It’s time to take sports inside.
High school basketball season commences this week with Prince William County boys squads from Haymarket, Manassas and the Woodbridge area ready to strut their stuff.
Last season’s COVID-shortened campaigns ended in February with Potomac coming within a game of the Class 6 state title. Patriot made the region finals, and Woodbridge made the region semis.
Returning powers Patriot, Woodbridge and Potomac are planning on more success, with Battlefield, Hylton, Forest Park and Manassas Park optimistic about a strong winter.
Osbourn Park, Gar-Field, Osbourn and Colgan could surprise people.
Meanwhile, the new Gainesville Cardinals, the county’s 13th high school, tip off their inaugural season under coach Justin Powers.
The Prince William Times previews all the boys teams:
CLASS 3 NORTHWESTERN DISTRICT TEAMS
BRENTSVILLE TIGERS
Coach: Chris Lewis (2nd year)
Last season: 2-7
Expected contributors: Stay tuned.
Web: BrentsvilleDistrictVA.rschoolteams.com
Twitter: @BDBasketball
What’s up? Chris Lewis is waiting for his stars to come out. He has 11 possible contributors on his Brentsville Tigers team but doesn’t know yet who’ll step up.
The coach’s preseason goal has been “to get better every day,” and despite some ups and downs, his team of mostly returning players has improved.
Brentsville isn’t blessed with size, Lewis said, so playing smart and aggressive will be key to reaching the Tigers’ goal of a .500 campaign and perhaps a regional tourney appearance.
MANASSAS PARK COUGARS
Coach: Gary Chicko (8th year)
Last season: 6-6, region 2nd round
Expected contributors: Payton Simmons, Jace Garza, Devin Chambers, Isaac Malik-Duarte
Web: MParkSports.com
Twitter: @MPCougars
What’s up? Gary Chicko’s Cougars will go as far as a talented quartet of seniors take them.
Dynamic all-state point guard Payton Simmons runs the team. An inside-out threat, Simmons scored 19.4 points per game last season. All-region shooting guard Jace Garza went for 15.4 points. Both are top defenders and lead the Cougars in rebounding.
Guards Devin Chambers and Isaac Malik-Duarte are back after averaging 10 and 8 points, respectively. But now Chicko adds some inside presence with emerging senior Abdullahi Abdullahi and junior Jordan McGlawn, both 6-foot-4.
Winning the Class 3 Northwestern District and making a run to states would make for a successful campaign, Chicko said.
CARDINAL DISTRICT TEAMS
COLGAN SHARKS
Coach: Jason John (6th year)
Last season: 4-7
Expected contributors: Chance Lundy, Christian Eppley, Micah Ferguson, Skyler Smith
Twitter: @ColganHoops
What’s up? Jason John’s roster is a mix of old and new. The veteran Colgan coach returns starting guard Chance Lundy and six reserves from last year, plus seven new faces.
One of them is D’Vell Garrison Jr., a senior guard who played at Colgan as a freshman, transferred out and just transferred back.
After coming off the bench last year, Skyler Smith, Micah Ferguson, Christian Eppley, and Troy Gulley are in line for greater roles. Freshman Nate Ament and Eann Pennix are expected to earn minutes.
With his roster made over, Bell hopes the Sharks emerge as a trendy up-and-comer.
FOREST PARK BRUINS
Coach: Makafui Dogbatse (8th year)
Last season: 5-7
Expected contributors: DeKevion Moore, Sam Norfleet, Winston Radford, Azaan Sheikh, Christan Smith
Web: ForestParkHS.rschoolteams.com
Twitter: @ForestParkBBall
What’s up? It wasn’t the preseason coach Makafui “Mak” Dogbatse expected.
Just before school started, a pair of senior starters transferred out, leaving Dogbatse with a roster composed of just one senior who didn’t play varsity last year.
Defensive-minded 6-foot-2 DeKevion “DK” Moore returns after starting as a freshman last season, as does sophomore guard Sam Norfleet. Guards Winston Radford, Azaan Sheikh, Christan Smith, and 6-foot-4 Andrew Perry step into larger roles.
Impact freshmen Brandon Edozie and Ethan Salvatierra bring their size to Dogbatse’s defense-first team, which looks to make the top four of the Cardinal District despite the young roster.
FREEDOM EAGLES
Coach: James West (16th year)
Last season: 2-6
Dynamic guard Jalen West and the Freedom Eagles are out to win the Cardinal District.
