NEW ORLEANS – The Northwestern State men's basketball team spent most of its non-conference schedule searching for an identity.
 
A small tweak in the Demons' starting lineup early in Southland Conference play may have provided the spark for which NSU had searched.
 
As the Demons (4-13, 2-2) tip off their first full Southland weekend road trip at 4 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+ against New Orleans (7-10, 2-2), Duane Posey likely will be in the starting lineup as he has for the past three games.
 
In that three-game stretch which coincided with Posey's move to the nominal power forward spot, the Demons are 2-1 and have produced a plus-7.3 advantage in rebounds per game, reversing a season-long trend.
 
"We talked about it all year," first-year head coach Rick Cabrera said. "When we started watching games and seeing Justin (Wilson) and Duane at the five spot were not rebounding as well as we wanted on the defensive end. We felt moving one of them to the four would help us rebound better. It has. There's no magic potion to it. They both have rebounded a lot better.
 
"Granted, in the first semester, a lot of the teams we played were bigger. It didn't work in our favor on the rebounding end as well as the win-loss record. Once we made the decision, it was a bonus for everybody."
 
At 6-foot-7, 215 pounds, Posey doesn't fit the mold of a traditional power forward, but the Memphis, Tennessee, native has carved out a niche there in the first four games of Southland Conference play. Capped by a 10-rebound performance in the Demons' 69-64 victory against Houston Christian on Monday, Posey has pulled down an average of 5.8 rebounds per game, an increase of 1.7 rebounds per game from his non-conference average.
 
In his three games as a starter, Posey has averaged seven rebounds per game.
 
 "I'm trying to find a comfort level at that position," Posey said of the move that has seen the Demons go to a two-big alignment after spending most of the non-conference season with four perimeter players on the floor. "I'm feeling better in the offense. It gives me more freedom to move around and use my athleticism. I'm enjoying it, and I feel like I can contribute more to the team."
 
While Posey's inclusion in the starting lineup has produced dividends, he is far from the only Demon who has stepped up in terms of cleaning the glass in the first quarter of conference play.
 
As a team, the Demons are grabbing 3.4 more rebounds per game in league play. Guards Chris Mubiru (plus-2.7), Braelon Bush (plus-1.4) and Cliff Davis (plus-1.3) have seen their numbers rise along with Wilson (plus-1.0) and Jimel Lane (plus-0.6).
 
The Demons passed their two biggest rebounding tests in Southland play, battling both McNeese and HCU to a draw on the boards. In between, the Demons battered UIW on the boards by 22 – its largest rebounding margin since Dec. 18, 2021, against Southwestern Adventist.
 
Another challenge awaits against a physical New Orleans team coached by longtime Demon assistant Mark Slessinger.
 
While Slessinger's teams have built a reputation on strength and a physical nature, this year's Privateers feature the nation's No. 4 scorer in Jordan Johnson, who is averaging 22.4 points per game overall and 26.5 per game in his first four Southland games.
 
"Coach Sless has done a great job and has some very good bigs, but he has a very dynamic guard who we have to contain," Cabrera said. "He also has other good players. (Tyson) Jackson is a guy who they throw it into in the post. Our guys have done well in conference against other teams' bigs with the exception of Lamar. We just have to continue to defend without fouling. Be physical, be tough, and we'll be OK."