The men's basketball program at Penn State Fayette, The Eberly Campus is aiming to put the "roar" in Roaring Lions this season.

Second-year coach Adam Checton and assistant coach Bob Erjavek have a mix of new and experienced players that have shown promise in the season's first several games. Despite starting 0-3, the Roaring Lions were in range of possible upsets over strong programs of Cincinnati Christian (an 87-76 loss) and Point Park (82-69).

Checton said the 2009-10 Roaring Lions have a good mix on the roster from top to bottom.

"Coach (Erjavek) and I talked during the offseason about the direction the team would go," Checton said. "Some decisions were made for us. Some (individuals) moved on to other things and some decided to take the next step with the program and work in the offseason."

Those returnees include junior forward Dave Novotny, sophomore guard Anthony Howard, junior forward Michael Speelman, and sophomore forward Jonathan Eicher.

An immediate impact was made by senior guard Jordan Alderson, sophomore guard Joshua Tomson, freshmen point guard James Pratt, of Uniontown, and freshman forward David Winns of Washington, D.C.

Alderson had played for the Roaring Lions as a freshman before transferring to Penn State's main campus. He returned to the Eberly Campus to complete his studies and rejoined the Roaring Lions' roster.

Tomson is a transfer student who became eligible to play this season. But he has been at the Eberly Campus since last year and has already blended into the program, especially from beyond the 3-point line.

"He's a great kid and a good student. He comes to play the game," said Checton.

Pratt brings a hometown presence to the roster, along with fellow Uniontown graduates Shawn Cicconi and Brecken Sickles. Checton said the local freshmen are making the adjustment to the college game.

Winns had 11 rebounds in the home loss to Point Park. Checton said, "He's mild mannered, but he's learning to flip the switch a little bit."

Also making an early impact is freshman forward Andrew Hoye, who graduated from Bentworth.

"We look for him to provide big production down the road," Checton said. "We're finding the right fit for him. In the first three games, he provided some huge minutes off the bench."

Additional newcomers are junior forward Keith Ptomey, freshman forward Billy Hyatt, freshman forward Li Yizhao, and freshman forward Ian McCombs (Carmichaels).

Penn State Fayette doesn't shy away from playing tough non-conference games in preparing for the conference schedule. After they traveled to Saint Vincent Saturday, losing 80-47 to the Bearcats, the Roaring Lions play Point Park again on the road, and will travel to Walsh (Ohio) after Thanksgiving.

"The only thing that is scary is that our young players are adjusting to a higher level of competition," Checton said. Overall, he says the Roaring Lions have taken on a "different face" this year.

It's a face that he hopes will not only provide a challenge in conference play, but also continue to draw bigger crowds such as the one the Roaring Lions had for the Point Park game.