Waterford Mott will be hard to handle once again on the boys basketball court this winter, looking to defend its league and district titles from last year.

Heading the Corsairs quest for a pair of repeat championships will be all-league senior point guard Khalil Malone, one of the top playmakers in the area. Malone has added about 10 pounds of muscle and improved his outside shot.

"We're going to put a lot on Khalil's shoulders this season," said Mott head coach Jeff Jayson, entering his second year at the helm of the program. "I know he's ready for it and I think he'll have a great season for us."

Quincy Norman, a high-profile 6-foot-7 transfer from Detroit Renaissance, will be holding down things in the paint for the Corsairs and will certainly prove a match-up problem for many opponents in league play.

Senior guards Michael Haggerman and Juwaan Mourad were key reserves last season and will both be asked to step in and fill more primary roles in the team's offense. Mourad is a spry and a pesky defender with a nice mid-range game, while Haggerman is a spunky perimeter threat who has nifty lefty stroke from downtown.

Hard-working Devin Maddox-Nalls will start in the frontcourt alongside Norman. They will get help patrolling the paint from returning sixth-man Justice Bolling, a heady forward and 6-foot-8 transfer Cam Williams (Auburn Hills Avondale), a skyscraper with a positive attitude and a significant wingspan.

Junior sharpshooter Billy McDonald, a JV call-up, will help Malone and Haggerman bust zones with his sniper skills.

"The talent is there on this team, it will all come down to how we gel as a group," said Jayson of his outlook on the upcoming campaign.

The season-opener for Jayson and the Corsairs is no small undertaking – Mott tips off its schedule against Oakland County cage superpower Clarkston.

Most experts consider the Corsairs pre-season favorites to win a second Kensington Lakes Activities Association North Division crown.