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University at Buffalo head coach Tim Cohane knows what it's like to be at the bottom of the mountain looking up.

After all, when he inherited the UB men's basketball program in 1993-94 the team had won just seven games in their first two seasons since returning to Division I and were ranked 298th in the RPI index.

Five years and 73 victories later, Cohane finds himself back at square one as the Bulls face the difficult challenge of life in the top half of Division I basketball in the Mid-American Conference. In addition, the Bulls have to adjust to life with the loss of four senior starters, including the number one (Rasaun Young) and three (Mike Martinho) all-time leading scorers in school history.

"Since coming here in 1993 only two schools ­Boston University and Bradley ­ have achieved a larger gain in the RPI ratings than we have," said Cohane, "and we've been able to build a very competitive program. This year, however, is like starting all over again.

"We lost two of the three highest scorers in school history and all of that leadership (of four seniors) walked out the door," said Cohane, who lists just three upperclassmen on this year's preseason roster. "The good news is we're excited because it's a new challenge for us ­a new mountain to climb."

That mountain could prove difficult to traverse right away as the Bulls know they are in for some rough footing in the strong Mid-American Conference, who sent four teams to post-season tournaments last year.

"We welcome the challenge and recognize that the MAC had as many players chosen in the NBA draft this year as the BIG EAST and the Big 10," said Cohane. "The challenge is greater, the risk is greater but the reward is also greater as well."

UB's rewards this season will have to come from a team that has nine freshmen and sophomores combined and returns just one starter from last year's 15-13 team.

A look by position at the 1998-99 Bulls:

Backcourt: One of the most experienced players the Bulls have will also, thankfully, be handling the basketball most of the time.

Sophomore guard Ryan Peterson (Clark, NJ/Seton Hall Prep) did not disappoint as a freshman after a stellar high school career where he led Seton Hall to back-to-back New Jersey parochial state titles in the footsteps of current NBA star Brevin Knight.

Peterson impressed from day one and went on to log 704 minutes in his freshman year ­more than anyone but the Bulls' four departed seniors ­ and finished the season ranked 28th in the nation in assists per game (5.85) and first among all freshmen in Division I.

Peterson's flashy passing style drew raves at Alumni Arena and he improved his scoring as the season went on. Peterson ended up averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds but will be expected to increase his scoring this year. He was also second on the team with 35 steals and averaged over 27 minutes per game.

"Ryan had an excellent freshman season, he was all we hoped he would be," said Cohane. "He managed to break into a very experienced team on the perimeter and play a lot of minutes. I expect he'll be the team leader at point guard."

Peterson will be surrounded by youth in the backcourt. The expected two guard will be fellow Jerseyite Louis Campbell (Rahway, NJ/Rahway HS), who redshirted last season.

Campbell, 6-2, has great athleticism, is unselfish with the ball and is a capable shooter. He should make an immediate impact and will give Peterson a finisher on the wing.

"Louis is the best athlete we've ever had at guard," said Cohane. "He seems to have the same dedicated approach that our graduated seniors had. He's just a good all-around player and can play the 1 and the 2. He's the most exciting guard we've had since Modie Cox."

True freshman Koran Godwin (Roselle, NJ/Abraham Clark HS) will get an opportunity to play right away with the Bulls' youthful approach in 1998-99. Godwin, at 6-4, completes the Jersey backcourt and led basketball-rich Union County in three-point field goals last year.

"Koran is an excellent shooter and shot 90% from the free throw line last year," said Cohane. "There is an opportunity for him to contribute right away because he will be one of the team's better shooters."

Another freshman with an opportunity to make an impact is Russian Alexei Vasiliev (St. Petersburg, Russia). Vasiliev, at 6-3, has a good all-around game and has excellent international experience having played on Russia's national Under-22 team.

Walk-on guards Davis Lawrence (Brooklyn, NY/New Utrecht) and Malik Winn (Bronx, NY/St. Raymond's) hope to provide some depth while UB waits on Boston College transfer Damien Foster, who must sit out this season. Foster left Buffalo as one of the all-time leading scorers in Western New York at Traditional HS.

"Those five guards ­ Peterson, Campbell, Godwin, Vasiliev and Foster ­ we think will be very good MAC players," said Cohane.

