syn-er-gism (n) interaction of discrete agencies, agents or conditions such that the total effect is greater than the sum of the individual effects

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From starter to reserve, from guard to wing to post, from letterman to tyro, the Demons of Santa Fe High School need to be as selfless and as fitting as a Lego.

"They realize they all have to contribute," Lenny Roybal, Santa Fe High head coach, says. "They have to play hard and they have to play smart."

Playing as one is a given.

"We have to play a total-team game to be successful," Roybal says.

Success was not something the Demons celebrated regularly a season ago — on the court and off.

Six wins.

Twenty-one losses.

Three transfers.

"Instead of looking for answers, we already would have had those questions answered," Roybal says of a what-might-have-been roster.

"Now, we're asking: 'Who's going to step up? Who's going to stay within their abilities and gain confidence and make up for what we lost?' "

Issac Jeantette, the lone full-time returning starter?

Ryan Gately and Brian Romero, the sole seniors and part-time starters?

Kurtis Thomas, the 6-foot-6 junior who last played as a freshman?

Mike Dean, Teddy Roybal or Mario Herrera, lettermen all?

Jarod Milliorn, up from last year's junior varsity?

All the above?

"This is a wait-and-see type of situation," Roybal says. "When you're trying to develop a program, the number one thing is to take each team individually and try to mold them into a successful unit and a competitive unit. But that bad thing is we don't play any weak sisters early to develop that confidence."

Entering tonight's season — and home — opener against Los Alamos, Roybal is concerned about his team's ability to score and its lack of outside shooters.

"We are going to have to play good defense in order for us to be successful," Roybal says.

He wasn't just talking about tonight. He was referring to the entire season. And the strategy will not be passive. And that includes both ends of the court.

"We have to try to play an aggressive game," Roybal says. "In order to slow it down, you have to be real, real, disciplined to do that. To slow it down might be a negative thing with this group. We'll let them play the first couple games and see what they can do. We'll see if we can find some people that can score and gain confidence. If we don't, then we'll need to slow it down."

Jeantette, a 6-0 junior and the 5-11 Romero will attack from the wings, as will Milliorn, a 5-8 junior. The 5-9 Gately and 5-8 junior bookends Roybal and Herrera will handle the guard play.

Thomas is one post. The other is Dean, a 5-9 junior.

Thomas will be the center of attention — literally and figuratively.

"He's showing lots of improvement all the time," Roybal, who guided the Demons to the 1978 boys state basketball championship in his first coaching go-round at the school, says. "But a lot of times, when you haven't played for a couple years, you don't have that instinctive ability. He's still having to think a little bit too much out there, instead of just reacting."

Thomas' first measuring stick is Alex Kirk, Los Alamos' 6-11 junior. Kirk, who averaged 18 points and 10 rebounds last season, is the best big man in the state and one of the best in the country.

It's fact. That's why 30 NCAA Division I colleges have contacted him.

"He's facing the best immediately," Roybal says.

Of course, Thomas is being tutored by Gordon Betancourt, Roybal's right-hand man who played post for his current boss when both were at The College of Santa Fe.

"He helps quite a bit," Roybal says. "When you have somebody that played for you for two years and had success, he knows how you think and what we need to do to be successful."

Betancourt fits. His behind-the-scenes contributions are geared toward the greater good of the whole. But the ultimate effect will be determined by how much the Demons believe in — and fight for — the cause of rising together and not soaring solo.