SAND ROCK – There’s a lot of excitement concerning Sand Rock basketball these days.

A Cherokee County championship.

A Class 2A, Area 12 championship.

A Northeast Regional title.

A Final Four appearance.

A new gym.

All those things can put gleam in a teenager’s eyes, but the thing Wildcat coach Brian Mackey is trying to get across to his players is all that doesn’t mean anything when they take the court this season.

“It’s nice because the kids are excited, but last year is over with and done,” he said.

One thing the Wildcats are attempting to replace this season is the void left by guard Justin Mackey. He averaged 17.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 2.5 steals last season.

It’s not as if Brian Mackey is starting from scratch. His nephew is the only player who graduated from last year’s Final Four team.

A core group of seniors return in 6-foot-3 post player Chase Brisendine, 5-9 guard Matt Cole and 5-9 forward Cliff Bailey. Three talented juniors also return in guards Brannon Burt and Justin Kyser and forward Cody Beck.

Sophomores Drew Norris, Matt Graham and Chad Thompson, along with 6-3 eighth grader Riley Norris all saw significant time on the court last year, and give Sand Rock a lot of depth.

“I’ve got everybody back but one, but we’re still young,” Brian Mackey said. “I’ve got a good group of guys who are going to work hard.

“We’ve had some good practices. The intensity is there. The hustle is there. We’ve been playing and going hard. It’s just we’ve got to do the little things. If we do them, then we’re going to be all right.”

Sand Rock competes in Class 2A, Area 12 with Geraldine, West End and Westbrook Christian.

The following is a preview of the 2009-10 boys basketball season for area teams.

Cedar Bluff Tigers

One would be hard pressed to find a better tandem than what the Tigers have in 6-3 junior forward Tyric Scales and 6-1 junior guard Marcus Reese.

Scales led the Tigers last season by averaging 22.4 points 7.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 2.2 steals last season. Reese, whose making the move to point guard, has improved greatly since moving to the position, according to head coach Joe Carpenter.

The Tigers also have a nice mix to go around Scales and Reese, including four seniors in guards Kyle and Garrett Crane, forward Kai Wen and guard Nick Reed. Reed is a transfer from Gaylesville, and is a great outside shooter, Carpenter said.

Other expected standouts are sophomore forward Evan McBurnett and freshman guard DeAngelo Hardy, both of whom had solid summer camps.

Providing the Tigers with depth at guard are a pair of freshmen in Robert Henderson and Terrence Scales, sophomore Rihied Harris and junior Brian Roebuck.

Freshmen Levi Mintz and Curtis Abernathy, along with junior Scott McGinnis will give Cedar Bluff depth at the forward positions.

The Tigers compete in Class 1A, Area 12 with Asbury, Collinsville, Gaston, Gaylesville and Spring Garden.

Cherokee County Warriors

New head coach Kori Walker must feel like a kid in a candy store.

Walker, hired back in June, inherits a veteran Warrior team from former coach Shane Reid, including 6-1 senior guard Coty Blanchard.

Blanchard led the team last season by averaging 20.9 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.9 steals and 1.2 assists. Blanchard has scored 1,182 points in his varsity basketball career.

But Blanchard isn’t the only threat at the guard position the Warriors have. Senior guards Keon Rucker and Moryet Chambers, along with junior guard Brett Burgess, give Cherokee County a boatload of talent at the position. Senior forward Colin Perry is also expected to be one of the Warriors’ standout performers.

Giving depth to the Warriors are senior guards D.J. Fife, Gabriel Chambers, Caleb Hays and Trevor Perry. Senior Jesse Lemons and junior Zeph Fife will contribute at the forward positions. Junior center Hudson Grimes will anchor the post.

The Warriors have had to adjust to Walker’s pressure defense style of play, but Walker said they’ve adapted to his system well.

“These young men have come together as a team and have embraced my ideas, discipline and coaching philosophy,” Walker said. “The players have worked hard during the preseason, and are eager to showcase their talent. We are all excited and hopeful that this year will be a great success.”

Cherokee County competes in Class 4A, Area 12 with Alexandria, Hokes Bluff and Jacksonville.

Gaylesville Trojans

Like Cherokee County, the Gaylesville Trojans are also adjusting to a new head coach.

Nathan Wehunt takes over for Chad Bynum and has a lot of raw talent in which to work.

