LEWISTON — Monday marked the first day of high school basketball practice in Maine, and the two new coaches at Edward Little wasted no time working on their athletes’ conditioning.

The Red Eddies’ first practices were held in the Connors Elementary gymnasium in Lewiston. Extensive water damage earlier this year on the new basketball court at Edward Little High School has forced the Red Eddies to relocate to the elementary school for practices and Central Maine Community College for games until the middle of December.

Hours before the first practice, new coach Jimbo Philbrook started the boys’ basketball team’s season with a 2-mile run before school at 6 a.m.

Senior Diing Maiwen said the early wake up was difficult but important to set the tone for the season.

“Getting out of bed this morning and getting straight into running, it’s cold outside, but it’s all about spirit,” Maiwen said. “The guys came out and worked hard if they came in the morning, and they’ve got that spirit to work hard.”

Philbrook said that being back at his alma mater and training the new crop of athletes “is like Christmas morning.”

“It’s sort of a dream job for me,” Philbrick said. “I’m super happy and excited to be back in my hometown and coaching and giving back to a community that’s given me so much, while trying to create the same opportunities for these guys and helping them succeed on and off the floor.”

Basketball is Maiwen’s main sport, so his offseason was occupied by basketball-specific training and playing for AAU teams and XLP, a travel league in Portland.

“It’s nonstop work, it’s been a lot of hard hours, sweat and tears to get to this point,” Maiwen said. “I’m looking forward to this season to put in my all.”

Akol Maiwen, a junior and Diing’s younger brother, said preparation this season started the day after the Red Eddies lost to Portland in the first round of playoffs. Akol Maiwen said he’s “fired up,” and wants to “prove people wrong” who may doubt the Eddies’ ability.

“We’re all fighting to be the best person on the team and push each other, because we all want to be great and have a great season,” Akol Maiwen said.

Frank Perry, the new girls’ coach, started the first few minutes of practice with ladder and line sprints.

“The girls worked really hard,” Perry said. “My big push is that they work together as a team, they lift each other up and go 100-percent effort all the time. I felt like they did that.”

Freshman Elizabeth Galway said she also enjoys the competitive aspect of the preseason, especially when players are fighting to make a name for themselves and earn playing time. As a first-year high school basketball player, Galway said she just wants to make an impact this season, ‘”whether that’s getting rebounds, playing good defense, scoring, whatever it is.”

Perry is the third coach seniors Layla Facchiano and Rachel Penny have had at Edward Little, but he isn’t new to them.

“(Perry) coached my fourth-grade AAU team, so I’ve known him for years,” Penny said. “I’ve done trainings with him and I’m very excited to see him in this new role. I think (he’s) going to bring a very fast offense, and I think everyone’s going to understand where they fit in.”

Perry and Facchiano were two of the leading scorers for the Red Eddies last season. Facchiano said she hopes to again be one of the team’s leaders and top players.

“I just have a goal that I want to be seen as one of the best players and I know I am one of the best players,” Facchiano said.

Edward Little hasn’t made it out of the first round of the Class AA North playoffs during the seniors’ careers, but Facchiano said the Red Eddies are one of the older, more experienced teams in the conference, and she hopes they can use that to their advantage.

Another returning player for the Edward Little girls is sophomore Hope Fontaine, who has battled back from a torn ACL. She said that Monday’s first practice included some nerves, particularly when it comes to driving.

“I’m very glad and blessed to be back, honestly,” Fontaine said. “I was just doing prayer before this, and I think just prayers before games and stuff is going to really help me get through it.”

TJ Kramarz, a senior on the boys’ team, suffered a fractured rib and a bruised kidney toward the end of the football season and used the three-week period between sports to rest, rehabilitate and stretch. He said his focus this season is on making his teammates better.

“Just play with a little more intensity than last year,” Kramarz said. “We got down in games and played with some intensity, we just kind of let off the gas for a little. This year, I expect if we’re losing a basketball game, we fight back. Go win those close games from last year.”

Philbrook said nearly 60 kids came to tryouts this year, and Akol Maiwen said that has only made practice more competitive.

“I just want to build that chemistry with our team,” Akol Maiwen said. “I think that’s going to be our biggest thing here, just feeling more like brothers than teammates, you know?”