Western Kentucky guard Tremain Rowles dribbles around the top of the key during the Hilltoppers first practice of the 2001-02 season Saturday in Diddle Arena.

Photo by Miranda Pederson

There was no mistaking what was going on in E.A. Diddle Arena late Saturday morning basketball season had officially begun. Dennis Feltons voice was booming throughout the building thanks to the use of a cordless microphone hooked up to the public address system. Im just trying to be not so abusive to my voice, the Western Kentucky mens basketball coach said after the first practice of the 2001-02 season. After going 24-7 last season and returning four of their five starters, expectations are high for the Hilltoppers this season. Were expecting big, big things out of us, said senior guard Tremain Rowles. Weve got a veteran team with a lot of leadership. Senior center Chris Marcus agreed. Anything less than a championship and I wont consider it a real successful season, Marcus said. Everybody is expecting us to win, so we have to win. Felton downplayed the talk of high expectations, however. Our expectations are exactly the same, Felton said. Theyre the same every year we want to play as well as we can possibly play. Other than the addition of the cordless microphone, Felton also had to slightly alter the way he ran practice. Its strange because for the first time, Im finding myself moving on to the next thing quicker than before because were showing that we know what is going on, whereas in the past, we were running over time on some drills because there was so much teaching that needed to be done, Felton said. Now what Im fighting is with the new guys and how fast to go with them because the vast majority of our guys know what theyre doing. The new guys includes freshman point guard Patrick Sparks, junior college transfer Caleb Halcomb and walk-on Kalin Holland. Felton said he was not surprised by anything after seeing the newcomers in practice with the rest of the team for the first time. Caleb needs a lot of work in knowing what to do and how to play, Felton said. Hes very, very raw. He needs a lot of teaching. Practicing with Marcus should help with Halcombs learning curve, however. Coming onto a team where they have the best post player in the nation it doesnt get any better than that, the 6-foot-10 Halcomb said. The way you get better is to play against the best. Some people might play against the best in a game, but Im going to get to play against the best every day in practice. Marcus said he has already began taking Halcomb under his wing. The next thing you know, hes going to be a good player, Marcus said. I think once he gets into the routine and the scheme of things, hes going to be alright. Sparks doesnt have as much to learn, according to Felton. The teaching he needs isnt nearly what it is for your typical first-year player, Felton said. Hes been well-coached for so long and hes been a serious student of the game for so long that he is far advanced for a freshman. With the graduation of Nashon McPherson last season, it will be up to Derek Robinson, Marcus and Rowles to provide senior leadership. Weve got to play like coaches. Weve got to be coaches and players both on and off the court, said Rowles, who is sporting braids instead of his trademark Afro this season. Nashon was definitely a player-slash-coach. He did a lot of things like that I think were just going to pick up where he left off and keep things going.