Carrollton, GA - Three weeks into the 2014 practice season for the UWG men's basketball squad, head coach Michael Cooney is set to turn his Wolves loose in a single exhibition game Monday night in Savannah, as West Georgia will play against Division I Savannah State at 7 p.m. at Tiger Arena.

The Wolves had a successful run in 2013-14, going 18-11 on the year following one of the top exhibition seasons in recent memory, as the Wolves nearly took down the Alabama Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, pushing the Tide to overtime last November before losing in the final seconds of the extra period. For Monday night's exhibition, fans can follow online via video and audio. Live Video - Live Audio.

Leading the way this year is sophomore phenom Deonta Stocks, who was an All-Conference guard last season, leading the Gulf South Conference in scoring with more than 20 points per game. Stocks leads a very deep and talented UWG backcourt this season along with senior returners Thomas Higginbotham, Taylor Cochran, junior point guard Deontre Brown and sophomore guard Malick Kone.

Cooney and his staff stocked up on talented transfers in the backcourt, as he added four transfer guards in the offseason. Leading the way is a pair of Division I transfers Alex Abreu and Willie Evans. Abreu is a senior guard from Bayamon, Puerto Rico who comes to UWG after a solid three-year career at Division I Akron. Evans spent his first collegiate season at Georgia State, and both players bring good ball-handling skills, speed and solid shooting ability.

He also brought two more transfer guards in Marcus Dortch and Christian Houston. Dortch starred at Southern Poly over the past two years and is a very athletic guard who can play the two or three spot, but can light it up from three point range. Houston is a talented guard who played at Palm Beach Community College, followed by a season at Clark Atlanta.

Cooney also has a pair of solid shooters who will force opponents to bring post players to the perimeter with Zach Taulien and Fredrik Boehn. Taulien has been a sharpshooter for the Wolves for two seasons and Boehn showed his skills at the end of the year last year.

Underneath, the Wolves will count on Boehn and Taulien for some defense, but the bulk of the minutes will go to senior returner Emory Bernard and junior transfer Jovany Austin. Bernard had a solid year as a backup for much of the 2013-14 season, but when the bulk of the UWG front line went down at midseason, he stepped up and played well in their stead. Austin was fifth in the nation in junior college rebounding at Malcolm X last year, averaging 20 points and 14 rebounds per game, and he will be a legitimate threat in the post for the Wolves this season.

West Georgia will begin the regular season at home this weekend, taking on Claflin in the season opener on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. in the Wentz Financial GSC-SIAC Challenge. GSC newcomer Lee will take on Morehouse in the first game of the tourney on Friday at 5:30 p.m. On Saturday, the teams will flip, with Lee taking on Claflin at 4:00 p.m., followed by a 6:00 p.m. battle between UWG and the Maroon Tigers.