Mark Pancratz Position: Assistant to the Head Coach

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Mark Pancratz enters his second season as a full-time member of Bruce Pearl's staff after previously spending two years as a graduate manager for the Tennessee basketball program.

"Mark is an invaluable member of my staff," Pearl said. "He assumes so much responsibility in the overall operation of our basketball program, and he has built outstanding relationships with our student-athletes."

A native of Schaumburg, Ill., Pancratz was a four-year letterwinner at UW-Milwaukee, where he played his first three seasons under Pearl's tutelage. In 2005, Pancratz played a key role in helping the Panthers advance to the Sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

In 2001, he led Schaumburg High School to one of the biggest upsets in Illinois High School history with a 20-point, 10-assist effort in beating a Thornwood team that featured future NBA Draft pick Eddy Curry in the Class AA championship game. He was inducted into the Illinois High School Basketball Hall of Fame in 2008 and was voted as one of the 100 Legends of Illinois High School Basketball.

Pancratz graduated from UW-Milwaukee in 2006 with a degree in Marketing and finance before receiving his master's in Sports management from Tennessee in 2008.