Head coach Tod Kowalczyk has guided the Rockets to a 129-71 (.645) overall record and a 68-40 (.630) league mark over the last six years. He sat down recently to discuss his program and his team's outlook for the 2019-20 season.

Q: Your program has enjoyed a lot of success and has averaged over 21 wins over the last six seasons. The last two years have been even better, with a school-record 48 victories and a pair of Mid-American Conference West Division titles. Can you talk your success about how you build a winning attitude?

COACH KOWALCZYK: I feel really good about where our program is at. I feel better about where our program is headed with the culture of winning we have established.  I love the men we have in this program and how hard they work on and off the floor. It's certainly at a high level right now and something we're going to work hard to continue. A winning culture starts with the veteran guys teaching the younger players what we're all about. They need to show them our work ethic and togetherness.

Q: A big key to the team's success over the last two seasons has been due to the veteran leadership, whether it was Tre'shaun Fletcher in 2017-18 or Nate Navigato and Jaelan Sanford last year. How challenging will be it to replace the leadership that Nate and Jaelan provided?

COACH KOWALCZYK: It will be extremely difficult to replace Jaelan and Nate simply because they were remarkably consistent every single day. As a head coach, I knew exactly what I was getting. They didn't have bad days. They didn't have bad practices.  They were never hurt and never missed a game or practice. That's a credit to their physical and mental toughness.

Q: Who do you see emerging as the team's leaders for the upcoming 2019-20 season?

COACH KOWALCZYK: It's going to be a huge leadership year for (junior) Marreon Jackson. He needs to step up and teach (freshman guard) Donavan Moore how hard you have to play and how focused you need to be at all times. We're also going to look to Luke Knapke and Spencer Littleson to take an increased leadership role. Willie Jackson also adds leadership for us with the toughness aspect and teaching guys how to play with an edge. All of our returnees know what it takes to win and be successful, and they need to show that to our young guys.

It's going to be a season of transition in the MAC. Last year we had 17 of 20 all-conference players returning and this season there are 16 of 20 all-conference players leaving. It's a great opportunity for our veterans like Marreon, Luke and Willie to make an impact in our league.

Q: Marreon Jackson started right away as a freshman and earned a spot on the All-MAC Freshman Team. Last year, he ended up being an all-conference selection after averaging 11.7 ppg, 4.2 apg, 3.9 rpg and 1.4 spg. What do you think is next for Marreon?

COACH KOWALCZYK: Marreon had a great year last season and in my opinion he's the best point guard in the Mid-American Conference. His shooting percentages were a little low in the non-conference but once league play started his numbers were great. He's been a big part of our success the last two seasons. In addition to taking a larger leadership role, I'd like to see him take the next step and become a first-team all-league player.

Q: Another key returnee next season will be senior forward Willie Jackson, who was one of the top rebounders in the MAC last year. What are you expecting of him in his final season in a Rocket uniform?

COACH KOWALCZYK: Willie has the potential to average a double-double and he did that for about 75 percent of last season. He ended up being a nine and nine guy. Those are remarkable numbers. Willie does so many things for us, but the one thing I'd like to see him do is become more consistent with his scoring.

Q: One noticeable change next year for fans will be having 6-11 senior center Luke Knapke and 6-10 sophomore forward AJ Edu on the floor together. They helped you lead the MAC in blocked shots and evolve into one of the best defensive teams in the league. Can you talk about why you have decided to play them at the same time?

COACH KOWALCZYK: Luke and AJ are both too good to not play together and have starter minutes. I think they are interchangeable on the court and really complement each other well. Luke probably shoots it a little better from the perimeter and is a better post defender. AJ plays off the dribble better and is an elite shot blocker. We're studying a lot of teams that play with two post guys. We're still going to maintain our offensive philosophy that has been very successful over time. At the same time, we have to adapt to our strengths.

Q: One other returning veteran who saw consistent playing time last year was junior Spencer Littleson, who sat out the 2017-18 season after transferring from Duquesne. Can you talk about the growth you saw in him last year?

COACH KOWALCZYK: Spencer really hadn't played much since high school. Nevertheless, he had some really good moments for us last year. I think it's fair to say he probably had a really slow start to the season. Once we got into conference play, he played much better. He clearly is a guy that is a very good player in our system and is one of our top defenders. Now I'd like to see him take the next step and be a consistent numbers guy much like Jaelan Sanford was.

Q: Junior Dylan Alderson is another veteran you can turn to provide quality minutes.  Can you talk about the role you think Dylan could play next season?

COACH KOWALCZYK: Dylan has had a good offseason after getting hurt at the end of last season. He's clearly a guy that we're expecting big things from. He's a skilled wing, very athletic and a more than capable defender. He has a chance to really help us.

Q: You will have the benefit of adding two players – Keshaun Saunders and T.J. Smith – to your playing group next year who had an opportunity to learn your system as redshirts last season.

COACH KOWALCZYK: I'm really excited about Keshaun. He used his redshirt season to learn, to grow and get better. We're expecting big things out of him. He's a guy that can really score. He's athletic and could develop into a really good defender in our league. T.J. is a four-man who can guard different positions. He will be able to provide us quality depth and athleticism.

Q: Another key ingredient to the success of next year's team will be a talented recruiting class.  Can you tell us a little about the new faces?

COACH KOWALCZYK: We are extremely happy with our incoming freshman class that includes 6-7, 235-pound guard Mattia Acunzo, 6-6, 215-pound forward Aaron Etherington, 6-10, 205-pound forward Luke Maranka and 6-3, 175-pound guard Donavan Moore.

Mattia has a chance to be an impact freshman after winning a state championship with Kennedy Catholic in Pennsylvania. He's really good with the ball in his hands. He also has an edge and toughness about him and is a really confident player.

We're expecting Aaron to be able to help us this year as well. We recruited him as a potential replacement for Nate Navigato but they're a little bit different. He's more athletic than Nate and is a little better off the dribble and a better passer. He doesn't quite have Nate's shooting ability yet, but fundamentally he could develop into a great three-point shooter.

Luke reminds me a lot of Luke Knapke when we recruited him. He just needs time to gain strength and experience and we're planning on redshirting him so he can do that.

Donavan is an athletic combo guard that could be an elite defender. He possesses great length and a good mid-range game. He's an exceptional finisher but needs to expand his range.