MILWAUKEE – The Milwaukee Athletic Department helped celebrate the official grand opening of the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin Center Wednesday afternoon with a ribbon-cutting ceremony.
 
Speakers at the event included MKE Director of Athletics Amanda Braun, UWM Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Kelly Haag, UWM Student Association representative Silbi Isein, UWM Vice Chancellor for University Advancement Joan Nesbitt, and UWM Chancellor Mark Mone.

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"It's finally here," Braun said. "As many of you know, from the moment I began serving as the athletic director here, this building has been a top priority. And I can tell you today, that it's all been worth it. The OHOW Center will benefit all students with an expanded athletics and recreation footprint and it's truly a game-changer for our basketball programs. From recruiting to student-athlete development, our teams now have 24-hour access to a first-class facility."
 
"We would not be here without all of you," Mone said to the crowd. "It takes a lot of individuals to get a project like this over the goal line. This project was many years in the making and before that there was an awful lot of planning. But what enables that to happen is hard work, tenacity, and vision. And I think that is what exemplifies the leadership that has brought this forward."


 
The grand opening also included a blessing by the Menominee Tribal Dance and Drum Team/Wolf River Drum and Dance Team as the basketball court itself carries an amazing backstory, one with ties to the court the Milwaukee Bucks play on as well as others that have made appearances in the NCAA Tournament over the years. The court is made from lumber that comes from the Menominee Tribe of Wisconsin and was produced out of the Menominee Forest. The 230,000-acre forest, run by Menominee Tribal Enterprises, provides the wood that is a sustainable harvest for the tribe's sawmill business.

The OHOW Center is a 16,000 square foot expansion to the Klotsche Center & Pavilion that will be utilized primarily by the Panthers men's and women's basketball team. The new facility features a full-sized basketball court that mirrors the game surfaces, a basketball strength and conditioning center, video/film room, auxiliary sports medicine and treatment center, and basketball student-athlete lounge.
 
The building, designed by HGA Architects & Engineers based out of Milwaukee, also houses the new Panther "Legacy of Excellence" area, a hall of history dedicated to all sports the department offers, on the first floor. The building is located on the east side of the Pavilion, connected by a skywalk over the existing driveway to preserve access to the Pavilion parking structure.
 
The Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin has been a partner of UWM for several years. In December 2018, OHOW renewed its contract as the exclusive provider of orthopedic care, physical therapy and health care coverage for Panther student-athletes. In September of 2019, the University received a $2.1 million gift from the Orthopaedic Hospital of Wisconsin for the construction of this facility.
 
Construction of the OHOW Center is completely funded through philanthropic gifts and student-directed segregated fees that are already being collected.
 
The final touches of the branding of the building were wrapped up this summer, including the addition of the Bud K. Haidet Athletics Hall of Fame in a permanent display on the outside wall of the facility. Haidet and his wife, Beth, were also in attendance Wednesday for the unveiling of the hall of fame.