A season of resurgence.

A number of Butler County area boys basketball teams are anticipating major improvement from a year ago. Butler, Freeport, Karns City, Knoch, Moniteau and Slippery Rock are among them.

CW North Catholic won a WPIAL title and Mars reached the PIAA finals.

Here is a look at area teams' prospects this year:

A-C Valley

Coach: Andy Rapp, fourth season

Last year: 5-16

Rapp believes all 11 varsity players will have a say in the team's search for chemistry on the floor.

Guard Kody Wolfe and forward Joe Manculich, both seniors, are the starters returning from last year's team for which they averaged a combined 13.2 points and 9.1 rebounds per contest.

“The guys will be looking to Kody and Joe to score for us, but any of the guys we put on the floor will be able to score,” said Rapp. “We're not putting much stock into who starts for us. We put stock into making sure all 11 guys are ready to play. It won't be a blow to anybody's ego if they don't start.

“But at the same time, I don't want to take any continuity away from a combination that is working. Basketball is a game of momentum. If I see a group that is doing some good things for us, I have to be patient with them.”

Rapp said four players on the team can play point guard, led by Wolfe. His biggest concern lies elsewhere.

“Our weakness will be rebounding,” added Rapp, who lost last year's team leader in boards, Austin Heeter, (9 rpg) to graduation. “We are not a tall team and will have to get after it.”

Butler

Coach: Matt Clement, eighth season

Last year: 15-8

The Golden Tornado lose one starter — Kaden Rock, now at Butler County Community College — from last year's playoff team and bring back plenty of experience.

Senior forward Tyler Frederick (14 ppg., 9 rebounds per game) and junior forward Connor Ollio (14.8 ppg., 5 rebounds per game) anchor a strong frontcourt. Luke Michalek, a junior, returns at point guard and senior twins Joel and Jace Stutz provide experience at guard. Both averaged about eight points per game a year ago.

“This is one of the most experienced teams we've had in my eight years here,” Clement said. “We can do a lot of mixing and matching.”

Ethan Morton, a 6-foot-5 freshman point guard, figures to see plenty of playing time as well.

“Anytime you add a point guard who is 6-5, he's going to have an impact,” Clement said. “Ethan is just raw right now. He'll mesh into what we're doing as we go.”

Other experienced players for the Tornado include senior guard-forward Jason Gray, senior forward Jefferson Ford and senior guards Ian McCarrier and Andrew Yonkers.

“There's not a selfish bone in this place,” Clement said of Butler's gym. “Everybody's working together and we have an excellent senior class.

“I'm excited about our prospects.”

C.W. North Catholic

Coach: Dave Long, 16th season

Last year: 20-9

Long knows a target will be on his team's back. He also knows he returns a plethora of talented players.

Long guided the Trojans to the WPIAL Class A championship last year.

A pair of seniors — guard Zach Offi and swingman Kenny Fukon — return to lead CWNC's attempt at a repeat. Fukon paced last year's squad with 14.2 points per game. Offi added 9.1 points and shot 51 percent from beyond the arc.

“He (Fukon) is a factor on both offense and defense with his long arms,” Long said. “He can go to the basket and play on the perimeter, too.”

But the current roster includes other players ready to leave their mark, a talented crop of underclassmen among them.

“Even though we moved from Class A to AAA, I am pretty confident, based on who is returning, that they will provide us with stability and leadership.”

Long mentioned several members of the team who he expects to make an impact — senior guard Vinnie DiNicola, junior guard John Fukon, sophomore guard Isaiah Wilson and sophomore forward Will Gipson.

A void was created with the graduation of Erick Taylor and Tristan Newcamp, who last year pulled down 16 rebounds per game between them.

“I'm hoping our guys take a page from Tristan's book,” said Long. “He was undersized (6-foot), but had a motor and played with high energy. He moved his feet well and had a knack for getting rebounds.

“It is a concern for us,” Long added of the battle for boards. “Hopefully as the season goes on, we'll find a way.”

