Media day, the chance to ask any question you want to Utah Valley University's basketball coaches.

Can this team make the NIT?

What about a conference championship?

Can you top last year's win total?

Who will be this season's breakout player?

As different as the questions were to men's coach Dick Hunsaker and women's coach Cathy Nixon on Monday afternoon, there was one question that neither one of them could avoid.

What's it going to be like to replace your most prolific scorer in school history?

In other words, how do you replace Ryan Toolson and Robyn Fairbanks?

As the men's team prepares for its season opener, an exhibition game tonight against Trinity Western University in the McKay Events Center, and the women's team gets ready to host Montana Tech on Wednesday, they are both about to find out what life is like without their superstars.

Toolson graduated as UVU's all-time leading scorer and was most remembered for his incredible performance against Chicago State, when he scored 63 points. He graduated with the second-best free throw percentage in NCAA history.

"Difficult. Lonely, pointless," said UVU coach Dick Hunsaker said with a laugh when he was asked about playing without Toolson. "Ryan's absence is certainly going to be well documented and noted, but Josh Olsen's loss is a big loss because of his defensive presence and his energy. Those are two big losses, and Brett Ravenberg was a glue type of guy. Missing those three guys, certainly Ryan being the headliner of those, it's a new team with a new personality and it needs to develop a new identity."

UVU doesn't return a player who averaged more than 7.5 points per game from last year's 17-11 team.

"When you lose a Toolson and those guys, everyone's roles do change," Hunsaker said. "Everyone's improved, but everyone has a new role. The role they had a year ago is different, the expectations and the bar has raised. For us to have success, they're going to have translate that into a much more accountable, responsible role on the team."

The women's team faces a similar dilemma. Coming off a 17-10 season, they must figure out how to fill the void that Fairbanks left when she graduated after amassing more than 2,500 points and 1,000 rebounds. She averaged 26.0 points per game last season and for her career, she scored in double figures 103 times in 110 games.

But easing the pain of losing Fairbanks will be the return of senior Julie (McMurray) Smith, who averaged 18.3 points per game.

"Obviously it will be a different look to our team. Offensively there was no secret what our offense was the last four years was give Robyn the ball and get out of the way," Nixon said. "But we are returning three starters, kids who have played 20-plus minutes and have definitely made a contribution. I feel confident in who was have coming back and I'm excited about the group of freshmen we have coming in. I know we have several kids will make an immediate impact."

Following their exhibition games this week, both teams will be off until Nov. 13. The men will host North Dakota at 7 p.m. and the women will gear up for a date with BYU in Provo at 3:30 p.m.

• UVU women picked to finish second in GWC; Smith named preseason player of year: At Naperville, Ill., the UVU women's basketball was picked to finish second in the Great West Conference preseason poll by a vote of league coaches. Wolverine senior Julie Smith was named the conference's preseason player of the year after averaging 18.3 points and 6.4 rebounds for UVU last year.

Smith, who was married during the off-season and whose maiden name is McMurray, was one of five first-team selections, along with Kayla Begaason (North Dakota), Jessica Gerald (NJIT) and sisters Courtney and Alyssa Waldon (Chicago State). UVU senior point guard Asumi Nakayama was named honorable mention.

"Julie deserves that recognition for her contributions last year," UVU coach Cathy Nixon said. "I think in some ways it's easy to overlook the imprint that she's had on our success the last couple of years because Robyn (Fairbanks) was so dominating, but I don't think you can underestimate the impact she's had at all. She's prepared and ready to step up into a bigger role."

North Dakota was chosen to win the league by a narrow margin of two points over both Utah Valley and Chicago State. All three teams received two first-place votes each.

The Sioux received 42 points with the Wolverines and Cougars both netting 40. South Dakota was voted fourth with 28 points, while Texas-Pan American (17 points), Houston Baptist (16 points) and NJIT (13 points) rounded out the poll.

Related

• Toolson to play for Sacramento summer league team
• No. 24 Minnesota too strong for UVU men's hoops