POULSBO — A large graduating class left a hole in the North Kitsap High boys basketball varsity team, but a group of dedicated players will help mend the wound.

For junior power-forward and guard Sebastian Ford, the need to fill the shoes of his predecessors came during the summer.

“I played basketball pretty much all summer,” Ford said.

This is Ford’s third year on the team. He said after a large amount of varsity players graduated, he knew younger players would need to quickly step up to the challenge in order to be successful.

The team lost all but two seniors, which is a problem any coach must face sooner or later.

Some teams struggle from this more than others, but for head coach Tony Chisholm, basketball is more than a game.

“This is a passion, I get to help these students develop,” Chisholm said. “It’s not all about a round ball.”

The North Kitsap High School basketball team ended last season with an overall record of 6-14 and 1-5 in the Olympic League. Despite the low numbers, Chisholm said the team was mentally in every game, losing by five points or less the majority of the time.

The team’s record last season was a drastic difference from the team’s 2008-2009 season record of 19-8 overall and 13-1 in the league.

A key difference is the players.

Players such as Kyle Erickson and Taylor Hoffer were the backbone of the team in the past, but have since graduated. For the coaches, the challenge quickly becomes finding the players that are willing to take on a leadership position on the court.

“We’re in the rebuilding phase. We have the pieces to the puzzle, but it might take some time to put that puzzle together,” Chisholm said.

A young team may take years to build up to its potential, but Chisholm believes the players this year may have what it takes.

As a coach, Chisholm believes it always remains a challenge to build up a solid team, but when it comes down to game time, it is up to the players.

“It’s not about the X’s and O’s, it’s about the Jim’s and the Joe’s,” Chisholm said, repeating a coach from his childhood.

Ford, Will Nguyen, TJ Reitan and Trevor Waller are players to watch on the court this year, but Chisholm said he could say something good about all the players this year.

“Will (Nguyen) bumped up to varsity last year and became the most dominate offensive player on the team,” Ford said.

The four players could prove to be a turning point for the team, Chisholm said.

Nguyen plays an active guard position, Reitan will be critical inside—especially with rebounds—and Ford could be a key difference in win or loss situations.

“We have a strong team this year, but we definitely need to work harder,” Ford said.

That work comes in the form of teamwork and cooperation.

The team needs to work on passing the ball more as well as getting the ball down to the other side of the court, Ford said.

Though his role on the team has given him more leadership, he said he can’t let that get to him during games.

“There’s a lot of pressure, but on the court you can’t think about it,” Ford said. “You just have to play the game.”