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BIRMINGHAM, Ala. -- The Samford University men's and women's basketball teams held their annual Media Day Wednesday in the brand-new, second-floor hospitality room of the Pete Hanna Center. Below are quotes from Samford's coaches and players as they commented on the upcoming 2013-14 season.
 
The Bulldogs' men's team will begin play at home Friday against Martin Methodist at 7 p.m. (CST), while the Samford women's team is slated to open its 2013-14 campaign Sunday at 2 p.m., against the Memphis Lady Tigers in Memphis, Tenn.
 
Head Men's Basketball Coach Bennie Seltzer
 
Opening statement
"We opened up our season about a week and a half ago with a scrimmage and that turned out to be pretty good for us. We got a lot of good things done there and last night against Miles College we had a 38-point win, but obviously we're still not where we want to be. There were a lot of good things that happened in the game last night, but there are also a lot of things that we still need to work on. I was pleased overall with our performance."
 
"What you will see from us this year will be a little bit different than it was last year. I thought last year, when we closed out the season, we only had six or seven guys that really played a whole lot, so our depth was not there for us. This year, with the addition of some new guys, we should be a lot better situated in that department. We have five true freshmen and a transfer in 6-foot-10 center Michael Bradley. They will give us some tremendous depth this season. We will now be able to play different combinations and a lot of different combinations together throughout the course of a game. That will be something that is very exciting for our basketball program."
 
"Our style of play is going to be a little bit different from last year as well. Considering the number of players that were able to go for us last year, we really didn't have the exciting brand of basketball that we are all so desperate to play. If you saw our game last night, then you can definitely tell that we will be playing a much faster pace of basketball. I thought we did a fairly good job of that last night. With all of the players that we now have, and who will be able to contribute, our style of play is going to be very important. The fast pace of basketball is something that we are really going to concentrate on this season."


"In terms of our schedule, we open up at home Friday against Martin Methodist and that will be our first official game of the season. Then, we'll have the challenge of going on the road and that's going to be the big challenge of our team, because we have six road games in the matter of 14 days, so we're going to be tested very early."
 
"We're going to call ourselves the 'Ultimate Road Warriors', because that's going to be a challenging stretch of games for us. We start off against UT Arlington on the road and then we go back to a place that is near and dear to my heart, we'll go play at Indiana. We are all excited about that opportunity to play there. Also this year, we will be playing at Florida Gulf Coast and at Marquette, so it will be a very challenging schedule. I wanted our guys to play that level of basketball simply because it gets us ready for our league."
 
"Our goal for this season is to win a championship. We're not waiting until we get a little older, or until we get this player or that player. We have what we need right now to compete in our league, but again, every day that we come to practice, we are getting ready to win a championship."
 
"We are still young, but last year we had a first-team all-leaguer in Raijon Kelly, who is only a junior now, and we had the SoCon Freshman of the Year in Tim Williams. We don't have any scholarship seniors on our team this year, so we're extremely young, but we're very experienced. Last year, Tim Williams played over 35 minutes a game as a true freshman and he was ranked 14^th in the nation in that category. Russell Wilson comes in for us this year as a sophomore and he also logged a lot of minutes for us last season. Again, our juniors in Tyler Hood, Connor Miller and Brandon Hayman, they all played lots of valuable minutes for us last season as well. Although we are young, our guys are very experienced."
 
"Overall, we are very excited about the pieces that we have. It all starts with our practices and our guys are battling against each other every single day. Because we have so many players this year, playing time is going to be at a premium. The competition level in practice has been huge every day, and I think that's the beauty of building a championship basketball team is that you have competition at every single position, and I think we have that. There's never a dull moment when it comes to Bulldog basketball practices because of that fact."
 
On adding Nathaniel "Biggie" Henderson to the team
"In just looking at him and what he brings to our program, he brings tons of inspiration to our team. Obviously, he's a kid who just had his leg amputated and he's in a wheelchair, but most of the time he wants to roll himself. He doesn't want anyone else to push him. He's in our huddles and he's cheering for the team. He's a part of our team and our players have done an unbelievable job of making him feel a part of our team. It's been great having him around and his entire family is unbelievable. It's a great family and it's been a really good experience for all of our players."
 
On how close this team is to making the NCAA Tournament
"I don't know yet and it's still extremely early. Again, we finished tied for fourth in our division last year, but last year's done and I think we're a smidgen better than that team last year. Our depth definitely will make us better than we were last season. It's still to be determined as far as how good we'll ultimately be, but I know for a fact that we will be ready and prepared to play every single night."
 
 
Junior Guard Raijon Kelly
 
On the change of tempo this season
"It's already been a lot of fun. We have a lot of freedom offensively and we work very hard in practice, so we're glad to be able to go out there an express ourselves on the basketball court. It's going to be a lot fun to watch. I just need to make sure that I get my teammates involved and to help them find different ways to score."
 
