BY JACK BULLOCK Last season was a splendid one for the members of this league. Teams of the Southern Illinois River-to-River Conference won four regional titles and one of the teams, Murphysboro, made it all the way to the state championship game. Four other SIRR teams lost in regional title games last February. Those Red Devils won its first 35 games of the season and finished the regular season as they did the beginning by being top-ranked in the ABV 2A Rankings. They also were rated number one by sports writers in the AP state-wide poll. But Coach Daryl Murphy's team ran into Hales Franciscan in the 2A championship game and couldn't finish the job, falling in that title game, 61-47. Of those teams that won regionals last season, Harrisburg has the best shot at repeating their postseason run of 2010-11. Coach Randy Smithpeters has a junior group back that was part of the sectional runner up to Murphysboro last season. A strengthened schedule of games, including shootouts at Marshall County, Kentucky and also a pair of tough games against Breese Central (December 10 at SIU Arena) and Teutopolis at the Benton Shootout highlight a difficult journey in 2011-12. Massac County can never be counted out of this conference race or any postseason regional in which they appear. Head coach Joe Hosman will have some good athletes (as the Patriots always seem to have) to put on the floor this season. The bad news in Herrin is that they got bumped up a class to 3A for this basketball season. The Tigers have a lot of talent returning, but instead of playing against other SIRR teams in the postseason, they will likely have to deal with those South Seven bullies (figuratively) Carbondale, Marion, Centralia and Mount Vernon. All are possible regional rivals. Coach Irv Lukens has one of the top athletes in the South back with Demarlo Harris returning for his senior season. Murphysboro has but one starter back from that near championship team (Pierre House) but this coach knows how to rebuild. Look for the Red Devils to still be pretty good. Folks at Benton should be excited as the Rangers have some key players back from a sectional team last winter. Coach Ron Winemiller has done a bang-up job at Benton. He has some talent that could be ready to surprise some teams in this league and around the South. West Frankfort won just a single game last season, a first round regional win over Johnston City. The Red Birds fortunes should go up this season because there is certainly no where to go but upward. Look for Coach Dan DeWerff to continue to work toward rebuilding this program that is housed by ABV's favorite high school gym of all-time. While there are some really clear-cut favorites in the Ohio Division of this league, the Mississippi Division looks much more uncertain. All of the clubs in this part of the conference have substantial graduation deficits to overcome. Defending champ Nashville has just one returning starter for head Coach Brad Weathers as they will attempt to defend the division crown. Nashville was one of the teams that fell in a regional championship game last February to finish 25-5 overall and 10-0 in the Mississippi. Weathers earned ABV 2A “Coach of the Year” honors in doing so. Du Quoin won a regional at Sparta last season, dispatching Perry County rival Pinckneyville 45-44 in a contest in which the Indians raced out to an early double-digit lead and then had to hold off a furious Panther rally. Coach Gabe Sveda sent away several good players to graduation, including ABV 2A first team All-South pick Conner Wheeler. Those Panthers also lost some seniors last season from a 19-9 club. Coach Bob Waggoner has some good talent returning to try and move up to the top of this division. Sparta and head coach Rich Williams has three seniors and a junior back from a 10-20 club that was better than its record indicated. When you play that sort of schedule, sometimes that won/loss mark isn't the “belle of the ball.” Carterville was the “New Kid on the Block” last winter and they found out quickly the difference between the SIRR and the Black Diamond. However in the long run, the Lions will be better in all sports because of the high level of competition. As for the races in the SIRR division's this season, they should both be interesting. Going with the ones with the most back, look for Harrisburg to edge Massac of the Ohio Division and for Pinckneyville, Nashville and Du Quoin to battle it out for Mississippi supremacy.

