CLARION, Pa. – It will be a new-look Clarion University men's basketball team that takes the court at 7 p.m. Monday when Thiel visits Tippin Gym.
 
If fans can't make the game, they can follow all the action on WCUC, 91.7 FM and on the internet at www.clariongoldeneagles.com. Live stats will also be available at www.clariongoldeneagles.com.
 
The 2012-13 Golden Eagles will feature a guard-oriented lineup that will rely on quickness and speed both offensively and defensively.
 
“We want to dictate the tempo,” Clarion's 25^th-year head coach Ron Righter, the winningest coach in school history with 390 wins, said. “We want to force what the other team is doing, and we need to create more possessions.”
 
After being an inside-out team the last couple of seasons with the likes of bruising inside players like Bud Teer and Paul McQueen, the Golden Eagles will be a smaller, more athletic team even on the inside where the 6-foot-6 athletic Mike Kromka will be the primary post player.
 
“Going smaller and more athletic is a good thing,” Righter said. “We should be able to get some favorable matchups at times, although at other times the matchups might go the other way as well.”
 
Kromka, a junior who averaged 7.2 ppg and 5.7 rpg, is one of three returning players who saw significant playing time for a Clarion team that went 15-13 overall and 11-11 in the PSAC West last year. He is joined by senior guards Calvin Edwards and Leonard Patterson.
 
Those three players will be asked to provide both scoring and leadership for a team that lost 58.7 percent of its scoring and 54.4 percent of its rebounding from a year ago.
 
Kromka, who was an NCAA Division II COSIDA/Capital One first-team Academic All-District player last season, has 325 points and 288 rebounds in his career and will be counted on to provide more point and rebound production this season.
 
“We are looking for a big year from him,” Righter said. “He needs to step up and be the go-to guy inside. He needs to score for us to be successful.”
 
Edwards, who transferred into Clarion last year from a junior college, is the returning leading scorer for the Golden Eagles. He averaged 13.1 ppg last year, which ranked third on the team and 20^th in the PSAC while hitting a team-best 59 3-pointers. His 2.1 threes per game were sixth in the conference, and his 59 threes rank 20^th in a single-season in school history.
 
“We are looking for him to take the next step this year,” Righter said. “He has to become a better-rounded player. His shot selection, especially from 3-point range, will be important.”
 
Patterson, in his third year at Clarion, was the starting point guard last year and averaged 8.2 points and 3.1 rebounds per game while handing out a team-high 87 assists. He will be asked to play more at the two-guard spot this season.
 
“We expect him to play both guard positions this year,” Righter said. “He is a good rebounding guard who needs to be more consistent with his shot.”
 
Another player with a lot of PSAC experience, just not at Clarion, who is expected to contribute significantly is junior Anthony Baker, a transfer from PSAC West rival Lock Haven. Baker was Lock Haven's leading scorer the last two seasons averaging 11.6 ppg last year and 9.8 ppg as a freshman. He also averaged 4.1 rpg in 2012 for the Bald Eagles, and in two seasons at Lock Haven scored 492 points to go with 164 rebounds, 41 assists and 40 steals.
 
“He has raw talent and athletic ability,” Righter said. “He is excellent in transition and will score or be fouled in the open court. He also has great anticipation on defense.”  
 
Point guard Marques Jones, who joins the Golden Eagles from NCAA Division I New Jersey Institute of Technology, is another newcomer Righter is exited about.
 
Jones played in 22 games for the Highlanders last season and scored 41 points to go with 23 rebounds, 12 assists and eight steals. He was a third-team All-Prep New Jersey is 2011 at Blair Academy and was a second-team All-Delaware performer while helping Milford High School to a state championship in 2010.
 
“He is a strong, compact point guard with Division I experience,” Righter said. “He can shoot the three, but he understands his role as a distributor first.”
 
Forward Aaron Johnson from Moon High School is another new player who could make an impact. Johnson may not be eligible until the second semester after attending Princeton last year – he didn't play varsity basketball. At Moon, Johnson was the all-time leading scorer (1,626) while adding 940 career rebounds. He averaged 25 ppg, 12 rpg as a senior. 
 
“He is an undersized four,” Righter said. “He can handle the ball and shoot. He is a very economical player who isn't going to beat himself.”
 
Three returning players, who saw limited action last year, could also work their way into the mix in 2013.
 
Senior David Colbert scored 29 points and grabbed 16 rebounds last year and has 64 points and 33 rebounds in 40 career games.
 
“David has good range and is a good off-the-ball player,” Righter said. “He needs to step up in rebounding and running the floor if he wants to see increased playing time.”
 
Another senior, Drew Vandermeer, from right here in Clarion, transferred to the Golden Eagles from Grove City College. Last season, he scored 20 points and had 22 rebounds in 21 games.
 
“He has improved shooting and range,” Righter said. “He has a good wing span, and his length can cause problems on defense.”
 
Jeremy Schmader, another local product from North Clarion High School, saw action in eight games as true freshman with 12 points.
 
“He is a hard-nosed player,” Righter said. “He is always in the right place at the right time.”
 
Additional newcomers who are also pushing for minutes include junior Corey Bellovich, freshman Evan Battle and sophomore Tyrone McFadden.
 
Bellovich, who went to Southwestern Christian Community College in Texas last season, is a local Pittsburgh kid who scored over 1,700 career points at Keystone Oaks High School, while Battle, from Minnesota via the Kent School prep school in Connecticut, gives Clarion some size at 6-foot-6, 230 pounds. He was an Honorable Mention New England Prep School player last season. McFadden brings with him collegiate experience at Lycoming, where he played in 19 games two seasons ago averaging almost four points per game.
 
NOTES – The game with Thiel is one of six straight home games to open the season for Clarion. The Golden Eagles also entertain La Roche at 7 p.m. Thursday … Clarion opens its PSAC season at 3 p.m. Dec. 1 vs. Shippensburg at Tippin Gym … The Golden Eagles are picked to finish seventh in the PSAC West this season … For the first time, the top six teams in both the PSAC West and PSAC East make the PSAC playoffs. Last year, the top four teams went to the postseason … Righter, a two-time PSAC West Coach of the Year (1997, 2005), is 390-260 in his Clarion career and 414-284 in 26 years as a head coach including a pair of seasons at Wilkes.