Hunter Wilson/Daily News Western Kentucky’s Sergio Kerusch (right) answers a question Tuesday as teammate A.J. Slaughter listens during WKU Basketball Media Day at E.A. Diddle Arena.

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With a largely inexperienced Western Kentucky University roster in his first year as head coach, Ken McDonald knew patience would be a true virtue this season.

But after early bumps, bruises and injuries, some of that patience is being tested.

WKU already began camp without senior point guard Orlando Mendez-Valdez, who’s recovering from a knee injury. And McDonald confirmed at Tuesday’s WKU Basketball Media Day that senior center Japeth Aguilar will miss six to eight weeks with a stress fracture in his foot.

Post players D.J. Magley and Mike Walker also have missed practice time.

“We’ve had to finish the last two practices with six, seven players, so it’s been tough,” McDonald said. “I’m tempted to put in a couple of my assistants and have them jump in. Because it’s hard to simulate game conditions when you’re finishing practices with six, seven players.”

This sort of season-opening setback is not new to Aguilar.

Aguilar played in only two games last year because of a foot injury and McDonald said the injury is in the same foot, but in a different location.

“It’s a tough blow for him,” McDonald said. “He’s a great kid and he was starting to do some great things. Any kind of setback in a kid’s senior year, you just feel for him.”

But patience is being preached for the Hilltoppers, and that’s one of the biggest differences junior guard A.J. Slaughter notices.

With six seniors last year under former coach Darrin Horn, patience wasn’t quite as much of a concern. That’s not the case this season.

“I feel like coach (McDonald) is more patient,” Slaughter said. “Knowing the team he has this year, he’s more patient. He’s willing to work with guys individually and knows what guys have to improve on and make the team as a whole better.”

McDonald said learning patience has come with the experience of his assistant coaching days, which included recent stints under Dennis Felton at WKU and Georgia and Rick Barnes at Texas.

“You want it to be done today and you want to be the best team in the country - and if you’re not, you view it almost as a bad thing,” McDonald said. “I’m glad I’ve been on the bench long enough to understand you have to be patient. But it tests you.”

That patience could be especially tested early.

WKU’s schedule includes a season-opening trip to Houston, plus contests against Southern Illinois, Louisville and Georgia in the opening weeks of the season.

“It’s our job to be somewhat patient and kind of view the small victories - not a win or a loss, but it might be improvement,” McDonald said. “This whole thing is a building process toward winning our conference. We are building toward winning our conference and trying to do some special things at the end of the year. I have to understand that and have to look at some small victories. My thing is let’s improve every day and we’re going to be fine.”

The Hilltoppers have five players who have yet to play a game for WKU - including three from eastern Europe.

“A couple are coming from college programs in the states, but (freshman Serbian point guard) Dejan (Cvoro) has really struggled the first week,” McDonald said. “But he has turned the corner the last couple of days. That’s what you want to see - see them face the fire and get a little better each day.”

Eventually the Hilltoppers must “turn the corner” and take steps toward improvement.

McDonald said the Hilltoppers either win or lose games every day by their performances in practice. McDonald was asked if the Toppers had won more than they’ve lost.

“I wouldn’t say that right now,” McDonald said. “I didn’t expect it to be that way with such a young team and not much experience. But we do need to start getting better and we will go to another level.”