OHIO DIVISION 1. HARRISBURG Head coach Randy Smithpeters has had some really good teams at Harrisburg over the years. His 1994-95 team shocked some experts and got to Champaign (remember when the state finals used to be at the big house?) after beating both West Frankfort and Breese Mater Dei to reach the “Elite Eight.” That was the second season at the helm of the Bulldogs program. Counting the season before that and all since, Coach Smithpeters has had a hand in nine regional championship teams and three sectional titles. Last March, Harrisburg had unbeaten Murphysboro on the ropes in the fourth quarter of the sectional title game at Harrisburg. However the Red Devils rallied for a 57-49 win, which sent Murphy to the West Frankfort Supersectional and sent the Bulldogs back to work to get better for 2011-12. In fact this coach and athletic director Jay Thompson have done this maturation process the right way, taking this young team and getting them battle tested. In the past two seasons, Harrisburg has matched up with teams that played in the last two Class 2A state title games. Last year Murphysboro three times and Robinson in a shootout at Vandalia in January of 2010. All four of those games were losses, but what doesn't kill you, etc, etc. Look for the Dawgs to be in the hunt for a much longer postseason run this winter. Graduation did take some kids away, but look for the younger ones to step up one more ladder rung. Keelin Rasch and Jalan Steward are gone from the 26-7 club that fell to Murphy to close the season. Coach Smithpeters does have some talent back. Four starters from that club who are all juniors, who as eighth graders won the southern Illinois version of the state championship. All signs point to this group cutting down a few more nets before they finish wearing Purple and White. Top scorer from last season Capel Henshaw should pick up right where he left off last winter. Henshaw is a 6-foot-3 junior guard/forward that led the Bulldogs in scoring last season with 16.5 points per outing. He was also the “windex” man as he cleaned the fiberglass with eight rebounds a game, best of the Bulldogs. While he was at it, Henshaw was deadly at the foul line, hitting on 75 percent of his charites. Tyler Smithpeters, a 6-foot-4 junior guard/forward, returns after scoring 14.3 points a night as a sophomore. Those two classmates are the best one-two punch in the 2A South. Fortunately for Harrisburg fans, there are others that are back after contributing to those 26-wins. Both were ABV 2A first team All-South selections for 2010-11. Six-foot-two junior Ryne Roper is back after chipping in 7.9 p.p.g. as a sophomore. Those three players were the ones the opposition dreaded to see at the foul line. That trio combined to make 72 percent of their free throws. Successful teams all shoot it well from the stripe. Harrisburg will get the job done this season if teams send them there. The fourth starter is coming back from a learning experience as a freshman. Six-foot-four sophomore Eli Taborn-Scott played a lot of varsity minutes last season as a ninth grader. He averaged 5.8 points a game in his 31 games to go with 3.5 rebounds. Those four kids are athletic enough and skilled enough to get Harrisburg to the next level. Fifth starter for Harrisburg will likely be Caleb Goldman, a 6-foot-1 junior, who made it into 14 of the varsity scrums last year. After those five Coach Smithpeters has lined up a deep bench to tackle arguably the tough schedule in the 2A South. Six-foot-three senior Brandon Gibbs, like Goldman, played in 14 contests as a junior (1.4 p.p.g.) One other seniors who did not play as a junior is 5-foot-10 Kashmere Barners. Barners will get some minutes, especially early in the year. Add one other junior to the mix, 6-foot-5 forward Dakota Upchurch who also DNP as a sophomore. Two sophomores are ready to step up and both are 5-foot-10. Zach Smith and Daniel Lewis will be part of a deep reserve unit. Smith got into three varsity games last season as a freshman. Coach Smithpeters mentioned one other name, Bahari Amaya. Amaya is a 6-foot-4 freshman who is the nephew of fomer SIU-Carbondale great Ashraf Amaya who starred for the Salukis. That makes it 11 players who are all capable of filling minutes for a squad that has a two year window of opportunity. “We are going to play eight games in the first two weeks of our season and we are going to need a lot of kids ready to play. We want them to be tested and to get better,” said Coach Smithpeters, who has won over 300 games in his tenure at this Saline County powerhouse. “Our goal isn't to go undefeated. We just want the kids to get better each game and be ready for the tough games that we are going to play.” OUTLOOK – The depth of this team, if they are as good as advertised, makes them definitely the team to beat in the Ohio Division. Last season the Bulldogs slumped towards the end of the season but turned things around to reach the sectional title game. With the kind of numbers this coach is going to be able to throw at opponents it should be yet another successful season. Coach Smithpeters knows that there are going to be losses but this coach wants to still be playing games in March. They should be considered one of the top teams in the state and one of the top ABV 2A clubs. Games against Breese Central and Teutopolis will give everyone in the South a preview of things to come.

