The first day of classes at any school is always a balance of glancing back at the past while trying to focus on the year ahead.

Such was the case at Marquette University on Monday morning, when basketball coaches Shaka Smart and Cara Consuegra handed out breakfast for students at the Sendik's on campus.

"It's a special feeling," Smart said. "It's one of the great things about living and existing in a college environment. Because you get so much energy from the kids and from their excitement about starting school.

"But as I tell our staff and our team, it would be a shame if our excitement about the very beginning of the year was the peak. We start workouts today. Guys start classes today. Guys were on the beach running with (assistant athletics director of applied sports science and performance) Todd (Smith) at 6:30 this morning. So we're excited and also getting to work."

The event was also a reminder of how much can change in a year. MU president Michael Lovell died in June, and the campus is still dealing with the loss. Smart was exceptionally close to Lovell.

"I think it's a multi-step process," Smart said. "What happens is you come to an event like this and you're just immediately smacked across the face with 'I was here with Dr. Lovell before and now I'm not.'

"And so that occurs literally every day, usually multiple times a day. We had a welcome-back event for the student-athletes last night that he normally comes to and speaks at.

"But actually that leads me to the second step, which is no one here is alone in that. We all experience similar feelings because we all felt the same way about him. So I think the next step is coming together with others to empathize with one another and support one another.

"But then, the last and most important step is to make sure whatever we do, whether it's our interactions with each other during the day, whether it's the way we go about our workouts or the way we go about our jobs, our students the way they approach school, let's do those things in the spirit that Dr. Lovell taught us. And if we do that, then we are honoring him and we can turn an absolute tragedy into something positive in terms of having that in the front of our minds. And continue to make Marquette a better place as he wanted it to be."

Acting president Kimo Ah Yun was at Sendik's alongside the basketball coaches.

Consuegra is starting her first season at MU after being hired by Lovell to replace Megan Duffy, who left for Virginia Tech in April. So Consuegra has been trying to drum up support for the women's program and this was another chance to do that.

"I think it's been great," Consuegra said. "Obviously really excited about everybody being back on campus now.

"So we'll have more opportunities to be around the student body. But any opportunity we can have to be out, we just want to create excitement around our players. Have that opportunity for people to come out and see them play. They're working really hard and I think we're going to put out a product that people are going to enjoy."

It was a whirlwind few months for Consuegra as she pieced together a staff and roster. But after a summer of workouts, she has a better feel for her team.

"The truth? They're too nice," Consuegra said with a laugh. "I've actually been on them about just holding each other to a high standard.

"You're bringing in six returners, six newcomers and they are just trying to figure everything out. They want to create this chemistry where we all get along and we're all for each other. And we absolutely want that, but at the same time we all need to hold each other to a really high standard.

"So I have ironically been on them about being tougher on each other. It's OK to say, hey, you didn't get that rep right, we need you to be better."

After mingling with students for about 30 minutes, Consuegra and Smart headed back to the Al McGuire Center to get back to work. A new school year awaits.

"For her, it's no different than for me and the other head coaches at Marquette," Smart said. "It's about embracing the students, embracing the community.

"And understanding that our program is about something larger that makes Marquette really, really special."

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Marquette basketball coaches Shaka Smart and Cara Consuegra build hope