In the coming winter season, the Mount Si High School boys basketball team aims to make big improvements on last year’s 10-12 finish.

Coach Jeff D’Ambrosio returns for his second season at the helm of the Wildcat program, and third year overall with Mount Si. D’Ambrosio was the lead assistant for former coach Sloan Strohl in Strohl’s lone season as head coach of the Wildcats during the 2006-07 campaign.

“Hopefully we’ll get up and down the court a little bit, both offensively and defensively,” D’Ambrosio said. “I’m hoping that we’re a much-improved defensive team this year than we were last year.

“We scored plenty of points, we just couldn’t get stops when we needed them,” he added.

“We’re just working as we hard as can trying to step it up,” said Wildcat junior Lucas Zupan, who is expected to be one of several key returners on the Mount Si varsity squad. “Our goal is to go to state.”

In addition to Zupan, the Rileys — senior Tyson and junior Tanner — also return, as do senior Jake Hamilton and junior Zander Nelson. Senior Zach Brevick leads a talented cast of newcomers, many of whom who were part of the very successful junior varsity season last year. These include seniors Tucker Edwards-King and Spencer MacEwan, junior Taylor Campbell, and sophomores Dallas Smith and Wes Hill. That junior varsity team was coached by longtime Wildcat coaching veteran Stan Durman, and he returns inthat role this year. Durman will also assist D’Ambrosio with the varsity team.

One of the keys to success is athleticism and conditioning.

“We’re athletic. We should be one of the more athletic teams in Kingco,” D’Ambrosio said.

“We’re going to be running the ball a lot,” Zupan said. “We’re just going to be outworking teams. We’re trying to be the best conditioned team in the conference.”

Defensively, look for aggressiveness.

“We’re going to be up-in-their-face defense, trying to get steals, trying to run,” Tanner Riley said.

The Wildcats will face tough tests this season within Kingco with Bellevue and Mercer Island. The Wolverines return the core of their successful team last season and are expected to be among the best in 3A in the state. The Islanders, regardless of their roster, are always expected to be tough. The Mercer Island team has the most well-known and successful coach in Washington high school hoops, Ed Pepple, who is leading them once again this season. Sammamish might also sneak up, with former Wildcat post —and D-I signee — David Wink leading the way.

Mount Si’s nonleague schedule is loaded with tough teams. In addition to those games, the Wildcats for the first time since former coach Garrick Phillips’ tenure with the school will be traveling out of town for a holiday tournament. They will be in the Surf n’Slam event in San Diego.

“It’ll be a nice experience for the kids to get out of Snoqualmie and North Bend for a few days, get out in the sun,” D’Ambrosio said. “I think it’ll be not only good basketballwise, but as far as team chemistry it should be great.”

One feature of the local slate of non-league games this year is a trip to O’Dea to face the Irish. Many great players have spent time in that hallowed gym over the years, and that team is always considered to be among the top teams in the Metro League.

“We wanted to play some really good nonconference games and O’Dea was definitely a place that I think these kids need to go to and play and experience that,” D’Ambrosio said.

The Wildcats look to be a fun, exciting team worth the price of admission for those who come and watch. Tanner Riley wants this season to last a long time.

“State. We’ll get to the state tournament,” he said.