WARSAW – The Warsaw boys basketball team had a very successful summer.

How that translates on to the high school hardwood for the 2015-16 campaign remains to be seen.

But veteran coach Doug Ogle sees plenty to like about this year’s edition of the Tigers.

“We have more length (size) than we have had in a while and I think that we are more athletic,” said Ogle offering his overall take on his team. “These guys had a good summer too. We played in 15 games at the camps we attended and they lost once.”

Warsaw will need to replace some key parts from last year’s squad that finished 18-5 overall and won the Northern Lakes Conference championship at 7-0 in league play. The Tigers lost five seniors in Rashaan Jackson, Jake Mangas, Nick Sands, Tim Swanson and Peyton Long. Among the group were four of the top five scorers on last year’s team.

Warsaw, which averaged 50 points-per-game last year, returns 38 percent of its offensive production.

“We are not as experienced this year as we were going into last year and we are not as deep,” remarked Ogle, who is 193-99 entering his 14th season.

The Tigers do have an outstanding duo to build around this season though. The backcourt will be tough, led by junior Kyle Mangas and senior Paul Marandet.

Mangas, a smooth 6-3 junior, “quietly” led the Tigers in scoring at 11.8 points-per-game as a sophomore. The effective Mangas shot 55 percent overall from the field (including 38 percent on 3-pointers) and 79 percent at the free throw line. He averaged 3.2 rebounds per game and was second in assists and third in steals.

“Kyle has really stepped forward as a leader for us this year and that’s the thing I’ve been most pleased with,” said Ogle. “He does things quietly and I think that he flew under the radar last season. Now he is a proven commodity and will be attracting a lot of attention from defenses I’m sure. I think that the better he passes the ball this year the more that he will score.”

Marandet, who was the IFN Player of the Year last season, will be looked to for a much bigger offensive presence this season. The strong 6-0 senior averaged 5.0 ppt. a year ago, but was the glue to the Tigers with his stellar defense and do-it-all ability. Marandet led the Tigers a year ago in rebounding (4.5 per game) as well as assists and blocked shots. He shot 47 percent from the field and 72 percent from the line.

“I think that Paul is ready to score more this season,” stated Ogle. “He had a breakthrough summer and did what I envisioned him doing offensively. He was more aggressive.”

The Tigers starting lineup is also set to include Evan Schmidt, a 6-0 senior, in the backcourt with Mangas and Marandet. The front court will be manned by Jeremy David, a 6-4 junior, and Braxton Minix, a 6-7 junior.

“Evan is probably our most improved player,” noted Ogle.

Warsaw will begin the season without the services of Riley Rhoades. The athletic 6-4 senior forward, who averaged 1.8 ppg. last year, is out after suffering a knee injury in a football game at Concord on Oct. 16 following a stellar football season at wide receiver for the Tigers. Ogle said that Rhoades, who did not play with the team during the summer, has been doing light work in practice and is scheduled for a doctor’s visit on Wednesday.

“I’m not sure at this point when we will have Riley, but it could be by our fifth or sixth game,” said Ogle. “It could be sooner too. We just do not know yet.”

The Tiger roster also includes juniors Sam Miller (5-8 guard), Aaron Sandoval (5-11 guard) and Jaceb Burish (6-2 forward) and sophomores Jack Rhoades (5-11 guard), Ross Johnson (6-3 guard) and Asher Blum (6-6 forward).

“I’m confident that we are going to be a good defensive team,” Ogle said. “I think that we will be hard to score on. I’m confident in this team and anxious to see what we can do.”

Ogle points to NorthWood, which returns three All-NLC players in Braxton Linville, Dakiyron Fox and Vinny Miranda from its team that was 23-3 overall and 6-1 in the NLC and advanced to a Class 3-A regional final, as the team to beat in the league this time around.

“NorthWood has to be the favorite with three All-NLC guys back and with their offensive firepower,” said Ogle. “They will be good. I also think that we will be good too.”

Warsaw opens at Tippecanoe Valley Nov. 25. The home opener is Dec. 4 versus Homestead, which won the Class 4-A state championship last season. The NLC opener is versus Wawasee on Dec. 18 in the Tiger Den.