In the age of the transfer portal and player mobility, college basketball rosters turn over each year more than ever.

For Radford head coach Darris Nichols, who enters his second year with the Highlanders, a fresh crop of faces might be enough to rejuvenate a program that is looking to get back on the winning track.

The Radford men's basketball team will debut a new-look roster this season, as the Highlanders return just three letterwinners from last year's squad that went 11-18 overall and 7-9 in Big South play. While there are obvious challenges in building continuity with so many new players, Nichols believes that the influx of size and skill will help his team improve upon last year's record.

"I feel more comfortable this time now than I did last year," Nichols said. "And I think we're more comfortable with each other and the staff. When you bring a new staff with you, everybody's trying to figure out, 'Okay, what are the expectations, what are we supposed to do?' I think we have a better understanding of it."

Among the returners is fifth-year senior Josiah Jeffers, the floor general who averaged a team-high 10 points and 2.6 assists per game last season. With such a new roster, having an experienced point guard to help lead the younger players is invaluable.

"He understands what we want and who we are, and he can share that with other guys," Nichols said of his most experienced returner. "He's a guy that's extremely coachable. You don't worry about what he's saying in the locker room. He's worked his way into the position that he's in."

Forward Shaquan Jules (5.8 ppg), who led the team with 4.6 rebounds per game, also returns. Jules shot 62% from the floor last season and is on pace to break the Highlanders' all-time record for career field goal percentage — a testament to the quality of his shots.

"Shaq takes shots that fit his game," Nichols added. "He's not trying to do things that he can't do. Also, you don't see a lot of lefties in the frontcourt. I think he's able to get the angle to get on that right shoulder."

Last year, Radford might have been the most balanced team in the country. They ranked 13th nationally in bench minutes according to KenPom, and 12 different players started at least one game.

But nine of those players are gone, and Radford has to replace over 75% of their scoring. While Nichols likes the pieces that he has, he is still trying to figure out where they will all fit.

"Just trying to get everybody to blend in a short period of time," When you recruit a lot of these guys, it's kind of like speed-dating. And then you're trying to help them formulate relationships amongst the team faster than usual."

To reload their roster, Nichols and his staff dug into the transfer market. They brought in redshirt junior guard DaQuan Smith (3.5 ppg), who played at Murray State under then-assistant coach Shane Nichols, now on the Radford staff. Also entering the fold is graduate senior Onyebuchi Ezeakudo, who started 12 games for Pitt last season.

The frontcourt has certainly been upgraded. Radford brings in a trio of 6'10" centers in Madiaw Niang (Florida Atlantic), Souleymane Koureissi (Richmond), and D'Auntray Pierce (Western Wyoming Community College), who will help shore up the team's rim protection.

Another promising talent is 6'7" freshman Ibu Yamazaki, who starred for Japan's U-19 squad at the 2021 FIBA World Cup. Yamazaki averaged over 14 points per game and shot 44% from three during the tournament, a welcome sight for a team that ranked 330th nationally in three-point percentage a season ago.

"We had to upgrade our skill level," Nichols added, "and shooting was one of the biggest things we wanted to address, along with passing. I think we've done that."

Perhaps the most intriguing addition is guard Bryan Antoine, who comes to Radford after three injury-plagued seasons at Villanova. A former McDonald's All-American, Antoine was the No. 17 recruit in the class of 2019 according to the 247Sports composite ranking, and is believed to be the first five-star prospect to ever play in the Big South Conference.

"He's a guy that I've seen since he was in eighth grade," Nichols said. "I know him as a person — he's extremely unselfish. We're trying to get him to be a little more selfish."

"He's coming from an unfortunate situation where he got hurt, and he's trying to find the opportunities for him. And I think that's why he chose to come here, because he's a comfort-level guy. He had a lot of comfort with me being the head coach. We're just trying to push him to be aggressive."

Behind every decision to transfer is a story unique to the personal circumstances of each player. As head coach, it's Nichols' job to make sure that the new players coming in are fully bought into the team mentality.

"A lot of them are asking themselves, 'What's in it for me?'" Nichols said. "A lot of times when you transfer, you're either running from something or running to something. So we gotta get these guys running towards being great teammates."

One freshman that has stood out is Kenyon Giles, a 5'11" guard from Chesapeake, Va. who played high school basketball at Silverado High School in Las Vegas.

"He's been consistent," Nichols said. "As far as being a freshman, he's got great energy every day. You usually don't see freshmen come in and have that kind of approach towards practice, the weight room, and all the stuff we're asking from him."

The starting lineup changes on a daily basis as Nichols discovers more about his players. But there is no question that the personnel he has in year two allows him to play the transition style that he wants.

"The biggest thing is the skill level. We're a better passing and a better shooting team. That's going to help us get easier baskets in transition which is what we want to do."

"We just gotta get a little tougher and better defensively. I think we can be a really good team."