GETTING INSIDE

No team in the Southern Conference will have a fresher look in 2009-2010 than Elon. That’s because few teams in the league needed a reboot more.

The Phoenix not only lost three of their top players, but fired coach Ernie Nestor. Nestor had only one winning season in six years at Elon, and with patience wearing thin, the administration decided it was time for a change.

In his place, Elon brass went to the school in the league with a recent history that provided the most success: Davidson. The Phoenix hired long-time Wildcat assistant Matt Matheny, who also played at Davidson under Bob McKillop.

The rebuilding job at Elon, though, is going to take more than one offseason. The Phoenix were 11-20 overall and 7-13 in league play last season, winning only twice on the road.

The lowest point came when the Phoenix were embarrassed at home by Appalachian State on a night when the school was supposed to be celebrating its 100 years of basketball.

Forgetting all of that, Elon must do so without an established star. Ola Atayebi, who averaged 13.9 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, and Brett James, who averaged 13.2 and 5.0, are gone, as is productive forward Monty Sanders.

Without them, the Phoenix will need immediate contributions from several new players.

The burden, however, probably will fall on the shoulders of guard Chris Long, who was second in the league in assists at 4.0 per game last season as a sophomore. It will be his job not only to run Matheny’s offense and make sure the ball is distributed to those who can make things happen.

NOTES, QUOTES

• No player on the roster has ever experienced a winning record at Elon. The Phoenix last had a record above .500 in 2005-2006, when Elon was 15-14.

• Freshman forward Brett Ervin made good on his original signing with Elon and stayed with the school despite signing before former coach Ernie Nestor was fired. The 6-foot-7, 220-pound native of West Virginia should challenge for playing time right away.

• All 10 players from last year’s squad remained with the program, an oddity of sorts after a coaching change.

Last Year:   11-20 overall, 7-13, fifth in the Southern Conference North Division

Head Coach:   Matt Matheny, first year at school and as a college head coach.

Quote To Note:   “We want to play against the best competition so that we will be best prepared for the battles in the Southern Conference. There are great ACC opponents, including Wake Forest and N.C. State, that are in our region and present opportunities to challenge our players.”—First-year coach Matt Matheny, on his approach to the non-conference scheduling.

STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL

Scouting The Newcomers:   Elon is taking its time filling out its roster in the Matt Matheny era. The Phoenix added only two players for the 2009-2010 season. Brett Ervin, a talented forward out West Virginia is one. The other is 6-foot-8 forward Roger Dugas, who spent the last two years playing with Canada’s National Elite Development Academy. Given a lack of big men and the Elon’s recent problems, both could be in the lineup sooner rather than later.

Key Early-season Games:   The Phoenix aren’t simply playing cupcakes while the team adjusts to new coaches and players. Elon has a number of relatively tough games, including an appearance in the preseason NIT tournament, a Dec. 13 game against Wake Forest and a Dec. 17 game against North Carolina State.

Program Direction:   Elon fans feel the Phoenix have nowhere to go but up after Ernie Nestor’s time as coach. Elon had only one winning season in Nestor’s six years, and that was a 15-14 showing in 2005-2006. Bringing Matt Matheny on board could change that if the winning attitude he brings from Davidson rubs off.

Probable Starting Lineup:   G Chris Long, G Devan Carter, G Josh Bonney, F T.J. Douglas, F Adam Constantine.

Roster Report:  

• First-year coach Matt Matheny has applied a principle he learned from former boss Bob McKillop. Matheny’s first signing at Elon included a foreign-born player, Roger Dugas from Quebec, Canada.

• Senior forward Adam Constantine is the team’s top returning rebounder at 4.8 per game.

• With only 12 players on the roster and four of those seniors, the Phoenix will have a lot of room to play with in the November signing period.

• Every coach on the Elon sideline is new to the program. In addition to head coach Matt Matheny, Tim Sweeney, Justin Gainey and Will Roberson join the bench.