PORTLAND, Ore.­­ — Rabbit, rabbit.
 
We say it both because it's the first of the month, but also because Monday brought the first official Portland State women's basketball practice of the 2018-19 season, and anybody who has seen head coach Lynn Kennedy run a practice knows a rabbit's speed would come in handy. Kennedy may even appear like Thumper from Disney's Bambi at times this pre-season in that just as the animated character thumped his left foot out of excitement, Kennedy will be chomping at the bit to get this season going.
 
It's no mystery why Kennedy would be so excited for the season. The Vikings return all five starters from last season's team that made the Big Sky semifinals, including All-Big Sky guards Ashley Bolston and Sidney Rielly, as well as 2017-18 Big Sky Freshman of the Year Kylie Jimenez. And if that weren't enough, the Vikings will play their first season in the new Viking Pavilion in 2018-19, after playing off campus last season at Lewis & Clark.
 
"With the opening of the new arena, I think all of us were anticipating the first day of practice as we will be anticipating the first game," Kennedy said after practice Monday. "It's exciting to think about playing in such an amazing facility and having our true home court back.
 
"I am encouraged by how we competed in practice today. Compared to previous seasons, we are one or two days ahead of schedule, but we still have a lot of work to be done."
 
Conditioning will dominate the early practices for the Vikings, as Kennedy and his staff try to get his players back to being game fit.
 
"It's hard to simulate game conditioning until regular practice and we saw that again today. But we will get back to that level," Kennedy said.
 
Once they're back in game shape, the Vikings have the personnel to challenge for a Big Sky title this season. Bolston and Rielly return after ranking 10th and 12th in the Big Sky, respectively, with 16.6 and 16.2 points per game. Additionally, Rielly became just the third Viking ever to reach 1,000 points after only two years in the program, as she went over the 1,000-point benchmark in the Vikings' Big Sky first-round win over Northern Arizona on March 5. Bolston would have also gone over 1,000 points last season if she didn't miss the first eight games due to injury, but stands just 81 points shy of the benchmark.
 
Jimenez, meanwhile, returns after a strong freshman campaign that saw her become the Vikings' first Big Sky Freshman of the Year since Kelli Valentine in 2007-08. Jimenez led the Big Sky with a 2.7 assist-to-turnover ratio, and was a major reason why the Vikings led the Big Sky with 15.3 assists per game as a team. Jimenez ranked fourth in the Big Sky with 4.5 assists per game individually, and also ranked seventh in the conference with 2.0 steals per game.
 
The Vikings also return senior post Courtney West, who heads into her final year as a Viking already with more 57 blocked shots than anybody else in school history after only two years of playing. West will only add to that record this season, and could challenge her own records for blocked shots in a game (8, set twice) and season (94 in 2016-17) as well.
 
The Vikings added four newcomers to their bevy or returning talent in guards Desirae Hansen and Ana Tainta, and forwards Andrea Martinez and Jordan Stotler. The Vikings will need to mesh those newcomers with their returners during the pre-season, something that was ironically easier to do at times last season with the time spent transferring all the players to Lewis & Clark for practices or games.
 
Still, the amenities available to the Vikings in the new Viking Pavilion should help build team cohesion, especially with the promise of a better home atmosphere once the season starts.
 
"I think we do miss the van rides together, but yes, it is nice to walk to practice and have everything right here," Kennedy said. "We are mixing some youth with experience and so we need to balance things in practice in such a way that our young players are learning and our experienced players are continuing to develop.
 
"The atmosphere in the new Viking Pavilion will be fantastic. With the new student section, it should provide a tremendous home court advantage. There is not a bad seat anywhere."
 
And when games eventually roll around, it will be the Viking fans' job to stomp their feet like Thumper instead of Kennedy.