Coming off one of the worst seasons in school history, the West Virginia University men’s basketball team begins its 2002-2003 season tonight against Delaware State.
Tip off is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Coliseum.
The game marks the first time since 1978 that Gale Catlett won’t be pacing the sidelines in Morgantown.
Delaware State presents a good early-season litmus test for  WVU and first-year head coach John Beilein.
The Hornets enter the game coming off a 16-13 campaign in 2001-2002. They have three starters coming back on a team that had a 2-6 record in non-conference road games.
In two key non-conference games last year, Delaware State lost by a combined 47 points against Maryland and Villanova.
Offensively, forward Andre Matthews is Delaware State’s top gunner. The senior posted a 14.2 points per game average last season. He also grabbed 5.3 rebounds per game, second best on the squad.
But the breakout candidate for the Hornets is Sergey Stephanenkov. Hailing from St. Petersburg, Russia, Stephanenkov is their defensive stopper. He was tops on the team last season with 5.9 boards a game and blocked a team-high 32 shots. The forward also led the team in steals with 33 on the year. 
The Hornets are 12-6 in season openers.
The Mountaineers are entering a season of uncertainty, with off-season additions and subtractions adding to the ambiguity. 
But there’s no ambiguity among Big East coaches. In the conference pre-season coaches’ poll, the Mountaineers were picked to duplicate their dubious season a year ago when they finished last in the Big East’s West Division. 
Perhaps the biggest change for WVU comes with the man in charge.
Beilein, a highly-touted small school coach during his 24 years as a college skipper, has a career winning percentage of .635. 
In five coaching stops prior to his current gig in Morgantown, Beilein had only one losing season. In 1985, while coaching at LeMoyne, his team went 14-15. 
In five seasons at Richmond – his last coaching position – Beilein compiled a 100-53 record and took his team to post-season tournaments in three different years. 
While Beilein’s credentials are solid, his teams are a little less so.
Having lost leading scorer, rebounder and All-Big East Third Team selection Chris Moss, the Mountaineers will have to rely on a collection of players without a real offensive leader. 
The four returning standouts from last season – forwards Chaz Briggs, Tyrone Sally, Josh Yeager and guard Drew Schifino – averaged just seven points a game. 
But Schifino seems ready to lead the team and have a break-out year in the Mountaineer backcourt.
The sophomore averaged 25 points in two preseason games, shooting 65 percent from the field. In a 94-58 win over Latvia Select on Nov. 4, Schifino shot 5-5 from beyond the three-point arc. He’ll likely be the team’s go-to guy this year.
He’ll be joined in the backcourt by freshman Jarmon Durisseau-Collins. The 5-foot-10-inch, 190-pound Texas native started both preseason games at point guard.
Schifino and Durisseau-Collins will be spelled by freshman sharpshooter Patrick Beilein and junior Jay Hewitt. Tobias Seldon will see some time at both guard spots.
Underneath, Briggs will split time with freshman Kevin Pittsnogle in the pivot. Both were used equally in the preseason, with Pittsnogle providing more offensive production. 
But Briggs, the incumbent power forward/center, did more work on the glass and defensively. Look for both to continue to play interchangeably. Pittsnogle, with his three-point range, will play when Beilein plans to stretch opposing defenses and Briggs will enter for defensive assignments.
Sally, Yeager and Johannes Herber will battle for time at the forward spots. 
Yeager has the most experience and the best shooting touch of the trio. His senior leadership will make it hard for Beilein to sit him for very long. Yeager is an offensive threat from anywhere on the court.
Sally is the most athletic of the bunch. The sophomore averaged 4.4 points and 3.3 rebounds a game last season. 
Herber is the unknown. He played for the TV Langen Club in Germany last season, so he’s ready to contribute right away. Herber can also play both guard spots and is a very good passer on the wing. 
D’or Fischer, a 6-foot-11-inch transfer from Northwestern State, must sit out the season due to NCAA transfer rules. 

Andrew J. Beckner can be reached at:
DASports@mail.wvu.edu.