The men’s basketball team is now less than a week away from tipping off their season opener against Northeastern University. But the grind started during the summer, when the athletes stayed on a relatively empty campus as part of their offseason schedule.

Even in the offseason, Boston University’s NCAA Division I athletes work to improve their game ahead of the upcoming fall season. While coaches and current players drill team values into their training, the recruiting classes look to build upon those principles to fit and thrive in the group dynamic.