2013-14 record: 5-14, 8-16
Coach: Dave Appleby
Top players: Seniors Alex Caffes (G), Pat Clipp (G) Josh Koller (G), Eric Skogmo (F) and Greg Speelman (F); junior Chris Morath (F).
What you need to know: The Mustangs graduated last year's Howard County Player of the Year Robert Davis and his more than 21 points per game. That leaves some big shoes to try and fill for coach Dave Appleby in his first year with the program.
If there's anyone with the pedigree to take on the challenge of helping a team establish a new identity, though, Appleby certainly has the credentials. During his tenure as the boys basketball coach at Oakland Mills, he went 312-177 and guided his teams to seven county titles, including five straight between 1988 and 1992. The Scorpions also won a 3A state title in 1990 with him at the helm.
Later, after resigning from Oakland Mills in 2003, he returned to coach Wilde Lake for two years and at least nine wins each season.
Now the task is to help the Mustangs achieve an overall winning record for the first time since 2011-12.
Caffes is the teams leading returning scorer after averaging 7.8 points a night as a junior. Speelman on the interior and Clipp on the outside have logged plenty of minutes as well and have showcased the ability to score on a consistent basis, including four games apiece in double figures last year.
Morath, a 6-foot-2 wing, has the look of a breakout player according to Appleby. Overall, Marriotts Ridge features a roster of five seniors and seven juniors.