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At the end of the 2008-09 regular season, the Frederick Douglass High School boys' basketball team was 9-12. Six games later, the Eagles were playing for a state title.

The Eagles surprised virtually everyone with last year's run to the 2A state title game, but chances are they will not be sneaking up on any team in the county or the rest of the state this season.

Returning this winter is junior standout Timone Whatley, who joined the Eagles last season after spending his freshman year at Progressive Christian Academy in Temple Hills. Whatley led the team in scoring with more than 13 points per game to go along with more than eight rebounds and seven assists per contest.

Joining Whatley is sophomore forward Kavon Glover, who was perhaps the team's most valuable player during last year's semifinal and final. Junior guard Jeron Beasley and senior forward Purnell Murray also are slated to join what should be a formidable lineup.

"We had a pretty productive offseason," said coach Ty Massenburg. "I guess we can use that as motivation as far as knowing that if we work hard and have good practices, good things can happen for us. Last year we were just getting our feet wet. We're looking at every game as a big game."

Gwynn Park

A power for much of this decade, the Yellow Jackets may be poised to blossom into one of the state's elite by season's end under fifth-year coach Mike Glick.

Two years removed from winning the County 3A/2A/1A League title, the Yellow Jackets hope to return to that position this year with a lineup that's sure to cause problems for county opponents.

Three starters return from last season's team, including junior guard Brandon Ford, who was one of the county's better guards last year before missing the playoffs with a concussion. Tion Barnes (formerly Tion Coates) and senior forward Mike Hemsley also return.

The Yellow Jackets also brought up a number of players from a junior varsity team that went 22-0 last season and has gone 36-2 the past two seasons.

But perhaps the player with the biggest impact will be the biggest player on the roster. Glick said he expects that 6-foot-8 sophomore center Marcel Boyd to have a good season.

The Yellow Jackets will participate in the Salisbury Holiday Classic during the Christmas break, and also have non-league games scheduled against Old Mill and Milford Mill.

"I think this is the deepest team that I've had since I've been at Gwynn Park," Glick said. "I think the County 3A/2A/1A division will be very strong this season, but I think we have a chance to be up near the top."

Bishop McNamara

A month ago, Mustangs' coach Marty Keithline thought seniors Brandon Coleman and Matthew Goldsmith might skip their season seasons as both concentrate on their impending college football careers. Both Coleman and Goldsmith were star wide receivers with the McNamara football team and are on the verge of signing with college football programs.

But it turns out the two will only miss two games each at the beginning of the season for college visits and will be in the lineup for most of the games this season.

Coleman, a 6-7 forward, and Goldsmith, a 6-3 guard, look to help the Mustangs return to the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference semifinals and perhaps advance even further.

Senior point guard Marcus Pilgrim and junior guard Ibn Muhammad, both of whom logged significant minutes for the Mustangs last season, return this winter. Junior guard Tyler Shipe will figure heavily in the lineup, along with junior guard Marcus Thornton, who played with the junior varsity team last season.

The Mustangs will participate in the Bishop Gorman Tournament in Las Vegas from Dec. 17-20.

Wise

The Pumas had a year to remember last season.

With five seniors in the starting lineup, the Pumas made their way to the state 4A semifinals last season at the University of Maryland's Comcast Center after winning the 4A South Region title.

But graduation hit hard, as 2009 Gazette-Star All-County First Team selection Phil Wood, guards David Golladay and Melvin Barfield and with forwards Melvin Barfield and Edward Thomas all were lost.

Now, the Pumas are focused on rebuilding, said coach O.J. Johnson.

"I'm going to call it a rebuilding year," Johnson said. "I think once we get our starters from the football team, we should be pretty good. It is going to take some time to get them back into basketball shape and into the swing of things with basketball."

The starting lineup will be senior-laden with point guard Eugene Davis, guard Alfred Mitchell and football players Titus Till (forward) and Andre Makell (guard).

The Pumas will participate in the National High School Hoops Festival, a five-game showcase event Dec. 12, where they will face Paul VI (Va.). They also will play in the eight-team Maryland National Hoops Classic on Dec. 28-30. Both events will be held at Wise High.

Suitland

The winds of change hit the entire Rams athletic department within the past year.

Taking over for the late Nick Lynch as the school's athletic director was former Charles H. Flowers High boys' basketball coach Gerald McClure, who is now coaching the Suitland boys' basketball team. The Rams' players and their new coach are still familiarizing themselves with one another.

"It's a work in progress at this point," McClure said. "They seem to be a hard-working group. I want them to develop team chemistry and learn how to win."

The Rams will rely on returning junior guards Will Gilmore and Niko Tyson along with senior forward Jerome Tyler and sophomore center Daquan Page. Suitland will participate in the Colonial Electric Christmas Tournament Dec. 28-29 at Southern High School in Harwood.

Forestville

The Knights look to return to the same form that helped the team finish with a competitive 14-8 mark last season in the ever-tough County 3A/2A/1A League.

"We're moving slow, but it's not always where you start, it's where you end up," said coach Irvin Hay. "We don't have any superstars or anything like that, but they're all working hard and making it to practice each day and they seem to be good friends."

Returning for the Knights this season will be senior frontcourt presence Carnell McClary, senior guard Shadeek Bannister, athletic senior Antonio Belt and sophomore point guard Juwon Cole, who comes up from the junior varsity team.

The Knights will participate in the Gerald Moore Classic on Saturday at Northwestern High and will play in the Calvert Christmas Tournament Dec. 29-30 at Calvert High in Prince Frederick.

