Cleary had those same expectations in his second year with the Boxers, but a rash of injuries kept the team from living up to its potential.  All-conference shooting guard Carson Bartlett was lost before the season had barely begun.  Point guard Andrew Beatty (Sr., Lynnwood, Wash.) was lost three games into the season with a broken wrist.  Injuries to starters Colin Wester (Sr., Sherwood, Ore.) and Dustin Bowser (Sr., Bellingham, Wash.) occurred at critical points of the Northwest Conference season.
 
While Bartlett has since graduated, the Boxers’ other three starters return for another try at success.   And Cleary believes the time is right for Pacific to make a significant move up in the league standings.
 
“Our overall talent has gotten better through our recruiting and our experience in the program,” Cleary said of his combination of 10 returners and eight newcomers.  “It will be real interesting when we finally get under the lights and into a real game situation to see how these guys respond.  We obviously feel good about where we are, but we haven’t proven anything yet.”
 
The experience of such a large group of returners will be critical with an offensive system that Cleary describes as the most complex in the NWC.  Having players in the program for a third year not only helps the offense run smoother, but helps a talented group of newcomers come online quicker.
 
“When you have guys running our kind of system, the longer they are in it, the better they get,” Cleary said.  “Even with our new guys, with as talented as they are, they are swimming a little bit from learning how we want things done.  The returners are at a higher level in that way.  That really helps with our new guys because they have good examples to follow.”
 
And once that group of newcomers learns the system, they have the chance to make some big waves.  The talented group of eight is led by First Team Oregon 6A All-State selection Danny Brakebush (Fr., Portland, Ore.) and dynamic guard Budweiser Hawkins (Jr., Las Vegas, Nev.) and is bolstered by a significant increase in height with 6-foot-6 junior transfer Daniel Zitani (Jr., Oakland, Calif.) and 6-foot-9 freshman Anthony Zerkel (Fr., Carson, Wash.).
 
Cleary believes the addition of all eight players bring a new dynamic that will only make the Boxers more competitive.  “The guys are willing to be coached and to get better every day,” Cleary said.  “The work ethic is great.  They’ve gotten better through the first month and their ability to take instruction, look at film breakdown and apply it to directly to their play on the floor has been encouraging.”
 
POINT GUARDS
 
“When he first got here, Andrew was more concerned about scoring the ball,” Cleary said, “but now he understands that his job is to be the quarterback of the team.  His value for us is through the roof.”
 
Coby Proctor (So., Sublimity, Ore.) was pressed into the starting point guard role as a freshman with Beatty’s injury and performed well.  Proctor averaged 4.4 points per game, dished out 41 assists and led the Boxers by shooting 81.3 percent from the free throw line.
 
Proctor will be pushed for playing time by a talented junior transfer in Eric Moore (Jr., Salem, Ore.).  Moore was an All-Golden Valley Conference selection as a sophomore at College of the Siskiyous in Weed, Calif., and brings significant athleticism to the position.
 
Both Proctor and Moore bring different strengths to the program that Cleary will use.  “Coby is a guy I can trust because he knows the system.  Eric brings a dynamic aspect to the game,” Cleary said.  “We will work by platoon a bit because both of those guys are real positive assets to the system.  There will be some battles for playing time.”
 
SHOOTING GUARDS
 
“With this being the third year in our system, Colin has an understanding of the game that is at a different level than it was a year ago,” Cleary said of Wester’s continuing growth as a player.  “He’s passing up shots, sharing the ball, attacking the basket and not relying on his jump shot so much.  I have been really impressed with his offseason development.”
 
Brakebush will see plenty of time at shooting guard, honing himself to take over Wester’s role after he graduates.  A First Team 6A All-State selection and the Mt. Hood Conference Player of the Year, Brakebush averaged 20 points per game while leading Central Catholic High School to a state tournament appearance.
 
Cleary said that Brakebush has all of the tools to be standout player in the NWC sooner than later.  “He is a great shooter, but in addition to that he can pass, rebound the ball and steal the ball,” Cleary said.  He just knows how to play.  We have to work with him to get his defense up to a higher level, but he is intelligent and tough enough that he will figure it out real quick.”
 