Expected contributors: Isaiah Wimbush, Jalen West, Jordan Perkins
Web: FreedomHSVA.rschoolteams.com
Twitter: @FreedomHSHoops
What’s up? Coming off a 6-2 record in their preseason scrimmages, Freedom looks ready to roll.
The Eagles will tackle a tough schedule with a core of six top performers who present “a matchup nightmare,” coach James West said.
Returning seniors Jalen West and Isaiah Wimbush are athletic ball-handlers and shooters, averaging 11 and 13 points last season. Junior Jordan Perkins scored 12 points per game a year ago.
Transfer guards Shamar Sisco and Tavarres Riley, both sophomores in from top private schools, figure to contribute right away. A sixth contributor, sophomore guard Elijah Reid, will return when Freedom’s football season is complete.
West wants his team to use its athleticism, running high-tempo offense created by trapping defense.
GAR-FIELD RED WOLVES
Coach: Jason Bell (9th year)
Last season: 1-9
Expected contributors: Isaiah Crockett, Chancellor Perkins, Daunte Williams
Twitter: @GFHSBoysBBall
What’s up? Coach Jason Bell is looking for his Gar-Field team to get better as the season goes along, but he already has talent to work with.
High-scoring guard Chancellor Perkins is back after earning all-district honors as a freshman. Fellow sophomore Daunte Williams is a presence both offensively and defensively. Six-foot-5 senior Isaiah Crockett is a force inside.
What the Wolves need is experience, Bell said. With a hard-nosed, defense-first mentality, Bell said he expects Gar-Field to play its best by season’s end.
HYLTON BULLDOGS
Coach: Barry Smith (16th year)
Last season: 7-7, region 1st round
Expected contributors: Lucas Scroggins, Kelby Garnett, Rodney Johnson
Web: HyltonHS.pwcs.edu/our_school/student_activities/athletics
Twitter: @HyltonAthletics
What’s up? There’s no shortage of experience on the Hylton roster. Barry Smith boasts 11 seniors, including athletic 6-foot-6 wing Lucas Scroggins and all-district scoring guard Kelby Garnett.
Fellow senior Rodney Johnson is a rim-protector and rebounder at 6-foot-8. Transfers Chance Cathcart and Tyler Rekdal figure to contribute.
Using a moderate tempo, Smith looks for his senior-laden team to grow from its region tourney appearance last season.
POTOMAC PANTHERS
Coach: Keith Honore (17th year)
Last season: 13-1
Expected contributors: Kyle Honore, Terrance Bethea, Frankie Lee
Web: PotomacAthletics.net
Twitter: @PotomacBlue
What’s up? High school basketball is a game of constant turnover.
Coach Keith Honore led the Panthers to the Class 6 state championship game where they suffered their lone defeat of the season to eventual champion Centreville.
Then eight of his top nine players graduated, and now he says he’s starting “from ground zero.”
Potomac lacks experience, but not talent or size. Kyle Honore is a returning all-state guard. Senior Frankie Lee and sophomore Terrance Bethea measure 6-foot-4.
Although it’ll be a different Potomac team than in recent seasons, Honore’s characteristic up-tempo style that has won two state crowns remains unchanged. He expects the Panthers to make another deep postseason run.
WOODBRIDGE VIKINGS
Coach: Courtney Coffer (6th year)
Last season: 10-3, region semis
Expected contributors: Michael Cooper, Dylan Simmons, Malik Hunter, Jaiden Edwards, Brian Jackson
Web: WoodbridgeHS.rschoolteams.com
Twitter: @Viking____Pride
What’s up? The Vikings won a lot last season, and they figure to win again and again this year. Woodbridge returns five top contributors, led by 6-foot-3 all-district guard Michael Cooper and his 12 points per game.
Point guard Malik Hunter dished 4.7 assists per game last year, while Dylan Simmons averaged eight points a contest. Guard Jaiden Edwards and 6-foot-6 wing Brian Jackson are back as prominent parts of coach Courtney Coffer’s rotation.
Stepping up fro JV are 6-foot-7 forward Riley Jacobs and 6-foot-3 guard Denzel Lambert, both of whom could make an impact this year.
Relying on his team’s quickness and intensity, Coffer’s primary goal is to win the Cardinal District’s regular season.
CEDAR RUN DISTRICT TEAMS
Battlefield is ready for its traditional duels with rival Patriot, set for Jan. 14 and Feb. 4.
