THE FRONT ROW WITH JASON ELLIOTT: Saturday, November 22, 2014

It's early.

So early in fact, that if you were to call a boys basketball coach in the area, they might tell you it's an unknown of just how good they can be this season.

But excited to see where it goes, they've got me convinced.

AREA BOYS basketball teams won't get on the court until next weekend, when Timberlake visits Lewiston and Lake City travels to Wenatchee to open the season.

Any other year, at least one of the area high schools have been fortunate enough to extend football season well into November - sometimes leaving players to miss basketball for an extra week chasing a state championship.

Not this year, though you've got to wonder just what might have happened had the Meridian area not been pelted with snow last week ahead of a state 5A semifinal playoff game between Lake City and Mountain View.

Maybe that game is a little closer, and maybe the Timberwolves are the one playing against Highland High of Pocatello for the 5A title.

But instead, the focus shifts to basketball, where there's a lot of hope and optimism.

In recent years, some teams have played strong defensive basketball, often times leading to games that have the first team to 50 points winning the game.

While the chances are good you'll see a few of those games this year, some teams are opting to play more up-tempo style this year.

TRYING TO play a little faster definitely couldn't hurt, especially if you've got enough speed to go around.

Conditioning will be a key for the season for Timberlake High, which has only one returning starter back this season.

The Tigers will be helped out a little by players coming from the cross country program, as well as the newly founded boys soccer program, which nearly qualified for the state 3A tournament in October.

"Those guys run well together in those sports, and are in good condition right now," Timberlake coach Tony Hanna said. "They'll get in better basketball condition as the season goes on. We'll have an ability to get pressure on the ball and we've got a good team mentality."

Post Falls and St. Maries will also look to cash in on their speed, but will also take it nice and slow when the time calls for it.

TWO YEARS ago, four teams from Kootenai County qualified for the state basketball tournament.

Of those that competed, nobody was able to break into the win column.

Last year, Lake City brought back a third-place trophy after beating Rocky Mountain for the Timberwolves' first trophy from state since 2002.

The last state champion from the area was Post Falls in 2010.

Can this be the year someone brings it back again?

It's still a little too early for that.

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.