OKLAHOMA CITY (Dec. 17, 2020) – Every season is a fresh slate, so goes the common thought. But that's more true than usual for Oklahoma Christian as the 2020-21 men's basketball season approaches.

When the Eagles take the floor on Friday to host Lubbock Christian (Texas) in the season opener, they will have no starters returning from last season. There are only three healthy players on the roster who played more than five minutes for OC last season and nine new players.

Combine those numbers with the fact it's only the second season for Kendre Talley as the Eagles' coach and it's evident that OC seems primed for a new direction.

"That's a thousand percent right," Talley said. "We're a tough, young, very competitive team. It's going to be a really fun group for me to coach this season. They all bring different things to the table."

Talley is in his fourth consecutive season on the OC staff (having spent two years as an assistant coach) and has directly contributed to the recruitment of every player on the roster. A point guard himself on OC's last team with a winning record (19-12 in 2012-13), Talley has tried to build a squad that will thrive in an up-tempo system similar to the one he enjoyed much success in as a player.

"The good thing about it is it's my first 'official' recruiting class," he said. "It's now fully all of my guys, the guys that I wanted to be here. We have some good pieces to the buzzer. Now we have to figure out how they all fit. We've been putting a lot of work in.

"These guys are young and fast and long and athletic. That's the type of league that we play in. We don't play against a lot of bigs. We play against a lot of tweeners and athletic guys and that's kind of how we recruited. We got a lot of interchangeable parts, a lot of guys who can play multiple positions. I'm excited."

With senior Johnatan Reyes-Valdez (7.7 points per game, 2.7 rebounds per game, 3.3 assists per game in 2019-20) – last season's starting point guard – out for the season due to injury, Talley will turn to freshman Elijah Elliott to run the point. Elliott comes from Jack Yates High School in Houston, a program that set a national prep record by scoring 100 or more points in 21 straight games last season. Elliott, says Talley, "has that 'it' factor … He reminds me of me a bit as a player."

Senior Anthony Johnson (7.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg in 2019-20), who started six games at the point for OC last season, will see more action at the shooting-guard position this season but remains capable of running the point when Elliott is out of the game.

There's plenty of talent elsewhere in the backcourt ranks as well. Freshman Marco Foster was a key contributor on a Texas high school team that was ranked nationally, averaging 15.6 points per game. Another freshman, Cade Allen, developed a reputation as a deep sharpshooter for Oklahoma small-school power Hammon and is a stellar free-throw shooter. Junior Robert Gregg has the advantage of having spent two years in the OC system, gaining the coaches' trust.

The Eagles will be especially deep on the wing. Transfer Shem'mario Stephens, a powerful athlete and strong shooter who helped Murray State win a junior-college region title last season in Oklahoma, leads a talented group that also 6-foot-7 sophomore slasher Lamarcus Donohue from Jacksonville (Texas) College and junior D.J. Walter (3.8 ppg, 1.9 rpg). Walter played in all 27 games last season and is the Eagles' Swiss army knife, capable of handling a multitude of positions, both outside and inside.

There's also a pair of long freshmen, 6-foot-5 Rylan Schlup and 6-foot-6 Tyler Toth, who could figure into the mix.

Going back to Jarred Merrill in the mid-2000s (and even before), the Eagles often have played with a true center, and they've often been stars, from Merrill to Jason Taylor to Will Reinke to John Moon to Will Leinhard. This season, Talley wants his inside players to be more interchangeable, but that said, one of the Eagles' more experienced returnees is 6-foot-9 sophomore center Hunter Staten (1.0 ppg, 0.5 rpg), who played in 17 games last season while backing up Leinhard. Staten gives OC the ability to play with a traditional back-to-the-basket post player.

At 6-foot-5, freshman forward Nyk Madison would be an undersized center but is strong and athletic enough to play there if Talley opts to use a small-ball lineup. Madison, a standout who was named as his Texas Class 5A district's player of the year, also is a natural for the power-forward spot. Walter also could see time at power forward in addition to the wing.

Donahue and 6-foot-7 junior Donovan Reagan (a transfer from Western Texas College) are long, skilled athletes whose game continues to develop and should figure into the mix. One of only two healthy seniors on the squad, 6-foot-6 Harrison Martin has – like Gregg – learned the OC system inside and out and is capable of contributing on a moment's notice.

"Our playing style is going to be a whole lot different," Talley said. "We don't have two big, dominant guys in the post this year. We're going to be more of a guard-oriented team. A lot of this stuff is new for everybody, which I think is a good thing. This year is a good opportunity to build a lot of chemistry with this group and spend a lot of time together. They like each other a lot. It's a fun group to coach."

Because of precautions taken due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the season's schedule is, in a word, unusual. The Eagles – who already had what was to be their season-opening weekend at Texas A&M International postponed – are scheduled to play each of their 10 opponents in consecutive games, usually either on Thursday and Saturday or Friday and Saturday.

The LSC postseason tournament has been reduced to eight teams (from 12) and qualifiers will be determined using a complicated point system similar to the old Sempert Ratings used in the 1980s and early 1990s to determine postseason pairings in NAIA District 9.