Excitement and expectation surround Eastern Kentucky basketball ahead of 2023-24
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It’s been a while — a long while — since this kind of excitement and expectation surrounded the Eastern Kentucky men’s basketball program.
The Colonels put together one of the most memorable campaigns in school history last season: A 23-14 campaign ended with an appearance in the championship game of the College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
Those 23 wins were the third-most in one season in school history, and they led to a reworked contract for head coach A.W. .
Entering his sixth season in Richmond, Hamilton is now paid $350,000 per year to coach the Colonels, making him the highest-paid head coach at the school. Hamilton’s new contract is set to keep him at EKU through April 2027.
On the court, the Colonels are the consensus pick to win the ASUN Conference from virtually every reputable source: The Almanac, ESPN and Lindy’s Sports, as well as the preseason media and coaches’ polls.
Why has there been so much praise for the Colonels?
EKU returns four starters and 11 players total from last season’s team, representing 88% of its assists, 84% of its scoring, 76% of its blocks, 74% of its rebounds and 74% of its steals from a season ago.
“There’s a lot of energy and excitement for these guys,” Hamilton said during EKU’s media day last month. “I’m proud of them for how they approach every day, though. They haven’t got caught up in any of the preseason polls. That doesn’t mean anything to them.
“They’re focused on the process of becoming a championship-level team.”
Of course, the catch with a mid-major school like EKU is the balance between putting together a stellar regular season while still having success in the end-of-season ASUN Tournament, which represents the Colonels’ clearest route to the NCAA Tournament.
EKU hasn’t made the Big Dance under Hamilton, and not since 2014 has Eastern Kentucky been in the NCAA field.
“They didn’t want to be in the CBI. That wasn’t their dream,” said Hamilton, who would receive a $50,000 bonus for reaching the NCAA Tournament this season.
“They wanted to play in the NCAA Tournament. And they knew their best path was to stay together. That was their best path to get to the NCAA Tournament.”
EKU players back with NCAA Tournament in mind
If you had to pinpoint a moment when the potential of the 2023-24 EKU men’s basketball season became clear, it would be Thursday, March 30.
On that morning, a slew of EKU players who still had college eligibility announced they would be returning to Richmond for this season.
“They didn’t come back, and stay together, to have a letdown in their approach of becoming a great basketball team,” Hamilton said.
EKU’s four returning starters — sophomore guard Tayshawn Comer, senior wing…
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