This season will mark year number six in which Allen and Emerson-Hubbard have been a co-op in basketball as the girls program looks to build off their success from volleyball.
It'll also mark year number two in which Briana Ostrand will be a co-head coach along with Payton Saunders.
Now in her fifth overall year of coaching, coach Ostrand said it was a busy summer off season.
"Our girls showed up for weights in the morning for four days a week and open gym after that on two of the days," said Ostrand. "We played in the South Sioux City Summer League, a team camp in Oakland and Sterling. We saw some good competition and got some of our younger girls some time on the court."
Coach Saunders has been coaching for four years as there'll be 13 girls who make up the Wolfpack program this season.
The two seniors are Samantha Rastede and Kristina Hogue.
Joslyn Mackling and Briley Anderson will be the TCNE top returners.
"They were both nominated with All-Conference honors last season and we have already seen huge improvements from both of them," said coach Ostrand. "We are excited to see what the freshmen class can bring to the team. Delaney Fuchser will be working to fill our post position that we lost last year."
Another highlight for the Wolfpack will be the return of Aubrey Mitchell after suffering an injury last year.
With the majority of the girls playing volleyball, coaches gave them a little break between the seasons, but the week before practice started, there were voluntary conditioning days which was welcomed with a good turnout.
Coach Ostrand also highlighted the first week of practice for the Wolfpack working on the fundamentals and getting the younger girls up to speed with high school basketball.
"We started to review some plays and our defenses for the year," said Ostrand. "The three main goals we have for our team are to cut down on our turnovers, increase our field goal percentage along with three-point percentages."
Joslyn Mackling, a junior is the starting point guard and first started her journey in basketball when she was in third grade.
"Over the summer I really worked on my ball handling skills and my shooting," said Mackling. "As a team, we have worked on knowing how to work together and become a solid team."
Some goals the team have in mind is being a solid team and winning the 'big games' but also not losing sight of the small things such as improving shooting and defensive skills.
"Over the first week of practice I have really learned a positive attitude and mindset will get you anywhere, and being there for the freshman who are new to it."
Mackling is passionate about the sport of basketball and knowing games are about to start is what is exciting for her.
"It means the world to me when I can look over to our stands and not only are all of our families sitting in the crowd, there's a whole bunch of other Wolfpack fans who come and support us," said Mackling. "No matter where we go, we always can feel their energy, their pride and their belief in us as a team. I love how our families and fans stand with us through every high and every challenge."
Tri County Northeast is scheduled to host Lyons-Decatur Northeast during a jamboree in Emerson on Dec. 1 starting with the girls game at 6 p.m. (boys to follow).
The Wolfpack finished 6-16 last season.
Some improvements the coaching staff is expecting is to take care of the ball and not get so flustered when things aren’t going their way.
"Learning to keep your composure will be super beneficial this season," said Ostrand. "We will have a lot of young girls on the court and it may take some time for them to get adjusted to the pace of high school basketball."
The Wolfpack will start their year at Randolph on Dec. 4.
"We need to make sure we have a crisp understanding of our offensive sets and solidify our defense," said Ostrand. "We believe that the jamboree will be a good starting point for this."
Early home outings include in Allen on Dec. 5 against Bloomfield followed by a home contest in Emerson on Dec. 12 with Laurel-Conconrd-Coleridge.
"We appreciate all of the support we get from our fans and we plan to give them some exciting games to watch this season," said Ostrand. "Our fans travel well and they are so supportive of the girls' wins and losses. We have seen a lot of improvement and can’t wait to see how we stack up against our competition this year."
