CONWAY, Ark. _ Through the first week of practice, University of Central Arkansas men's basketball coach Russ Pennell can sum up his 2016-17 team in one word.
"Maturity,' said Pennell, entering his third season at his alma mater. "You can tell that we're older, we're stronger. Guys sustain their effort longer. All of that kind of stuff has been really, really positive so far. I like that a lot.
"And I think they are hungry. I think getting off the sanctions has given us a shot in the arm. And I think with the league kind of being more wide open with some of the teams at the top losing key players, I think they're anticipating an opportunity to maybe move up.'
The Bears, in a complete rebuild mode since Pennell arrived in 2014-15, are much better prepared to compete in the Southland Conference this season, according to their head coach.
"I think the first two years have kind of been revealing of what we need to do,' he said. "It's been good in ways where I think it's shown us what has to happen in order to be good. And I think the lack of wins has fueled our offseason work. These guys are working as hard as any team I've ever seen.'
Pennell said improvement on defense has been, and will continue to be, a priority for the Bears.
"We have to get better on the defensive end,' he said. "We've really spent a lot of time on it. Summer and fall and leading into the first couple of days of practice, the message has been be good on the defensive end, and we have. We've made some adjustments with what we are doing, but we've improved in that area immensely.'
The Bears, after redshirting four players last season and three the prior year, have a full roster of 15 players this season, much to the delight of Pennell and his coaching staff.
"The biggest thing I think is going to help us is our depth, because it drives practice,' Pennell said. "It makes it ultra competitive. And it also gives me a lot of flexibility. We can go different ways (with lineups) because most of our guys are multi position. We can mix and match a lot and that's the thing that I like. I just believe that we will be able to keep quality players on the floor for the entire game, which I think has been an issue with our lack of depth. Especially with all the redshirting we've done.'
Three key returnees are back and looking better than ever, Pennell said. Senior guard Derreck Brooks (6-foot-6, 185 pounds), the SLC Newcomer of the Year last season when he averaged 12.1 points, 6.3 rebounds and had a team-high 34 steals , is back for his senior season. Junior guard Jordan Howard, the 2014-15 SLC Freshman of the Year and a first-team All-SLC selection last season returns after setting the UCA single-season record with 95 three pointers and averaging 20.2 points per game (second in the league).
Junior Mathieu Kamba (6-5, 210) started 17 games last season and averaged 10.5 points and 5.4 rebounds while shooting 58.4 percent from the field (fourth in the SLC).
"When you talk about Jordan, Derreck and Mathieu, you talk about guys who have just played so much basketball,' said Pennell. "Mathieu and Jordan have played 60 basketball games at UCA, and Jordan has started all of them. And Derreck is playing like the senior he should be. I just think those three give us great leadership and they give us consistency. That's what I've seen from those guys. They've done a good job of leading the others.'
Pennell said Kamba, in particular, is due for a breakout season.
"Kamba has been playing out of this world,' he said. "He's beginning to round into what I wanted him to be.'
UCA also returns senior guard Jeff Lowery, who played in all 28 games and started 11, dishing out 2.8 assists and scoring 6.8 points per game.
"Jeff Lowery has been outstanding. I think if he doesn't start, he will be the best sixth man in the conference because of the energy he brings,' said Pennell.
Junior Ethan Lee and sophomores Thatch Unruh and Tyler Simmons all redshirted last season and are ready to return to the lineup, with Lee contributing size and athletic ability and Unruh a sharp perimeter shooting touch.
"Thatch had a great redshirt year,' said Pennell. "He grew two inches and put on 15 lbs. He will be one of the premier shooters in our league. The fact he started a lot of games as a freshman will pay dividends this season. And we are excited about Ethan's development over the past year. He has acquired a nice 15-foot jump shot that allows him to play out on the perimeter. His energy and rebounding make us a better team.'
The inside game, which lost center Jake Zuilhof to graduation, will be handled by a combination of junior Albert Christensson and sophomores Otas Iyekekpolor and Tanner Schmit.
"Our three bigs, Albert, Tanner and Otas, have all gained weight. They are just so much stronger than they were,' said Pennell. "They will kind of play that position by committee, and I think they are buying into that.'
UCA also added freshman guards Darraja Parnell (6-3, 195) and Jordan Grant (6-1, 185), freshmen forwards Aaron Wiedenaar (6-5, 190) and Jared Chatham (6-8, 175), along with freshman center Brandon Vanover (7-0, 250).
"The young guys, the guys that redshirted and the freshmen, they've come in with a mindset that they want to win a job,' said Pennell. "So they're pushing the guys ahead of them, and that's the thing I like. It's like, if you have a bad day, you go to the end of the line and have to start over. And that's the way teams are supposed to work. That kind of competition breeds success.'
The Bears are preparing to face one of the toughest schedules in the SLC, and that is by design.
"It's really challenging,' Pennell said. "But the big thing to me, it really, really helps us in recruiting. In fact, this current recruiting class we're looking at for 2017, they've been so impressed with the schedule. Now I don't think it ever dawns on kids that they have to actually go play that game against that team, but 'Hey, I get to go there.'
"I just think that's the recipe for success because we have to be battle tested. Our league is going to come down to winning three games in March in the Southland Conference Tournament. So I think you have to challenge yourself. And the kids love playing that schedule. We know it will be challenging. You're playing a team out of the Big 12, two out of the Big 10, you're playing a Pac-12 team and a Big East team. So you are running the gamut of the best conferences in the country.'
The Bears open the season against Big 10 Wisconsin in Madison, Wis., on Nov. 11. They follow that up with a trip to Big 12 Oklahoma State on Nov. 14. UCA also faces Butler University at the famed Hinkle Fieldhouse, made famous in the movie Hoosiers, plays at Michigan and at Arizona State, along with in-state games with Little Rock (twice) and Arkansas State. SLC play begins on Dec. 31 against Sam Houston State at the Farris Center.
