For Elon University men’s basketball head coach Matt Matheny, there’s a great deal of change going into the 2014-2015 season.

“We’ve got a brand new team,” he said. “Everybody on the roster is in a different role than they were last year.”

The squad overhaul is no surprise since the Phoenix lost one of the most successful classes in program history. Four 1,000-point scorers in forwards Ryley Beaumont and Lucas Troutman and guards Jack Isenbarger and Sebastian Koch graduated in May 2014.   

“We have a lot of pride in what those guys accomplished, and that’s who we are,” Matheny said. “We still use that as a learning tool, as growth in the program, but that doesn’t change the fact it’s a brand new year.”

With a number of holes left to be filled, returning players are stepping into more prominent roles.

“We’re all hungry,” said junior guard Tanner Samson. “We realize we’re upperclassmen now and we’re excited for the opportunity presented to us.”

Samson appeared in all 32 games for the Phoenix last season, making 22 starts. The Littleton, Colorado, native led the team in three-pointers made and averaged 9.4 points per game, but he may need to provide more of the scoring for the Phoenix this year.

Senior forward Ryan Winters has been a role player himself during his three years at Elon, but this year he and junior center Tony Sabato will be called on to anchor the low post.

“They’re very tough and smart,” said senior guard Austin Hamilton. “They might not be the most athletic and biggest guys, but they know how to use their bodies and know the game.”

Winters called his new role refreshing despite the challenges.

“Coach Matheny has given us the reins,” Winters said. “We have to steer this team in the right direction and help guys out if they don’t know what they’re doing.”

Winters and the majority of the team stayed on campus during the summer, which was one of the most grueling in recent years.  The competitive attitudes they forged have been the driving force for this year’s team.

“As long as we come with the competitive energy each day in practice and work to improve, that’s the way we’re going to get better,” Winters said.

Matheny said the loss of the seniors also drove the heightened work ethic.

“The guys have passed the torch, and now they have to work a little harder and raise their level of competitive toughness,” he said.

Senior guard Kevin Blake has accepted his new role as a leader but insisted everybody needs to act like one.

“As a senior, I feel like I have to get everyone’s heads straight,” he said. “But we’re all one team, and once everybody’s on the same page, anyone can hold anyone else accountable, and they better listen.”

With the departure of graduates and promotions for returning players, there’s room for a new talented group of freshmen in guards Dmitri Thompson and Elijah Bryant and forwards Collin Luther, Jack George and Jack Anton.

“I like the toughness in the freshman class, and I love their coachability,” Matheny said. “They listen and try to do what we’re asking.”

Thompson scored a team-high 14 points in the Phoenix’s exhibition win over Emory & Henry College, while Bryant added 12 of his own.   

Winters called this class the best he’s seen at his four years with the Phoenix.

“They bring some quickness and size. A lot of them already have a college body,” he said. “Those guys are strong, talented and carry their weight well.”

Anton, who won both district and sectional titles during his senior year at Archbishop Moeller High School in Cincinnati, has proved to be a strong post player who can run the floor.

“He hustles. He’s fast for how big he is,” Winters said. “He’s probably our fastest big man.”

Despite a talented group of newcomers and returners, the Phoenix has not been shown love in the preseason Colonial Athletic Association poll and was picked last out of 10 teams.  It’s a drastic change from a year ago, when the Phoenix was the preseason favorite in the Southern Conference.   

Blake said that while the ranking is disappointing, preseason polls are not a focus for the Phoenix.

“Nothing’s given to us, so we have to earn everything. Last year in the SoCon they gave us first place, but we didn’t actually earn it,” he said. “They think we’ll be in last place, but we’ll see.”