Southeast Missouri State's men's basketball team heads into coach Rick Ray's second season at the helm with more new faces on the court than familiar ones.

Only four players, all seniors, remain from last year's 5-24 squad: guards Antonius Cleveland and Jamaal Calvin and forwards Trey Kellum and Joel Angus III. The team is rounded out by three freshmen, two sophomores, five juniors and one more senior, totaling 11 newcomers.

As the leaders of the team, the four returning seniors are determined to not let this season be a repeat of last year.

"We've been through it; some of the new guys, they haven't been through anything like that, winning five games in a season," Calvin said. "When we go out there in practice, since we already know and have that feeling, there's that chip on our shoulder, like 'No, we can't do anything like last year, we gotta be focusing doing everything 110 percent,' because we been through it."

Having many new players on the team brings several positives, including new energy and different skill sets, but one of the most important things the additions brings is depth.

Southeast ended last season with only 10 players, which affected how the Redhawks played on the defensive end at times. With less bodies, the Redhawks couldn't be as aggressive and play man-to-man defense as much as they wanted to due to fatigue.

With more numbers, however, the Redhawks look to be more aggressive on the defensive end this season.

"Anything that we're playing, we're pressuring the ball," Calvin said. "We're playing full-court, we're energetic, running to the ball, focusing on help defense as well. I think it's gonna be a little similar to last year, but it's gonna be a lot of high pressure and energy. Playing that type of way you are going to get winded sometimes, so it's good to have a lot of the new guys who can play and get out there and fill those spots without anything going down. I feel like everybody can go out and contribute in a certain way."

Ray said that while being aggressive is important defensively, he doesn't want to take too many chances.

"We want to make sure we are pressuring the other team, but the worst thing we can do is create offense for the other team," Ray said. "We want to pressure, but we don't want to gamble."

Another advantage of the added depth won't be seen directly on game days, but rather during practice.

"Right now we are dealing with some guys who are injured, and in the past having guys dealing with stuff and not having a full roster would have been devastating to our preparation," Ray said. "But now we are able to still practice and have competitive practices with guys being out and being injured. I think that is the biggest factor that's helped us in having a full roster to help us get ready for the upcoming games."

During preseason practices, one strength Ray has noticed is the ability of everyone on the team to make shots.

"There's so many new guys it's hard to stand out, but as a collective group they have given us so many more offensive weapons," Ray said. "I think one of our biggest problems that we had last year was our inability to make shots, so we've recruited a lot of guys who can make shots."

With more threats on the offensive end, Ray believes Cleveland will be able to find more opportunities inside the paint to score, as the defense will be more spread out.

"Now teams are going to be in a bit of a bind, they'll continue to come help because he's a good basketball player, but now there's going to be a price to pay for coming to help," Ray said.

For his part, Cleveland has been working on his jump shot in the offseason in an effort to become a more complete offensive player.

Cleveland was named to the All-Ohio Valley Conference Preseason Team and was listed as one of the top non-power five conference guards by College Court Report.

"It feels good, I feel like I put in a lot of hard work, and I'd say that I'm humbled by it as well, but it feels good to get that recognition from across the country," Cleveland said.

Cleveland led Southeast last season in several statistical categories, with 15.2 points per game, 6.6 rebounds per game, 42 steals, 15 blocks and 31.4 minutes played per game.

The Redhawks were picked to finish sixth in the West Division of the OVC, and 11th overall in the OVC Preseason Poll.