ANDERSON, S.C. - With four returning starters, including First-Team All-Conference selection Chandler Hash as a nucleus, the Anderson men's basketball team should once again challenge for the top spot in the South Atlantic Conference during the 2013-14 campaign.

Eighth-year head coach Jason Taylor's Trojans will be looking for their fourth appearance in the NCAA Tournament in five seasons after posting a 19-9 record last year and being named as a "team to watch" three weeks ago by the Division II Bulletin. AU, which was tabbed to finish third in the South Atlantic Conference this season in a vote by the league's coaches, also received votes in the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Preseason Coaches' Poll.

The Trojans were selected to finish fifth in the SAC a year ago, but defied those predictions by garnering the second seed in the conference tournament and collecting wins past No. 11 Montevallo and 12th-ranked Lincoln Memorial during the regular season.

"(At this point) it is unknown how good we can be, because you are always playing a team that wants to beat you and you never know how good they are going to be from year to year," said Taylor.

AU's experience lies in its backcourt, with three of the four returning starters on the roster listed as guards. Hash earned all-conference accolades a year ago after reaching double figures in 23 games, including scoring 30+ points on four occasions and finished the 2013 regular season as the SAC's fifth-leading scorer at 17.9 points per game. Junior guard Myson Jones led the South Atlantic Conference in 3-point field goal accuracy and saw action in 27 contests last season. Redshirt junior DJ McGowan started 22 contests last season and led the squad in assists on 21 occasions, while senior forward Kyle Sledge also started 22 games and averaged 6.8 points per game. The Powder Springs, Ga. native also ranked seventh in the league with 6.8 rebounds per contest, pulling down a team season-high 14 rebounds at LMU.

"Myson came on and had a great second half of the year and I hope he can play at that level for a full season," noted Taylor. "DJ had some great moments last year."

"I like our team," added Taylor. "Our players have worked hard and we've had a good fall. I do not know how that how that will equate into wins and losses, but it has been productive. Kyle (Sledge) and Chandler (Hash) are the only two guys who have proven they can produce over the length of a full season."

"Our strength is yet to be determined," noted Taylor. "I am hoping we have good balance inside and out. I think we can get production out of the post and hopefully defending will be a strength. We need Chandler and Myson, who were two of the top three 3-point shooters in the league to be effective. We also need to drive the ball and get to the foul line."

Senior guard CJ Gleaton, who is in his third season with the Trojans after transferring from Spartanburg Methodist, averaged seven points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists while starting six games a year ago.

"I think we are a better team with (CJ) on the court," said Taylor. "Hopefully we can get a full season out of him."

Four veteran guards add depth to the backcourt, as juniors Nick Jackson and Alani Adekambi return this season, along with sophomore Myles Daniel and redshirt freshman Lex Davis.

"Nick and Myles each had a very good summer and Alani is coming back from knee surgery," said Taylor. "He's a tough competitor with a high talent ceiling. Lex has worked hard in the off season and doesn't even look like the same player that he was a year ago."

Taylor will be looking for the unproven inside game consisting of two sophomores, a pair of true freshmen and a junior, to provide a balanced threat and complement the outside capability.

A trio of players will compete for time in the post, with junior Chris Ross and sophomores Steven Faust and Rakish Taylor all in the mix.

"Chris had some very good moments last season," noted Taylor. "And both Steven and Raskish have worked hard and looked really good this fall."

"I really like our newcomers," added Taylor. Will (Keistler) is as tough as nails. He is one of those players we will want to have on the floor and will be searching to find time for him. Matt (McClain) is extremely athletic and is still developing his game. (Kendall) Henry is tough and will be a very good player for us. He goes hard and will get better every day. (Tony) Dargan will be able to use his length and athleticism to help us out this year."

"I am excited about seeing how we develop," said Taylor. "I am looking forward to seeing how we respond to different challenges and make improvements. We have to get some guys that have not played much up to this point play significant minutes and play significant roles for us this season. So that means they have opportunities."

There are a lot of guys that have the potential to help us," added Taylor. "A lot of guys have gotten better and I look forward to seeing how they handle playing in actual games."

Highlighted by the HCCU PBC-SAC Challenge and five games versus three teams that are ranked in the NABC Preseason Coaches' Top 25, Taylor notes the challenging schedule, "The 22 game conference schedule, with the first one coming in the second week of the season, makes it the most difficult schedule we probably ever faced. Every game is important, but with (conference) games, there is normal importance coupled with your standings and what you're trying to accomplish, so it adds to the (difficulty) somewhat."

The Trojans will face Lander and GRU-Augusta in the HCCU PBC-SAC Challenge, then visit longtime rival Erskine two days later.

"Out of the gate, we are going to be challenged," added Taylor, whose team starts the season with three games in four days. "We are going to know from game-to-game exactly where we are. There is not going to be any sugar-coating it or wondering about how good or bad we are. Each game we will know where we stand. And I like that from a competitive standpoint. The concern is that we are unproven (so early in the season)."

"But I like challenging our team by grouping games together. I like to see where we are and challenge our guys. I would prefer not to do it this early in the season because it will be very tough. All three opponents are potential NCAA tournament top-level teams."

Anderson jumps quickly into South Atlantic Conference action, as the Trojans play host to Brevard in their home-opener at the Abney Athletic Center on Nov. 20. SAC members Lincoln Memorial and Carson-Newman are ranked 15th and 22nd, respectively in the NABC Coaches' Preseason Poll.

Nonconference foes Georgia College, Young Harris and 21st-ranked Winston-Salem State will all provide significant challenges.

"Our nonconference opponents are either traditional top-25 teams or were on the tournament bubble a year ago," noted Taylor. "So it will be a challenge. Our nonconference schedule does not take a backseat to anyone in the region."

Anderson opens the season on the road this weekend at the HCCU PBC-SAC Challenge, facing Lander on Saturday at 5 p.m. and the host Jaguars on Sunday afternoon.