2. MASSAC COUNTY The Patriots always seem to come up in the conversation when it comes to this conference race and postseason possibles. Coach Joe Hosman has done everything but win a state championship. Under his watch, Massac County has won 12 regional titles, three sectional titles and have a second place trophy from the 2008-09 season. Last season was a 20-10 run with a 6-4 mark in the Ohio Division. Six of the ten losses came to Murphysboro (2) and Harrisburg (4) so going 20-4 against everyone else tells us that this club was pretty close to making a big postseason run. Massac County hosted the regional last season and had a fourth quarter lead over Harrisburg in the title game before falling 53-51. This season the Patriots are missing some key players from that 20-win team. Five seniors are gone, three who were very important. Corey Ayala, a first team ABV 2A selection, has left with his 16.1 points a game and his 5.1 assists average. Quincy Glass averaged 9.2 points a game while Hayden Farmer tossed in nine a game. All three will have left job openings in the Patriots starting lineup. Coach Hosman has two returning starters, including the MC second leading scorer from last winter. Malcom Amos, a 6-foot-2 senior, averaged 11.1 points and five rebounds a game as a junior. Six-foot-five senior Griffin Bazor was right at five points a game while added 3.7 rebounds. There are some other kids ready to step up for Massac County who have been waiting on a chance. Coach Hosman listed five letter-winners from last season who will be vying for time. Six-foot-six junior Ethan Schulte played in 28 of the Pats' games as a sophomore and contributed 4.3 p.p.g. to go with 2.3 r.p.g. Schulte brings the most production back from last season of the guys with the MC jackets. Look for 6-foot-3 junior Ross Devers to step in and help. Add the name Ryan English, a 6-foot-2 junior, to the database. Coach Hosman will dig into the sophomore class for 6-foot Dalton Mitchell. English played in the most games of that group, getting into 13 varsity contests. One player that ABV is familiar with transferred in from nearby Joppa and Coach Hosman believes this one will help. Travis Beck, a 6-foot-2 senior guard, was a standout for the Rangers last season. He will likely take over some of the backcourt duties left by the graduating 2011 class. Dalton Korte, a 6-foot junior, will be back before Christmas after hurting his elbow in preseason practice. He played as a freshman and then concentrated on golf as a sophomore. His brother Dustin was a guard on the 2008-09 team that finished second in the state. “Our schedule is tough again this year. They Pyramid tournament is always a difficult way to start the season because there are no easy games. Our Superman Classic has some of the best competition of any mid-winter in the area. Our side of conference again consists of some of the stiffest competition in southern Illinois, and for the fourth straight year, has one of the top two teams in the south,” said Coach Hosman, who is 607-317 in 33-years coaching at Massac County and Eldorado. “We have a well-balanced team that plays very unselfish. Malcolm had a solid year for us last year. He was our top defender and strong finisher; we expect that to continue this season. We have good size around the basket with Bazor and Schulte, and their continued progression will be key to our success. Our guards have good vision and can push the ball up the floor to help us get easy baskets. The addition of Beck will help solidify our backcourt.” OUTLOOK – If there is a team that is going to be able to matchup with Harrisburg this season in this conference and possibly the postseason it is the Patriots. Coach Hosman give 100 percent effort to this team and his kids reflect his persona. They have some size, some depth and some kids that can score and rebound. The Beck transfer gives Massac County an additional weapon to use. Even with this tough schedule, there are another 20-wins somewhere to be found.

