1 HOPKINS AND ...

Unlike a year ago when Joe Coleman's presence made Hopkins a can't-miss slam dunk in Class 4A, the Royals this season have company at the top. Oh, the Royals are still the team to beat, with plenty of talent at their disposal and an intimidation factor that comes along with being 92-3 over the past three seasons with three consecutive big-school state championships. But other teams might have a say at the end. Good luck getting them to talk about it, however. "When you've got a team that has won three in a row, I don't know if you can say there is a whole lot of parity," Eastview coach Mark Gerber said. "At this point, it's them and everybody else."

2 HE'S BACK

After a three-year hiatus, Brett McNeal has returned to the bench at his alma mater Minneapolis North. As a player, McNeal helped the Polars to a pair of Class 2A (big school) runner-up finishes and was named Mr. Basketball in 1985. He then coached North to its last state appearance, winning the 2003 Class 4A championship in 2003. Since then, North has gone from a thriving basketball powerhouse down to Class 1A. "It's much quieter here," McNeal said. "But we've never lost any pride. They still strive for excellence. That is still the same."

3 HE WON'T BE BACK

After 45 seasons at Mounds View, coach Zigurds "Ziggy" Kauls (right) plans to call it a career this spring. All he's done in his Minnesota Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame career is have 35 winning seasons, 12 state tournament appearances and conference championships, three Mr. Basketball recipients and two state championships. "It's been an amazing experience being a part of Mustang basketball, but it's never been about me," Kauls said in a school press release. "I've enjoyed incredible loyalty and remarkable consistency in my coaching staff, but the true success of this program belongs to the hundreds of players who have upheld our traditions and embraced teamwork over the decades."

4 HUNGRY RED KNIGHTS

The early story in Class 3A is Benilde-St. Margaret's, and how big of a statement the Red Knights are going to make with two of their first four games against Class 4A notables Hopkins and Eastview. Benilde-St. Margaret's coach John Moore purposely crafted a top-notch schedule to get his team more prepared after falling short of expectations a year ago with a two-point loss in the section finals. "As a whole, all of us were incredibly disappointed with how things went a year ago," Moore said. "Even though we have yet to play, I think they're pretty focused and know what the goal is."

5 TIP-OFF TIME

The Red Knights' 3:15 p.m. game Saturday with Eastview at Minnetonka High School is part of the all-day, 13-game Breakdown Sports Tip Off Classic. The loaded field also includes Osseo vs. Prior Lake at 1:45 p.m., Hopkins vs. Cretin-Derham Hall at 6:45 p.m. and Apple Valley vs. Tartan at 7:45 p.m. as part of the action.

BRIAN STENSAAS