Fox Warriors

Vitals: Coach Lance Anders. 1 letterman, no starters, return from a 7-19 team.

Projected starting lineup: Alen Hadzimahovic (6-4, soph., C), Tim Kulhman (6-1, jr., G), Patrick Kennedy (6-0, jr., G), Billy Pribble (6-4, jr., F), Matt Simokaitis (6-1, sr., G)

Notes: Fox graduated nine seniors, leaving Simokaitis as the only returning letterman. "A few of these guys played some varsity last year, but I left them together," Anders said. "They've been playing together for a couple years now. ... They had some success at the B Team level, so hopefully that will transfer to the varsity level." ... Kennedy transferred from Alabama. ... Hadzimahovic played in eight games on the varsity as a freshman and will be counted on to make an impact this winter. "He's got some great skills," Anders said. "He's one of the fastest players on the team, and he's a great athlete."

Kirkwood Pioneers

Vitals: Coach Bill Gunn. 6 lettermen, no starters, return from a 23-6 Class 5 semifinalist.

Projected starting lineup: Ronald Patton (6-5, sr., F), Joe Bergfeld (6-5, sr., F), Matt Kimball (5-9, sr., G), Eric Amend (6-2, sr., G), Josh King (5-10, sr., G)

Notes: The Pioneers won 11 of their final 12 games last season to finish third at state. ... But you won't recognize them this year. They lost all five starters to graduation, and coach Randy Kriewall moved on, too. ... Gunn, who was at Northwest for four years, took the Kirkwood job after Kriewall resigned. ... The jury is out on this senior class. "Everyone knows Kirkwood has lost a lot and we have a lot to replace this year," Gunn said. ... Amend and Patton have stepped up as leaders in the preseason. Patton is the leading returning starter after averaging 5.9 points per game in spot duty. ... Kimball is a soccer player, but most of the other players participated in fall workouts. ... Maxwell Artis (6-3, jr., F) and Trimayne Boyd (6-2, jr., G) will be counted on for depth. ... The Pioneers could go 9-10 players deep.

Lafayette Lancers

Vitals: Coach Dave Porter. 9 lettermen, 4 starters, return from a 20-9 district champion.

Projected starting lineup: Tyler Griffey (6-8, soph., F), Kevin Fessler (6-1, sr., G), Kyle Meyer (6-2, sr., G), T.J. Shaffer (6-6, sr., F), Kevin Peifer (5-10, sr., G)

Notes: The Lancers have won three straight Suburban West Conference championships. They expect to make it four. ... Lafayette has to replace league player of the year Cartez Parker, who averaged 13.8 points per game. ... Griffey is one of the area's top prospects and could develop into one of the top St. Louis recruits in recent memory. He already has several Division I schools pursuing him. "He is stronger and defends better," Porter said. "He's more comfortable putting the ball on the floor and playing in the post." ... Drew Taylor (6-5, sr., F), Tony Meier (6-5, jr., F) and Will Kirksey (6-6, soph., F) will give the Lancers some size and solid minutes in the post. "We think our depth will be an asset to us," Porter said. ... Brian Fercho (6-2, jr., G), Kevin Haberberger (6-2, jr., F), Mark Davidson (5-9, sr., G) and Brett Hendricks (6-2, sr., G) will see time. ... "We really like our team. There's a lot of pieces to that puzzle," Porter said. ... Dallis Johnson (6-4, sr., F) is a first-year player Porter thinks can help the team. ... Porter said Peifer, a point guard, is doing a good job running the team.

Lindbergh Flyers

Vitals: Coach Jason Wolfard. 9 lettermen, 3 starters, return from an 18-10 team.

Projected starting lineup: Robert Williams (5-10, sr., G), Tyler Kiel (6-6, sr., F), Robby Meeh (6-3, sr., F), Antwon Robinson (5-9, jr., G), Ben Harmon (6-1, sr., G)

Notes: The Flyers finished second in the Suburban West last season, and should challenge Lafayette for the top spot this year. ... "Our goal is to play in Columbia," Wolfard said. "It's going to be a tough road." ... Kiel averaged 12.9 points per game, while Meeh averaged 11 and Williams averaged 10.3. Kiel also averaged 7.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals per game. Williams is one of the top perimeter shooters around. He made 57 3-pointers a year ago. ... Drake Smith (6-1, sr., G), Tremeiko Drake (6-3, sr., F), Charles Little (6-0, jr., G), Bill Uthoff (6-4, jr., F), Odell Johnson (6-0, sr., G) and Cole Buescher (6-3, jr., F) will see time and add valuable depth. "I'm excited about how deep we are," Wolfard said. "It's a competition every day. The starting lineup could change from game to game." ... Williams, Kiel and Meeh bring leadership and experience. The senior class could make the difference in this group winning games. ... Harmon played one game last season, then missed the rest of the year with a fractured bone in his foot. "He's hungry, because he missed the entire season," the coach said.

Marquette Mustangs

Vitals: Coach Shane Matzen. 6 lettermen, 2 starters, return from a 14-11 team.

