PRINCESS ANNE, Md. - The University of Maryland Eastern Shore men's basketball team has been busy with its transactions this offseason as the Hawks have brought on an entirely new coaching staff and half of the team's roster is new to the program. Fans will get their first chance to see the Hawks in action as UMES plays host to Salisbury University in an exhibition at Hytche Center on Tuesday, November 11. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.

After the signing of Head Coach Bobby Collins in April, the Hawks immediately undertook a new look. Collins proceeded to bring in three new coaches including Clifford Reed, who was the head coach at Bethune-Cookman for over a decade. Collins also secured former Dallas Maverick and Virginia Tech standout, Adrian "Ace" Custis, and Trevor Deloach, who starred at UNC Wilmington for three years.

The team has adopted the slogan "WIN TODAY" as Collins is motivating his players to win in everything that they do. He brings quite the successful resume to the table for UMES as he was 79-35 over the last four years at Division II Winston-Salem State University. Collins has been busy recruiting as well as a total of eight newcomers are set to make a splash with the maroon and gray.

UMES returns just seven players from last year's squad, losing all five regular starters. The top returners for the Hawks are sophomore Devon Walker (Philadelphia, Pa.) and seniors Isaac Smith III (Chicago, Ill.) and Ishaq Pitt (Brooklyn, N.Y.). Walker led the team in three-point percentage (38.7) and was fourth on the team in scoring (6.9 ppg). Smith started 13 games and dished out a team-high 56 assists, while Pitt played all five positions for the Hawks and was third on the team with 4.3 rebounds-per-game.

Also returning for UMES are sophomores Mark Blackmon (Charlotte, N.C.) and Shane Randall (Philadelphia, Pa.). and junior Travis Trim (Port of Spain, T&T). Blackmon scored 13 points and had three big three-pointers as UMES nearly upset Norfolk State in the MEAC Quarterfinals in 2014, while Randall started five consecutive games at the beginning of last February. Junior Iman Johnson (Milwaukee, Wisc.) was a member of the Hawks team last season but was forced to redshirt for personal reasons. Johnson enjoyed his finest game of 2013 at Iowa, when he had four points and six boards in the Hawks' loss.

The Hawks, who lacked depth and height in the post last year, have beefed up their forces inside the paint with four new forwards. The group is all 6'5" or larger, three of which are upperclassmen. Senior Mike Myers (Camden, N.J.) headlines the group after being a Division I NJCAA All-American Second Team selection at Angelina Community College (Tex.). The 6'9" forward has the ability to play the four and five spots as he has versatility moving around the low post.

Junior Dominique Elliott (Savannah, Ga.), a former Trinity Valley Community College standout, has shown range from all avenues in the preseason. Also looking to receive time in the frontcourt is junior Joshu'a Warren (Marietta, Ga.) and freshman Stephen Spurlock (Cedar Hill, Tex.).

The backcourt will see four new student-athletes coming on to take over for Hakeem Baxter and KyRee Jones. Freshman William Tibbs (Winston-Salem, N.C.) comes on as a 6'7" athletic wing from Winston-Salem Prep. Also in the freshman class of guards are Ryan Andino (Ft. Lauderdale, Fla.) and Jaiquan Manning (Fayetteville, N.C.). Junior Devin Martin (Baltimore, Md.) rounds out the backcourt for the Hawks.

Andino is a sharpshooter and combo guard from Fishburne Military Academy, while Manning is a point guard from Collins' home area of southeast North Carolina. Martin is a junior college transfer from Monroe College in New York City, though he originally hails from Baltimore.

UMES will once again host Salisbury for their annual matchup in a preseason exhibition. Last season, the Hawks jumped out to a 36-point lead at halftime before cruising to a victory by the final score of 95-55. Bobby Collins' tenure at UMES officially begins on Friday, November 14 as the Hawks travel to Virginia Tech to open their regular season. The first regular season home game will be on December 2 when UMES hosts in-state foe, University of Maryland Baltimore County.

For complete recaps, results and news of Hawk athletics, please visit www.umeshawks.com