With a solid crop of big freshmen joining a group of talented returning players, this season’s UW-Eau Claire men’s basketball team is looking at improving on last year’s sub -.500 performance.

Coach Terry Gibbons said his returning players have grown up and matured drastically.

“The exciting thing is that freshman turn to sophomores,” Gibbons said. “There is a big maturing factor that takes place and I can see that they are developing a mental toughness for the game.”

An element of the maturing factor is an increased sense of team unity, Gibbons said.

“I think that we have some excellent chemistry amongst our players this year,” he said. “Experience gives you that.”

A key component to the success of the Blugolds this year will be their depth, Gibbons said.

He said he is looking at having five to six big men who could all play inside and six to seven guards who could contribute.

Much of the depth the ‘Golds have in the paint will come from the freshmen Gibbons and his staff recruited.

“We really wanted to bolster up our front line,” Gibbons said. “We went out and recruited five good young kids.”

Some of their rationale for recruiting big players, who are all over 6 foot, 7 inches, was to help take pressure off senior big man Andy Witte.

His teammate sophomore Dan Archambault is excited about the young teammates he has to play with now.

“Last year we were under-sized,” Archambault said. “The more big guys you got the more people you have to board.”

Along with Witte, senior guard Jason Larson and Archambault will pitch in on offense for the Blugolds.

Larson was the team’s leading scorer from last season, earning just less than 21 points per game. Also, off the court, he and sophomore Casey Drake earned WIAC academic scholar recognition during the 2001-02 season.

Archambault said that because of the team’s youth last year, the Blugolds really looked to the offensive players for leadership.

“Because we were so young last year, Jason and Witte had to be our leaders,” he said. “This year, since we’re all older, it is more of a group leadership.”

Gibbons shared the same sentiments.

“I am looking for leadership from every person on this team,” he said. “It is far more a team role than an individual one.”

Because of the team’s increased mental strength and its heightened team chemistry, Gibbons said the close games that go down to the final play will be easier for the Blugolds to win now.

“When we do get into the close games,” Gibbons said, “we will have the experience to close the game out.”