Freeport

Coach: Mike Beale, sixth season

Last year: 9-13

Beale and the Yellowjackets are referring to this season as a “Swarm Warning.”

Gone are leading scorer Josh Beale (18.9 ppg., 1,198 career points) and three-year starting point guard Kris Keppel, along with regulars Mason Eddinger (Pitt-Greensburg), Bradon Hochbein and Derek Jones.

“We've had to retool, but I like what we're putting on the floor,” Coach Beale said. “We're turning to a new page in Freeport basketball.”

Four-year letterman, team captain and senior guard Kevin Lynch anchors the Freeport lineup. Ben Beale, a junior forward, will be counted on to pick up some of the scoring slack. Junior guard Gavin Skradski, sophomore guard Jalen Brown and senior forward Evan Schaffhauser are expected to round out the starting five.

“Freshman guard Isiah Bauman, who recently moved back into the district, will get plenty of minutes as well.

“He'll do a nice job for us,” Beale said.

The coach said Freeport will be a “pressure team” and that means a deep lineup. Logan Hewitt, Anthony Aulicino, Aiden Skradski, Damon Shiring and Tyler Hettich will see action as well.

“We lost some local rivalries and we'll be playing against some different people this year,” Beale said of the expanded PIAA divisions. “But that can be a good thing.”

Grove City

Coach: Jeff Loughry, second season

Last year: 17-7

The task for Loughry in his second season: find a way to replace 30 points per game of scoring punch after the graduation losses of Kaiden Young and Brendan Record.

“We're still trying to feel our way through that,” Loughry said. “I think we'll be much more balanced with a lot of guys, hopefully, averaging six-to-12 points per game.”

It will be a different dynamic for sure for the Eagles, who pulled out several close wins on the way to a successful season.

“I think it's definitely a good thing to be balanced,” Loughry said. “But at the same time, it's nice be able to put the ball in the hands of two seniors in crucial situations.”

Kameron Patterson will be one of the players asked to pick up a bit of the slack for the loses of Young and Record.

Patterson averaged 8.7 points and 5.7 rebounds per game last season for the Eagles.

“He's our leader and I expect him to increase his scoring,” Loughry said. “He's more of a playmaker and a rebounder for us.”

Loughry will also go to juniors Isaac Thrasher, Martin Beatty, Brayden Martin and Qadir Muhammad for some balance in his motion offense.

Defense may be even more important for Grove City this season.

“Especially early,” Loughry said. “We may struggle offensively a little bit and it'll be important to get some offense out of our defense.”

Karns City

Coach: Chris Bellis, eighth season

Last year: 10-12

The Gremlins are used to getting a late start in basketball, given the success of their football and soccer teams each fall.

But this year, that late start involves players used to the routine.

“We're bringing back our top three scorers and a fourth guy who was a part-time starter last year,” Bellis said. “Keystone is probably the favorite, but I feel like our league is wide open this year and we've got a shot.”

Senior forward Chandler Turner (9.6 ppg., 10.6 rebounds per game), guards Noah Pollock (8.5 ppg., 39 treys) and Ian McElroy (7.5 ppg.) are the returning starters for KC. Senior guard-forward Jimmy Thompson started some games and will be a regular this year, sliding between guard and forward.

The fifth starter will likely be Jacob Friel or Nolan Riley, both junior forwards.

Top players off the bench include junior guards Noah Kepple and Logan Pistorius, along with senior guard Eric Dodd, who is out for basketball for the first time since his freshman year.

“Our biggest strength is our balance,” Bellis said. “We can score inside, we can score outside. We are multi-dimensional. It may just take a little while to develop chemistry is all.”

