By B.J. Bennett
 
In the final game of the debut season of head coach Tim MacAllister, the College of Coastal Georgia defeated top ten Sun Conference foe Keiser 95-90 in Brunswick. It was the fitting exclamation point on a winning seven-game stretch to finish the year, one where two of the Mariners' three losses in that span were by one possession. While that success was the finish to one season, it served, in terms of a springboard, as the start to another. MacAllister enters 2026-2027 with nine returning players, a number of heralded newcomers and rising expectations for year two at Coastal Georgia.
 
With practice now officially underway, the Mariners are on a mission.
 
"One of our biggest priorities as we get started is trying to build the identity of who we are. We've done some of the that in the summer, some of that through the pre-season. We've had a really strenuous strength and conditioning program, so that our bodies are right going into this. We're a little bit more banged up then I'd like us to be, but I think guys understand who we want to be as a team and we're really building even more of a foundation for that right now," MacAllister explained. "I think that it's important that those things we want to be as a team, we're emphasizing now. You are what you emphasize. For us, that's going to be a really tough team. It's going to be a team that plays with a ton of pace. It's going to be a team that is unselfish on both ends."
 
Coastal Georgia returns six players who started at least one game last season: Thaddeus Burns, Braden Wood, Alexandre Zambonetti, Kaden McArthur, Nick Patton and Khylan McKennie. Also back is forward Ellis Graham, who led the team in blocked shots a year ago despite being limited to just a dozen games. That familiar core will be joined by former Division I transfers in Ibra Bayu, from Valparaiso, and Jayden Cole, from Mercer. Fellow college transfers Jason Okonta and Caiden Punt join returnees junior Lorenzo Ceffoli and redshirt freshman Luke Frisbee and true freshmen C.J. Bailey and Kyle Bailey to complete the roster.
 
It's a talented, experienced and versatile group; one that already has the attention of the both the Sun Conference and NAIA basketball.   
 
"Guys are fired up to get into official practice. They've been talking about how they can't wait to get going and can't wait to get this group together and start gelling together. Because we think we've got a lot of really talented pieces and a lot of multi-faceted players who can play a ton of different roles. Trying to get all that to mesh, trying to get all of that on the court…the energy level is extremely high," MacAllister continued. "I think this group also knows what we're here for. Nine guys coming back for a reason, to be able to go chase something really, really special that has never been done here. It's got to start day-by-day with the process of what we do and I think there's a good understanding of that."
 
As the start of the season approaches, MacAllister is looking for a specific focus and mindset, one that reflects the potential this team has. That standard has been in place throughout workouts and conditioning, with four seniors helping to set the tone even before fall practices got underway. Beyond just the measurables and the production, the Coastal Georgia coaching staff is looking for the intangibles in purposely intense and rigorous practice sessions. MacAllister is making it a point to test the Mariners. He is preparing this team, one that is already generating buzz, for both the challenges and opportunities that await.
 
There is a sense of urgency and purpose to this pre-season.
 
"I want to see just an energy. I tell guys every single day, there's two things that they can control: their attitude and their energy," MacAllister added. "I want to see unbelievable attitudes; guys picking each other up, guys coming in with a growth mindset to learn what we need to get done. And then I also need guys to have great energy. That means both effort, but it also means their demeanor to their teammates. That flying around, relentless spirit that we have as a program. I want to see that from guys. I know the execution is not going to be perfect, that's OK. Is the effort there, is the attention there, for us to be really, really good day-by-day?"
 
That excitement is one the players feel. This is a Coastal Georgia team with a rare familiarity in today's college basketball, featuring nearly a complete two-deep of returnees well-versed with one another and MacAllister's system alike. Add in a heralded collection of newcomers who are already fitting right in and the momentum the Mariners have is very real. Following months of training sessions, actual practice, with such a dynamic roster of players, has been a welcomed addition. What MacAllister is expecting in camp is demanding, but most things worth doing are.
 
Individually and collectively, Coastal Georgia is making sure every step forward is one made with progress in mind.  
 
"Obviously pre-seasons are tough, always, with the running and conditioning and getting in shape. As soon as we're able to get out there and touch a basketball again, get it going, we're always excited for that and it just means that we're closer to the season. Just enjoying the process and getting better each day," shared McArthur, a senior guard from Atlanta. "I think we're starting to gel and I think that the excitement level with what we're going to bring to the table should be really good. As long as we're healthy, I think it will be a fun season for sure."