Forwards: The Bulls have only one player with game experience at this spot with Robert Harris (New Rochelle, NY/Archbishop Stepinac) sitting out the season to concentrate on his academics. The loss of Harris deprives UB of one of only six players in school history to score 500 points and pull in 500 rebounds in a career.

Jon Kleidon (Oak Park, IL/Oak-Park-River Forest HS) played 26 games for the Bulls last season but was slowed by a medically-repaired knee that he first injured in high school.

Kleidon still managed to average 2.6 points and 2.0 rebounds in just 9.6 minutes per game and is a good athlete with great leaping ability. When healthy he showed flashes of becoming the solid contributor the coaching staff felt they had when he transferred from Wichita State.

"Jon had a decent season despite his knee flaring up,"said Cohane. "The big question with him is if this knee problem is recurring."

The Bulls feel they have a potential force on the inside in redshirt freshman Will Campbell (Elmira, NY/Elmira Free Academy). Campbell, at 6-7, 230 pounds, is a physical force who has great upside potential.

"Will has a chance to make a major contribution," said Cohane. "He is big, strong and athletic and if he can adjust to not playing for a season can be an excellent player for us."

Another freshman, Lithuanian native Bogdan Karebin (Milford Academy) will get an opportunity for minutes right away. Karebin is 6-7 and has shown the coaching staff a smooth all-around game.

"Bogdan is a skilled, athletic three-man who is a pretty good all-around player,"said Cohane. "He runs the floor well and shoots very well for his size."

Post: The Bulls do have some experience at the post position where one senior and a pair of sophomores will most likely share the load.

Sophomore Nikolai Alexeev (Minsk, Belarus) was voted Newcomer of the Year after his freshman campaign due to his quick adaptation to the American game.

Alexeev, at 6-11, 240, has a deft outside touch and averaged 4.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.0 blocked shots per game in his first year in America. He also shot 81% from the line and a team-leading 41.2% from three-point range (7-of-17).

"Nick really has a good freshman season," said Cohane. "He's great at the high-post area because he has a soft touch and passes the ball well. He also proved he could make big plays by saving the game against Niagara with a blocked shot and his three-point shooting against Youngstown State won that game for us."

Senior Nate Johnson (O'Fallon, IL/O'Fallon HS)retuns to the Bulls' lineup after redshirting last season after dislocating his right shoulder during the 1996-97 Mid-Continent Conference Tournament.

Johnson is a very good rebounder and defender who looked to improve his offense in his year off. He averaged 2.8 points and 3.8 rebounds as a junior after transferring from Belleville Junior College.

"Nate was a very effective role player in his first year here," said Cohane. " He defends and rebounds well and I know he will screen and bang and compete."

Sophomore Maliso Libomi (Zaire, Africa/University of Evry) has the ability to have a breakthrough season.

The 6-8, 230-pound forward possesses a nice touch around the basket, great leaping ability and quickness. The only thing he lacks is game experience at this level as he averaged 1.8 points and 1.4 rebounds per game last year in just under five minutes per game.

"Maliso played very well when he got in games last season. He showed a lot of potential and is dedicated to self-improvement. This year he'll have a chance to play serious minutes. He's the most athletic big man we have."

Another athletic big man; Brooklyn's Mike McKie, who starred at Tilden High School and Milford Academy, will have to wait one more year to play as a partial qualifier.

All in all, it's a long way to the summit of the MAC. With such an inexperienced team, Cohane certainly hopes to see some leadership spring forward as the climb begins.

"The success of this year's team will depend on how quickly the inexperienced kids can get seasoned and how hard they work this fall," Cohane said. "You'll find a highly-spirited group but there are some great opportunities for many players because we are so young."

"The success of this season will depend on whether we can get some scoring either through a balanced attack or through a few guys making the adjustment to major college basketball."

With a schedule that includes non-conference games against North Carolina, Old Dominion, Duquesne, St. Bonaventure and Manhattan as well Big 4 rivals Niagara and Canisius the Bulls will be well-tested before they get into MAC play. That's when the long climb will really begin.

"We play 19 games on the road this season with a very young team," said Cohane. "We're climbing a mountain but I like who we're starting the ascent with.