The Trojans’ roster consists of two juniors in Josh Whitaker and Casey Bishop and a sophomore in Jeffrey Smith. The rest of the lineup are freshman (Chris Bolenbaugh, Will Callan, Jon Compton, John David Jennings and Clay Joseph) and eighth grader Gable Lawson.

Gaylesville competes in Class 1A, Area 12 with Asbury, Cedar Bluff, Collinsville, Gaston and Spring Garden.

Spring Garden Panthers

Now that Spring Garden coach Ricky Austin has had a full off-season to work with the Panthers, he’s seen improvement.

“The biggest thing we’ve got going into this year is we know each other so much better,” Austin said, who took over in the early part of last season for Stan Jones, who stepped down for health reasons. “I think that’s going to help us get off to a much better start.”

Returning to the Panther lineup are four seniors, including a trio of guards in Jake Scott, Kaleb Littlejohn and Ethan Black. Senior Casey Steward will help anchor the post, along with Corey Anderson and John Pope.

Austin said he’s excited about the progress of junior guard Andrew Maddox, who is also expected to be one of the Panthers’ standouts this season. Austin said Maddox “had a great summer and looks really sharp right now.”

“We’re real excited about him,” Austin said.

Rounding out the Panther roster is Brady Burns, Daniel Rogers, Brad Heath and Evan Jones.

“We’re looking at Jake Scott, Kaleb Morris, Ethan Black, Andrew Maddox, Casey Steward and Corey Anderson as being what we’re establishing around,” Austin said. “We’ve got great role players in these other guys. One of them might could slip into the starting lineup. Obviously we’ve got some things to work on, but we’ve got some things to work with.”

“I do think we’re better, just from the fact we were in the gym and did some things during the summer. I really don’t know where we are right now, but we’ve got a better starting point than we did last year at this point. I think that’s key. Hopefully that will turn into a more positive season for us.”

Spring Garden competes in Class 1A, Area 12 with Asbury, Cedar Bluff, Collinsville, Gaston and Gaylesville.

Collinsville Panthers

Head coach Jon Tidmore lost two of his top threats in Robert Gray (20 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 4 assists) and Trey Jones (12 points), but does have a mix of players returning to help compensate for their losses.

Three starters from last year’s Class 1A Northeast Regional team return in senior forward Sharrard Crawley, junior forward Tyler Tidmore and 6-4 senior center Kenny Orr.

Also expected to contribute for the Panthers this season are a pair of 6-4 seniors in the post in Dustin Johnson and Bubba Berry. Depth at guard will be provided by senior Justin Gregory, junior Quintin Coker, sophomore Nathan Coker and freshman Shon McElrath.

“If our team can find leadership and toughness, we could be a good team by the second half of the season,” Jon Tidmore said.

Collinsville competes in Class 1A, Area 12 with Asbury, Cedar Bluff, Collinsville, Gaston, Gaylesville and Spring Garden.

Piedmont Bulldogs

This season has the makings of another successful one for head coach Tommy Lewis and the Bulldogs.

Piedmont returns four starters from last year’s Class 3A Northeast Regional runner-up squad, but is looking to replace its top player in guard Marquise Diamond (15.5 points, 4.2 rebounds).

“We will have to find a player to pick up his role of scoring in crucial situations,” Lewis said.

One player who could fit the bill is senior point guard Christian Cantrell. Cantrell averaged 10.4 points, 5.1 assists and 4.2 rebounds a season ago.

Junior Jamaal Johnson also returns at guard, as do senior forwards Tay Holloway and Terrick Spear. Piedmont’s top newcomer is senior guard Matt Craig, who transferred from Weaver.

“He should be a valuable addition to the team in several skill areas,” Lewis said of Craig.

Other varsity players expected to contribute this season are senior guards Chase Childers and Marcus Jackson, junior guards Noah Willis and Derrick Jackson, senior forward Cory Sears, junior forward/guard Deion Ammons, sophomore forward Jameson Trammell and freshmen forwards Jamie Major and Jaylon Johnson.

“The team has some quickness, some height and some depth, so a lot will depend on how hard we work and not because we do not have the physical capabilities to be a force in the 3A Northeast area,” Lewis said.

Piedmont competes in Class 3A, Area 10 with Glencoe, Pleasant Valley, Weaver and White Plains.