Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Clarke County enters the season on a 35-game winning streak against district opponents. Chandler Rhoads, the reigning Group A player of the year, Joey Racer and Charles Bailey will look to extend that streak another season while leading the Eagles to a fourth straight district title and third straight state championship.
• Manassas Park has four starters -- seniors Felix Clement and Danny Bigelow and juniors John Idigo and Brandon Livingston -- back from last year's team that qualified for the region tournament.
• Madison County also could be dangerous behind standouts Logan Terrell (sophomore) and Sam Utz (senior), who combined to score 32 points per game last season. Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Seniors Jeff White and Terrill Smith are Chancellor's most experienced returnees and helped the Chargers go 17-8 last season en route to winning their first Battlefield District regular season and tournament titles. The duo hopes to improve on last year's success before heading to West Virginia Wesleyan College together next fall.
• Courtland will look to recapture the district title it won in 2006 behind three starters from last season, including Division I recruit and sophomore Josh Hairston (15 ppg and 7 rpg).
• James Monroe has back two starters in junior guard DeVonate Atkins and senior forward Josh Tasker, but should remain near the top after the promotion of several players from the junior varsity team that won the district title. Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Park View has had only a handful of practices together after its football team advanced to the AA Region II final. Eight players, including starters C.J. Leizear, Danny Foley, Mulabah and Marcus Freeman, are back from that team.
• Potomac Falls lost several top players from last year's district champion but will be starting five seniors.
Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Millbrook has back 10 players from a team that advanced to the AA state quarterfinals last season, including its top three scorers: Sugars (16.3 ppg.), Green (14.1 ppg.) and Clayton Rodney (8.9 ppg.).
• Handley has had just six full practices as a unit after the end of football season and is led by West Virginia football signee Dorsey (16.3 ppg.).
• James Wood graduated 10 seniors from last year's team, but Coach Bruce Fowler said the team has two promising young players in junior Matt Johnson and sophomore Trae Tinsman.
• Sherando has 10 players in the program who are playing in the Virginia AA championship Saturday, which has delayed preseason preparation. Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Forest Park center and Old Dominion-signee Chris Cooper had arthroscopic knee surgery in mid-November to repair torn cartilage and will be out until at least late December.
• Hylton is boosted by talented 6-6 junior guard/forward Keith Mitchell, who transferred in the offseason from Bishop O'Connell.
• Woodbridge (4-18) has back 10 players and four starters from last year's team, most in the district.
• Freedom has back one starter from last year's Virginia AAA semifinalist, but reloaded with a front line that boasts four players taller than 6-5. Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Osbourn Park receives a boost from talented point guard Calvin Croskey, who transferred from Flint Hill.
• Another strong transfer -- guard Josh Mallory, formerly of Notre Dame Academy -- will play for Loudoun Valley this season.
• Defending district tournament champ Fauquier graduated four starters and lost two other projected starters in the offseason.
• Liberty does not have a senior on its roster, but boasts seven juniors with varsity experience.
• Loudoun Valley and Liberty will compete in the Cedar Run this season for the first time. Last season Liberty competed in the Virginia AA Northwestern District. Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Defending district champion Albemarle lost eight of its top nine players, leaving the door open for Brooke Point. Look for Ullah to lead a capable returning cast.
• Colonial Forge will depend heavily on Hayes and junior guard Michael Wolf while 6-5 sophomore center Adrian Clark nurses an ankle injury.
• After posting its first winning season last year, Riverbend moves up from Group AA. The Bears have one of the district's most talented players in 6-6 junior forward Michael Phillips, who is receiving interest from several Division I programs, including George Mason.
• Look for Mountain View senior guard Nate Slagle to have a big year -- he sat out last season after transferring from Colonial Forge. Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Ball State-bound senior Maurice Hubbard (16 points per game) is one of three starters back for Westfield.
• Chantilly added 6-10 John Manning, an extremely skilled player with good footwork.
• After posting a 21-3 record en route to the program's sixth district title last season, Herndon graduated all five starters and has a new coach. Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Woodson has back a talented back court with sophomore guard Max Lenox (9.7 points per game), senior forward Greg Whitaker (8.5 ppg) and junior guard Stephen Stepka (4.8 ppg).
• Langley senior Ryan Davenport was the region's leading scorer last season, averaging 22.3 points per game.
• After 13 years as an assistant coach at South Lakes, Darryl Branch takes over as head coach at his alma mater, replacing 23-year veteran Wendell Byrd.
• McLean senior Tarek Ammoury, who averaged 19 points, 11 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game last season and broke the school's all-time scoring mark, could miss up to three games after suffering a deep thigh bruise. Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Marquel De Lancey recently signed with Old Dominion after averaging 17 points and five rebounds per game last season for Mount Vernon.
• Edison returns two of its top scorers from last season's squad, which rode a midseason 16-game winning streak to a 20-5 record.
• Brian Cahill, who led Yorktown in scoring (14.7 ppg) last season, transferred to St. Stephen's/St. Agnes. Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • T.C. Williams is undefeated (34-0) against district competition over the last two years.
• The reigning region champions return 6-7 senior Anthony Winbush. The Patriot District runner-up from last season, Lake Braddock has back Haben Petros, a versatile inside and outside threat.
• Annandale will rely on Northeastern-bound forward Erik Etherly.
• To move past its first losing season this decade, Hayfield will look to new head coach Ron Palmer, who posted a 609-150 record, won 19 district titles, eight region titles and one state title in 25 years at California's Long Beach Poly High Top Teams Top Players Fast Break • Once again the bulk of the area's top teams are private schools. Montrose Christian, with its trio of top juniors and a handful of transfers, is considered among the nation's top teams.
• Another independent, National Christian, is led by Taylor and three seniors likely to get Division I college scholarships: G Trevor Brown Jr., F Wilbur O'Neal and F David Diakite.
• In the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference, Gonzaga lacks standouts but does have several talented players, including Kenyi, F Cam Johnson (bound for Virginia to play football) and junior C Ian Hummer. The Eagles and O'Connell are out to knock DeMatha from the league's perch. O'Connell has the area's most talented player in Clark, who signed with Georgetown. DeMatha must rebuild, with Baltimore transfers Hibbert and G Josh Selby leading the way.
• Georgetown Prep should head the Interstate Athletic Conference, led by G Garvey Young, though Bullis and St. Stephen's/St. Agnes could challenge.