Free State freshman Shannon Clark spins a basketball as she listens to instructions during the first day of camp on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at Free State High School.

Free State High’s girls basketball team had a different look throughout its weeklong team camp, which concluded Thursday.

For the first time in four years, Free State will prepare for the upcoming season without Madison Piper, the school’s all-time leading scorer.

But the Firebirds have plenty of confidence that it will be a smooth adjustment. They were forced to play without Piper for the final eight games last season following her season-ending ankle injury, posting a 5-3 record.

“Madison was the face of this program for four years, but there were will be other faces and other players that will step up,” Free State coach Ted Juneau said. “I’m real confident of that.”

Free State girl's basketball coach Ted Juneau gives some instruction during the first day of camp on Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at Free State High School.

By necessity, Free State players stepped into larger roles at the end of last season and it gave them a blueprint for the upcoming year.

The Firebirds return a solid core of players from their varsity rotation, and they were happy to see strong contributions from their incoming freshmen class throughout the week.

Senior Jaelyn Two Hearts, who averaged 10 points and four rebounds per game, said the team camp gave her a chance to become more of a leader on the court.

“It showed me that I really — me being like a quiet person and stuff — need to step up and not be as quiet,” Two Hearts said.

During the team camp, the Firebirds emphasized ball handling and shooting — “It’s just amazing in four, five days the kind of improvement they make,” Juneau said — along with focusing on forming new friendships.

Juneau, entering his second year coaching at Free State, frequently paired freshmen with underclassmen in drills. He hoped it would help returners gain leadership experience and add to the comfort level for newcomers.

“We got to know each other better,” Two Hearts said. “Team chemistry is building up really quick, which is good.”

Free State junior Sam Lawrence pulls up to shoot during a drill with the varsity players on the first day of camp, Tuesday, May 30, 2017 at Free State High School.

With the conclusion of team camp, the Firebirds will transition into summer league basketball, conditioning and shooting workouts throughout the month.

It’ll give them additional time to work on their new roles, which they had to learn on the fly at the end of last season.

“We know a lot of our strengths and weaknesses,” junior guard Sam Lawrence said. “We worked pretty well together last year so there’s still a lot of chemistry. But we’re still getting new people so we just have to fit them into our chemistry and everything else.”

Even with some new faces and some players in new spots, the Firebirds are convinced that they will continue taking steps forward as a team.

“It feels really good to be back, and it feels good to be with the team and just be able to work together,” Lawrence said. “Basketball was such a great season last year, so I can’t wait.”