers. Bart Lundy exemplifies all of these qualities and more.”
Lundy’s resume is especially impressive over his last six seasons at Queens, posting 30-plus victories in four of them while registering a 163-30 mark (.845 winning percentage) in that stretch. His run of three consecutive seasons of 30-or-more victories from 2016 to 2019 (32/30/31) was matched only by Gonzaga across all NCAA levels in that timeframe. His team complied a 17-game winning streak – which was snapped in a last-second loss to No. 1 Augusta to close out the 2022 NCAA Tournament run – marking the eighth straight winter his teams have gone on winning streaks of at least eight games in a row.
The Royals reached the NCAA Division II Final Four in 2017-18 and the Elite Eight again in 2018-19, as well as advancing to the Sweet 16 on two occasions (2017/2022). Lundy had his team as the top seed in the tournament in 2017 and 2019 and the No. 2 seed in 2019, 2020, and 2022. His overall record in the NCAA Tournament is an impressive 13-6.
“We conducted an extensive search and spoke with an incredible group of candidates. Coach Lundy rose to the top as the best fit for UWM,” Braun said. “He cares deeply about his teams and is truly concerned with the welfare of his student-athletes. He is very engaging and will build great relationships with the players and with the Milwaukee community. I have no doubt Coach Lundy will take our program to a high level and make our Panther fans proud.”
Lundy is the winningest coach in Queens basketball history, posting a record of 333-103 (.764 win pct.) and owns a career coaching record of 492-229 (.682) in his now 23 seasons as a head coach in NCAA Division I and Division II as he approaches the 500-victory milestone. In 2018-19, Lundy was named South Atlantic Conference Coach of the Year and Southeast Region Coach of the Year (NABC) after leading the team to a 31-5 record. Queens won the SAC regular-season championship and repeated as Southeast Regional champions to advance to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in program history. That also marked a third consecutive season of 30-or-more wins and he has now finished first or second in eight straight regular seasons of South Atlantic Conference play. In the classroom, he has graduated every player to exhaust their eligibility since 2016 and seen his program post a team GPA over 3.0 each of the past four years.
Lundy returned to Queens after a one-year stint as an assistant at the University of North Texas (2012-13). Prior to North Texas, Lundy was on the staff at Marquette University where he assisted head coach Buzz Williams for three years (2009-2012). In that time, Marquette made three consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances and two-straight Sweet 16 appearances with a roster that featured eight future NBA players including Jimmy Butler and Jae Crowder.
In his time leading the Royals, Lundy has guided Queens to all four of its Elite Eight appearances, nine NCAA Tournament berths, six conference regular-season titles, and three conference tournament titles. Lundy was recognized as the Conference Carolinas Coach of the Year in 2000-2001, Southeast Region Coach of the Year in 2003, and has coached one National Player of the Year, four conference players of the year, 25 first-team all-conference selections, 11 second-team honorees, six all-freshman selections, and all seven All-Americans in program history. Under Lundy’s direction, Queens spent 65 consecutive weeks ranked in the coaches’ poll (1,498 days from Nov. 2015 to December 2019) for the longest such streak in program history.
Lundy has also done an impressive job developing players, with 24 former Queens players having played professionally over his final nine seasons, highlighted by four NBA G-League players as well as Todd Withers, who signed a contract with the Detroit Pistons in the National Basketball Association following the NBA Summer League slate in 2019.
Lundy has four boys: Ian, Kellen, Alec, and Liam.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT BART LUNDY
Jay Bilas, ESPN:
“Bart Lundy is a truly outstanding basketball coach, but he’s so much more. His approach to building and sustaining a winning program is next level. Bart has high standards for everything within his program, and he works with his players to meet or exceed those standards together. Bart is a ‘servant leader,’ while at the same time being a tremendous competitor. That’s a great combo.”
Buzz Williams, Texas A&M head coach:
“Regardless of title or level, the impact Coach Lundy has had at each stop of his career is undeniable! UWM hired an elite coach who will have a distinct & exciting style of play, but more importantly, they have hired a forward-thinking leader who will help guide their program in a way that everyone will be proud of on & off the floor!”
Paul Biancardi, ESPN's National Director of Recruiting:
“Bart Lundy is a high-level basketball coach, teacher of the game and person. He will bring a hungry desire along with perspective on how a program is built. Bart knows what success looks like and how it is accomplished. In the near future, the program will experience winning under coach Lundy. This is one the best hires of the off-season!”
