Last season, New Hanover came away with the Mideastern Conference boys basketball title and sprinted all the way to the state quarterfinals in thrilling fashion.
This year, the Wildcats are hoping to put on an extra burst of speed.

Gone are the two low-post powers who led the Wildcats through much of the regular season, but the Wildcats still return point guard Freddie Jackson, a posse of athletic wings and a sophomore center who has already opened eyes.

All spent the summer and preseason getting back to the two ways coach Kirk Angel likes to play: fast and faster.

"That's what I started doing this summer," Angel said. "We're pressing every possession. We'd really like transition to get up and down really fast; just organized chaos."

It helps that New Hanover couldn't have a better floor general than Jackson for the fast break.

A 6-foot-3 point guard who has committed to UNC-Wilmington, Jackson burst onto the stage in the postseason last year. He led the Wildcats to the regional semifinals and posted 18 points and 10 assists in the loss to Fayetteville Terry Sanford last spring.

"Freddie's not your typical high school point guard," Angel said. "When you're 6-foot-3 with a 6-foot-8 wingspan running the point, that's pretty special."

Jackson and the Wildcats got a chance to show what they can do Tuesdaywhen they opened the season in Fayetteville with a 74-68 loss to Terry Sanford in a state tournament rematch against the Bulldogs.

"When we play that game I think it will show me a lot," Angel said beforehand. "I've got six or seven seniors this year and they've been in the program. They went to a regional this year. They know what it takes to get back. I'm going to get some character revealed in a hurry."

The Wildcats will need to gel if they plan to survive a deep conference.

Hoggard returns its leader, point guard Stilman White; Laney returns most of its guard-heavy team and adds Ashley transfer Travis Keyes; Ashley fields a bevy of big men.

But Angel said he still likes his chances with Jackson and sophomore Nigel Holley, a 6-foot-7 center who can run the floor and wowed scouts at the Adidas Phenom 150 camp this summer.

"He's our only true center, so I've got to have him contribute," Angel said. "I'm telling him I don't need a lot out of him, just rebounds and guard people. We don't need him to score a lot of points – we're real guard heavy."