Taking a peek in boy's hoops so far...

In the midst of the wild and wooly time that is the football playoffs, we have neglected to talk about the other popular sport going on right now, and that is how the boy’s basketball picture is shaping up. The season is only a few weeks old, and there’s already a lot of activity from some area teams.

Taking a look at the latest Texas Association of Basketball Coaches’ poll, I see that Hightower, who was ranked No. 2 in the preseason poll, has fallen completely out of the poll. The Hurricanes have dragged out to a 2-5 start to the season Tough losses to Madison, Kingwood, Atascocita and Seven Lakes have hurt the Hurricanes so far this season, not to mention that a couple of players are still playing on the football squad. But it’s just the beginning of December, and there’s still a lot of talent on the team, and there’s loads of time for them to turn things around. But they better hurry up before District 23-5A play starts up, which is always tough year-in and year-out.

Staying in 23-5A, the Dulles Vikings have stormed out of the gates again, winning its first four games of the year in dominant fashion. Wins over Pasadena Memorial, Beaumont West Brook, Dickinson and Lamar Consolidated have put last year’s state finalists at 4-0 to start the season. What’s surprising is the early scoring output from junior forward Bryant Mbamalu, who is averaging 20.8 points and is shooting an unbelievable 91.4 percent from the field (32-of-35). But No. 5 Dulles will be tested in the upcoming Outback tournament, with tough teams like Elkins, Hightower, Hastings and Elsik also in the tourney.

One team that has made a resurgence to the top is Kingwood, who is one year removed from making state in 2006. The Mustangs are 6-1 to start the season thanks to big wins over quality teams like Elkins, Hightower, De Soto and a 58-42 win over defending state champ North Crowley in the McDonald’s Texas Invitational’s third-place game. And their only loss is to state powerhouse Duncanville.
Coach Royce Huseman has created a tradition of winning at Kingwood, and after falling to Dulles in the second round last year, the No. 6 Mustangs are looking to make another deep run in the postseason this year.

Three other area teams – No. 4 Bellaire, No. 10 Madison and No. 14 Strake Jesuit – are still ranked high in the TABC poll, with Chavez ranked No. 18.