It didn't take Northwest Missouri State men's basketball coach Ben McCollum very long to throw down the gauntlet with assistant coach Austin Meyer.

Let's just call this coaching combination a Bearcat players' reunion. McCollum was a guard for the Bearcats for two seasons from 2001-03, and his Bearcat career overlapped that of Meyer, a sharpshooting forward.

"He was a freshman when I was a senior, so I picked on him all the time," McCollum said with a laugh.

But wait a minute, coach. Meyer has at least a half a foot and about 75 pounds on you.

Doesn't matter, McCollum said.

"He just floated around and shots 3s," McCollum said. "Shoot, I probably outrebounded him."

OK, it might be time for a little one-on-one. I'll start taking ticket orders soon."

Even the Bearcat tracks of McCollum and graduate assistant Andy Peterson have previously crossed. McCollum was a graduate assistant at the Maryville school when Peterson began his playing career with the Bearcats.

The Bearcats missed Peterson's hustle and toughness last season when they skidded to a finish out of the running for an MIAA tournament berth. But McCollum said players like Peterson are exactly the type he wants to pluck out of the high schools in his attempt to rebuild the Bearcat basketball program.

Those are the players who may not make a tremendous impact immediately, but over a four- or five-year investment, pay huge dividends.