The Oxford Boys Varsity Basketball team is back and ready for a new season.

The 15-member squad, which has nine returning players, opened the 2016-17 season with an impressive 57-20 victory over Waterford Kettering.

Since then, the boys beat Romeo 66-59 on Dec. 8.

The team is 2-0 overall in the Oakland Athletics Association (OAA).

If the team keeps up their winning ways, Head Coach Steve Laidlaw, who recently returned after a seven-year absence from the district, said the team should have no problem meeting their goals for the season.

“One of our biggest goals is to get to 14 victories or more. Our next biggest goal is we want to win our blue division in the OAA,” Laidlaw said.

Laidlaw said there is a lot of talent on this season’s team.

“The biggest strength is that we have three of our leading scorers back from last year,” he explained.

He listed returning seniors Jordan Jaden, Ray Luvine and Jeam Linares among those top-scorers. He also takes pride in the performance of sophomores Michael Raisch and Connor Nicholson.

Along with his excitement to watch his team grow, Laidlaw said he’s proud to be back on his home court.

Laidlaw spent six seasons at Avondale coaching the junior varsity team from 2010-16, but he is well-known for being at Oxford for six seasons from 2003-09.

He is replacing interim coach Dave Brown, with whom Laidlaw says he has been working with closely since his return.

“It’s been an incredible experience to come back,” Laidlaw said. “I’m coaching with a lot of my former players . . . They’re now coaches and teachers in Oxford. It’s very interesting and very helpful. I have a great staff.

“Working with Dave Brown, who was the interim head coach last year, he decided to stay on our program and he’s our freshman coach. It’s been incredible. I’ve been received very well (by) the parents and the players.”

The team’s next game will be against Royal Oak on Thursday, Dec. 22 at 7 p.m. at home.