The Boxers also bring in another all-state guard in Bobby Ahern (Fr., Madras, Ore.).  A Second Team 4A All-State selection and two-time Tri-Valley Conference Player of the Year, Ahern averaged 18 points per game as a senior and had 75 steals as Madras just missed a spot in the final eight of the state tournament.
 
“I am real excited about Bobby’s future,” Cleary said.  “One he learns the system, we will be a good player for us down the road.”
 
Joey Burns (So., Hermiston, Ore.) will see time at the other shooting guard.  Burns came off the bench to average 2.6 points per game in 24 games, but has impressed the coaching staff with the improvement in his all-around game.
 
Cleary is impressed by the growth Burns has made since his freshman season.  “He is highly intelligent and understands the system,” Cleary said.  “Once he gets his level of play on the defensive end to equal the level of play on the offensive end, he has the chance to be special.  I am really happy with his development.”
 
Like Wester, Burns will be pushed by the junior transfer Hawkins.  An all-conference selection as a junior college guard, Hawkins led the state of Nevada in scoring during his junior year as Las Vegas’ Trinity High School.  A talented all-around athlete, Hawkins was also a three-time Nevada state champion in the long jump and high jump and set the state record in the high jump at 6-feet, 7 inches.
 
“Trey is an elite athlete.  He brings us something completely different,” Cleary said.  “He is really tough and really smart.  He has done a great job picking up a complex system.  His level of play will improve throughout the season because his athleticism is off the charts.”
 
David Berney (Sr., Eugene, Ore.) and Cameron Hayes (Jr., Milton, Wash.) will also vie for playing time.  Berney was the Boxers’ third leading scorer last year, averaging 9.7 points per game.  Injuries, however, have kept him from practicing in the preseason and could be a factor as the season progresses.  Hayes played in 20 games as a sophomore and saw spot starting time, averaging 3.8 points per game.
 
Connor Hurley (So., Portland, Ore.) returns to the program after a season away, playing in nine games as a freshman.  J.T. Campbell (Fr., Honolulu, Hawaii) provides additional depth after helping lead the Kamehameha School to a Hawaii state championship in 2011.
 
FORWARDS
 
Mosley’s growth in the program makes him extremely valuable to Cleary.  “From his first year in the program to now, he is become a completely different player and a completely different person,” Cleary said.  “He has really matured.  He did a good job for us last year and has put up some great numbers in our scrimmages.”
 
Dustin Bowser (Sr., Bellingham, Wash.) brings not only height to the lineup, but experience in the system.  A starter in 19 games as a junior transfer, Bowser finished seventh in the league with 6.7 rebounds per game and was the Boxers’ most accurate shooter, averaging 51.5 percent from the field, and ranked ninth in the NWC with 15 blocked shots.
 
“With a year in the system, you can see such a big improvement,” Cleary said.  “He is active on the glass.  He can block shots, he can defend, he can rebound, he can run the floor.  I am expecting big things out of Dustin this year.”
 
A pair of tall newcomers will challenge both returners for starting roles.  Zitani played a significant role in leading Diablo Valley College to the third of the California junior college state championships thanks to his blend of size and athleticism.  “I don’t think there will be another guy in our conference that blends athleticism and the feel for the game that he does,” Cleary said.  “He has a high basketball I.Q. and should be an impact guy for us.”
 
Zerkel was a teammate of Brakebush at Central Catholic and brings a raw potential for the game that Cleary is excited to hone.  “People might say that he is a project, but in my years of coaching bigs, he has the things you can’t teach,” Cleary said.  “He can catch the ball.  He can run.  He is already a great defender.  His future is bright.”
 
Returners Marc Eppinger (So., Camas, Wash.) and Mitch Wettig (So., Bend, Ore.) provide additional experience in the system.  Eppinger saw action in all 25 games and made three starts, averaging 5.2 points per game while connecting 49.5 percent of his shots.  Wettig saw action in 12 games, averaging 2.6 points per contest.  J.K. Duncan (So., Kailua, Hawaii) also joins the program for his first season.