TOLEDO, Ohio — The Toledo men's basketball team is hard at work at Savage Arena as the start of the season quickly approaches.
"We're at that time period where we're tired of going against each other every day," said guard Dante Maddox Jr. "We're ready to get things rolling."
Less than two weeks to go until the Rockets officially tip-off a new campaign and they come in with some talented youth.
"This freshman class, I mean big Grgur [Brcic] is a 20-year-old freshman and is 230 pounds, he's got some physicality," said head coach Tod Kowalczyk. "We're going to have four or five of those freshmen really help us."
Highlighting that group is projected starting point guard Sonny Wilson. A three-star recruit out of Detroit who is labeled as one of the biggest commits in program history.
"He doesn't turn it over and he's all about winning. He defends as well," said Kowalczyk. "That's a great combination for a young point guard."
"It's going to be very exciting for me to come out and showcase my skills," said Wilson. "Me being a point guard and a leader, getting my teammates involved and creating for them, making sure they get their shots."
Wilson is tasked with taking over for reigning Mid-American Conference Player of the Year, RayJ Dennis which won't be easy, but this team is already showing positive signs.
"We've done great. I feel like we've done better than probably the expectations of what having a whole bunch of freshmen is like," said Maddox Jr. "Obviously there'll be some bumps and bruises, some learning curves, but they're all growing at a rapid pace."
Maddox Jr returns as Toledo's lone double-digit scorer from a year ago, following the losses of three all-conference selections in Dennis, Seth Millner Jr and J.T. Shumate.
Yet, that doesn't change much in the eyes of the Rockets.
"Standard is the same, I think we've set that pedigree for winning," said Maddox Jr. "That expectation doesn't change just because we got a lot of new faces."
"Winning three straight MAC Championships is huge, now the tournament championship is the next thing," added Kowalczyk. "That's the one thing we obviously need to overcome."
It's been 43 years since the program last danced in the NCAA Tournament, but this group believes they have the recipe.
"When you lose three great players, there's some doubt league-wide about how good we're going to be," said Kowalczyk. "That's re-energized the staff and I like this team. We don't lack talent, that's for sure."
"We're going to take a step forward defensively as a group. We got a lot of versatility and a lot more size," said Maddox Jr.
"Our competitiveness, our practice has featured a lot of competing," said Wilson. "We talk about it every day and that's what we love to do. Our defense has picked up a lot."
A four-month grind will be put on display for the first time when Toledo opens the season at home against Detroit Mercy on Monday, Nov. 6 at 7 p.m.
"I've just been impressed with our patience over the summer. Coming in on day one, working and getting a lot better," said Wilson. "Can't wait for the season to start."
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