The Eastern View boys basketball team was never really able to find its footing last season.

The Cyclones’ rocky campaign was seemingly set in stone before they even held a single practice. Senior all-Battlefield District performers Blake Leake and Alex Spangler both suffered injuries late in the football season, forcing each of them to miss significant time on the hardwood. The team started 4-8, and while Leake and Spangler’s returns buoyed it to victories in eight of its final 12 games and a Region 4B tournament berth, Eastern View was no match for eventual Class 4 state quarterfinalist Monacan in a 95-48 region quarterfinal loss.

Leake and Spangler have since moved on to play football at Bucknell University and Hampden-Sydney College, respectively. But what remains for the Cyclones is a battle-tested group that’s determined not to repeat last year’s uneven performance.

“I think we’ve got a bit of everything—shooting, ballhandling, size and defense,” senior guard Bryan Maxie said. “So we’ve got no excuse to be up and down this year. This is our chance to contend for a championship.”

Maxie’s words typify the attitude Eastern View is taking as it prepares to open the 2020-21 season with a home game against district rival Caroline at 4:30 p.m. Tuesday. He’s one of five returning players—along with fellow senior D’Aze Hunter and juniors Rickey Butler, Corey Long and Taharka Siaca Bey—who spent time in head coach Patrick Thornhill’s starting lineup a year ago.

“I’m excited to see all of these guys take that next step,” Thornhill said. “They were all kind’ve thrown into the fire last year, and predictably, there were some growing pains. But the chemistry and the leadership is there now.”