The Center Line Panthers and their star, forward Terez Holmes, had a really good season in 2023-24.

But they’re ready to be great.

“They’re just scrappy,” said head coach Derrick Walton Sr. “I got some tough guys. I got to get on them every now and then, but they are tough. We got two football players, and everybody else on the team, it’s just a core of people that’re hungry. To take the quote from the (Detroit) Lions, we just got grit. We just got to grind for everything.”

They’ve started 5-1 for a second-straight year, but this one feels different; Center Line beat Clawson by 53, Hazel Park by 12, De La Salle by three, Sterling Heights by 23 and, most recently, Clintondale by 40.

In contrast, their largest margin of victory in their first six games last season was 15 (twice).

And while the team is deep with several capable options across the lineup, Holmes is the one who has blown their ceiling off the gym.

Entering Friday night’s 74-34 crushing of Clintondale, Holmes was averaging 29.6 points, 13 rebounds and 3.8 blocks per game with a 60% field goal percentage. And while the senior scored “only” 22 points in their victory over the Dragons, he continued to be a force every time he was near the ball — and showcased some of the growth his game has undergone since last season.

“All the work I put in throughout the summer, all the dedication, of course we’re going to reach new levels every year,” Holmes said.

“The handle for sure. Being more of a leader, controlling the game, athleticism. Everything I worked on, everything I feel like I improved.”

At 6-foot-8, Holmes has become a confident, capable ballhandler. Despite being by far the tallest player on the team and, usually, on the court, he always works through drills with the guard.On Friday, he used his gravity to pull double and triple teams, out of which he passed to earn easy buckets for teammates. He also made several shots off the dribble from pull-up mid-range shots to post fadeaways.

Of course, the springy athlete got easy points off dunks, be it from his own creation or by well-placed passes on alley-oops.

He missed out on four more points with missed dunks — one while standing straight under the hoop, the other on a cross-court oop — that could’ve raised his total to 28.

“‘Rez has unlocked himself,” Walton Sr. said. “I just told him, this is your final hoorah. Just go out, play with energy, with a motor. And I always tell him, you’re the best player in the league, and he believes in himself. We believe in him.

“You know, sometimes he gets frustrated because he don’t get enough touches. I’m just trying to tell him, you want enough touches? You’re already averaging 30.”

Holmes’ torrid start to the season along with a strong summer circuit has finally earned the attention of Division I programs — he’s spoken with Detroit Mercy, Purdue Fort Wayne and Jacksonville, to name a few — after three years went by without much interest.

“I feel like I’m very underrated,” Holmes said. “Definitely got to just prove myself, just go out there and dominate every time and win at the same time.”

He’s not doing it alone. Kameren Higginbotham, only a sophomore, made four 3-pointers and scored 14 points in their win over Clintondale and is averaging 12 per game along with 7.4 assists on 57% efficiency from the field and a ridiculous 65% from 3. Isaiah Ashford has been good for 10 ppg along with nearly 3 steals and a 43% clip from downtown.

The Panthers will play two more non-league games — vs. Detroit UPrep and West Bloomfield, both in holiday tournaments — before they compete for a MAC Silver championship.

They have goals for where they want to go after that, says Holmes:

“All the way.”