Many words have been used to describe the Jackson boys basketball team in recent years, but it’s safe to say that blue collar probably wasn’t a term thrown around too often.

That’s about to change.

The departures of a trio of senior starters — Craig Chambers, Chris Keller and Mike Apodaca — means that the Timberwolves are undergoing a bit of a change in identity.

The new-look Wolfpack made its debut at last month’s Everett Summer League and both players and their coach agree that blue collar is an apt description for what they hope the team will be transformed into by next winter.

Chambers and Keller usually combined for 35 to 40 points per game, Jackson coach Steve Johnson noted.

“We’re not going to be as big of a scoring team, so we’ve been working on playing harder and playing together,” said senior-to-be forward Corey Hall. “We don’t have a lot of the size … we had last year and we’re not going to be relying as much on our shooting.

“So to be as successful as we were last year and to get better, we’ve going to need to outwork our opponents and get better on defense.”

The Timberwolves’ defense steadily improved throughout the season and by the end, it was one of the primary reasons Jackson advanced to the district playoffs, according to Johnson.

The team’s high-powered offense sometimes enabled the Wolfpack to mask its defensive inefficiencies.

“This year I don’t think we have enough offensive firepower to overcome defensive lapses,” Johnson said. “So I think we will not be as successful if we’re not more consistent defensively.”

One year ago, the Timberwolves didn’t win any games in the summer league and ended up advancing to the district playoffs. That’s why even though Jackson had good success in this year’s summer league, Johnson wasn’t putting too much stock into the wins and losses in June.

Jackson only had a few practices before league play started. Things are a little more laid back in the summer.

“Our philosophy is to try and give the kids an opportunity to play against good competition,” Johnson said. “We play in a lot of other tournaments.”

Nevertheless, Johnson does feel that it’s important for teams to compete during the summer and he’s been pleased by the commitment shown by the players.

The successful high school programs are the ones that do play in the offseason, Johnson said, especially during the summer when coaches are allowed to coach and be hands-on.

Many of the players who are expected to contribute next season are individuals who don’t have a lot of experience against varsity competition. So Jackson’s success against some decent competition — other teams in the league include Everett, Kamiak, Lake Stevens, Mount Vernon and Mariner — certainly benefited the younger players.

“It is nice to have some success beating some good teams just so they can feel confident that they can compete,” Johnson said.

After the first game, some of the junior varsity players remarked to Johnson that varsity games were much faster than they were accustomed to.

“The speed of the game is the main thing you have to get used to,” Johnson said.

Hall and senior-to-be Johnie Kirton both expect to have expanded leadership roles in next year’s team.

“Johnie and I try to be real vocal leaders,” Hall said. “It’s kind of weird, us being the older guys now. We realize that we have to show the other guys how things should be done.”

Junior-to-be point guard Kevin Simshauser also has been a more vocal leader.

Last season was Simshauser’s first season on varsity. It’s a role he is far more comfortable with now.

“A lot of the JV (players) were coming up and I just wanted to get them more comfortable playing varsity,” Simshauser said. “Personally, I tried to score a little bit more than I did last year, but still get everyone involved.”

No individual is going to be able to fill the roles of the departed starters, Simshauser added.

“We need to all try and fill it,” he said.

For Kirton, the month of June was an especially draining one. In addition to playing with his basketball teammates, he also participated in Jackson’s two-week football camp.

“It’s tiring,” he said. “I haven’t had a break all year.”

Kirton, however, recognized the importance of the summer league and its role in developing the team.

Playing with the newcomers to varsity wasn’t easy.

“It was tough at first but that’s what the summer is for,” Kirton said. “We need to grow together.”

Kirton and Hall figure to be Jackson’s main inside presence and probably one of the team’s major strengths.

“Last year we were much more, I guess you could say, perimeter-oriented,” Johnson said. “Chambers and Keller scored most of their points from the outside. This year I think that probably will be different.

“I think we’re establishing that identity … of being more inside-oriented. Obviously (Kirton and Hall) are two of the more experienced post players. They both can do other things besides post up, but they are players that can go inside.”