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The Troy Trojans are heading into 2024 with 11 returning veterans, a commendable feat for a Mid-Major program in the era of NIL and the Transfer Portal.

Last season, the Trojans won more than 20 games for the third consecutive season. During the preseason, Troy was selected to finish third in the conference by Sun Belt coaches, which is the highest Troy has landed since head coach Scott Cross came to Troy. That has resulted in a confident head coach.

“We’ve had a good summer and great fall up until this point. We have so many returners on this team it feels like we’re a lot further ahead than we have been in years past,” Scott Cross said. “Just having those 11 guys back makes things so much easier. The returners know exactly what we expect from them offensively and defensively and they can help teach the new guys. I like where we’re at right now.

“I think this team is very capable of winning a championship and the only thing that can keep us from doing that is ourselves. As long we don’t get in our own way, I feel good about our chances.”

Those returning players include last year’s Sun Belt Freshman of the Year Myles Rigsby. Rigsby averaged 11.6 points, 4.3 rebounds, 1.5 assists and 1.6 steals per game. Tayton Conerway, who won Sun Belt Sixth Man of the Year last season, is also back. Conerway averaged 11.6 points, 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game. Both Rigsby and Conerway were named to the Preseason All-Sun Belt team.

Troy also returns veterans like Dothan sophomore Thomas Dowd and junior Jackson Fields. Dowd averaged 6.3 points and 5.4 rebounds as a freshman, while Fields averaged 6.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, 1.3 blocks, one assist and 1.2 steals per game despite coming off hip surgery during the prior summer.

Cross believes Dowd is in for a special sophomore campaign.

“His work ethic is through the roof. He’s a unicorn in terms of work ethic,” Cross said of Dowd. “He’s probably put on 10-plus pounds of muscle. He’s been amazing; he’s going to have a special year. He had a pretty remarkable freshman year and he’ll be a little more aggressive offensively.

“We don’t want to put any restraints on him. He can take the ball off the dribble and make plays and he’s a good decision maker with the basketball. I think he’s going to have an amazing year.”

Cross said that both Fields and Dowd were leaders for the Trojans.

“I think Jackson Fields gives us a vocal leader, he’s the voice of the team,” he said. “He’s the guy that steps up and talks to the guys and tells them what to do. A guy like Thomas Dowd is a lead by example type of leader with the way he works and the extra time he puts in.”

Cross talked about the importance of keeping his group of returners back and what it’s meant to the program.

“Regardless of what you have, if you don’t have a good culture people will leave,” Cross emphasized. “You can also have a good culture and lose guys, too. You see that across the country. I think it was the perfect storm for us. We were able to help guys in certain areas and that paid off for us. Myles (Rigsby) has his brother here and he wants to continue to play with him.

“I also think he looks at the time we spent working with him, especially a guy like (assistant coach) Kelvin Lewis. Every single day he’s in the gym with Myles working with him. You might get that some place else and you might not. He knows he got better and he will continue to get better (here). Jackson Fields is coming back from a hip surgery and now he’s 100 percent. Once he committed to coming back, and Myles committed to coming back, it kind of built momentum and they decided, ‘Hey, let’s run it back and win a championship and go to the NCAA Tournament’ and we can have a chance at maybe doing some things that have never happened here now.”

Freshman Cooper Campbell and redshirt freshman Kerrington Kiel are two youngsters that Cross believes can make an impact this season despite all of the returning veterans, as well.

“Cooper Campbell will play some minutes for us at point guard,” Cross flatly said. “He has been really, really solid. His high school (team) played at a very high level in Atlanta. So, he’s used to playing against great competition and he’s adapted really, really well and is pretty strong for a freshman.

“Kerrington Kiel as a redshirt freshman is someone I think can play minutes for us, as well. He does all the little things right. A guy like that, that does all the little things, he’ll carve out a place for himself.”

Another newcomer is Cross’ son, Charles Henderson graduate Austin Cross. Austin Cross was a two-time All-Messenger Player of the Year and two-time All-State athlete at both Pike Lib and Charles Henderson.

“It will be great to have him on the road,” Scott Cross said with a smile. “You spend so much time away from your family. So, for him to be there, especially in the good times when we win games, will be really cool. He is working extremely hard.

“We’ll probably redshirt him but I think if we needed him to play right now, he’s capable of playing some minutes, as well. We were able to redshirt Kerrington and now’s he a year older, a year stronger and has seen everything for a year and is a better basketball player. It’s hard to do that anymore because of NIL and the Transfer Portal but if I can’t keep Austin Cross on the roster for five years then I better take a look in the mirror.”

Cross said his hope for this season is for Trojan Arena being packed for every home game this season.

“When there is 2,500-plus (at Trojan Arena) It’s a really good home court advantage, and when there is 4,000-plus here it’s amazing,” Cross said. “It’s one of the best in college basketball. I have visions of this place being sold out for every home game. I think that’s within reason. Obviously. we have to do our part by winning basketball games.

“We open up with Toledo, who I believe has won the MAC in three of the last four years. They’re extremely talented and we’ll need each and every Trojan fan to be there. If we win that game it can snowball and lead to bigger and better things.”

Troy’s non-conference schedule is the toughest it’s been in years, featuring the likes of 2024 MAC Champion Toledo, 2024 PAC-12 Champion Oregon, 2024 Gulf South Champion West Georgia, UTSA, NEC Champion Merrimack, Eastern Kentucky and 2024 Big XII Champion Houston. Troy also plays the SEC’s Arkansas, which comes into 2024 with the No. 3-ranked recruiting class in the country, including five Power 5 transfers. Houston comes into the season ranked No. 4 in the country, while Arkansas is ranked No. 16.

“I think this is the toughest schedule of non-conference games we’ve had in my six years here,” said Cross. “In past years we’ve had three or four non-Division I teams and we had a little bit easier of road games against Power 5 schools. Those games will be extremely tough and it should prepare us to win any game we’re in, especially on the road.”

Troy opens the season on Nov. 4 at home against Toledo in the MAC-SBC Challenge at 6 p.m. Troy is also at home on Nov. 9 against New Orleans before a brutal three-game road stretch starts against Arkansas on Nov. 13, Oregon on Nov. 17 and West Georgia on Nov. 19.