3. BENTON The Rangers have has some numbers issues in the past few years. Most of those numbers are in relation to the height of the roster. Not a lot of tall timber has been cultivated in the "Forrest of the Guards" at Rich Herrin Gym. Head coach Ron Winemiller has made the most of his talent base and was rewarded with the hard work that allowed the Rangers to grab a regional championship with a 54-39 win over Fairfield to capture the Carmi-White County 2A Regional crown. Look for even more improvement this season. Two of the missing persons reported this season are Caleb Suver and Kyler Smith. Suver was All-ABV Deep South second team and averaged 12.3 points a night. Smith helped out with points and minutes last season (3.0 p.p.g.) and his efforts will be missed as well. But the roll call of the ones returning look pretty good as this coach is working toward something big. Four of the kids back were starters on the 15-16 club that saw its season end at the hands of Murphysboro at the Harrisburg 2A Sectional. ABV second team choice Tyler Leffler is back after averaging 8.9 points per outing as a junior. Leffler is a 6-foot-3 senior who also averaged 3.7 rebounds. Two 6-foot-1 seniors are back in the corral. Mason Childers and Trey Garrett are back for the Rangers. Cody Smith, a 5-foot-10 senior guard, was inadvertantly left out of this preview when it was originally posted. He will be back to start for his fourth season. Garrett tossed home 8.9 points a game for Benton last season while Childers added 6.5 p.p.g. Another player back who happened to average right at 6.5 points per game is Jared Johnston, a 5-foot-11 senior, who earned a letter as a junior. Coach Winemiller has depth with several minute eaters available to belly up to the varsity table. Six-foot-two Landon LaBuwi is another senior with experience as he got into 28 games last season. Cole Forby, a 6-foot-2 junior and 6-foot-5 junior Daulton Ward come into the season as possible starters for the Rangers, or at least some reserve minutes. This coach added the name Carmeron Rock to the roster, a 5-foot-10 junior. Those nine should form the unit that will wade into the Ohio Division waters. “I think any of the teams outside of West Frankfort could finish anywhere from 1-5 and it wouldn't shock me. I think Massac County could win this league,” said Coach Winemiller. "We have a nucleus of kids back that will start for their third season. We struggled early when they were sophomores and rebounded to get 10 wins but more importantly play for Regional Title. As Juniors, they were able to win a Regional and experience a Sectional. We must be able to guard at a high level if we want to play in the games we feel like we can get to this year. Points will come but we must take a very defensive mentality into every game that we play. As the old saying goes you can't always pack your jump-shot and that is when your defense has to bail you out." OUTLOOK – The Rangers have taken steps in each of the last two seasons to get better. Although they appear to be small improvements, they are improvements none the less. Benton is a solid third choice here because of the graduation losses of the other three teams in this division. However there is a lot of work left to be done. Those four returning starters are going to have to up their collective levels of play in 2011-12.

4. HERRIN The Tigers got the worse news of them all heading into the 2011-12 season. Due to a change in the IHSA enrollment policy, Herrin was bumped up to Class 3A for boy's basketball this season. This isn't very good news for a team that has only two regional titles in nine years in the old setup. Head coach Irv Lukens face the unenviable challenge of getting his team ready for not only a tough schedule of regular season games but to also deal with school that dwarf them in size. Only four schools in the state in 3A have smaller enrollments. The Tigers have talent returning, two starters from a team that made a big run last season after a awful start. Demarlo Harris has been a starter since his freshman season and this 6-foot-3 senior scored 305 points last season for the Tigers. A multi-sport standout, Harris also grabbed a 133 rebounds. Six-foot-one senior Bobby Mannie was also part of the turnaround last season for Herrin. Mannie average 11.8 points a game last season. Look for six other returning players to battle it out for the three remaining spots. Nathan Lukens, a 5-foot-11 senior guard, returns after logging a lot of minutes as an underclassman. Five-foot-nine junior Justin Lukens (cousins) also put up some numbers coming off the Herrin pine. Five-foot-eleven forward Alex Davis is a senior returning, as is 6-foot-3 forward Fletcher Hoague. Antuan Davis, a 5-foot-11 senior, and DaShaun Hart, a 5-foot-10 senior, return and could be part of a crowded backcourt for the Tigers. After four seasons of play, both Harris and Mannie are approaching 1,000-points. OUTLOOK – The Tigers are very athletic and could be a factor in this league. They will need to step up to make any sort of postseason move in 3A against likely South Seven schools Marion and Carbondale.

5. MURPHYSBORO The Red Devils fell school basketball records like Paul Bunyon fell trees during a 35-1 masterpiece of a run that “fell” just short at the end. Head coach Daryl Murphy had his team on the brink but ran into a Hales Franciscan team that had too many athletes for the Devils to deal with. Nevertheless Murphysboro did its community and area proud with its finish. Gone from that team is a lot of talent, including ABV 2A “Player of the Year” Jerrod Gaston, who left with the five other seniors. Gaston average 15.6 points a game for the Red Devils last season. Dylan Craig, a 6-foot-2 senior from last season, chipped in 12.5 points a game while classmate 5-foot-10 senior Orlando Jarrett added 10.5 p.p.g. The total from last season that is missing in points is 56.1, of the 63.9 scored. The one starter back from last season is 6-foot-1 senior Pierre House (8.3 points per game) who played well in the backcourt for Murphysboro last winter. One other player of significance returning is Mitchell Rose, a 6-foot senior guard. After those two, there is next to zero experience back from the 10-0 Ohio Division champs. Preseason practices will determine which of the hold overs that will fill the other two starters and the key reserves. OUTLOOK – Although it isn't a free fall for the Red Devils it is certainly a fall. Teams of all levels don't lose nearly 90 percent of their offense and still produce a lot of wins the next season. The bottom line is that ABV projects that House is going to have to score a lot of points this winter if the Red Devils are going to reach 20-wins again and to be able to hang in with the top teams on this schedule.

