Panthers debuting today in California - Kentucky Wesleyan College Athletics

It will take a few more games, and several more weeks, before it comes into focus as to what kind of men's basketball team Kentucky Wesleyan College will be this season.

But the learning process begins today when the Panthers tip off the first matchup of three games in three days at the Disney West Tipoff Classic in Anaheim, Cali. The Panthers meet San Francisco State today, Western Washington on Saturday and Grand Canyon on Sunday.

"When you first schedule these, you're thinking this will be great for our team, but once it gets closer to the competition, you're thinking about winning, and you know you're not close to ready yet," KWC coach Todd Lee said. "In the long run it will be good for us. The trip is a great idea for the kids. It's a nice event."

In the short term, KWC will be a team learning on the go. After these three games, it will have three exhibition games against Division I opponents.

The Panthers play at South Carolina on Nov. 5, at Evansville on Nov. 7, then go to Purdue on Nov. 9.

"Then we'll have eight days to come back, evaluate things, break down what we've put in," Lee said. "We haven't had time to do fundamental stuff."

The Panthers have put in the basic motion and some offensive sets through 14 practices. There will be much more to do, though, during the eight-day break before the second start of the "regular season."

They are coming off a 19-9 season, which earned them a trip to the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional.

KWC should be improved simply because Desmond Stephens is back healthy for his senior season. The 5-foot-9 guard broke his hand on Thanksgiving Day last year and missed most of the season.

He was able to play during the summer while home in Bloomington, Ind. With Stephens and some of the other perimeter talent, KWC should be a team that gets up and down the floor and shoots a lot of 3s.

"We can get in the passing lanes, we can score points from every position," Stephens said. "We've got athletic wings. Everybody is about the same level. I don't think we have anybody above anybody."

Lee wants Stephens to be the guy getting good shots for his teammates.

"Desmond can dictate tempo," Lee said. "Early last year before he got hurt, Desmond was getting everybody else shots. He's the fastest player I've ever coached, and his big thing is getting other players easy shots. He can get in the lane."

Proven scorers coming back include 6-4 senior Maros Zuffa and Chris Williams, a 6-5 junior.

Zuffa was putting up nearly 11 points a game when an injury ended his season.

"Maros and Chris will shoot the ball well," Lee said. "They could be two of the better shooters in our league."

Andree' Wilson (6-5) and Jay Ivey, a 6-7 junior from Owensboro Catholic, will provide what inside experience KWC has.

"Andreé has developed more of a perimeter game and worked on his post game," Lee said. "Jay has gotten better all around. He is benching 375 (pounds). He's gotten stronger, and he will be a better shooter."

There are plenty of unknowns, and they revolve around the six new players who will make their debut on the Disney West trip.

"The new guys, they're adjusting to how long they have to concentrate in practice, how they have to be intense for two hours, the entire time," Lee said.

New players include Marico Stinson, a 6-5 junior guard, Shawn Rouse, a 6-6 junior forward, Huzie Hambrite, a 5-10 junior guard, Willie Richardson, a 6-2 junior guard, Kwan Waller, a 5-11 junior guard, and Breland McKnight, a 6-7 junior center.

Stinson averaged 12 points a game at Indiana State. Waller and Hambrite each scored more than 18 a game at Sauk Valley Community College and Lake Land Community College, respectively.

"Stinson can really score the ball, and Kwan is a good athlete at guard," Lee said.

The other new players have area ties. Tommy Oates is a 6-5 freshman forward from Muhlenberg North, and Travis Owsley is a 5-10 junior guard who was a standout at Owensboro Catholic.

How any of the newcomers will perform in California is unknown.

"It always takes about six to eight games to get a feel for a team," Lee said. "It's kind of hard to tell right now who will do what. In a tournament like that, you need a deeper team."

KWC should have that, and the mystery players should begin to define what they can do for this team soon enough.

"We need some guys to step up," said Stephens, who will likely be the starter at point guard. "Who will do what? We're still trying to figure that out."

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