If you’re wondering who will be in the starting lineup next week when the Miami University men’s basketball team plays its only exhibition game, don’t bother asking new coach John Cooper.

“I literally have no clue who I would start,” Cooper admitted Wednesday afternoon. “There’s too much time before the first game, too much that can go on in practice.

“As I tell our team, I’m not interested in who’s starting. With the way we like to play and the things we like to do, we need to have depth. So you’ve got to be ready to play. You’ve got to be ready to accept your role, whatever that may be.”

Maryville (Mo.) will be the RedHawks’ exhibition opponent Wednesday at 7 p.m., with the season opener at North Carolina State set for Friday, Nov. 9.

Cooper is bringing an up-tempo style to MU as it looks to rebound from a 9-21 campaign, one of the worst seasons in school history. It was Charlie Coles’ 16th year at the helm, and he retired after the final game.

“If you take a look at practice overall, I think the effort’s been pretty good,” Cooper said. “I always talk to this group about making sure we’re mentally sharp and mentally tough, along with the physicality. It’s never smooth at this time of the year because everything is new. But I think their hearts and minds have been very open to what we’re trying to do.

“I always tell them if we’re going to have mistakes, that’s fine, but let’s have mistakes of activity rather than inactivity. Make mistakes when you’re playing hard, and we can live with those.”

Miami is mostly healthy at this point. Junior guard Quinten Rollins has missed some time with a hamstring issue, but redshirt juniors Bill Edwards and Allen Roberts — both Middletown High School graduates — have returned from significant injuries in 2011-12.

Newcomers include freshmen Geovonie McKnight of Middletown and Reggie Johnson, along with 6-foot-7 redshirt junior Will Felder, who played at Saint Francis (Pa.) for two seasons before transferring to MU.

Cooper, who came to Oxford from Tennessee State, said conditioning is a key component of preseason practice.

“Practices have been a little rough because of simply getting used to the pace,” Cooper said. “What we do is not some intricate style, so I absolutely think this group will be successful. If there’s areas that we can’t do, then it’s my job to make sure we adjust and put these guys in the best position to be successful.”

Center Vince Legarza is Miami’s lone senior. He averaged 1.2 points and rebounds per game last season.