6. WEST FRANKFORT The Red Birds have a lot of work still to do. The basketball talent level is down at this school, this is a fact. West Frankfort managed just a regional win over Johnston City, who had beaten them twice earlier in the season, in its 27 contests last winter. This would scare off a lot of coaches around the state and send them for greener pastures. But not this coach, at least not yet. Coach DeWerff has seven players back from that campaign, all looking to improve. This coach, who coached previously at Pawnee High School near Springfield, has some kids back that competed well in the summer. Nic Korolenko, a 6-foot-2 junior, is the top returning scorer from last season. He average 5.2 points a night for West Frankfort. Six-foot-two senior Koty Rains is also back after added 2.3 points to the scoring list. Nathan Dodd is a 6-foot-2 senior (1.6 p.p.g.) who also returns as is Trenton Easley, a 5-foot-8 junior (1.6 p.p.g.). Senior Joe Burgess, a 6-foot-2 forward, 6-foot-3 junior Gage Williams and 6-foot-2 senior Nathan Cult will be part of the squad. Williams added nearly two points a game last season while Cult wasn't a part of the team. Burgess chipped in minutes and a few points. “Our top five or so kids played pretty even against most of the teams that we saw in the summer but our depth isn't very good right now,” said Coach DeWerff, who is 71-67 in six years as a head coach overall. “We have a hard working group this year who have great attitudes. Nic Korolenko has a lot of potential. The three seniors (Dodd, Rains, Burgess) are our leaders and have a good work ethic.” OUTLOOK – Hard work never hurt anyone and the West Frankfort kids will play and work hard for this coach. Talent wise they don't stack up against the other teams in the Ohio Division but they will play some teams tough in the 2011-12 season. They nearly won a few other games last season. A break or two last season could have resulted in some additional victories. Hopefully a few more wins will come there way this season.

MISSISSIPPI DIVISION 1. PINCKNEYVILLE With all the teams in this league looking to replace veterans with younger less experience kids, the club that has the most returning resides at Duster Thomas Gym. Head coach Bob Waggoner did a very good job with his team last season, winning 19 games and nearly grabbing the school's 49th regional title. But the Panthers rally against rival Du Quoin fell short. Pinckneyville has seven returning seniors, all of whom were a part of the team that won its first Duster Thomas “Hoops Classic” with a win over Olney East Richland in the title game. Coach Waggoner lost three seniors to graduation in 6-foot-3 Steve Brueggeman, 6-foot-7 Kyle Lamb and 6-foot-2 Christian Shopinski from that team. The Panthers lost a lot of offense and defense from those three but the leftovers will be ready to go this season. The seven seniors all have varsity experience. In the Panthers' backcourt Coach Waggoner listed Hunter Queen and Bryant Shute. Queen is 5-foot-10 while Shute stands 5-foot-9. Both can play either guard spot. Shute led the football Panthers to a 7-3 record Another guard on the team is 6-foot-2 senior Payton Nippe. The frontcourt will also look strong with C.J. Opp, a 6-foot-3 senior forward, returning along with Keegan Kellerman, a 6-foot-2 forward. Six-foot-one senior Justin Bumann also made the roster as did Chris Priebe and Dylan Hardin. Hardin is a 5-foot-10 junior guard while Priebe is 6-foot-3 junior. Those will be the main players back from the Panthers' team that had some big wins last season, including a 37-36 win over then top-ranked Teutopolis back in January and their usual pillaging on the Benton Invitational Tournament field. “With seven returning seniors, out depth should be a strong point for us,” said Coach Waggoner. “Our guard play should be much improved.” OUTLOOK – Looking at this division top to bottom in rating the talent level at each school, there isn't much separation. But depth and experience count for a lot. The Panthers have a lot of varsity minutes returning and they will get the slight nod this year. Unfortunately this club could also finish way down the list.

