WINONA LAKE – Lakeland Christian Academy’s boys basketball team returns varsity experience, but youth will be served on the roster and in the starting lineup. “I think four of our starting spots are locked in right now. We have our trio of juniors who have varsity experience; Connor Blum, Jon Harmon and Carter Twombley all started at various points last year,” said head coach Chris Hohn. “Some played more than others, and they’re already primed up and ready to go. They’ll be the core of our offense, defense and leadership. “We also have a senior, Kyle Shuler, who started a couple of games last year but was a limited part of the offense, and he’ll likely get the fourth starting spot. “Another junior, Evan Bremer, along with three freshmen will compete for that fifth starting spot. Josh McDaniel leading the way of the freshman group. Noah Twombly and Elijah Raymond are also part of the mix for that last starting spot, but all of them should see some playing time. Whether it’s a few minutes or a lot of minutes depends on how things go in practice and in games.” The top issue the Cougars will have to address is scoring, and Hohn said he team will need several players to step up and replace a couple of guys from last year’s team. “Our top returning scorer is Connor, and he averaged about seven points a game. We graduated our top scorer, Chris Silveus, who averaged about 12 points a game, and as a team we averaged in the upper 30s in points per game. So that’s a pretty big chunk of scoring percentage we’ll need to replace this year. “We also have to replace our starting point guard, Cody Kline, and those are some valuable players. We’ll need someone to step up and fill those spots. I think with the experience we have with the three juniors and the senior with varsity experience that will pay off for them; they won’t be too overwhelmed by the stage. “Our other freshmen will have to grow up quickly, moving from eighth grade basketball to varsity basketball, without stops at a freshman team or junior varsity team. We don’t have the numbers (of players) to run those teams, so they’ll be up against bigger guys. I think the skill level is there, it’s just the streaks that come with lack of experience that they’ll have to overcome.” While an increase in skill level and basketball knowledge is something Hohn will work for with his team, wins will always be a part of the team’s measurements of success. “I think we’ll measure success in terms of growth, and hopefully leaps and bounds from where we are right now,” he said. “At the same time, we want to be competitive and not just looking only at growth; we want to have success on the court in terms of trying to get those wins, and being competitive in games. “I think just learning the game of basketball, trying to expand the knowledge they do have, develop that knowledge and understand a little more about our rotations. Our offense plays to them having a little more freedom to make the right decisions rather than just running from spot to spot. It’ll take some time to develop some continuity and teamwork through that.” Cougar fans can expect Hohn’s team to work hard, and get better as the season moves along. “We’ll be a team that battles hard and doesn't give up,” he said. “We will go through some growing pains at first, but the young guys who will be playing a lot are capable and will be contributing consistently by mid-season.” LCA will open the 2014-15 season with five straight home games, beginning with Caston at 7 p.m. Tuesday.
