Tom Philbrick of Boothbay takes over as coach of the Wolverine girls’ basketball program this season. Tryouts for the varsity squad were held Monday night at Wiscasset Middle High School.

The Wolverines, a part of the Mountain Valley Conference, will play an 18-game schedule that begins Friday, Dec. 7 with an away game against Carrabec High School in North Anson. Their first home game will be Tuesday, Dec. 11 when they’ll host Hall-Dale.

Philbrick had 16 girls turn out Monday night, including six returnees from last year’s team. They included Alice Yokabakas, Sydnie Thayer, Kateleen Trask, Jade Rego, Paige Davenport and Kayla Cossette. Yokabakas and Thayer are seniors, Trask and Rego juniors.

Philbrick brings with him a wealth of basketball experience. He’s coached at the junior high and high school levels for five different school systems including Orono, Rockland, Camden, Rangeley and Mt. Blue.

“I grew up playing basketball. I played in high school and college,” he said. “You could say I come from a basketball family; my father Gib Philbrick coached for the University of Maine Orono.”

The coach knew when he accepted the offer to come to WMHS, he’d have his work cut out for him. The Wolverines were winless last season. With that said, he was pleased by what he saw at the tryouts.

“What are my expectations? I don’t make any,” he said. “I’m here to bring this group together as a team, make us competitive and have some fun.”

Philbrick said he prefers playing a man-to-man game rather than a zone defense. “Offensively, I’m aggressive. I like my team to push the ball.”

With Jayvee Coach Bob “Radar” Applebee looking on, Philbrick had his players run through a number of skill sets at Monday’s practice. They spent the last 10 minutes running a full court drill of five-on-five and finished the night with sprints.

“Our goal is to come together and play as a team. When we come into this gymnasium we need to be totally focused on basketball, That’s why we’re here,” he told his players. “It’s okay to make mistakes, learn from them and become a better player.”

Philbrick and his wife own the Boothbay Lobster Wharf restaurant on the eastside of Boothbay Harbor.

The Wolverines will take to the court this Saturday for the annual alumni game. The opening tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m. in Stover Auditorium.