A 2-5 start might usually raise the red flag, but that's not the case for Mount St. Mary's coach Jamion Christian.
"Honestly, I'm really excited about our start," he said Thursday morning. "We are 2-5, but we've had some really good moments and considering the youth of our team and what we lost from a year ago, I'm really pleased with the improvements they've made.
"I know the world is judging us by our record, and I understand that. But because we're in such a duration sport where the season lasts about four months, I don't necessarily think that's always the best gauge of how good your team is playing."
One factor in the Mountaineers' rough start has been the graduation of their guard trio of Rashad Whack, Julian Norfleet and Sam Prescott – all of whom ranked 1-2-3 on the team in scoring en route to a Northeast Conference tournament crown and a spot in the NCAA tournament.
While acknowledging the impact of that threesome's absence, Christian pointed out that six players are averaging between 6 and 9 points through the first seven games.
"We also have so much more balance this year," he said. "Even if you look at our scoring right now, which looks down because I think our leading scorer [sophomore guard Byron Ashe and fifth-year senior forward Kristijan Krajina] is at 8.7, we have a bunch of guys between 8.7 and 6.3 [points per game]. … I think it's going to allow us to be more like the team we had in my first season here where we had four or five guys in double figures every single night, and that's the kind of basketball team I like to coach because it's so hard to play against.
"It really means that you have as many as six guys on the roster who can beat you on any given night, and it creates a culture where guys play unselfishly. I love being able to play that way."
Mount St. Mary's can improve its record when Norfolk State (6-4) visits Saturday at 2 p.m. It will only be the second game at Knott Arena in Emmitsburg this season as the mid-major program has hit the road against much larger opponents to generate revenue for the university.
Christian said he is looking forward to playing at home, where the Mountaineers are 20-5 under their head coach.
"I'm tired of packing up that bag and heading out," he said. "It does give us an opportunity to fall into a rhythm. Over the next couple weeks, we're playing teams at our level, teams that we can really play with, and I think our guys are more excited about that. The nonconference schedule is tough, playing teams you're unfamiliar with and playing in arenas that you're unfamiliar with. So any time you get to play some opponents that you've played before, it just creates a sense of excitement.
"Playing games at home, we've been very good at home, and our guys love playing at home. We have one of the best fan bases in the state of Maryland because they're so knowledgeable, and they're so passionate about supporting us."