The Northwest Herald boys basketball preview will appear in print next week, with info on every local team. Until then, here are five storylines to look out for in the 2025-26 season.

Can Crystal Lake South three-peat in FVC?

McHenry appeared in good position to win the Fox Valley Conference championship outright last season after it edged two-time defending champ Crystal Lake South 55-52 on Jan. 31 to improve to 13-0 in the conference. But the Warriors then suffered upset losses to Prairie Ridge and Dundee-Crown, allowing South to get back in the race. McHenry bounced back to win its last two FVC games, including a 47-44 win at Huntley, which led in the fourth quarter.

McHenry and South ended up tying for first place with 16-2 records, despite the Warriors’ sweep of the season series.

Both teams were hit hard by graduation, but ample talent returns for both squads.

Big man Adam Anwar, who remains uncommitted to a college, leads McHenry after averaging 18.2 points and 7.4 rebounds a game. The 6-foot-7 forward is the only returning starter for the Warriors, whose conference title was their first since 1976.

South graduated two-time Northwest Herald Player of the Year AJ Demirov, but welcomes back junior guard Carson Trivellini (13.2 ppg), who figures to be the Gator’s primary ball-handler this season.

Watch for Cary-Grove and Jacobs. C-G returns big man Adam Bauer (14.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg) and point guard AJ Berndt (11.5 ppg, 3.5 apg). Jacobs added junior guard Elijah Bell and freshman guard Malachi Bell. The brothers played for Harvest Christian last season.

Who will capture the KRC?

The Kishwaukee River Conference race wasn’t decided until the final week last season.

Sandwich claimed the title with a 12-2 record, thanks in large part to a 47-46 overtime win at Woodstock on Feb. 11. Woodstock (10-4), Johnsburg (10-4) and Richmond-Burton (8-6) all were in contention for the championship down the stretch.

Woodstock, which has won 20 games in each of the past two seasons, returns one of the best juniors in the area in versatile 6-3 guard Max Beard (18 ppg, 7 rpg) and one of the area’s best sophomores in athletic forward Liam Laidig.

Johnsburg coach Mike Toussaint used the word “optimistic” to describe his thoughts on his team going into this season. The Skyhawks graduated guard JT Schmitt (Marian University) but return his brother Jayce (14.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg ), who led the Skyhawks in scoring last season.

Three of Richmond-Burton’s best players – Luke Robinson, Ray Hannemann and Jace Nelson – are playing football for the Rockets on Saturday against Byron in a Class 3A state semifinal. When they return, they should team with guard Gavin Radmer (16.5 ppg) to have the Rockets competitive again.

Bell curve

The Bell family should impact two teams this season.

Lafeyette Bell takes over at Marian Central (12-21 last season) after serving as coach of Harvest Christian the past two years. He coached the private Christian school in Elgin to 21 wins and a Class 1A regional championship in 2024. His 2024-25 team won 14 games despite having only one senior.

Meanwhile, Bell’s sons Elijah and Malachi Bell are transfer students at Jacobs, and both should impact their new team after they competed for their father last season. Elijah is a 6-foot-3 guard who was named to the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association Class 1A All-State third team as a sophomore last season. Malachi is a 6-1 freshman guard.

‘New’ coaches

There were four coaching changes in the off-season. Rick Peterson replaces Jared Bauer at Alden-Hebron, Brian Seaver takes over from Dan Oziminski at Crystal Lake Central, Tim Paddock inherits the coach’s whistle from Josh Jandron at Woodstock North and former Harvest Christian coach Bell is the new man in charge at Marian.

The new faces are old faces, in truth.

Peterson, a longtime coach in the area and a 1975 McHenry graduate, returns to A-H after coaching Marian Central last season. He spent the three previous season coaching A-H’s Giants.

Seaver has coached Central’s boys track team the past 25 seasons. He takes over a Tigers team that has won only six games in each of the past two seasons.

Paddock returns to the bench after an eight-year absence. He coached McHenry’s boys for 13 years before stepping down in 2017 after a run that included two Class 4A regional championships. The Thunder went 5-24 last season.

Who will be player of the year?

Crystal Lake South’s Demirov repeated as the Northwest Herald Player of the Year last season after averaging 18.5 points, 4.6 assists, 3.4 rebounds and 1.7 steals a game, while sinking 67 3-pointers. He capped his four-year varsity career by leading the Gators to a Class 3A sectional final.

McHenry’s Anwar was a legitimate candidate to win the award before missing 13 games in the second half of the season because of a broken wrist. He should be primed for a big senior season.

The other candidates include South’s Trivellini, Cary-Grove’s Bauer and Berndt, Johnsburg’s Schmitt and Woodstock’s Beard. Keep an eye on Jacobs’ Elijah Bell, Prairie Ridge’s Eli Loeding and Richmond-Burton’s Robinson and Radmer.