You won't catch Saint Joseph's College men's basketball coach Richard Davis sugarcoating any assessments of his team.
He's the first to admit the Pumas underachieved last season, and he'll identify the main culprits without hesitation.
"There was a lack of leadership on the floor," Davis said. "My voice is only going to go so far. I'm gonna do enough complaining to them, but they need to have that voice on the court when things are getting bad or getting tough.
"Last year, our guys would just kind of pout. Our captains would pout if they weren't getting their way or a coach got on them."
SJC finished 15-12, 8-10 in the Great Lakes Valley Conference in 2008, a year after it went 18-13, 13-6 and earned a berth in the NCAA Division II tournament.
This season, the Pumas return four starters: senior forward Andrew Helmer, a Highland graduate, junior guard Michael Horton, senior guard Austin Peebles and sophomore guard Phillip Collins. Those four and 6-foot-9 sophomore forward Jake Hassler are the Pumas' projected starters for the upcoming season, Davis said.
The Pumas were picked to finish third in the GLVC North Division by the league's 15 head coaches in its annual preseason poll. Davis, however, believes his team can do better, especially if players such as Helmer improve as leaders in 2009.
"Each year, more is expected of you," Helmer said. "In terms of points, rebounds and leadership, too. Being a guy people look to comes with growing up and maturing as you go through your college years.
"We expected a lot more (last year). That's always in the back of our minds. Nobody wants to not live up their expectations."
Developing superior team chemistry will be a point of emphasis for the Pumas early this season, Davis said. Guards Mark Lake Jr. and Dayvon Sloan are expected to be SJC's top newcomers. They, along with Bishop Noll grad Jason Chorba, who missed most of his freshman season with an injury, will need to mesh well with their starting counterparts.
A glance at SJC's roster reveals one of Davis' main concerns other than leadership. Hassler is the only SJC player taller than 6-5.
"We play a lot of five-guard rotations anyway, so I guess it's not a huge concern," Davis said. "But it's a big enough concern that it can cost us some games if (Hassler) doesn't mature, if we don't get some type of post presence, mainly on defense."
SJC will face a daunting task in its final tune-up for the regular season when it visits Indiana University for a preseason game at 6 p.m. Monday.
"It's a good measuring tool for us as a coaching staff," Davis said of playing the Hoosiers. "It gives our guys some confidence, and it gives our guys a chance, if they go and play well, to boast a little bit."
MEN'S BASKETBALL | SAINT JOSEPH'S COLLEGE PREVIEW
The Pumas' regular-season schedule
Nov. 15-16: Lake Erie Tip-Off Tournament, TBA
Nov. 21: Ferris State University 3 p.m.
Nov. 24: Grand Valley State University 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 3: *Drury University 7:30 p.m.
Dec. 5: *Rockhurst University 3 p.m.
Dec. 14: Central State University (OH) 7 p.m.
Dec. 17: Indiana University Northwest 7 p.m.
Dec. 28-29: Holiday Inn/Ledger Classic at Florida Southern College, Lakeland, Fla., TBA
Jan. 2: *at Kentucky Wesleyan College 3 p.m.
Jan. 4: *at Southern Indiana 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 9: *Wisconsin-Parkside 3 p.m.
Jan. 14: *Missouri Science and Technology 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 16: *at Bellarmine University 3 p.m.
Jan. 18: *University of Illinois-Springfield 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 21: *at Missouri - Saint Louis 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 23: *at Maryville University 3 p.m.
Jan. 28: *University of Indianapolis 7:30 p.m.
Jan. 30: *Northern Kentucky University 3 p.m.
Feb. 4: *at Lewis University 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 6: *at Quincy University 3 p.m.
Feb. 11: *Quincy University 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 13: *Lewis University 3 p.m.
Feb. 15: *at University of Illinois-Springfield 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 18: *at Wisconsin-Parkside 7:30 p.m.
Feb. 22: at Central State University (OH) 6 p.m.
* -- indicates GLVC opponent
