High school basketball teams can officially start the season on Thursday.

With that in mind, here are some of the top boys storylines as the new year begins.

AL.com will preview the girls storylines later this week.

The Caleb White tragedy

The sudden death of Pinson Valley star Caleb White is certainly a major storyline and heartfelt absence as this year’s basketball season begins.

The 17-year-old, a finalist for Class 6A player of the Year in 2023 and probable Mr. Basketball candidate this year, died in August after collapsing during a pickup basketball game at school.

White, who had just started his senior year at Pinson Valley, was a first-team all-state selection as a junior. He averaged 20.9 points, 3.8 rebounds, 3.1 assists and 1.9 steals for the Indians. As a sophomore, he averaged 17.3 points and had 71 steals.

“We will continue to play through Caleb, play for him and represent who he was,” his coach, Darrell Barber, said in August. “We talk about basketball being life, sports emulating life and you never know when you are going to take your last dribble. Our guys are looking forward to playing for their brother.”

The Indians open the season this weekend at the Park Crossing TipOff Tournament.

No Labaron, no McCarty

Two of the top contenders for this year’s Mr. Basketball Award left the state to play their senior years.

Reigning Mr. Basketball and Kansas commit Labaron Philon transferred from Baker High in Mobile to Link Academy in Missouri. Chase McCarty left Westminster Christian for IMG Academy.

McCarty, a 6-foot-6 guard/small forward, was a first-team Class 4A All-State selection a year ago and finalist for player of the year. He averaged 23.7 points and 6.5 rebounds a game for Westminster and had 45 steals and 24 blocks. He committed to Houston on Oct. 13.

Philon, a 6-foot-4 combo guard, averaged 35 points, six rebounds and four assists per game for Baker a year ago and finished with 1,075 points. Entering his senior year, he has scored 2,334 career points. In addition to being named Mr. Basketball a year ago, Philon was the two-time reigning 7A player of the Year. He committed to Kansas in September.

So, who is Mr. Basketball?

Even had Philon and McCarty stayed put at their Alabama schools, the frontrunner for Mr. Basketball this season might well have been Buckhorn’s Caleb Holt.

Holt, the reigning 6A player of the year, led Buckhorn to the state title as a freshman. He averaged 16.3 points, 8.3 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Bucks. Holt was the MVP of the Class 6A state tournament, scoring a combined 65 points and grabbing 32 rebounds in wins over McGill-Toolen and Mountain Brook.

With Philon and McCarty gone, Holt is the only returning member of the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s five-member Super All-State team from 2022-2023.

However, there are other players who could give Holt competition for Mr. Basketball, including:

Ty Davis, Mountain Brook: The 6-foot-5 guard averaged 18.2 points, 4.6 rebounds and 6 assists for the Spartans as a junior and shot 37 percent from 3-point range. He was a first-team All-State pick. He is committed to Creighton.

Jacoby Hill, Central-Phenix City: The 6-foot-4 junior guard was a first-team Class 7A All-State selection a year ago after leading the Red Devils to the title game. He averaged 22.6 points, 5.1 rebounds and 5.3 assists for Central. Hill had a pair of 30-point games in last year’s final four, including 37 in a losing effort against Hoover in the final.

DeWayne Brown, Hoover: The 6-foot-9 center was the AL.com Birmingham Player of the Year in 2023. He averaged 15 points, 10.3 rebounds and 2.5 blocks per game for the 31-4 state champion Bucs. Brown shot 67 percent from the field was named to the state finals all-tournament team along with Class 7A first-team all-state.

Caleb Harrison, Huntsville: Harrison (6-9, senior, forward) averaged 14 points, 8.3 rebounds and 2.3 assists for the Panthers a year ago and was the MVP of the 7A, Area 7 tournament. He is committed to Samford.

Hoover’s dynamic duo

The talented duo of 6-foot-9 center DeWayne Brown and slashing 6-4 guard Salim London led Hoover to the Class 7A state title a year ago and should be primed for another run in 2023-2024.

