New Western Kentucky men’s basketball coach Ken McDonald has a connection to WKU, but he doesn’t yet have a connection with the current Hilltoppers.

After McDonald - a former WKU assistant coach - was formally introduced Sunday at E.A. Diddle Arena, the returning players said the next step will be figuring out their new leader.

“It’s definitely a big transition,” said freshman forward D.J. Magley. “For most of us, I don’t think it’s (sunk) in yet that this is our new coach. We had coach (Darrin) Horn for a while, and he was also a good coach, but now we have a new one and we just have to adjust to it.”

McDonald’s contact with the Hilltoppers’ was limited before Sunday’s announcement. He met briefly with the team in the WKU locker room, but there wasn’t time for more than a quick introduction.

“I feel good about the whole process,” said freshman forward Steffphon Pettigrew. “He’s coming in here with past experience, and I think he’s going to help us become a better team. ...

“(Sunday) in the locker room he spoke with the whole team and he told us about his statistics and about his past NCAA experiences and all his coaching experiences.”

The players said McDonald plans to schedule one-on-one interviews with the Hilltoppers in the coming days. Pettigrew said it’s too early to know how McDonald differs from Horn, who left WKU last week to take the head coach position at South Carolina.

Magley said it could take some time for the players to get a feel for the new direction.

“I think at first it’s going to have to come about naturally,” Magley said. “Asking questions can always be good, but you’re just going to get answers back. I mean, you just kind of have to go in there and talk with him, and not so much ask questions, but just talk to him.”

Sophomore guard A.J. Slaughter said he thinks the WKU administration made its decision with the players in mind.

“(We) really haven’t come to a consensus, but he seems like a nice guy,” Slaughter said. “I’m sure (WKU) President (Gary) Ransdell and (athletic director) Dr. (Wood) Selig wouldn’t put us in a situation where he wasn’t, so we’re going to trust him and go from there.”

In order to minimize any damage done by the coaching transition, McDonald said he will essentially “re-recruit” current Hilltoppers, as well as the three incoming recruits who signed with WKU in the fall.

“My job is to make sure they understand my philosophy as a coach, what I’m going to expect from them, how we’re going to play, how we’re going to work in the offseason, make sure they know my staff and make sure I reach out to all the families and touch base with them,” McDonald said. “To try and do that in two weeks is hard, but it’s my job to do it.”

McDonald’s re-recruiting of the Hilltoppers began when he met with the team Sunday. He told the Hilltoppers to “keep their running shoes on,” which the players seemed to welcome.

“We came to Western to play up-tempo, run up and down and shoot 3s,” Slaughter said. “It’s very important. Coach told us to keep our track shoes on, so we’re excited about that.”

Selig said Sunday that no Hilltoppers have openly expressed an interest in leaving the program. Most returning players attended the introduction, but sophomore forward Jeremy Evans and freshman forward B.J. Frazier were absent.

Slaughter said Evans and Frazier were out of town.

McDonald’s introduction caps a frenzied few weeks for the Hilltoppers - from their run to the NCAA Tournament’s Sweet 16 to Horn’s departure to McDonald’s hiring. Life should calm down now, and Magley said he’s ready to get to work.

“I’m very excited because we’ve finally figured out who our new head coach is ...,” Magley said. “He’s got a great resum/, all the winning seasons that he’s had. I’m really excited just to get this thing rolling.”