• LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2009, lost in first round
• RETURNING LETTERMEN/STARTERS: 4/3
• KEY LOSSES: Israel Ruiz, Darrell Warner
• PLAYERS TO WATCH: Marcus Ruiz, Terran Petteway, Mike Evans and Travis Ceccacci
• OUTLOOK: At Ball, there are always high expectations. With back-to-back district championships, those expectations keep climbing.
It’s not going to be easy for Ball to get a third straight District 24-5A title. The Tors only return four from last year’s squad.
“We’ve got a lot of new faces,” Temple said. “We have to find a way to work those guys in, playing at a high level.”
The Tors return three starters. But they’ll have to replace District MVP Israel Ruiz. It won’t be easy.
Temple said Ball will have to show more grit, especially on defense. It will make up for the new faces coming in and take the pressure of an offense that lost a big-time scorer.
Still, the Tors should be in the mix for the district title, especially with their pressure defense. There’s tradition and enough talent on this team to make a run.
It just may not be as easy as last year.
“We’ve just got to make the pieces fit,” Temple said. “It’s all there, we just have to make it all go together.”
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Clear Creek
• COACH: Chris Romine (third year)
• LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 9-22
• LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2007
• RETURNING LETTERMEN/STARTERS: 6/3
• KEY LOSSES: Denzel Benson
• PLAYERS TO WATCH: Dustin Hobaugh, Terrance Williams, Chris Laster and Tre Webb
• OUTLOOK: The Wildcats will try to forget about last season. Creek ended a promising year with a 13-game losing streak.
“It was tough,” Hobaugh said. “We’re ready to start a new year.”
The Wildcats will get a boost from Williams. A knee injury forced him to miss the final 13 games, when Creek struggled.
Williams should add some much-needed athleticism, but must slowly work his way back into playing shape.
Romine believes the key to his team’s success will be the defense. Creek has some length to contest shooters and deny passing lanes. The Wildcats will put a lot of pressure on opposing offenses.
Offensively, Creek will rely on some stellar outside shooting. That could cause some long nights, but it’s where the Wildcats can get consistent scoring.
A resurgent Williams could give a better low-post presence along with Webb and Devin Caskey.
“We’ll need to find ways to get the ball inside,” Romine said. “But that’s why our defense will be critical. It’s going to keep us in games.”
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Clear Springs
• COACH: Chris Johnson (third year)
• LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 23-12
• LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2009, lost in first round
• RETURNING LETTERMEN/STARTERS: Everyone
• KEY LOSSES: No one
• PLAYERS TO WATCH: Anthony Horton, Teris Bourgeios, Trevon Randle and Sam Richardson
• OUTLOOK: The Chargers didn’t waste any time making a name for themselves in their first varsity season a year ago. They reached the playoffs.
Now, Clear Springs must deal with the success along with the fact that they are a known entity. The Chargers have lost just 14 games in the last two seasons.
“We have expectations now,” Johnson said. “That can be either a good thing or a bad thing. We can’t expect success and the teams now know what they’re going against.”
Johnson said the key to the team’s season is focusing on the day-to-day grind, and not expecting to win. The Chargers try to outwork everyone.
Horton and Bourgeios give Springs a dynamic duo. Horton signed with Campbell University in North Carolina, and Bourgeios is getting several looks from colleges.
Springs also will rely on its speed and quickness. They hound teams and run opponents off the court, making up for their lack of height.
“We’ve got everyone back and a lot of talent,” Johnson said. “But we have to remember each year is a new season. Every team in this district could make the playoffs.”
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Dickinson
• COACH: Mike Tucker (second year)
• LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 9-25
• LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2005
• RETURNING LETTERMEN/STARTERS: 9/5
• KEY LOSSES: No one
• PLAYERS TO WATCH: Dedrick Archie and Kenny Harris
• OUTLOOK: COACH Tucker has spent much of his first two seasons as coach not just trying to get wins but attempting to build a mentality.
After a rough first two months that included 18 losses in 21 games, the Gators seem to be buying into the notion that “Gator fight never dies,” a theme coined by Tucker.
Dickinson started last year at 3-18. Tucker made some changes, including a new motto and removing some players, and the team responded. The Gators went 6-6 down the stretch and won four of its last five.
“It was encouraging the way we ended last season,” Tucker said. “Now I know I got a group of guys who are as dedicated to this as anybody.”
Dickinson quickly will find out what kind of team it is early in the season. Tucker put together one of the toughest nondistrict schedules, including games against No. 1 Yates and No. 14 Crowley. The Gators also open with seven contests in eight days.
Tucker believes this schedule will prepare his team for district and make them tough.
“If they can get through this, district will be much easier,” Tucker said. “This schedule, it’s about building character, living out the ‘Gator fight never dies’ motto.”
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District 24-4A
Friendswood
• COACH: Darren Chandler (eighth year)
• LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 21-10
• LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2009, lost in first round
• RETURNING LETTERMEN/STARTERS: 5/4
• KEY LOSSES: Austin Sloan (24-4A all-district)
• PLAYERS TO WATCH: Byron Randle, Nolan Harvey and Mark Garza
• OUTLOOK: The Mustangs should be a good bet to make the playoffs. Randle arguably would be an MVP in another district that did not include La Marque’s Julien Lewis. Randle can do everything from scoring to rebounding to handling the ball.
The senior will be joined by an experienced squad, which should help. The Mustangs return three other starters, including big man Garza. The senior will be Friendswood’s interior presence.
The challenge for the Mustangs will be finding someone to do the dirty work. The only starter not returning, Sloan, acted as the blue-collar guy last season, setting picks, rebounding and taking chargers.
“We got to find someone to do that for us this year,” Chandler said. “We haven’t found that glue guy yet.”
