Welcome to DeKalb and congratulations, Ricardo Patton.

I hope you’re getting settled into your new office in the basketball suite of the Convocation Center. There are probably some old stat sheets lying around, but never mind those; you’re starting anew.

You’ve probably taken a few trips around the place. You’ve seen the main arena, the locker rooms, and maybe the fountains were even going when you showed up. Pretty nice building, isn’t it?

It’s fairly new, built in 2002, and has been used very little. Some seats in the arena haven’t even had a human posterior inserted into them. Rough, I know.

But even though the hardwood smells freshly lacquered, the Convo is a fixer-upper.

The last tenant, well, he didn’t take very good care of the place. He had a big party in 2006 that people enjoyed, but no one really showed up before or after that.

So, the landlord saw fit to let the tenant go and rent the place to you, Mr. Patton.

With some elbow grease (read: wins) and putting some hard work (read: big teams) into the place, you’ll find the Convo is one of the finer places in the MAC.

Oh, yeah, you have roommates – the team.

They’re a mixed bunch, as most teams are, but one thing is for certain: They want to win. Bad. That’s what a 7-23 season does to you.

You’re going to miss the old roommates, Mike McKinney and James Hughes, but they’re going to greener pastures.

Don’t worry, there’s still a formidable team here.

First, the seniors-to-be. This group contains Ben Rand, Zach Pancratz, Ryan Paradise and Shaun Logan. I’m sure you know these guys well by now. All of them could start next year.

Rand is a little banged up after two knee surgeries, and although he doesn’t score a lot of points, he makes the team better. Pancratz, Paradise and Logan can all hit the three consistently, and you’ll soon find out that Pancratz is your best defender.

You’ve got a potential top player in the MAC in freshman Cody Yelder. He broke Dwyane Wade’s high school scoring records. Who knows, he might even remind you of Chauncey Billups.

Another freshman, Bristan Kelley, may seem small to play power forward now. But, at 250 pounds, he’s as physical as anyone on the court.

However, as good as I’m making them sound, there’s work to be done.

NIU ranked last in scoring defense, steals per game and turnover margin. The Huskies were 11 out of 12 in scoring margin and 3-point field-goal defense, and ninth in field goal defense.

Change those things. Quickly.

Finally, there’s your landlord, Jim Phillips. You know him well already and, as evidenced by your hiring, he obviously likes you. That’s a good thing. He’ll help you in any way he physically can.

But, remember to fix up the place.

You saw what happened to the last guy.