TOLEDO, Ohio - Head Coach Tod Kowalczyk and the Toledo men's basketball program have a chance to make history in the 2022-23 campaign. The Rockets will be looking to become the first of the current Mid-American Conference members to win three straight outright league titles. The only previous school to do so was the University of Cincinnati winning four in a row from 1948-51.

        "I think we have an even better team this season that can win the league again," Kowalczyk said. "We have increased our depth, which was our primary weakness last season. To win the league you need to deal with adversity, and the most consistent team will win it."

        The Rockets did just that last year and have four starters returning from a 26-8 squad that finished a game ahead of Kent State and posted a 17-3 record in league play. Senior forwards Setric Millner Jr. and JT Shumate each averaged 15.0 ppg, while the backcourt tandem of junior RayJ Dennis and sophomore Ra'Heim Moss averaged 12.6 and 8.8 ppg, respectively.

        Kowalczyk said a big key to his program capturing league crowns the last two seasons has been the commitment and mindset his players have developed over the last two years. That will be the case in the upcoming season as well.

        "I really credit Marreon Jackson and Spencer Littleson for the way our culture has grown," Kowalczyk said. "They really added so much value to our culture when they were seniors in our 2020-21 season. It wasn't that we had a bad culture prior to that, but they took it to another level as far as work ethic. RayJ, Seth, JT and Ra'Heim have taken it to an even higher level. Now, it's an expectation where guys understand that if they're not going to be in the gym, not working and not doing the right things, their chances of being successful in this program probably aren't very good. That's why we've been good as we have been the last two years."

        Kowalczyk is confident his team can be even better this season even with the early departure of sophomore guard Ryan Rollins to the NBA. That's due to the talent and depth the Rockets added with transfers Tyler Cochran, André Lorentsson and Dante Maddox.

        "We can trust our bench more this season with our new additions," Kowalczyk said. "One of the mistakes we made last year was not having enough experience coming off the bench. We relied too much on freshman who were ready to play college basketball but not ready to play winning basketball."

        Following is a detailed look at the Rockets for the 2022-23 campaign:

        Millner (15.0 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and Shumate (15.0 ppg, 6.1 rpg) tied for second on the team in scoring last year en route to earning all-conference honors. The duo each received Preseason All-MAC honors, with Shumate being named to the first team and Millner to the second team.

        "Seth and JT have been key parts of our championships the last two years," Kowalczyk said. "They are constantly working to improve different parts of their games and are ready to have great senior years."

        Millner provides the Rockets an athletic wing who shot 37.4 percent from three-point range last year, a marked improvement from his 27.3 mark in the 2020-21 season. The third-team All-MAC honoree notched seven 20-point and 26 double-double digit outings last year, including a career-high 28 points on 11-of-14 shooting at Western Michigan (Feb. 22).

        "Seth does a little bit of everything for us and is very valuable," Kowalczyk said. "He can shoot it from the perimeter, score in the paint, and score off the dribble. He's improved a great deal in all three areas since joining our program."

        A second-team All-MAC selection last season, Shumate emerged as the MAC's top shooter and paced Toledo with a 55.4 FG%, a conference-best 48.2 three-point FG% and an 82.0 FT%. He also became only the second Rocket ever to earn CSC First-Team Academic All-America honors.

        "JT is an extremely efficient player and a tremendous worker," Kowalczyk said. "He had a great off-season and I can see his shooting numbers improving even more."

        The Rockets' senior frontcourt duo will be supported by the backcourt tandem of Dennis and Moss.

        Dennis emerged as one of MAC's top guards last season after averaging 12.7 ppg and 5.6 rpg in his first season in a Rocket uniform. He ranked third in the conference with a 1.83 assist/turnover ratio and sixth with a team-high 4.1 apg after joining Toledo following two years at Boise State.

        "RayJ was a great addition to our program last year," Kowalczyk said. "I love his leadership and his intangibles. He's a very, very good basketball player and he plays with a great pace as the leader of our offense."

        Moss earned a spot on the MAC's All-Freshman Team, marking the fifth straight season a Rocket has been so honored. He averaged 8.8 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.7 apg along with posting a team-best 2.1 assist/turnover ratio. Moss also came up big in conference play, tallying a career-high 20 points vs. Akron (Jan. 28) as well as double-doubles against Eastern Michigan (Feb. 1), Miami (Feb. 26) and Bowling Green (March 4).

        "Ra'Heim has really increased his skill level since he joined our program," Kowalczyk said. "He's become a very good shooter and a guy we can trust. We're also going to experiment a little with him as a backup point guard, like the Boston Celtics' Marcus Smart. He just needs to be very conscious of his turnovers, running his team and thinking the game a little more."

        Cochran, Lorentsson and Maddox are expected to make immediate impacts and allow the Rockets to use a nine-man rotation.

        "I think adding veteran guys like Tyler, Dante and André really helps us," Kowalczyk said. "They understand what it takes to be successful.

        "Tyler is a strong, aggressive guard who is smart offensively and gets his hands on the ball a lot on the defensive end. Andre is a forward who can really shoot the ball and can also rebound the ball, particularly on the offensive end. Dante is a very explosive, athletic guard who can score in bunches. I love his game and he can really shoot the ball with range, plus get his own shot."

        Cochran played last year at Ball State and ranked second on the team with 11.6 ppg and 5.6 rpg to go along with a MAC-best 2.0 spg. He is expected to provide the Rockets with a physical presence on both the offensive and defensive end.

        Lorentsson saw limited playing time the last two years at Saint Louis and is slated to provide the Rockets a three-point threat off the bench as well as some size in the post.

        Maddox will also provide some offensive punch in a reserve role after playing the last two seasons at Cal. State Fullerton. He was the Titans' second-leading scorer with a 11.7 ppg and a 41.9 three-point FG% as a freshman and averaged 6.8 ppg last season.

        After missing the 2019-20 season and playing just four games the last three seasons due to knee injuries, junior center AJ Edu is expected to provide Toledo with a post presence. In his first year as a Rocket in 2018-19, Edu earned a spot on the MAC-All Freshman Team after averaging 3.6 ppg, 3.9 bpg and a team-high 1.7 bpg.

        "AJ is healthy now after not playing very much in the last three years," Kowalczyk said. "He's back to where he was defensively, and I've been very encouraged about how his offensive game looks and how he's slowing down. I think he can help us."

        Kowalczyk also expects sophomores EJ Farmer and Elijah Wilson to provide contributions off the bench.

        "EJ had a phenomenal off-season," Kowalczyk said. "He understands the game better and his shot selection has improved. He's talking a lot more, has matured and taken the next step. Elijah is long, athletic and can defend. He has some upside and now it's time for him to put it together."

        Sophomore Kooper Jacobi and freshman Javan Simmons are slated to redshirt this season.

        "Kooper and Javan will both benefit from a year of getting stronger and improving their games," Kowalczyk said. "With two all-conference forwards like Seth and JT, there aren't a lot of extra minutes available in our frontcourt."

        Jacobi averaged 2.2 ppg and 2.5 rpg last year, while Simmons averaged 12.5 ppg, 6.5 rpg and 2.0 apg last year at Gahanna Lincoln and received Division I all-state honorable mention, second-team all-district and first-team all-league honors.

        "Javan is a very strong, aggressive post player," Kowalczyk said. He can defend the post and rebound. His skill level is good, and I think it's only going to get better. He can score on the low block, and I'd like to see him be able to step out and shoot threes a little bit more. He's got a bright future."