Salisbury got a little bit of a surprise right before the season got underway. And it may be the missing piece the Falcons were looking for.

After losing three senior starters to graduation, including guards Dasheen Reid, an All-Colonial League First Team selection, and Brendan Reichenbach, Salisbury anticipated a shift in its offensive game plan. While that still may be the case to some degree, the addition of sophomore transfer Jack Reichenbach from Notre Dame (Green Pond), Brendan’s brother, figures to add more depth to Salisbury’s backcourt this season. Forward Bryce Fairclough was the other Falcon starter that graduated.

Reichenbach joins a group of veteran Falcons, led by seniors Dylan Belletiere and Tevon Weber, that look to take another step forward. Salisbury (16-1 in the Colonial League) lost in the league title game to Bangor last season and fell short to Central Catholic in the District 11 Class AAA semifinals.

“We have to make more of a focus to get the ball inside this year, and I think we will do that,” head coach Jason Weaver said. “Last year we tried to press a little bit and put a little bit more pressure. I’m not sure if we’re going to do that as much. We might play a little zone as well if we need to.”

But Salisbury’s offense figures to be a two-way street now, especially with the addition of the youngest of three Reichenbach brothers now in blue and white.

“We’re still going to be a man-to-man focused team,” Weaver said. “Offensively, we just know that we need to make a concerted effort to get the ball inside. And if guys get doubled inside to kick it out because we have a lot of shooters, too.”

Even as a freshman, Reichenbach was one of Notre Dame’s top scorers under head coach Pat Boyle. His athleticism and versatility makes him a prized commodity that Weaver can plug into various positions.

“That’s another guy that has varsity experience and is a good basketball player that we’re throwing into the mix and trying to figure out where he fits in,” Weaver said of Reichenbach, who transferred to Salisbury after the first quarter of the school year. “He’s another athlete and a guy that can do a lot of different things, which is going to help us.”

Belletiere and Weber have the most varsity experience of this group, and Weaver is expecting both of them to pick up where they left off after successful junior campaigns.

“Dylan is a guy who is sort of going to set the tone for us with his intensity and his defense,” Weaver said. “He makes all of the hustle plays. He’s able to push the ball on the break. He’s pretty versatile. He might be the point guard at times. He could be the two or the three, and he can play inside at times.”

Versatility seems to be the theme of this group of Falcons, and it stretches across every position on the court.

“He [Weber] has the size and his ability to finish inside, and to change things up defensively by blocking shots and rebounding,” Weaver said. “He is another guy who is pretty versatile as well. He can start the ball on the break, he can post up and he can shoot the jumper.”

Chad Cooperman, who started near the end of last season after Reid went down with an ACL injury, rounds out a class of four seniors. Weaver expects him to have another strong season both defensively and as a three-point shooter. Ian Carson is the other upperclassmen.

Plenty of juniors figure to be just as crucial to Salisbury’s success in the winter. Forward Ryan Slutsky and center Jaxon Costello saw significant varsity time a season ago and had even better summer stints.

“He [Slutsky] actually probably had our best scrimmage out of anybody,” Weaver said. “He was making the right passes and the right plays, he was shooting the ball when he was open, and making the right pass when he needed to.”

Freshman point guard Sean Snyder had a solid summer showing as well and continues to impress the coaching staff in the early stages of practice.

After posting the best record in the Colonial League and earning the No. 1 seed in the tournament a year ago, many expect Salisbury to be atop the league’s top teams once again. But rival Southern Lehigh also figures to be strong, and Bangor returns four starters after topping the Falcons in that title game a year ago.

The journey begins on Friday night when Salisbury hosts Blue Mountain at 5 p.m. The Falcons’ first league game comes on Tuesday at Pen Argyl at 7 p.m.