Eric Snyder knew this would be a different year on a few fronts for his program this winter.

For starters, the veteran coach had to revamp some of his initial plans when he had to deal with the potential losses of seniors Brandon Purrone and Ra'Von Burton due to injuries from the football season.

Miraculously, Purrone -battling through a torn ACL - has played in the Roughies' first three games, but he isn't at 100-percent capacity. Burton, however, recently underwent knee surgery that brought an end to his Roughies' career.

There also has been the uncanny predicament of the team having as many practices as games (three) through Friday's action, a result of the season's initial rash of winter weather.

Still, there has been a silver lining through it all, as the Roughies have bolted out to a 3-0 start and have been developing their rotation and defensive prowess in the process. The Roughies have won their first three games by an average of 12 points.

"I'll take those results," said Snyder, who is four wins away from the 300 mark beginning this week. "There have been other years where we started slow and we missed districts. Now, we have some wins and league wins under our belt.

"These guys have been in better condition and have made the adjustment better than in recent years. But the football players will still struggle for a few weeks until they get everything together. You can see how they are frustrated, but it does take time.

"Yet, we can't complain about the contributions we have been getting."

Snyder noted how the front court of Paryss Marshall, and Derrick and Kevin Bond have helped establish a force up front.

"They are all doing a great job on the boards." said Snyder. "Paryss (Marshall) has been getting some pressure, and he has been handling it well. Derrick and Kevin (Bond) are tall and lanky and have been blocking shots.

"They have all made a big difference for us."

Snyder also has been impressed with the play of guard Dakota Schiffer, who has been the first player off the bench. Schiffer averaged 13 points through the first three games and had a team-high nine three-pointers.

"He (Schiffer) has been a big spark off the bench," said Snyder. "He had a big game (16 points) against Moravian Academy and gives us a life with his three-pointers. (Schiffer) is a small guy at 5-9, but he plays big out there."

Snyder also cited the play of guard Dave Wetherhold as well as Purrone, who has readjusted his overall game.

"(Purrone) is figuring out what he has to do," said Snyder. "He is more of a passer now. He isn't as explosive in the lane and it has been hard for him to accelerate and push off. But he is giving us everything he has."

Snyder is also optimistic his club can eventually develop a nine or 10-player rotation, and he envisions both Jake Kober and Ricky Houser as regular contributors.

The Roughies have a busy week ahead that began with Northwestern Monday, a trip to Bangor Tuesday, and a trip to Northern Lehigh Thursday. They will then host Northampton Dec. 23 before they a holiday hiatus until a visit to Notre Dame Jan. 3.

"We didn't have a practice going into Monday's game, so we'll see what happens," added Snyder. "We'll get a good test at Bangor. Then we have Northern Lehigh and Northampton before a long break.

"But that will be good for us because we'll have a chance to practice and put in more of our offense. We're running some very basic things right now. Overall, though, we like where we are and hope to keep moving forward."