LCA Boys Hoops Gains Numbers, Loses Scoring
November 26, 2019 at 3:29 a.m.
LCA Boys Hoops Gains Numbers, Loses Scoring
By Mark Howe-
The good news is numbers are up, which creates depth on the varsity level and permits players to gain experience in junior varsity games. It bodes well for seasons beyond 2019-20.
“We have been blessed with a large freshman class,” Cougar head coach Chris Hohm said. “We have 14 guys on the team, and seven are freshmen. Our numbers have been low the last few years, but that class really boosted them.
“A lot of these guys have played together for several years from their time at Warsaw Christian until now with a few new guys added in the mix.”
The not-so-good news is quite a lot of experience, and scoring, graduated. Jake Harmon, Landon Twombly and Braxton Keller accounted for about 34 points a game for last year’s 10-14 squad that was eliminated by eventual state champion Fort Wayne Blackhawk in the sectional opener.
So Hohm is putting a premium on team play and has his eye on a player or two to step up.
“We’ve been moving the ball really well in practice so far, so I think our scoring is going to be a group effort,” he said. “(Freshman) Seth Martin has the ability to score from all over the floor. (Sophomore) Silas Gagnon should provide an inside presence for us, and we've got some shooters to surround those guys to help chip in some points.
“This team will be a lot different from last year's team. We don't have a seasoned veteran team like we did last year. Jake Harmon and Landon Twombly had played four years of varsity and Braxton Keller had a lot of varsity experience leading into last year.
“This year, Landon Paris is our only returning starter, and only 2 other guys (Cameron Shepherd and Matthew Helton) were in the rotation at all. We will score differently than last year, and we revamped our playbook to fit our personnel better for this year, and I am excited to see how that goes.”
So this year Hohm will keep an eye toward the future.
“Our entire season is going to be based on continued growth and improvement,” he said. “We may take some lumps as some of our guys learn to adapt to the varsity level, but we are going to continue to learn the game and improve our skills.
“I always like to see how we play in our rematch games to see how much improvement we are able to show. We have a group of guys that seem to already have each other's backs and be pulling for each other. I'd like to see them continue to get tighter together and play as a unit through tough and easy times.
The coach said his team is looking forward to the challenge, with a strong work ethic, good attitudes and a schedule that will be, arguably, the strongest in school history.
“Our kids are hard workers and have been really coachable. I'm proud of the start to the season that we have had, and I look forward to watching these guys in action,” Hohm said.
“We did change up our schedule a little bit, as we added Culver Community and Triton onto our schedule, removing Benton Homeschool and Cornerstone Christian College Prep (Fort Wayne). This year will be the first time that we have played either of those schools.”
Lakeland Christian opens its season hosting the Caston Comets at 7:30 p.m. today.
The good news is numbers are up, which creates depth on the varsity level and permits players to gain experience in junior varsity games. It bodes well for seasons beyond 2019-20.
“We have been blessed with a large freshman class,” Cougar head coach Chris Hohm said. “We have 14 guys on the team, and seven are freshmen. Our numbers have been low the last few years, but that class really boosted them.
“A lot of these guys have played together for several years from their time at Warsaw Christian until now with a few new guys added in the mix.”
The not-so-good news is quite a lot of experience, and scoring, graduated. Jake Harmon, Landon Twombly and Braxton Keller accounted for about 34 points a game for last year’s 10-14 squad that was eliminated by eventual state champion Fort Wayne Blackhawk in the sectional opener.
So Hohm is putting a premium on team play and has his eye on a player or two to step up.
“We’ve been moving the ball really well in practice so far, so I think our scoring is going to be a group effort,” he said. “(Freshman) Seth Martin has the ability to score from all over the floor. (Sophomore) Silas Gagnon should provide an inside presence for us, and we've got some shooters to surround those guys to help chip in some points.
“This team will be a lot different from last year's team. We don't have a seasoned veteran team like we did last year. Jake Harmon and Landon Twombly had played four years of varsity and Braxton Keller had a lot of varsity experience leading into last year.
“This year, Landon Paris is our only returning starter, and only 2 other guys (Cameron Shepherd and Matthew Helton) were in the rotation at all. We will score differently than last year, and we revamped our playbook to fit our personnel better for this year, and I am excited to see how that goes.”
So this year Hohm will keep an eye toward the future.
“Our entire season is going to be based on continued growth and improvement,” he said. “We may take some lumps as some of our guys learn to adapt to the varsity level, but we are going to continue to learn the game and improve our skills.
“I always like to see how we play in our rematch games to see how much improvement we are able to show. We have a group of guys that seem to already have each other's backs and be pulling for each other. I'd like to see them continue to get tighter together and play as a unit through tough and easy times.
The coach said his team is looking forward to the challenge, with a strong work ethic, good attitudes and a schedule that will be, arguably, the strongest in school history.
“Our kids are hard workers and have been really coachable. I'm proud of the start to the season that we have had, and I look forward to watching these guys in action,” Hohm said.
“We did change up our schedule a little bit, as we added Culver Community and Triton onto our schedule, removing Benton Homeschool and Cornerstone Christian College Prep (Fort Wayne). This year will be the first time that we have played either of those schools.”
Lakeland Christian opens its season hosting the Caston Comets at 7:30 p.m. today.
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