CONWAY — Throughout the offseason, the Central Arkansas men's basketball team has put in numerous hours on the court, in the weight room and wherever their conditioning runs may have taken them, trying to improve for the 2012-13 season that is just days away.

But of all the work they've put in since March, maybe the most important of all has come in the locker room.

With eight players – including six upperclassmen – returning from last year's team and six newcomers being introduced into the mix, establishing cohesion and trust has been atop the Bears' preseason priority list.

"It's very important to have everyone in the locker room on the same page," said head coach Corliss Williamson, entering his third season in Conway. "We talk a lot about trust. It's one of the key words we discuss and something we're working very hard to implement. We have to learn to trust each other – to trust your teammate, that if you pass him the ball he's going to make the right decision; to trust that your teammate is going to have your back defensively; to trust in the coaches – we ran a bunch this offseason, and there was a reason behind that. There's a reason we're pushing them every day, and they have to trust that it's to make them better. If we learn to trust each other, we can accomplish some things this year."

Less than a week from the season opener at Arizona State (Saturday 4:30 Central time), Williamson likes the progress he's seen on that front.

"Our guys are, for the most part, bought in to what we're trying to accomplish," Williamson said. "The attitude is better and they're pulling for one another and wanting to get better. I like our energy – some days – but now we just have to find a way to be more consistent with that effort."

In first-team all-conference performer junior LaQuentin Miles (14.9 points per game), seniors Jarvis Garner (10.6) and Robert Crawford (7.8), and junior Jordan Harks (7.6), the Bears return four of the top five scorers from last year's team. Junior Ryan Williams and sophomores Lenell Brown and Oliver Wells are also back, and senior center Anthony Borden will miss the first semester due to academics but is expected to see the floor again in December.

The Bears welcome five freshmen into the mix, along with junior college transfer guard DeShone McClure, who averaged 11 points, six rebounds and two steals per game last season at Navarro College.

Included in the freshman class are centers Zan Ridley (6-11, 215 lbs.) and Sean Young (6-9, 200); guards Daouda Berete (6-4, 175) and Zach Padgett (6-5, 185); and forward Terrell Brown (6-5, 235).

"We've got a good mix of young and older guys," Williamson said. "Some of the freshmen are showing that they're going to demand some playing time. It's good that we have them competing at that level every day in practice."

WIth 69 percent of last season's scoring returning, plus the addition of McClure (the 2009 Arkansas 6A state championship game MVP), Berete (the leading scorer and MVP of this year's 7A state championship game for three-time defending state champion Little Rock Hall), and Brown (16 points per game last season at Jacksonville High), Williamson hopes to see an increase in offensive productivity this season.

"I think, offensively, we're further along than we were last year," he said. "The guys we have from last year have a better understanding of what's going on, what we're trying to accomplish, what it's like at this level. The guys who transferred in last season from junior college understand their roles better, and they're starting to flourish. Having all that experience, plus what some of our new guys bring to the table, it's exciting to see how much the team has progressed offensively."

That's not to say everything's where the coaching staff wants it to be. In fact, it may seem at times that nothing is.

"We're pretty sure the players come in after practice probably saying to themselves 'those guys are never satisfied'," Williamson said. "With the coaches, our sense of urgency is always there. We're always pushing them, there are always areas to get better in. The guys understand it, and they're starting to take on our personality some and being more competitive. Our first game is less than a week away, and you can sense that they're picking it up more in practicing and bringing more consistent intensity. There's always room to improve, but we're pleased with the effort so far."