Few teams - much less defending state championship teams - have seen a transformation from one season to the next as has the Coeur d'Alene High girls basketball team.

The Vikings lost six seniors - including all five starters - from last year's 23-2 team that won Coeur d'Alene's fourth state 5A title in seven years, and ninth in program history. Four of those seniors are playing college basketball this year.

This year?

Coeur d'Alene returns three players - two of which barely played due to injury, and a third who was brought up late in the season from the junior varsity.

"We're starting over, and there's some things you can't foresee, like two kids getting injured and three kids moving," said Dale Poffenroth, beginning his 11th season as Coeur d'Alene coach. "So you take what you've got, hopefully set some goals and get better, and by the end of the year things work out.

"You're not walking into the gym with six kids that could play college basketball. It's a new situation, but it happens to everybody."

Junior guard Emily Callahan was slowed by a leg injury last year. Ditto junior forward Maddy Scholwinski (back injury). Junior forward Bailey Miller played a little bit at the end of the season.

Coeur d'Alene opens Thursday at home vs. Lakeland.

Tonight, Lake City opens at Lakeland, Post Falls opens at Sandpoint, and Coeur d'Alene Charter opens at Kellogg.

Kootenai opens Friday vs. Lakeside at the North Star League tournament at Wallace.

Here are brief looks at the other four local teams who begin their seasons this week.

These teams will be profiled further in the upcoming Press winter sports special section.

Lake City: The Timberwolves, 11-12 last season, return a pair of three-year starters in senior point guard Natalie Wheelock and senior guard Clarissa Smith.

Other returnees include junior guard Whitney Meier, who provided a spark off the bench; junior guard Cierra Dvorak, junior wing Olivia Maryon and sophomore post Nina Carlson, who was slowed by injuries last season.

Lake City has been mostly a perimeter team in recent seasons. But the addition of Lauren Rewers, a 6-3 sophomore post, and Kira Simpson, a 6-foot freshman post, could change that thinking.

Rewers was a potential starter last year before suffering a torn ACL just before the season started.

"The ball is definitely going to go through the post," said Bryan Kelly, in his third season as Lake City coach. "And if we can get the ball out and run, great. If not, we'll pound it inside and use it to our advantage."

Post Falls: After losing four starters from the previous year's state championship team - who all went on to play college basketball - the Trojans produced a respectable 10-12 season last year in the meat grinder that is the 5A Inland Empire League, which has produced the last eight state champions.

Senior guard Shayna Allert and senior posts Sam Runkle and Olivia Ellison are returning starters for the Trojans, who didn't have a true point guard last season.

This year, senior Maia Anderson, junior America Ellison and freshman Bayley Brennan are in the running for the point guard job.

Senior guards Kim Reynolds and Madison King also return, and post Melody Kempton is another freshman who could make an impact.

"We've got all the pieces we need," said Marc Allert, in his fourth season as Post Falls coach. "We've got a point guard this year. We've got shooters; we've got some posts. I couldn't tell you who our leading scorer is going to be - we'll be balanced in all five positions."

Coeur d'Alene Charter: The Panthers return three starters and a fourth that started the final six games of last season.

Guard Anna Verhaeghe and post Sarah Haman are four-year starters for Coeur d'Alene Charter, 9-13 last season. Junior post Jackie Jensen is a three-year starter, and teams well with Haman in coach Doug Grant's two-post set.

"She (Jensen) gets doubled a lot, so she'll dump it down to her (Haman)," said Grant, in his third season as Charter coach. He said Haman excels at off-side rebounds and putbacks.

"She's the lunch pail girl," Grant said.

Sophomore guard Mae Alexander was moved into the starting lineup late last season, and scored 81 points in the Panthers' final six games.

Junior guard/wing Abby Bartlett is coming off a state championship in girls soccer with Charter.

"We've got to be able to stretch the defense," Grant said. "We can't allow defenses to sit on Jackie in the post."

Kootenai: The Warriors nearly made it back to the state 1A Division II tournament for a second straight year last season, but lost in a state play-in game.

Three senior starters - point guard Katey Mae McInturff, and guards Lacy Goodson and KayeLee Carman - return for the Warriors, 8-10 last year.

Other returners are senior post Cecilia Keogh, junior post Grace McInturff and junior guard Jenna Karpinski.

One newcomer, junior Alison Short, may start in the post. Other newcomers include sophomore guard Michaela LaFountaine, sophomore post/wing Paxton Dotson and freshman guard/post Kaili Gentry.

"I like our athletic ability," said Mike LaFountaine, beginning his eighth season as coach of Kootenai's girls. "I think we're going to be able to get up and down the floor, hopefully play some pressure defense and make some things happen. And I think we've got some good shooters. And we'll be able to get after at - that's what you have to do at the state level."