When Sid Tomes was a freshman at East Ridge, coach Paul Virgin told him he would be the face of the boys’ basketball program until he graduates. Now a senior, Tomes and the Raptors are coming off a 23-5 season as the defending Suburban East Conference champions and are looking for more.

“We can build off of last year and have an even better year,” said Tomes, a 6-foot-4, 190-pound point guard who committed to play Division I basketball for the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs. “I think we can do special things.”

Playing both point guard and shooting guard, Tomes — a starter at East Ridge since his freshman season — averaged 16.2 points per game as a junior. The Raptors’ season ended last year in a loss to Cretin-Derham Hall in the Class 4A, Section 3 semifinals.

Virgin said he has asked Tomes to do more this season, including attacking the basket and shooting more free throws, which he hits at a 90 percent rate.

“He’s going to be our primary point guard and our leader,” Virgin said. “He’s going to be our go-to guy.”

Virigin calls Tomes a polished basketball player.

“No. 1 is his basketball IQ, No. 2 is his shooting,” said Virgin, who is in his sixth season leading the Raptors. “He’s just a deadly three-point shooter and an excellent free throw shooter. Along with that, he’s just very efficient with his movements, which makes him an excellent defender and pretty tough to guard.”

Tomes will be playing with a slight fracture in the tip of his finger on his non-shooting hand this season, something he said may cause him to miss a couple of games.

“I’ll be out there,” Tomes said.

East Ridge is ranked No. 9 in the Minnesota Basketball News preseason poll. The team’s front court includes 6-4 junior forward Seth Green — a quarterback who has committed to Oregon and a top state athlete — and 6-foot-9 senior center Freddie Gillespie.

“I think people are going to be surprised by Seth,” Virgin said of Green, who has a 41-inch vertical jump. “He’s just such an exceptional athlete and has grown. He’s older, more mature and stronger. I think he’ll give people some problems.”

With their size and athleticism, Green and Gillespie will help anchor the Raptors’ defense, a point of emphasis at East Ridge this season.

“We really stress defense,” said Gillespie, who has a 7-foot, 4-inch wingspan. “Also, I see rebounds as one of the things that can most notably change a game, and I love hustle plays.”

Virgin said he also expects seniors Bobby Remke and Bobby Franks to have “breakthrough years.”

Tomes, Franks, Gillespie and Green are team captains this season.

“I just want to bring toughness, rebounding and leadership,” said Franks, a first-year varsity player who’ll fill in at the 3, 4 and 5 spots. “I’m a senior and need to lead by example, working hard every day.”

Repeating as conference champs in the Suburban East will be a tough task for the Raptors. Cretin-Derham Hall is ranked No. 1 to start the season. Winning Section 3 might be even tougher. The Raiders and No. 2-ranked Apple Valley are the favorites.

Virgin said East Ridge is in the toughest section in the state. “There’s five or six teams in that section that could really deserve to be in the state tournament,” he said.

Remke said the Raptors’ ultimate goal is to win the conference, win the section and go to state.

“We know who they are and how good they are, but we need to prepare for every team like it’s Cretin or Apple Valley in order to be successful this season,” Remke said.