Youth is no longer a concern for the Coupeville High School girls basketball team.
The Wolves return seven letter winners, including six seniors, from last winter’s team which finished 10-13 and came within one game of qualifying for the tri-district tournament.
The returnees include seniors Kacie Kiel, 5-7 wing; Maddi Strasburg, 5-5 point guard, Hailey Hammer, 5-8 post; Julia Myers, 5-10 post; Monica Vidoni, 6-0 post; and Wynter Thorne, 5-8 wing; and junior Makana Stone, 5-11 post/wing.
Stone received first-team, all-league honors last winter.
Others expected to contribute, according to coach David King, are junior McKenzie Bailey, a 5-4 wing, and freshman Mia Littlejohn, a 5-4 point guard.
The Wolves lost only two players to graduation, but the pair, Bree Messner and Amanda Fabrizi, were the team leaders.
King said their loss will be felt but Kiel, Stone and Strasburg have filled the void: “I think we are in good hands.”
Obviously, basketball experience is one of the squad’s strengths.
That experience was bolstered by off-season work, King said. Stone played on a club team that traveled to tournaments in Illinois and Tennessee; others spent hours in the gym and at team camp to improve.
He pointed out that the seven letter winners competed at district last year and four played in a state tournament in another sport.
“This group understands what it takes to put in the time and effort to make the playoffs and/or going to state,” he said. “Adding McKenzie and Mia to the group solidifies our team.
“The team chemistry is great. Each player encourages their teammates. They also push each other to get better, and each one has the same goal, to compete and play as a team.”
King also likes his team’s speed, height and athleticism.
He added, “I like what I am seeing so far on the defensive end and the effort the players are giving every day.”
He said that one of the team’s strengths — athleticism — is also one of its weaknesses: “At times we try and play by only relying on our athletic ability; in the past this has gotten us in trouble.”
The team has high expectations, King said, aiming for the playoffs and a state berth. The Wolves face a tough non-league schedule which should prepare them for their first season in the Olympic League, he added.
King believes Coupeville has what it takes to reach its goals.
“They do not quit,” he said. “They are competitive and understand what it takes to be a successful team. They will put the time in to improve their individual skills and that of the teams.
“Our basketball IQ is rising which allows us to go out and just play basketball instead of having to think through the process.”
Coupeville begins the season at 5 p.m. at South Whidbey Tuesday, Dec. 2.
Then Wolves play three consecutive home games in four days. First up is Darrington at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 5, followed by Bellevue Christian a 12:15 p.m. Saturday. Mount Baker visits at 7 p.m. Monday.
