MURRAY, Ky. — For a brand new basketball team, the summer is a needed time to build chemistry both on and off the court. For Murray State and its 15 newcomers, that is especially true.

With the team slated to get extra practices and three exhibition games in the foreign tour in the Bahamas starting Monday, the group took the court at the CFSB Center for a final practice leading up to the event.

The intense practice featured a film session, as well as drills such as four minutes of non-stop three-point shooting, with teams of two competing to see who can make the most. A physical three-on-three drill followed that one.

Miller says the trip to the Bahamas will give his new team an idea of how the group will prepare and gameplan for upcoming opponents.

“We’re preparing [for] Calgary, the first game we play out there, like we were playing Omaha November 3rd,” head coach Ryan Miller said.

Over the past two months, the Racers have focused on bonding and building team chemistry. As time rolls on, the natural question will be about the starting lineups and rotations.

“We [have] 15 really good basketball players, so defining roles is going to be a challenge for us and we’re doing that every day this summer and through the Bahamas trip,” Miller said. “We’ll tinker with lineups, we’ll play different people in different positions and all over the place just to see what we’ve got and throw a little adversity out there and see how our guys handle it and how our staff handles it.”

The Racers will play three games in three days in the Bahamas, with players saying they’re excited to face competition other than themselves on the court.

“I’m excited just to see a little bit of what we’re made of and how far we’ve come in these eight weeks in this summer,” sophomore guard and West Virginia transfer KJ Tenner said. “Really though, you look at this trip as even more bonding with the guys. It’s a long year ahead, so basically using this trip to get even closer with the guys because we’re going to have a lot of ups and downs, so you’ve got to have a true bond.”

The Racers will play the University of Calgary on Monday, then two teams based in the Bahamas on Tuesday and Wednesday. All games will tip off at 10:00 a.m. CT and can be watched on YouTube.