Despite being selected to finish first in the Gulf South Conference this season, the men’s basketball team will head into their first game of the year with a different pace than they have had in the past, said head coach Bobby Champagne. 

UNA starts their season against Stillman University in Huntsville on Nov. 9.

It is the first time Champagne has had to change the pace of his team, he said.

 “We hadn’t had to (slow down) in the past,” he said. “We are going to try to be somewhat fast. We are going to go as fast as our talent allows us and as slow as we need to to win.”

The team did not suffer any severe injuries during the offseason and Champagne said he has liked the team he has seen on the floor.

 UNA lost three players from last season, including two starters — guard                 Kaynan Jackson and forward DeAndre Hersey. Reserve player Corey Ricks transferred after the season. 

The loss of Jackson and Hersey will affect the Lions the most off the court, Champagne said.

“When you lose players like them, the biggest loss is not their points and rebounds — which were significant — but the overall chemistry is what is affected most replacing those two,” he said.

As for their replacements, Champagne has three players on his mind, he said.

 “There are three guys that will replace them — Jeff Hodge, Nathan Spehr and Calvin Dade,” Champagne said. “And Luke Corkery, who redshirted last year, will play this season.”

Champagne calculated that by losing those players, there are around 60 minutes of lost playing time per game from last season, he said.

Hodge, who is from Center Point High School in Birmingham, is the sole freshman on the Lions roster. He will most likely play shooting guard this season, Champagne said.

“He can play some (point guard) but probably as a freshman he is not really ready for that,” Champagne said. “He is really good at shooting, (and) he knows how to play. He is just probably a little bit better moving off the ball.”

He would like to see the team win every game this year, Champagne said.

“We lost nine games last year, (and) we would love to get that to zero,” he said. “That would make my life a whole lot less stressful.”

The goals of the teams are simple, said Rashaun Claiborne, a senior guard.

“The goals of the team are to win the GSC and compete for the national championship,” he said.

The biggest improvement to be made is the amount of shots that go into the basket, he said.

 “As a team, I would like to see our field-goal percentage on offense go up and our field-goal percentage on defense go down,” he said. “We are concentrating on contesting every shot, and if you can limit teams to only one shot, that would help.”

 Champagne would like to see more students come to the game, he said.

 “You already pay for it, so why wouldn’t you come?” he said.

“I really want the students to know we have a really good team this year and would really appreciate it if they the games so we could give them a good show,” Claiborne said.

 The goal for Champagne this season is a simple one, he said.

“Get better everyday,” he said. “If we can do that, the winning will take care of itself.”