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Quote:DeKALB - As a few rays of sunshine burst through the windows of the Convocation Center, Northern Illinois University men's basketball coach Ricardo Patton strutted to the podium on media day.

On the eve of Halloween, the dark clouds lifted to reveal a rare summer-like day in late October. Call it symbolic or plain good luck, but the sunny day served as the ideal backdrop for a program infused with a batch of new players, coaches and dreams.

Patton didn't dress up in Halloween garb, or attempt a stab at humoring the media. He elected to take the upfront approach, utilizing the media day as a vehicle to showcase his desire to build a quality program on par with the best in the Mid-American Conference.

Patton, whose salary is reportedly around $350,000 a year, isn't afraid of dreaming big. He put up a banner in the locker room stating the program's goal to win a national championship. Not a title in Division II or III, but Division I.

The first-year coach adopted the same philosophy at Colorado. Before Patton's arrival, the Buffaloes hadn't reached the NCAA Tournament in 27 years. He implored his coaches and players to not be afraid to set their goals high.

Patton finished his 11-year tenure as Colorado's second-winningest coach, leading the Buffaloes to a pair of NCAA tourney appearances. Huskie fans hope Patton can weave his magic in DeKalb.

“Anything less than a national championship will always be short of our goal,” Patton said. “Why shouldn't our kids want to win a national championship? Success starts in our mind. We want our kids to reach for the stars. That's our ultimate goal.”

The Huskies have 19 players practicing, with Colorado transfer Sean Kowal and Zach Pancratz sitting out the season. Patton's trying to change the negative culture in the program - nine losing seasons in the last 11 years, including last year's 7-23 mark - by incorporating military-style practices. The Huskies have practiced at 5 a.m., and as late as 9 p.m. trying to build a winning mentality.

Patton told the small assemblage of local media a story about one of his players asking if teams from the Big 12 practiced like the Huskies.

“Our practices are geared toward competing with the likes of Kansas,” Patton said. “When you play in the NCAA Tournament more than likely you will face a team of that caliber. Our sole duty is all predicated on preparing our team for postseason play. You will see us play extremely hard.”

Patton upgraded the non-conference schedule to test his team. The Huskies open the season in the BTI Tip-Off Tourney in Cedar Falls, IA. The Huskies will play Northern Iowa, Massachusetts and Cal-Poly in the three-day tourney starting on Nov. 9. Northern Illinois travels to face Southern Illinois on Nov. 17, and plays at Notre Dame (Dec. 8).

“We'll play Southern Illinois here next year,” Patton said. “We've contacted Illinois. That's something we can look forward to in the future.”

The Huskies added eight new players to this year's roster. The influx of talented newcomers has raised the expectations for the program. Sophomore point guard Cody Yelder welcomes the chance to work with the likes of Jake Anderson, Najul Ervin, Michael Fakuade, Lee Fisher, Michael Hart, Jeremy Landers, Sean Smith and Patton's youngest son, Michael.

“I'm very excited with the new coaching staff and we have a lot of good players,” Yelder said. “I've got a lot of options and I love our increased tempo. I feel very confident and comfortable with my new teammates and look forward to a good season.”

Shaun Logan, one of four seniors, said don't underestimate the young Huskies.

“I think we can be very good,” Logan said. “We have a lot of new faces, but all of the new guys are athletic. We have more athletic players than last year. I'm really excited. We have a lot of new energy and doing a whole lot of new things. Last year was a tough year for everybody. This season is a new start.”