He replaces Wiedman, who had a successful eight-year career at St. Anthony High School. Wiedman finished with a 144-102 record that included five regional titles in his final six years. The Lady Bulldogs were 22-11 last season.

 “I’m so grateful they are making this opportunity possible for me,” said Rios, who is the head of operations at the Midland States Bank headquarters. “I know I will be balancing work and coaching. I love to teach basketball and this is a way for me to give back. I hope to help these girls improve as basketball players and as young leaders.”

This year’s total squad will include just 10 players. Right now, the plan is to play as many junior varsity games as possible, but if the team experiences sickness or injury, “we’ll have to evaluate if we’re going to play JV games. We may have to play some games with reduced time. We’ll just see how it goes.”

The varsity schedule opens Tuesday night at Dieterich.

And Rios can’t wait.

“Our practices have been high-energy,” he said. “I believe in our core values and what we’ll try to build going forward. We’re just going to take it one day and one game at a time. I know we’re a work in progress, but I’m very proud of these 10 girls.”

The roster includes senior Taylor Beasley; junior Reese Jones; sophomores Riley Guy, Grace Karolewicz and Izzy Hakman; and freshmen Lucy Fearday, Cameron Rios, Anna Faber, Adrien Fitzgerald and Riley Willenborg.

“Our biggest challenge, first and foremost, is our experience in general,” Rios said. “We have a lot of youth that just haven’t played at this level. There will be an adjustment to the pace and physicality of high school basketball.

“We don’t have a lot of size,” the coach added. “Beasley and Fearday will be our tallest players at 5’10”. We’re going to need to be feisty underneath and battle to get rebounds.”

The new coach likes his team’s overall speed, especially at guard.

“We have quick guards and that’s where we do have some experience,” Rios explained. “We have a couple guards that can step out and hit the three and also slash to the basket. We should be able to move the ball quickly and get up and down the floor. We’ll probably play at a faster pace than past teams have.

“I also believe we’ll give great effort every night,” Rios said. “We’ll come to compete. These girls really care, they want to be successful and will work hard.”

Guy has the most returning experience and will be the starting point guard.

“She’s our best ball-handler,” Rios said. “And she will guard the best player on the other team. I think Riley will contribute at a high level.”

Jones also saw some varsity action a year ago, but missed part of the season with an injury.

“She’s a very good shooter and a slasher,” Rios noted. “She is also a strong defender. I have a lot of confidence in here.”

The other returning player with some varsity experience is Beasley.

“Taylor runs the floor well,” the coach said. “We need her to be strong underneath for both scoring and rebounding.”

The coach describes Karolewicz as “a good defender and ball-handler, who can shoot the ball. She’s our vocal leader.”

Rios said Hakman “is our lightning bug. She brings a lot of intensity and energy. She’s a good defender and a good shooter.”

Fearday “is blessed with a high basketball IQ,” Rios said. “She’s strong inside. She could lead the charge for us in rebounding and blocking shots.”

The coach’s daughter, Cameron, is quick and handles the ball well.

“She needs to work on her shooting,” he noted. “Playing experience will help.”

Faber also figures to play some point guard. Rios said she is a good shooter and a player that competes hard.

Fitzgerald “is athletic and quick,” the coach noted. “She needs to work on her defense. She’s a player I’m excited about.”

Willenborg is a player that handles the ball well and can shoot the 12-to-15-foot shot.

Rios is also pleased to have Howard Manuel as his assistant coach.

“He has so much experience and positivity. He has been valuable to me,” the coach said. “He’s an important part of this program. I like having him on-board. Coach Manuel and I work well together.”

The Lady Bulldogs will play five games in the first 11 days of the season.

“I’m ecstatic about this opportunity and anxious to get going,” Rios said. “This opportunity has been a long time coming for me, but I can’t wait to see who we are and what we can do.”