Right out of the gate, Ron Bollinger is setting the goal high: The Bothell High boys basketball team is aiming for a state tournament trophy this winter, something the program hasn’t done since 1997.

That includes the run of tournament appearances with Zach LeVine, the UCLA star who went on to play in the NBA.

Bollinger’s reason? Talent. Lots of it.

“We’ve got three kids that are going to play college basketball, and if we can get them in sync and get the role players around them, I think we can do it,” Bollinger said.

The Cougars return the program’s top scorers from last winter, including first-team all-conference post Jake Medjo and guard Cameron Tyson. Second-team guard Josh Kollman returns as well, and Bollinger is hoping the three-headed offensive monster will be enough for a tournament run.

“We’re hoping that the other guys can just pick their spots,” Bollinger said. “Teams are going to try to take those guys away — one or two, but it’s hard to take three. There will be one that can have a big game and the other two will need to step in there.”

Kollman led the Cougars to a 78-77 win over Juanita on Monday during the season opener with 27 points. Medjo had 16 points and Tyson had 15 — exactly as expected.

The Cougars add an offensive threat and strong inside defender Daniel Johnson, a transfer from Mountlake Terrace, who is expected to make a big contribution once he is cleared to play. Izaiah Clark, a 6-foot-4 guard is another transfer battling for the starting point guard role.

Another familiar name, junior guard Da’Vicious Wilson, will likely play a big role. Wilson moved up from the JV squad, but is among the top athletes in the program.

Bothell fell short of the state tournament last season, falling to Union in a crossover postseason game. Bothell hasn’t been to the state tournament since 2013.

“Definitely, our goal is to get to Tacoma,” Kollman said. “We lost two or three seniors last year, but we have a lot of returners and a lot of our scoring is back. We have a good chance to do that.”

Tyson, who drew attention every time he touched the ball against Juanita, said he worked on penetration in the offseason. Tyson was second in the conference in scoring last season at nearly 22 points per game, and said the promise of big things in 2017 motivated him to improve.

“We’re going to be good, and we know that,” he said.

Bothell is scheduled to play at Edmonds-Woodway High School tonight. The conference schedule is set to begin on Dec. 6 at home against Skyline.