After producing one of the best seasons in school history, the Niagara Purple Eagles now face the difficult challenge of not resting on their laurels.

"It'll be a tough act to follow," coach Joe Mihalich said about the 2008-09 squad that accumulated 26 wins, the most victories since 1921-22. "We were able to surprise some people last year, whereas this year we won't be able to do that. We have to fight that taking it for granted type of feeling."

That hasn't been too much of a problem for Mihalich's Purple Eagles during his tenure. In the 11 seasons he's been on the bench, Niagara has gone to the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference championship game five times, earned an NCAA tournament bid twice, and gone to the NIT two times.

"Every day, you want to remember last year, but you also want to forget last year," Mihalich said. "We were good last year, but it's over. We have to remember why we were good last year, and have to try and be better than that."

This story continues below
Advertisement

It's easy to see why they enjoyed so much success. Senior guard Tyrone Lewis averaged over 16 points per game, while senior swingman Bilal Benn led the MAAC in rebounding with just over nine boards per game.

That dynamic pair will be back, along with two other starters - junior point guard Anthony Nelson and senior forward Rob Garrison. Lewis, Benn, and Garrison started all 35 games last season, while Nelson started 34 times.

"Clearly that's why the expectations are high, and that's why people presume we're going to be a good team," Mihalich said. "But 20 percent of our team is new, and that's a lot."

Niagara also hopes to take advantage of Lewis' last season. The face of the program the last three years, Lewis has provided the Purple Eagles with outstanding play since bursting onto the scene in 2006, and becoming the first freshman to be selected MAAC Tournament MVP in 2007.

"People like Tyrone are the reason you coach," Mihalich said. "He's a terrific player and one of our all-time greatest. We're lucky to have him around here."

Benn, meanwhile, was second in the MAAC in steals and 11th in scoring last year. He also rang-up a league-high 11 double-doubles in the regular season.

"He's the toughest guy on the team and a mismatch nightmare for people," Mihalich said.

Niagara starts the season on Nov. 13 at Auburn before coming home to play Drexel on Nov. 17. They'll honor their 1969-70 team on that day, the first Purple Eagles squad to reach the NCAA tournament.

The coach of that team, Frank Layden, along with star guard and NBA Hall of Famer Calvin Murphy, will be on hand for the 40th anniversary celebration.