Being a junior didn't seem to make it hurt any less for St. Michael's guard David Gonzalez.

But maybe it was the knowledge of having one more season, one more chance to win a state title that led to a certain sense of satisfaction with what his team had just accomplished.

Sitting in the Horsemen locker room in The Pit in Albuquerque after falling 55-44 to Albuquerque Hope Christian in the Class AAA boys basketball championship game last March, Gonzalez looked around and realized there can be pride along with tears.

"I remember looking at the seniors, like Jordan (Romero), knowing this was their last game," said Gonzalez, now a 5-foot-10 senior for the Horsemen. "I knew we played well and some people said we overachieved. We had a chance to beat them, but I think we got just about all we could out of last year's team so I wasn't mad. I was disappointed, but not mad.

"I knew then that when we go out (this year), when I play my last game, I want to at least be able to say we got the most out of this team that we could get and see how far that takes us."

Getting the most out of his team is nothing new for St. Michael's head coach Ron Geyer, entering his 31st season in coaching, 23rd as a head coach. At St. Michael's, Geyer's four teams have set the bar high, winning a pair of AAA championships, been runner-up once and lost once in the state semifinals.

"The bar was set pretty high at St. Michael's long before I ever got here," Geyer said. "These kids, a lot of them grew up watching Horsemen basketball and wanting to be a part of this. They come here knowing the expectations and they handle it pretty well."

While most of the state expects the Horsemen to again be one of the state's top programs — a New Mexico High School Coaches Association preseason poll ranks St. Mike's No. 3 in the state — there are very few who think anyone will beat preseason No. 1 and defending champ Hope Christian, putting the Horsemen in a spot they enjoy.

"I think Hope is the team to beat and everyone knows that," said senior do-everything player Patrick Griswold. "Them and Sandia Prep, that's who everyone is looking at. I don't think anyone expects us to win it all, but hopefully that will just motivate us a little bit. But that's way down the road. Unless we're asked about it, nobody here talks about championships. We just work on what's in front of us, the next game."

Griswold and Gonzalez are two seniors who were key parts of the 2008-09 team that went 23-8, won the District 2AAA title and earned the state tournament's No. 2 seed. Throw in 5-10 senior Patrick Trujillo to the mix and Geyer has a trio of seniors who will be relied on to offer some leadership for an otherwise young team.

While this year's team will have to look for a replacement for the star-power and leadership lost due to the graduation of Romero, this edition of Horsemen basketball has a little more of what last year's team didn't have — size.

Nowhere was the lack of size more apparent than against Hope Christian. The Horsemen now have Colin Friedman, a 6-4 sophomore; Rob Cron, a 6-2 junior; and Cameron Montoya, a 6-1 junior. Throw in 5-11 forward Justin Smith, who will join the team this week after the football team's departure Saturday from the Class AAA football playoffs, and Geyer is hoping to utilize more of an inside game than a year ago.

"We have an awful lot of sets that we can use," Geyer said. "This year, we certainly have more size and we hope that helps us out down the stretch. ... When we can, we like to run our offense through the post."

But that isn't to say the guards won't have their say. In addition to Gonzalez and Trujillo, sophomore Antonio Garcia (5-6) and junior Wesley Vaughan (5-7) are guards who get plenty of floor time, likely handling the ball and using their speed to break presses and run the point for the Horsemen.

"We have some shooters and I think our guard play can be a strength this year," said Trujillo, who has bided his time in the Horsemen program since seventh grade waiting for his shot at varsity. "It's nice that we have more size this year, but I think what that really does is open things up even more for our guards and that's good."

Whether it be with guard play or its newfound post presence, the Horsemen hope March brings with it another deep playoff push.

"When you play here, you know you'll probably have a good opportunity to make a run in the postseason," Gonzalez said. "As a senior, its up to guys like me, Pat (Trujillo) and Patrick (Griswold) to offer that leadership those guys last year led us with. If we do that, and work as hard as we did last year, it doesn't matter how things end up — I know we'll be happy with the way things turn out.

"I don't know if that will be a championship or not, but we'll have a good chance and that's all you can ask."

Contact Geoff Grammer at 986-3060 or ggrammer@sfnewmexican.com. Read his blog at grammerschoolblog.com.