Fifteen years into his tenure with one of the model boys’ basketball programs in the state, Edward Little coach Mike Adams has never welcomed a team to preseason workouts so young in both age and varsity experience.

EL graduated all five starters from a team that earned the No. 1 seed in Class A North before falling to rival Lewiston in the regional semifinals. The timing isn’t great, because the Red Eddies face a beefed-up schedule that includes Portland-area SMAA schools in the new Class AA North.

That doesn’t mean the Eddies aren’t battle-tested. Austin Cox, Jarod Norcross-Plourde, C.J. Jipson, Samatar Iman and Tyler Morin are all outstanding players with a strong youth basketball pedigree. They gained valuable experience practicing against the Eddies’ strong senior corps all of last winter. Drew Lashua and Noah Nicholas will provide senior leadership in their varsity debuts.

Deering, Portland, Oxford Hills and Cheverus will provide the meat of EL’s schedule, and of course long-standing rivalries Lewiston, Brunswick and Mt. Ararat are alive and well. The Eddies, who have been a tournament fixture for a decade, should be playing their best ball going into February.