A year after a disappointing season in which the Hartford men’s basketball fell to below .500 overall as well as in conference play, the Hawks will try to improve their record — despite losing five starters and six seniors from last year’s squad.

Keeping with the theme of turnover, the area in which the Hawks really shined last year was in their defense’s ability to apply pressure and force turnovers. With negative splits in rebounding, scoring and field goal percentage, Hartford’s prowess in gaining possession from its opponents was its biggest strength in the 2014-15 season. Last year, Hartford was second in the America East in turnover margin, forcing 1.5 more turnovers per contest than it conceded.

Due to his team’s entirely new starting lineup, head coach John Gallagher will be forced to discover what his team’s strengths will be this year on the fly. Facing the exact opposite situation of the one that he found himself in last year — when he returned five starters — Gallagher will use the beginning of the season to toy with his lineup.

“We’ll be able to use different lineups every week and work different guys in,” Gallagher said. “Hopefully by mid-January we can have a consistent five.”

According to the coaching staff, practices have been high-energy, with every man on the roster fighting for a starting spot.

After returning five starters for the 2014-15 season, the Hawks went 14-16 overall, tallying seven conference victories. Perhaps the uptick in intensity and competitiveness in practice is due to the high roster turnover. With five returning starters a season ago, Gallagher’s squad was projected to finish among the top teams in the AE. Instead, Hartford finished fifth in the nine-team conference, losing to New Hampshire in the first round of the AE playoffs.

“Everybody understands that practice determines who’s going to play,” Gallagher said. “There’s an attitude of ‘I got to go earn it,’ which is great.”

When asked to point out a player who could take the Hawks to the next level in the 2015-16 campaign, Gallagher didn’t need any time to think of an answer.

“Pancake Thomas, no doubt,” Gallagher said. “He’s looked really good in practice, and he’s one of the guys who will really help us going forward.”

Thomas comes to Hartford by way of transfer from Mountain West powerhouse New Mexico. Thomas is one of three redshirt juniors on the squad whose experience will aid the young Hawks. As a Lobo in 2013-14, Thomas started 10 games and averaged 3.9 points and 2.4 rebounds per game.

Another player Gallagher will look to provide leadership to is junior guard Justin Graham. The reigning AE co-Sixth Man of the Year will move into the starting five this season. Graham shot 41.9 percent from the field and 34.2 percent from three-point range last season, and, as one of the more experienced Hawks on the court, is a player Gallagher will rely on heavily this year.

With all of the senior talent that left the team following last season, it is easy to overlook the amount of talent Gallagher brought in with his freshman class. With recruits coming in from Australia and Texas, Hartford could have a bright future ahead.

“All four freshmen have a chance to play right away,” Gallagher said. “It’s one of the best freshman classes we’ve had in all my years here.”

Whether or not the Hawks will be able to survive after losing numerous key players to graduation remains to be seen. However, in a conference that has seen teams like Albany and Stony Brook succeed with few seniors, the Hawks are not just looking for success in the future — they want to win now.