Sounds of squeaky shoes and whistles will once again fill the air at the Convocation Center as the NIU men’s basketball team begins exhibition play this weekend to open the 2008-09 season.

Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. Sunday as the Huskies will take on Freed-Hardeman on their home court.

NIU head coach Ricardo Patton and his team will open the season returning only four athletes with another 10 players making their Huskie debuts.

The team returns only one senior in Sean Smith but also brings back sophomore Darion ‘Jake’ Anderson, the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2007.

Anderson has been named one of ten All-Season MAC players in 2008 and returns a team captain.

The guard averaged a team high 12.2 points per game, making him the first freshman to lead his team since T.J. Lux in the 1995-96 season. However, Anderson was known for committing turnovers while driving to the basket, something both he and his coach have worked on during the off-season.

“Jake has become a better outside shooter and not so dependent on driving the ball to the basket,” Patton said. “[Because of that] he has also become less turnover-prone.”

The Chicago native will lead the team, along with captains Sean Kowal and Xavier Silas, two athletes who have followed Patton from Colorado. A ‘Captain In Training’ position has been given to sophomore Michael Patton, who led the team from behind the arch last year.

Breaking down the team, Patton will lead one senior, three juniors, four sophomores and six freshmen toward the MAC title. Conference polls do not favor the young team as they have picked the Huskies to finish up the season in the sixth spot. However, Anderson said the low ranking will not affect his team or their mentality on the court.

“Preseason polls are merely someone else’s opinion, and that is the way we look at it as a team,” the guard said at the media day. “We need to focus on our goals, and hopefully that leads to success. The polls are more for the media and the fans.”

With the young team, Patton said the theme of the year, if there had to be one, would be a new beginning. As a second year coach, Patton led the Huskies to a 6-22 season last season, going 3-12 in the MAC. However, Patton believes that he has the foundation to set up the team for a more successful season.

“Our returning players have improved in the fundamental aspects of the game,” Patton said. “The three players that were red-shirted last season (Sean Kowal, Lee Fisher, Michael Fakuade) will also give us a much-needed inside presence.”