The Yellow Jackets are coming off an impressive season last year coming off a 19-8 record. The Yellow Jackets made the playoffs last season and although they didn’t make it far they have big plans this year. The Yellow Jackets return with Senior Guard Camerin James they also have forward Jermarien Williams retuning as well. Both these players should be the go to weapons as far as offensive firepower goes. Look for Leesburg to come out of the gate strong this year.

The Wildcats are coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in the last decade. Last season they finished 12-15 and was not what The Wildcats hoped for but that team was young. The team returning this season is much more mature. In fact Wildwood only lost 1 senior last season. Look for Zach Poyser and Jamari Dickens to contribute heavily on the offensive sides of things. Wildwood should look better this year. If they can stay healthy there is no reason this team won’t be able to possibly contend for a district once again! Best of luck to the Wildcats this year!

Lake Minneola is coming off a 17-9 season and it looked like the Hawks could do some damage in the playoffs last year but it wasn’t to be. The Hawks return with star point guard Senior Dylan Diaz who averaged 16 points per game last season while also returning with Senior Forward Donovan Rodgers who averaged 11 points per game last season. Don’t count this team out for a potential district championship run this season! We believe the Hawks can be contenders as long as the offense can keep up the gains made from last season!

The Hurricanes are fresh off one of the worst seasons in recent memory. The Hurricanes can only go up from last year. They only won 8 games total last season and didn’t even make it out of districts as they lost to The Villages to end the season. The Canes graduated most of their impactful players last season so what the team looks like this year remains to be seen. We do know that Senior Alex Croeze should be one of the go to players along with Senior Christian Key. Mount Dora has made big strides in it’s athletics program this year. The Football team had it’s first winning record since 2014 so can the basketball team follow that up with a winning record of their own? We hope they surprise us and take a step in the right direction.

The Panthers haven’t had a winning season since 2019 but don’t let that fool you. Eustis comes into this season with hopes riding on Senior Neysean Rhome. The forward averaged about 14 points per game last year which lead the team. Eustis returns most of its team from last season. The team will be one of the most mature teams in recent memory with 9 returning players. Look for the Panthers to be a much improved basketball team this season. If they can grab a few key victories in their district along the way it’s possible they could make the playoffs. Contending with teams like The Villages is always difficult but we will see if Eustis can make a run at it this season.

The Bulldogs went 16-10 last season and had a good shot at potentially making the playoffs but ultimately lost to Eustis in the opening round of the district tournament and lost any hope of extending their season. The Bulldogs lost a lot of talent in the off season graduating Kobe Diggs which is a player that will be difficult to replace for Umatilla.

Look for senior Mekhi Benn to lead the charge this season. Benn averaged 8.5 rebounds per game last year and also averaged around 14 points so as long as they build a good team around Benn the Bulldogs should be ok. The question will be if Umatilla can grab a few upset wins along the way. They need to contend for a district championship and the past few years The Villages has been the team to beat. Umatilla would like nothing more than to change that narrative this year.

Last season this team only won 8 games. There is reason to suggest that we are unsure of how this season will play out. The Eagles lost a massive senior class and now will be one of the youngest teams in the league. The question for the Eagles will be who develops as a leader. We have seen young teams do great things before so let’s not rule anything out for this season. We are very hopeful that through good coaching and determination this team might surprise everyone this year.

Fresh off a state championship bid last season only to lose that game to CFCA has this team salivating for more. The Bulldogs went 26-2 last season. You couldn’t ask for much more from your team it just came down to execution during the final game and CFCA was the better team. None the less The Bulldogs look to rebound this year.

They return starting senior Isaiah Bryant who averaged about 14 points per game last year. Senior forward Kevin Frederick and a few other guards make up what should be a stout starting roster. The only real player of note that The Bulldogs lost was Reggie Virgil who averaged 19 points per game. Tough shoes to fill but if done successfully there’s no reason this team can’t go on another run if they stay healthy.

East Ridge only won 10 games last season and failed to make the playoffs being eliminated by South Lake in the District tournament. This team is going to have to really dig deep this season. The Knights are one of the few teams not to add their team stats on Max Preps which is rather unfortunate. What we can tell you is that they return many players from last year so they should be a much more disciplined team than previous years. Best of luck to the Knights this year!

The Eagles are coming off a successful season last year. South Lake made it to the playoffs which was the goal. Even though they didn’t make it far there is every reason to believe this team will put it all together this season. Each year since 2018 The Eagles have improved their record. Last year they won 16 games which was their highest total since winning 18 games in 2009!

The Eagles have returning Senior Victor Smith Jr. who averaged 10 points per contest last season. Junior Braden White also returns this season. He’s a versatile player who will help South Lake offensively and defensively. Overall look for South Lake to try and put together another solid year.