With eight seniors back, Redmond High’s returning basketball players feel now is the time for success.

“I think we have a really good chance to win the IMC,” said forward Josh Hair.

Hair and wing Ethan Soto are returning honorable mention all Intermountain Conference players from 2016-17, while second team all-league guard Dylan Taylor also returns.

Just a week into practice, the players said things were noticeably different than last season, when Redmond went 3-9 in league play and 5-18 overall. The three wins made up half the league victories the Panthers have had since 2012, when Ridgeview opened.

“Usually at the start of the season, there are a lot of bumps getting started with stuff,” Hair said. “This year, we’re already at midseason form.”

The Panthers (1-1) started the season with a 53-45 loss on Nov. 29 at Lebanon. They rebounded Dec. 1 with a 66-63 victory against Hood River Valley, which joins the IMC for the 2018-19 season.

Soto led Redmond with 17 points, Taylor had 12 and Hair had 11 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Dylan Moss had nine points and eight rebounds.

The Panthers are scheduled to play at another future league opponent, Crook County, at 7 p.m. Thursday, before playing in a tournament in Madras starting Friday.

This season will be the last for Redmond and Ridgeview facing Summit, Mountain View and Bend, which took the top three places in IMC last season.

The players should have a leg up on last season, since not only are they more experienced, they are in their second year under coach Reagan Gilbertson and his staff.

“It feels like we know each other better and we’re meshing better together,” Taylor said.

Gilbertson noticed a lot of energy and enthusiasm among the players leading up to the season.

He hopes to see the team build on last season’s foundation.

“We started rebuilding the culture last year, and this year we’re really trying to learn the Panther way,” said Gilbertson, who helped the Panthers to three consecutive state tournaments as a player between 1998 and 2000. “It’s the way we handle ourselves with our family, in the classroom, on our court and in the community.”

The players are buying into the message, Gilbertson said. The varsity team has two sophomores, but seniors are being paired with younger players at different levels.

“They can share their experience with the younger guys and give back a little bit,” he said.

The older players take the responsibility of working with young guys seriously, Taylor said.

“Our team is pretty senior strong, so we need to set a good example for the freshmen coming up,” he said. “They have a good shot at being good when they’re seniors.”

— Reporter: 541-548-2186, gfolsom@redmondspokesman.com