The men’s basketball team has made preparations during the offseason to have a fast, strong start to their 2024-25 campaign.
To gear up for the upcoming season, third-year head coach Donald Reyes mentioned that the team reflected on the obstacles that came with being a young team last year.
With a unit full of red shirts and freshmen, Reyes said that the team was not used to playing together. The Wolf Pack had a 3-5 start in their first eight games.
Despite the youth of last season, the team has 15 returning players and notable freshmen acquisitions who Reyes believes will “make an immediate impact.”
“I truly think they’re primed and ready to, honestly, to, like, shock the world,” Reyes said. “I think we’re really talented, and I think we’re more close knit than, you know, a team that I’ve ever had.”
Graduate student guard Milan Mejia mentioned that he is excited for the upcoming season because of what their veteran group, transfers and freshmen have to offer.
“We have many returning players from last season that think we have unfinished business and more to give to each other and the program,” Mejia said.
Along with having a veteran roster, the team has prepared for the upcoming season by focusing on their individual health after coming back from the offseason. Reyes said that the players’ endurance and mobility is significant to improving as a unit.
“Your health and your ability to play longer and be stronger and be faster, be more explosive, is definitely something that’s highly important,” Reyes said.
This season, Reyes said that he wants the team to play “extremely fast,” differing from last year’s team’s mild-tempo style of play.
“This year with all these returning guys and all this experience, the faster we can play, the more we can wear teams down, the more people they get to play,” Reyes said.
Similarly, Mejia mentioned that the new additions to the team will “provide some depth and size” for the team in the back court.
Throughout the season, the Wolfpack is expected to face multiple Division 1 competition, such as LSU, Southern Mississippi and Southeastern Louisiana. Reyes said that there is “not anything that separates you” when playing against different levels of competition.
“It’s your five teammates versus the other five opponents,” Reyes said. “And on any given day, anything can happen, so focus on what we control, and everything else will take care of itself.”
For this season, Reyes mentioned that one of his goals for the team is for them to “leave a legacy behind” and expressed confidence in this team to reach new heights.
“I think we have that mature and talented of a group to where that’s something that isn’t too far fetched for us,” Reyes said. “Our motto for this year is going to be every time we step between those lines, we are zero and zero. Whatever we did the day before does not matter. Whatever is coming the day after does not matter. We’re focused on that moment, that time, and enjoying one another’s journey.”
Mejia mentioned that he believes that the team is “one of the best in the country.”
“With this group, I think the sky is the limit,” Mejia said. “I believe this is a national championship caliber team as long as we trust in each other and coach.”
