Cooper, who was hired at the end of last season to replace Cy Alexander, has signed five players to go with three prospects Alexander signed in November, bringing to eight the number of newcomers on the Tigers' roster.

That's more than any other team in the Ohio Valley Conference and most teams in the nation.

Only three scholarship players - Lonnie Funderburke, Darius Cox and Jeremiah Crutcher - will return for TSU, which had six seniors on last year's team. Walk-on Wil Peters also returns.

It wasn't Cooper's intention to come so close to totally revamping the team. But the former Auburn assistant had little choice after two of the team's top players - guards Gerald Robinson Jr. and Parker Smith - decided not to return, along with reserve Derek Shoecraft.

"There is no substitute for experience. I'm not crazy,'' Cooper said. "The only upshot to bringing in so many new players will be that they will understand the message that we'll be giving out. They will know what we expect, while for the guys coming back there will be some habits or things that they may have to adjust to.

"That probably does make it easier as far as the transition goes, not that that's what we planned or wanted."

Among the best of the new signees is Josh Sain, who spent his tumultuous freshman season (2007-08) at Middle Tennessee State and then played last year at Chipola Junior College in Marianna, Fla.

Sain played high school basketball at Jackson Liberty Tech and was the most valuable player of the 2007 Class 2A state tournament.

At MTSU, he started one game and averaged 6.7 points but was suspended twice during the season for violating athletic department policy and then was dismissed at the end of the season.

Cooper expects Sain to play immediately.

"Any time you bring in a (junior-college player), the hope is that he can come in and help you right away,'' Cooper said. "He's a guy that will have some experience and that's something we obviously need. He wasn't at Middle Tennessee State very long, but we're hoping that he's matured and gotten better."

Sain said he's ready to leave his troubled past behind and believes Cooper can help him do that.

"What I like about Coach Cooper is that he really wants to help me in life,'' Sain said. "That's bigger to him than basketball."

Cooper discovered Sain while recruiting another player from Chipola.

"I don't really know much about (Cooper's) style of play but he said we were going to get out and run and try to beat teams with our speed,'' Sain said. "He's also going to put a big emphasis on defense. All that fits well with the way I like to play."

Sain said he also was being recruited by Nebraska, Kent State, Alabama State and Fresno State.

Sain won't be called on to do it alone.

Point guard Martell Buie, of Orlando, Fla., helped Olympia High School make it to the Florida Class 6A state championship where it lost to Coral Reef (69-60). He averaged 11.3 points but impressed Cooper on the other end of the floor.

"He can really defend,'' Cooper said.

Forward Robert Covington, and guards Verkeneo Mann and Jacquan Nobles are the best shooters in the incoming class, and could help make up for the loss of Robinson (17.8 ppg.), Cooper said.

Marcus Cowan, a 6-8 center from Lithonia, Ga., Tashan Frederick, a 6-5 forward from Hemingway, S.C., and Marcus Yarbrough, a 6-8 center from Zion, Ill., were signed by Alexander before he was fired.

Reach Mike Organ at 615-259-8021 or morgan@tennessean.com.