A Bob Ettinger column...

A lot will be different in the boys basketball realm during the 2008-09 season. But, in some cases, a lot could stay the same as it was last season.

Players graduated, coaches moved on. Young men who played fringe roles a year ago will be asked to step into spotlight. Teams such as four-time Northeastern Conference champion Harvey, Madison and Perry, that have good portions of last season’s rotations back, will be expected to live up to or surpass the success of recent years.

Others, such as three-time Northeastern Athletic Conference champion Pymatuning Valley and Riverside, have lost star players to graduation and will look to succeed while retooling.

All the while, the rest of the area’s teams will be trying desperately to claim a home among the elite.

Gone from local hardwoods are six of the top seven scorers from the Star Beacon’s coverage area. Pymatuning Valley lost Steve Savel and Corey Shontz, both 1,000-point scorers, and Riverside lost area scoring leader Alex Sullivan.

The area’s leading returning scorer is Edgewood’s Jarod Artman, who was fifth a year ago with 17.8 points per game. He also checked in with an average of 10.4 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.

Joining Artman as top returning scoring threats will be Madison’s Dan Heidenreich (15.8 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.6 blocks), Grand Valley’s Anthony Oscar (14.5 points) and GRA’s Jared Gershen (13.7 points, 3.5 assists, 2.8 steals) who were eight, ninth and 10th, respectively, in the area a year ago.

NEC

Harvey has controlled the NEC championship for four seasons. Talented players have come and gone, but the team finds a way to win. If coach Tim Starkey and his troops are to win a fifth straight title, they will have to plug the gap left by the graduation of leading scorer and rebounder Rayshawn Journigan.

Seniors Wes Paramore (6-1 G), Lionel Jordan (5-8 G) and James Spikes (5-9 G) are the only lettermen back from a team that was 15-9, 8-0 last season.

“We do have some people with varsity experience,” coach Tim Starkey said. “Wes was able to play with the varsity team the last two years and James and Lionel played a lot of minutes for us. We’ve got a nice mix of juniors to go along with the seniors. They work well together.

“(The junoirs will) help give us depth and make up for our lack of size.”