KnochCoach: Ron McNabb, fifth seasonLast year: 14-8Look for things to speed up with the Knights this season.“My first four years, we were always known for our defense, holding scores down and playing a patient game,” McNabb said. “But we are going to try to speed it up this year. We want to play fast.”They have the personnel to do it, starting with senior point guard Austin Hannes (10.0 ppg.). He will have four starters 6-foot-2 or bigger on the floor with him.Mac Christy, a 6-3 senior who averaged 10.5 ppg. last year, returns along with 6-2 senior forwards Jackson McKee and Josh Knochel. The fifth starter will likely be 6-4 senior forward P.J. Gourley.“Those guys are athletic and can get up and down the floor,” McNabb said.Devin Campbell, a 5-11 senior, will help Hannes at the guard position. Still more size will come off the bench in 6-3 juniors Jesse Fessel and Ben Lucas.“We're playing in a brutal section,” McNabb said. “We lost two great rivalries in Highlands and Freeport, but we've still got Hampton and Mars. Now add Montour, Moon, Chartiers Valley and West Allegheny to that.“We have experience at the point guard position and that's important. If we want to pick it up or slow it down, we want to be able to dictate that pace.”MarsCoach: Rob Carmody, 19th seasonLast year: 23-7And then there was one.Of all the players who had key roles in the Mars boys basketball team's run to the Class AAA state championship game last March, only Robby Carmody returns.Now a junior guard, Carmody averaged 19.4 points, 7.5 rebounds and six assists per game last year.Despite a huge dropoff in experience surrounding him, Carmody just needs to stay within himself.“There is no reason for him to feel he needs to do anything other than make the natural progression from being a sophomore to a junior,” Coach Rob Carmody said. “Robby's value as a basketball player is figuring out a way to win. Last year, there were games we won when he was our leading scorer. There were also games we won when he scored four points.”One of the stars lost from last season was center John Castello, who averaged a double-double for three straight years. He pulled down 13 rebounds per contest as a senior.“He was the best rebounder in Pennsylvania over the last three years,” said Coach Carmody. “We have to (rebound) well as a group now.”Of the team's starting lineup, Carmody said, “It's still being worked out. We are figuring out different roles in different situations.”But he did offer names of several players who could emerge as key contributors. They include guards Jerry Stoddart, Luke Morrissey, Cade Hetzler and Ben Lewis and forwards Ben Perdziola, Max Chizmar and Michael Carmody.With so many players vying for playing time, this year's preseason has a much different feel to it.“Last year we brought almost everybody back, so we did everything at full speed,” said Coach Carmody. “Now we have to slow things down and do more teaching. But that's the fun thing about being a coach.”MoniteauCoach: Jerry Day, first seasonLast year: 6-16The Warriors got off to a dreadful start a season ago, but won four of their last eight games to enter the offseason with a little momentum.Day takes over and hopes the team, which has a bevy of young players, can continue the improvement they showed at the end of last year.“We're excited and I believe we could surprise a few people this year,” Day said.A duo of young players may be a key to that. Jake Jewart showed flashes last season and Lake Pry, who was hurt most of the season, return as the top two options.“Lake Pry had a broken wrist that wiped out most of his season, but he's a nice little player,” Day said. “Jake Jewart is a real tough kid and very competitive.”Day had an entire offseason with his young team. With most of the roster not on the football team, the first-year coach had even more time with them.“I would hope that's some type of advantage for us,” Day said.Moniteau isn't very big — the tallest player on the roster is just 6-1 — but Day believes fundamentals and awareness will make the difference.“They have a good basketball IQ,” Day said. “They know the game pretty well and a lot of them are baseball players, so they know how to win and they seem very hungry.“The key is getting experience. I think as the season goes along, the better we'll get.”Seneca ValleyCoach: Victor Giannotta, 13th seasonLast year: 7-15A season of unknowns is about to start getting some answers.Seneca Valley's boys basketball team has talent and size, but will it translate into wins in the WPIAL's rugged Section 1-6A?Along with the Raiders, the field includes Butler, Central Catholic, North Allegheny, North Hills, Pine-Richland and Shaler.Last year, the teams comprised Section 3-4A and the Raiders went 1-11 in section play.