LORMAN &045; The season wasn’t quite in the books when Alcorn head coach Samuel West knew what he had to do to prepare for the 2005-06 season.

So he got a head start on recruiting.

The season proved to be disappointing as the Braves missed the Southwestern Athletic Conference tournament for the first time in school history. They had their first 20-loss season in 11 years and never could put together a win streak in a season that still came down to the last game of the regular season.

West acknowledged he’s got plenty of work to do heading into his third season at the helm, but he’s prepared to do whatever it takes.

&uot;I think for the first time in three years you’ll see the kind of basketball team our fans, alumni and friends will be proud of,&uot; said West, now 18-40 as head coach. &uot;It’ll be the kind of basketball teams I want to put on the floor. Hopefully you’ll see the brand and style of basketball from the Alcorn teams of the past.&uot;

The job at hand is to fill spots vacated by the team’s five seniors, although most of them were role players, and others who West said may not return next season. But the team could use more shooters, depth at point guard and some big men to play alongside sophomore Juan Wyatt under the basket to develop an inside game.

The Braves struggled on the offensive end for most of the season with turnovers and lack of points from anyone outside shooters Delvin Thompson and DeAndre Jones.

&uot;I think it is (a key area),&uot; West said. &uot;I think it’s just bringing in talent to compete at every position &045; let me put it that way. People that will buy into what we’re doing and play hard all of the time. We had five seniors who were role players that I thought should have stepped up and took the team to another level, but it just didn’t work out that way.&uot;

There’s some to build around for next season for West, although he’s targeting at least five players when signing day comes around in early April. The Braves will definitely build around the talent and attitude of Thompson, the Fayette native who made a splash in his first season by averaging almost 15 points a game.

Thompson was named Newcomer of the Year in the conference and has two years of eligibility remaining after playing as a freshman at Utah Valley State College two seasons ago.

&uot;He was by far the biggest contributor to our basketball team this year,&uot; West said. &uot;Not only that, but his work ethic and right attitude. I think we can build a lot not just around him but the spirit he possesses &045; I think we can build around that. That’s what needs to be contagious for the entire team. He’ll have a lot of leadership responsibilities next year.&uot;

The team’s point guard position could be a critical one, but the position may get handed to Alleo Frazier on a full-time basis. The 5-6 sparkplug brought a sense of comfort to the floor when he ran the offense while he split time with senior Corey Jackson, one of the better defenders on the team.

But it was Frazier who finished with 2.6 assists per game &045; DeAndre Jones’ 1.5 was second-highest on the team &045; and ranked sixth in the conference with a 1.39 assist-turnover ratio.

&uot;He has the potential to do it,&uot; West said. &uot;It just depends on the type of spring, summer and fall he has. He has the potential. I think he’ll be more comfortable at that spot next year.&uot;

The Braves need help down low and could use bigger production from the guys returning &045; Wyatt, Roland Parsons and James Kendrick. Wyatt came up big in the win over Southern at Alcorn, but he was hot and cold from there on and occasionally battled foul trouble.

Kendrick and Parsons played sparingly. Almaad Jackson and Jones were the team’s top rebounders, but Wyatt did improve significantly in the rebounding department with 119 with 64 as a freshman.

&uot;With all the big guys coming back, the biggest thing we have to work on with the kids is being consistent night-in and night-out,&uot; West said. &uot;(With Wyatt), that was the game plan with the young kids &045; play and gain experience, come back this year and provide scoring, rebounding and leadership for us. It didn’t work out for us this year. We need to find a post player that can come and compete.&uot;