Going into his eighth year at Centennial, coach Chad Hollwedel, 43, saw potential for a special season and pushed the right buttons to make it happen.
Senior guards Isaiah White and Chad Strothers, and junior forward Tom Brown, led a team with a strong supporting cast.
The Eagles' 57-43 win over Westlake in the Class 3A state championship — the program's first — was a microcosm of the season. Centennial played its typical strong team defense, forcing 20 turnovers, and stayed together to outscore the Wolverines, 20-9, in the decisive fourth quarter.
The Eagles also captured the Howard County championship, going 18-1 in league play, and came out of the 3A East region with a win over defending state champion City and a 49-48 victory over county rival River Hill in the region final.
Hollwedel (131-71 in his career) joined the program as a junior varsity assistant coach in 1997 when he came to the school to teach physics. He praised the work of his staff, including varsity assistants Corey Uedell and Bill Ceglia and junior varsity head coach Chris Sanders.