U.S.I. Men’s and Women’s basketball gearing up for new season

EVANSVILLE, In. (WEHT) -- It's almost that time of year. When football and basketball intersect to give us some of my favorite months of sports. For U.S.I. that first game is fast approaching. Both the men's and women's Screaming Eagles have high hopes for the season -- but are utilizing different makeups to get there.

We'll start on the men's side. U.S.I. is coming off of a 7-23 season, going 4-16 in the Ohio Valley Conference. But you can't pencil in that as the result this year. There are 12 new players on this roster and only 3 returners. Head Coach Stan Gouard is no stranger to the turnover though. Last season the Screaming Eagles had 11 new guys. This year's roster has an international flair though. 7 players are originally from Ukraine -- Japan -- or other countries. Gouard says it wasn't the initial plan, but the product of connections he didn't see coming.

"Once we started talking to a couple guys, more and more agents had more international guys and we kind of took them as they came," said Gouard. "We got some good ones. you know, I like our length, like our ability to score the basketball, like our ability to rebound. And those international guys, they just bring a different dynamic to the table than what we had the past couple of years."

The men have two closed door scrimmages planned in the next two weeks. One versus Lipscomb and another against Lincoln-Memorial. The season opener will be November 2nd at Belmont.

On the women's side they're coming off their third straight season winning 20 or more games. They went 21-11 overall, 14-6 in the O.V.C. and lost in the first round of the N.I.T. And they're almost the exact opposite from the men -- bringing back 11 players off of last year's squad. Head Coach Rick Stein says it's a great chance to build athletes up year after year. It's a bit of a throwback -- and something he knows many coaches at this level can only dream of.

"It's about unheard of anymore because, most people are leaving every year," said Stein. "So for us, obviously, it's a blessing. And that's what we've done for years is bring in good ones and hopefully make them better in all ways."

The women also have two scrimmages scheduled. The first regular season game will be on November 2nd. They'll take on Murray State in Liberty Arena.