Buoyed by what some experts are calling the best recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference, Charlie Coles is on a mission to get the Miami RedHawks back in the upper half of the league's East Division. After claiming two of three MAC regular-season titles (1997 and 1999), the RedHawks fell to a sixth-place finish in last year's divisional race.

This year, five talented newcomers are joining eight returning letterwinners to give Miami a unique blend of new faces and veteran experience. Just how those new RedHawks mesh with the returnees, though, is Coles' number-one season task.

He realizes there is plenty of work to be done before a championship can be realized.

"Our biggest challenge is taking our individual talent and turning it into team play," says the fifth-year RedHawk mentor. "I don't think it would be taking anything away from our team last year if I said that at every position this year there is someone on our roster who has more physical talent than the person playing that spot last year. But I don't know if any of our newcomers have the mental toughness that our guys had last year."

Outside the Miami camp, there were not many expectations for last year's club. But because of the RedHawks' strong resolve and their ability to make the opponent play at their pace, they proved they had the mettle to make a fourth-straight MAC Tournament title game appearance.

"It's going to be a challenge turning that physical ability into good team play," says Coles. "When I speak of team play, I'm talking not only of sharing the ball and helping out on defense, but the mental toughness as well."

If Coles is looking for a good role model to help teach mental endurance, he will look no further than in his own locker room at senior Mike Ensminger. While the 6-foot-7 post player will not be found on any preseason all-league teams, it is hard to find his equivalent when it comes to the intangibles.

"Im not sure if I've ever coached a better team player than Mike," says Coles. "He rebounds, he makes good passes, he sets screens, he motivates our team whether or not he's on the floor, and most importantly, he's an intelligent leader. Because of all the things he does for our basketball team, we need to have him healthy this season."

Ensminger, who has been slowed at times throughout his career with a back injury, received the ultimate honor just prior to the start of his final collegiate season. He was tabbed the Anson Mount Scholar Athlete of the Year by Playboy, an honor given to just one Division I men's basketball player.

"That's a tremendous honor for Mike," says Coles. "That award usually goes to a player who has a high scoring average or something. But I give credit to the people who made the selectionthey certainly took into consideration all the other things he does for this program, which is the way it really should be."

Besides Ensminger, seniors Rich Allendorf and Jason Grunkemeyer have been annointed team captains and will be counted on for leadership and veteran experience.

"Those three are great individuals, both on and off the floor," says Coles. "They will definitely make an impression on our new guys."

The five newcomers that are helping raise the excitement level a notch or two in Oxford are Michigan State transfer Doug Davis, junior college transfer Alex Shorts, sophomore Larry Drake and true freshmen Julius Johnson and Eugene Seals. A sixth newcomer, freshman Chester Mason, is a partial academic qualifier this season, meaning he can practice with the team but not play in games.

"This is the best group we've brought in since I came to Miami," says Coles. "If Chester had been eligible, it might have been the best group of newcomers to come into the Mid-American Conference in a long time. But even without him, we have five guys with some great basketball talent."

Besides the three seniors and five newcomers, Miami also has five other returnees who cannot be forgotten. Those five players--Ben Helmers, Brian Edwards, Bryan Reed, Matt Jameson and Doug Williams--all have worked hard in the off-season and will make some noise on the court this year.

The following is a closer look at the RedHawks' personnel, broken down by frontcourt and backcourt:

Backcourt
Coles' chief concern is replacing Rob Mestas, the RedHawks' long-time point guard and the MAC's 2000 Defensive Player of the Year. "When you take away Mestas," says Coles, "you're giving up defense and a tremendous floor general."

Doug Davis, the backup to All-American Mateen Cleaves for two seasons, and sophomore Matt Jameson are the two likely candidates to replace Mestas. Because of his experience, Davis has the inside track on the starting assignment. Two years ago, he played in all 38 Michigan State games when the Spartans reached the Final Four. Overall, Davis played in 64 games and averaged 1.9 points and 1.2 assists per game for MSU.

"Doug is ready for this challenge," says Coles. "He's one of our most coachable players. In my system, I like to have a point guard who can play 30-some minutes per game. If we go that direction this season, Doug can do it because of his attitude."

When the RedHawks learned that Chester Mason had not fulfilled all the academic requirements to gain his eligibility, the coaching staff was concerned about the depth at the point guard position. That fear has subsided a bit with the emergence of Jameson, who logged just 32 minutes as a freshman.

"I was hoping Matt could come back and be five percent better than he was last year and I believe he has exceeded that," says Coles. "He has made some tremendous strides in both his ball handling and shooting abilities. He's a total team player."

At the shooting guard position, Jason Grunkemeyer, Ben Helmers and Julius Johnson are the likely candidates to hold down that spot.

"If Grunkemeyer can avoid injuries, there is no reason why he cannot have a career year," says Coles.

Grunkemeyer is one of the best long-range gunners in the country. Last year, he ranked 13th nationally in three-point field goal percentage with a mark of .462. After two seasons, he sits atop Miami's career three-point field goal chart with a .476 (79 of 166) figure.

"If Jason stays healthy, watch out," says Coles. "We'll get that outside shooting that makes a team a whole lot better. He's one of the most dangerous shooters in the country."

