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Steamboat Springs — It was only 24 hours after a season-ending loss to Longmont in the second round of the Class 4A basketball playoffs, and Isiah Forsyth found himself back in the gym.

The Steamboat Springs High School junior, along with most of his varsity and junior varsity teammates, hadn’t let the 48-40 loss dampen his spirits.

“I play every day,” Forsyth said. “I still play every day until the season starts.”

That might be the biggest thing for the Steamboat boys basketball team as it enters the 2009-10 campaign.

Despite losing two senior leaders in Alex Wood and Nelson Brassell to graduation, this team has been primed for the new season since last season ended.

With three returning starters in guards Forsyth and Charles Wood and forward Jack Spady, the expectations haven’t diminished.

In fact, in Steamboat, they rarely ever diminish.

The Sailors have been the marquee program on the Western Slope for nearly 40 years. And despite some early season questions, those same expectations hover over this season’s squad.

“I think every year, the expectations are to compete with every team in our league and get better as the season goes on,” Steamboat coach Luke DeWolfe said. “Hopefully, we can compete for a league title.”

Steamboat looks like it’s in a position to do so. Teams from around the Western Slope League were hard hit by graduation. The Sailors finished second in the league last season, but look primed to regain their crown.

The Sailors’ biggest question will be its size up front. With Alex Wood and Brassell, Steamboat lost a couple of post players who provided the punch up front. This season, the Sailors probably will not play anyone taller than 6 feet 3 inches.

But what Steamboat lacks in size, it hopes to make up in athleticism.

In addition to Forsyth, Charles Wood and Spady — three of the better athletes in the league — Steamboat will rely on guards Dylan Pivarnik, Hondo Anderson and Justin Anderson.

Forwards Connor Landusky and Randall Nelson are expected to help Spady down low.

“In terms of teams I’ve coached, this is probably the fastest, most athletic team I’ve ever had,” DeWolfe said. “From top to bottom, they are all really quick. They all anticipate really well and are able to defend people in ways teams I’ve had in the past haven’t been able to.”

DeWolfe said although it’s still early, he expects his team to be more up-tempo. Although he has three starters returning, he cautioned that he’ll still have two starters who haven’t seen much varsity playing time and a bench heavy on potential but light on experience.

“Mentally, I’ve been preparing for this,” Justin Anderson said. “I know I’m getting a lot more minutes. You get nerves about the season coming. It’s normal to get nervous. I think I’ll be able to handle it well.”

The best thing for Steamboat might be three early season tournaments. The Sailors travel to the Brenda Patch tournament in Roaring Fork on Friday, before seeing some of the top teams of Colorado and Wyoming at the Steamboat Shootout and Green River, Wyo., tournaments.

By the time the league season hits in early January, DeWolfe said he expects his team to be playing well and hitting those expectations — something that’s always alive and well with the boys basketball program in Steamboat.

“I think our kids have grown used to it,” DeWolfe said. “Not to say that it makes you sit back on your heels, but it becomes something you can take pride in. Kids kind of relish that role, knowing that there is a lot of history and tradition.

“When you put a Steamboat jersey on, you’re standing on the back of a lot of people that came before you and did things the right way. For us, it’s something we really take pride in.”