Post by fanblade on Oct 24, 2009 14:40:16 GMT -5
Aka the Sports Xchange preview.
rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=teamreports-2009-ncaab-lat&prov=sportsxchange&type=team_report
GETTING INSIDE
Loyola Marymount is not about to challenge for the West Coast conference title, but there is reason to believe the Lions will be dramatically better than they were last season and could be the surprise team of the conference.
Being improved from last season is no great accomplishment, since the Lions won just three games in 2008-2009 and finished last in a conference that was not particularly strong.
However, the addition of two transfers who are now eligible, the return of a key player who missed last season with an injury, and the maturation and return of virtually the entire team suggest this season will be better.
The fact that the coaching situation is stabilized should help, too.
The sudden departure of Bill Bayno early in his first season shook the program from the start, and interim coach Max Good was not named the permanent head coach until later in the season. Injuries that sidelined three starters made a young team with little depth even younger and thinner. The Lions did show improvement late last season.
Good is back with a working knowledge of what he has.
The Lions still won’t be great outside shooters or rebounders, and those deficiencies will limit how much progress they can make. But if they can simply cut down on their turnovers, the Lions may move out of the WCC basement.
Vernon Teel, the team’s top scorer last year when he averaged 14.6 points in half a season of activity, is healthy after missing the first 15 games last season with a broken foot. Jarred DuBois, LaRon Armstead and Kevin Young return after showing moments of brilliance last season as freshmen.
Tim Diederichs is also back after missing last season with a shoulder problem.
The pivotal players, though, are Drew Viney, who transferred from Oregon, and Larry Davis, who transferred from Seton Hall.
Davis apparently is all right after injuring his Achilles’ tendon in April, and the Lions need him to be at full strength to provide a consistent scoring threat.
Both Davis and Viney can score and should considerably improve LMU’s feeble offense.
LMU did surprisingly well in recruiting, bringing in one of the conference’s top freshman classes, and if those four contribute as expected, LMU could advance several places in the standings of a conference that is not particularly strong this season.
This remains a young team with no seniors on the squad; 12 of the 15 roster members are freshmen or sophomores. This is not a great shooting team, and scoring will be an issue. But if Good can slowly build some cohesiveness and confidence through the season, the Lions might be competitive by season’s end.
NOTES, QUOTES
• Even though they won just two WCC games and finished last, the Lions showed marked improvement over the final month of the season. They held second-half leads in six of their final eight games, although they were unable to finish, losing six of the eight.
• SF Drew Viney remains a mystery. He initially committed to California as a high school senior before changing his mind and signing with Oregon. But he played only 12 games as a freshman because of a stress fracture in his foot, and then decided to transfer. He then sat out last year, so it is has been awhile since he played meaningful minutes in a game.
• F Larry Davis’ health is a major issue for the Lions. He started 21 games for Seton Hall in his two seasons there, and could be a star in the WCC. But that depends on how well he recovers from surgery he had in April to repair a torn Achilles’ tendon. It could take him awhile to regain top form.
Last Year: 3-28, 2-12 in the WCC, eighth place.
Head Coach: Max Good (244-249 career), second year at Loyola Marymount (3-28).
Quote To Note: “We relied heavily on three freshmen last year, maybe too much. But we really had no choice and they got better because of it.”—LMU head coach Max Good, on Jarred DuBois, LaRon Armstead and Kevin Young.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Scouting The Newcomers: The two key newcomers were actually at Loyola Marymount last year—Drew Viney and Larry Davis, who sat out last season as transfers. They should help the Lions’ offense considerably, and LMU needs a lot of help at that end, particularly in terms of outside shooting.
All four freshmen could help this season, but the one with the most potential is G Given Kalipinde, who eventually could become a big-time scorer, something LMU desperately needs. Edgar Garibay, a 6-10 freshman, adds some much-needed height.
Key Early-season Games: The Nov. 18 game against UC Irvine is the Lions only home game in its first five contests, and it is one LMU could and should win.
That could provide a launching point for the Lions, who then play tough road games against Southern California and Tulsa. LMU begins the season in a tournament in Missoula, Mont., and games against Boise State and Montana should show Max Good what he has. The Lions should come out of it with a win over North Dakota, which is transitioning to Division I. The Lions could win two of their first four games, and that would be a boost.
Program Direction: The program bottomed out last season, when it was one of the worst in the country, and should begin a slow, upward climb this season.
It has had only two winning seasons in the past 17 years, so the program has a ways to go to gain respectability, and it may never again match the success it had when Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers were around. Max Good became the school’s fifth head coach in 10 years, so the program has lacked stability, direction and identity for quite a while.
But Good has some good young talent, and teams can make a lot of progress in a short period in the WCC.
Probable Starting Lineup: G Jarred DuBois, G Vernon Teel, SF Drew Viney, SF Larry Davis, PF Tim Diederichs
Roster Report:
• F Ashley Hamilton missed all but six games last season with a bad back and was granted a medical redshirt, making him a freshman again. His back remains a problem, but he was expected to be ready for the season.
• Sophomore F Kevin Young played for Puerto Rico in the 2009 Under-19 World championships. (His mother is Puerto Rican.) Young averaged 23 minutes, 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds for Puerto Rico, which finished sixth with a 5-4 record.
• F Tim Diederichs sustained a shoulder injury during 2008 preseason practice, and, after playing just three games, had season-ending shoulder surgery. He was granted a medical redshirt and is now a sophomore who seems to be completely recovered. Two years ago, he became the first LMU freshman to start every game in his first season.
