He knew more about his players than most first-year coaches.

But for Doyle Rowland, who served at the junior-high level for 11 seasons before being hired as Muskogee High’s new girls basketball coach last April, it doesn’t mean there hasn’t been some first-year adjustments.

“Down in junior high, it was just about being a coaching and parenting issues but up here, I’m dealing with young women so you’re trying to reach a different level with not just basketball but life skills and academics,” he said.

At the core of it is dreaming big dreams and finding ways to realize them.

“Some say they’re serious about playing at the next level,” he said. “If you want that then you’ve got to put forward every ounce of effort you can muster. Some don’t know how to get there so we’ve got to guide them into knowing what it’s going to take.”

Some of those ingredients came from outside sources. Rowland was encouraged over the summer by the arrival of gymnasium air conditioning as part of a facility renovation, a move that helps facilitate summer programs.

“You’ve got to have year-round ball to get kids to the next level,” he said. “Heather Davis (a Missouri-Kansas City signee off last year’s squad) played year-round ball. Some of these girls didn’t play that until I came into the picture.”

Something else has apparently changed since Rowland replaced Angie Hillmon, who resigned and is now a full-time track coach. Deanna Moore, Rowland’s 6-foot-3 prize pupil off that eighth grade team last year and the only one to make this year’s varsity roster, was already aware of some of it.

“He expected us to work hard as eighth graders and that doesn’t change up here,” said Moore, who averaged six blocked shots a game as an eighth-grader last year. “Being a freshman, I wouldn’t say I’m used to high school basketball but I will try and work harder than anyone out here.”

She’ll eventually find her way into a starting lineup that right now, includes three of the four seniors on the 17-player roster: Briasha Billings, a 5-5 guard, Kayla Huitt, a 5-8 forward and 5-9 Samantha London, who will split time at another forward spot. The other starters are 5-5 junior guard LaDarra Brown, 5-10 center Schuyler Carter and 5-9 sophomore Salece Davis, the other split-timer at forward.

Hy-C Stancle, a 5-8 junior guard/forward, Melanie Walker, a 5-4 sophomore and Tisa Cone, a 5-10 junior forward/center, will also see some solid early playing time.

None of the above started on last season’s 10-12 team, though Billings and Brown averaged right at six points a game.

“Brown’s one who will make a huge early contribution. She’s one of several who came over from softball, and I’m glad they did,” Rowland said. “They’ve been to state. Some of these girls haven’t been to a state anything. Coach (Mack) Chambers did a god job keeping his girls focused and keeping them motivated and on the right track. Bringing that to the court is a good thing.”

When asked about that, Brown’s analogy was this:

“Running the bases and running the floor — big difference,” she said.

That difference, Rowland hopes, will have a say in Friday’s season opener. Muskogee hosts Millwood, the team that denied Sequoyah a fourth straight state championship in the Class 3A finals in March.

“We have more speed than last year, actually it was something we had last year but it wasn’t our time to shine I guess,” Billings said. “This is a different, more up-tempo style that uses that speed. Playing Millwood will be a good experience for us.”

Says Rowland: “It will definitely show us where we are.”