On how the new depth is going to help the team this season
"It's going to help a lot, especially with us older guys. We also have some really good freshmen coming in, so they're really going to help us tremendously this season. We'll be able to stay fresh at the end of games and especially if we have to go into overtime."
 
On their six-game road stretch in November
"I think it's really going to help with the team chemistry and it's really going to show us where we're at as a team. It's going to do a lot for the freshman and it's going to do a lot for us older guys, who will be teaching them on the fly. It's going to make the entire team mature really fast, so it's going to be a pretty good preview of what our team will have this season.
 
On if last season ended on a bitter note
"Last year was definitely bitter sweet for us, especially with the talent that we had. We didn't play that many players last season, so I think we kind of lost our legs at the end of the year. Our legs weren't all the way under us, so there were a lot of close games where we just came up short. With this depth this season, it will really add a lot."
 
 
Head Women's Basketball Coach Mike Morris
 
General thoughts on the upcoming season
"We're definitely excited about the start of the season. We've practiced long enough. It's time to play a real game. We've had an exhibition game that went well against Montevallo. Out of the 13 available players we have, 11 of them are either freshmen or sophomores, so we're young. That could be exciting at times. We're really looking forward to getting started at Memphis this Sunday."
 
On the offseason
"We didn't like it because we didn't go to the postseason and that made it longer. I think it was good because we were able to get in some extra work. I think the preseason was really good. We have a new strength and conditioning coach that I think really helped our team prepare for the season. So, I think that part of it was good, but we definitely want to be playing in the postseason, that is our goal."
 
On starting the series with UAB
"They hired a new coach, and we got to know each other over the summer. We started talking and just said 'Why don't we play each other?' That's a good question. I've wanted to play UAB ever since I became the coach here. I think it is going to be great for women's basketball and high school girls' basketball in the city. We're going to play every year. We'll start at UAB this year on Nov. 24. They'll come to our place next year. I think we are going to call it the Red Mountain Rivalry. So, we're really excited about that, and I think it will be great for our fans too."
 
On his assistants all being former players of his
"There are no surprises, so they know how to put up with me, which I think is important. They know our system, they know Samford, they love Samford and they're passionate about this program. All three of them, in their own way, really helped build the program to where we are today, having won championships and put together 20-win seasons. They really know how to relate to our players. I think it is crucial. I'm excited about that. They all three bring a unique thing to our program, just like they all three brought a unique style of play to our team as players."
 
On the make-up of the team
"There are a lot of unknowns, a lot of new faces and a lot of freshmen. We have two seniors. Shelby Campbell, who was the tournament MVP a couple of years ago when we won the Southern Conference Tournament, she is preseason all-conference, and then we have Christy Robinson, a 6-foot-4 senior, who I think will definitely help us. Taylor Reece did tear her ACL and she'll be out for the year. She was our leading scorer coming back. But, out of 13 players, 11 of them are sophomores or freshmen. Our two leading scorers in our exhibition game against Montevallo were both freshmen (Hannah Nichols and Ellen Riggins), and our third leading scorer was a freshman as well (Clara Young).  We have some talented young players. It's just a matter of molding all of that together as we get into the season."
 
On expectations
"I think it is important to keep it in perspective. We are really just talking about getting better every day. The expectations for our program never change, we want to win 20 games, we want to go to the NCAA Tournament and we want to win the SoCon championship. That never changes. That standard, that demand is there, but how we go about our business is the most important thing. We have to go a little slower, I think, with this many new players. Everything is new for them, and that keeps it fun, and it keeps me young as well."
 
 
Senior Guard Shelby Campbell
 
On the upcoming season
"This season is a big season, because we have a young team as Coach Morris has mentioned. I think the outlook for us is really just playing for us, and playing for the glory of God as well. We want to make sure, with Taylor getting hurt this year and me getting hurt last year, we take every opportunity to play for the glory of God."
 
On what kind of leadership role she's taking on this year
"It's a big leadership role, because we are so young. We had Hannah (Dawson) and Jaz (Martin) last year who had been leaders really from their sophomore year to the end of their senior year. So this year, for me and for Christy (Robinson) as well, it's important for us to step up and become the leaders on the court, but also off the court as well. We need to get the freshmen and sophomores going and let them know what our program is all about."
 
On playing for head coach Mike Morris
"It's an awesome opportunity to play for someone like Coach Morris. He's a great coach, and he encourages us on the court, but he also makes sure that we are doing what we are supposed to do off the court. He gets us prepared for the beginning of the season, but also for the end of the season, and what we need to be playing like when it comes tournament time."
 
On what she's learned about the team in the preseason
"We have a huge bond with our team, and I think it's because how we are with our faith and I think that really carries over onto the court. Getting together and worshipping the one God that we worship, I think, brings our team closer together."