POULSBO — When asked what they’ll remember most about playing basketball for North Kitsap High School, the team’s six seniors give very different answers.

Ryan Young looks back on the Juneau-Douglas tournament, which North swept for the first time. Dan Yee said he’ll remember putting up 93 points on Port Angeles. Jared Prince said he’ll never forget how his friends came to each other’s aid when Bremerton and NK nearly came to blows earlier this year.

They may be different memories, but collectively, they demonstrate just how team unity and friendship count immeasurably when it comes to the game of basketball.

“We all know what we’re going to do before we even do it,” said senior Jordan Henry, adding the example: “I know what Jake (Gonzales is) going to do every time he touches the ball.”

Knowing the ins and outs of their teammate’s games has given the Vikings a tremendous upper hand this season with regard to team chemistry. That knowledge stems from the fact that these guys go way back.

“We’re all pretty much friends,” Yee said. “And that transfers to the floor.”

“You know what they’re thinking, how they’re feeling out there,” senior Travis Tobin added. “No one’s selfish and no one’s trying to get their’s all the time.”

Seniors Prince and Henry said they can remember playing together as long ago as the third grade pee wee leagues. The pair went to Kingston Junior High School where the played against the other four seniors — Yee, Young, Tobin and Gonzales, who played for Poulsbo Junior High.

“We’ve all been playing together since we were little kids,” Henry said. “I used to hate ‘em and now they’re my teammates.”

Their first chance to play as a group came at a tournament in Port Angeles in the ninth grade. While the varsity team endured some rough years, those same six players — combined with the hiring of new coach Aaron Nations in 2003 — quietly emerged as Narrows League threats.

That culminated this year with a second place finish in the Bridge, coming in only behind the No. 1 team in the state, South Kitsap. And coach Nations largely credits his eldest team members for the success.

“You have to have that core group of seniors,” Nations said. “And we have that. It’s everywhere; our captains, our leadership, the way we play.”

When it comes to endurance, however, the Vikings may be second to none.

“Even South was commenting how well we get up and down the floor,” Gonzales said.

Team speed will have to again be the squad’s biggest attribute in the post season, making up for its less-than-average height against playoff caliber teams. Young is the Vikings’ tallest senior at 6-foot-5-inches. But the squad is also counting on the confidence it has earned on various other fields through its athleticism.

“We’re not just basketball guys, we’re athletes,” said Prince, who also plays baseball and football with Tobin and Henry. “Every sport we play helps us.”

But win or lose, the seniors said, their friendships will endure off the court. But the group of six have certainly made Nations’ second year as coach one to remember, he said.

“When you have good kids to coach and you’re winning games, you can’t beat that,” he commented.