LYNCHBURG, Va.- The Randolph men's basketball team will have a revamped lineup for this upcoming season. The WildCats have 14 new players joining the team which includes nine First Years.

"We have a completely new roster this season with the addition of 14 new players," said head coach Evan Kee. "The transfers bring value with experience and leadership. Three of our four transfers will give us depth in the front court and will add positional size and toughness."

Despite an influx of new players, several come in with playing experience. Marcus Brown and Chris Hayes are junior college transfers while Steven Burgess Jr. comes to Randolph from fellow ODAC institution Bridgewater where he played in 40 games and started 12 in his sophomore season. "Steven Burgess Jr. was a starting point guard in the ODAC last season and has earned the responsibility of being a captain for us this season'" said Kee.

"We have nine extremely talented freshmen. Many of them came from winning programs and will have the opportunity to contribute here as first year collegiate players. I'm also excited about the growth and development of our returners. They enter year two in our system and have really led the way so far."

Sophomores Viktor Parson and TJ James Jr., along with junior Elijah Cox return to the team. The trio played in 23, 23, and 24 games, respectively. Cox was second on the team in three-point field goals made and converted just under 41% of his attempts.

Kee believes establishing an early rhythm within the team is vital. "It's extremely important to develop cohesion and chemistry early in the season" he said. "Our guys have developed a close bond already and it has shown how they play together on the court. They really want to be successful, and we've seen a great deal of progress already."

The WildCats will enjoy a November slate that sees them playing four of their six games at Giles Gymnasium including three straight home contests to start the year.  The ODAC portion of the schedule will once again be a tough journey to navigate in late January and early February as Randolph faces four teams (Hampden-Sydney, Randolph-Macon, Roanoke, Guilford) who all qualified for the NCAA Tournament last year with the latter the defending ODAC Tournament Champions.

"The ODAC is the best Division III conference in the country," Kee remarked. "I predict that we will have at least four programs spend time in the Division III Top 25 poll this season. Many of the programs that will be nationally ranked will be teams that we play twice this year. It's a challenge, but we're confident and ready to showcase our talent and abilities."

The WildCats will play an exhibition at Old Dominion University on November 6. The season and home opener is November 15 against North Carolina Wesleyan.