Bulldog girls begin a 'new era' of building up basketball program

SANDPOINT - It's not a word any coach wants to ever hear, let alone during a season playing in far and away the toughest league in the state: Rebuilding.

But sometimes it's inevitable, and first-year Sandpoint girls head basketball coach Lance Bruce has embraced the challenge.

"We're rebuilding at every level, and we've got a pretty good base with the young kids," said Bruce, alluding to the 14 freshman who turned out this year, a stellar number. "From the few upperclassmen down to the 3rd and 4th grades, it's kind of a new era, and I'm committed."

Leading the team this year will be senior guard Jenny Thomas and junior forward Christina Johnson, who along with senior Nicole Adams are the lone returning players with any varsity experience. The duo will be entrusted to not just lead this year's team, but set the tone for all of the younger players.

"They have a lot of varsity experience, and the goal is for them to be the example," says Bruce, who was coach of the boys team last season before taking over for Jim Alsager this year. "They have the character to do it. They've got a presence about them, a confidence in what they're doing."

Four of the top returning players from last season - Kim Guercio, Brittany Oakley, Koko James and Kelsey Windju - didn't return for various reasons, opening up a lot of new playing time for a host of first-year varsity players.

Helping fill that void, as well as building to the future, are sophomores Natasha Roop, Charissa Chatburn, Jesse Mead and Lorna Heer, and freshmen Mackenzie Jones and Alex Bucholtz.

"They're all new to varsity, so right now it's just getting used to the speed and pressure," explains Bruce, who also helps to grow the local AAU program. "There's a lot of youth out there, but so far the commitment is there as a program."

Making things all the more challenging this year is playing in the Inland Empire League, easily the best league in the state. An argument can be made that Coeur d'Alene, Lake City, Lewiston and Post Falls are four of the top five teams in the state of Idaho, making for a brutal row to hoe for a rebuilding team.

Bruce, along with assistant coach Chris Chatburn, are ready to teach and grow a very young team. The upside to so much youth is that it eventually becomes experienced, making for a brighter future.

"We need to do the things we can control, like rebounding and not allowing second and third chances," says Bruce. "Cherish every possession that we have."