For three years, the Skyline High School boys basketball team has been the new kid on the block. Because the school, which opened in 2008, added grades incrementally, any shortcoming was met with the ‘They don’t have any seniors,’ excuse.

The fourth year of the school is here and the formerly young Eagles now have a significant advantage in experience over its peers.

Whereas Huron, Pioneer and Father Gabriel Richard experimented with lineups at the Ann Arbor Summer shootout on Wednesday, Skyline’s entire starting lineup from last year’s district runner up team was intact.

“It’s a lot different that we have a target on our back this year,” said senior Skyline guard Theron Wilson.

Wilson is the physical embodiment of Skyline’s growth, having shot up 2 inches to 6-feet, 4-inches since last season and added noticeable bulk to his frame. He will be the key component to Skyline’s success and on Wednesday looked ready to shoulder that load.

“Usually we were going for the top teams like Huron. This year, we’re expected to like be up there with them,” said Wilson, who averaged 18.3 points as a junior for Skyline.

Huron has been strongest team in the area for the past couple of years, and it was clear at Wednesday’s tournament that despite graduating seven of its regular nine-man rotation last year, its current roster of players has no intention of surrendering that title to Skyline or anyone else.

Seniors-to-be Mike Lewis and Andre Bond -- who both saw regular minutes last year -- looked to be ready to lead the team while former reserves Allen and Kendall Thomas looked ready to step into more regular roles in the backcourt. Allen as a ball-handler and passer, Kendall as a shooter.

And don't forget about Pioneer, which played Huron to a 42-42 double overtime tie which, in true summer ball fashion, ended that way.

When all the schools faced each other on Wednesday, for the first time in Skyline’s short history there were no built in excuses for Skyline.

“We’re supposed to be one of the better schools in the area, so we have to defend that,” said Skyline’s 6-foot-5 senior center Jarius Mann. “We personally never (made excuses), It’s just other people trying to defend us. Now that we are seniors we just have to go out there and prove it.”

Tall tales

Skyline senior center Jarius Mann said he’s grown about an inch-and-a-half since season’s end, claiming on Wednesday to be 6-foot-5 “with shoes off.”

If Mann is really 6-5 (which he appears to be) then there’s no way his teammate, Theron Wilson, is actually 6-4, or that Huron’s Andre Bond is close to the 6-2 he was listed at last year.

“If (Bond) is 6-2, then I’m at least 6-7,” Mann joked on Wednesday.

Bond may get away with being listed as 6-2, because of his consistent ability to pull off dunks like the one in the video below that he did on Wednesday:

Pete Cunningham covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at petercunningham@annarbor.com or by phone at 734-623-2561. Follow him on Twitter @petcunningham.