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Recent years haven't been kind to the Southern Utah Thunderbirds. It's up to Todd Simon to change that.
The Southern Utah men's basketball team enters a new era this season under Simon, the former UNLV interim head coach, on the heels of a 5-24 campaign in 2015.
Simon, who also coached at Las Vegas prep powerhouse Findlay Prep for seven years, replaced former SUU coach Nick Robinson. In four years at the helm, Robinson and the T-Birds went 28-90. Robinson was fired after SUU's first-round loss in the Big Sky tournament in March.
Two weeks later, Simon was hired to provide the necessary overhaul to a program that has gone 15 years since its last NCAA Tournament appearance. Simon took over at UNLV in January after former BYU assistant and UNLV head coach Dave Rice was fired. The Runnin' Rebels went 9-8 under Simon to close the year.
At SUU, there is nowhere to go but up. The T-Birds were picked 12th in both Big Sky preseason polls.
Simon and his coaching staff welcome six new players to the SUU roster, but the T-Birds will have to rely on returners such as guards James McGee, John Marshall and Race Parsons. McGee, a 6-foot-2 redshirt junior from San Clemente, Calif., led the T-Birds in scoring a year ago, averaging 12.1 points per game.
While SUU's guard line returns the bulk of the experience, the front court will have to settle itself in a hurry. Gone are forwards A.J. Hess (transferred to South Dakota State), Casey Oliverson and Daniel Melifonwu.
"Our overall philosophy is 'defend, rebound, and run,' " Simon said during the preseason. "We'll manufacture points through our talent and our scheme, but we want to be a defend-rebound-run team fueled with toughness."
Twitter: @chriskamrani —
Southern Utah at a glance
Key Additions • F Christian Musoko, F Ivan Madunic
Key Losses • F Tyler Rawson (transferred to Utah), F A.J. Hess (transferred to South Dakota State), G Trey Kennedy, G Travon Langston, F Casey Oliverson
Projected Starters • G John Marshall, G Randy Onwuasor, G Race Parsons, F Brayden Holker, C Christian Musoko
Bottom Line • SUU has averaged seven wins per season over the past four years. Can Simon infuse a winning culture in Cedar City in just his first year at the helm?
Season opener
SUU at Valparaiso
Friday, 6 p.m.