VYPE Boys' Top 20 -- No. 7 The Woodlands Highlanders

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No. 7 The Woodlands Highlanders

COACH: Dale Reed

DISTRICT: 14-5A

2011-12 POSTSEASON: Lost in the First Round to Dekaney

The Woodlands put up an impressive 29-5 record last season but a first-round exit in the state playoffs and watching their cross-town rivals clinch the District 14-5A title left a sour taste in their mouth.

“We expect to win district and we expect to go further in the playoffs than we did last season,” said 5-foot-11 senior guard Brian Baehl.

. Baehl is one of several guards – and one of nine seniors listed on coach Dale Reed’s roster - who the Highlanders will call upon in their guard-oriented offense this season. Point guard Hayden Galatas will run Reed's offense with three years of varsity experience.

“We have a really deep roster and we’re all good shooters,” said Garrett Burlas, a 6-foot-2 senior that scored 13 points in his varsity debut last spring as the Highlanders handed district champion College Park their only league loss. “If we’re hitting our shots, we’re can be a very good team. I think our success this season comes down to our bigs and how they progress.”

The Woodlands had a 6-foot-7 dominant presence in the post last season in Joey Trinkle, now a freshman at Colorado Christian, and will have to find a way to fill the void lost by the graduation of his near double-double output as a senior.

A likely candidate to step in Trinkle’s shoes this season will be 6-foot-9 center Xavier Valdes.

As a sophomore last season in limited minutes, Valdes netted 3.2 points per game while bringing down 3.4 rebounds in those contests. After an impressive summer on the AAU circuit, he’s expected to play a big role on the Highlanders’ roster this winter.

"I would say that this year our guards are better than they were last year,” said senior sharpshooter Garret Colonna. “We lost Joey (Trinkle) and he was a pretty big threat on offense so we’ll just have to see how it goes and how our bigs improve.”