West Virginia State men's basketball coach Bryan Poore understands that in order to have success in the Mountain East Conference, more often than not, you're going to have to be able to score a lot of points.
Of course, there are a few teams that have been able to make a bit of a name for themselves as tough defensive squads that can hold league foes to less than 70 points on most nights. But in a conference where 10 of the 12 teams averaged at least 75 points per game, Poore knows that being able to score the ball consistently is a key.
That's why, as he looks at his team heading into this season, Poore is more optimistic as the Yellow Jackets come off last year's 6-22 finish. He has seen improvements in places where they needed to be made.
"We shoot the ball better than we have the last couple of years, so we should be able to score it more," Poore said. "We had to defend really well - and we weren't really good enough at that to rely on that to win games.
"It's really hard to win that way in this league. You have to score 85 points on a lot of nights to beat some of these teams."
Like several MEC teams, Poore has a bit of a rebuild effort underway as the Yellow Jackets bring back just a handful of players who played big roles on last year's team.
Among those returning players are two players who started a majority of WVSU's games a year ago, forward Terrance Jenkins and center Cody Morris. The Yellow Jackets also bring back guards Tyrie Elliott and Brent Bauer.
"Terrance has given us a lot of leadership and a lot of energy, and that's something we've lacked," Poore said. "If guys can take his lead on that and do the same thing, we can be in good shape."
Poore's team hit some adversity in the weeks leading up to the season when Frank Webb, the team's starting point guard and leading returning scorer, left the team - putting West Virginia State in a bit of a bind.
But Poore said the Yellow Jackets do have options who are ready to fill in and hungry to prove what they can do when given the opportunity to take on a bigger role, which has been the mentality of the team as a whole heading into the new season with a clean slate after what was a tough season a year ago.
"The timing of it made it difficult for us, but our guys have handled it well," Poore said. "Brent Bauer is going to have to step up for us, and we have other guys like Jae'Von McClain who can play the point and so can [freshman] Ernest Jenkins.
"The philosophy is next man up. The train keeps moving and we have to adapt and guys need to take advantage of the chances they're going to get."
In their exhibition against Marshall, the Yellow Jackets fell 93-70 to the Thundering Herd. Bauer led the way with 15 points and six assists while Elliott added 12. Newcomer DeQuan Doyle, who Poore said has developed nicely into a low-post presence, had a double-double with 13 points and 13 rebounds.
West Virginia State's regular season begins Friday as it hosts Virginia Union in the Earl Lloyd Classic at 7 p.m.
Contact Michael Carvelli at 304-348-4810 or michael.carvelli@wvgazettemail.com. Follow him on Twitter @carvelli3.