Coach Doherty admiring the turnout of fans at one of the home basketball games. (Lindsey Perkins)

Head coach Matt Doherty’s first official recruiting class since coming to SMU is complete.

Last season Doherty recruited only one player, Cameron Spencer, in the little amount of time he had after being named the head coach. This off-season has been a busier one.

The recruits come from all over the world.

Two players, Papa Dia and Tomasz Kwiatkowski, were educated in the United States but come from Senegal and Poland respectively.

Dia and Mike Walker attended the same school, South Kent, in Connecticut. There is a positive and a negative for two guys who have already played together, according to Doherty.

“Chemistry is there,” Doherty said. “The concern is that they form a click. We have to make sure they build a chemistry with the other guys.”

Kwiatkowski and Bennie Rhodes signed last week. Kwiatkowski, a 7’1″ center attended Lee Academy in Maine.

Rhodes is a 6’6″ guard from Oakland, Calif., who attended Mt. Zion Academy in North Carolina.

Five players were signed in November, including Dia and Walker, and with three Texas natives.

Ryan Harp, a 6’4″ guard out of Abilene Cooper High School in Abilene, Alex Malone, a 6’8″ guard-forward from Mansfield Timberview High School in Mansfield and Robert Nyakundi, a 6’8″ forward from Arlington Bowie High School in Arlington.

The Mustangs will lose three big men to graduation 6’11” Donatas Rackauskas, 6’8″ Ike Ofoegbu and 6’6″ Devon Pearson. But they will also add a lot of height with Dia, Nyakundi, Kwiatkowski and Malone.

Last season Doherty would put both Bamba Fall and Rackauskas on the floor together, but will have to evaluate his team before he makes any decisions about who to put on the floor together now.

“I don’t know who’s going to play,” Doherty said. “Returning guys know what to expect from me; the others, it just depends on who advances [over the summer] and who is ready.”

This season Doherty will have more options on the bench than he did this season.

Doherty started the season with just 10 scholarship players on the team, and when Brian Epps was dismissed that number was reduced to nine. Next season Doherty will have 13 scholarship players on his bench to choose from.

“I’m excited about having options,” Doherty said, “the pieces to the puzzle.”

There were three pieces added to last year’s puzzle: Thomas Andrews, Mike Norton and Bryan Remphrey. The three walk-ons didn’t see much time on the court but were integral in practices and the team’s chemistry, according to Doherty. But what will happen to these three with a fuller bench next season?

“I told them, ‘I only guarantee you this season, you’ll have to try out again next season,'” Doherty said.

Doherty added that it would be hard to carry a roster of over 15 players, making traveling and practices cluttered. As of now, Doherty isn’t sure what he will do next season, but he liked having the walk-ons on the team.

“It gives us a true emotional connection to the student body,” Doherty said.

Individual workouts begin in August, and team workouts begin in September. The team will hold its first practice of the season on Oct. 12. The Mustangs will then return to the court in November.