There was a time when the Olympus girls basketball program was struggling. But recently, the Titans have been solid and competitive. Now, the team wants more. 

Olympus is coming off a 13-12 record and a 7-5 finish in Region 6, good enough for fourth place. It was the sixth year in a row that the Titans posted a winning record since enduring a rough 1-20 campaign in 2017-18. 

Head coach Whitney Hunsaker, who has compiled a 113-93 record at the school in nine seasons, is eager to see what her 2024-25 squad can do. 

“We’re always excited for another year to get back in the gym and compete,” Hunsaker said. “Our goal is to continue our winning culture by having a winning a season, win some state playoff games and to simply bring our best effort each game. It has been an honor and privilege to be known as one of the top programs in 5A the last few years, so would like to keep that going.”

Last season was a bit of a roller coaster for Olympus. The Titans showed signs of brilliance but also had some lapses where they didn’t play as well as Hunsaker expected. She said this season, she wants the girls to be more consistent on both ends of the court. She also hopes the Titans can improve their shooting. 

“I am hoping to see a little more consistency this year,” she said. “Last year, we definitely rode the emotions train that it was frustrating to play extremely well one night and the next, not being able to shoot at a high percentage. Last year, we definitely figured it out at the right time and made a run to the quarterfinals, but we would like to have a more consistent effort and shooting percentages this season.”

Along with better shooting, Hunsaker wants to reduce the number of turnovers the team has. She is also focusing on involving more players in the offense and being more tenacious on defense. 

“We definitely need to keep turnovers low,” she said. “Something I have really liked that the new Utah State women's coach is doing is keeping turnovers to a percentage per game rather than a set amount. Helping players focus on the number of possessions we have, I think, will help shift the focus of how important our possessions are and recognizing how precious shots are. Next, we need to shoot at a consistent, high percentage. Scoring points is definitely helpful. Lastly, we need multiple players to score and add to our arsenal defensively.”

Olympus has two returning starters on the squad this season: seniors Joss Baker and Tessa Cromar. Baker paced the Titans in scoring last season with an average of 15.6 a game. She also led the team in rebounding with 10.1 boards a game, a figure that was ninth in the entire state and fifth-best in Class 5A. Cromar scored 5.7 points an outing a season ago and grabbed 3.3 rebounds per game. 

“Both of them shoot the ball well and see the court really well,” Hunsaker said of the duo. “Having both of them put up points while also facilitating will be huge for us.”

The Titans have multiple other seniors on the team who will add depth and experience. Hunsaker is also positive about the play of juniors Cammie Bontempo and Madi Shimoda, who “add so much pressure defensively,” Hunsaker said. 

Opponents won’t have an easy time scoring on Olympus. Hunsaker touted the Titans as being “long, athletic, fast and scrappy.” She expects her team to force a lot of turnovers and create opportunities to score at the other end of the court. 

Though Olympus has a big group of seniors, the girls still don’t have a lot of experience on the floor together. Hunsaker anticipates a few challenges early on but is confident her team will have good cohesion as the season progresses. 

“Even though we have a large senior group, our varsity group this year hasn't played a lot of minutes together,” she said. “So, that will be an adjustment for us the first few games to figure out roles and what we do best. But I think once we get rolling and get more structured time together, we will see this group come together really nicely.”

The season tipped off eight days before Thanksgiving, Nov. 20 at home against Timpview. Olympus also played at Payson on Nov. 22. The December slate begins with a Dec. 4 game at Cottonwood. The Titans play six December games, all before Christmas, before jumping into Region 6 play. The first league game is Jan. 3, 2025, at West. Olympus will face all six region opponents twice, ending with a Feb. 13, 2025, contest at Skyline. The Class 5A state tournament follows. Olympus reached the quarterfinals a season ago. The Titans made a run to the state semifinals in 2021. 

Hunsaker has been around the program for a decade now, and she enjoys the time she gets to spend with the girls. She said this group gets along well with one another and has excellent camaraderie. 

“This group is tight,” she said. “Like I mentioned earlier, our senior class is big, so they have been playing at Olympus for four years. Most of them hang together outside of basketball, so they have really learned to trust each other and have fun together. Simply, I just love being around that and have fun coaching them.”