COLUMBIA -- Zam Fredrick arrived at the Colonial Life Arena Wednesday the same way he left eight months prior -- the head coach of the top-ranked boys’ basketball high school team in Class A.

For the second straight year, Calhoun County was named the preseason number one in Class A by the S.C. Basketball Coaches Association.

Fittingly, the organization announced its preseason polls in a dining area above the Colonial Life Arena basketball court where Fredrick claimed his S.C. High School League record seventh state title, third straight in Class A and extended the Saints’ state-record winning streak to 78 games.

“Last year was spectacular to say the least,” Fredrick said. “Anything we do from at this point is decidedly anticlimatic. Nevertheless, we’re staying consistent with our motto which is take each game one at a time and our goal once again this year is to be playing for a state championship in March. We’re going to do everything we can to do that again.”

Among the players Fredrick will rely upon to help continue the Saints’ winning ways, forward Alshon Jeffery received a double honor on Wednesday. The two-sport standout was named one of SCBCA’s Top Five seniors in Class A along with North’s Ryan Jenkins and was chosen for the statewide team.

Calhoun County opens the season at home Dec. 6 against Swansea. A night earlier, Swansea will face Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, whose girls’ team was named the preseason number one in Class A.

The Lady Trojans finished runner-up to C.E. Murray last season and look to add a third state title to their trophy case, led by preseason Class A Top Five Senior guard and reigning T&D Region Player of the Year Shalika Smalls.

“Being number one is a great honor,” H-K-T head coach Jarvis Davis said. “The girls worked so hard to get there. They do a lot of good things. Being number one for them is a great job.

“Anybody can be ranked number one in the preseason, but everything matters in the end. If there’s number one at the end and state champions, that’s all that matters.”

Bethune-Bowman was ranked second behind H-K-T; Blackville-Hilda placed sixth. Each school had a representative on the Class A Top Five seniors list with Laquandra Williams of Bethune-Bowman and Candace Jones of Blackville-Hilda.

Woodland’s LaShana Glen was selected to the Class 2-A Top Five Seniors list.

In Class 4-A, Orangeburg-Wilkinson was ranked second behind state runner-up Dorman and forward Shawanda Hanton was selected as a Top Five Class 4-A senior. Entering his third season at the helm, Bruinettes head coach Joshua Staley said experience will be a key -- especially after last season’s disappointing loss to Hartsville in the Lower State semifinals.

“Situations like that either make you or break you,” he said. “We decided to work hard off the situation like that instead of just going into a shell. We decided to use it as motivation to help us become even better.”

This season, the Bruinettes will compete in Region 5-AAAA and the prestigious Crescent Bank Holiday Invitational which starts Dec. 26 in Myrtle Beach. Lower Richland, York and Lexington are also involved in the tournament.

O-W opens the season Dec. 2 at Lake Marion.

2008-09 Preseason S.C. Basketball Coaches Association Top 10 Polls

(BOYS)

CLASS A

1. Calhoun County, 2. Hemingway, 3. Great Falls, 4. Baptist Hill, 5.

Landrum, 6. C.E. Murray, 7. Timmonsville, 8. C.A. Johnson, 9.

Ninety-Six, 10. Estill

CLASS 2-A

1. Southside, 2. Burke, 3. Mullins, 4. W.L. Keenan, 5. Newberry, 6.

Strom Thurmond, 7. Broome, 8. Central, 9. Eau Claire, 10. Pendleton

CLASS 3-A

1. Myrtle Beach, 2. Daniel, 3. J.L. Mann, 4. Fairfield Central, 5.

Georgetown, 6. Lower Richland, 7. Crestwood, 8. Dreher, 9. Union County, 10. North Charleston

CLASS 4-A

1. Sumter, 2. Ridge View, 3. Hillcrest, 4. North Augusta, 5. Goose Creek, 6. Gaffney, 7. Fort Dorchester, 8. Greenwood, 9. South Pointe, 10. Richland Northeast

(GIRLS)

CLASS A

1. Hunter-Kinard-Tyler, 2. Bethune-Bowman, 3. C.E. Murray, 4. Latta, 5.

Calhoun Falls, 6. Blackville-Hilda, 7. Christ Church, 8. Academic Magnet, 9. Chesterfield, 10. Indian Land

CLASS 2-A

1. Eau Claire, 2. Southside, 3. Pendleton, 4. Burke, 5. Lee Central, 6.

Timberland, 7. Manning, 8. W.L. Keenan, 9. Strom Thurmond, 10. Bishop England

CLASS 3-A

1. Lower Richland, 2. A.C. Flora, 3. Myrtle Beach, 4. J.L. Mann, 5.

Travelers Rest, 6. North Charleston, 7. Dreher, 8. Seneca, 9.

Darlington, 10. Lake City

CLASS 4-A

1. Dorman, 2. Orangeburg-Wilkinson, 3. Spring Valley, 4. Hartsville, 5.

Greenwood, 6. Northwestern, 7. Goose Creek, 8. Irmo, 9. J.F. Byrnes, 10. Laurens

2008-09 SCBCA TOP FIVE SENIORS

(BOYS)

CLASS A

Alshon Jeffery (Calhoun County), Ryan Jenkins (North), Tashan Fredrick

(Hemingway), Alex Wilson (Landrum) and Lerondi Ceasar (Timmonsville)

CLASS 2-A

Robbie Dreher and Quinton Thomas (both of Southside), Ryan Norris (W.L.

Keenan), Theron Stephens (Silver Bluff) and C..J. Gleaton (Pendleton)

CLASS 3-A

Devin Booker (Union County), Rayshon Mack (Crestwood), Kinard

Gadsden-Gilliard (Georgetown), Chris Gore (Myrtle Beach) and Kindrick

Anderson (Fairfield Central)

CLASS 4-A

Phillip Jenkins (Goose Creek), Travis Fredimon (Sumter), Nori Johnson

(J.F. Byrnes), Jarvis Davis (Ridge View) and Brandon Curry (North

Augusta)

STATEWIDE

Alshon Jeffery (Calhoun County), Devin Booker (Union County), Tashan

Fredrick (Hemingway) and Robbie Dreher and Quinton Thomas (both of

Southside)

(GIRLS)

CLASS A

Shalika Smalls (Hunter-Kinard-Tyler), Candace Jones (Blackville-Hilda),

Laquanda Williams (Bethune-Bowman), Kim

Geyer (Whitmire) and Kelley

King (Chesterfield)

CLASS 2-A

LaShana Glen (Woodland), Whitley Smith (Lee Central), Courtney Mealing

(Strom Thurmond), Amber Coleman (Southside) and Latisha Harris (Aynor)

CLASS 3-A

Morgan Stroman and Dayshun Richbow (both of Lower Richland), Tiara

Knotts (A.C. Flora), Ashley Holliday (J.L. Mann) and Icey Patterson

(Seneca)

CLASS 4-A

Shawanda Hanton (Orangeburg-Wilkinson), Ashlen Dewart (Dorman), Bre Ana

Perry (Aiken), Shonda Burnside (Laurens) and Amelia Dozier (Spring

Valley)

STATEWIDE

Whitley Smith (Lee Central), Courtney Mealing (Storm Thurmond), Morgan

Stroman and Dayshun Richbow (both of Lower Richland) and Ashlen Dewart

(Dorman)

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