MaxPreps 2014-15 Massachusetts preseason girls basketball Fab 5, presented by the Army National Guard

1. Braintree
2013-14 finish: 24-1
Head coach: Kristen McDonnell

After winning their first Division I championship last year since 2006, the Wamps begin the season the favorite again. Braintree returns the top player in the state in Ashley Russell, a Penn commit who was named the Gatorade State Player of the Year while averaging 14 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists per game. Coach Kristen McDonnell, who was named the All-Scholastics Coach of the Year by the Boston Globe in 2014, also returns All-Scholastic pick Bridget Herlihy, a 6-foot-1 guard who averaged 13 points and 10 rebounds as a junior. The Wamps also return all-conference players Brianna Herlihy, a junior, and Molly Reagan, a senior.

View last season's Massachusetts girls basketball rankings, presented by the Army National Guard

2. Archbishop Williams (Braintree)
2013-14 finish: 15-12
Head coach: Jim Bancroft

Beset by injuries for most of the 2014 season, Archbishop Williams still managed to reach the Division III semifinals last year. The team returns three players committed to play at the next level in 2015, including 6-foot guard Alana Gilmer, who is headed to Virginia Tech, 6-foot-3 post Jaylen Williams, who will play at Penn State, and Tayler Wornum, who is headed to Stonehill. Williams missed all of last year due to a knee injury.

View last season's Massachusetts girls basketball playoff brackets

3. Lynn English
2013-14 finish: 25-1
Head coach: Fred Hogan

Lynn English had one of the best seasons in school history, winning 25 straight games before falling to Braintree in the playoffs. Coach Fred Hogan loses his top four scorers from last year, but he does return sophomore Devinya Robinson, who had a 22-point outing last year as a freshman. The Bulldogs also return 5-7 senior guard Samantha Holey, who finished sixth on the team in scoring.

View last season's Massachusetts girls basketball stat leaders

4. Andover (Mass.)
2013-14 finish: 16-6
Head coach: E.J. Perry

The Golden Warriors won three straight state championships between 2010-12 and could be in the running again in 2015. Coach E.J. Perry loses just two seniors from his starting lineup and he returns all-conference pick Colleen Caveney. A 5-7 guard, Caveney averaged 14.6 points per game last year to lead the team. Sophomore Alyssa Casey, a 5-10 forward, averaged 10.6 points per game while senior Rachael Cormier added just under seven points per game as a junior.

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5. Central (Springfield)
2013-14 finish: 21-4
Head coach: Erik Maurer

Central will miss Kendra Hicks, the cousin of NBA Hall of Famer Dominique Wilkins, who earned all-area honors along with senior teammate Janae Bunn. However, Central returns one of Western Massachusetts' top sophomores in Ishanna Brown who averaged nine points a game and was the top ball-handler for a team that reached the Division I state semifinals.