Bradshaw’s been off the radar for a couple years. What’s he been up to, how did you land him and what do you expect from him?

Well DiShawn is a proven scorer. He was at a junior college in New York City. He was originally at St. Frances. He’s a scorer. He can flat-out score, he has good handles and he’s a sound offensive player. We were looking at him to come in and really fill a nice void in terms of a consistent scorer. I think he’s the type of young man who has the skills and ability to make an immediate impact on our team. He’s a very skilled player, a great competitor and we’re really looking forward to him having a real solid year and providing some more scoring for us with his ability to shoot the 3 and his ability to get to the basket. He’s a really skilled offensive player and someone that will have an immediate impact on the team.

Kelley obviously brings a lot of size to the table, and while his numbers don’t jump out at you, he was playing for a talented team. What are your thoughts on his game?

Well, he’s 6-11, 240, and that kind of size in our league will be a big plus for us. He’s very skilled even though his numbers were not great. He played on a team that was really more guard-oriented, so he didn’t get a lot of touches. But he can score around the basket. He has a nice little jump hook, especially from the 15-foot area. He played on a team that was a winner. He’s got great defensive skills, and he has the ability to alter shots. His presence and size are going to give us a dimension we’ve never had. I’m looking for him to be a solid player for us. The fact that he played for a team ranked as high as No. 1 in the country last season and was part of a winning program … speaks volumes for us. I really tried recruiting players coming from successful, winning programs. Hopefully that will have a carryover effect for us.

Bell played against tough competition in D.C. and seems pretty versatile. Does he bring an element of toughness to your team?

Yeah. Lou is a very versatile, solid wing player. He’s an outstanding shooter, too. He can stretch the defense. In this age of the 3-point shot, you can’t have enough players that can shoot the basketball and add that dimension to the game. He can score in bunches but is also a very solid, talented defender. He has great athleticism. A lot of times, you go see a kid and [notice] how many points they score. But [you watch him and he’s] just a very tough, hard-nosed defender. And I really liked that about him. Playing in that D.C. charter [school] league brings an element of toughness. All those games are hotly contested, and they’re very intense, so I think Lou brings a different dimension, not just on the offensive side but also on the defensive side.

Swift comes from NIA Prep, where you’ve had some success before. Talk about when you started recruiting him and what he brings to the table.

We try to recruit areas where we’ve had some success. We have a bunch of kids from New Jersey on the team. A lot of students come from that area, the South Jersey, Central Jersey, Philadelphia area. It’s a good recruiting area. You can be home within three hours or so, maybe a little longer. But Jo Jo Swift is a young man who’s a fast, quick guard who can easily play the point guard and scoring guard. He’s probably the fastest player on the team in terms of sheer moving the ball down the floor. We want to play a little bit more up-tempo and speed up the game a little bit. We can do a lot more things in transition, and he’s a scorer. He can play some at the point, and you can move him off the ball and score. He was a big scorer in high school and has just got great skills. He’s just a person that’s pretty versatile at the 1 or the 2.

In the news release on UMES’ website, you emphasize that Williams is a “true point guard.” Are you looking at him to be sort of a steadying force?

Yeah, Kevin Williams is an exciting signee for us. We got involved with him late. He can score. He has the ability to score. But he’s kind of a pass-first, try to get other people involved [type of player]. But he’s really solid with the basketball. He’s not going to be the type to get a lot of home-run plays. He’s just a really strong basketball player. He does a great job of running the offense and he has the ability to score. When you back off of him, he can knock down the open jump shots. He’s quick enough. So he had the ability to really be that guy who can run your team and do a great job of managing your team. Having seen him play on tape, the thing we see and are excited about is his ability to really just understand the game. I think at that position, you need a guy who has that kind of ability, especially coming from a kid who’s a freshman. He’s got maturity that maybe exceeds his years. He’s a kid we were very fortunate to get involved with late, and I expect him to make a contribution this year, even as a freshman.

The last newcomer is Spence, a big guy from Newark who did a year of prep school. What do you like about his game?

Well I’ll tell you what – Mike is just a hard worker. He’s just a workhorse type of guy. He battles around the basket, he’s got decent skills [and] we’re counting on Mike to rebound and defend. I think his offense may come later in his development. But as the season progresses, we expect Mike is really going to be able to give us a big boost with that size at 6-9, 235. He plays so hard. And I think his offensive skills will improve as the year goes on. But he’s a hard worker. He’s a kid that never stops. When you have that motivation, you know good things are going to happen.

Do you feel like this six-man group makes up for any departures you’ve had?

Yeah, I definitely think so. This is the best talent we’ve had here, going into my third year. As a coach, you have to have timetables or benchmarks, so to speak. As I’ve said to people, our first year, we were playing with holdovers from the previous two coaching staffs. Last year we got better and had a solid recruiting year. But it gives us good back-to-back [classes] in recruiting. It also helps with the players we have. It gives us a lot more depth. I felt last year, we ended up playing guys too many minutes. That can kind of wear on you as the season goes on. We played a lot of Sunday, Monday games. So I really feel that this is a good group to bring in. With the people we already have, it gives us a real solid team. And the biggest thing is that it gives us a lot more depth. As a coach, I feel like I can do some things and move some people around. We’re not as locked into playing a certain way. And I’m looking forward to really working with them.

Which newcomers are you counting on to crack the rotation?

Well I look at the big fella, obviously, Kelley. Most teams in our league have a pretty solid 1, 2 and 3. Our perimeter players in this league are as good as any league. What makes it different is that a team can distance themselves from the pack if they have solid play between the 4 and 5. Kelley can play the 4 or the 5, but probably the 5 with us initially. You add him to the mix and the players we have returning, like Hillary Haley, Freddy Obame and Tyler Hines. Coming from junior college, we’re looking forward to him giving us some help. And a kid like Dishawn Bradshaw, he can really do something, especially offensively. Those two guys are immediate impact. But I think the big kids, our inside players, will be counted on to fill a big void we haven’t had in this program.

What are your overall expectations for this season?

Well, I think this is kind of that year that everyone in connection with the program is expecting good things. Obviously, we believe – especially with how we played toward the end of the year – the expectations are going to be high and for us to continue to move up in the league. Obviously, Morgan has a stranglehold on first place the last few years. Our program is like any other program [in the MEAC]. There are 10 other coaches that feel the same way I do – [we want] to be able to unseat Morgan. We’re a league that’s only going to get that one bid. Everyone’s goal is to get to the dance. Basically, we have to continue to improve and be able to compete with the team at the top. For the past three years, that’s been Morgan. Our goals and expectations are to get up there. We made a significant leap from last place to fifth. Now, with this group coming in and the players we have returning, we just want to improve and get into that top group, the top one, two [of the MEAC]. That’s how our league has unfolded the past two years, and that’s the way our conference tournament goes. They get the best seeding in the tournament, so that’s one of our goals – to be up there and be someone that’s a consistent performer and a top team in our league. The team over the last couple of years has been Morgan. So that’s where our sights are set.