The 2007-08 Colonials will be an exciting group to coach. Losing three senior starters from last year's team we have only one true experienced starter returning, Maureece Rice, who will be the heart and soul of this team. We have a combination of young guys with limited playing time last year, who I feel are ready to step up and make significant contributions to this year's team. Additionally, we have a couple of guys who had to sit out last year due to transfer rules and injuries. They must lead us in a similar fashion as Mike Hall and Omar Williams led us. We have a very talented team which is unproven because they lack the experience of playing in our system.

The Atlantic 10 will be very competitive this year because the league will have many teams which are deep in talent and experienced such as Xavier, Saint Joseph's, Rhode Island and Fordham. Thus, winning on the road will be extremely tough. We lack the necessary experience; however, I am excited about our enthusiasm and level of talent.

Our program had a very good summer and fall. This summer our guys took care of business in the classroom and were self-motivated in the weight room as well as shooting and playing on their own to improve their games. Additionally, we had one of the best preseasons in a long time because the level of focus was tremendous and guys were getting in extra work on their own. As a staff, we were pleased with the effort put forth by the players physically and mentally to defend their A-10 Tournament championship.

During the first week of practice, our guys have been very enthuastic and getting after it because they know playing time is available and they are trying to create an impression in the coach's mind. The keys to our season will be how well we rebound the basketball and how well we defend the basket. If we can be successful in these two areas, we will be a very competitive team. We are just a few weeks into the season, trying to establish an identity as a basketball team and determining combinations that will be most effective for us. Stay tuned for the next update as we head into our non-conference schedule.