Earn your stripes.
That's the motto the Lincoln men's basketball program adopted over the summer and it covers a wide range of what of the Blue Tigers are hoping to accomplish this season.
"With the Blue Tigers being our mascot, I just felt it was appropriate coming into a season where we know we're not going to be given anything," first-year head coach John Moseley said. "We've got to earn everything we get.
"We haven't done anything for any opponent ... to think we're better than they are; for any official to think we deserve a call; for any fan to come to see us play. We haven't earned anything yet. We've got to earn it."
Lincoln, which went 3-24 overall and 1-18 in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association last season, hopes to turn things around with a new coach and a new crop of players.
Despite last year's struggles, the Blue Tigers are entering the new campaign with a positive attitude.
"This is going to be a turnaround season from last year," Lincoln senior Mike Smith said. "We're gelling as a team - it's a more family atmosphere."
The journey begins at 3:30 p.m. today when the Blue Tigers take on Minnesota-Duluth as part of the Southwest Baptist Classic in Bolivar.
"Our first game is going to be a statement game - which Lincoln is here to come play," Lincoln senior Joshua Buie said. "This game is going to set the tone for everything."
Moseley, a longtime NCAA Division I assistant, isn't setting goals from a numbers perspective, but he hopes to be competitive each night the Blue Tigers take the the floor.
"We want to put ourselves in positions to win ballgames, but in order to do that, you've got to do so many things right," he said. "Right now we're focusing on the process."
Lincoln, which features six new players, is off to a good start with the rebuilding process under its new leader. And while there might be a learning curve early, the Blue Tigers are excited about entering a new season with a fresh slate.
"Most definitely there's going to be a turnaround (from last year)," said Blake Rallings, an NCAA Division I transfer from Mississippi Valley State. "We have a great coaching staff and a great group of guys. We're working hard every day and we're seeing improvement every day. We've just got to keep it going."
Buie and Smith are the leading returners for Lincoln after each was named all-MIAA honorable mention as juniors last season. Buie led the Blue Tigers with 86 assists and 46 steals while averaging 15.3 points per game. Smith led Lincoln with 15.8 points per game and averaged 4.7 rebounds, the most among Lincoln starters.
"They're very good players," Moseley said. "They put up great numbers last year. We're hoping they're going to be able to put up similar, if not a little better, numbers this year, especially from a percentage point."
Also returning is junior Jeremy Jackson, who played in all 27 games last year, and senior Greg Motley. Rallings joins Victor Scott, a fellow Division I transfer from Chicago State, as players looking to make an immediate impact.
Also joining the Blue Tigers are junior Zach Schraeder, sophomore Malcolm McDonald and freshmen Alexander Nailes and Omar Muhammad.
"Ideally, I would like to have more guys, but we didn't want to make mistakes in recruiting this year," Moseley said. "I felt comfortable with the 10 guys we had. It does a lot with options moving forward in recruiting, but we felt like we've got a pretty good nucleus and we didn't want to take a chance on taking parts that may not help us long term."
Current players agree having a short bench won't be a hindrance to the team.
"We have enough talent on our team, we have enough discipline that we're going to surprise a few people," Buie said. "When teams come play us, it's going to be a game."
After struggling last year, Lincoln was picked to finish last in the MIAA this season - something that was expected, but a personal insult to some.
"It's my senior year, and this is the school I chose to come to and I'm prideful with that," Buie said. "When somebody votes me last, I feel disrespected. I would say I have a chip on my shoulder, but it's bigger than that.
"We've got the monkey on our back and I'm just ready to get it off."
It all goes back to the saying: Earn your stripes.
"If you're a competitive person, especially for the guys that have been in this program for a little bit, you really shouldn't have a chip, you should have a log at this point," Moseley said. "But we haven't done anything to deserve any respect to be picked any higher than 14th. That's what we have to constantly remind the guys - to get respect, you have to earn it."
Still, the Blue Tigers, who finished last in the league in scoring offense, scoring defense and scoring margin last season, believe they have the tools to be competitive in the MIAA this year.
"I know our league is very good," Moseley said. "There's a lot of really good players, a lot of really good coaches. We feel like we've got the players in our program right now to help us begin to make the climb in the MIAA and compete on a nightly basis with these teams."
The biggest challenge might be how the Blue Tigers respond to adversity.
"For some of these guys who have been around, it's almost a mentality of when things go bad it's, "Here we go again,'" Moseley said. "While you're trying to coach the basketball side, the mental side and the mental approach to winning is just as important. The question becomes, "How fast do you get up after you've been knocked down?'
"We'll see with this group how resilient they are and how much they're genuinely committed to the team and to each other when you put yourself in adverse situations."