There's no shortage of similarities between Steve Cress and Rob Briggs.

Both high school basketball stars are junior front-court players and have been starting since their sophomore seasons.

Both play in the WPIAL's Section 1-AAA.

And, in 2006-07, both proved to be dominant players for their respective teams.

For their efforts, Cress, a 6-foot-6 forward for Mars, and Briggs, a 6-5 forward-center for Knoch, were named Butler Eagle Boys Basketball Co- Players of the Year.

Facing each other twice every season, Cress and Briggs have become quite familiar with each other's talents.

"I enjoy playing against him because it's really competitive," Cress said of Briggs, who managed 17.7 points and 9.8 rebounds per game and added 39 3-point goals. "He's got size and he's pretty athletic. I've got a lot of respect for him."

Briggs totaled 30 points in two games against Mars this season, including 16 in a 49-43 win on Jan. 12.

Cress' 40 combined points against the Knights included the 28 he scored in a 65-57 season-ending win for the Planets (10-13, 6-6), who just missed the playoffs. For the season, Cress averaged 19.7 points, 12.6 rebounds and 2.9 blocks per game.

"I think (Cress) is an amazing player," Briggs said. "He works hard and I think he's going to be a great player in the future."

After a sophomore season that saw him score 10 points per game, Cress nearly doubled that output as a junior.

And it didn't happen by chance.

"During the season, I'd show up to school early three days every week," said Cress. "Coach (Rob Carmody) and I would work on my game. I spent a lot of time working on my shot."

"We'd practice from about 6 a.m. until 7 or 7:15," Carmody said. "I'd make sure that he put up about 400 to 450 shots and worked on his ball-handling"

Tallying double figures in points in all 23 games, Cress had 12 games in which he scored at least 20. His career-high of 29 came in a win over Indiana Feb 7.

"We were down at halftime in that game and Steve basically said that we were not going to lose," Carmody said. "That's the kind of impact he had. A big dunk or block by him would open things up for the rest of the team."

After such a standout junior season, what could Cress do for an encore?

"I was pleased with the season that I had," said Cress. "But there's always room for improvement."

It was a solid sophomore campaign that proved to be a springboard for Briggs.

During the 2005-06 season, Briggs totaled 14.9 points and 9.4 rebounds per game while playing with a strong senior class that included Jordan Shoop, Bill Elliot and Scott Muska.

"My experience as a sophomore, it helped prepare me for this season," said Briggs. "And it allowed me to take on the scoring role this year."

And score he did.

Briggs totaled 20 or more points in 10 contests, including his career-high of 30 in a win over Freeport in December.

But his most impressive effort came when he netted 27 points in a victory over previously undefeated Highlands on Jan. 30. The win helped the Knights (13-11, 7-5) make the WPIAL playoffs.

A right ankle injury hampered Briggs for the final three games of the season, including a playoff loss to Blackhawk.

Knoch's three seniors left the squad early this past season, but the team had no shortage of leadership.

"I think that number one, he came into the season with the right attitude," said Knoch coach Chris Andreassi. "As a returning starter, he took the leadership role very seriously. He said and did all the right things."

"My biggest goal this season was to make my teammates better," said Briggs. "And I believe I did that."

Here are the previous winners of the Butler Eagle Boys Basketball Player of the Year Award:2006: Tyler Grossman (Moniteau)2005 & 06: Tyler Callihan (Karns City)2003: Tyrell Sales (Butler)2002: Adam Bauman (Freeport)2001: Ben Zajac (Slippery Rock)2000: Cliff Foster (Knoch)1999: Steve Adams (Butler)1998: Aaron Epps (Butler)