Five starters returning among 12 lettermen coming back. The top three scorers back in the fold.

Heading into the season, Hampton seemed like it was primed for a run to the MEAC title. And the Pirates came close, finishing second to Morgan State and tied with Norfolk State.

By virtue of a tiebreaker, the Pirates got the No. 2 seed in the MEAC tournament, but it all went downhill from there. Coppin State, the eventual tournament champion, upset Hampton in the quarterfinals and all the good feeling from an 18-12 regular season went down the drain.

As much as the Pirates want to look at 2007-08 as a success -- and for the most part, it was -- the lasting memory will be that the Pirates didn't get their shot at the tournament title and a trip back to the NCAAs after a one-year absence.

Now, with leading scorer Rashad West on the way out, along with three other seniors, the Pirates will look to re-load yet again. The loss in the conference tournament will be felt for a while, but Hampton has to remember how it got to such a high seed in the tournament, not the end result.

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