Eastern’s men’s basketball team have 25 days until their 2023-2024 season starts.

Panthers’ Head Coach Marty Simmons will enter his third year as the head coach for Eastern men’s basketball.

“I feel good,” Simmons said. “We’re excited about our returning players [and] excited about our new players. Everybody has a great attitude. Everyone is working hard.”

Six players make up the returners for the Panthers: sophomore forward Sincere Malone, fifth-year guard Caleb Donaldson, sophomore forward Luke Light, junior forward Rodolfo Bolis, junior guard Dan Luers and fifth-year forward Jermaine Hamlin.

“I feel like we prepare everyday, getting better and better,” Malone said.

“We’ve been working hard, I mean, since the summer really started,” Luers said.

The Panthers have nine new faces for the 2023-2024 season as eight of them are transfers: senior guard Jordan “Tiger” Booker, junior guard/forward Kyndall Davis, redshirt sophomore forwards Kooper Jacobi and Lazar Grbovic, and junior guards Corey Sawyer Jr., NaKyel Shelton, Carson Prost, and Jaylin Gibson.

“We got a lot to prove, and I like the guys we got,” Booker said. “I’m excited this year.”

“I’m super excited, you know, to play with new guys and a new coaching staff,” Sawyer Jr. said. “We’ve been working hard, getting better each and every day, so I’m excited to see the results.”

Freshman guard Isaiah Griffin is the only freshman on the team this year.

To watch the video of the Panthers talking about how they feel, click here.

The Panthers are set to play the University of Illinois Illini on Monday, Nov. 6.

Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the University of Illinois Memorial Stadium.

Zaria Flippin can be reached at 581-2812 or zhflippin@eiu.edu.