When he began as Augusta State men's basketball head coach in 2004, Dip Metress lived by a different recruiting philosophy than the one he has now.

With just three returning starters, he took whoever he could get at the time, he said.

Much has changed since his arrival. Coming off a breakthrough season, and with five starters returning, Metress found recruiting this off-season to be a bit of a change.

"You're just looking to plug some holes," he said. "You get a little picky when you get good. We searched and we found guys who wanted to be here.

"When we look for guys, we want this to be their Duke. We want this to be where they want to play."

Entering his fourth season, Metress is working toward building Augusta State into one of the elite programs in Division II. The Jaguars suddenly have all the elements of a team that's built to succeed for many years to come: fan support, talented players and national prestige.

Augusta State begins this season ranked No. 6 in the nation. It marks the Jaguars' highest ranking, and it's the first time the program has been ranked in consecutive seasons.

Augusta State has been ranked seven consecutive times dating back to Jan. 30. Last season, the Jaguars climbed as high as No. 8 before finishing at No. 18.

Paine, USC Aiken and Augusta State all play on the Division II level. The Lions were ranked twice during the 1993-94 season. The Pacers never have been ranked.

WHAT'S THE BIG DEAL about rankings? They change outlooks. And they put bodies in seats.

Metress jokes that his first game as Augusta State's head coach there were 50 people in the stands. That first season, the team averaged 583 fans per home game.

This past season, the Jaguars led the Peach Belt in home attendance with an average crowd of 1,305.

"As each year progresses, we're adding to the program," junior center Garret Siler said.

With fans buying into Augusta State, expectations have risen. Metress said he was upset to see his team satisfied with a 13-point loss at Clemson in an exhibition Tuesday.

"I don't know if we will," Metress said, "but we're at the stage now where we should expect to win every game we play."

Metress said Augusta State has elevated its schedule of play this season -- another sign of a growing program. The Jaguars open the season at No. 18 Montevallo on Friday. Their home opener, Nov. 24, will be against Johnson C. Smith, which is picked to win the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association Western Division.

Augusta State then travels to No. 11 Virginia Union, which is expected to win the CIAA, on Dec. 15. And don't forget Division I Georgia, Dec. 3

"Where are the best possible players we can play?" Metress said. "It's a good problem to have."

Many of the good players are at Augusta State. Senior forward Tyrekus "A.J." Bowman has blossomed into an All-American. Last season, he led the league with a 20.5-point-per-game scoring average.

Siler entered Augusta State as a 6-foot-11, 360-pound inexperienced center. After a red-shirt season and two more years of grooming, Siler is now one of the top conference players.

Bowman and Siler were two of Metress' first signees after he got the Augusta State job.

"Obviously, we've had some players develop into some very good players," Metress said. "When I got here, I said I just wanted some good kids who wanted to play. We try to get good guys who love to play basketball. With that in mind, it hopefully keeps snowballing each year."

Metress said when he arrived he wanted to build a program mainly with high school players. He's done that.

TEN OF THE PLAYERS that dot the Jaguars' roster are either out of high school or are from Australia. Two players transferred in from Metress' old school, Belmont Abbey.

Of the five starters returning, four of them are straight out of high school. Just one (Bowman) is a senior.

"We're still out there playing with two sophomores, Daniel (Dixon) and Ben (Madgen), who are two of our better players," Metress said.

"We're unique. I'm not an anti-JUCO, anti-transfer guy. I've just always got high school kids. We look for high school kids and therefore we find them."

Metress signed four players in the off-season to add to the team that won 24 games, won the Peach Belt Conference regular-season title and advanced to the round of 32 in the Division II Tournament last season. Two of the players are from high school, one is from Australia and one is a Division I transfer.

Jason Killeen, a 6-10, 240-pound Irishman, transferred in from Winthrop to give Augusta State another big body in the paint.

"Championship teams are about pieces, and we're getting pieces of the puzzle," Metress said. "Garret's a big piece. And now we have Jason, and he's a big piece. ... If the time comes that we need a JUCO guy, we'll take him if it fits the piece we need."

AFTER THIS SEASON, Augusta State will need to replace five seniors, including Bowman. Metress is red-shirting two players -- freshman guard Tye Beal and sophomore forward Howard Brown -- to help replace those positions.

"We've got some guys red-shirting that people just don't know about, but they're just as good as some of the guys we've got playing," senior guard Jamie Quarles said. "That streamline of players is going to continue to grow. Coach has done a good job of keeping that talent at a high level. It's going to be a great era the next 10 years for Augusta State basketball."

For now, Metress will continue to focus on this season. Whether Augusta State wins a national championship this season or not, Metress has Augusta State in position to make a run for several years to come.

Reach Chris Gay at (706) 823-3645 or chris.gay@augustachronicle.com.