“We've had some really good teams in our section before, especially North Allegheny and New Castle,” said Raiders' coach Victor Giannotta, “but this is the strongest the section has been since I've been here (2004-05 season).”The Raiders will take the floor without shooting guard Jack Cook and forward Jake Holl, two key cogs from last year. They are currently seniors, but will not be playing basketball this winter. Cook led last year's squad with 12 points per game.Payton Skalos, last season's starting point guard, is nursing an injury and will be out the first few weeks.“Until he comes back, we could run point guard by committee,” said Giannotta, who did single out senior Patrick Uher as a possibility.”Guard Justin Koken, forward Marcus Might, swingman Chris Hart and center Mark Smathers are the Raiders' other top players right now, but Giannotta looks for several players to crack the starting lineup.“It's not set in stone and will depend on matchups,” he said.Smathers and Might are both 6-foot-5 and Hart stands 6-3. But with Cook not returning, Hart is the team's top scorer back at 10 points per game.“Chris is a guy other teams are going to focus on,” said Giannotta. “We think Marcus can step into a go-to role with scoring,” said Giannotta.The top reserves and possible starters include forward Nate Trzeciak and guards Cian Iaria and Jake Bunofsky.Slippery RockCoach: Randy Armagost, second seasonLast year: 1-21The positive spin on a tough season for the Rockets in 2015-16 was a lot of young players received a lot of playing time.Slippery Rock returns seven players who started at least four games last season.Couple that with a strong sophomore class and the Rockets are hoping to put a one-win season very far in the rearview mirror.“I'm expecting us to be competitive,” Armagost said. “There were a lot of games last year when we really didn't compete.”There is talent and it starts with 6-5 senior Ryan Dutton, who will begin the season at guard.Dutton averaged 15.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game last season.“He had a really good year and he played every position on the floor for us,” Armagost said. “He's worked a lot to be a better passer and shooter. We're going to use him a lot at point guard.”That means a bigger role for 6-6 senior forward Justin Heitzenrater, who had an injury-plagued junior season.“He had a great offseason,” Armagost said. “We hope he can keep that going.”Armagost also believes the Rockets will be able to roll with the punches better this year.That will come in hand in a tough region.“We're a lot stronger physically and mentally,” he said. “We're probably 200 percent stronger mentally.”Summit AcademyCoach: Glenn Gutierrez, first seasonLast year: 9-12After spending a majority of his coaching life in the college game during stops at Washington & Jefferson, Duquesne, Eastern Michigan, Robert Morris and California (Pa.) University, Gutierrez takes on a much different challenge with the Knights.“A lot of them have never played organized basketball before,” Gutierrez said. “They have to learn everything, even how to check into a game.”Gutierrez does have three players to build around in guard Coby Jaggon and swing players Omar Coker and Steve Pickford.The key will be how quickly a new coach can get a new team to jell.“When you have a bunch of guys coming together for the first time you're trying to build that cohesiveness,” Gutierrez said. “It's early and they're still trying to figure out who they are and what identity they will have.”UnionCoach: Eric Mortimer, first seasonLast year: 17-10Junior forward Lucas Bowser is the best returning player for the Golden Knights this year, but Mortimer knows the route his squad must take to find success.“We are stressing team involvement,” said Mortimer, who was an assistant on last year's team that won the KSAC-South Division, reached the District 9 Class A semifinals and qualified for the state playoffs. “Everybody needs to contribute. Who we count on to be our other top scorers, that will come in time.”Last season, Bowser averaged 14 points per game, second on the team only to the graduated Cole Morris (18.5).Senior Gavin Hawk will take over at point guard, where Morris was named second team all-district last season.“He learned a lot from working under Cole,” Mortimer said of Hawk. “He brings a lot of leadership.”Two other players who should figure prominently into Union's fortunes are senior forwards Dana Logue and Kolby Montgomery. Both of them, along with Bowser, stand no shorter than 6-foot-2.“We are a fairly tall team,” said Mortimer. “We have the height to get rebounds, but it comes down to how hungry are you to get them.”