Friendswood has excellent outside shooting. But it must be careful not to stand around and watch Randle. The offense depends on motion and cutting, much like the old-school Princeton attack.
The defense should be a strength, too. The height of Garza, along with grit, cleverness and discipline, make Friendswood tough to score on.
“I think we have a chance to be a really strong team,” Chandler said. “We can’t get caught standing around on offense or letting up on defense.”
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La Marque
• COACH: Cedric Mason (third year)
• LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 24-11
• LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2009, lost in second round
• RETURNING LETTERMEN/STARTERS: 7/3
• KEY LOSSES: Dontae Evans and Jared Wooden
• PLAYERS TO WATCH: Julien Lewis, Jordan Dotson, Quevin Cams and Darrius Johnson
• OUTLOOK: Most nights, La Marque undoubtedly will have the best player on the floor. Lewis, a University of Texas commit, won the District 24-4A MVP as a sophomore. At 6-3, he runs the point and can do just about anything.
But what has coach Mason really licking his chops this year — the surrounding cast. The Cougars are not just a one-man show with two returning first team All-District selections in Dotson and Cams.
“Julien is an incredible player,” Mason said. “But the there are some very talented guys around him who are hungry to win. That’s exciting.”
The hype has led to a preseason No. 12 ranking in the state. Mason believes that spot is deserved but cautions the team getting ahead of itself.
Mason wants to see his team show mental toughness, something he felt his team lacked in a surprise loss in the area round a year ago.
“That’s the biggest challenge,” Mason said. “When we have games where things aren’t going our way, we need to find a way to dig down and win.”
Expect the Coogs to shoot a lot, and they’re good at it, too. Defensively, La Marque will pressure teams full court for 32 minutes, slowly wearing opponents down.
With three returning starters and four others with playing experience, this is Mason’s deepest team yet. There’s a lot of reason to believe La Marque will win district and has a good chance to make it to the regional tournament.
“I like the way it’s shaping up,” Mason said. “There’s a lot to like, but some things to work on.”
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Santa Fe
• COACH: James Modesett (fourth year)
• LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 15-20
• LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 1996
• RETURNING LETTERMEN/STARTERS: 5/4
• KEY LOSSES: Rick De Leon (second team All County)
• PLAYERS TO WATCH: Justin Brown, Domingo Morales, Zach Stoggins and Mark Silva
• OUTLOOK: The Indians will rely on the experience of nine seniors and four returning starters. Modesett believes that is his team’s strength.
Santa Fe, however, will have to replace De Leon. De Leon scored 500 points in his career, and the Indians don’t have a similar scoring presence on their roster this year.
“We’re going to have to take 500 points and divide it by five,” Modesett said.
Brown, a 24-4A first team All-District selection a year ago, will provide a lot of the scoring and leadership. Besides him, though, Modesett said he’ll look at as many as 13 players to get playing time.
Santa Fe does not have deep talent. So the Indians will have to play fundamentally sound basketball if they hope to return the playoffs.
“The key is to not make foolish mistakes and do the simple things well,” Modesett said. “Block out, play hard, make good passes, take a good shot instead of forcing a shot. If we do that, we’ll be competitive.”
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Texas City
• COACH: Bob Emmerson (fourth year)
• LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 21-12
• LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2009, reached second round
• RETURNING LETTERMEN/STARTERS: 7/3
• KEY LOSSES: Greg Wilson and Devin Gary
• PLAYERS TO WATCH: Isaiah Matthews, Marcus Williams and Kedrin Birdwell
• OUTLOOK: After reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2004, the Stings believe they can return to the postseason.
With three returning starters and a bevy of seniors, there’s little reason to think it won’t happen.
“With the experience last year, and a lot of the group coming back, we have lofty goals,” Emmerson said.
Williams and Matthews give Texas City a devastating backcourt. The Stings also have some decent height.
Emmerson believes the next step for Texas City is to continue to develop a better basketball IQ — take good shots, minimize turnovers, block out and execute offensive plays.
It won’t be easy in arguably one of the best districts in the state.
“This district is so loaded that it’s hard to get back to the playoffs,” Emmerson said. “We just need to continue to get better at basketball and grow.”
Texas City plays very solid man-to-man defense. But don’t be surprised to see Emmerson switch into a zone with the length he has.
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District 29-2A
Hitchcock
• COACH: Steve Adamson (second year)
• LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 24-12, perfect in District 29-2A
• LAST PLAYOFF APPEARANCE: 2009, advanced to the regional semifinals
• RETURNING LETTERMEN/STARTERS: 4/1
• KEY LOSSES: Roderick Gilmore, Kohl Filer, Emmanuel Jones, James Ray and Tyler Sanders
• PLAYERS TO WATCH: Davon Kenney and Denzel Martins
• OUTLOOK: The Bulldogs lost a lot of talent from a year ago when they reached the regional tournament. Five seniors left, including four All-District selections (two first team), two All-County players, a district MVP and a district Defensive Player of the Year.
That’s a lot of hardware to replace.
But coach Adamson has set the bar as high as ever. He believes Hitchcock can win 29-2A again and possibly get back to the state tournament for the first time since 2004.
“Hitchcock has a rich basketball tradition,” Adamson said. “So we have players. And expectations and goals are always high here.”
The Bulldogs will be very quick, led by Kenney and Martins. Adamson said he thinks this is the fastest team he’s ever coached. And he’s been at 3A and 4A high schools.
Hitchcock, though, doesn’t have the height of last season or in years past.
“We’re very fast, but that might translate into having a smaller team,” Adamson said. “But I think our quickness and athleticism should offset that.”
Expect Hitchcock to be fighting for a district championship, but a return to the regional tournament will be challenging.
