WINONA, Minn. — Todd Landrum is a basketball coach — he's been a basketball coach for more than 20 years.

But when he accepted the Saint Mary's University men's basketball position in late April, he also knew that he was going to have to have some experience in the construction field.

Because that's what he's going to be doing  — building the Cardinal program.

And he can't wait to get started.

“This is fun,” Landrum said. “I'm so grateful to Saint Mary's for giving me the opportunity to be here, and I look forward to making the most of this opportunity.”

As a basketball coach, Landrum has been a part of his fair share of winning.

* He was a member of a coaching staff that made three NCAA Division I national tournament appearances — not to mention an NIT championship.

* As an assistant coach, he did his part in helping UW-Platteville to three NCAA Division III national championships.

* And he served in several capacities in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA) as well as as the youth/scholastic basketball coordinator for the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves' organization.

And now he's eager to don his hard hat, roll up his sleeves and get to work transforming the Saint Mary's University men's basketball program into a winner, too.

One thing Landrum made crystal clear from the get-go — Landrum Construction is not in the business of rebuilding.

Building, yes; rebuilding, no.

“You will never hear the word rebuilding used when talking about our program,” said Landrum. “That doesn't send the message that we want to convey. We aren't even talking about last year, everyone is focused on this season — and what it's going to take to get this team climbing up the (conference) ladder.”

The Cardinals graduated just one senior off last year's team, which gives Landrum a pretty solid foundation with which to begin construction.

The cornerstone of that foundation is sophomore guard Will Wright (Chicago, Ill.), an honorable-mention All-Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference selection a year ago, as well as a member of the MIAC's All-First Year Team.

Wright finished his first year as the team's scoring leader, averaging 17.3 ppg. Wright, who led the team in scoring in 17 of SMU's 25 games, closed out his freshman year scoring 10 or more points in 22 of SMU's 25 games — including a career-best 31 points against St. Olaf on Jan. 5.

“Will had a great freshman season and we expect him to pick up right where he left off,” said Landrum, quickly noting that the sophomore won't have to carry the load alone. “But we're certainly not going to be a one-man show — we've got a number of talented individuals who we will be looking to to step up and contribute.”

Landrum isn't about to make any bold predictions as he heads into his first season as the Cardinals' head coach, but he isn't about to sell his squad short, either.

“The way I look at it, there are 11 teams who set out at the beginning of the season in search of one of the (MIAC) playoff spots — ourselves included,” Landrum said. “My expectations are high — I want these guys to love the game, to love to compete.

“If we go out and perform to the best of our ability every time we step on the court, as a coach, that's all you can ask for.”