Published: Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009 / Updated: Sunday, Oct. 18, 2009 01:14 AM

Class is in session for Winthrop men's basketball team

Peele, Eagles trying to figure out answers to many questions

As of this past Friday, when Winthrop's Eagles finished off their first official practice of the basketball season at the West Center, there were 148 days before the NCAA tournament Selection Sunday, before they hope to hear their names called as one of the 65 teams in the field.

Randy Peele, beginning his third season as the head coach, walked out of that practice with plenty of questions rattling around in his head. But he left with a better feeling than he had a year ago this week.

“When I left that practice last year,” Peele said Saturday, “my concern was were we good enough, did we have enough talent? Our youth and lack of size jumped out at you.

“Every coach has some problem to deal with, but that's the one you don't want to have.”

The season proved his worry was on the button. The young Eagles struggled to a 9-9 record in the Big South Conference, 11-19 overall. The season was muddled by injuries, inexperience, poor shooting and an overzealous schedule.

As of Saturday, Peele's team had polished off a couple more practices, three workouts down in a season that will include more than 100 practices, plus weight room sessions, film sessions and sessions of individual workouts.

Three practices in, here's what he knows about this team.

“There's no question we have more questions than answers right now,” he said, “but the feeling after that first practice on Friday was different.”

There's no question about talent.

“The concern,” he said, “is how to put the pieces together.”

Peele has 16 players — 13 scholarship players and three walk-ons. Of those, nine played a year ago, bringing an element of experience to this year's team. Every starter is back. But that leaves seven who didn't play a lick last year except in practice or in high school, meaning almost half the roster has plenty to learn.

Four of those newcomers are key pieces in the puzzle.

Andy Buechert missed last year with an injury. He's still not in shape after missing three weeks of preseason workouts with an ankle sprain. Matt Morgan and Gideon Gamble practiced every day but sat out last year as redshirts. Heralded freshman Robbie Dreher was busy making the all-state team at Southside High in Greenville.

Despite the experience level, there will be a big learning curve with this team. In watching the first few workouts, it's evident the Eagles have players, but it's a mix that's going to need a lot of stirring before this cake is baked.

Right off the bat, they have to get past some injuries. Point guard Reggie Middleton, who missed the last eight games last year with a fracture in his lower right leg, had right knee surgery two weeks ago. He went hard in several drills in the first two days but was limited in others. It could be a couple of weeks before he's ready go full bore.

Raymond Davis had surgery on both feet a few weeks ago to relieve painful plantar faciitis. He was moving pretty well on Saturday, before adding to his issues by tweaking his left ankle.

Buechert admitted after Saturday morning's practice he doesn't have his game legs, and the loft on his jumpshot proved it.

Mantoris Robinson took a hard fall, landing on his back, and sat out 20 minutes or so of Saturday morning's practice, but later returned.

It's apparent Peele has a lot of bodies to play at big forward and center — Buechert, Morgan, Chris Malcolm, George Valentine and Charles Corbin, maybe even 6-11 freshman Julius Francis. But Peele has to have two or three of those guys separate themselves. There are only so many minutes to go around, and someone needs to earn them.

“But it is,” Peele said, “a good problem to have.”

It's evident Valentine, Chris Malcolm and Andre Jones are the most improved players on the roster.

It's also obvious Peele has to figure out how to play Jones, Dreher and Middleton. With Middleton slowed, Dreher will get some work at point guard.

Gamble, a 6-7 wing who can shoot, might be the most interesting piece of all, but it's evident he's got to defend better to earn the right to take some shots.

Just two days into practice, Peele already is tweaking the offense, working on the transition game and trying to get his players to operate at maximum speed. But the demand to play defense remains at the top of Peele's to-do list, and all-out defensive effort might be rewarded with more offensive freedom.

After two days of work, Peele said “we got better.”

Peele has a couple of buzzwords for his team. One is “flesh on flesh.” In other words, get tougher.

“We're not physical enough,” Peele yelled at one point, “but that is going to change.”

The other buzzword is “finish.” Finish the drill. Finish the play. Finish the shot. Finish at the rim. Finish the sprint. Finish that term paper. Just finish.

The Eagles didn't do that during that first practice. On Saturday, they finished, no matter how long it took.

Peele closed Saturday morning's workout with “KU shooting,” a drill that requires the team hit 110 jumpers from the elbow in three minutes, while sprinting from lane to lane. With players dragging from a pretty intense two hours, it took them four tries.

“I wasn't going to let them out until we did it,” Peele said. “Finish. I want that word to symbolize what we do.”

That goes for Peele, too.

He's got to finish putting a lot of pieces in the right places.