2. NASHVILLE The Hornets took care of the business at hand in winning the SIRR Mississippi Division title with a perfect 10-0 mark while finishing its fine campaign at 25-5. Nashville lost just five games last season with three of those coming to Breese Central, one loss to Murphysboro and a defeat at the hands of 3A Jerseyville at the Mater Dei Holiday Tournament. Coach Brad Weathers has just one player coming back with much varsity savy. Scott Brown, 6-foot-2 junior, came off the bench last season to spell some of the departed senior talent from last season. Sam Brown, a first team ABV 2A choice from last season and Scott's older brother, left along with eight other seniors. Six of those players were the team's top six scorers. Donovan Holle, Tyler Meyer, Zach Fieber, Jared Meier and Gannon Mamell have left with 43.5 of the 48.4 points per game that the Hornets averaged in 2010-11. The younger Brown is the only one of the underclassmen from last season that averaged more than a point a game as Brown average 3.6 points a game with a high game of 14. That isn't much offense coming back for a team looking to defend its conference championship. Coach Weathers has a bunch of kids ready to work their way up but at this very moment this veteran mentor hasn't decided on a definitive starting lineup. But there are some kids worth mentioning as they could all find themselves in games, especially early. Jesse Krawiecki is a 5-foot-10 senior who suited up for the varsity Hornets last winter while getting into 11 of the games. Another senior who is very important is Justin Grathwohl, a 6-foot-1 forward, who according to Coach Weathers is a good defender and rebounder. You have to be able to do that if you are going to wear one of these uniforms at this program. Those three kids are a good place to start. Look for a pair of juniors to make a case for starting assignments. Chance Reuter, a 5-foot-11 junior guard, and 6-foot-5 junior forward Devin Holle, could be in that opening night lineup at the Lebanon Tournament. Coach Weathers will also have a couple of sophomores he feels could help out. Keegan Anderson is a 6-foot sophomore guard while Bryce Styninger is a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard/forward. Nashville will also have a couple of seniors who this coach believes will deliver some good minutes off the bench. Five-foot-nine guard Trey Meyer and 6-foot-1 center/forward Kyle Mueller both should provide reserve minutes. The Hornets have one freshman that could see some minutes off the bench as well. Daniel Thorson is a 6-foot guard that Weathers believes deserves some playing time. “We have many question marks heading into this season with very little experience coming back,” said Coach Weathers, who is 46-14 in his two seasons as a head coach at Nashville after winning 391-games at Carlyle. “'Our schedule is as tough as anyone in southern Illinois and this team will show improvement over the course of the season.” OUTLOOK – Not all that much was thought of this club last season at this time and all the Hornets did was run the table in the Mississippi Division. Replacing talent is nothing new to this program. Nashville will be ready to go in that opening tournament and with it being later in the Thanksgiving week for a start, it will give the coach a few more days to see what he's got to work with. The Hornets will be right in the middle of this race and are one of the favorites, sight unseen.

