The Aberdeen Central girls basketball program is neither young, nor untested, but the Golden Eagles are new.

For one, they’re starting off the season with a much cleaner bill of health than they did at the outset of the 2021-22 season.

“We’re starting off the season a lot healthier,” said Central coach Mikayla Arechigo. “A lot of the injuries we had last year are behind us, so we’re full speed ahead in practice right now.”

Speed is exactly what the Golden Eagles will need as they head into the season, which tips off later this week. Central, though experienced with its upperclassmen, will rarely have the upper hand in terms of size.

But what the Golden Eagles lack in size, they’ll need to make up in determination. And there’s no lack of that, particularly with the seniors on the roster.

“Sydney Evans brings a lot of the scrappiness and quickness we’re looking for,” Arechigo said. “Anna Malchow is smart with what she does.”

Add in Taryn Hettich’s speed and a group of juniors that have varsity experience in multiple sports, and Arechigo likes the potential she sees.

“Every girl on the roster has the potential to contribute,” she said.

With Evans, Malchow and Hettich spearheading the guard play, the Golden Eagles hope to leverage tempo into offense, but it will need to come with discipline.

“Our guards are going to have to make sure they’re smart with our passes,” Arechigo said. “We felt like we had a lot of turnovers last year that hurt us. We’ll need to clean that up this year.”

Underneath, Central will have some solid options at the forward positions, though not a lot of experience. Junior Grace Kuch is the eldest of the group, but freshman Taryn Hermansen and eighth-grader Lauryn Burckhard are expected to contribute and develop as the season progresses.

The biggest key, Arechigo said, will be figuring out rotations.

“That’s going to be key, finding the right combination of kids to play together,” she said.

As the preseason comes to a close and the first live-action tipoff approaches, Arechigo noted both the practice arena and the locker room are in good shape.

“The effort and attitude at practice are where they need to be,” she said. “The girls are excited to see each other, and when things aren’t going right, they pick each other up.”

Still, taking the court against someone wearing a different jersey will be nice.

“Three weeks of practice seeing the same defense and same offense and knowing what defense they’re playing and what the offense is doing makes it difficult to really know where you’re at,” Arechigo said.

Central will tip off against Rapid City Central Friday evening. That game will begin at 7 p.m. followed by a 1:30 p.m. start at Rapid City Stevens on Saturday.