Free State High girls basketball coach Bryan Duncan made one thing perfectly clear now that the 2006-07 season is officially in session.

“We have extremely high expectations,” Duncan said. “But we welcome that challenge. We’d much rather have people challenging us than play the underdog role.”

The Firebirds joined fellow city schools Lawrence High and Seabury Academy in taking part in the first day of winter sports practice Monday, a date established by the Kansas State High School Activities Assn. Free State and LHS field teams in boys and girls basketball, wrestling and boys swimming during the winter season, while Seabury sticks to just basketball.

Boys and girls bowling are also offered during the winter at Free State and LHS, but won’t start rolling until January.

Perhaps no team is as eager to start a new campaign as Duncan’s squad. The Firebirds are coming off a 15-8 season that saw them advance to last year’s Class 6A state tournament. Even better for FSHS, it will return six of its top seven scorers from last year’s team. Expected impact players will include all-league point guard Lauren Kimball, Jenna Brantley, Kelsey Harrison, Jessica Scott and Allie Hock.

Duncan will hold a three-day tryout process through Wednesday. About half the 35 players who tried out will make up the 16-18 players who compete for the varsity and junior varsity programs, while an extra 10-15 will make the B-team.

“What we’re looking for is hard work and athletic ability,” Duncan said. “We want people who are skilled, have a sense of the game, can play defense and pick things up quickly.”

Across town, change is in the air at LHS, where the Lions’ boys basketball program will forego its recent run-and-gun style for a system centered on interior play.

“We’re going to be a physical team,” LHS coach Chris Davis said. “There will be a learning curve.”

With tryouts going through Wednesday, Davis still has to trim his roster and does not yet know who will occupy the post positions. However, he liked the rugged bangers he saw during the Lions’ first practice of they year.

“It went well,” he said. “It was fun to be out there running up and down the court again.”

Davis declined to cite a goal for a specific number of victories, but he did not mute his excitement for the 2006-07 squad.

“We should have a pretty good season,” he said.