Queen Anne

The Lions began their season with a victory against Grace Christian Academy and a loss to Chapelgate Christian and had three more games on the scheduled for this week.

The team will lean heavily on three returning seniors as it tries to return to make a run at the Potomac Valley Athletic Conference title. The Lions went 18-8 last year, but their season ended with a PVAC semifinal loss to Jewish Day School.

Senior forward Larry Haley leads the way for the Lions after averaging 17 points and nearly nine rebounds per game last season. Joining Haley will be senior point guard Dean Bolt and senior forward Asa Battle. New to the starting lineup are sophomore guard Lloyd Bramble and freshman point guard Justin Ramey.

The Lions will participate in the National High School Coaches Association Festival Dec. 26-30 at Wicomico High School in Salisbury, and also will play in the Oriole Classic at the Maryland School for the Deaf in Frederick Jan. 8-9.

"We're a little thinner than we thought for a range of reasons with stuff like grades," said fifth-year coach Dave Montgomery. "I think we have the ability and talent to be successful."

Friendly

Patriots' coach Rob Garner has a reminder in his office about how last season ended. It's a picture of the scoreboard from the end of the Class 3A state championship game: Lake Clifton 75, Friendly 50.

Garner said it's something the players and coaches look at every day as they begin the task of completing last year's unfinished business.

"We had to get accustomed to playing at a higher level because we haven't been the hunted team before," Garner said. "In years past, people didn't think much of Friendly. Now we are one of the better teams and we are used as a measuring stick."

The Patriots begin the task of getting back to the state championship on Saturday when they play Friendship Collegiate at the Gerald Moore Jr. Classic at Northwestern High School. The event includes four games starting at noon and will honor Moore, who guided Friendly to state championships in 2003 and 2004 and coached at Northwestern for three years before dying of a heart attack last December.

Garner said the Patriots' road began in the summer when they won the GPS Beltway League at Henry A. Wise High School. The road to the championship consisted of victories over private school power DeMatha in the semifinals and league rival Potomac in the championship game.

Although the Patriots lost Gazette-Star First Team selection A.J. Thomas to graduation, Friendly returns plenty of firepower and depth.

Seniors Justin Strong, R.J. Sims, Chris Adewole and Sherrod Baltimore are just a few of the players that will lead the Patriots. Garner said guard Davon Morton and Mike Johnson had excellent summers, while seniors Lovell Brooks and Bernard Savoy transferred from Friendship Collegiate.

"We are looking for a great effort night in and night out because our defense leads into our offense," Garner said. "I really feel like these kids have some unfinished business. But this year will be tough because there are no drop offs in the [County 3A/2A/1A] league. We have to play our best every time we take the court."

Oxon Hill

The Clippers have four starters returning, but their success is dependent on the play of sophomore point guard Timon Johnson, who started last year as a freshman. Coach Richard Little said Johnson's play is the key for the Clippers.

Seniors Ray Gatling (guard), Aaron Venson (forward) and Denzel McGuine (guard) and sophomore Valshawn Wallace also return to give Little plenty of options. The Clippers also have two more guards coming off the bench, as sophomore Michael Morgan and junior Juan Cartlidge give Oxon Hill depth at the position.

"We are going to play fast-paced and have an up-tempo style," Little said. "We don't have a true big man, but we have a lot of guys that play hard and rebound."

Surrattsville

Coach Roderick Moore said leadership and a better basketball IQ should push Surrattsville back toward the top in the County 3A/2A/1A League after the Hornets endured a one-win season last year.

The improved leadership comes from returning senior starters Lewis Simpson (guard) and Richard Harris (small forward), while the better basketball IQ comes from a team with several players on the school's honor roll.

"It's been a 360-degree turn from what we had at the start of last season," Moore said. "The players have experienced some success in the other programs, and there is a chip on their shoulders. The kids went to work and took the offseason serious."

Crossland

Taft Hickman takes over a Crossland team that is athletic, but doesn't have a lot of size.

He said his tallest player is 6-foot-3, so the Cavaliers will rely on speed and a pressure defense to get the job done.

Senior forward Trevon Barnes and junior point guard Arnold Richmond will be two of the Cavaliers' mainstays. Senior forward Donnell Harris and senior guard Antonio Kinlaw also provide firepower.

Hickman said his team is still in the process of learning his system, which is based on controlled transition offense and pressure defense. He said the team should start to come around in January and be ready for a run in the playoffs.

"We don't want to be playing our best basketball in December," he said. "We want to be peaking in January and February because that's when it matters."

Potomac

Wolverines' coach Torrence Oxendine said his team doesn't have a lot of chemistry after introducing seven new players to the varsity squad. But he said the team should be able to find the right formula at the start of 2010, which could carry the Wolverines deep into the playoffs.

Seniors Dave Brockenberry and Daron Wiseman return to the starting lineup. Fellow seniors Devin Miller (a 6-5 guard) and Antonio Jenifer (a 6-7 forward) give Potomac plenty of scoring options.

"The team is versatile and very athletic," Oxendine said. "We can play either half-court of a full-court game. The first month is always a trial to see what we have, but we should be clicking on all cylinders after the break."

Grace Brethren

The Eagles got the season started last weekend with a 2-1 record at the Arlington Baptist Invitational tournament in Winsor Mill. Eighth-grader Corey Henson was named to the all-tournament team and guides the offense from the point guard position.

Senior guard Damani Givens is another scoring threat for Grace Brethren, which will use an aggressive four-guard attack.

"We played well at the tournament and felt like we could have won the thing," coach Dennis Loufik said. "All of our guards are interchangeable, so it gives us tremendous flexibility. But we lack size, so our guards have to do a good job at rebounding."