Throughout the 2022-2023 season, Stetson men’s basketball coach Donnie Jones referred to program building quite often.

That was particularly true as his team was scoring early-season wins over the likes of Florida State and later in earning the right to host an A-Sun tournament game. The Hatters finished with a respectable 17-14 record.

For a program that has often been mired in or near the basement of the league over the past years and decades, it was certainly a step.

Now, can the Hatters make another?

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That certainly seems to be the expectation both within the program and the league. Stetson was picked to finish third in the preseason coaches poll and sixth in the media poll, returns its two leading scorers as part of an experienced backcourt and has some additions Jones feels can contribute right away.

“The culture here has been the best it’s been in a long time,” Jones said. “I really like this group. The guys are hungry.”

The Hatters will play an exhibition game against Florida Tech in the Edmunds Center at 7 p.m. on Wednesday before officially opening their season against Trinity Baptist College next Monday, again at home and at 7 p.m.

And as usual, Jones has stacked the nonconference slate. Stetson will play games at UNLV, at Houston, at UCF, at Charlotte, at FIU and at Cincinnati, among others.

But no matter the opponent, last season Stetson excelled at certain aspects it should be able to hang its hat on, no pun intended, regardless of who it plays.

Last season, the Hatters were ninth nationally, making an average of 10 3-pointers per contest, spearheading an attack that ranked 19^th in the country in offensive efficiency. Stetson also took care of the ball, ranking 27^th in fewest turnovers per game (10.6) and 50^th in assist-to-turnover ratio (+1.3).

“Each team has a different identity and I thought last year we needed to shoot more 3s,” Jones said. “And we still are a good shooting team this year as well but we have more diversity in length and size. Our frontcourt is long and athletic and I think we can take another step defensively.”

Much of the offensive identity can be attributed to a group of guards that will return nearly intact, led by preseason All A-SUN selection Jalen Blackmon, who led the team in scoring at 15.4 points per game. Right behind him was Stephan Swenson at 10.9 and between the two, they have five years of experience already in Jones’ system.

Add in redshirt sophomore Cyncier Harrison and senior Alec Oglesby, who Jones pointed to as one of the most improved players in practice thus far, and it’s a group that will be at the forefront of everything the Hatters look to do on both ends.

But to continue to ascend, the Hatters will have to be up to par at forward and center as well. At 6-foot-9, senior Josh Smith is coming off a career-best 9.5-points-per-game average and should help at the 4. Treyton Thompson, a 7-foot stretch-5 who transferred in from the University of Minnesota, also brings inside-outside capabilities and a formidable presence in the lane.

“He’s skilled and he can shoot it,” Jones said of Thompson. “He can make a lot of noise and he brings a lot of athleticism.”

In terms of the team’s depth, Jones also believes several youngsters could be prepared to contribute. He singled out 6-10, redshirt freshman Finely Sheridan, Alex Doyle, a 6-9 freshman product of France by way of local DME Academy, and Tristan Gross, a 6-6 freshman from St. Petersburg High.

Add it all up and it’s a team carrying talent, potential and, more so than most other years, expectations. And yet that weight, Jones said, is a good thing.

“I think without question, we want to earn respect in our program and you do that with how you play,” Jones said. “We had the best year we’ve had in 35 years in a lot of different categories and we’re always creating expectations internally. It’s good for us.”

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Stetson men's basketball: Hatters carry experience and expectation