Projected starters: Thomas Ahlborn (6-1, sr., G), Andy Rosburg (6-6, jr., F), Karlos Washington (5-9, sr., G)

Notes: Ahlborn (10.7 ppg) and Rosburg (10.2 ppg) are returning starters. Matzen said Rosburg has added strength and should be more effective inside. ... Will Carpenter (6-0, sr., G), Rick Scalski (6-4, sr., F), Chad Haley (6-1, jr., G) and Eric Phillips (6-2, jr., F) are fighting for the final two starting spots. ... D'Angelo Wood (6-2, jr., G) and Chris Rosehill (6-1, jr., G) add depth to the backcourt. ... The Mustangs have 11 juniors and four seniors. ... Haley split time between varsity and JV last year. ... Washington is one of the top pressure defenders in the conference. ... Matzen said the team's biggest strength is it's shooting. Washington made 20 3-pointers a year ago, while Ahlborn made 19.

Mehlville Panthers

Vitals: Coach Andy Guethle. 8 lettermen, 5 starters, return from a 4-22 team.

Projected starting lineup: Kyle Horvat (5-8, jr., G), Adam DuBuque (6-0, sr., G), Malcolm Crawford (6-0, sr., G), David Williams (6-3, sr., G), Aaron Alexander (6-2, soph., F)

Notes: Mehlville took its lumps with a young squad, but the Panthers should be much better this winter. "I'm excited," Guethle said. "This is potentially going to be a successful season for us. We should have good guard play." ... Mehlville's run to the Class 5 football semifinals left the team without some players in early workouts. ... Mike Headrick (6-2, sr., F), Tyler Schrader (5-11, sr., G) and Brett Cook (6-1, sr., F) will provide quality depth. ... Williams averaged 12.7 points per game last season. ... Horvat is a good competitor. "He's fast," Guethle said. "He pushes the ball well. He's a good shooter. He's a good overall player." ... Alexander played 10 games as a freshman and averaged 10.1 points per game. He should provide a solid post presence. ... Guethle's brother, Matt, who is two years older, is the new coach at Northwest. Andy is looking forward to those matchups. "It's fun," he said. "We played against each other when we were both freshmen coaches. We're looking forward to it. It's good to see each other. We both want to win those games."

Northwest Lions

Vitals: Coach Matt Guethle. 5 lettermen, 3 starters, return from a 12-15 team.

Projected starters: Andrew Moore (6-4, sr., G), Kyle Fowler (6-4, sr., F), Greg Carley (6-2, sr., G)

Notes: Guethle, whose brother is the Mehlville coach, was an assistant at Northwest for the last five years and graduated from Northwest in 1994. He takes over as the Lions' coach after Bill Gunn took the job at Kirkwood. ... Moore (15.3 ppg) can play inside and outside. "He's one of those gym rats that you have to kick out of the gym," Guethle said. "He's a tough matchup." ... Nathan Shelton (5-11, sr., G), Colten Hill (5-8, jr., G), Cameron Nichols (5-9, jr., G) and Ryan Wilkinson (6-3, soph., G) were fighting for the final two spots in the starting lineup. ... Kyle Myers (5-11, sr., G) was out with a broken hand in the preseason but was expected to contribute when he returned. ... Trevor Riley (6-8, jr., F) and Eric Shoemaker (6-3, sr., F) will see time off the bench. ... The new coach likes his squad. "We're expecting big things," Guethle said. "One thing we've tried to do is to keep strengthening our schedule every year. We feel like this team can play with anybody on any given night." ... On the matchup with Mehlville and his younger brother, Guethle said: "It's like a backyard brawl. My brother and I used to play all the time in the front yard. It's another game on the calendar, but my boys know how hard he worked when wearing a Northwest uniform. We could play them three times this year."

Oakville Tigers

Vitals: Coach Nick Traxler. 11 lettermen, 5 starters, return from a 13-14 team.

Projected starters: Anthony Alexander (6-3, sr., F), Brandon McCord (6-6, jr., F), Justin Schoemehl (6-3, jr., G)

Notes: Traxler takes over as coach after Kenny Ash resigned. Traxler was at Hillsboro the last two years after serving as an assistant at Oakville for two years before that. ... Alexander averaged 13.7 points per game last season. ... Steve Thiele (6-0, jr., G), Antione Pickens (6-0, jr., G) and John Alexander (6-4, jr., F) are competing for the final two starting spots. John Alexander averaged 9.8 points per game last year. ... Keith Pickens (6-2, soph., F) didn't see much varsity time last year, but will be expected to contribute this winter. ... Damir Begovic (6-0, jr., G) is a quick defender who brings versatility off the bench. ... Traxler likes this group. "I'm real excited," he said. "This is a group of kids that has had success as freshmen. Most of them started as sophomores last year on the varsity. They've got depth, size and talent. Now we have to put it together and make them a team."

Parkway South Patriots

Vitals: Coach Mitch Stevens. 3 lettermen, 1 starter, return from a 14-11 team.

Projected starters: Mario Scott (6-6, sr., F), Julian Gilliam (6-1, sr., G), Ben Hoener (5-10, soph., G), Phil Atkins (6-6, jr., C)

Notes: Stevens said there are 11 new faces on the team. "It's a lot of fun because we're taking things much slower in terms of teaching." ... Scott averaged 13.8 points and 8 rebounds per game last season. ... Gilliam averaged 6.8 points per game last season and made 30 3-pointers. ... Stevens said even though this squad is young, the players are driven. "We just want to keep getting better every practice and every game, but they have pretty high expectations for themselves," he said. "They want to win." ... Hoener (2.1 ppg) played in 11 games as a freshman. ... Mark Wright (6-0, jr., G) and Eric Omlid (6-5, jr., F) were successful on the JV team and will be counted on for quality minutes. ... Antonio Bryant (5-10, jr., g) is a good defender.

BY NATE LATSCH