Like a child eager to play with some new toys, Ed DeChellis appeared excited yesterday to finally have a full roster of players to use in both practices and games.

The Penn State men's basketball coach will no longer need his assistants and managers to fill in as practice players, as the Nittany Lions now have a full 15-man roster for the first time in DeChellis' three seasons at the helm.

"One thing we have this year that's important is options," DeChellis said of having eight newcomers and the flexibility that they will afford him.

"You can do some things and make practice more competitive. You can demand more out of guys because they aren't in every single rep, you can demand more because they actually get a break here and there."

The players will get breaks in practice, but should be warned that there will be stiff competition for their positions while they're on the sidelines.

The Lions return five players with starting experience from last year, and hope to receive contributions from three European freshmen, one junior college transfer and two athletic rookies.

DeChellis thinks the main differences between this year's team and last year's are the speed and athleticism present on the current squad, and then, perhaps most importantly, the common goal of trust and togetherness unique to this unit.

"We're a team that feels like a team," DeChellis said. "The guys have bonded very well together. They have to realize it's not about you, it's about the name on the front of the jersey. Hopefully we've started to get that point across."

Another difference from last season is that the Lions will no longer sport their last names on the back of their uniforms, a move that is meant to foster that very idea of teamwork.

The players can see the differences, too, as the cliques and grudges that were once present are no longer a factor.

"This year we're a little more like a family," lone senior Travis Parker said. "Last year we had some differences on the team with certain players not talking to other players, but this year everybody wants to talk to each other and get along."

Junior guard Ben Luber agreed, adding that there were some fights in past seasons, but no animosity this year.

In addition to cliques, practice minutes for student managers and animosity towards teammates, another thing present during the last two seasons was an abundance of losses. Penn State went 7-23 last year and 9-19 the year before and has lost eight players in that time due to transfer.

But now the only players on the team are those that DeChellis brought in himself, and a soft non-conference schedule may also help to add a little confidence for the young squad. Confidence, after all, is what DeChellis is hoping to instill in his players before the ominous cloud of the Big Ten season threatens to burst over the Bryce Jordan Center come January.

"We want to build some confidence ... and play some games that hopefully we'll have an opportunity to win," DeChellis said.

Sophomore guard Mike Walker is poised to put an end to the prolonged losing, saying that last year he was caught off guard by the mental toll that a dismal season can take on a player.

"You start to find yourself not getting as mad as you used to be when you lose," Walker said. "Not that you get used to losing, but you get a sense that you've already lost eight straight, so what's a ninth one gonna mean."

DeChellis and the Lions are obviously tired of the losing, but now the coach has new toys to play with and hopes that they will mesh better than those in seasons past.

Home cookin'

Asked what's the biggest change when adjusting to life in the United States, Serbia and Montenegro native Milos Bogetic cited the food.

"Back home everything is more natural, but here it's all about cheeseburgers and pancakes and that stuff," the freshman said.