Spencer Williams is one of four returning starters leading a deep rotation for Wooster. Wooster Athletics photo

Developing character is a key factor in a successful season.

Wooster's men's squad showed it last year. The young Fighting Scots shook off a 92-81 overtime loss to Denison in the NCAC championship. As an at-large playoff team, the squad made a run to the Elite Eight before Christopher Newport posted an 81-61 triumph.

While that loss stung, the journey and lessons learned along the way stuck with Wooster's 11 returning letterwinners and stoked the fire of optimism for this season.

"That was definitely a good time for us. We barely made the tournament, so it was nice to make a run," Wooster junior guard Spencer Williams said. "That was motivation for us because we can do even more; it was exciting to go that far but I think can go farther. Getting that close to the Final Four, it definitely makes me and everyone else motivated to reach that goal."

The Fighting Scots, picked to repeat as NCAC champions in the preseason poll, are ranked No. 7 in the preseason Top 25. The team opened the season with wins over Oberlin and Defiance.

"I am really excited for what we can do," Williams said. "We can't get too comfortable, though."

That shouldn't be a problem. Wooster's deep rotation keeps its players on the edge.

"We're always pushing each other. You have to earn your minutes. Even the guys behind me, they are pushing me to get better," Williams said. "You just can't get too comfortable because your spot could easily get taken."

The players welcome this competition for lineup spots.

"This year's team, we're a little more together. Our guys are pretty close. We hang out off the court, too," Williams said. "Practice is something a lot of guys look forward to, though."

Williams, who averaged 14.5 points per game, is one of three returning starters to Wooster's backcourt. Sophomores Mitch Balser and Reece Dupler return as well. Senior Dan Fannelly, who led the team at 15.1 ppg, is back in the paint. He averaged 18.0 ppg in the team's first two wins this season.

The Fighting Scots' attack doesn't end there. Six other players – Milt Davis, Danyon Hempy, Alex Baptiste, Eric Bulic, Derek Schwarz and Ari Stern have averaged 10 minutes or more of time so far.

"We have a deep rotation. We don't lose a lot with the guys coming off the bench. When you get your minutes, you have to play them hard because another guy is trying to take them away from you," Williams said. "It's a good time for us, though. We can definitely be dangerous. We have lot of weapons.

"I think we're versatile and can beat you in a lot of ways. We have big men, guys who can shoot, guys who can go to the basket and guys who can defend. We are a well-rounded team and we do a lot of things well."

Williams believes even more players could emerge this year for Wooster.

"We have guys teams know who they need to account for. But, I think teams don't know about a lot of guys on our team. That's what makes us hard to scout. I don't think teams can shut us down completely because we have so many weapons."

Maintaining harmony will be important for the squad.

"One of the themes this year is sacrifice. We have so much talent, but not everyone can play at the same time." Williams said. "We'll continued to work on our chemistry together and a lot of us are used to playing together already. We have a lot of potential and I think we'll have a good year."