Jefferson City might be losing four starters from last year's team that fell to state tournament runner-up Hickman in a district championship game.
But the Jays don't necessarily feel like they're starting the new campaign from scratch.
"We're not starting over. I don't get that feeling," Jefferson City head coach Blair Thompson said. "I do get the feeling we still have a long ways to go. Our roster was young last year, but our starters were old, so to speak."
The Jays graduated four starters in Jake White ( 12.6 ppg), Darion Jones (8.8 ppg), Harold Robertson Jr. (11.4 ppg) and Lucas Theroff (6.6 ppg) from last year's squad that went 15-12.
However, there is one major piece to the puzzle that is coming back.
Indiana University signee and all-state selection OG Anunoby is returning for his senior year after averaging 21.3 points per game, 9.9 rebounds, 3.4 blocks and 1.1 assists last season.
"I think all his teammates enjoy playing with him, and they should," Thompson said. "He's going to draw a lot of attention, and it should open a lot of things up for the other guys and make things easier for them.
"There are a lot of ways OG can help this basketball team, and those guys are going to be just as important. They have to do their jobs, as well. It's going to take everybody."
The group surrounding Anunoby won't be completely new to the varsity scene when the Jays open up the 2014-15 campaign at 7:30 p.m. tonight against Sedalia Smith-Cotton at Fleming Fieldhouse.
Senior Isaac Roling, the quarterback for Jefferson City last fall, along with juniors Tim Nahach, Seth Stegeman and Rhylin Spence all saw significant playing time last season.
"Luckily, and somewhat by design, we wanted to be playing a lot of sophomores last year - just for the simple fact they would get some playing time and we'd be able to build with them as the years go by," Thompson said. "They saw a lot of valuable minutes, so it's not going to be a new situation for them. The shock value shouldn't be that great. I think we're ready. I think it's time to play."
Roling played in 26 of 27 games as a junior, while Nahach played in 26 and Stegeman played in 22. Jefferson City also played the last six games of the season without Anunoby, who suffered a broken wrist down the stretch.
"We definitely knew we were going to have to count on those sophomores to play a lot this year," Thompson said. "We have some very capable players, there's a lot of unselfish guys and they've been doing the same thing for three years in a row."
Sophomore Eysan Wiley, the son of Jefferson City Lady Jays' head coach Kristie Douglas-Wiley, is new to the mix this season, but is expected to make an immediate impact for the Jays.
"He's been a really nice addition," Thompson said. "We're throwing a lot at him, but he's picking things up quickly."
Juniors Jacob Gourley, Caleb Burruss, Zach Brooks, JT Bohlken, along with sophomores Grant Wood and Gunnar See will also compete for playing time throughout the season.
"We have some guys off the bench that could potentially help us out," Thompson said. "Like any other team, we're going to stick a couple different units out there and just see how they all come together, and go from there."
Thompson said his team hasn't quite found its identity, but the Jays plan on playing "opportunistic" basketball.
"We're looking for the easiest shot we can find every possession," Thompson said. "Defensively, we want to mix it up and try to be unpredictable, but solid in whatever we're doing. We just want to be efficient."
Thompson said Jefferson City has a challenging schedule, which includes the Norm Stewart Classic this weekend, the Joe Machen's Great 8 Classic, the Kamisky Tournament in Joplin, the MFA Oil/Break Time Shootout at Mizzou Arena and the Helias Tournament.
The Jays, who have previously been a part of the Class 5 District 9 Tournament, will also see some new competition when postseason play begins. Jefferson City is now in District 10 along with Camdenton, Lebanon and Waynesville.
"We play teams from all over the place," Thompson said. "It's fun to challenge ourselves. We're trying to prepare ourselves and we want to be as good as we can at the end. Every coach and every team will tell you the same thing and we're no different."