FORT WORTH, Texas – When Southeastern Louisiana tips off the 2015-16 basketball season Friday night at 8:30 p.m. in the University Recreation Center against TCU it will be the culmination of more than four years worth of hard work for a trio of Lion seniors.

Fifth-year seniors Daniel Grieves, Mike Hawkins and Zay Jackson have all taken different roads to reach this point in their careers and they hope that by sharing their experiences with a young team it will make them stronger as a whole.

Southeastern, 9-23 a season ago, is looking to rebound from an injury-plagued season that eventually cost it four starters.

TCU, 18-15 in 2014-15, is looking to build off last year's success that brought it NJCAA Freshman of the Year Malique Trent (15.8 points, 3.2 rebounds and two assists at New Mexico Junior College).

The contest, which had to be moved across campus because of an ongoing renovation project at the Horned Frogs' arena, can be heard over the airwaves on KSLU 90.9 FM, online at www.LionSports.net or on a mobile device through the TuneIn Radio app. Southeastern will be wearing its gold uniforms and is encouraging Lion fans attending the game to show up adorned in gold as well.

In his second season, head coach Jay Ladner is almost starting over as Grieves is the only player returning with both considerable playing time and to have played a full season on the court for the Lions last year.

"At this point we're just not where we need to be with all these new players," Ladner said. "Its going to take us some time to get our chemistry together, but that's why you have a pre-conference schedule. Ours is going to be very challenging and we're going to learn a lot about ourselves. Playing such a tough schedule by time we get to Southland play we'll be okay. I feel like the tools are there. I'm excited to get the season started to see where we are."

Leading the way to success this season will be three grizzled veterans.

"We have them with all kinds of experiences," Ladner said. "Daniel graduated at Louisiana Monroe, but still had two years left to play. He had already been to the Air Force Academy, Pearl River Community College and then finished at ULM in a three-year period academically. He's been a steadying influence on the team and is a smart basketball player. Because we've had a player-coach relationship for so long, he really understands more about me than any other player and helps get the guys going in the right direction. He's like having another coach out there on the floor."

Besides a full year on the court last season, Grieves (7.5 points, 4.5 rebounds in 2014-15) has a few more under his belt with Ladner.

"What helps me the most is having played for Coach Ladner in high school," Grieves said. "We won over 120 games in four years. We had it down to a science and I know what he expects. With incoming freshman, guys who have never played Division I basketball or were injured for parts of last year, it helps that I have the experience to get them mentally prepared for it. Once they get on the court and realize what the seniors have been telling them is true and how to approach it, that will make a huge difference."

The Bay St. Louis, Mississippi, native agrees with his coach's assessment of what this year's squad needs most.

"The biggest thing with this team is we need to build chemistry," Grieves said. "We have so many new faces in the locker room, being excited to see your teammate succeed even more than wanting to score the points yourself is what we need. Make the extra pass or block out so that someone else can grab the rebound. Once we embrace that mentality it will help us succeed individually."

Building the chemistry will take time as key players like Jackson, Hawkins and junior guard Joshua Filmore, who have all logged significant minutes in a Lion uniform, work back from injuries.

"Zay played for Coach [Errol] Gauff in high school at St. Thomas Aquinas," Ladner said. "He signed with Murray State, but winds up out of basketball after an injury. He's been battling, not really at full strength, and gets hurt again last season. Now he's getting better and stronger every day. He's really the one that gives us a chance to play at a higher level than we've played. A preseason All-Conference pick, he's who we're going to hang our hat on. He gives us a chance to beat some better people and that's what we're going to have to do if we're going to move up the ladder."

Jackson missed the final five games last season and it hurt as Southeastern dropped all five. Watching the end was tough, but he knows it will take mental toughness to get through it all.

"I had to learn patience," Jackson said. "Coming into college, I was always on the go. I needed to slow down and the injuries, transferring, sitting out, all that taught me patience. I feel like I learned a lot just by watching while I wasn't able to play."

Back home in Hammond, Louisiana, Jackson has a different perspective on life since his college journey began.

"When I first got to college, I thought I was going to go pro," Jackson said. "I came out of high school and thought I was the man. With the injuries I've had, God's plan was to have me come back home. I'm very thankful to be at Southeastern."

Life lessons are never easy to learn, but Jackson has some on-court advice he wants to pass along to his teammates.

"I want to teach my young teammates the importance of playing together as a team," Jackson said. "Everybody wants to be the star, but if we all play together as a team that will translate into more wins. We have a chance to be very successful."

A key component to the Lion's success will be an offense that has the capability to outscore an opponent when needed. Last year Jackson (15.4 points, 4.6 assists) shouldered a huge responsibility as both the point guard and leading scorer. Filmore (12.2 points), then a sophomore, was forced to step up as the compliment to Jackson because Southeastern lost Hawkins (12.3 points in 2013-14), its leading returning scoring, to a preseason injury.

"Hawk was an All-Conference player the year before I arrived," Ladner said. "He can really shoot the ball. We're playing a little different style than what he last played here, so it's been a learning experience. He told me he feels like a freshman because his injury last season prevented him from even working out with the team. All he could really do was observe. His attitude through it all has been great and so has his work ethic. He's capable of putting up some big numbers."

Time on the sidelines helped Hawkins, a native of Raymond, Mississippi, as much as it hurt to just watch.

"Sitting out last year injured, allowed me to better see how the game is played," Hawkins said. "The speed of the game and the way the court opens up become more obvious. It was tough, but it was a good learning experience."

That experience, Ladner hopes, will translate into a powerful offensive attack when teamed with Jackson and Filmore.

"My role as the shooting guard is to make shots," Hawkins said. "When I'm not making it, I've got to have the self-confidence not to get down on myself and keep shooting."

The return of Hawkins and Jackson to the lineup hits at the heart of what Grieves feels sets the senior class apart.

"The biggest thing is perseverance, and I feel like they would both vouch for the same thing" Grieves said. "We've all been to multiple schools and had severe injuries. It's been more than just the normal grind for us. Its been the perseverance of going through multiple coaching staffs and learning new teammates. You come at it every day to get the most out of it that you can."

Toughness is what it will take for the Lions to persevere this season.

"As a small team, we have to play tough and win all the 50-50 balls," Hawkins said. "We've got to out-run everybody with our speed and quickness."

That all starts with a TCU team that allowed just 62.4 points per contest last season.

"I'm excited to get out there and see how much we've improved over the last couple weeks," Grieves said. "Playing big-money games you get to see how every one reacts to adversity. We go into these games, just like at Gonzaga last season, with the mentality that they have to prepare just as much to beat us as we do to beat them. We're not backing down. We're not scared. We just need to go in there and play the way we know how to play."

Following Friday's 8:30 p.m. season opener at TCU, the Lions travel to Texas A&M for a Monday evening contest against former Southeastern head coach Billy Kennedy. Tip off against the Aggies is scheduled for 7 p.m. on the SEC Network+ and WatchESPN.