RUSTON (Oct. 31) - Before this upcoming season, Louisiana Tech men's basketball head coach Keith Richard felt a mix of emotions.

On the downside, Tech lost seven seniors, including three starters and over 56 percent of the offense from last season's 21-8 squad.

On the upside, the Bulldogs returned five lettermen, including Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year Gerrod Henderson and Sun Belt Conference Freshman of the Year Antonio Meeking.

Now, with the addition of five new players and two weeks of practice under his belt, the third-year coach is seeing his new team develop according to plan.

"Our kids have worked very hard so far," Richard said. "When you have as many new guys as we have, there is a lot of teaching to be done but they have adapted well in a short amount of time."

Leading the team this year with be Richard's star players, Henderson and Meeking. Henderson, a 6-4 senior from Haynesville, La., led the league in scoring last season with 18.4 points per game while Meeking, a 6-8 sophomore from Farmerville, La., added 11.2 points and 6.9 rebounds per contest.

"I'm real happy with Henderson's and Meeking's play thus far," said Richard. "They are our two best players and have really shown it. Gerrod is going to be really good again this year, and Antonio is a much better player today than he was a year ago."

Also returning from last season's squad and expected to immediately contribute are 6-6 senior Marco Cole and 6-0 senior Travis Lewis. Cole played in 14 games last season and was third on the team with 35 percent three-point shooting. Lewis played in 21 games and is expect to spend time at the point guard position this year.

"Marco has really shot the ball well in practice, and we need him to do that during the season in order to stretch out the opponent's defense," Richard said. "And Travis has shown the experience of being in the program so far in the preseason."

Gone for an indefinite time period is 6-10 center Jon Fowler. The three-year letterman returned to his home in Austrailia this week to be with his father who is listed in critical condition with a brain tumor.

Louisiana Tech welcomed five newcomers to the team this season, including 6-10 sophomore Zach Johnson, who sat out last season for the Bulldogs.

Johnson returned to practice for the first time last week after having arthoscopic surgury on his knee.

"He just started practice, and he's exactly where I thought he'd be," Richard said. "He's not in game shape yet but at the same time, you can tell that he's going to be a good player."

Also joining the Bulldog team this season are 6-2 junior Marcelle Davis, 6-2 sophomore Brian Martin, 6-1 junior Nick Stamps and 6-3 junior Reggie Williams.

"Stamps has been an pleasant surprise in the preseason practices," Richard said. "And Marcelle, Reggie and Brian have all had their moments, and we're waiting to see which ones of them are going to step up and take a lead role."

Mixing a blend of veterans and newcomers has not been a simple job but Richard has been pleased with the results thus far.

"We are trying to put in a system that goes along with our philosophy but will also fit this year's team," Richard said. "I've been really happy with how the kids have responded here early."

Although Richard has been pleased with the progress the team has made in the preseason, he still feels that the team can improve.

"We have a lot of unanswered questions going into the season," Richard said. "We have Jon out for the beginning of the season and Zach recovering from knee surgury. We need to see if Travis and Nick can handle the point guard position and also find the right combination of players, but I think we are moving in a positive direction."

The Bulldogs open their preseason this Thursday in a doubleheader exhibition event with an 8 p.m. game against the Houston Jaguars which follows a 6 p.m. Lady Techsters exhibition game.