Rocking back in his chair and nodding his head, coach Brian Meehan reminisces about the first recruiting class he brought to Brandeis. He's just as much the architect of the men's basketball program as he is the coach of the team, and on the cusp of the third season of his rebuilding project, he eyes a design becoming reality. "We're a lot more mature," he said. "We now have leadership and experienced players that have been through the wars the last two years."

Three years ago, Meehan came to Brandeis as the winningest active coach in Division III, leaving a rock of a program at Salem State College. His first season here was a wash, with him coaching the team left behind by former coach Chris Ford.

But in 2004, he brought in one of the most highly touted recruiting classes in the region. Pairing the rookies with then-senior leader Bryan Lambert '05, the team secured Brandeis' best record in a decade. With Lambert gone and the frontcourt depleted by injuries last year, the Judges matched the same record.

Now, as juniors, this season can be seen as something of a judgment day for Meehan's Judges. After a 14-11 finish last year, including 7-7 in the University Athletic Association, expectations are sky-high, especially for players like star forward Steve DeLuca '08 and guard Florian Rexhepi '08-players who have yet to make a postseason tournament.

"Anything less than a conference championship and a trip to the NCAA tournament would be a big disappointment," captain and forward Stephen Hill '08 says.

Meehan says he expects the extra year of experience to solve the team's biggest problems from last year, namely with late-game execution and shot selection.

"We were young and tentative at the end of some games last year," Meehan said. "We've learned from all the close games we played last year, and I think the guys are more comfortable and won't rush as many shots."

Depth was also an issue for the Judges last season, with DeLuca, Rexhepi and their classmates accounting for over 84 percent of the team's scoring. DeLuca led the way, emerging out of relative anonymity to become a first-team all-UAA selection. He averaged 18.4 points and 7.6 rebounds a game, while shooting 56 percent from the field and 51 percent from three-point range.

But Meehan says DeLuca can be even better if he is well-rested, given the team's newfound depth.

"DeLuca is going to improve because we're not going to need him for 40 minutes like we did last year," Meehan says. "We're going to see him fresh every night."

And Deluca doesn't mind if his statistics take a hit for the team's benefit.

"My scoring might drop a little bit, but if we're winning games, it doesn't matter," he says.

The three-guard attack of Rexhepi, Kwame Graves-Fulgham '08, and Joe Coppens '08 will complement DeLuca. The speedy trio will be expected to push the tempo on offense and ignite the Judges' full-court press on defense.

After winning the UAA Rookie of the Year in 2004-05, Rexhepi struggled with offensive inconsistency last season and saw his scoring drop from 12.7 points in his rookie season to 11.4.

"He showed some flashes, but at times, he was really down and hard on himself," Meehan says of Rexhepi.

But, Meehan says, "he had an unbelievable preseason and looks better than ever."

With the backcourt solidified, it remains unclear who will join Deluca as the team's starting center. Seven-footer John Saucier '08 began last year as the starter, but suffered a season-ending foot injury in December, cutting his season short for the second straight year. Hill stepped in for Saucier and started 10 games, but he too ended up sidelined by inury. Meehan says that Hill and Saucier are still in the mix for the starting job with 6-foot-7-inch rookie Rich McGee '10 and David Mael '09.

An important newcomer will be 5-foot-nine-inch point guard Andre Robinson '10, who will try to keep the Judges' attack on par when the speedy Graves-Fulgham is on the bench.

"Andre should be able to step right in and keep the tempo of the game in our favor," Graves-Fulgham said.

Off the bench, Meehan has high expectations for guard Kevin Olson '09, who worked his way into the rotation late last season.

"He's the best shooter we have by far, and he may have had the best summer of anyone on the team," Meehan said.

Despite the Judges' offensive capabilities, players say that defense will ultimately determine the team's fate.

"Defense is going to be the key to the season this year," Graves-Fulgham said.

Hill added: "We must have the mentality that we're going to shut teams down."

The Judges were picked to finish third in the UAA preseason coaches' poll, but Meehan believes they can play with anyone in the nation.

"We put this team together very carefully so that we can be very flexible and play different styles," he says. "We'll have an answer for whatever we go up against. Nobody can match our athleticism in this league.