Everyone knew there would be an adjustment following the departure of six seniors from last season's conference championship. It just seemed no one had an idea it that adjustment period would include such a drastic decline.

After all, A&M-Corpus Christi did return the Southland Conference's player of the year in center Chris Daniels. The freshman recruiting class was hyped by the school as the best in its history. A junior college player was going to provide stability at the point.

Instead, the Islanders became the first Southland Conference team since 2002 to win the title one year and miss the postseason tournament the next season. It was not what was expected, even with first-year coach Perry Clark running the show after Ronnie Arrow bolted for South Alabama.

There are a couple of hyped recruits on the way. They could mold the team back into a contender next season. But they need to live up to the hype.

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