Western Kentucky forward Aleksej Rostov (20) hits a three pointer against Florida Atlantic center Justin Raffington (11) Thursday, February 26, 2015, during their 71-68 win over Florida Atlantic at E.A. Diddle Arena. (Bac Totrong/photo@bgdailynews.com)

Western Kentucky coach Ray Harper met with the media Monday for the first time since his program’s 53-52 loss to eventual champion UAB in the quarterfinals of the Conference USA Tournament in March.

Harper discussed a wide range of topics, including his returning players, the upcoming spring signing period and the current state of the men’s game.

There were also some housecleaning matters surrounding the program, starting with his confirmation that rising senior forwards Nigel Snipes and Aleksej Rostov will be back next season despite earning their degrees before the 2015-16 campaign kicks off.

“They’ll be back, both those guys,” Harper said. “Nigel will actually be in graduate school. Alex, I don’t think he’ll have his degree until the end of the summer, but those two have been good in the offseason workouts. Alex looks really good. I know he wasn’t able to work out at all until last July, and he never really got back to himself for whatever reason, whether it was conditioning or I’m not sure. He’s looked good.

“Those two guys are great kids, and they’ll bring good leadership in that locker room for these young guys. I’m excited about that as well.”

Harper declined to comment on the status of freshman guard DJ Clayton, saying “we’ll discuss that one in about three or four weeks.”

The Daily News confirmed through a source close to the program last month that Clayton requested his release to transfer.

Harper also declined comment on assistant coach Lawrence Brenneman’s status following reports that he’s left the program.

“Again, we’ll talk about that one a little bit later,” Harper said.

Lastly, Harper discussed rising junior guard Chris Harrison-Docks’ citation last month for misdemeanor charges of possession of marijuana, buying/possessing drug paraphernalia, careless driving and failure or improper signaling.

Harrison-Docks is due to appear in Warren District Court on Wednesday.

“It’s unfortunate, and it’s something we continue to talk about,” Harper said. “Going forward, again, we’re going to make sure that these kids understand what this program is about. We’ve handled it internally, and I think the message has been sent.”

— Zach Greenwell