By Joel Weckerly, Sports Editor

Under the direction of second-year coach Klint Pleasant, the ACU men’s basketball team kicked off its 2003-04 campaign Wednesday morning with the first official team practice.

“We’re ready to get going,” Pleasant said of the team, which finished 13-14 last season. “We have a lot of new players, and I’m excited about our work ethic.”

The Wildcats-who welcome nine new faces to six veterans from last year-spent the offseason lifting weights, conditioning and scrimmaging three times a week and working on skill development twice a week.

Players have also been required to spend a certain number of hours in study hall based on grade-point average.

“They’ve stayed very busy-both physically and academically,” Pleasant said. “I think everybody’s ready to be in practice.”

Pleasant said the team will follow a different practice schedule for the remainder of the first semester: two-hour practices on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, with a day off Wednesday.

The Wildcats’ schedule doesn’t begin until Saturday, Nov. 8, when they play host to the semi-professional Akron Wingfoots in an exhibition game. Their first regular-season game is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 15, in Moody Coliseum against Texas-Permian Basin.