Back in the day, when you had a new team that hardly knew each other, you might lead in your season preview something along the lines of guys shaking hands and introducing themselves on the first day of practice.

In this age of social media, that doesn't really apply anymore as players probably know more about each other than ever before, even prior to meeting. But one thing is for certain, when Hawai`i Hilo head basketball coach GE Coleman gathered his players for the first week of conditioning this fall, nine of the 12 players were in Vulcan gear for the first time.

It will be an almost completely different team for UH Hilo fans to get to know when the season opens on Monday at the Afook-Chinen Civic Auditorium against the University of Alaska (7:30 pm). Seniors Devin Johnson and Denhym Brooke return, as does sophomore Cleo Cain, but the rest of the squad is a mix of transfers and freshmen.

"It's definitely a new look," said Coleman, who added two senior transfers, four junior transfers and three freshmen. "But at the same time, we have veteran players who have blended well together. We have a lot of interesting pieces that we can roll out."

Coleman has a solid foundation in Johnson, Brooke and Cain. Johnson, at 6-7, has added bulk and now tips the scales at 260. Last year, he averaged 12.3 points and 6.7 rebounds a contest. Brooke (6-8, 210), a former BYU-Hawaii standout, has been one of the top shot blockers in the conference over the past two seasons. In playing half a season in 2017-18, he put up 12.5 points, 6.5 rebounds and blocked 25 shots in 12 games.

Cain was a solid freshman off the bench, who was thrust into a starting role late in the season when the Vulcans went through a rash of injuries that Coleman had never experienced before (the Vulcans were down to seven players at one point). Cain scored 23 points and hit 4-of-5 three pointers against Fresno Pacific at home and was named the PacWest Freshman of the Week.

Although those are three solid pieces to build around, it obviously falls short of leading to complete optimism regarding the 2018-19 season. That's where Coleman's transfers come in.

Senior James Griffin come to Hilo by way of West Liberty, a program that is a fixture at the NCAA Division II tournament and is currently ranked No. 3 nationally coming into this season. Griffin, a 6-5 swing player, averaged 12 points and five rebounds last year for the Hilltoppers, who went 54-8 during his two seasons there. A graduate student and former Division I player at Marist, Griffin will be a centerpiece for Coleman on the offensive end of the court.

"He is a complete, all-around player," Coleman said. "Our fans are really going to enjoy watching him  play."

Another attention-getter is fellow senior transfer Larry Bush (6-2, 175). A lightning-fast lefty, Bush played one season at UNLV and two at Moorpark College. His last year at Moorpark, he averaged 17 points, five rebounds and three assists a contest. "Larry is really quick and will create things for us on the offensive end," Coleman confirmed.

The junior transfers will also contribute quickly. Jordan Graves (Santa Rosa JC), Kaleb Gilmore (Jacksonville College), Kupaa Harrison (Orange Coast College) and Dante Lewis (Whatcom CC) bring experience to the Vulcans.

Graves comes from a winning program at Santa Rosa, where he averaged over ten points a game for a team that went 16-0 in conference play last year. Harrison and Gilmore are familiar names to Hawai`i fans, having led Kalaheo High School to a state title in 2015. Harrison went on to earn MVP honors in the Orange Empire Conference last year.

Three rookies will also look to work their way into the line-up, led by sharp-shooter Jalen Thompson (West Linn, Ore.), point guard Damani Whitlock (Scale Prep, CA) and Tom Power (New Zealand).

"These are all good players, but more than that my goal was to get high character guys from winning programs," said Coleman, who is entering his sixth season at UH Hilo. "When you bring in good people, players who have won, it brings a different level of intensity and maturity to the program. It has been very refreshing."

Unlike the past few seasons, Coleman has the luxury of opening the season at home. After tipping off against the Nanooks on Monday, the Vulcans will play Simpson College (NAIA) twice, on Thursday (Nov. 15) and Saturday (Nov. 17). They then open PacWest play in late November and early December against Hawaii Pacific and Chaminade.

Point Loma is the preseason favorite to win the 12-team PacWest, in which the Vulcans were picked to finish ninth. "I think we will surprise some people," Coleman said. "But we have to put the work in first. This group has been good about that and very rewarding to work with."