JEFFERSON CITY, Tenn. — The Carson-Newman men’s basketball team will rely on mixture of veterans and a wealth of talented newcomers as the Eagles have high hopes of making a statement in the South Atlantic Conference in 2009-10.

The Eagles open regular season play on Monday at Alabama-Huntsville at 7:30 p.m. CST in Huntsville, Ala. The Chargers went 17-11 in 2008-09, including a pair of four-point wins over the Eagles.

C-N played in one exhibition game during the preseason, an 81-56 loss at Division I East Tennessee State. The Eagles trailed by only nine points at halftime before the Buccaneers pulled away in the second half for the win.

C-N is coming off a 7-21 season in which it lost a number of close games, including eight by five points or less. Eagles head coach Dale Clayton, who enters his 22nd season at the helm of the program, returns two starters from last year’s squad that led the SAC in scoring for a second straight season with an average of 87 points per game.

The Eagles will rely on a trio of seniors to lead the way this season, beginning with senior point guard Jordan Dixon, who is a preseason second team All-SAC selection. The Clinton, Tenn., native started 25 games for C-N in 2008-09 and averaged 8.4 points per game. Dixon was fourth in the SAC in assists as he dished out a career-high 119 dimes. He also pulled down 3.4 rebounds per game and was second on the team in steals with 45.

Senior forward Darron Maxtion will help anchor the Eagles’ frontcourt. Maxtion is C-N’s leading returner in scoring and rebounding after averaging 8.9 points and 4.6 rebounds per game a year ago. He was also third in the conference in field goal percentage as he connected on 60 percent of his shots.

Senior guard/forward Tray Okoth will also be counted on to lead the Eagles after averaging 7.7 points and 3.6 rebounds per game last season.

Returning to join Dixon in the backcourt will be sophomore guard Cameron Sharp. The Knoxville, Tenn., native redshirted last year to recover from a broken hand. Sharp will bring valuable experience to the squad after seeing action in 22 games as a true freshman. He averaged six points per contest and distributed 64 assists to earn a spot on the All-SAC freshman team in 2007-08.

Clayton will turn to several newcomers to play key roles this season, including sophomore forward Quinche Dowdell, junior guard J.J. Wesley and freshman guard Trey Caruthers.

Dowdell joins the Eagles after playing the 2008-09 season at Division I Appalachian State University. He made an impact as a freshman and scored seven points against UNC Greensboro, five against Big 12 power Texas and four against perennial Southeastern Conference power Kentucky.

Wesley comes to Mossy Creek from Connors State College in Warner, Okla. The Mobile, Ala., native averaged 11 points per game while leading Connors State to a 28-9 record and a berth in the Final Four of the NJCAA National Championship in 2008-09.

Caruthers will see time at guard after a stellar career at Harpeth High School in Kingston Springs, Tenn. He led the Indians to a 95-36 record in four years and averaged 19.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, three assists and 2.7 steals per contest as a senior to earn All-Region honors. Caruthers was also a three-time All-District Tournament and two-time All-District performer.

C-N added some size to its frontcourt in the offseason with the additions of transfer Brandon Evans and freshman Joe Meady. Evans, a 6-9 junior, played at Longwood University last season and recorded 21 blocks as a sophomore. The 6-8 Meady was a standout at Carter High School in Strawberry Plains, Tenn., where he led the Hornets to a 23-12 record and a first-ever state tournament berth a year ago.

True freshman Collin Crane and junior transfer Erwin Staten are also expected to battle for playing time in C-N’s rotation this season.

After playing their first three contests of the season on the road, the Eagles will host Alabama-Huntsville for their home opener on Nov. 23 at 7 p.m. in Holt Fieldhouse. C-N opens SAC play on Dec. 5 at Lincoln Memorial.