Thoughts that come to mind when a varsity basketball team lists a lot freshmen on its roster are, "a rebuilding year, or "a work in progress."

Don't let anyone say that about Rob Kovac's 2014-15 edition of the Jim Thorpe Lady Olympians, who will run no fewer than nine freshmen out on the court this season."Sure they are freshmen stepping up to play varsity, but these girls are very athletic and talented," says Kovac. "And they have played on teams that did not lose a game in two years, and that includes tournament play."Last year's Jim Thorpe varsity team that won five games graduated Cat Condly, Nikki Ennis, Danielle Becker, and Alyssa Rusbarsky. This year, the Olympians return only two seniors, both of whom Kovac is very high on."We expect big things from Gabby Binder," said Kovac. "Two years ago she tore her ACL, so after a slow start last year, she really picked her game up. She put up some good numbers scoring from the post position. She rebounds well too. With so many younger players, we are counting on Gabby for veteran leadership."Another senior who is vying for a starting position is Brittany Doughty, who Kovac describes as a "program player" who will be counted on for solid outside shooting from the perimeter."Brittany played on our summer league team and she not only performed well, but she was very good at helping our young players make the transition into the type of play they will encounter with varsity basketball."Kovac keeps no secrets when it comes to how his young team will play."We are going to play transition basketball, get the ball and go. Our strength, at least for the early going, will be to play pressure defense and use our athleticism and quickness to get to the hoop as fast as we can. Besides, as young as we are, our half court game is lacking. We will need patience and seasoning to improve in that area."Kovac believes his Olympians have depth and can run as many as 12 players out on the court so they will maintain fresh legs and solid focus because fatigue will be kept to a minimum. Thorpe will also rely on last year's leading scorer, sophomore guard, Alexys Naranjo."Last year we asked Alexys to do too much, especially handle the ball. This year with a complement of good athletes around her, she can concentrate on finding open space to work on being consistent with her jump shooting."When speaking about his bevy of freshmen players, the Jim Thorpe mentor, now in his eitherh year, spoke with a confident optimism. They come to him with "a certain swagger" earned from consistent success. Two of these newcomers, Kayley and Payton Kovac, daughters of the coach, should see significant action.When asked about the extra pressure of his father-coach relationship, Kovac smiled."My wife has a set rule. We play basketball on the court. We talk basketball in the car. Once we set foot into our house, all talk of the game stops."Although Kovac sees the possibility of a team that could qualify for the district playoffs, he is well aware that the lack of varsity level experience can be detrimental."So far, at times we have looked like an explosive 17-win team and at other times like a struggling seven-win team. We have to rely on athletic instinct rather than court savvy and think that will win us games, especially early in the schedule. Then it will be interesting to see how we compete against the likes of North Schuylkill, Pine Grove, and Pottsville."