Lakeland Christian Academy junior Josh McDaniel is one of the key returners for the Cougars. (File photo by Mike Deak)

WINONA LAKE – Chris Hohm won’t need any remedies for senioritis this basketball season.

Hohm, in his third year as head coach of the Lakeland Christian Academy boys basketball team, is overseeing a roster nary a senior. Not one. But to say he doesn’t have any experience would be false.

At the front of the discussion of LCA this winter will be junior guard Josh McDaniel, who returns for his third season as the starting point guard for the Cougars. McDaniel logged the most minutes of any player last season and wound up leading the team in scoring (13.2 points per game), three-pointers made and attempted (51-143) and was third on the team in assists (37), steals (22) and added 49 rebounds.

“Josh has developed into a really nice player,” Hohm stated. “I’ve had several coaches tell me that they like his game.  He has a really nice shooting touch, and he has gotten better at creating his own shot and fighting through contact.  He will be able to handle the ball, help carry us in scoring, and this year he will grow into a player who can help make others around him better.”

Junior Noah Twombly (55 points, 21 assists, 20 rebounds) averaged about 14 minutes per game as a sophomore, and classmates Elijah Raymond and Jeremy Gross didn’t accumulate many stats (68 total rebounds) but averaged almost 18 minutes per night.

Sophomore Jake Harmon became a focal point of the offense as the season progressed in his maiden voyage. The scrappy 5-7 guard is just behind McDaniel as the second-highest returning point scorer at 5.2 ppg. His 28-120 on three-point shots was just a 28 percent clip, but Hohm feels his trigger-happy shooter can come around.

Hohm is looking for sophomore Landon Twombly to immediately make an impact, naming him one of the team captains along with Harmon and McDaniel. Landon averaged just 3.9 ppg as a freshman, but has shown his worth off the court as a team leader in addition to his on-court contributions.

“Leadership is no issue,” Hohm said. “Jake Harmon and Landon Twombly have stepped up with their commitment and are learning how to lead. Overall, we are a much more cohesive unit with good leadership than at this time last year.”

Junior Trae Harris, sophomores Trenton Parker, Alex Wiseman and Braxton Parker, and freshmen Landon Paris, Layton Goldsmith and Matthew Helton all are listed on the preseason varsity roster.

Hohm, who took LCA from a one-win team his first season to four wins last year, had LCA win three of its final four regular season games before bowing out to eventual sectional champion Fort Wayne Blackhawk. With all of the fresh faces and green talent, Hohm points to a key stretch at the beginning of January and into the end of the month as a key time for his club.

“We are anxious to get into some games and see how we stack up against other teams,” Hohm said. “When we look at our schedule this year, we know that some schools will be difficult for us to keep up with, but our hope is that the number of teams that overwhelm us is diminishing.

“We are looking for some more competitive games throughout the season, and with us starting 0-11 or worse the last three years, we are looking to get a win or a couple wins before Christmas. I’m really looking forward to our December schedule, as I think we will play many teams who we can compete with but we will have to play well to come out on top.”

LCA opens its season Tuesday at Caston before hosting its first home contest Nov. 29 against Bethany Christian.