RICHMOND, Ky. – Five new players will suit up for the Eastern Kentucky University men's basketball team in 2014-15, and Head Coach Jeff Neubauer will be looking for three new starters, but that's not all that will be changing for the Colonels.
 
Despite winning a school record 49 games the last two seasons and making two national tournament appearances – including taking No. 2 seed Kansas to the wire in the NCAA Tournament in March – Neubauer may make adjustments to the team's offense and defense this season.
 
The changes are being made with an eye toward making the Colonels even more entertaining to watch.
 
Last season EKU ranked fifth in the nation in three-point field goals per game (9.3) and 25th in the country in scoring (78.7 ppg).  Defensively, Eastern finished second in the nation in turnover margin (+6.3) and sixth in the country in steals (8.8 spg).  Neubauer hopes the changes will push his squad higher up those rankings in 2014-15.
 
"We've been very aggressive the last two years within our man-to-man defense," Neubauer said.  "I think we're going to take our defensive aggressiveness to another level this year.  Hopefully we'll create a lot more steals and continue to keep offenses off balance. 
 
"We were 25th in the country in scoring last year.  Hopefully we can be more aggressive, hopefully we can score the ball at a higher rate."
 
The coaching staff began instituting the defensive adjustments before the team embarked on a four-game summer tour of Australia.  In those games, Eastern averaged 12.5 steals and committed 37 fewer turnovers (+9.3) than its opponents.
 
"The Australia trip allowed us to learn some things about our team that we wouldn't know now if we hadn't been able to put our guys in competitive situations," Neubauer said.
 
Neubauer has a pair of strong building blocks in seniors Corey Walden and Eric Stutz from which to construct his 2014-15 squad. 
 
Walden, a 6-foot-2 guard, returns after earning OVC Defensive Player of the Year and OVC Tournament MVP honors.  Walden led the conference in steals per game (2.2) and ranked 16th in the nation with a total of 76 thefts.  He enters his senior season 85 steals away from breaking the EKU career record (221).
 
The Daytona Beach native is far more than just a defensive stopper.  He is 76 points away from becoming the 33rd player to score 1,000 points as a Colonel, and he will have done it in just three seasons.  Walden earned tourney MVP honors after averaging 23.3 points, 3.7 rebounds, 3.7 steals and 2.4 assists in three games.  He shot 66 percent from the field and 91 percent at the free throw line.  In the title contest against Belmont, Walden went off for 29 points, seven assists and five rebounds.
 
"Corey has really developed offensively," said Neubauer said.  "He's a very good decision maker and makes others on the court much better."
 
Stutz, a 6-foot-8 forward, averaged 8.6 points and a team-best 4.6 rebounds last season.  The Newburgh, Indiana native was third in the OVC with a shooting percentage of 65.1 percent.  That number was also the third-best single season shooting percentage ever by a Colonel.  Stutz finished with 15 points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in Eastern's near upset of Kansas in the Big Dance.  In nine career postseason games, he has averaged 12 points, five rebounds and two assists.  Stutz is on track to become the 13th player in program history to score 1,000 points and grab 500 rebounds.
 
"I think we'll see Eric expand his game this season.  He'll be more effective attacking off the dribble, will shoot the ball better from the perimeter and be a better offensive rebounder," Neubauer said.  "Eric has been so steady for us for his first three years and we'll ask a lot more from him as a senior."
 
All three starters lost from last season's team – Glenn Cosey, Tarius Johnson and Marcus Lewis – will be hard to replace.  Along with sixth-man Orlando Williams, that group was responsible for 61 percent of the team's scoring, 72 percent of its three-pointers, 54 percent of its assists and 42 percent of its rebounds.
 
Cosey had a Hall of Fame caliber two-year career, capped by a season in which he led the team in scoring (17.1 ppg) and assists (4.2 apg), broke the school single season record with 115 three-points, tied the OVC mark with 10 three-pointers in a game, and earned All-America honors.  He knocked down 42.6 percent of his three-pointers, 19th best in the country.
 
Among the other six returning players are guards Timmy Knipp, Jaylen Babb-Harrison and Isaac McGlone.  Knipp could see his role expand dramatically.  He's never averaged more than 12 minutes per game, but that number could double this season.  In four games against Australian teams, the Olive Hill, Kentucky native contributed 16 points and three rebounds per game while playing an average of 27 minutes. 
 
"Jaylen and Timmy certainly did perform well in Australia," said Neubauer.  "Those are two guys that have been in our program for a while and are hoping to play bigger roles this year.  We were able to see them against very good teams and they both did very well.  I'm very pleased with the development of those two.  I think Timmy Knipp is going to have a tremendous senior year."
 
Babb-Harrison has been in the program for two seasons, but fans have seen very little of him.  As a freshman in 2012-13 he played a total of 22 minutes over nine games.  He redshirted last season, practicing with the team but never appearing in any games.  The Ajax, Ontario native started all four games this summer in Australia, averaging 14 points and five rebounds per game.
 
"I think Jaylen has grown up as a basketball player," Neubauer said.  "He has made progress defensively, he's a much better on-ball defender than he was a couple years ago.  His awareness and understanding away from the ball is much better and he has more of a toughness to him.  Offensively, Jaylen has made very big steps in his value for the ball and he certainly works on his shot harder than anyone else we have in our program."
 
McGlone shot an impressive 70.6 percent from three-point range against OVC teams as a freshman last season and has shot the ball very well in preseason practice this fall.
 
"Isaac is an outstanding guard," said Neubauer.  "Last year he was a good decision maker, shot the ball really well and has developed into a really good on-ball defender.  We expect that to continue to improve this year."

Eastern's other three returning players are seniors Deverin Muff and Robbie Stenzel, and junior Tommy Matthews.  At 6-foot-8, Muff can be a valuable inside player, but he's was slowed by an injury for much of last season and is still working his way back into practice.  Stenzel and Matthews both played in all four games in Australia.  Stenzel had 14 points and two steals while Matthews scored 10 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field in the Colonels' victory over Suncoast.
 
Eight newcomers will be welcomed into the program, but three will sit out this season as four-year school transfers.  Freshmen Paul Jackson and Daniel Norl, and junior college transfer Ja'Mill Powell accompanied the team to Australia.  Powell did not see action because of an injury.  The two freshmen played in all four games and took part in the 10 extra practices before the trip.
 
Jackson is a quick point guard that passes the ball well.  He's also shown strong leadership skills throughout preseason practice.  Norl has displayed good defensive skills and a tendency to step in and take a charge during workouts this fall.  Powell's length and athleticism will help in EKU's aggressive defense. 
 
Junior college transfers Jonathan Hood and Denzel Richardson will be expected to contribute immediately.  Hood has a strong body and is a good three-point shooter.  Richardson has a good feel for the game.  He's shown to be a very good defender and an excellent rebounder in preseason practice.