EVANSVILLE, Ind. (WFIE) – Let’s head over to Screaming Eagles Arena for a big day, it was USI Basketball media day.

Starting off with the men’s team, this squad is coming into the 2024 season with an overhauled roster. After a disappointing 2023-24 year, the Screaming Eagles went to work in the transfer portal to find the right guys for what Head Coach Stan Gouard is looking to build. It will take some time to learn all of the new faces, but one name kept popping up as to who would stand out quickly, that’s the high flying Stephen Olowoniyi.

“I feel like I bring my motor. I play hard, I’m an above the rim player, everything I do is above the rim. I want to tear the rim off, dunk everything, I feel like I’ve got to make a statement my first game,” said Incoming Sophomore Forward Stephen Olowoniyi.

“We wanted to address toughness. We wanted to address in our recruiting meetings shooting and size, and I think we addressed all those issues. We have some athletes on this basketball team that can do some special things,” said Head Coach Stan Gouard. “But we wanted guys that wanted to be here, more importantly, that aren’t going to look at us as a stepping stone to the next place.”

When talking to the players, that stands out right away, these guys are pumped to be here.

“I enjoyed honestly spending time with my team, the coaches, and getting to know every single one of the guys, and things that they don’t like, things that they like, and being able to have a connection with every one of them,” said Incoming Junior Guard Braxton Jones.

“It’s just basically, everyday, just learning how to play with each other and play off of each other. Obviously, we brought some great guys back from last year, we feel like those are the pieces we need, and we brought in some new guys that are going to help us out a lot,” said Returning Junior Guard Jack Campion.

“We’re definitely trying to get to know each other a little more. A lot of us are from the JUCO scenes so we know a little bit about each other’s games, and once we get it all together, we’re going to be straight,” said Incoming Junior Guard Sam Kodi.

The men’s team begins their season on November 4th with a visit to DePaul.

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