Youthful. Inexperienced. Depleted. These statements about the Northern Arizona men’s basketball team are what led preseason pollsters to rank the Lumberjacks as the seventh team in the Big Sky Conference this year. But the NAU players and coaches say the experts are as wrong as they can get.

“I can see where the polls are coming from,” said junior forward Shane Johannsen. “We have a lot of young guys, but one thing the polls do not see is team chemistry. There are no issues within the team, and that is one thing the polls cannot account for.”

Left: Guarded heavily by freshman Gabe Rogers and sophomore Austin Smith, DeAngelo Jones looks for a pass during practice. Right: Sophomore Josh Lepley and junior Julian Olubuyi attempt to block a shot by junior Eric Platt during practice in Rolle. Matt Beaty/The Lumberjack

The Lumberjacks finished 5-11 in conference play last year and 8-19 overall, the worst record by NAU under Mike Adras who took over the head coaching job in 1999.

Adras leads his team into his 12th season as head coach of the Lumberjacks after signing a three-year contract extension last April. But even though the squad averages a little more than one year of experience playing Division I basketball and includes only one senior, Adras believes the team’s unity will carry them to new levels.

“The chemistry translates to picking somebody up when they are down but not letting someone get too high when things are going well for them,” Adras said. “They are showing concern for each other, more so than they are showing concern for themselves. We are not experiencing any selfishness at all.”

As NAU gets ready for the start of its season, the players are not only conditioning and learning the system; they are putting in more time as a team off the court, as well.

The NAU Men's basketball team warms up for the season at practice. Matt Beaty/The Lumberjack

“We meet with our guys every week and go through character-building and team-building exercises that will not only help them personally, but help us click as a team,” Adras said. “The whole approach has been what we do with our lives, with our school work and, most importantly, for us as basketball players.”

After the 2008-09 season, the Lumberjacks lost five seniors — one to injury, two to graduation and two to career-ending suspensions. They also lost sophomore guard Shayar Lee, who transferred to Phoenix Community College this offseason.

At the end of the season last year, the Lumberjacks’ two leading scorers — guard Cameron Jones and Johannsen — were sophomores, and freshman center Josh Lepley recorded four starts; all three are projected starters for NAU this season.

Johannsen led all of Div. I in fieldgoal percentage last year, sinking his shots at a 72.7 percent clip. Jones, the other sophomore standout, has been dubbed this year’s coach on the floor by Adras.

“Cameron has stepped up more so than anybody,” Adras said. “He has put himself in a great position and is working extremely hard to do the things that are needed. He had a taste of success last year, and he has the thirst to have more.”

The Lumberjacks feature eight new faces to the court this year. Redshirt freshmen Luis Flores and Gabe Rogers sat out last year, but should help fill the depleted guard rotation. Junior transfer Eric Platt, who played at Wyoming for two years, takes the court for NAU after redshirting last season due to NCAA transfer rules.

NAU hosts an exhibition game against Fort Lewis on Nov. 6 and tips off the regular season on Nov. 13 against Southwestern in the Rolle Activity Center.