APSU Basketball is synonymous with one name, Dave Loos, who retired after the 2016-17 season posting career 502 victories. The 2017-18 season marks the first time in 27 years that a new face is at the helm. who replaces a campus legend like that?

Matt Figger.

Figger, who served as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for the South Carolina Gamecocks took over head coaching duties at APSU after coming off of a NCAA Tournament Final Four appearance.

Figger has been an assistant coach since 1993, most notably associate head coach and recruiting coordinator for Kansas State (2007-2012) and South Carolina (2013-2017).

Transitioning from an associate head coach in a big name conference to head coach in a smaller conference such as the OVC has not been as difficult as one might think.

APSU, which only returned four players from last years roster, was picked to finish 11th out of 12 teams in the Ohio Valley Conference this season.

The team currently sits at 9-8 near the halfway mark of the season, hoisting a 4-1 record in the conference. The Govs are playing well on defense, giving up only 69 points per contest.

The team is getting strong play out of freshmen such as Terry Taylor and Dayton Gumm who are averaging 15 points and 10 points per game each.

APSU opened conference play scorching hot winning their first four games against SIU-Edwardsville, Eastern Illinois, UT Martin and Southeast Missouri. Following a loss, the Govs got win number five in conference over Jacksonville State.

The Govs are out to prove that the prediction made of them is incorrect and they are doing so in a big way.

The rest of January will be an important time for the team as they look to keep up the hot hand as they push through conference play.

The team has not won more than 19 games since the 2010 season. The Govs sit at 10 wins in the current season with 12 games left on their schedule.

Coach Figger and this group of young players will hopefully find a way to change that soon.