It has been more than eight months since the final whistle blew on the Kentwood High boys basketball season.

To coach Michael Angelidis, however, it has felt like an eternity. While the offseason has provided plenty of optimism, especially with the return this season of UCLA-bound Josh Smith and standout guard Tre Tyler, it could not come to an end soon enough.

“We spent a lot of time after last season looking at what we could have done better,” Angelidis noted. “It was a hard offseason for all of us. It’s hard on the coaches, even harder on the head coach. It weighs on you and you wonder what you could have done better.”

Kentwood fell to Kentridge 51-41 to end last year at Auburn High in a winner-to-state, loser-out district playoff game. It was the second-straight year the Conquerors fell one game shy of the Class 4A state tournament. Compounding matters, however, was the fact that Kentwood entered the district tournament — considered by many the toughest in the state — ranked second in the state. In addition, Kentwood finished the regular season at 14-2 and shared the South Puget Sound League North Division title with Federal Way.

The Conquerors spent more than an hour in the locker room after the loss.

“We spent a lot of time immediately after we got knocked out just talking about the season,” Angelidis conceded. “What made is all so very hard was the reaction of our players after the game. That was a truly, truly devastated locker room.”

Of the 16 teams that advanced to the state tournament, Kentwood knocked off three (Federal Way, Kentridge and Curtis) during the season.

The Conquerors were the only team not to advance to the state tournament to have accomplished that feat.

Federal Way went on to win the title while Kentridge took third.

“Not getting to state wasn’t the only hard part. It was also the fact that we know we could have done something once we got there,” Angelidis said. “Everybody who saw us play knew that had we gotten to the state tournament, we would have been successful.”

That heartbreak could very well turn into elation this time around. The Conquerors only graduated one starter from last year’s team and return Smith, Tyler, forward Jason Boyce and guards Mikell Everette and Alec Wilson. Smith, a 6-10, 280-pound post and the two-time league MVP, averaged 24 points and 14 rebounds per game last year. Tyler, a three-year starter, averaged 11 points, three rebounds and three assists per game a year ago. Meanwhile, Wilson was the team’s deadliest 3-point shooter.

With so many key returners and Smith being in his final year, Angelidis doesn’t believe there’s necessarily any urgency with this group. However, there is a goal in mind.

“I don’t think there’s urgency in the sense that we have to do something specifically,” the coach said. “We certainly would like to get back to the state tournament, but that’s our goal every year and that hasn’t changed.”