Brown scored 24 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in an 84-66 victory over Central-Phenix City in the title game. London added 34 points, six rebounds, two assists and two steals. Brown was a first-team All-State pick. London was second team.

The title was the first for the Hoover boys since 2015. Could a repeat be in store?

Valley win streak alive

Valley went a perfect 33-0 a year ago and won the Class 5A state title.

Cam’Ron Dooley scored 19 second-half points and claimed MVP honors as the Rams defeated Charles Henderson 54-50 to cap an unblemished year.

Valley became the 11th AHSAA boys team to accomplish an unbeaten season.

“I think we earned respect. 33-0. Not a lot of teams can say that. We completed the mission, and a lot of these guys will be back.” – Valley coach Marshon Harper said following the win.

Now Dooley and a lot of those players are back to try to build on their winning streak.

Valley High and LaFayette are scheduled to consolidate, but a district judge ruled in September that LaFayette students could stay at their school until a new building is constructed in Valley for the consolidated schools.

New free throw rule is ‘significant’

The National Federation of State High School Associations announced in May that, beginning this year, teams will shoot two free throws for all common fouls when in the bonus.

In other words, there will be no more one-and-ones.

“In my 23 years as a coach, I can’t think of a more substantial rules change that has taken place that will really change the game and how it’s coached and how the players handle foul calls,” UMS-Wright basketball coach Michael Napp said last spring.

In addition to awarding two foul shots for all common fouls, teams will reach the bonus when their opponent commits five fouls in a quarter. Team fouls will then reset every quarter. Previously, teams were awarded the one-and-one bonus at seven fouls in a half and two shots at 10 fouls.

Lindsey Atkinson, NFHS Director of Sports and liaison to the Basketball Rules Committee, said in a release about the change that the committee studied data that showed higher injury rates on rebounding situations and saw the new rule as an opportunity to reduce rough play for rebounds.

Big coaching news

There were at least two huge coaching moves in the offseason.

After building a small school dynasty at Plainview, Robi Coker left the Bears to take over at Fort Payne High. Coker spent 10 years Plainview, winning 274 games and four of the last six Class 3A state titles. His teams won 244 games in the last eight years – an average of 30 wins per year. The state titles came in 2018 and 2019 – both on last-second shots – and 2022 and 2023.

Meanwhile in Huntsville, Ronnie Stapler decided to retire after 53 seasons and 868 total victories. Stapler led Westminster Christian to the Class 4A title game a year ago. He also coached at Grissom, Guntersville and Randolph. He led two Grissom teams and one Westminster team to state titles.

Going for 3

Jacksonville, Plainview and Covenant Christian all won their second straight AHSAA state titles a year ago.

Jacksonville accomplished the feat in 4A, while Plainview did it in 3A and Covenant Christian in 1A.

Here are last year’s state champions:

AHSAA

7A: Hoover

6A: Buckhorn

5A: Valley

4A: Jacksonville

3A: Plainview

2A: Aliceville

1A: Covenant Christian

AISA

A: Heritage

AA: Edgewood

AAA: Glenwood

Key dates

Nov. 2, 2023 – First game

Jan. 30, 2024 – Last day for AHSAA area games

Feb. 2-7, 2024 – Boys AHSAA area tournaments

Feb. 9-10, 2024 – AHSAA sub-regionals

Feb. 13-21, 2024 – AHSAA regionals (Montgomery, Birmingham, Jacksonville, Hanceville)

Feb. 26-March 2, 2024 – AHSAA state finals (Birmingham)

Feb. 7-9, 2024 – AISA final four (Cramton Bowl Multiplex)

The Jared Smith transfer

Top 2025 football prospect Jared Smith transferred from Spain Park to rival Thompson last week.

The four-star defensive end is also a talented basketball player who helped the Jaguars to the Class 7A final four a year ago.

What will his move mean for 7A basketball this year?