Francis Scott Key Eagles
1993-94 record: 8-12. Coach: Jeff Cook.
Top players: Topher Casserly, 6-4, Sr., F; Steven Wright, 6-2, Sr., F; Mike Crawmer, 6-3, Jr., G/F; Cortney Woodyard, 5-7, Jr., G; Chris Richardson, 6-1, Sr., F/C.
Outlook: Casserly, Wright and Crawmer are returning starters from last year's team, and Richardson was one of the first players off the bench. Richardson has good leaping ability for his size and can operate on the low post. Woodyard played part of the season on the varsity before moving down to the junior varsity in order to get more playing time.
Casserly, Wright and Crawmer are excellent shooters and make the Eagles an explosive offensive team. Key figures to score enough points to win most games, leaving defense as the major question mark for the Monocacy Valley Athletic League team.
Other important players on the Key roster are forward David Norwood and guards Robbie Green, Dan Stephenson and Gabe Stephenson.
Even though Cook has the best Key team in the past several years, he still probably won't finish first or second in the MVAL. Middletown and South Hagerstown look like strong title contenders, and Walkersville is always strong.
Since F. S. Key doesn't play enough games against Carroll County teams, it is not eligible for the county title. That leaves the state regional playoffs as the primary goal for the Eagles.
Making the 1A South regionals will be a tough assignment for Key since it is in a rugged 11-team region that includes Boonsboro, Wilde Lake, Brunswick, Poolesville, Central and Catoctin. Only six of the 11 teams will make the playoffs.
Liberty Lions
1993-94 record: 8-12. Coach: Scott Kohr.
Top players: Jeff Janyska, 5-9, Sr., G; Tyrone Ellis, 6-1, Jr., F; Ed Ruck, 6-2, Jr., F; Ryan Pagels, 5-11, Soph., G.
Outlook: The Lions have been wiped out by graduation and a football injury to Jeff Basford. Gone are starters Josh Gursky, Brian Trone, Joe Monar and Andy Thompson. Also graduated is Chris Peay, leaving Janyska as the only starter and returning player from last season.
Kohr will be counting on football standouts Ellis and Pagels to help fill some of the void left by the mass exodus. Ruck also should be an important contributor as a starter.
Every other member of the team is a major question mark, starting with juniors James Lee and Daryl Knight and ending with seniors Matt Krivoniak and Steve Shorter and junior Joe Curcio.
Krivoniak and Shorter are the tallest players on the squad at 6 feet 3. But Krivoniak hasn't played basketball in two years because he decided to sit out and work, and Shorter is a transfer from Franklin High.
Curcio, a 6-foot point guard, is a transfer from upstate New York.
"We're going to run the Indiana motion offense and hope for
% the best," said Kohr.
North Carroll Panthers
1993-94 record: 3-18. Coach: Troy Warehime.
Top players: Jason Glover, 6-2, Sr., F; Ryan Appling, 6-2, Jr., G/F; Jason Gelb, 6-4, Jr., F.
Outlook: With Bruce Wright sitting out due to an eligibility ruling, the Panthers appear to be in for a long season. They just do not have much size, talent, quickness or experience.
Warehime may have to do a masterful coaching job just to win as many games as last season. He has to play 12 games in the tough Central Maryland Conference and a strong Francis Scott Key team twice.
Glover is the only returning player from last season, and he'll be joined basically by last season's starting junior varsity team.
Those junior varsity players who will get a quick baptism into fire will be Appling, Gelb, Roger Bowles, Barrett Gugliotta, Scott Hensley and Roger Bauer.
Unfortunately for Warehime, Gugliotta is no relation to former N. C. State and Washington Bullets standout Tom Gugliotta.
"We can only go in one direction and that is up," said Warehime. "We have a lot of guys who are close in ability. The positive thing is they have some enthusiasm for the game. We're on a two-year plan."
South Carroll Cavaliers
1993-94 record: 10-10. Coach: Jim Carnes.
Top players: Greg Mihalko, 5-9, Sr., G; Matt McGrane, 6-4, Sr., C; Matt deWitt, 6-2, Sr., F; John Eaton, 6-0, Sr., G.
Outlook: The Cavaliers, already hurt by the graduation of Brad Schulze, Jon Strebe and Brian Peltier, have been hit by other problems in the preseason.
First point guard and team leader Mihalko injures his neck in the final football game of the season and is able to practice only one day during the first two weeks of workouts.
Then senior center Tom Luster does not come out for the team this season.
Carnes said: "Greg Mihalko wants to play, but he is not in condition to play. But when he does play, he will be one of the best in the county, if not the best."
According to Carnes, McGrane will have to score from his center position for South Carroll to be successful this season.
Eaton, deWitt, Bryce Baker, Bryan Herche and Dan Wroten will have to produce if the Cavaliers are to match last season's record.
Westminster Owls
1993-94 record: 10-12. Coach: Dave Byers.
Top players: Steve Mays, 6-0, Sr., G; Eric Moreau, 6-0, Jr., G; Mark Loscomb, 6-4, Sr., C; Justin Sholkoff, 6-1, Sr., F; Derick Brightful, 5-11, Sr., G.
Outlook: Byers is up to his old preseason tricks, playing down the expectations for his team. But like always, Westminster will be a representative basketball team in the Central Maryland Conference and at the 4A level.
Also, the Owls figure to battle it out with South Carroll for a third straight Carroll County championship.
Westminster will miss 6-foot-7 center Russell DeMont, who has graduated, but Loscomb has some ability at the center position and Sholkoff should be able to handle himself inside.
In the backcourt, there is the intelligence of Mays and the quickness of Brightful along with the all-around ability of Moreau. Other important contributors should be guards Chad Brown and Mike Recek and junior 6-foot-6 center Matt Laczkowski.
"As always, we're going to have to play good defense to win," said Byers.