By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
The battle for the title of No. 1 boys basketball team in the country won't take place in March this season, it will take place Dec. 19 at Southern Methodist University's Moody Coliseum when the Duncanville Panthers take on Oak Hill Academy of Mouth of Wilson, Va.
Both teams claimed No. 1 national rankings last year with Oak Hill Academy named the USA Today No. 1 team and Duncanville awarded the honor by HoopsUSA.
The Panthers start the season at the top of the Texas 5A preseason polls after going 39-0 last year and winning the 5A state championship with a 60-46 victory over Kingwood.
Duncanville returns four of the top seven players and nine lettermen total from last year's team, including the state championship game MVP and two of the top-ranked juniors in the state.
Known for their athleticism and pressure defense, the Panthers will start four players 6-foot-5 or taller to go along with 5-9 senior point guard Brian Talley, who has verbally committed to Southern University. Talley averaged 9 points and 5 assists last year as a part-time starter.
Kevin Butler, a 6-foot-5 forward committed to Texas Christian University, moves into the starting lineup this year after playing as a reserve his junior year. Butler made his mark in the state finals, scoring 12 points against Kingwood and earning MVP honors.
Duncanville puts three juniors in the starting lineup this year, led by 6-7 shooting guard Shawn Williams, who is ranked among the top players in Texas for the class of 2009. Williams averaged 14.5 points per game and is the leading returning scorer for the Panthers.
Williams is joined by fellow junior Roger Franklin, a 6-5 forward who is also a highly-regarded underclassman after averaging 10 points per game as a sophomore. Both started last year for the Panthers. Extol James, a 6-foot-5 junior transfer, fills out the starting five.
The Panthers also looked to have highly-regarded 6-9 senior forward Will Brown on the team this year after he enrolled at Duncanville last spring. However Brown has since enrolled at the Patterson School in Patterson, N.C.
Besides the titanic matchup with Oak Hill Academy, the Panthers will head to a pair of out-of-state tournament and will take on three-time Texas 4A champion South Oak Cliff, a team it defeated twice last year.
Duncanville coach Phill McNeely says the Panthers won't rely on their reputation to make another run at a state title and a national No. 1 ranking.
"What happens this year is not impacted by what happened last year. In this business, it's what have you done for me lately," McNeely told the Dallas Morning News. "Everybody at this time of year is 0-0."