Scoring

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With multiple years of coaching experience including varsity level experience in volleyball and basketball, Fosselman hopes to build on the solid foundation in place for Juniata basketball and continue to create a winning culture.

Part of that mentality starts with the Indians’ persistence on the court.

“One thing that I have seen the past few years with this group is that they work together and they never quit,” Fosselman said. “These kids are not going to be quitters and they are competitive. I don’t have a selfish player on this team and they will spread the ball around to the open person.”

Bennett will undoubtedly be a tough player for the Indians to replace in 2022 as she was second in scoring in the Tri-Valley League in league contests last season after averaging more than 15 points per game and finishing second in the league in steals. Bennett was also one of the league’s top facilitators, finishing third in league play in assists last year.

Fosselman plans to rely on his young nucleus of Shearer and Lowrey to help pick up some of that slack offensively.

Along with some returning experience with four returning starters, Fosselman believes that his team has the depth it needs to withstand a tough league schedule. The Indians finished second in scoring offense and third in scoring defense a year ago.

“We’re going to be counting on a lot of different players this year,” Fosselman said. “It would be hard for me to name a starting lineup today. I don’t believe in starting lineups, I tell the kids that I call them first ins. We will be in the game with the players we have, and luckily, there is enough talent that we are going to dress for varsity that if someone is in foul trouble or someone is out sick, we are still going to be competitive. We have a good bit of depth and the kids are working well.”

Fosselman is expecting the league’s most recent powers to once again be near the top of the standings during the 2022-23 season. Line Mountain returns as the league champion after posting an impressive 21-4 mark a year ago.

“Traditionally Upper Dauphin is a good team and Greenwood is another one — a good school with good coaching,” Fosselman said. “Susquenita is usually tough as well. The kids mostly expect Upper Dauphin and Greenwood will be the teams we have to beat to win the Tri-Valley

League.”

Fosselman noted that his team has high aspirations for the 2022-23 campaign, as the Indians hope to win the league crown and make it a step further in District 6 competition. He believes both those goals are attainable.

“I think that we have the ability to do that,” Fosselman said. “It’s the beginning of the year and it’s still 0-0 — we haven’t won a game yet — but we have the ability to go to Districts and one game beyond that, but we have to get there first. We have to win enough games to qualify for districts.”

While the team is young for the most part, Fosselman is eager to see where his team winds up at season’s end.

“We are just really satisfied with the group of kids that we have,” Fosselman said. “Even though they lack a lot of experience together. Having these types of kids with that kind of attitude has been great. It’s a great group across the board. It’ll be a challenge teaching all new offenses and defenses and it’s a learning process but overall, the kids are excited and we are ready to get started.”

Juniata Indians

Coach: Jim Fosselman

Assistants: Becca Zendt, Bruce Brumbaugh

Record: 16-7, 13-3 Tri-Valley League District 6, Class 4A

Continued from Page 21 letter, so we have some experience, but we are going to have to develop depth as we go early in the season.”

Juniata has focused on fundamentals and finding ways to mesh through training camp in learning the scheme that has been successful for the Indians for years.

“We’ve been trying to split our groups up in practice as much as we can,” Ream said. “There’s guys that are older and have a little more experience and then there’s a young group of guys. We are working on fundamentals and working on gelling together in the offensive and defensive sets that we like to run.”

The Indians’ calling card under Ream has always been their ability to defend at an elite level and Ream’s expectations on that end of the floor are no different this year. Juniata finished second in league play in scoring defense, yielding just 38.5 points per game to its opponents.

“I’ve always bought into the philosophy that kids in our area don’t play enough basketball to be as offensive minded, but they can play defense,” Ream said. “Kent Houser has done it at Greenwood and I have bought into that philosophy to really play defense. If you can do that, you’re going to be in games and that’s our goal, to be in every game. As long as we are able to play solid defense, we will be there.”

Juniata’s cross-county rival East Juniata brings back the majority of its Tri-Valley League championship roster from a year ago while Greenwood returns with league MVP Tyler Sherman ready to lead the Wildcats once again.

Ream expects that every game in the Western Division will be a battle.

“Greenwood is going to be really tough and East Juniata is going to be really tough with what they have coming back as well,” Ream said. “We don’t know what St. Joseph’s has. I think we are capable of being in that mix and competing with those teams. Newport is going to be better this year as they develop.”

One thing that Ream has noticed in training camp has been the team’s chemistry throughout practice, which he attributes to the success in recent years of the sports programs at Juniata.

“What has stood out to me has really been the unity that they have already,” Ream said. “From the summer until now, the football team has been successful, the soccer team has been successful and those guys really encouraged each other in the fall. Now they’re working together to be the best team they can be in the winter.”

A level of unselfishness has led Juniata under Ream and the ideology of making the extra pass has paid dividends for the Indians.

“That’s really something that we stress at the junior high level up through the program,” Ream said. “As a result, they buy into it and they work hard to be unselfish and make the extra pass. They buy into that because it’s been successful for us. They see that, so they are willing to buy in and work hard at it.”

While the next group of players will be asked to step up this season, Ream’s expectations are the same as they are each season — he expects that his team will compete for the Tri-Valley League title and fight for a District 6 playoff spot.

“We want to compete for the league title. That’s our goal every year and in every game, we want to be competitive,” Ream said. “We have a tough schedule, but we’re looking to compete every night, take it one game at a time and let the chips fall where they may. As long as we do what I’d like them to do in the Tri-Valley League — and as a team we have those goals — we want to get into districts and we want to win a game or two in districts.”

Juniata Indians

Coach: Al Ream

Assistants: Erich Graybill, Tyler Clark, Ben Lauver, Scott Clark, Alex White and Josh Parson

Record: 14-9, 11-5 Tri-Valley League District 6 Class 4A