When you have an all-conference post player returning for what should be a dominant senior year and a rebuilt backcourt as green as the grass of the University of Hawai'i at Manoa front lawn, the game plan seems obvious enough: Slow it down, get Ms. Reliable the ball and get out of the way.

But assumptions are mutable when your top returnee is Tanya Smith, a relentless post presence who's as versatile as she is consistent.

Likewise, knees resist jerking when that greenhorn backcourt is comprised of preternaturally mature Big Island products Keisha Kanekoa and Leilani Galdones, proven scorers who can also dominate a game with their passing abilities.

And when the rest of the squad is comprised of heady and athletic slashers, shooters and distributors, who's to tell anyone to get out of the way?

Certainly not Wahine head coach Jim Bolla, who intends to chase Western Athletic Conference foes back to the airport with a multi-faceted, fast-paced offensive attack and high-pressure, run-stomping defense.

"If we can push the ball down the floor every possession, even after a score, we'll put pressure on the defense before they can set up," Bolla said. "And if we can get a layup or a jumper or a 3-point shot, that's one time when we don't have to run a set offense."

The Wahine kick off their season Friday against Washington at the Waikiki Beach Marriott Classic at Stan Sheriff Center.

Bolla had intended on speeding up the offense to take advantage of Kanekoa's ability to create. That intention became a firm commitment when 6-foot-3 freshman Natasha Davis and 6-3 junior college transfer Jamie Hawkins failed to qualify and 6-foot-3 freshman Katie Smith was lost for the season with a torn labrum. That left 6-3 Smith and 6-4 Iwona Zagrobelna as the team's only proven post options.

Bolla said increased passing and motion in the offense will allow the team to get by with just one post player on the floor. Taking advantage of a 10-deep roster, they'll push the pace on the other end of the floor with liberal use of full-court pressure and half-court traps.

"It's similar to June Jones' goal of putting pressure on the other team by putting up points," Bolla said. "We want to get more shots up."

To sustain the kind of pace Bolla envisions, the team has been conditioning with running-intensive, three-hour practices.

Reasoning that each half of a game is 20 minutes, Bolla runs his team through a series of 20-minute drills. Yet, instead of the 90-second breaks they'd enjoy in an actual game, the team gets just 45 seconds to recover before the next drill.

"We don't run lines because you don't do that in a game," Bolla said. "We practice running with the ball, and we'll use heavy balls for passing drills. We work on getting them exhausted, then they shoot free throws.

"It's like how fighters train," he said. "They do more in practice than they would in a game. They're conditioning will be no problem. When they play a game, it should be a piece of cake."

Reach Michael Tsai at mtsai@honoluluadvertiser.com.