DAILY PILOT HIGH SCHOOL ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:

The mood around the Corona del Mar High girls’ basketball team is more positive than last season.

No one was smiling Thursday, maybe because practice was minutes away from starting.

Coaches noticed these things, so Mark Decker walked over toward Katie Bergsma. He interrupted her serious conversation, trying to ease things.

“Did she smile yet?” asked Decker, who quickly walked away after getting Bergsma to grin.

Bergsma has a lot to beam about. The Sea Kings are 5-0, off to their best start in Decker’s three years with the Sea Kings.

Bergsma has been a driving force in the program’s turnaround from last season, when CdM lost its final nine games to finish 7-19.

The stellar beginning this season has allowed Bergsma to forget about last season’s dreadful ending.

Many faces returned off that team. Bergsma, a junior, stands out the most. She is 5-foot-11, easily making her the tallest player.

Decker jokes that everybody is a guard on his team except Bergsma.

The Sea Kings’ lineup is small again after losing size before last season. A 6-4 center and a 5-11 forward decided not to return to the team.

This left Bergsma as CdM’s low-post option in her inaugural varsity season.

For any new player, this is a challenge. As a sophomore, Bergsma had to be a presence in the paint offensively and defensively on an inexperienced team.

Only two seniors played and the rest of the team was comprised of five freshmen, three juniors and two sophomores.

Bergsma survived, earning second-team All-Pacific Coast League honors after averaging a team-best nine rebounds and two blocks per game to go with 6.2 points.

Not much has changed at CdM in regards to the youth movement. With seven sophomores, one freshman and two seniors to go with Bergsma, the future definitely looks promising.

The Sea Kings are winning now. Bergsma expects the success in nonleague action to carry over to league, where they ended up in last place last season.

Early on, Bergsma has jumpstarted CdM with outstanding defense and rebounding. She can score as well, averaging 8.4 points per game.

A right wrist has begun to bother Bergsma. She plans to get an MRI examination on it soon. In the meantime, she’s been wearing a small brace during games.

The brace didn’t hinder Bergsma’s production in the CdM-Estancia Tip-off Classic championship Saturday.

For the first time this season, Bergsma showed she can dominate a game offensively.

She finished with 22 points and 12 rebounds, helping the Sea Kings beat Estancia, 58-47, on the road.

“She scored a lot that game, but some games she doesn’t score a lot,” said Decker, who doesn’t rely on Bergsma to lead the team in scoring every game. “That [championship] game she really took an offensive mindset.

“She’s tall. She’s fast. She’s a very tough [matchup] for a lot of teams.”

Teams have to account for Bergsma by doubling her because of her height advantage.

This gives CdM’s guards wide-open perimeter shots. Sophomore Kayla Marolt has taken advantage.

The sophomore leads the team in scoring with 14.6 points per game. Marolt is one of two sophomore starters.

Seniors Brittany Rhyme and Sami Stern start as well, providing leadership along with Bergsma.

“I have been putting a lot of high expectations on myself,” Bergsma said. “[Against] Estancia, we didn’t play as well as we could’ve, but we played hard. We hadn’t won first [at a tournament before].

“[Winning] has given us a lot of confidence. It’s another reason that we’re going to keep going [hard].”

DAVID CARRILLO PEÑALOZA may be reached at (714) 966-4612 or at david.carrillo@latimes.com.