The roster is assembled, the schedule is out, and the Governors are back on the hardwood. Let the countdown begin: six weeks until the 2023-24 Austin Peay basketball season begins.

If you're reading this, you're likely aware that this year's team will look vastly different than last season, and it begins with the man patrolling the sideline and the ensemble of coaches and support staff members that join him on the bench. 

A two-time Austin Peay graduate and former assistant coach under Dave Loos, Corey Gipson returned to Clarksville during the offseason after orchestrating the largest turnaround in Northwestern State history a season ago. The Demons went 22-9 in 2022-23, earning a spot in the Southland Conference Basketball Championship after winning nine games the season prior to his arrival. 

In addition to the nine coaching and support staff members he brought with him from Natchitoches, Louisiana, Gipson also returned six players from the Demons' lineup, including DeMarcus Sharp and Ja'Monta Black.

The Southland Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year, Sharp averaged 19.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 5.0 assists per game last season, while Black – who made 122 three-pointers a season ago – is the Division I top-returning three-point shooter.

Now, I can sit here and rattle off numbers about Sharp, Black, and every one of the 10 other newcomers, but let's talk about something that fans want to hear: what the team has looked like in the early stages of the preseason.

Some thoughts through a handful of practices with the new-look Austin Peay Governors…

• Practices are intense. The energy radiating from F&M Bank Arena during a Gipson practice is unrivaled – well, maybe rivaled to a Dave Loos practice, but I was in high school his last few years here, so I can't compare the two personally. The players are buzzing around, hitting threes and slamming down dunks (as basketball players do), the coaches all bring their own style of mentoring to each drill, and the support staff – shoutout to all of them in particular – stand as the backbone of practice, ensuring each drill is run fluidly and that the energy stays at an all-time high.
• The team chemistry. Whether they played together at Northwestern State, went to the same high school – as Isaac Haney and Anton Brookshire did – or played on the same AAU team growing up, the chemistry has shown during each practice I have been to. 
• One of the biggest players I've been paying attention to the last couple of weeks has been the team's lone freshman, Dez White. He has shown that he's a premier perimeter scorer and has been extremely impressive with his shot off the dribble and in catch-and-shoot situations early on. 
• Ja'Monta Black is an elite shooter and his consistency from beyond the arc is even more impressive in person. If he can get the opportunities he had at Northwestern State last season, Todd Babington's single-season three-pointer record of 102 could be in trouble.
• When Gipson was named the Govs' 14th head coach in March, I went back and rewatched a few Northwestern State games, and the player that always got brought up first was DeMarcus Sharp. And after watching him practice, I can see why. To put it simply, he can do it all. He's lethal in one-on-one situations, with the ability to hit from deep – he was 29-of-53 from three-point range last season, – has a dangerous post fade, and is Chris Paul crafty in both in his facilitation skills, and in the paint against larger players.
• Jonathan Dunn has bunnies. This team is full of countless athletes with the ability to attack the rim, but Dunn may be the best of them all.
• Jalen Ware has taken a big step in his progression. Ware is the lone returner from last year's team, but fits in well with the 12 newcomers. The 6-8 forward averaged 5.1 points, 4.1 rebounds, and 49.1 percent from the field in 2022-23 and could take a big step forward under the new regime. He can stretch the floor and his lengthy frame makes him dangerous on all three levels. 
• The power clap might be one of the smallest but most unique things about this team. I first noticed it during one of Gipson's summer camps. When a player misses a shot or messes up a play, they do a loud clap, signifying that they're owning up to their mistake. I've seen players, coaches and staff members do it since I've been around them. It's a small detail, but worth mentioning here.

Coach's Corner with Head Coach Corey Gipson:

On what has impressed him the most early on… "What has impressed me the most this preseason is how we move as a unit – it's how this group of guys thrive through the storm together. We have put so much on them in the preseason, we have made it challenging and put a lot of adversity in front of them and they understand, in the early stages of the preseason, that in order to get through it, they have to get through it together. The togetherness and the brotherhood that this team has is second to none."

On how that brotherhood will help translate to wins in season… "W e only have one rule in this program when it comes to dictating the outcome of a game: we never discuss winning and losing, we only have conversations about outcomes. The thing about the outcome is that the outcome never moves out needle, but whether or not we leave the game empty is what moves us." 

On what is special about this team… "What's so special about this group is that we have a group of young men who are willing to postpone immediate gratification for the greater good of this team. No one is looking for any individual accolades, but everyone is looking to serve one another to get the outcome we are looking for."