Like those of most junior colleges, the basketball rosters at Yakima Valley have undergone substantial change since last season.

But unlike those of many two-year institutions, the Yaks men's and women's coaches aren't expressing hand-wringing angst over the transformation of their teams.

Though both made the NWAACC Tournament last March, with the YVCC women advancing to the semifinals, men's coach Ray Funk and women's coach Cody Butler seem both encouraged and excited about their respective recruiting classes.

"This team will be a lot different than last year's," Butler said, expressing no visible discomfort while alluding to his Elyse Mengarelli-led 27-5 squad that won the Eastern Region title and finished sixth in the tournament. "You look at our inside players and you think we should be more of a halfcourt team on offense. But we still have a lot of quickness and speed with our guards. So we'll need to find a little better blend."

Said Funk, "We're definitely bigger and longer than we were last year. Our guards are also bigger, although we do have some athleticism, too. So that's a good place to start."

Mengarelli, the former East Valley standout, was voted the region's Most Valuable Player and has moved on to Central Washington. So has Mengarelli's backcourt mate, Siena Locke.

But Butler is especially high on White Swan's Andrea Blodgett, who signed last March along with East Valley forward Tana Stickney and Eisenhower center Bryna Trescott.

Stickney, at 5-foot-11, and Trescott, at 6-foot-4, figure to bolster the Yaks' front line along with returnees Chelsie Morrison (6-0) and Whitney Hohn (6-0). Trescott, a 2005 Ike graduate, spent last year at Central Washington but didn't play, and thus has two years of eligibility at YVCC.

Meanwhile, Blodgett and Shaunte Nance-Johnson, a 5-5 transfer from Northwest Nazarene, will key the backcourt.

"Andrea's even quicker than I thought she was," Butler said, "and she's relentless. When we were running the mile in our conditioning, she was lapping people. Shaunte is also extremely quick and is an excellent on-ball defender. She has the whole package."

Among other key newcomers for Butler, who has guided Yakima Valley to the NWAACC semifinals two years in a row, are Jamie Jones, a 5-10 freshman guard from Hillsboro, Ore.; Hailie Kelsey, a 5-5 freshman guard from Wendell, Idaho; Tina Streff, a 5-10 freshman guard who last season attended an NCAA Division II school in Colorado; and Taitum Dixey, a 5-9 freshman guard-forward from Fort Hall, Idaho.

Funk, whose first YVCC team finished 14-15 but made a late-season surge to the tournament, said a number of newcomers should make impacts next season.

One is Anthony Johnson, a 6-2 guard from Tacoma's Stadium High. "Anthony is very athletic and has a great attitude," Funk said. "He should be a great contributor."

Another is Tyler Bollman, a 6-2 guard from Troy, Idaho, who Funk described as "a really good shooter who is fundamentally sound."

Eisenhower alum Jeff Curfman has transferred from Big Bend, and at 6-8 figures to help the Yaks with solid outside shooting. "He's a real perimeter threat for his size," Funk said. "We'll be working on his post moves quite a bit."

Curfman's eligibility is pending approval by the NWAACC.

Two more frontline additions are 6-7 Ryan Staker, a freshman from Las Vegas, and 6-5 LeMar Anglin from Chicago.

Anglin came to Yakima Valley by way of his cousin, 6-2 guard Trent Spellman from O'Dea in Seattle. Funk described Spellman as a strong defender.

Another package deal came in the form of A.J. Kelsey, a 6-0 point guard from Wendell, Idaho, whose sister, Hailie, is a women's team recruit.

Funk, who coached at White Swan prior to coming to the Yaks, said ex-Cougar Chris Jones has enrolled at YVCC and plans to redshirt. Jones played part of last season at Grays Harbor, Funk said.