HARROGATE, Tenn. -- This is part two of a four-part series previewing the upcoming 2015-16 Lincoln Memorial University men's basketball season. Now we take a look at the Railsplitters' frontcourt, a young but talented group returning four players that appeared in at least 30 games last season.
 
What the Railsplitters lack in the absence of that one transcendent offensive talent on that interior, like Desmond Johnson, D'Mario Curry or Vincent Bailey of past seasons, they more than make up for with depth, size and unmatched athleticism.
 
While the Railsplitters' frontcourt does feature four players that made at least 30 appearances last season, none of those four averaged more than 17 minutes per game. Lincoln Memorial also lost its most experienced post player to graduation with the departure of Keenan Peterson, who started 31 game last season, averaging 10 points and 8.3 rebounds per game in an average of 22.1 minutes. Peterson signed a professional contract with Vevey Riviera Basket of the Swiss Pro-B league this summer.
 
"We're a young group in there for the most part. I do think that there's a lot of upside in the interior, but there's a lot of questions that they have to answer," LMU men's basketball coach Josh Schertz said. "A couple of those guys can be playmakers for us, kind of point-forward types. We will mess with some stuff, juggle our lineups and see how it looks. The key for this group is to continue that growth and continue to work to be dependable, reliable guys that we can count on a game-to-game basis."
 
The Railsplitters were among the best in the country last season in field goal percentage offense and defense, ranking 18th in overall field goal efficiency with a 49.4 percent clip while leading the nation in opponent field goal percentage with a stingy 37.9 percent mark. Additionally, Lincoln Memorial was fourth in the nation in rebounding margin and ninth in total blocks, numbers that are largely a credit to the effort and energy that the frontcourt brought to the table on a nightly basis.
 
Lincoln Memorial's embarrassment of riches in the paint is keyed by the return of senior Curtis McMillion (Fayetteville, N.C.) and sophomores Dorian Pinson (Greenville, S.C.) and Emanuel Terry (Enterprise, Ala.).
 
McMillion averaged 7.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 0.7 blocks per game last season, converting 87 of his 141 field goal attempts for a 61.7 percent clip. The 6-6 forward ranked 12th in the South Atlantic Conference and second on the team with 23 blocks. He hit double-figure scoring in nine of his 33 appearances, headlined by a season-high 19 points in the Railsplitters' season-opening win over Lees-McRae.
 
A Swiss Army Knife of sorts, Pinson was named to the SAC All-Freshman squad after averaging 5.5 points, 4.8 rebounds, 1.0 assists, 0.8 steals and 0.4 blocks per game as a true freshman. The Greenville, S.C. native and 6-5 guard/forward combo shot 47.1 percent from the field despite making just eight of his 29 three-point tries (27.6 percent). He had double-digit points in seven of his 33 games, including a monster performance against Queens that featured 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks.
 
Undoubtedly one of the nation's elite athletes, Terry, the nephew of seven-time NBA champion Robert "Big Shot Bob" Horry, is primed for a breakout season for the Railsplitters after showing flashes of brilliance in limited playing time as a freshman in 2014-15. In just 8.7 minutes per game, the 6-9 forward contributed 4.1 points, 4.5 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game, all while ranking ninth in the South Atlantic Conference in blocks with 32. The Enterprise, Ala. native, who shot a ridiculous 62.5 percent from the field, had 16 points and seven rebounds in 14 minutes of action against Mars Hill last season.
 
"As the year went on Emanuel's minutes grew and Dorian's minutes were up and down," Schertz said. "So for those guys you've got to figure out if they can be reliable, dependable and bring it on a consistent basis. We think they can, and think they are both going to be outstanding players. It's a lot of pressure on them, but we think they can handle it."
 
Redshirt junior Paul Woodson (Cincinnati, Ohio) is also expected to make a major leap in his fourth year with the program. At 6-9, Woodson is another long and athletic forward capable of guarding multiple positions on the court. He turned in 1.7 points and 2.8 rebounds per game on 47.6 percent shooting in 31 appearances last season.
 
Nicksen Blanc (Port Charlotte, Fla.), a 6-6, 255-pound forward, will also be added to the frontcourt rotation after redshirting the 2014-15 campaign to get acclimated with Lincoln Memorial's system. Boasting a physical profile that mirrors former All-American Vincent Bailey, Blanc, a Port Charlotte, Fla. native, was an All-State selection following his senior season at Port Charlotte High School. He average 16 points and 10 rebounds that season to join Port Charlotte's 1000-point club. 
 
With a unique ensemble of frontcourt players boasting a wide range of physical attributes and skill sets, Schertz will have a variety of options at his disposal. But finding the right way to mix and match those individual pieces from one game to the next will play a critical role in the Railsplitters' success.

"You'd like to have a rotation of four big men. We have five that I think can all play," Schertz said. "It's going to be on a game-to-game basis. It's going to be important for me and those guys to stay malleable, and understand that this night it may call for this and that game calls for that. We have good character, smart guys that understand that some nights it's their night and sometimes it's not. Game and performance dictates that."
 
Last season was the first time in Schertz's seven-year tenure with the Railsplitters in which a forward did not rank among the top two scorers on the team. Moreover, the 2013-14 team was the first of the Schertz era in which neither the team's leading scorer or second-leading scorer played on the interior.