Mike Taylor was a championship coach long before he returned to his alma mater.

Since coming back to Punahou, where he is an elementary-school teacher, Taylor has led the girls basketball program to four state championships in the past six seasons.

But before that, he was a gritty, make-do coach at Maryknoll, which happened to upset the Buffanblu during Taylor's brief stint.

Never a complaint that there is no gym.

Never a whine about taking on behemoths in the rugged Interscholastic League of Honolulu. In fact, Taylor thrived on the doubts and assumptions.

This year, with the graduation of Dara Tompkison and All-State performers Shawna-Lei Kuehu (three-time Star-Bulletin player of the year) and Shaena-Lyn Kuehu, Punahou seems vulnerable. However, the Buffanblu are 5-2 in nonconference play, including a one-point loss to Sacred Hearts Cathedral (Calif.) and a three-point loss to nationally ranked Westlake (Ga.).

Coaches and media voted Punahou No. 1 in the Star-Bulletin Girls Basketball Preseason Top 10. That surprised Taylor a bit.

“;Rankings are rankings. I think people vote us there because of what we had last year. But really, when it's all said and done, you have to get out of league and get one of those two berths to states,”; he said.

“;Farrington has a great team, Konawaena's always tough and I'm hearing great things about Lahainaluna,”; Taylor said of the other top-ranked teams in the poll. ILH contenders Kamehameha, Mid-Pacific and 'Iolani also concern him.

“;To me, Mid-Pac is like a loaded cannon,”; he said.

On paper: Punahou was 21-6 last year (11-1 ILH), winning its final eight games after a mid-January loss to 'Iolani. In all, the school has 10 girls hoops state titles since the first state tournament in 1977.

The strength of this season's team begins with senior Janelle Nomura, a Star-Bulletin All-State/Fab 15 selection since her sophomore season. The hard-playing, explosive guard has battled some injuries during her career, but hasn't backed down or changed her uptempo play.

There may not be another guard in the state as willing to attack the basket against the giants. At 5-foot-4, she scored 27 points in Punahou's 51-48 loss to Westlake.

Rebecca Lau (5-5) is the other fourth-year letterman in the backcourt. Those two set the tone for Punahou's swarming, physical man-to-man defense.

Tressa Torres, a 5-9 senior, showed plenty of skill last season on the low post. With Shawna Kuehu's departure, Torres is a key instrument in the Buffanblu's halfcourt set. She scored 16 points in a 55-44 win over No. 4 Konawaena during the 'Iolani Classic two weeks ago.

After Torres, the lineup is rather interchangeable and flexible. Taylor puts his entire lineup to work most nights, in effect grinding down opposing teams with fullcourt pressure.

Underclassmen like Ali Santi (5-10, So.), Julia Brand (5-10, So.) and Jenny Ching (5-8, So.) are part of a reserve unit that is tall, long and aggressive.

They get plenty of leadership from their five seniors, which includes Julianne Nomura and Anna Merrifield (5-10).

Punahou's closest game with a local team was a 53-47 win over No. 2 Farrington three weeks ago.

The skinny: Taylor can bring the blue collar out of the Buffanblu even when they're No. 1. Since the Classic, Punahou has battened down the hatches and gone back to basics. With just one game, a win over McKinley, the Buffanblu trained and trained.

“;It's a late-starting season and we had our tournaments, so we've been going at it with each other,”; Taylor said, referring to the Nov. 24 statewide start date.

Punahou takes every opportunity to build on chemistry in the lab.

“;What's great about this team is they complement each other so well. There's no superstar-type player. If maybe somebody has a bit of an off game, someone else can fill in those roles,”; Taylor said. “;It's fun to watch how hard these kids really work and how they get along and support each other.”;

X factor: The Buffanblu have a lot of forwards and guards, but no player is taller than 5-10.

“;Bigger teams are going to have a size advantage on us, so we have to be sound rebounders and trust our technique,”; Taylor said.