A preseason meeting between coach Jon Gehm and returning players helped dictate the goals and expectations for the Rochelle girls basketball team this season. With key senior leaders like Jaydin Dickey and Carmela Bright back in the fold, the Lady Hubs will look to build on their 8-23 record from last season.

“We had a sit-down conversation and talked about what the season needs to look like for us,” said Gehm, who enters his third season as Rochelle’s head coach. “So far, they’ve been proving that on the floor every night. They’re walking the walk and we appreciate that. It’s been a really good environment and we can tell they want to get better and grow. It’s a fairly young group.”

Seeking their first winning season since 2012, the Lady Hubs took the court for their first practice of the year. Rochelle will begin the season with an Oregon Tip Off Tournament game against Genoa-Kingston on Nov. 19. The Lady Hubs are rebuilding in the frontcourt after losing multiple seniors, including All-Interstate 8 forward Kendyl Darby, to graduation.

“We’re pretty thin in the frontcourt right now,” Gehm said. “We really are a guard-dominant team right now... We have to realize that our strength is probably on the perimeter, but there’s a weakness with rebounding. When you lose players like Kendyl and Abby [Metzger], other girls have to step up and rebound the basketball. That’ll dictate playing time at those positions.”

Despite limited frontcourt depth, the Lady Hubs return key backcourt players including Dickey, a third-year varsity guard who earned an Honorable Mention in the Interstate 8 last season. Bright, who started at point guard for Rochelle last winter, underwent an offseason knee procedure, but should be a big contributor with her shooting, ball handling and defense.

“I have confidence and I think we’ll be fine once we make our connections,” Dickey said. “There are a few of us who have to step up in a leadership role. We’re small, but we’re quick and if we can put our hands up and get into the passing lanes on defense, then we’ll be fine because we can run the floor pretty well... Our goals are to improve our teamwork and communication.”

The Lady Hubs will look for sophomore guards like Audrina Rodriguez, Gianna Olguin and Natalie Foster to help shoulder the backcourt load. On the wings, players such as Reese Kissack, Mary Chadwick and Dylan Etes will have opportunities to emerge after largely playing JV minutes last winter. Rochelle will attempt to climb the Interstate 8 ladder after going 1-9 last season.

“Last year, we had some moments where we started to play together on the outside,” Gehm said. “We could see some better ball movement at times, but there were too many times where the ball would stick offensively and that can’t happen this year. Our strength has to be swinging the ball, putting the ball in our playmaker’s hands and making quick decisions. Defensively, we didn’t see enough ball pressure and that has to change this year.”