Arrow-right Camera
The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Picking up where they left off

Ranked No. 1 in the state, Viks roster filled with starters

Coeur d’Alene High girls basketball coach Dale Poffenroth finds himself in a dilemma of sorts.

He returns four starters off his 5A state championship team (22-3 overall, 11-1 Inland Empire League), and his top seven returners are starter quality and will see starter-like minutes.

The fact of the matter is all 11 returning lettermen could start for many teams.

Here’s the quandary: There are just 160 minutes of playing time available per game.

“So if you tried to get say 10 players equal playing time,” Poffenroth, a math teacher, said, “that would be 16 minutes each.”

While mathematically possible, it’s not plausible in CdA’s case. So something must give.

Two of the 11 will likely see playing time split between junior varsity and varsity.

“They’ve got to play somewhere,” Poffenroth said.

CdA’s talented foundation begins with returning starters Kama Griffitts, a 6-foot senior guard, Sadie Simon, a 5-5 senior guard, Amy Warbrick, a 5-5 senior guard, and Carli Rosenthal, a 6-3 sophomore forward.

The other three players who will see minutes close to equal with the returning starters are Whitney Heleker, a 5-11 senior guard, Dayna Drager, a 5-9 junior guard, and Kelsey Bybee, a 6-3 junior forward.

Bybee has earned the fifth starting spot going into the season, giving Poffenroth 6-3 twin towers that will give opponents fits to defend.

That leaves two other seniors – Kelsi DeHaas, a 5-9 forward, and Natalie Stewart, a 5-10 guard. DeHaas probably has the more defined role as she will spell Rosenthal and Bybee. Stewart, whose shooting range extends beyond the 3-point arc, could move her way into more playing time with her shooting alone.

Poffenroth shared another reason why it will be difficult to leave Stewart on the bench for extended periods.

“Smarts,” Poffenroth said of Stewart, who has a 4.5 grade-point average and is in line to be the school’s valedictorian. “There’s no substitute for her smarts. You can’t teach intelligence.”

Either Drager or Heleker will be the first substitute. If Poffenroth needs defense, he’ll turn to Drager. If he needs instant offense, he’ll turn to Heleker.

The two players who round out the roster are juniors Amanda Buttrey, a 5-9 guard, and Rachel Crawford, a 5-8 guard. They’re the two who could split time between JV and varsity.

Poffenroth’s players are faster than they were a year ago.

They’ve added a new wrinkle to their transition game, one that will allow them to push the ball even faster.

Poffenroth purposely lists his post-tall players as forwards because “they don’t run the floor like traditional posts. They’re as quick as some guards,” he said.

His other eight players are listed as guards because they’re interchangeable.

“There will be many times we’ll have five guards on the floor at the same time,” Poffenroth said. “Our starting forwards will sit out two to three minutes a quarter.”

Griffitts, who was named the state’s 5A player of the year, averaged a team-high 13 points per game. She also averaged 5.1 rebounds. Rosenthal averaged 9.7 points and 6.8 rebounds.

CdA was ranked No. 1 in the preseason poll last week. It’s certainly where the Viks expect to finish the season, too.

To that end, Poffenroth has a simple goal and or challenge for his team each game. He hopes it will keep his team from looking past the next opponent on the schedule.

“We had a big let down toward the end of the season last year,” he said, alluding to the Viks’ loss to Post Falls in the Region I title game.

They bounced back to capture the state title the following week after back-to-back runner-up state finishes.

“My only concern is that we play the same way every time we step on the floor,” Poffenroth said. “We need to have 11 kids playing to the best of their ability each game. That will keep us focused. We have to forget who the opponent is and if we do that we’ll grow every time we play. When you basically have the same team you had last year, you have to ask yourself how do you improve upon what you did the year before.”

Post Falls coach Chris Johnson doesn’t know if any team in Idaho, let alone the IEL, can knock off the Viks.

“They look stronger this year than they did last year,” Johnson said.

The Viks, who played in a high-level tournament in Gillette, Wyo., the past two years, are headed to another tournament that boasts of quality in Wilmington, Del., in late December. Oregon City, a traditional power in Oregon, is in the field.

That leaves CdA with just six home games, and three of those will be played by Dec. 2.

CdA opens the season Tuesday at Moscow, which is coming off a 0-22 season.

Reach staff writer Greg Lee by e-mail at gregl@spokesman.com