Tim Drakeley played a key role as a reserve for the Waynesburg University men's basketball team last season.

A Trinity High School graduate, Drakeley will move into the starting lineup this season, but was called upon to play the backup role one more time at the Presidents' Athletic Conference preseason press conference, which took place Tuesday at Mellon Arena's Igloo Club.

Drakeley, a 5-foot-6 senior guard, filled in for Yellow Jackets coach Frank Ferraro, who could not attend due to teaching responsibilities.

"I was kind of nervous at first because I've never done anything like this before," said Drakeley, who played in all 25 games for the Yellow Jackets last season, but started only two. "[Assistant] coach [Lynford] Lynch would have filled in for coach Ferraro, but he's been out sick with the flu."

Drakeley turned in a flawless performance during his five-minute speech summarizing the upcoming season for Waynesburg and recorded a save in relief of Ferraro.

"I was real excited when he asked because I love this, being around these guys," Drakeley said. "I have a lot of respect for the great job the coaches do in this conference. It was a great experience."

Ferraro enters his fifth season at Waynesburg with a 47-58 record. The Yellow Jackets posted a 12-13 record last season, which included a disappointing 4-8 record in the PAC.

"If you look at our roster, you will see several names missing," said Blakely, noting that five of the Yellow Jackets top 10 scorers have graduated. "We had three 1,000-point scorers graduate."

Drakeley was referring to Beau Wilson, Marc Lodovico, and Jeff Nero. That trio combined to average 37.2 points per game.

"We have to be careful not to compare the players on this team with the ones we lost," said Ferraro. "You can never replace players with their leadership and intangibles. This is a new team with a different legacy, and we will have to see how that plays out over the course of the season."

Drakeley, who averaged 8.6 points per game, is one of five returnees who played in 20 or more games last season.

"We are going to rely heavily on our three seniors -- Tim Drakeley, Jered Gamble and Josh Parisi," said Ferraro. "They have done a great job with their offseason and preseason conditioning. All three of them are outstanding leaders."

Gamble is a 5-11 senior guard from Oak Glen, W.Va., who played in 23 games, starting 17 times, and averaged 6.5 points per game. Parisi is a 6-5 senior forward from Ambridge who played in all 25 games and started 21. Parisi averaged 6.9 points, 4.7 rebounds and 1.8 assists per game.

"I'm one of a few players who have been sitting in the shadows, waiting for a chance to start," said Drakeley. "We also have a lot of new players. The excitement is high in practice because everybody knows they have a chance to play. It's a matter of who's ready to step up and who's ready to lead."

The other two returnees who played in 20 or more games are: Dan Happe and Ryan Courneen. Happe, a 6-2 junior guard from Peters Township, played in 24 games and started three times. Courneen, a 6-0 sophomore guard from Quaker Valley, played in 20 games, starting two.

Colby Grubich and Jason Clark, a pair of juniors who saw limited playing time last year, will also have a chance to increase their playing time. Grubich, a 6-5 forward from Ringgold, played in 11 games and averaged 1.5 points. Clark, a 6-0 guard from Moon Area, played in seven games.

"I am not sure how heavily we will rely on the freshmen this season," said Ferraro. "I wouldn't want to make any of those expectations until after a month of competition through practices, scrimmages and the early portion of the season."

Drakeley and his teammates are hoping to improve on last year's fifth-place PAC finish.

"The conference is wide open this year," said Drakeley. "The team that plays the best, and finds the right momentum at the right time will finish on top. The automatic berth to the NCAA [Division III] is a big incentive. We're really looking forward to the season."