By Mason Nesbitt, TMU Sports Information Director

Seven months ago, outside TMU’s locker room in Kansas City’s Municipal Auditorium, the Mustangs’ best player was adamant that the program would return to the NAIA national tournament — even without him.

As it turned out, coaches across the country agreed.

Not every team could graduate a first-team All-American like Lawrence Russell and enter the following season ranked No. 1 in the nation. But the Mustangs return nine players, four starters and All-Americans at center and point guard.

Still, it’s that first round loss in Kansas City, Missouri – and not the buzz that comes with going 56-8 over the last two years and opening 2018-19 as the top team in NAIA Division 1 basketball – that drives TMU.

“We ended last year’s season in such a disappointing way that we want to bounce back,” said third-year coach Kelvin Starr. “We have big goals and aspirations for the year, but we also want to remain humble and keep working. Because we have a lot of work to do.”

The to-do list starts with replacing Russell’s production on both sides of the floor. The guard led the team in scoring, distributed the rock and was a lockdown defender. His steady poise permeated the roster.

“No one guy is going to do it,” said junior guard Darryl McDowell-White.

The offense will run through point guard Hansel Atencia and 6-foot-10 center Tim Soares, both NAIA All-American picks a year ago.

Soares set a single-season school record with 90 blocks in a breakout sophomore campaign, asserting himself more on the offensive end (career-high 14.3 points per game) and on the boards (8.4).

Atencia spent the summer playing for the Colombian Senior National Team, averaging 18 points across four games and sometimes competing against former NBA players.

There will be games this season when Atencia carries the Mustangs. But that won’t be every night.

Master’s returns starters Delewis Johnson, a powerful senior guard capable of bullying smaller defenders and forward Brock Gardner.

Gardner, a junior, is a rare blend of skill and athleticism. He will make 3-pointers and finish with authority above the rim.

The bigger question for Master’s lies on defense. The club finished third nationally last season in points scored per game (93.1), but 26th nationally in points allowed (73.3).

Starr said the goal is a top-five finish in offensive production and in opponent’s field goal percentage – not easy tasks in an always competitive Golden State Athletic Conference season.

“Defensively, we need to step it up a little bit,” said Starr, whose team won the first GSAC regular-season title in program history last season. “That’s what cost us at the end of the year.”

Opposing teams, for their part, will have to respect TMU’s ability behind the three-point arc. Hodges Bailey (pictured at top, left), a sophomore, is the team’s most prolific marksman (he hit 42 percent of his threes last season on 94 attempts). But Atencia, Gardner and Soares will help stretch the floor.

McDowell-White and sophomore Michael Taylor will bring the energy. Both should be major factors in the Mustangs rotation, with McDowell-White serving as an excellent on-ball defender and Taylor bringing the house down.

Taylor, known last season for his rim-rattling dunks, should see more playing time this season and be among the team’s leading rebounders. Junior Gavin DeJong, a 6-8 forward who redshirted last season after transferring from NCAA Division 1 University of Montana, also provides frontcourt depth.

Dallas Cunningham, another player who redshirted last season, does the same for a deep, talented group of wings that should help the Mustangs sustain last year’s breakneck pace.

“We’re going to bring high intensity,” Johnson said. “It’s going to be another exciting year where we’re throwing lobs and getting after it on defense.”

The Mustangs know the year won’t be without trials.

Master’s opens the regular season at the Texas Wesleyan Champions Classic in Fort Worth, Texas, where it will face No. 2 LSU Alexandria and No. 7 LSU Shreveport on the first two days of November.

The games will preview the kind of competition the Mustangs can expect to face in the final two months of the season. When their ultimate goal is on the table. When they can wipe a sour taste from their mouths.

“This year our goal is to take it all the way,” Soares said.