Winter sports have arrived and girls basketball is set to get underway Nov. 19. The coaches have briefly gotten to evaluate their teams, and the long offseason has finally come to an end.

Returning starters and contributors

Prescott Head Coach Owen Hamilton: “Returners for starters are Violet Otto, Rory Zuehlsdorf and Leah French. Returning contributors are Hannah Schommer, Cadyn Hillebrand.”

EPC Head Coach Adrian Hook: “[Willow] Cripe, [Maddey] Kopp, [Allison] Sauve, [Aurora] Sampair and [Brittany] Bechel all had significant minutes last year at the varsity level. Additionally, [Ellison] Maxwell, [Hannah] Fessenmaier and [Addasin] Ingli saw minutes in varsity games.”

Spring Valley Head Coach Sean Hoolihan: “Audrey Mathison, Addison Neidermeyer, Rylie Fritz, Rae Traynor.”

River Falls Head Coach Ian Sticht: “Kaelin [Jalowitz] has been playing varsity since her sophomore year. We are really looking for her to be a consistent scorer and defender this year. [Madeline] Vitt and [Abigail] Treichel both got valuable varsity experience last year.”

Ellsworth Head Coach Haylee Yaeger: “We have Morgan Halverson returning as a starter, and we’re expecting a lot from her this season. Other key players returning from last year’s varsity roster include Lexi Marks, Alivia Maher and Mykenna Gaard. We’ve got a great variety of personnel, and we’re expecting big things from this group this season!”

Who are you looking to for team leadership?

Hamilton: “We are super fortunate to have a lot of leaders. I think Jeanne Rohl is a phenomenal leader for us as well as Violet Otto, Rory Zuehlsdorf and Leah French.”

Hook: “We are looking forward to having multiple leaders, both silent and vocal. Our upperclassmen have fit those roles in both the offseason and thus far in our short time together.”

Hoolihan: “Looking for our seniors, especially Audrey [Mathison] to step up and give solid leadership to the group. All our seniors becoming good models of hard work, teamwork and unselfish play.”

Sticht: “We need Vitt to help us run our offense. Treichel needs to be more consistent finishing around the hoop and she needs to continue to improve defensively. Addy Timm played varsity last year and we continue to expect her to score and improve herself defensively.”

Yaeger: “This year, we’ve named three captains—seniors Mykenna Gaard, Emma Brown and Morgan Halverson. They each bring something unique to the table in terms of leadership, but we’re not limiting leadership to just these players. Leadership can come from anyone, and I’m looking for each girl to step up in her own way. Whether it’s through actions on the court, how they communicate, or the way they push their teammates, everyone has a role in helping to lead this team.”

What do you expect to be your team strengths?

Hamilton: “Strengths for us would be our defense and our experience.”

Hook: “Our athleticism rises to the top. Many of our girls have seen success in their other sports, including softball, volleyball and track & field. Furthermore, our squad has shown a commitment to improve.”

Hoolihan: “I think we will be able to push the ball down the court and play good pressure defense.”

Sticht: “Our older players have been very receptive to getting our younger players up to speed.”

Yaeger: “Without giving too much away, I think our quickness and aggressive, in-your-face defense will definitely set us apart and cause problems for other teams. Beyond that, the girls are fully bought into our program and team culture. They’re committed to practicing like they play, communicating well and outworking the person next to them. Communication and teamwork are at the core of what we’re building, and I think that will lead to success both on and off the court.”

What are your goals for this year’s team?

Hamilton: “Our number one goal of every season is to win conference; outside of that we want to win a regional championship and play deep into the playoffs.”

Hook: “One of our goals is to develop a culture. As a young team, we have a lot of gals that are going to be part of this for two, three or four years. Many define success as wins and losses, which is a valid outlook, but we also want to compete all of the time.”

Hoolihan: “Our goal every year is to win every game. But realistic goals would be to see constant improvement throughout the year and to stay healthy. Making sure we are ready for tournament play with our young players gaining experience and confidence.”

Sticht: “With the addition of some underclassmen, we expect to continue to improve as the season goes on.”

Yaeger: “My biggest goal is growth—for each individual player as well as for the program. I want every girl to come out of this season stronger, not just as a basketball player, but as a student-athlete. I’m focused on building a program where the girls understand what it takes to be competitive, to work together and to achieve success. Specifically, we’re focused on what it takes to be successful in our conference and ultimately want to give ourselves the opportunity to compete for a title.”

Who do you see as conference leaders?

Hamilton: “I think conference will be between Baldwin, Somerset and us.”

Hook: “I see our conference leaders as Elk Mound, Durand and Colfax. They had excellent teams last year without a lot of departures. However, there are a lot of solid teams and individual athletes in the DSC as well that I would be remiss to not mention them all.”

Hoolihan: “Elk Mound, Durand and Colfax.”

Sticht: “Eau Claire Memorial and Hudson should be the teams competing for the conference championship.”

Yaeger: “The MBC is always competitive, every game will be a dog fight. Baldwin-Woodville and Prescott stand out as two teams that finished/were projected to finish at the top of the conference last year and will make an impact this year as well. Saint Croix Central also has some size that will make them a tough opponent. We’ll need to be prepared for every game, but we’re always ready for a challenge!”