A team cannot lose someone of Ryan Bright's caliber -- along with Shamir McDaniel and John Gardiner -- and expect there won't be any drop-off. Bright was one of the best players to don a Sam Houston uniform, averaging a double-double last season with 11.7 points and 10.9 rebounds a game.

He didn't do it single-handedly, either. McDaniel was a solid scorer -- the only other member of the Bearkats to hit double figures -- and could dish out the ball as well.

But for all the ability of those two players, SHS fell into misfortune during the past two conference tournaments. Two years ago, it was an ouster by seven-seed Lamar. Last season, seventh-seeded Texas-Arlington took out the Bearkats in the second round.

It will be a tough haul to make up for losing Bright and McDaniel, as well as reserves such as Reggie Rawlins and Jeremy Thomas.

Coach Bob Marlin has been more a reloader than a rebuilder, but this seems like an especially daunting task. Starters DeLuis Ramirez and Ashton Mitchell return. But he will need a couple of newcomers and the few remaining holdovers -- particularly post players Domas Kvedys and Barkley Faulkner -- to push the team back into the upper strata of the Southland Conference.

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