A new era in Eastern men’s basketball gets its start tonight when the Panthers take on Illinois-Springfield in an exhibition game at 7:35 p.m. in Lantz Arena.

For the first time since 1979, the Panthers will take the court without Rick Samuels as their head coach.

Both the players and new head coach Mike Miller are excited to get the season under way, but Miller said game situations should be nothing new to his team.

“What I’ve been saying since the first day we practiced is ‘We have to play like we practice, and we have to practice like we play,'” Miller said. “That’s what I want to see when we get out there.”

Miller has even simulated game situations like media timeouts and a halftime in an effort to get his players back in routine.

Sophomore center George Tandy said the game with the Prairie Stars gives the team a chance to see how comfortable it is with Miller’s basketball philosophy.

“We’re going to see how we work in the new system,” he said. “We had been looking pretty bad in practice, but I think we’re coming together at the right time.”

Tandy, last season’s Ohio Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, said the game will also give the Panthers a chance to see how their three freshmen are progressing.

One of them, guard Mike Robinson, said he’s looking forward to wearing an Eastern jersey for the first time in his career.

“I’m really excited to play my first college game,” Robinson said “I just want to see if all our hard work and all our practice pays off Thursday.

“We want to see the fruits of our labor because we’ve been working really hard.”

Experienced players, like senior guard Josh Gomes are also ready to take the court – exhibition or not.

“I don’t think it’s anything different,” Gomes said. “It’s just an opportunity to finally play against different opponents.

“Everyone’s taking this like a real game.”

And to Miller, the game has one distinct purpose.

“It’s a great thing to play these exhibition games,” he said. “We need to get something out of this game, and we need to get better.”

Gomes said he’s still getting adjusted to the new offensive sets, which isn’t unexpected.

“I get the concepts of it, but I’m still trying to find ways to score out of the offense,” he said. “Now, it’s more of just trying to get used to everything – being in the flow and taking and seeing opportunities to score in the offense.”

But Gomes isn’t the only one still learning.

With a new coaching staff, all of the players are being thrown equal amounts of new information, which Robinson said is an advantage for the freshmen.

“With a new coach, everyone starts at the same point,” he said. “No one really knew the offense we were going to run or anything like that so everyone’s at the same point.

“That’s really good for me because I’m not really left behind.”

The Panthers are looking to improve on a 12-16 season and eighth-place finish in the OVC.

And the journey begins against Illinois-Springfield, a team Miller expects to pressure the Panthers for all 40 minutes.

As of Tuesday, the Panthers still hadn’t devoted time to press-breaks.

“We’re probably not ready to play a game in the sense that we’re prepared for all the things you’re going to see in a game,” he said. “But, we might be at a point in order to take another step, we need to see where we’re at.”

But don’t get Miller wrong – a victory is still a priority.

“If we’re keeping score, it’s always important to win.”