While coaches and players are focusing on the opening games of the basketball season some fans are talking about Western’s chances of advancing to the NCAA Tournament. But before the Hilltoppers and first-year coach Darrin Horn can advance to the Big Dance, they will have to make it through a regular season that includes five NCAA tournament teams from last season.

It didn’t take long for the young staff of Western’s men’s basketball to gain a little experience. Western basketball coach Darrin Horn has added an additional coach to his depleted staff. Lady Topper coaching legend Paul Sanderford joined Horn on the bench for the Auburn game and will be an assistant for the rest of this season.

They spent a year sweating on treadmills and wearing out knee braces. Now they’re trying to restart their basketball careers. The preseason expectations were quite different a year ago for Hilltopper senior Todor Pandov and Lady Topper junior Camryn Whitaker.

Lady Topper coach Mary Taylor Cowles is used to staring down the bench and seeing more coaches than reserves. Last season, Western suited up with only nine active players. This season, Cowles will notice a lack of height when she needs to call on a reserve.

Imagine spending an entire year of your life with one person. This person is supposed to be your mentor and your coach. You look to him for guidance, praise and criticism. You expect him to be with you for your college career. But then he leaves. Now you have to start your career over with a totally new coach.

Western’s women’s basketball team will start this season accompanied by an old friend – the title of defending Sun Belt Conference champions. In that role, the team knows that its opponents will be gunning for them, but they’re not worried. “I wouldn’t want it any other way,” coach Mary Taylor Cowles said.

In college hoops, they are an endangered species. Coaches anxiously go after them as soon as they’re spotted because they are a rarity to capture. When seen on the court, opponents are in awe because no one is used to seeing them, especially not in pairs. These rare specimen – “true” centers – are the 7-footers on the hardwood who have been missing in action in most collegiate lineups.

The rolling hills of Warren County are awash with peaks and valleys. The highs and lows get so intertwined that it can be difficult to decipher the difference. This scenic landscape has become home for Darrin Horn. His personality seems to fit comfortably along with the constant flow of zenith and canyon.