Andre Ashton, captain of the defending 5A boys' basketball team West Jordan, is certain this year's state championship team will look nothing like the last.

That's not to say he still doesn't think it won't be his own baby-blue clad Jaguars.

"When you think [high school] basketball in this state, you think West Jordan," Ashton said. "We expect to be right in it every year and we always have the talent to make a run at it."

But only a few familiar faces remain on the team that upset highly favored Lone Peak. Gone are leading scorers Reyes Gallegos, Mason Sawyer and Jordan Weirick. Also lost to graduation are unsung heroes like last year's Region 3 rebound leader Tyson Udy, D.J. Tialavea and Tyson Holt. Those who remain saw comparatively small amounts of varsity playing time.

Given those departures, many might assume that the Jaguars are in a rebuilding year. But according to coach Scott Briggs, now in his 11th year, the Jaguars are not rebuilding. They've just reloaded.

"Even though some of our guys didn't get to play a lot of minutes, they were still a part of [a state title]," said Briggs. "It changes expectations. They expect to win and are confident in themselves. We expect to always have a shot no matter who we are playing."

Still, the loss of six key seniors has placed some immediate pressure on the Jaguars' underclassmen. Six sophomores, including 6-foot-6 center Jordan Loveridge and guard Jordan Pryor. Junior Jaxon Knighton and seniors Jesse Herrin, Tyler Kiesel and Ashton fill out a revamped and comparatively inexperienced lineup.

Less experienced, yes, but far from inferior.

"It's kind of unusual to have this kind of youth, but we feel like they can all step in and immediately contribute." Briggs said. Added Ashton: "Our young guys play beyond their years."

Still, Ashton wasn't quite sure what to expect heading into the season opener against last year's 4A champion West, now competing in Class 5A. He was concerned about the way the Jaguars varsity lineup had been faring against their JV teammates in practice. Until the first game ball was tipped, it was still uncertain who would step up to replace the void left by Gallegos, Sawyer and Weirick.

All it took was one quarter to assuage those concerns.

Loveridge, Knighton and Herrin made sure the Jaguars picked up right where they had left off. In the first game alone, the trio posted 44 points to nearly eclipse their combined scoring effort of 54 points last season. Knighton emerged as the Jaguars' new post presence, bringing down 13 rebounds to help extend West Jordan's win streak to seven games.

But most importantly, the Jaguars' 73-48 rout was confirmation for Ashton that, while they may lack the experience of last year's state title squad, they are ready to compete with the best.

"Every time we walk on the court, we believe that we can win," Ashton said. "We know that every game we play will be tougher, but we definitely think we can be there in the end."