When the Vian Wolverines take to the basketball court this season, they will be under a new coach.

Randy Ragland, who coached the Meeker Bulldogs for the last five seasons after being at Pocola, was hired in June to replace John Mays, who took the football coaching job at Cave Springs High School.

Ragland inherits a Vian Wolverines team that went 8-14 last season.

The good news for the new coach is the Wolverines will return six players from a season ago, led by senior Masyn Wright, who was selected by “VYPE” Magazine as one of the top 100 High School Boys Basketball Players to Watch this season.

Wright will be joined by seniors Joe O’Neal and Trace Sanders, juniors Jorian Riggs and Braxton Drake and sophomore Jeremiah Marshall as returning players from last year’s team.

There will be a lot of new faces on this year’s Vian boys basketball team, including three seniors — Drake Collins, Colten Campbell and Eufaula transfer Ledger Folsom.

Junior Dee Antwine, sophomores Rylan Lane and Chris Cheater and freshmen Amos Wright, Isaiah Owens, Trey Antwine, R.J. Smith, Gideon Spyres, Cam Harrison and Gavin Herod round out the roster.

The Wolverines, who this season are joining the Black Diamond Conference, were slated to begin their season on the road Monday against new conference rival Talihina, but the game has been canceled so the final day of the Choctaw Nation Invitation Tournament, which had its three-day start get postponed until last Friday due to the Golden Tigers playing for and winning the Class A, Division II state title.

The Wolverines also had home dates against Central on Dec. 2 and at home against Pocola on Dec. 8 canceled due to high school football playoffs.

The Wolverines are scheduled to begin the season with a 7:30 p.m. road Black Diamond Conference game at Hartshorne, which will follow the Lady Wolverines’ season opener at 6 p.m. against the host Lady Miners.