Head basketball coach Rick Samuels isn’t ready to pencil in his lineup for Eastern’s season opener on Nov. 18.

“We are nowhere near knowing what our rotation is,” Samuels said.

The Panthers struggled to earn a 95-89 victory in their exhibition contest against the NBC Thunder.

This exhibition team filled with former college players and retired Cleveland Cavalier Craig Ehlo were blown out by Eastern Washington and North Idaho College.

Eastern attempted to play fast-paced basketball, but ended the night with only four fast-break points and 19 turnovers.

“We are still working on team chemistry,” Samuels said.

However, the Panthers will be similar to most Ohio Valley Conference foes this season by implementing a three-guard lineup on several occasions.

“That kind of style provides difficult matchups for certain teams,” Samuels said.

One of the bright spots for the Panthers was the offensive emergence of Jesse Mackinson. Last season Mackinson averaged just below 10 points per game but Eastern’s 6-foot-8-inch forward was eight of 11 from the field scoring 15 points in 25 minutes Monday night.

“One of our goals is to get Jesse more shot attempts this season because he needs to consistently be in double figures every game,” Samuels said.

OVC preseason Player of the Year Henry Domercant struggled in the first half, shooting four of 15 from the floor but Samuels saw the problem and addressed it during a media timeout.

“I said to (Henry) ‘you have to catch and shoot and everything else off the dribble will come,” Samuels said.

Domercant ended the evening accumlumating another double-double with 35 points and 10 rebounds in 34 minutes of action.

Even with having an average frontcourt height of 6-foot-6, the Panthers were able to out-rebound the NBC Thunder 52-44 – something they failed to do last season.

“We like to become known as a prominent rebounding team,” Samuels said. “Rebounding isn’t about height, it’s about effort and how badly you want that ball.”

Last season, the Panthers gave up an average of 77 points per game but Samuels is concerned about defensive intensity in this squad.

“We need to dictate more with our defense rather than react,” Samuels said.

The post defense is a concern with the NBC Thunder scoring 36 of its 89 points in the paint.

“We don’t teach (Jesse Mackinson) to front players in the post,” Samuels said. “That’s a problem we will address immediately.”

The Panthers will travel to the potato capital of Boise, Idaho, for the season opener against Boise State in the Preseason NIT.

Samuels has begun preparation for that matchup but legitimately believes they can pick up a road victory.

“We believe they will try to push the ball up and down the court without the personnel capable of doing so,” Samuels said.