PRAIRIE VIEW – PRAIRIE VIEW – It's been a while since Prairie View A&M Men's Basketball last took the court. Seven-plus months, to be exact.

The first day of practice showed that the Panthers had a lot of pent-up fervor to express, too. The Panthers took to the floor with a frenzy, which set the tone for the three-hour session. The hustle of the defending Southwestern Athletic Conference champions left an impression on Head Coach Byron Smith, who was all smiles afterward.

"There was a lot of energy and excitement today, and our players were fired up and ready to go," Smith said. "When you combine that with the enthusiasm, effort and toughness the guys showed … it was a really good first day, and we're looking forward to day two."

Perhaps the most impressive aspect of today's work was the team chemistry shown on the court. With a championship core to replace, the Panthers are bringing in several newcomers to team with the likes of Faite Williams, Lenell Henry, Dewayne Cox and Javen Hedgeman.

Though it is early, Smith – who enters his fifth full season as head coach, sixth overall – noted that the guys performed as if they had been teaming for much longer than they actually have been.

"That's attributed to our basketball IQ," Smith said. "Our four returnees have a high basketball IQ and our eight or nine new guys – or new blood, if you will – have a high basketball IQ as well. We showed really good instincts and the new guys come from good programs and were clearly well-coached in the places they came from. We didn't have to do as much teaching as we have had to in the past. Those guys kind of get it pretty quick. We had great synergy, and we really helped each other. I'm pretty proud of the effort today."

A lot is expected of Williams and Henry, but the new class is littered with size and explosive offensive ability on the wings, which gives the Panthers some versatility. Though these aren't quite the Panthers that have dominated the SWAC for the past two years – at least from a personnel standpoint – Smith is quietly confident that the Panthers will factor heavily into the race for the conference crown.

"Everybody's chasing the same goal, which is to be the last team standing in March and go to the NCAA Tournament," Smith said. "I'm not really into predictions, but I do like my team. We've got a lot of talent and more depth. We may not have the individual talent that we had, but it's hard to replace the likes of (2019-20 SWAC Player of the Year) Devonte Patterson and (All-SWAC player) Gerard Andrus, who was in my view either the best or second-best player in the league last season.

"You can't replace them individually, but collectively we have enough talent to be a contender. We've got six weeks like everybody else to get ready, but I like our chances heading into January or February. We're hoping to make (Panther Nation) proud once again."