3. DU QUOIN In his first season as a head coach, Gabe Sveda reached a milestone some coaches never reach. His Indians won a regional title in his first try, a 45-44 win over Pinckneyville to win the Sparta 1A Regional championship. The Tribe jumped out to a quick 13-2 lead but had to hold on for the win. Coach Sveda will have to replace some good seniors who left the program. Connor Wheeler, an ABV 2A first team selection, and J.C. Davis, an ABV second team choice, were two of the five seniors that graduated from the 23-7 team that finished 8-2 in the Mississippi Division with both losses coming at the hands of Nashville. That duo combined for nearly 35 points a game. Sveda saw his team win its own Du Quoin Tip-Off Classic and the Sparta regional before they fell in double-overtime to Harrisburg in the sectional. The kids coming back have some big shoes to fill. One of the players that was expected to return has been lost for the season before it ever began. Six-foot-three senior Sam Gossett tore his right ACL is has had surgery. He will be lost for the season. He was one of only two players back from last season with much varsity experience so it will be a blow to the team's overall chances this season. Coach Sveda has one player back, 6-foot-5 senior forward Brandon Williams who started nine games last season. Williams averaged about four points a game for the Indians. In the backcourt, 6-foot-1 senior guard Cayle Diggins is back along with 6-foot-2 senior guard John Galik, will see playing time this season after spending most of their evenings sitting on the bench. With Davis and Wheeler in the lineup last season, these two didn't get that many minutes on the floor. That will change this season. Du Quoin has some more talent coming into this campaign but there is a total lack of varsity experience. A pair of forwards will get plenty of minutes coming in the first week of the season as the 6-foot-3 senior John Boss will get a look as will 6-foot-1 senior Dillon Beltz. The junior class will have many minute suitors. Six-foot-two guard Brenden Fred, 5-foot-10 guard Deeja Cole, 5-foot-11 guard Nate Boss, 6-foot-3 Daulton Beltz, 6-foot guard Dustin Mapps and 6-foot-1 forward Daulton Donoghue. All of these players, according to Coach Sveda, are in line for playing time. “We will have some inexperienced kids coming back at several positions,” said Coach Sveda. We lost some great kids from last years sectional team. We are excited for the upcoming challenge and we will focus on getting better each day.” OUTLOOK – That senior group from last season takes a lot of points away with them to college. Wheeler came back to Du Quoin to join his cousin Davis to form one of the best backcourts in the South. Losing Gossett is also a tough situation. Coach Sveda was going to depend on that returning starter for leadership. For this team to continue to win games, it is imperative that the kids moving up cut down on mistakes. One good thing happened for the basketball team this season that hadn't happened in many years. The Du Quoin football team failed to make the playoffs, which meant that Coach Sveda didn't have to wait too long for conditioning to start and for injuries to heal up. Unfortunately the one major injury won't heal up in time for basketball. The Indians should be in the Mississippi title picture.

4. ANNA-JONESBORO The Wildcats have a lot of kids coming back and they have perhaps the league's top player in 6-foot-4 senior Brady Wright. Wright is a four-year starter for the 15-15 club that dropped 68-42 decision to Massac County at the Massac County 2A Regional last February. Coach Mike Chamness said goodbye to six seniors, including 6-foot-7 center Tylor Duckworth who was the team's top scorer with 17 points a game and grabbed 11.2 rebounds a contest. A-J will rely a lot on Wright, a key offensive threat (14.8 p.p.g., 8.2 r.p.g.) this season. Getting Wright the ball will be paramount to the Wildcats getting above .500 overall and in the top tier of the Mississippi Division. Wright is on track to hit the 1,000-point mark before his senior season ends. The other player back who started for the 'Cats last season is Travis Smith, a 6-foot-1 senior guard. Smith averaged 5.3 points and 2.3 assists a game as a junior guard. Coach Chamness will call on Caleb Mixen and Dalton Baker to start games for the Wildcats. Baker played in 29 games last season, adding 5.3 points to the book. Two other seniors who will be in the running for some reserve minutes include 5-foot-8 guard Cody Garver and 5-foot-8 guard Jarid Veronesi. Both of these seniors got a sniff of the varsity last season. Coach Chamness has some newcomers from the underclassmen that could start. Sic-foot-three sophomore Jay Kemp and 6-foot sophomore Tyler Vaughn move up from the JV ranks while one transfer to the program could make a big impact early. Six-foot-eight junior Andrew Nixon comes in from Goreville and could see many early season minutes. “I think if we can handle the ball and get it inside, if we can get him (Wright) the ball we will be ok,” said Coach Chamness. “Guard play must continue to improve. With that being said, we will have to find other ways to score this season, also. Losing Duckworth will hurt us early but we will need to find better options in the half-court.” OUTLOOK – If Wright can have another big season and the Wildcats can come up with more pressure on the basketball, A-J could make a push at a conference championship. Nixon looks to be a project but Coach Chamness will have two seasons to work with him. After the seniors, the two sophomores that Chamness mentioned could be difference makers before the season is over.