Now in his third season with Miami, Helmers has become comfortable with the RedHawk offense. That experience, along with his improvements in the weight room, makes him a key offensive reserve this season.

"Ben is doing the things you need to do to play at this level," says Coles. "He's been a little undersized the past two years, but he's gotten a lot stronger recently. He is one of our best players at moving without the basketball."

One of the more heralded recruits to join the Miami program in recent years is Johnson, who led Warrensville Heights to the Ohio Division II state championship last year. Johnson was named the state's Gatorade Player of the Year. A 6-foot-5 off-guard, he brings some new twists to the RedHawk offense.

"Julius has tremendous talent," says Coles. "He has the ability to post up and he has the ability to beat his man one-on-one from the perimeter, so when he's in the game, we'll have a much different look offensively. Julius is a good shooter and a great athlete.

"He could have a great career at Miami."

Frontcourt
Miami's frontcourt has received a boost in both talent and experience from a year ago. What was a concern last season could become this year's strength.

Mike Ensminger and Rich Allendorf have three years of experience under their belt and have continued to improve each season at Miami. Ensminger averaged 5.2 points and 6.0 rebounds, while Allendorf, who averaged nearly 18 minutes of playing time per outing, contributed a respective 3.9 and 3.8 per game.

"I'm anxious to watch them play this year," says Coles of his two senior post players. "I think they're going to have great years. Mike's back will dictate a little what he can do for us, but he's been doing well in the offseason with it. For us to have a good year, these two guys need to have great years. But I believe the progress they showed playing together a year ago is a good sign of things to come."

Ensminger and Allendorf will get another "wide-body" to help bang with them this season. Alex Shorts, a 6-foot-8, 239-pound transfer from JUCO power San Jacinto College, is ready to go after sitting out the 1999-00 season for academic purposes. Shorts can play in the paint or step out and nail the 15-footer.

"I expect Alex to be an integral part of this team," Coles says. "He can do so many things for a basketball team. I'm most impressed with his mental approach to the game. Having to sit out a year won't help his transition, but we're optimistic he'll be a factor for us this year."

One of Miami's more versatile performers is Bryan Reed. The 6-foot-6 sophomore had a banner off-season in the weight room and will add some more muscle to the RedHawks' inside game. Reed, who can play either forward position, figures to give Miami a boost at the power forward spot with his added muscle. Last year, he averaged 0.9 points and 1.1 rebounds per game and was named Miami's top freshman.

"Bryan could surprise some people this year," says Coles. "He has great hands and does a super job for someone his size. He is a difficult matchup for opponents."

If the RedHawks have a frontcourt "wildcard," it is 6-foot-7, 251-pound Brian Edwards. After sitting out two seasons, he played last season, but according to Coles, never showed his true potential.

"Brian's a guy we should all watch and see what kind of progress he makes, because he's finally healthy," says Coles. "He just needs to gain some confidence."

At the RedHawks' small forward spot, the potential exists to develop one of the team's deepest and most talented positions. Newcomers Larry Drake and Eugene Seals, along with sophomore Doug Williams, are the candidates who will play the wing.

Drake, an academic non-qualifier last year, is an offensive-minded player who can score in several fashions.

"Larry is a tremendous scorer," says Coles. "He gets down the floor real quick and fills the lane. He's a good outside shooter, but when his shot isn't going in, he's a guy who can get offensive rebounds and put-backs and steals. My question with Larry is with his defensehe has to get better defensively."

Williams and Seals may not have the offensive talents of Drake, but Coles says these two players could be two of Miami's better defensive stars. Williams, who was academically ineligible during the second semester last year, could be a factor because of his versatility.

"Doug turned into a pretty good defensive player in practice last year," says Coles. "He has some great physical abilities. Doug could play a couple different positions.

"Eugene is a guy that probably has a chance to be our best all-around player. Don't confuse that with best player, but best all-around player. He will guard the other team's best player from one through three when he's in the game. He's very versatile that way. Like Larry, he's also a tremendous finisher on the break.

"There's not a thing on the floor he's not capable of doing for the total game."

Schedule
Again, Miami will play one of the nation's toughest non-conference schedules to ready itself for what promises to be another exciting season of MAC action. On the slate this year are home games with Temple, Dayton, UW-Green Bay and UNC Wilmington. All but UW-Green Bay made NCAA Tournament appearances last March.

On the road, Miami faces NIT participants Xavier and Notre Dame, as well as George Mason and Wright State. Also on tap for the RedHawks is a Thanksgiving trip to the Puerto Rico Shootout, where Miami is in a field with Memphis, Stanford, Utah and Georgia, among others.

"While our schedule was challenging last year, it's better this year," says Coles. "We have the Puerto Rico Shootout, some tough road games and we have some great non-conference home games with three NCAA tourney teams in Dayton, Temple and UNC Wilmington, as well as Wisconsin-Green Bay. Our schedule is going to be really competitive, but it's the only way to go for us.

"I hear other coaches saying, 'you guys have got to be crazy.' I dont think it's craziness as much as it's better if we play the best and are fortunate enough to beat the best."