Woods gets started at St. Charles E.

There were several familiar faces on hand for St. Charles East’s first official basketball practice of the 2011-12 campaign Monday evening.

While he looks stronger and might be a bit taller than he was last year, junior Kendall Stephens still stands out in a crowd of players, and it’s not hard to spot others like seniors Johnny Hondlik, 4-year varsity guard Charlie Fisher, Luke Ludke, and junior Mike Woods.

And there was an unfamiliar face at tryouts — that being first-year Saints head coach Patrick Woods.

“I’m definitely looking forward to it,” said Woods, who spent 9 seasons as head basketball coach at Ridgewood and another year as an assistant coach at Triton Junior College before being named head coach at St. Charles East this past summer.

“I think there’s a lot of potential and possibility here,” added Woods. “Hopefully in the next 12 days, we’ll get things going in the right direction.”

On the surface, there are a few differences between Ridgewood and St. Charles East, most notably the 1,300-plus enrollment figure separating the two schools.

Woods downplays its significance.

“There are more kids here but kids are kids wherever you’re at,” said Woods. “I think there’s more talent possibly here but it’s basketball. It is played the same everywhere depending on the style and system you use. There’s really not much of a difference in that sense.”

Considering he was hired in mid-July to replace Brian Clodi, who was dismissed as head coach last April, Woods faces somewhat of a disadvantage in terms of familiarity.

The next two weeks leading up to the Saints’ season opener at their own Thanksgiving tournament figure to be a crash course for both coaches and players alike.

“Basically, I had three days with them in the summer,” said Woods. “When I look back at it now, I’m trying to think about what we were even able to accomplish in those three days. It was just a way to get the feel for the place and the kids, and I got to meet with the coaches.

“Really, today is Day One. We have a lot to get in in the next two weeks. We’ve got to teach a lot because we’re implementing a whole new system. That’s going to slow things down unfortunately but we’ll get through it.”

Woods prefers his teams play an up-tempo game but also realizes the importance of crashing the boards.

“It all depends on our rebounding,” said Woods. “If we can rebound, we’re going to run. And defense definitely will be a staple. Hopefully between defending, rebounding and running the floor, it should be high energy and high intensity.”

That should be music to the ears of Purdue-bound Stephens, a 6-4 guard who averaged 17 points per game as a sophomore for the Saints (14-14) last season.

“Coach (Woods) is very into preaching being ready and being prepared,” said Stephens. “When we’re unable to make a conditioning (session) or an open gym, you need to call him directly. Paying attention to detail goes a long way in having a successful season.”

Stephens, arguably one of the best outside shooters in the state, has been working hard at improving other facets of his game.

“I’ve been working on more ways of scoring rather than just shooting threes or hitting open jumpers,” said Stephens. “I think getting to the line, making free throws, turnaround jumpers, posting up, making different moves at different parts of the game — that helps you be more effective.

“When your shot’s not going in, finding different ways to score and getting your teammates involved instead of just yourself.”

Stephens, who is looking forward to being an upperclassman for the first time in his high school career, is eager to get the ball rolling.

“I think this is the best team I’ve been on in high school,” said Stephens. “All of our roles are increasing, and we have set some high standards for ourselves. It’ll be nice to step up to the challenge and see where we’re at.”

What is Woods’ biggest challenge?

“I think the biggest challenge will lie in about 20 minutes when we step out on the court and see if we can have success,” Woods said prior to Monday’s opening tryout. “I know there are probably some kids who might have been comfortable that aren’t so comfortable right now just because they don’t know what to expect.”

You can reach Craig Brueske at csb4k@hotmail.com