• F Brad Sweezy has played in 61 games for LMU, nearly twice as many as any other player on the roster.
rivals.yahoo.com/ncaa/basketball/news?slug=teamreports-2009-ncaab-lat&prov=sportsxchange&type=team_report
GETTING INSIDE
Loyola Marymount is not about to challenge for the West Coast conference title, but there is reason to believe the Lions will be dramatically better than they were last season and could be the surprise team of the conference.
Being improved from last season is no great accomplishment, since the Lions won just three games in 2008-2009 and finished last in a conference that was not particularly strong.
However, the addition of two transfers who are now eligible, the return of a key player who missed last season with an injury, and the maturation and return of virtually the entire team suggest this season will be better.
The fact that the coaching situation is stabilized should help, too.
The sudden departure of Bill Bayno early in his first season shook the program from the start, and interim coach Max Good was not named the permanent head coach until later in the season. Injuries that sidelined three starters made a young team with little depth even younger and thinner. The Lions did show improvement late last season.
Good is back with a working knowledge of what he has.
The Lions still won’t be great outside shooters or rebounders, and those deficiencies will limit how much progress they can make. But if they can simply cut down on their turnovers, the Lions may move out of the WCC basement.
Vernon Teel, the team’s top scorer last year when he averaged 14.6 points in half a season of activity, is healthy after missing the first 15 games last season with a broken foot. Jarred DuBois, LaRon Armstead and Kevin Young return after showing moments of brilliance last season as freshmen.
Tim Diederichs is also back after missing last season with a shoulder problem.
The pivotal players, though, are Drew Viney, who transferred from Oregon, and Larry Davis, who transferred from Seton Hall.
Davis apparently is all right after injuring his Achilles’ tendon in April, and the Lions need him to be at full strength to provide a consistent scoring threat.
Both Davis and Viney can score and should considerably improve LMU’s feeble offense.
LMU did surprisingly well in recruiting, bringing in one of the conference’s top freshman classes, and if those four contribute as expected, LMU could advance several places in the standings of a conference that is not particularly strong this season.
This remains a young team with no seniors on the squad; 12 of the 15 roster members are freshmen or sophomores. This is not a great shooting team, and scoring will be an issue. But if Good can slowly build some cohesiveness and confidence through the season, the Lions might be competitive by season’s end.
NOTES, QUOTES
• Even though they won just two WCC games and finished last, the Lions showed marked improvement over the final month of the season. They held second-half leads in six of their final eight games, although they were unable to finish, losing six of the eight.
• SF Drew Viney remains a mystery. He initially committed to California as a high school senior before changing his mind and signing with Oregon. But he played only 12 games as a freshman because of a stress fracture in his foot, and then decided to transfer. He then sat out last year, so it is has been awhile since he played meaningful minutes in a game.
• F Larry Davis’ health is a major issue for the Lions. He started 21 games for Seton Hall in his two seasons there, and could be a star in the WCC. But that depends on how well he recovers from surgery he had in April to repair a torn Achilles’ tendon. It could take him awhile to regain top form.
Last Year: 3-28, 2-12 in the WCC, eighth place.
Head Coach: Max Good (244-249 career), second year at Loyola Marymount (3-28).
Quote To Note: “We relied heavily on three freshmen last year, maybe too much. But we really had no choice and they got better because of it.”—LMU head coach Max Good, on Jarred DuBois, LaRon Armstead and Kevin Young.
STRATEGY AND PERSONNEL
Scouting The Newcomers: The two key newcomers were actually at Loyola Marymount last year—Drew Viney and Larry Davis, who sat out last season as transfers. They should help the Lions’ offense considerably, and LMU needs a lot of help at that end, particularly in terms of outside shooting.
All four freshmen could help this season, but the one with the most potential is G Given Kalipinde, who eventually could become a big-time scorer, something LMU desperately needs. Edgar Garibay, a 6-10 freshman, adds some much-needed height.
Key Early-season Games: The Nov. 18 game against UC Irvine is the Lions only home game in its first five contests, and it is one LMU could and should win.
That could provide a launching point for the Lions, who then play tough road games against Southern California and Tulsa. LMU begins the season in a tournament in Missoula, Mont., and games against Boise State and Montana should show Max Good what he has. The Lions should come out of it with a win over North Dakota, which is transitioning to Division I. The Lions could win two of their first four games, and that would be a boost.
Program Direction: The program bottomed out last season, when it was one of the worst in the country, and should begin a slow, upward climb this season.
It has had only two winning seasons in the past 17 years, so the program has a ways to go to gain respectability, and it may never again match the success it had when Bo Kimble and Hank Gathers were around. Max Good became the school’s fifth head coach in 10 years, so the program has lacked stability, direction and identity for quite a while.
But Good has some good young talent, and teams can make a lot of progress in a short period in the WCC.
Probable Starting Lineup: G Jarred DuBois, G Vernon Teel, SF Drew Viney, SF Larry Davis, PF Tim Diederichs
Roster Report:
• F Ashley Hamilton missed all but six games last season with a bad back and was granted a medical redshirt, making him a freshman again. His back remains a problem, but he was expected to be ready for the season.
• Sophomore F Kevin Young played for Puerto Rico in the 2009 Under-19 World championships. (His mother is Puerto Rican.) Young averaged 23 minutes, 7.7 points and 5.0 rebounds for Puerto Rico, which finished sixth with a 5-4 record.
• F Tim Diederichs sustained a shoulder injury during 2008 preseason practice, and, after playing just three games, had season-ending shoulder surgery. He was granted a medical redshirt and is now a sophomore who seems to be completely recovered. Two years ago, he became the first LMU freshman to start every game in his first season.
• F Brad Sweezy has played in 61 games for LMU, nearly twice as many as any other player on the roster.
