Issue date: 11/5/09 Section: Winter Sports Guide

Sophomore forward Zavier Sanders gets his shot blocked by junior center Matt Dorlack during practice Monday afternoon in Lantz Arena.(Eric Hiltner/The Daily Eastern News)

The Eastern Illinois basketball team starts the 2009-10 season with something it has not had in a couple years.

High expectations.

The Panthers enter the season tabbed to finish fourth in the Ohio Valley Conference after going 12-18 overall and 8-10 in the conference last year, finishing seventh.

Eastern head coach Mike Miller said he thinks that fact gives credibility to the players who worked so hard last year and during the offseason.

"The practices we have had have been great," Miller said. "The guys have all been really competitive. We have shown that we are farther along than we were last season because so many guys worked hard in the spring, the winter and the fall."

Eastern will return four starters from last season's team, while only losing two players.

Billy Parrish, a starter last season, graduated, while Will Hamilton, a freshman last season, left the team.

Coming into the 2008-09 season, Eastern had eight new players. Miller said he thinks having most of the team with a year under their belts will only help the team.

"We played well in spells last season the whole year and you can't fake that," Miller said. "Our players know that each season there are different expectations and this year they are higher because of how we played last year. We have a new set of things we need to accomplish."

Graphic by Adam Larck/The Daily Eastern News

Men's Basketball Schedule
Date	Team	Time
11/7/2009	St. Xavier	8 p.m.
11/14/2009	@ Toledo	6 p.m.
11/18/2009	IUPUI	7 p.m.
11/21/2009	Eureka College	6 p.m.
11/24/2009	@ Chicago State	7 p.m.
11/28/2009	Belmont	6 p.m.
12/3/2009	@ Tennessee State	7:30 p.m.
12/5/2009	@ Austin Peay	7:30 p.m.
12/9/2009	Western Michigan	7:30 p.m.
12/12/2009	@ Western Illinois	7 p.m.
12/19/2009	@ Belmont	7 p.m.
12/22/2009	Franklin College	7:30 p.m.
12/29/2009	@ Saint Louis	7 p.m.
1/2/2010	Jacksonville State	6 p.m.
1/4/2010	Tennessee Tech	7:30 p.m.
1/9/2010	Southeast Missouri	11 a.m.
1/11/2010	@ Murray State	7:30 p.m.
1/14/2010	@ Eastern Kentucky	6:30 p.m.
1/16/2010	@ Morehead State	3:30 p.m.
1/21/2010	Murray State	7:30 p.m.
1/23/2010	UT Martin	6 p.m.
1/28/2010	@ Tennessee Tech	7:30 p.m.
1/30/2010	@ Jacksonville State	4:30 p.m.
2/6/2010	@ Southeast Missouri	7:45 p.m.
2/11/2010	Morehead State	8 p.m.
2/13/2010	Eastern Kentucky	6 p.m.
2/16/2010	@ UT Martin	6:30 p.m.
2/20/2010	ESPNU Bracketbusters	6 p.m.
2/25/2010	Austin Peay	7:30 p.m.
2/27/2010	Tennessee State	6 p.m.

Eastern has three new players joining the team this season including freshman forward Sean Pratl, transfer junior Curry McKinney (Moorpark College) and sophomore walk-on Taylor Jones (Missouri State-West Plaines Junior College).

Pratl is one of the biggest recruits Miller has brought into the program. He received a rating of 83 out of 100 by ESPN.com, was named the Chicago-Sun Times Athlete of the Year and won a state title with Richards (Oak Lawn) in the 2007-08 season.

"I think our younger guys this season are in a good position," Miller said. "Curry, Pratl, those guys have experienced guys around them so they can learn gradually. Last season with all the new guys everyone had to learn everything at once."

Leading the Panthers in the backcourt will be senior Romain Martin and junior Tyler Laser. Martin led the Panthers with 15.4 points per game last season and was named second team preseason All-OVC. Laser averaged 11.4 points per game for the Panthers last season.

Senior center Ousmane Cisse will return to anchor the post for the Panthers. Cisse averaged 5.8 points and 6 rebounds per game last year for the Panthers.

Eastern will begin its exhibition season 7 p.m. Saturday against St. Xavier (Chicago) in Lantz Arena.

Dan Cusack can be reached at 581-7944 or dscusack@eiu.edu.

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