Nothing in Matt Brown&rsquo;s basketball background prepared him for last season.</p><p>His UMKC Kangaroos suffered their worst season since becoming a Division I program more than two decades earlier. A 7-24 overall record and a last-place 3-15 mark in Summit League play isn&rsquo;t what anybody had in mind for the program in Brown&rsquo;s second season.</p><p>Especially Brown, who served on the staff of the successful John Beilein teams at Richmond and West Virginia before arriving in Kansas City.</p><p>&ldquo;I got spoiled,&rdquo; Brown said Wednesday during the Summit League&rsquo;s media day teleconference. &ldquo;To win only seven games was something I had never experienced.&rdquo;</p><p>The Kangaroos struggled with a young team in 2008-09, and suffered a tough break when their leading scorer, senior Dane Brumagin, aggravated an Achillies&rsquo; tendon injury in the season&rsquo;s final month. He missed three games and played sparingly in two others.</p><p>On the plus side, the situation allowed UMKC to see more of its future in that final month, and Brown expects the experience gained from younger players will pay off.</p><p>UMKC returns three starters, including a pair of double-digit scorers in forward Spencer Johnson (10.7) and guard Barkari Lewis (10.8). Johnson also averaged a team-best 6.6 rebounds. Also back is forward Latreze Mushatt, who averaged 9.1 points and 5.5 rebounds.</p><p>Brown thought enough of a newcomer, forward Jay Couisnard, that he made him a co-captain. Couisnard, a 6-6 forward, transferred from Evansville but had an impact on the team while sitting out in his transfer season.</p><p>&ldquo;We lost a lot of close games,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;He was the one in the locker room encouraging the guys after those games and he couldn&rsquo;t play. He&rsquo;ll give us leadership.&rdquo;</p><p>This is Brown&rsquo;s first roster made up entirely of his recruits, and he&rsquo;s noticed a difference in practices.</p><p>&ldquo;This has probably been the most fun I&rsquo;ve had in coaching, these two weeks,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;The big reason is all these young men in the program are ones I&rsquo;ve brought in.&rdquo;</p><p><strong><span class="subhead">Women build around Morris</span></strong></p><p>For the UMKC women&rsquo;s team, it&rsquo;s a matter of playing follow the leader.</p><p>Chazny Morris, an All-Summit League selection last season, was tabbed preseason player of the year by media and conference coaches and sports information directors, giving coach Candace Whitaker a solid foundation.</p><p>But Morris, a 5-10 guard who averaged 17.5 points and knocked down 40.7 percent of her threes last season, also is lone senior on a team that features seven sophomores and two freshmen.</p><p>&ldquo;We were a young team last year and we&rsquo;ll continue to be a young team,&rdquo; Whitaker said. &ldquo;There will still be some growing pains.&rdquo;</p><p>And perhaps some soreness on Morris&rsquo; shoulders.</p><p>&ldquo;She has a huge responsibility,&rdquo; Whitaker said. &ldquo;Not just scoring and rebounding and being an on-court threat but as the only senior, she needs to take the reins of this team and provide the work ethic and leadership we&rsquo;re looking for.&rdquo;