Coming off back-to-back National Invitational Tournament (NIT)
seasons in his first two seasons of coaching at Saint Louis
University, coach Brad Soderberg and the men’s basketball team
started practice last weekend as they look to build upon the solid
play of the last two seasons in their last season in Conference
USA.

They will be heading off to the Atlantic 10 next season, as
C-USA will undergo a huge turnover. Hitting a little closer to
home, the Billikens actually went through a turnover of their own
this off-season, after losing their starting point guard, Josh
Fisher, and starting power forward, Chris Sloan, to graduation.

They do, however, return every other starter from a squad that
was ranked tops in C-USA in defense and they also return the other
60 percent of their offensive output from a season ago, headlined
by senior shooting guard Reggie Bryant.

Bryant is joined in the back court by junior Anthony Drejaj,
whose last-second heroics against Iowa in the NIT last season
propelled the Bills to the second round.

There they eventually lost to Notre Dame.

Sophomore Darren Clarke showed some signs of brilliance last
season before getting injured half way through.

These three returning guards will be joined by transfer Antwan
Alexander and two freshmen, Duane Polk and Luke Meyer.

Each should see some considerable playing time in Soderberg’s
backcourt, which tends to be a myriad of players at the beginning
of the season until a rotation is set up and players have proven
themselves.

The front court, aside from the loss of Sloan, the heart and
soul of the team for the past three seasons, returns everyone else
to this year’s squad.

Tom Frericks, Ian Vouyoukis and Izik Ohanon make up a relatively
experienced core and they are joined by Meyer, who will play some
small forward sometimes this season, and Vas’shun Newborne, a
junior college transfer from Mississippi.

The Billikens have done well the past two years of replacing
outgoing talent, notably Marque Perry last season.

They will have to look to do the same this year, though, if
their goals of expanding on the past two seasons’ success are to be
achieved.