CHARLESTON, S.C. – It was your typical first day of practice for The Citadel men's basketball Tuesday afternoon as the Bulldogs held their first official team practice, practicing for close to two hours inside McAlister Field House.

The Bulldogs began the session by knocking off the rust with some dribbling, full-court passing drills and layups.

After working up a sweat, the team transitioned into working on driving up the court, offensive rebounding and full-court transitions before going five-on-five. The 2018-19 season's first practice concluded with a 3-point shooting drill, sprints and free throws.

For the Bulldogs' three seniors, Zane Najdawi, Matt Frierson and Quayson Williams, Tuesday marked the final first day of practice of their collegiate careers. The trio reflected on their time at The Citadel and what it meant to participate in their final first day of practice.

"It's kind of crazy because it feels like the time has flown by, but I'm excited for the season to get started," Frierson said. "We have a lot of experience on this roster. It's a nice change because the last three years, we have been really young. I'm excited to see how that translates onto the court this year."

"Everybody told me the first three years would go by fast and I didn't believe it. Now I see what they were talking about and I'm just grateful to be here this year and to be a part of this team," Williams said. "I want to come out and compete day-in and day-out. This is the best team we have had since I have been here. We have a lot of talent and experience to build off of and that means we have a lot that we can accomplish."

"It's kind of surreal that it's actually here. It came really quick and I'm just excited to get this season started," Najdawi said. "We need to come ready to practice hard every day. We need to work on gelling and figuring out how we can each compliment each other."

Overall, fourth-year head coach Duggar Baucom liked what he saw out of his team in the first practice of the season.

"The bright spot was our younger guys. Our two freshmen both played really well as did some of our sophomores. We have an old adage 'The harder you play, the more you're going to play,' and those younger guys really took us at our word, today," Baucom said. "But it was a good first day. We got the first-day jitters out of our system and we now have 42 days to straighten some things out and get ready for our first game. From here on out, it's all about team and being a good teammate because that's the only way we're going to be able to live up to our potential. It will be better tomorrow now that everybody has felt out how each other plays and it'll hopefully be better the next day and the next day after that."

The Bulldogs return four of their five highest scorers from a year ago, including Najdawi, Frierson and Williams as well as junior Kaelon Harris. The 'Dogs added a pair of graduate transfers (Lew Stallworth and Connor Kern) and brought in two freshmen while adding Tyler Burgess back into the mix for the 2018-19 campaign to compliment the eight returners. The team heads into the campaign second to only Kansas State for career collegiate points scored with 4,561.

SEASON TICKETS ON SALE
Season tickets are on sale for the 2018-19 Citadel men's basketball home games. The entire season, featuring 15 games inside McAlister Field House, can be purchased for $150, or $340 for courtside. By purchasing the complete season pass, fans can save $75. Single game tickets are $15.

Faculty and staff of The Citadel, as well as recent Citadel graduates (2013-18), are entitled to discounted season tickets. Fans can also join The Citadel Basketball Association (CBA) to receive discounts and additional perks while supporting the program.

Tickets can be purchased in person at the ticket office located inside McAlister Field House or by calling (843) 953-DOGS (3647). Fans can also get more information online at this link: CLICK HERE. Hours for the ticket office are Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

For more information on The Citadel basketball team, please visit CitadelSports.com and follow @CitadelHoops and @CitadelSports on Twitter and Instagram.