Zach Brien

It’s been over a year since Robert Lovaglio, management senior, has been able to play alongside his teammates.

After sustaining an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament that sidelined him for the entire 2013-2014 season, Lovaglio and the Wolf Pack are gearing up to begin the 2014-2015 season with promising young talent, a new head coach and a handful of returning players.

With the beginning of the season in view, the team said they are more than ready to put their core group to the test against other competition.

“I’m excited and anxious to get back on the court this year. It’s been a long road to get back, so I’m ready to compete,” Lovaglio said.

Lovaglio said he was able to learn a lot about his team during his rehabilitation process, as well as improve his game.

“I believe that this is the best team we have had since I’ve been here, so I’m excited to see what we can accomplish,” Lovaglio said. “It will be important for us to stay focused and not take any opponent lightly. We have a tough conference this year, so every game is going to be a battle.”

The Pack will face stiff competition this season, such as in-town rivals Xavier and Dillard, as well as new conference teams Dalton State and Middle Georgia.

For Head Coach Stacy Hollowell, the team’s added depth will be a key component to this year’s success.

“We have some depth that we haven’t had in the past. We have Division I games back to back at the beginning of the season, so we’ll get a good sense of where we stand in those games,” Hollowell said.

He admits that since the team is a few weeks away from any competition, it is difficult to tell which conference teams will suffer as a result of the team’s size.

However, Hollowell said he is also impressed with the versatility of this year’s group of freshmen, at both the guard and forward positions.