RIMERSBURG - Karen Davis learned a lot during her first year as the Union boys basketball coach after serving 10 years as the girls coach at the school.

She learned the game is much faster, the egos are much bigger and the task of turning a losing program into a winning one is much more arduous.

"It's a heck of a lot easier keeping a winning program winning than getting a losing program to learn how to win," Davis said.

But the Golden Knights have reason to be optimistic.

Union's top three scorers from a season ago, Adam Milanovich (12.4 points per game), Kyle Hilliard (12 ppg) and Cody Mortimer (10.5 ppg), return to the lineup.

Davis has also cultivated some depth and plans to go nine and maybe 10 deep - something she rarely did as the girls coach.

"That's something new for me," she said. "I never did a lot of subbing. But I really feel like we will be able to do that. We have some interchangeable players."

Davis plans to mold her lineup to the team's opponent. She can go with a small, quick lineup or a bigger lineup to combat an opponent's strengths.That leaves her with the challenge of making sure her players understand their roles."That's my job," Davis said. "No one's spot in the starting lineup is set in stone. My feeling is, if you are worrying about yourself, you're not worrying about the team, and this is a team sport.Optimism is also high because now Union might be one of the more experienced teams in the Keystone Shortway Athletic Conference. When Davis took over last season, few players had varsity experience."Last year when I took over, it seemed like there were a lot of good seniors in the league," Davis said. "There were teams who had a lot of experience."Davis hopes to take advantage of her team's experience this season.Last year, Union struggled early, but it showed some promise late in the season."Last year, my expectations were I just wanted to improve every game," Davis said. "There were a few games when I thought we took a step back, but most of the time we did improve from game to game."

This year, those expectations are higher. No more looking for silver linings. Davis wants the whole cloud after a 7-17 season."I'd like to turn that record around," Davis said.To do that, Davis will let her team loose this season, playing the fast-paced, high-intensity style that made her girls' teams such a force for a decade."Last year, they heard me hollering 'Slow it down because I didn't feel like we could handle the ball well enough," she said.This year, Davis believes she has a slew of players who can bring the ball down the court and push tempo.That doesn't bode well for opponents, who might get to see Davis lead another Union team to the playoffs."I enjoy coaching them," Davis said. "We had a lot of fun last year and as long as we keep working hard, we'll have a lot of fun this season."UNION HIGH SCHOOL2004-05 Boys ScheduleDec. 3-4-at Brookville Tip-Off Tournament; Dec. 7-at Rocky Grove, 6 p.m.; Dec. 10-VENANGO CATHOLIC, 6 p.m.; Dec. 15-CLARION, 6 p.m.; Dec. 17-REDBANK VALLEY, 6 p.m.; Dec. 21-at Moniteau, 6 p.m.; Dec. 29-30-at Iroquois Christmas TournamentJan. 4-at Clarion-Limestone, 6:30 p.m.; Jan. 6-at Keystone, 6:30 p.m.; Jan. 7-at West Forest, 6 p.m.; Jan. 12-EAST FOREST, 6 p.m.; Jan. 14-at A-C Valley, 6 p.m.; Jan. 18-at Cranberry, 6 p.m.; Jan. 20-at Punxsutawney, 6 p.m.; Jan. 21-NORTH CLARION, 6 p.m.; Jan. 24-MONITEAU, 6 p.m.; Jan. 26-KARNS CITY, 6 p.m.; Jan. 28-ROCKY GROVE, 6 p.m.; Jan. 31-at Karns City, 6 p.m.Feb. 2-at Clarion, 6:30 p.m.; Feb. 4-CLARION-LIMESTONE, 6 p.m.; Feb. 8-at Redbank Valley, 6 p.m.