Ask 10 high school basketball coaches which one they would rather lead into battle -- a core of experienced seniors or a team filled with underclassmen. Chances are, 10 out of 10 will take the veterans.

That only makes the transformation currently taking place on Chicago's East Side all the more remarkable.

Not only are there no seniors on the St. Francis deSales girls basketball team, there are only two juniors -- and zero sophomores. Instead, the Pioneers are led by seven talented freshmen.

"It was kind of a surprise," freshman Taylor O'Bannon said of seeing the team had seven freshmen on the first day of practice.

"But deep down I think we all knew it was going to be a young team this year. Coming in as freshmen like this sets the bar a little higher."

And that bar just keeps levitating, as this group of 14- and 15-year-olds is tearing through older competition to the tune of a 13-5 record through Wednesday.

To put that record into perspective, consider the fact that deSales won only four games last season. The year before that, it won only two.

The 2005-06 regional championship team was the last band of Pioneers to win at least 13 games.

So what is the secret behind this sudden success?

"It's the kids," coach Terrence Streater said. "With the girls we have now, there's some D-I potential, so it's a blessing to get them over here. They're young, but they've been playing basketball for a long time."

Now in his second season at the helm, Streater took over for Julie Loehrke after the 2-26 campaign. But at a low point for the program, Streater had to deal with dwindling numbers.

"I guess after the coach they had in the past, they just didn't have any confidence in the program," Streater said. "So when I got here, it was kind of like, 'Oh my God, now we've got a new coach now, too. I don't know if I can play for him.'"

While the four wins in his inaugural season marked an improvement, Streater wanted more. And he wanted to get rid of the culture of losing.

And what better way to change the culture than to bring in seven fresh faces.

"We were motivated because we came in and the school isn't really about sports, it's about academics," said Tyler Brown, one of the Pioneer freshmen. "As a group, we knew we could come in and really help the school with basketball."

"We knew coming in we had to step our games up and try to build this program back up," freshman Brianta McMorris said.

DeSales games this season are an exercise in constant motion. That up-tempo offense has translated to an average of 52 points per game.

The run-and-gun offense isn't just exciting for the fans, it's exciting for the players, and it keeps their heads in the game.

The style of play helps, but Streater admits there are special challenges that come along with coaching such a young group.

"You have to have a lot of patience," Streater said. "They're so used to winning all of their games, with every game being easy for them. I have to break it to them that in high school there are going to be tough games.

"This isn't grade school or AAU. The game speed is a lot faster, and the game is more physical. So I kind of get in their mind mentally that every game won't be easy. And they adjust to it pretty well."

Helping his kids make the adjustment to high school is a tall task for Streater, but he has help in the form of his two juniors.

While the freshmen do most of the heavy lifting on this team, Streater said juniors Lucy Botello and Carolina Gonzalez are invaluable.

"The juniors really help the team with the mental aspect of the game," he said. "They kind of keep them under control off the court, in the classroom or on the court."

Four of the Pioneer freshmen hail from the same grade school, St. Margaret of Scotland on the East Side. But through summer leagues and AAU ball, everyone was familiar with their teammates entering high school.

Needless to say, the team hit the ground running.

"When we first got here we just clicked," McMorris said. "We're learning to trust each other's games, so we're playing pretty well together."

And while the thought of what this group may be capable of in three years should make GCAC teams and Class 2A teams across the state tremble, the Pioneers say, "Why wait?"

"We have pretty high confidence," Brown said. "We believe we can do anything. We may be a small team, and we may be mostly freshmen, but we truly believe we can beat anybody."

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Changing the culture

St. Francis deSales' recent records:

2006-07 -- 11-20

2007-08 -- 2-26

2008-09 -- 4-26

2009-10 -- 13-5 (through Wednesday)