Third-year Bard College men's basketball coach Adam Turner expects his young team to have moments of brilliance, bouts with inconsistency and some growing pains in the 2011-12 season.

He also expects them to battle every night and make an impact as a new member of the Liberty League, after four seasons in the Skyline Conference.

"I would say our goal for this season is to take another step in our program," Turner said. "I don't know how many wins that means ... but we want to get to a point where everything clicks in January and February. We can go from a young team with talent to a team people don't want to play."

Turner and his staff had a big recruiting year. The roster includes one senior, two juniors, five sophomores and seven freshmen.

"Practices have been at a championship level," Turner said, "with 15 guys competing for maybe nine or 10 spots in the rotation. There's an edge to practice every day that we haven't had in the past. It forces everyone to think that they have to bring it every day. They can't take a day off and still feel secure about their minutes."

Aside from the obvious youth, the most noticable difference to anyone watching a Bard practice is the size of some of the players. A trio of freshmen - Jose Canario, Siondueh Burnette and Berk Atuk - are 6-7, 6-5 and 6-5 respectively - and sophomore Awet Woldeselassie is 6-8. It's been a long time since Bard had any size in the front court.

"One of the biggest changes is that we'll be able to guard inside, rebound, and contest drives because we have more length, more height and we're just much bigger," Turner said. "We're already just better because of who we have."

Last year's leading scorer, Matt Shubert, has only one semester of NCAA eligibility left, and won't play until January. Until then, the Raptors have to find a way to replace the 15-plus points per game he averaged as a junior.

"The first semester is going to be interesting," Turner said. "We need some of the freshmen to step up and replace those 15 points. It's an opportunity for the younger guys to gain experience and fight for a spot. My hope is that when (Shubert) comes back, we'll have guys behind him who have in-game experience to a point where they can really help us out."

The new league is definitely a change from the Skyline Conference.

"The league as a whole doesn't feature as many Div. I and Div. II transfers as the Skyline does," Turner said. "So from an athleticism and size standpoint, the Liberty League might be a little less athletic and a little smaller.

"But what you get with the Liberty League is players that have been playing together for the same coach for years," Turner continued. "You get well-seasoned, smart teams who know how to execute and aren't going to make silly mistakes. The scouting is more fierce, the programs are better-funded, the staffs are bigger ... you see teams that really have the time and resources to prepare to play you."

Turner has enjoyed, for the first time in his head coaching career, the opportunity to lead a team that has some size and a plethora of talents.

"Having a front line has enabled us to diversify our offense so much," Turner said. "Our guards really have to think about the post, which they haven't in the last couple of years. The size doesn't just add rebounding and defense, it gives us a way to score some easy baskets. We have guys who can shoot, guys who can get to the basket, and now we have guys who can clean up the mess."

Bard opens the season on Tuesday, Nov. 15, at 8 p.m. against John Jay College.

BARD 2011-12 MEN'S BASKETBALL
Roster notes

Yonah Greenstein, a senior captain, started all 25 games for the Raptors last season. He averaged 7.5 points per game and led the team in assists.

Matt Shubert, a senior captain, led the team in scoring and blocks last year (15.1 ppg) but will sit out the first semester this season.

Frank Stortini, a junior captain, started all 25 games last year. He averaged 8.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. He also led the team in steals.

Jeremy Arnstein, a junior captain, played in all 25 games last year, averaging 6.3 points per game.

Lamar Powell, a sophomore, played in every game a year ago, averaging 3.8 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

Ben Kane, a sophomore, started 14 games for the Raptors last season. He averaged 2.9 points, 1.2 rebounds and about 15 minutes per game.

Alvaro Llanes, a sophomore, played in 23 games last year, averaging 1.3 points and about seven minutes per game.

Carlos Gadelha, a sophomore, played in 12 games last year with limited minutes.

Awet Woldeselassie, a sophomore, left the team after 12 games, averaging about two points and two rebounds a game.

The freshmen are Pat Lichtenstein, Chris McNaughton, Matt Stevens, Siondueh Burnette, Francis Arnold, Jose Canario and Berk Atuk. Atuk currrently has a knee injury and will likely miss the whole season.