BREVARD, N.C. - Head men's basketball coach Lee Burgess is excited about this year's version of the Tornados. By far the most excited he's been since he took over the program in May of 2012.

"I think we've got a chance to be better than people think this year," Burgess remarked pensively, the picture of calm in his office on a sunny afternoon just two days before the start of what he hopes could become the best season in recent memory at Brevard.

The Tornados were picked to finish ninth in the South Atlantic Conference in this year's preseason coaches' poll, one spot out of a bid to the postseason conference tournament. But the coaches mean no disrespect to a program that's labored through consecutive 4-22 seasons. After all, they did tab senior forward Darius Moose as a first team preseason all-conference selection.

"Darius is the unquestioned leader of our team," said Burgess of his 6-3, 220 pound stalwart. "The guys really respect both his voice and his ability on the floor."

The entire conference, it would seem, respects his ability on the floor. His 19.8 points per game last season ranked third in the SAC. He also had 3.2 assists per game to finish ninth in the league and pulled down 5.8 rebounds per contest, good for 14th in the conference. He led the team in all three categories.

The Tornados played 26 games last season, with Moose scoring in double figures in all but two of them. In a win at Tusculum last November, he set career highs with 10 assists and five steals, then had 33 points and a Brevard NCAA-era record 18 rebounds in the Pioneers' return trip to Boshamer Gymnasium in January. He notched four double-doubles on the year.

"He's got such a big responsibility to be a leader for this team," Burgess continued. "Whether he has a good day or a bad day, the team often follows suit. It's immense pressure on him, but he's handled it extremely well so far."

Fortunately for Brevard, Moose will be surrounded by a supporting cast that gives Brevard the most depth it has enjoyed in the Burgess era. The Tornados expect to return several players from last year's team while welcoming a host of newcomers that will factor heavily in the playing rotation. Sophomore Trevon Shaw, who averaged 12.7 points per game a season ago, is the lone returning guard. Junior forward Miles Leathers has been hampered by lingering eligibility issues, but his impending return, complete with his 13.1 points and nearly five rebounds per game from last season, would provide a large boost for the Tornados.

Phil Wallace, a transfer from Cape Fear Community College, enters the season as the Tornados' starting point guard. In Brevard's lone exhibition contest thus far, an 81-58 loss to Division I UNC Asheville on Saturday night, the junior dished out a game-high 10 assists and came up with a steal.

An interesting battle has broken out at the center position, as freshman Brayden Masten appears to have the edge over junior Alex Moe as the season begins. Both big men scored eight points against the Bulldogs on Saturday and exhibited soft touch from the perimeter, combining for four triples in the contest.

In fact, Burgess contends that Brevard's skill on the perimeter will prove to be one of its most valuable assets again this season after the Tornados finished 11th in the country last year with 9.9 three-point field goals made per contest. "We hope to spread the floor on opposing defenses, and everyone on the court can shoot from deep. We think we'll be able to create some matchup problems."

Those same matchup problems, however, may become a liability on the defensive end. One of the team's biggest question marks revolves around whether the Tornados can battle in the paint and on the board against teams that have bigger bodies at their disposal.

Freshman guard Stevie Williams figures to be the first player off of Burgess's bench. The High Point native led the team in scoring in its exhibition at UNC Asheville, scoring 13 points by knocking down five of his eight field goal attempts in the game. He also had pairs of steals and assists. Sophomore junior college transfer Jaylon Debardlabon and true freshman D.J. Bostick, both forwards, will likely see increased minutes as the season progresses after the duo combined for eight points in Asheville.

So what was Coach Burgess's biggest takeaway from Saturday's exhibition, which gave his team a chance to battle against a Division I opponent in front of over 1,500 fans? "It's encouraging to get so many newcomers experience in a real college game. We had a lot of opportunities for the younger guys, and we had a couple that really stepped up for us."

And the theme of stepping up may best encapsulate what Burgess hopes this season can become for the Tornados. They'll need to show that they can step up to tough competition within the conference. They'll need to have individual players step up into expanded roles. And, if all goes according to plan, they'll "step up" their place in the conference standings and earn a SAC Tournament bid for the first time since the 2010-2011 campaign.

Brevard opens its season in Augusta, Georgia on Friday in a neutral-site matchup with Clayton State in the Peach Belt-SAC Challenge. Tipoff is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. The Tornados will then face host GRU Augusta on Saturday at 5:00 p.m.

Featured image courtesy of Tommy Moss.