In his decade as a varsity basketball coach, Gray-New Gloucester coach Ryan Deschenes said he has never kept such a large group of freshmen on his team as this winter.

That’s what happens when much of the starting lineup that helped your program triple its win total and advance to the tournament bids farewell at graduation. The cupboard is anything but bare for the Patriots, however, with seniors Zack Haskell and Kyle Keenan providing size, athleticism and leadership in the paint.

Gray-NG has spent the summer and the preseason trying to define roles for many of its new parts, and that work may continue through the first half of the season. It will be critical for the Patriots to replace the departed scoring. Defense will be a point of emphasis all year, but especially while they figure out who will be the go-to players on the offensive end.

The WMC will be a loaded league, and some interconference games will provide a new challenge in the five-class arrangement. Gray-NG sees itself being able to make another playoff run if the Patriots are able to apply their strengths consistently.