Post by Orange on Nov 9, 2006 16:55:36 GMT -5
Daily Breeze is actually doing its job and reporting on LMU 
Defeat in last season's WCC Tournament title game provides motivation for the Lions.
By Bob Holtzman
DAILY BREEZE
Loyola Marymount senior guard Brandon Worthy watched the last game of his junior season once, about a week after it was played. He hasn't watched it since and he doesn't plan on seeing it any time soon.
Worthy has reason to wish every videotape or film of the West Coast Conference Tournament final was burned. The Lions couldn't make a layup as time expired and fell to Gonzaga, 68-67, blowing a great chance to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Sharks Cove
"We had a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament on a wide-open layup," Worthy said. "It kills you at first. You go through a long period where you're just devastated, and once you go through that mourning period and the healing begins and (you) get back on the court or back in the gym, everybody knows how close we were and how easily we could have been in the NCAA Tournament."
People are taking notice of the Lions, who were 12-18 in Coach Rodney Tention's first year but stood out with an 8-6 conference record. The Lions were ranked 16th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 ranking and Worthy was one of 25 players named to the Web site's Mid-Major All-America Team.
WCC coaches picked LMU to finish second in their preseason poll, giving it one first-place vote. Worthy and Matthew Knight were picked by the coaches as two of the top six returners in the league. Worthy averaged 15 points and 4.3 assists last year. Knight is back after averaging 16.2 points and 10 rebounds per game.
"Those guys are obviously going to be go-to type guys, they've earned that respect," Tention said. "Their teammates understand that, but they're not the type that are very selfish. They understand we've got other guys."
Knight is excited about the return of fellow Australian Damian Martin. The junior point guard missed all of last season with a ruptured Achilles' tendon. Martin, along with Worthy and junior Jon Ziri will make up the Lions' starting three guards. Ziri currently is playing with a face mask to protect his broken nose.
"We played together on the Australia under-20 team so we've got three years playing together," Knight said of Martin. "It helps me a lot because we understand each other on the court, knowing where each other is going to be. It's a huge advantage having him back."
Knight will be joined in the frontcourt by Pepperdine transfer Derick Grubb. The 6-foot-9 senior used a new NCAA rule, which allows a fifth-year player who already graduated to transfer and not sit out a year if he's enrolled in a graduate program at the new university. Grubb is in the general education graduate program at LMU.
Tention brought in six freshmen and hoped to have several of them contribute, but injuries could prevent a few of them from working into the rotation.
Shawn Deadwiler II had surgery on his left knee last month after partially tearing his meniscus and should be out for at least the first few weeks of the season.
Terron Sutton, a 6-9 forward from Price High, is contemplating redshirting. