&dquo;I&squo;m trying to instill that to win, we have to play as a team, not five individuals,&dquo; he said.

He&squo;ll have a youth-filled team to work with this season.

The Wolverines lost nine players from last year&squo;s squad, seven of which were graduating seniors. And with that youth, Culbreth isn&squo;t sure what to expect in the region race.

&dquo;If we play to our potential, we will sneak up on people,&dquo; he added.

The only four players returning with varsity experience are Kamron Kerr, Trenton Carson, Heath Culbreth and Brad Nelson.

Kerr is the leading returning scorer, but was injured in his final football game of the season and will be out the first few weeks of the season with a broken collarbone.

Some new players who will contribute heavily are Parish Gary at center, DeShaun Simmons at small and power forward, and Andre Overholt playing point guard and shooting guard.

Other players on the team include Jeffery Bontrager, Landon Schlabach, Chad Painter, Kasey Jackson, Shawn Gary, Markece Cunningham and Tyler Tanner.

The strengths of the Wolverines this season will be speed and balance. The team is well-balanced, which will allow Culbreth to rotate players frequently.

But the overall goal for this season will be simple, Culbreth said.

&dquo;Our goal is to bring respect and integrity to Polk County men&squo;s basketball and help develop these young men,&dquo; he said.