Two things stuck out about the 2011-12 Idaho State men’s basketball team — the players struggled on defense and the offense lived and died by the three-point shot.

    First year head coach Bill Evans plans to change both of those things during the 2012-13 season as the team will focus on playing solid defense and taking good shots throughout games.

    Since being named head coach on March 7, Evans has spent much of his time on the road recruiting players he hopes will help fill the needs of the program.

    “Blending your team together is very, very important, it does not just happen,” Evans said. “The team has done a lot of stuff together on and off the floor in the way of community service and those kinds of things. We brought in good kids and I think we have embraced one another, and that is a good thing.”

    Evans’ first recruiting class is made up of five junior college transfers and one true freshman. The three guards, two forwards and a center all bring different things to the Bengals on both sides of the ball.

    The jewel of the recruiting class may be guard Tomas Sanchez from Fresno City Community college.

    As a sophomore, averaged 13.4 points, 7.2 assists and four rebounds per game for a team that won the California Junior College Championship.

    “Having a point guard that can run your team and do the things you want him to do is key,” Evans said. “We were very fortunate to get Tomas. He has done a good job and is a tough kid and I think he can help us win games at the guard position.”

    Sanchez joins Melvin Morgan, Sherrod Baldwin and Nick Mason as point guards already on ISU’s roster.

    “Shot selection is very important to me,” Evans said. “Melvin is a shot maker and I want to him to take 10-12 shots a game, but I want them to be good shots.”

    Evans plans on using just one post player at a time so fans will get used to seeing a lot of guards on the floor.

    Evans favors having bigger players on the wings and with the graduation of Chase Grabau, he was in need of finding athletes who fit the mold. Evans went to assistant coach Andy Ward’s former school Northwest College and got 6-foot-4 wing Chris Hansen.

    Hansen averaged 19 points as a freshman last season and Evans says he is a shooter.

    Hansen joins Andre Hatchett in the position. Newcomer Nnamdi Ezenwa could also see time at the wing as well as in the post.

    Size at the post position is something that ISU has not really had in recent years. Many thought that would change when 7-foot-4 Jakub Kusmieruk transferred to ISU from Central Florida. But injuries derailed most of Kusmieruk’s junior season, so Evans went out an brought in Avibakuro Preh and Neveij Walters to man the post position.

    “I think a player that is athletic enough and strong enough to play in the post is someone who is 6-8 or 6-9, it’s big enough” Evans said. “I am not going to play with two big post guys because I think there are way more wings than there are post guys.”

    The 6-foot-9 Preh comes to ISU from Miles Community College in Montana where he averaged seven points and eight rebounds a game last season. He averaged almost three blocks a contest as well.

    Fans used to the run-and-gun offense that the Bengals played last season may not be thrilled that Evans and his staff are planning on slowing the pace a bit this year. His emphasis is on getting the ball into the hands of the right players in the right situations. So far the returning players and the newcomers are adjusting well to the changes.

    With the opening of practice on Saturday, Evans is excited for the upcoming season and he is ready to get out onto the court and begin to prepare.

    The Bengals begin practice Saturday in Reed Gym.