BATTLEFIELD BOBCATS
Coach: Randy Bills (8th year)
Last season: 8-4, region 1st round
Expected contributors: Maddux Tennant, Chase Nelson, Ryan Derderian
Web: BobcatsPride.org
Twitter: @BattlinBobcatz
What’s up? There’s a lot of variety to the Bobcats’ lineup. Juniors Maddux Tennant and Ty Gordon are all-district returners, while senior transfer guards Chase Nelson and Jonathan Warren will make their impacts.
Tennant and Nelson figure to be the Bobcats’ top shooters. Guards Ryan Derderian and Manny King, along with 6-foot-4 power forward Bryce Hammersley, will step into larger roles.
Randy Bills said he has a defensive-minded team that’s still working out its offensive style.
GAINESVILLE CARDINALS
Coach: Justin Powers (1st year)
Last season: This is the program’s first year
Expected contributors: Grant Polk, Phoenix Shahateet, Trevor Moody, Artem Hurtovenko
Twitter: @GainesvilleBoys
What’s up? The brand-new Gainesville Cardinals have zero players with previous varsity experience, so they don’t yet know how good they can be.
The Cardinals enter their first hoops season helmed by veteran coach Justin Powers, who already boasts a core of sophomores to build from. Grant Polk and Artem Hurtovenko are skilled 6-foot-4 wings. Phoenix Shahateet is an athletic scorer. Trevor Moody is Gainesville’s top on-ball defender.
Six-foot-4 post Greg Davidson and fellow freshman Julian Shahateet, a guard, have caught Powers’ eye.
With the top six of eight Cedar Run teams making the district tournament, Powers aims for the newborn Cardinals to be one of them.
OSBOURN EAGLES
Coach: Rocky Carter (9th year)
Last season: 3-8
Expected contributors: Tey Barbour, Idris Johnson, Simon Walakira, Mah’Khia Brown
Web: OsbournAthletics.org
Twitter: @OsbournBoysBB
What’s up? Osbourn has six seniors, led by varsity returnee Diego Aviles, who is just getting back from football. With most of the seniors new, coach Rocky Carter calls his group “very inexperienced,” and he put “very” in all caps.
The Eagles skew young, with Carter putting as many as four sophomores on the floor at once at times.
Carter does bring back all-district sophomore guard Tey Barbour and third-year varsity forward Idris Johnson, a shooting threat. Sophomore forward Brenden Ahlers has elevated his game in the off-season, Carter said, and figures see significant minutes.
Junior Simon Walakira mans the point, while junior forward Mah’Khia Brown impresses with his tenacity and work ethic. Aviles and seniors Quinten Davis and Carson Hinebaugh will soon join the squad from football.
OSBOURN PARK YELLOW JACKETS
Coach: Jeremy Coleman (4th year)
Last season: 3-7
Expected contributors: Logan Dwyer, Daniel Salguero, Trey Terrell
Web: OPJackets.org
Twitter: @OPJacketsHoops
What’s up? Only three seniors occupy coach Jeremy Coleman’s roster, leaving Coleman in teaching mode this preseason.
The Jackets return shooting guard and captain Logan Dwyer and add transfer point guard Daniel Salguero. Trey Terrell is a sophomore who saw substantial varsity action a year ago.
Despite the relative inexperience, Coleman aims to develop the Jackets into a top-three program in the district this season with aggressive defense and opportunistic offense.
PATRIOT PIONEERS
Coach: Sherman Rivers (6th year)
Last season: 12-3, region champ game
Courtney Davis is just one of many strong Patriot players.
Expected contributors: Nick Marrero, Courtney Davis, Jay Randall, Nasir Coleman
Web: PatriotPioneers.org
Twitter: @PatriotHoops
What’s up? The Pioneers are on quite a roll. They’ve won four Cedar Run District titles and one Region B championship over the past four years.
Sherman Rivers thinks his team is ready for more.
Rivers has one of the most athletic teams he’s ever had, he said. Junior point guard Nasir Coleman is back after earning all-district honorable mention. Senior guards Nick Marrero and Courtney Davis return, as does 6-foot-3 junior forward Jay Randall.
Sophomore guards Dezmond Hopkins and Brady Page figure to make contributions after last season, when Hopkins made varsity and Page helped Patriot’s JV team go undefeated.
With a fast-pace style, Rivers said he’s excited about the upside of his team this year.
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