In seven years of involvement with the Issaquah basketball program, second-year head coach Jeff Altchech can’t recall the Eagles having a smaller roster.

This season’s starting lineup consists of players 6-foot-2, 6-foot-1, 6-foot, 6-foot and 5-foot-10.

Don’t assume, however, Issaquah will let height impede its ultimate goal — another trip to the postseason.

“Playoffs are something we kind of feel is always reachable and a tradition at Issaquah,” Altchech said. “It’s been a long time since we haven’t made the playoffs.”

How will the undersized Eagles achieve that goal?

The answer is simple for Altchech.

“We’re going to have out-hustle, out-scrap, out-work other teams,” he said.

Altchech certainly feels he has the right personal to do so.

All five of last year’s starters graduated, but senior Joe Evans, the sixth-man on last year’s 13-10 team, returns. The 6-foot guard averaged 6.2 points per game last season.

Issaquah also brings back three other players with significant varsity experience. Junior forward Nik Landdeck, sophomore forward Nick Price and junior post Steven Rael all played key roles on last year’s team. Junior guard Derek Quan, who was the starting junior varsity guard last year, rounds out the starting five.

Altchech likes what all his players bring to the floor, noting they should be able to make up for lack of height in other areas.

“We feel we have good shooters, we’ve got pretty good quickness,” he said.

The Eagles also have some players from the football team expected to bring a certain toughness to this year’s squad. That group includes juniors Evan Peterson and Taylor Wyman, along with 6-4 sophomore Eric Lemke.

Altchech likes the football mentality, but knows his team can’t get too carried away.

“We’ve got to be a little more aggressive, we’ve got to be a little more physical, but we have to know when not to get ourselves in the double-bonus and get guys fouling out in the first half,” he said.

While competing amongst the likes of Garfield and Skyline will present challenges, Altchech is keeping the goal simple for his team as they target a KingCo 4A tournament appearance and beyond.

“I know it’s a cliche, but we want to get better every day and improve as a basketball team,” he said.