Hall, Parkview and Clarksville are the top three teams heading into the 2012-13 season. Don't count out North Little rock and Fayetteville.
Anton Beard and Parkview look to repeat as Division 6A champions.
File photo by Keith Owens
1. Hall (Little Rock)Head coach: Jon Coleman
2011-12 finish: 27-3 (14-0 in 7A/6A East), Division 7A state champion
While losing three starters from last year's team, the defending state champion Warriors return their leading scorer and rebounder from last season in senior
Bobby Portis. The 6-foot-9 Arkansas commit averaged 16 points, 10.4 rebounds and 3.7 blocks per game last season, and put up a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) in the state championship win against Fayetteville. Portis will have support from returning guard
Javan Perry, who led the team with 4.1 assists per game last season while averaging 7.8 points. The Warriors look to dominate on the defensive end as they did last season, when they held opponents to an average of just 47.9 points per game — they held the other team to less than 40 points six times.
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2. Parkview (Little Rock)Head coach: Al Flanigan
2011-12 finish: 25-5 (7-5 in 7A/6A East), Division 6A state champion
Despite finishing just 7-5 in league play, the Patriots stormed through their side of the bracket during the playoffs. They won by an average margin of nearly 26 points per game in the first three rounds before pulling out a 69-65 nail-biter against Jonesboro in the title game. Parkview will be led by junior combo guard and Missouri commit
Anton Beard, who impressed last season as a sophomore and continued his success on the summer circuit with Team Thad. In addition to Beard, Parkview returns senior guard
Imara Ready, giving the Patriots one of the most potent backcourts in the state.
View last season's Arkansas boys basketball stat leaders3. ClarksvilleHead coach: Tony Davis
2011-12 finish: 30-5 (14-0 in 4A Region 4), Division 4A state champions
Clarksville cruised to the 4A state championship last season, sweeping league competition and then winning its three playoff games by an average of 19 points. This year looks just as promising, as the Panthers return their top six scorers, including the Lee brothers.
Dederick Lee, a 6-foot-2 senior shooting guard and Arkansas commit who led the team with 20 points per game last year, will be helped out by his junior twin brothers
Kendrick Lee (12 ppg) and
Freddy Lee (8.7 ppg). Also returning is 6-foot-4 senior
Deven Simms, who averaged 11.9 points in 16 games for the Panthers last season.
View last season's Arkansas boys basketball Freeman Rankings
4. North Little RockHead coach: Richard Alexander
2011-12 finish: 18-9 (8-4 in 7A/6A Central)
After a second-place finish in the 7A/6A Central last season, North Little Rock suffered disappointment when it lost to 7A runner-up Fayetteville in the second round of the playoffs. The Charging Wildcats should bounce back strongly this year, however, with the return of senior forward
Thomas Alexander and promising sophomore guard
KeVaughn Allen. Allen, a wiry 6-foot-3 shooting guard on the
MaxPreps Class of 2015 Players to Watch list, has drawn favorable comparisons to fellow Arkansas product and University of Kentucky freshman
Archie Goodwin. If Allen continues to develop and complement the steady play of Alexander, the Wildcats should contend for the state title.
View last season's Arkansas boys basketball playoff brackets5. FayettevilleHead coach: Kyle Adams
2011-12 finish: 21-7 (10-4 in 7A/6A West), Division 7A runner-up
The Bulldogs' league record is deceptive — they forfeited their first four conference games due to an "error in procedures regarding the administration of the eligibility of a student-athlete." Without the forfeits this season, Fayetteville looks to win the league and get one step further than last year, when it lost in the state title game to Hall, 42-31.
The Bulldogs will rely on 6-10 senior
Tyler McCullough, who will be the anchor on both sides of the floor. McCullough is a prototypical post player who has committed to play at Missouri State, but the Bulldogs will need significant contributions from their supporting cast if they're going to dethrone Hall as state champions.
