Jordan Murdock is not taking his new job title for granted.
He was named Kansas Wesleyan's basketball coach in March after a one-season stint as an assistant coach at Division II Pittsburg State. It was little more than a brief hiatus after spending the previous four seasons as the assistant at KWU.
"It feels great, it feels amazing, its familiarity," Murdock said Thursday during the Kansas Conference's online media day. "It's all there; all the community members that welcomed me back and it feels fun to be back here in Salina. I'm just ready to get it going."
Murdock is keenly aware of the plethora of responsibilities that accompany the change.
"(Familiarity) has made the transition even better moving into this spot," he said. "Obviously, it's a lot different than being an assistant coach. We all know what comes with that."
The Coyotes were ninth in the KCAC coaches' preseason poll and eighth in the media poll taken Thursday.
The presence of a handful of returning veterans - Gabe Phillips, Evens Appolon, Aiden Leckband and Stefan Spray - have made life easier for Murdock.
"The group that's returning has been doing a good job," he said. "They've done a good job upholding the culture that we want to set. These guys have been here; they've won at a high level before. We expect them to be leaders, and they've stepped up in that regard."
Murdock said Phillips, a senior guard/forward and four-year player, has stepped up in the beginning.
"He can play a little bit of every position, he can guard everything," he said. "He's one that I'm really excited for. Started out in our development program and he's continued to get better."
Appolon, a 6-foot-9 post, is the lone returning starter. He averaged 8.0 points, 5.4 rebounds and 2.7 blocks a year ago.
"Evens is a guy that we're going to need this year," Murdock said. "He's been doing a really good job adjusting to the new things that we're bringing in as far as our new players and our system."
Leckband and Spray were key reserves in 2024-25 - Leckband in the backcourt and the 6-7 Spray inside.
Murdock signed several newcomers to reinforce the roster.
"I'm excited for our new guys," he said. "We got a few Division II transfers, Caiden Punt being one of them from the University of Central Oklahoma and Wyatt Powell from Missouri Western State. Teagan Charles is coming over from Cowley Community College, and he's been doing a good job as well.
"We've got a good mixture of freshmen. Braylin Goins (Edmond, Okla.) is going into that point guard position along with Alec Grill (Maize). Both of those guys are fighting for starter minutes; they're playing together really well. Brandon Avedon is from Tulsa; he's 6-6 and still growing. He was at a prep school last year and I think he's going to take the next step."
Murdock believes his team is trending in the right direction.
"I'm excited for those guys but at the same time we've got to mesh," he said. "I think we will but it's going to take some time.
"We've got our culture with the guys that have been here. Gabe Phillips, Aiden Leckband Stephen Spray, they've got to step up. They've got to be able to command, and the young guys have got to understand they can't think about being freshmen when they step on the court. They've got to go out there and fight. It starts in practice - our energy level, our enthusiasm, our body language, all that stuff we look for here at Kansas Wesleyan."