During his introductory press conference in March, coach Joe Crispin stated Air Force men’s basketball would play fast, fearless and free. 

That philosophy has been put into action in the team’s offseason training as it looks to change the narrative this winter after ending last season with just three wins. 

All but one player, Sam Imade, returned from last year’s roster for productive team training in the spring. After the school year ended, players have been training on their own or in small groups, depending on their personal plans.

“It’s got to be one of the most unique things in college basketball to have everyone return,” Crispin said. “I try to make 6-8 weeks more summertimeish. I think it’s healthy from a mental and emotional perspective.”

One of the team’s returning players is sophomore guard Kam Sanders, who was a major contributor last season and was the second freshman to earn the 2026 Bob Beckel Team MVP award. Sanders is staying at the academy this summer to take classes to take time off the fall semester. 

For Sanders, it was never a question of whether he would return, and he is putting in the work to get used to Crispin’s new style. The transition to a new coaching staff was seamless, according to Sanders, and the team has fully embraced its new head coach. 

“He wants the best for us, with a super positive mindset,” Sanders said of Crispin. “As a coach, that’s big. You want to connect with your players on and off the court. He is not only an amazing coach but also a man. The way he talks, he’s able to give us the confidence we need going into the season. He has brought a new light to the team.”

Sanders’ work ethic and love for the game have caught the attention of Crispin, whose coaching philosophy is centered on having fun and enjoying the process. The head coach is seeing that this summer and wants to see more of that as the team learns to play fast to create more opportunities. 

“In the spring, an introductory thing was making playing fast normal,” Crispin said. “We are going to play faster, aggressively, take some shots that some people may not think are great, but that we make work. Fast isn’t always about going fast; it’s also about being efficient with the time we have.

“When we talk about letting players play, we are teaching them how to play the game effectively and efficiently.”

Part of the team’s offseason work is having them read James Kerr’s “Legacy: What The All Blacks Can Teach Us About The Business of Life.” The book follows the legendary All Blacks of New Zealand rugby club to teach 15 lessons in leadership and business. 

“One of the cool things about this group is they want to be part of changing a narrative, and that starts with understanding what that entails,” Crispin said. “It’s a great opportunity for the staff and players to learn leadership craft.”

As Crispin has gotten to know the team, he has been impressed by how much it enjoys competing and working together. The “brotherhood” among the team is strong and the reason players like Sanders decided to stay. 

Cookouts at Crispin’s house and other team-bonding activities have been a priority this offseason. 

“We want to go into every game with confidence in each other and then produce that on the court,” Sanders said. “We want to build a culture of improvement, never getting too high or too low. As a program, we are a lot more persistent. We are growing as a team.”

The team will welcome five freshmen, and Crispin says he sees several of them contributing this winter. One of those commits is Caleb Fay, who capped his high school career with back-to-back 4A state championships with Kent Denver. 

Sanders met the freshmen before they began basic training June 24 and says they have a good outlook on starting their cadet lives. He remembers teammate A.J. Patterson taking him under his wing and wants to do the same for this year’s class. 

Under Crispin’s leadership and another year of experience under their belts, there is a lot of excitement among the team. As Crispin has previously said, it’s hard to win in college basketball. Still, the Falcons look forward to the challenge. 

“We talk about playing with house money and just going for it,” Crispin said. “I think that’s a great place to be, an opportunity to change things and establish a new identity. That’s why I’m here and get excited about. I think we are going to find out a lot about ourselves once we start playing.”