Oct. 16, 2004

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - The start of the 2004-05 season officially began for the Samford University basketball team on Saturday as the Bulldogs held a fast-paced two-hour workout at Seibert Hall.

"I thought that we had a lot of enthusiasm out there today," said Samford head coach Jimmy Tillette. "I thought the guys were competitive and I was very pleased with how they scrimmaged. The pace of our play was a little rushed, a little hurried, but that will all be worked out with time. We did a very good job for our first practice."

Samford began its first practice of the season at approximately 8 a.m., and worked at a fast pace until 10:15 a.m. The Bulldogs opened the workout with a variety of individual and team drills before spending the final 45 minutes of the workout in scrimmages.

"I was pleased with our effort and I thought that our guys did a good job today," Tillette said. "The team was really into the practice and they are all good kids. They did a good job of looking for one another. They were unselfish with the ball, so today's practice was definitely something to build on."

The Bulldogs enter their second season as a member of the Ohio Valley Conference with 11 returning players and two talented newcomers. The roster is comprised of four seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and five freshmen, three of whom were redshirted a year ago.

In 2003-04, Samford concluded the season with a 12-16 overall record and registered a hard-fought 7-9 league mark. The team's seven wins in conference play was good enough to earn a fifth-place finish in the OVC and Samford qualified for postseason play for the sixth-consecutive season under Coach Tillette.

The Samford University basketball team will continue its regimen of workouts on Sunday at 6 p.m., as the Bulldogs prepare for their home exhibition contest against West Alabama on Nov. 8.