Jordan Murdock returns just two players who were a part of last season's regular rotation - Braylin Goins and Alec Grill.
Murdock, though, is eager for the 2026-27 season to arrive based on the arrival of a large group of promising newcomers.
"We're excited, we've got a really good team coming in this year. The big thing for us is just putting it all together," Murdock said Wednesday during the Kansas Conference Men's Media Day shown online on the Urban Edge Network.
Goins and Grill, both sophomore guards, gained valuable experience last year when the Coyotes compiled a 14-14 record, 12-10 in the KCAC, in Murdock's first season as head coach. They finished strong, winning their last three games and five of the final six.
Goins and Grill survived and profited from the rigors of their rookie season, according to Murdock.
"They're going to play a lot of minutes," he said. "They've got some college experience under their belts; being freshman last year I felt like they were taken advantage of a little bit by some older guards in certain games. I'm excited for them."
Eight transfers will play key roles, none more than point guard AJ Walker from Columbia College (Mo.) which won 29 games and was a first-round host for the NAIA national tournament last season.
"He's somebody that's just a competitor on a daily basis; it's every day and I love to see it," Murdock said.
Swingman Kavon Phillips and guard Jayden Jones played for Des Moines Area Community College that finished with a 33-3 record.
"A big deal for us this year was getting older and bringing in winners, and Des Moines did that," Murdock said. "They fit right into what we do."
KWU opens the season against perennial NAIA power Northwestern (Iowa) at 1 p.m. Oct. 24 inside Mabee Arena. Great Plains Athletic Conference preseason favorite Concordia (Neb.) comes to town for a 7 p.m. game Oct. 29.
"I just want to prepare us for the war that we're going to be in in the KCAC," Murdock said. "I don't feel like you can go in early and play teams that won't help you get to the national tournament. Our goal is to get there and compete, so we want to play the best teams. We also want to figure out what we're bad at. That way we can fix it by the time we get to KCAC play.
As always, playing well at the defensive end is a must.
"I think that's the biggest thing is honing in on the defensive side of things," Murdock said. "I feel like if we do that, we'll be in these games."