"Young and Hungry” Upper Dauphin Trojans Set for 2025-26 Season of Growth

ELIZABETHVILLE, PA – The Upper Dauphin Area Boys Basketball program is embracing a philosophy of daily improvement as they enter the 2025-26 season, led by second year Head Coach Adam Zigner. With a roster described as "Hungry, Energetic, and Passionate", the Trojans face the significant challenge of inexperience but believe their dedication to growth will allow them to surprise opponents.

Inexperience is the Team's Biggest Hurdle

The Trojans enter the season with a notable lack of varsity minutes across the roster. The team does not have a single senior, and only two players return with significant varsity experience from a squad that lost approximately 90% of its scoring to graduation.

Coach Zigner views this inexperience as the team's biggest challenge, which is compounded by the need to develop an entirely new offensive game plan to compensate for the lost production. However, the coach believes the youth can be an advantage, potentially enabling the team to catch opponents off guard.

Off-Season Dedication Fuels Optimism

Despite the turnover, the coaching staff is optimistic, citing a productive off-season as a major success. The team participated in a full 25-game season, two summer leagues, a summer shootout, and a three-day team camp at Albright College, all designed to foster daily improvement and cohesion.

A key message stressed to the players is an adaptation of a phrase from Bucknell's head coach, John Griffin: "Better you, better us. Better us, better for everyone.". This underscores the focus on individual improvement translating directly to team success and the program's culture.

Key Players and Style of Play

The team will rely heavily on the returning trio of Kaide Heim (2.8 PPG), Landon Savage (7.8 PPG), and Alex Fernandez (.5 PPG). Coach Zigner expects "massive leaps" from these three players, stating that the team’s success will be tied to how quickly they adapt to their new varsity roles. The early part of the season will also be used to evaluate several newcomers for the rotation, with the coach emphasizing an "Earn your spot" mentality.

📈 Strategy & Depth:

• Offense: The philosophy leans toward a fast-paced, high-possession game, viewing basketball as a numbers game where more possessions create more scoring chances. The coach notes the importance of smart decision-making to avoid turnovers that lead to easy points for the opponent.

• Defense: After a "vanilla" defensive approach last year, the staff plans to use a variety of schemes, giving opponents "a lot of different looks" to keep them on their toes.

• Rotation: Coach Zigner expects a deeper bench than last season, with the potential to play 9 or 10 players without a "massive drop off" in talent.

League Outlook and Definition of Success

Playing in the competitive Tri-Valley League (TVL), the Trojans' goal is simply to be competitive every single night. Coach Zigner singled out Halifax, Susquenita, Line Mountain, Juniata, and St. Joe's as teams expected to be "tough outs" this season. 

Beyond the win-loss column, success for the young program will be measured in February by whether the team has stayed on track with its daily improvement goal. The season will also be deemed a success if the players have grown together in terms of skill, teamwork, and leadership. The coach wants the players to understand they are part of a program with a long and storied history, stressing that returning to that level can only be done "TOGETHER".