19 Depaul

The supporting cast includes 6'9" 245-pounder Marty Embry in the middle, 6'8" Kevin Holmes at power forward, and 6'5" swingman Tony Jackson. Embry (8.3 points and 6.4 rebounds per game) is a solid player, while Holmes, a great leaper with soft hands, should emerge as a star with the departure of Tyrone Corbin, the Blue Demons' leading scorer and rebounder last season. Finally, look for outside-shooting freshman Terence Greene, a high school All-America in both football and basketball, to take over at off guard and Stanley Brundy, another top recruit, to help out at forward.

Can the Blue Demons win with two freshmen in the backcourt? Maybe they're just what DePaul needs to launch a new era. A hellacious schedule, including 15 games against '85 NCAA tournament teams, should provide the answer. For now, Meyer is enjoying himself in this, the season of his anonymity. "I just feel more comfortable all the way around," he says. "We have to learn to deal with pressure in an aggressive manner; we have to say, 'Let's just go after it.' " If the Blue Demons can escape the demons of their past, Meyer may stay as long as his dad.