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On days such as Tuesday, when practice is a walkthrough, coach Kelly Meek's voice remains classroom-like. On days such as Monday, when he's instructing the Steamboat Springs boys team on the finer points of defense, the volume is suited more for a raucous gym.

"I call it teaching at a voice level I need to teach with," Meek said.

This season marks Meek's 30th as the Sailors head coach. The players have changed over the years, but the philosophies have not.

"We put a big time premium on defense," Meek said.

Steamboat's reputation throughout the Western Slope league is that of a hard-working, well-coached team that prides itself on defense, but Meek would be the first to say tradition doesn't create turnovers, force bad shots or pull down rebounds. Commitment to playing defense does.

And if the Sailors hope to make it to the playoffs this year, which would be the 12th time in the past 15 seasons, they must find a way to consistently defend hard and win the rebounding battle, Meek said.

"I want them to dig deep," Meek said. "This year's team has the ability to rebound at each (end) of the court, but it can't be talked about. It has to be done."

Steamboat began practicing Nov. 13, and Meek and his coaching staff have spent the past two and a half weeks trying to pull the boys out of their comfort zone, making them think and work to check mental toughness.

The Sailors lost 80 percent of last season's starting lineup, but such has been the story for the past three years, so this isn't unfamiliar turf for Meek. The lone returning starter -- junior Cameron Burney -- is moving from the post to the perimeter, an unfamiliar spot but one he is capable of playing.

Senior Kyle Re, a sharp-shooting substitute last season, will serve as Steamboat's other point guard. Both are expected to start, Meek said.

"I feel confident they'll grow into the position," he said. "They have to approach it with confidence."

The other starters for the Sailors are projected to be seniors Devin Borvansky and Nick Monterotti in the post and sophomore Scott Peterson on the wing.

Re, at 5 feet 10, is the shortest of the starting lineup.

While height appears to be the team's biggest asset at this point, Borvansky sees a team identity forming in the early season.

"We've got all the spots filled," Borvansky said. "We're going to be able to break defenses down."

The latter half of Tuesday's practice was spent working on offensive sets. Steamboat opens the season at the two-day Roaring Fork Tournament on Friday against Montrose, a team the Sailors are accustomed to seeing in the postseason.

For players such as Monterotti and Re who play only basketball, this weekend's opener is the end of a yearlong wait. After serving as spot contributors last season, they are ready to assume more prominent roles for the Sailors.

"I think our biggest strength is our ability to play as a team," Re said. "We've already established that we can do that."

Steamboat doesn't begin league play until Jan. 9 at Delta, but it will see league opponent Glenwood Springs at this weekend's tournament. Glenwood and Steamboat, along with Rifle and Moffat County, figure to be in the hunt for the Western Slope championship.