ORANGEBURG, S.C.—SC State men's basketball coach Murray Garvin's era is officially in full swing. The men's basketball team began practice for the start 2013-14 campaign on Sunday with an evening session at Smith-Hammond-Middleton Memorial Center.

The first-year head coach took over the helm back in February, guiding the Bulldogs to 2-7 finish while snapping a 25-game conference losing streak with a ,71-70, victory over conference foe N.C. A&T State Aggies.

SC State returns four starters from last season's 6-24 team, while adding five newcomers to a more experience roster. The team ran through 2 hours of drills prior to watching film and finishing with various practice segments in a lively-filled session.

The Bulldogs will open the season on Nov. 4 in a exhibition contest versus neighboring Claflin University, which will be held at the S-H-M Center on the campus of South Carolina State University.

Visit www.scsuathletics.com throughout the preseason for updated team information.