(Courier News) 

With the past and future jostling for post position in the minds of the Plainfield High School boys basketball team, it would be understandable if their focus on the present wavered.

But ask star junior guard Isaiah Epps what his teammates are thinking about on the eve of the 2008-09 season, and his answer is surprisingly curt.

"They all want a ring," Epps said. "Just like I want one."

Even with the talented backcourt trio of Epps, senior Anthony Baskerville and sophomore Tyrone Johnson, the Cardinals (18-8) still have plenty of work to do. First and foremost is adjusting to new head coach Jeff Lubreski. Former coach Pete Vasil's stint ended unceremoniously after the school began conducting interviews for his position while he was still there. He was asked to re-interview for his job, and without a direct answer as to why, he used that meeting with a six-member committee to resign.

A few weeks later, the school settled on Lubreski, who was the head coach at neighboring South Plainfield for 19 years. Before he stepped down in 2005, he led the Tigers to a pair of sectional titles in the early '90s and Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament banners in his final two seasons there.

Though Vasil was popular with the team, Lubreski indicated the players have embraced both him and his system.

"I couldn't be happier with how they're approaching it," Lubreski said. "Any time there's change, it's always toughest on the kids. They're forced to change systems and philosophies. It's difficult. But to this point, they've put their focus and dedication toward what we're trying to teach. It's a tribute to their character as young men."

The team must also deal with the Division I prospects of its guards. University of Maryland head coach Gary Williams made an appearance at the Cardinals' scrimmage at Bridgewater-Raritan, presumably to take a look at Epps, who has also drawn interest from Pittsburgh and Georgetown. The Hoyas are also reportedly interested in Johnson, while the veteran Baskerville also has Division I aspirations.

But for their part, all three guards don't seem to be wrapped up in what they might someday do beyond Plainfield.

"We want to get Plainfield back to what it's always been," Johnson said. "Step-by-step. Watchung Conference, then county, then state title."

Johnson and company open with conference rival and perennial power Linden, which knocked the Cardinals out of last season's North 2 Group IV tournament in the semifinals, 49-44. Baskerville, Epps and Johnson will be right at the forefront as Plainfield tries to avenge that loss.

"We're going to be a guard-driven, guard-oriented team, no doubt about it," Lubreski said. "As they go, we will go. We know that, and the teams we're playing know that. That's going to be the focus of everything we do."

That includes a heightened focus on defense, which Johnson admitted hasn't been the Cardinals' strength in recent years. For Lubreski, though, defense is key.

"I like to put defense first, and man-to-man in particular," he said. "We're trying to implement more of that than they've done here in the past. In practice, they've been very, very receptive to those ideas, and they ask a lot of questions about what we're trying to do and how we're trying to play."

Offensively, the head coach added, the guards will still be running the show at a pace to which they're more accustomed.

"We still want to play our game, which is run-and-gun," Johnson said. "But this year, we are going to be better on defense. Last year, we slacked a little bit, but this year everything comes together."

Epps echoed those sentiments.

"The team loves the coach, he's going to make us play hard on defense, and work every day in practice," he said. "This year, we're going to be a smarter team because of what we did last year, how we only got to the semifinals. I think we'll be good this year."