The Blue Raiders worked extensively in the weight room and on individual skill development during early March through the completion of the spring semester and the results were promising. Now the majority of the squad has returned to campus for the summer session and is back working hard in the weight room and playing pick-up games.

The squad began working one week after the completion of last season and Davis said he has seen remarkable progress in the development of all the players.

"I think (strength coach) Jason Spray has done a terrific job with our team," Davis said. "Our guys look forward to going to the weight room and we hit it hard for about eight weeks before they took some time off after the semester. We took about four or five days off following the Sun Belt Tournament and then we hit it the following Monday. We were going four days a week and our guys are getting so much stronger.

"We are so much more of a better looking team than we were at this time last year. We were so young and we have a long way to go but you can tell they are getting stronger." Spray handed out awards at the team's get-together at the end of the semester and rising senior Tim Blue was named Most Improved, in regard to work done in the weight room.

Blue, who underwent knee surgery two weeks ago, had added 10 pounds and was at 220 prior to the surgery. Spray also presented three "Iron Man Awards," with Bud Howard, Calvin O'Neil and Kyle Young earning the honors.

"Tim Blue has come a long way in the weight room and then the Iron Man Award was for a person(s) who works hard every day and never complains and those three certainly earned that," Spray said. "I think the thing I'm most proud of with our team is the way they responded to coming back and working out as hard as they did after the way we lost in the Sun Belt Tournament.

"We lost a tough one-point game on a buzzer beater and as a competitor I know how hard that can be but they came back one week later, responded and have worked hard. Sometimes that can be tough to do but it shows the character and great work ethic they have."

Spray also said Kevin Kanaskie and Dino Hair have demonstrated tremendous progress in the weight room and have added strength and muscle definition.

"Both have worked extremely hard and made progress," Spray said. "(Hair) has added 30 pounds and is up to 196. I'm really proud of (Kanaskie) because he has progressed and he's put on muscle definition. His muscles were smooth but now he's starting to have definition and his hard work is showing off."