5. SPARTA Head coach Rich Williams saw his team falloff a bit from the previous season with just a 10-20 record and just 3-7 in the Mississippi. Not to be left out of the sorrow, Coach Williams lost a lot to graduation like the other teams on this list with London Oliver and Weslen Kiner having left the squad. Jordan Thompson, Adam White and Carl Lobdell are also MIA. So this coach will do like the others and bring up some new talent. It helps greatly when there are some returning players with some varsity time from last season. Williams has a couple of good ones back with 6-foot-7 senior forward Aaron Rushing coming back. This senior averaged 12 points and six rebounds a game for this team that lost in its own regional to Du Quoin, 65-44 in the semifinals. In the backcourt 6-foot senior Austin Peck returns following a season in which he averaged 8.5 points and four rebounds. Coach Williams listed two other players that could be counted on; 6-foot-2 senior Tyler Morrison and 5-foot-10 junior Sharvell Austin. After that there will be some new faces on the team moving up and one kid coming back.Z Shawn Lukes is a 6-foot-2 junior who will step up from the junior varsity into the big dance. Dalton Robert comes back to the program as a senior after not playing last year. Robert is a 6-foot guard. Coach Williams mentioned a couple of underclassmen that could be starters before the practice dust settles and Sparta heads to the Trico Pioneer Invitational Tournament. Five-foot-ten sophomore guard Devante Garrett and 5-foot-6 freshman Dwayne Dotson just sound like they are lightning quick. They must be skilled if Coach Williams is considering them for starting assignments. “We will be relatively young this season and we will count on our guard play, especially the underclassmen to step up,” said Coach Williams, who 28-32 at Sparta in three seasons. “There is a lot of parity in this conference this season with no clear cut favorite.” OUTLOOK – The Bulldogs have some things going for them heading into the season. They have a legitimate post presence in Rushing and they have a good veteran guard with Peck. Coach Williams is looking for some other kids to step forward as this season begins. The true test will come early in that Trico tournament with at least three of the teams looking solid heading into the season. Sparta has enough in the tank to make a trip to the top of this league if everyone stays on the same page.

6. CARTERVILLE The Lions might be the only ones around that might say this, but ABV would almost bet that this program is glad to have taken it on the chin in the first season in their new home in the Mississippi Division. Heading into the season, Coach Scott Burzynski knew that the teams in this league would be a lot stronger overall that what they had witnessed for so many years in the Black Diamond. But this move was part of a master plan in all sports to get better. Mission accomplished. Top to bottom this sports program will be better and the boy's basketball team will likely reap a few benefits this season. Coach B will have some kids back from his 11-18 overall team that went just 1-9 in the division. The Lions sent away its top scorer Ryan Bonifield, who finished his career with 1,078-points last season. Bonifield led the club with 14.8 points a game while teammates Zach Watson (9.6 p.p.g.), and Drew Bonner (9.1 p.p.g.) took a lot with them down the isle. In fact six total seniors have left the new building there at Carterville but this coach has heard this song before. The Lions will regroup with a couple of players back that chipped in some important points during the 2010-11 season. Five-foot-eleven junior Dalton Brown is the top scorer returning for the Lions, who lost to the host Tigers at the 2A Herrin Regional in the semifinals. Brown added 5.2 points per contest, which was a good complement to the seniors above from last season. This year Brown should pad those stats some. Six-foot-two senior Curtis Pitt is also back after averaging 3.3 p.p.g. Every team needs a go-to guy on the defensive end and 6-foot senior Zach Bollman is just that defender. Look for Bollman to be in the starting lineup when the Lions tackle a tough field at the Murphysboro “Ernie Bozrath” Tournament. Six-foot-two senior center Dalton Samuel also is back for coach Burzynski. This coach mentioned a sophomore that should step up after missing last season. Michael Aschemann is a 6-foot guard that could end up playing a lot of minutes. Two juniors; 6-foot-1 forward Travis Kidd and 6-foot-1 guard Lucas Hunter, will be in the “hunt” for PT. “Heading into our second season of River-to-River Conference play and the kids know what it takes to play in this league,” said Coach Burzynski. “We will have a nice collection of veteran players to mix in with young kids that will have to be ready to play. We will play hard and use last years' experience to help us compete this winter.” OUTLOOK – This program will eventually break through in boy's basketball and will be a threat to win this division. It probably won't be this season but eventually this program, with all of the games that they will play against this quality group, will get up to where they want to be. Coach Burzynski likes this group he has returning, and despite not having a lot of size, the Lions should play the teams in the league tough. Look for a bit better won-loss mark this season and maybe steal an additional game or two in the Mississippi.