Boys basketball in northwest Montana will look a lot different this winter.

From new coaches to entirely new starting fives, even the area’s two defending champs will be jostled this season. While there’s little carry over, there’s a lot to look forward to on the hardwood for the next three months.

Class AA

Flathead

(8-13 last season)

The Braves are young; really young.

After graduating five seniors last year, Flathead has just three on this season’s roster and will get contributions from six sophomores and freshmen on the varsity squad.

The team is led by senior guard Alex Croymans, who scored 2.1 points per game coming off the bench last year. Croymans, who along with forward Trae Habel are the only returners who played in more than six games last season, is averaging 10 points per game to lead the Braves in their first two games this season.

Matt Marshall, a junior guard who saw action in six games last season, will start opposite Croymans in the backcourt. Junior Keaton Krantz has gotten the start at forward along with senior Blake Wilson.

Freshman Tyler Johnson has scored 19 points while coming off the bench this season, proving to be a deep threat. Sophomores Seth Adolph, Bridger Johnson and Micah Bucy have gotten time off the bench as has junior Kye Auclaire.

The Braves don’t have a lot of height, with the tallest player measuring 6-foot-3, which may pose a problem against the league’s taller teams, like early favorites Missoula Hellgate and Helena High and Helena Capital.

Instead, they will look to attack elsewhere.

“This team has a lot of room for improvement,” Braves coach Fred Febach said.

“It’s going to be a season long thing. We’re going to have some peaks and valleys.

“This is a fun group to coach, they’re fun to be around. I really like their work ethic. It’s going to be fun this year.”

Glacier (11-10)

The Wolfpack might not look familiar to many casual fans.

Glacier graduated seven seniors last season, including all five starters from the team that made the state tournament. The most glaring absence is point guard Evan Epperly, who started each of the last three years. While there aren’t a lot of starting minutes coming back, there is still talent.

Senior wing Sam McCamley led the team in 3-point shooting last season, hitting nearly 44 percent of his shots from behind the arc. McCamley and fellow wing Cain Boschee lead the team into a new era, which will lean on its length and defense early.

“I think we’re really well rounded,” Glacier coach Mark Harkins said. “We’ve got size and strength in the post and on the wings we’re long and athletic. We have the pieces that we need, we just need to put it together.”

Boschee had 14 steals and five blocks in limited action last season. Truman Pisk, a 6-7 post, will hold down the block with sophomore Jaxen Hashley, the Wolfpack’s leading returning rebounder. Kade McCutcheon will take the reins at the point.

“We’re pretty excited about them,” Harkins said. “As we look at our top kids, they’ve had a lot of success athletically. We have a lot of kids that know what it takes to be successful at a high level. We’re hoping they can continue that success into the basketball season.”

Class A

Columbia Falls (19-4)

The defending Class A champions lost only four players from last season’s team and look to use its signature style of play to get back to the top of the mountain this year.

The Wildcats will lean on their experienced backcourt, led by senior guard Ty Morgan, who averaged more than 12 points per game last season.

Trevor Houston, who will start at the point, and Jayce Fagerland, a sharpshooter, will join Morgan in what is likely the top backcourt in the Northwest.

A pair of 6-7 forwards, Grant Wallace and Grant Stenger, head a front court that can match height with nearly any team in the state.

“We’ve got a lot of kids back that contributed last year,” Wildcats coach Cary Finberg said.

“You start the season with guys that played in the championship game, that’s a big plus. They have different roles now. Their roles have been expanded. You have different guys coming off the bench and filling those roles as well.

“For starting the season we’re in a pretty good situation.”

The Wildcats defense will continue to be the catalyst for its success, and with its team even more familiar with both sides of the court, the Wildcats should be back in the championship hunt.

“The outline of what we do is there, now we just need to tweak it to fit our personnel,” Finberg said. “We’ve got two 6-7 kids and a lot of perimeter kids. We’ve got to make sure we can get a good balance of inside-out. If we can do that, we’ll be pretty tough to defend.”

Libby (1-19)

In its last season in Class A, Libby is one of three programs in the Northwestern A with a new head coach. Longtime coach Wally Winslow retired in the offseason, leaving Josh Bean in charge of a team that lost just three seniors from last season.

Guards Collin Johnson and Johnny Cielak are the top returning scorers and will look to fill the hole vacated by graduated Jared Winslow, who averaged 18.5 points per game last season.

Michael Curtiss will lead the Loggers in the post again with Isaak Jones also returning after playing in every game last year.

Polson (8-17)

Former Lady Pirates coach Randy Kelly is heading up the boys program with the Pirates looking to continue the run of quality that vaulted them into the state tournament last season.

Polson graduated just two players from that team, though they were leading scorers Andrew Weltz and Cedrick Smith. Guards Andrew Curley and Tanner Wilson will look to fill that role along with senior guard Chris McDonald and junior Payton Lefthand.

Matthew Rensvold and Wyatt Ducharme will look to carry the weight for the Pirates in the post.

Whitefish (11-10)

Also an experienced team with a new coach, the Bulldogs lost six seniors to graduation but return a handful of players that made big impacts last season.

Seniors AJ Wetsch and Cody Olson will set the tone for Whitefish and new coach Curtis Green with games that work both inside and outside.

Brian FauntLeRoy, Luke May and Chaffin Ross also start for the Bulldogs. The team is hoping its success on the gridiron this fall will carry over to the winter season.

Until then, they’re using every minute possible to get caught up with their new system.

“We’re going to stick to our game plan,” Green said. “We started the season off at a little disadvantage with a new coach, a new system and a new group. We’ve had to take our time learning the things we want to do. We’re not there yet, but we’ll get there.”

Class B

Bigfork (26-0)

Now on their third coach in as many years, defending state champion Bigfork will still be one of the favorites in Class B, returning all but three players from the team that went undefeated in 2013-14.

Josh Sandry, who carried the Vikings in the state tournament and scored 23 points in the championship game, is back to lead a talented squad that will have to play differently.

Bigfork didn’t lose much from last season, but lost all of its height, graduating both of its 6-7 post players. The Vikings will look to counter that loss by using their wealth of backcourt talent to outrun the competition.

“We’ll be running,” new Bigfork coach Sam Tudor said. “We’re going to try to negate height with speed.”

Isaac Martel returns at starting point guard with Adam Jordt in the backcourt and Jon Landon and Ryder Trent will join Sandry on the wings.

Along with the return of runner up Columbus, the Vikings should be in the hunt to repeat with the best in the state.

Eureka (13-11)

The Lions lost five players to graduation but return a pair of three-year starters in RJ Glover and Trey Bohne.

Eureka will also see action from sophomores Chase Bohne and Austin Sherwood and seniors Michael Peterson, Brandon Connard and Braden Their.