Last season was a fairly wide open one in the Eastern Maine Class D schoolboy basketball ranks. This season promises to be even more so.

Consider the following pool of worthy tourney title contenders:

. Central Aroostook’s Panthers return four of the top six players from a squad that advanced to the regional final last season and are once again primed and ready for a return run at the Bangor Auditorium.

. Deer Isle-Stonington has eight of its top 10 players back from a quarterfinal team that was knocked out by Central Aroostook.

. Defending state champion Calvary Chapel Christian Academy has two starters back, including a scoring machine named Brock Bradford.

. Katahdin of Sherman returns two starters as well, but has solid depth with an unheard-of nucleus of 11 juniors.

. Hodgdon is perhaps the biggest team in Class D with 6-foot-8 center Evan Carter and the addition of Leif O’Connell, a 6-6 center-power forward who transferred from Houlton.

. Washburn features a tall, veteran lineup with three starters back from a regional quarterfinalist including Jason Thompson, one of the premier players in the Eastern ‘D’ ranks.

Those are just some of the legitimate favorites, and we haven’t even mentioned the likes of Jonesport-Beals a traditional power that always peaks around tourney time; perennial contender Lee Academy, which added a talented guard in senior transfer Matthew Scott; and a usually solid Bangor Christian squad.

“I think the team that’s made unbelievable strides is Lee,” said Katahdin coach Bill McAvoy. “They’re going to be one of the better teams this year.”

It’s difficult to pick just one team as odds-on favorite.

“I think you’re going to have four or five teams right at the end there and whoever’s the hottest come tournament time could be the team that wins it all,” said first-year Washburn coach Glenn Billings, a veteran assistant with many years in the Washburn hoop system behind him.

Billings has reason to smile in his first season as the varsity head coach as he has all five starters back and is blessed with both depth and size.

“We have a pretty balanced lineup with four guys who can play outside and five good guards,” Billings said. “I don’t know if I have any real major concerns. The boys are pretty skilled. Even on nights when the shooting or something is off, we can do something else with our depth and versatility.”

Defensive intensity is another strength for the experienced Mariners, who start 6-3 senior center Thomas Robbins, senior guards Nick Ciomei (6-0) and Josh Eaton (5-10), 6-1 sophomore forward Shane Eaton, and 5-9 sophomore guard Bryant Ciomei.

Players who will see plenty of time off the bench are 6-3 forward-center Tim Parker, 6-1 senior forward Lance Ciomei, 5-7 senior guard Scott Blackmore, and 5-7 junior guard Brian Billings, the coach’s son.

Much like the Mariners, Central Aroostook’s Panthers feature speed, depth, and defensive intensity, but they have the added advantage of being tournament-tested after advancing all the way to the regional final last season.

“They’ll go up and down with four or five unbelievable athletes,” said coach McAVoy, whose Cougars lost to CAHS in the semis last season.

The Cougars played the Panthers tough in their first meeting this season. The tight contest was eventually won by the Panthers 72-63.

The Panthers’ starting five includes senior guard Jason Woodworth, junior forwards Andrew York and Taylor McLaughlin, senior center Brock Burtt and sophomore guard Tim Carlson. Two key reserves are junior forward Eric Martinez and sophomore forward Sam Clockedile. None of these players is shorter than 5-11.

Katahdin can match the Panthers in terms of depth, defensive intensity and a preference for the transition game, but size is a bit of a weakness with only one starter taller than 5-10 (6-1 junior center Owen McCarthy).

“It’s a definite disadvantage to get into a halfcourt offense, so we’ll try to be more patient when we aren’t in transition,” McAvoy said. “We’re a good passing team and we have a versatile group of players.”

The starting five looks like McCarthy and 5-10 point guard Pat Willett, the two returning starters; 5-10 senior forward George Qualey; 5-10 junior forward Jordan Anderson; and 5-9 junior guard Alex McAvoy, the coach’s nephew.

The Cougars get bigger when 6-3 sophomore sub Jared Anderson (Jordan’s cousin) enters the game. Dylan Harris and Brett Gould, both 5-9 guards, are other key reserves.

As much as he respects CAHS, McAvoy says watch out for Hodgdon.

“With both O’Connell and the Carter kid plus a 6-3 sophomore … If they have good guard play, they could be very, very tough,” he said.

So who’s the favorite?

“I think there will be four or five teams who can be in it and win it,” McAvoy said.