LISBON — It was the start of a new season and era Monday.

The Lisbon High School basketball team took to the court for the first time this winter sports season, but this year’s opening day of practices had new meaning for the Greyhounds, who practiced on a brand new court in the school’s beautiful new gym.

“It’s pretty neat,” said senior Bree Sautter, the lone senior on the girls’ squad. “I never thought we’d be here. I never thought I’d see this. It’s awesome.”

Senior Austin Bedford was equally doubtful he’d ever experience the joy of a new facility. He and his fellow boys’ basketball players christened the gym with the first practice.

“Honestly, I didn’t think I’d ever see this” Bedford said. “They talked about it the start of my junior year.  but it didn’t happen until this year.”

A $5.7 million dollar bond was approved by the town back in 2014. It led to a wonderful new track facility and the new gym complex.

“I think we dreamed about it,” said Jake Gentle, who coached the girls’ team for years in the old gym before taking the boys’ job. “When the town finally voted for the improvements for both the track and the gym, that was such an uplifting moment for a lot of kids in the community.”

An open house was held earlier this month and gave the community its first look at the shiny new facility.  Opening day of practice had some minor obstacles, like having keys for coaches to enter and lock up the facility, but otherwise, it was a great beginning to the season.

“When we had the open house here, we had kids with tears in their eyes because they were so excited to play in a facility like this,” said Julie Petrie, the girls’ basketball coach. “Hopefully, that transfers over into the girls’ play and they really own this gym.”

The old gym was dreaded by many, even those who played and coached in it. It was dark and stifling hot. Seating was limited and the bleachers were right on the court. Inbounds passes often felt like the ball was coming from fans. It wasn’t even a regulation size court. Lisbon couldn’t host a playoff game there, and the Greyhounds also had to adjust to larger courts on the road.

“It was a disadvantage and an advantage for us,” Gentle said. “It was a disadvantage in practice trying to keep our spacing and trying to keep our drills incorporated, but it was also an advantage in home games because teams weren’t used to playing on such a small compressed court with the fans on top of us.

“I think that’s one element that will be missed, but as a trade-off, I’d take the bigger gym and bigger space. The people of Lisbon are wonderful people, and I know they’ll be here supporting us the way they did in the old gym.”

The new facility gives Lisbon one of the larger courts in the Mountain Valley Conference.  The gym is brightly lit and has a nice wall of bleachers and an open space from above the bleachers to look down from above. The facility is also temperature controlled. The entrance features bricks with names of various alumni and supporters of the school.

“We have six basketball hoops and enough space so we can run a lot of multiple drills,” Gentle said. “The old gym, we had two viable basketball hoops. Here, we have a lot more space and we’re able to run multiple drills. I think that’s really going to help increase the performance of the guys.”

The confining atmosphere of the old gym is gone and the spacious, brightly lit, new gym invites a new brand of basketball. The Greyhounds have traded in dark and dreary for bright and beautiful. It’s a new atmosphere that might shine in the energy of those that get to enjoy it.

“We were able to spread the floor a lot more and play better basketball,” Bedford said. “You don’t have to worry about tripping over bleachers on the sidelines.”

Petrie likes an up-tempo style of game and the new gym makes it necessary for her team to be able to run the floor well.

“I like that fast-paced game and now they don’t have a choice,” Petrie said. “It will be different adapting our style of play because it was such a small space (in the old gym). We’ll figure it out. We did a lot of running this summer. We’re not very tall. So we’re going to be running a lot because we’re short and quick. We’ll have to use the space.”

It might take many some adjusting to finally believe such a new facility is now the pride of Lisbon, but it sure increased the excitement as basketball season kicked off Monday.

“It’s definitely exciting,” Bedford said. “We’ve been looking forward to this for quite awhile. It’s exciting to come in and get to play in a nice court like this.”

The players are not only thrilled about enjoying their new surroundings but also are determined to  prove it to be a great investment in the current and future players in the community.

“It’s definitely a fresh start,” Sautter said. “Here’s a new gym and it will give us more pride. I think we’re very proud of where we come from and we’re excited to show it off.”

kmills@sunjournal.com