It isn’t typical to see a basketball coach coming off two seasons in which his team combined for a record of 16-42 smiling.

But that’s what NIU men’s basketball coach Ricardo Patton was doing Tuesday at the NIU basketball media day in the Convocation Center as he talked about the upcoming season and introduced two new coaches to his staff.

“I think our program is primed to take on a new look and to meet new challenges this season,” Patton said.

The new look will come from guards Xavier Silas and Tony Nixon.

Silas, who sat out last season to satisfy NCAA transfer rules, transferred from Colorado after he and Colorado head coach Jeff Bzdelik had a falling out in 2008. Silas released a press release at that time saying the dismissal was “purely a coach’s decision and not a disciplinary reaction.”

He declined to comment further about it Tuesday.

“It’s just exciting to play again,” Silas said. “I’m just thinking about winning the MAC championship.”

Nixon is the lone recruit from Patton’s 2009 class. The 6-foot-5 freshman started in NIU’s first exhibition game against Aurora, scoring seven points and grabbing nine rebounds while catching Patton’s attention in the process.

“[Nixon will play] early and often. He started [Sunday] and I was highly impressed that he had nine rebounds,” Patton said.

Patton introduced Kent Dernbach and Todd Townsend as the two newest members to his staff.
Townsend, who played on Marquette’s 2003 Final Four team, will be an assistant coach and Dernbach will act as the director of basketball operations.

The staff hopes they can get NIU to improve its defense after it finished last in the MAC in scoring defense, 3-point defense and second-to-last in field-goal defense.

“I think this year the defense is coming along very well,” said junior guard Darion “Jake” Anderson. “We have a different type of concept as a team. We have a better understanding and we have the experience.”

The Huskies were picked to finish second behind Central Michigan in the MAC West this season at the MAC media day.

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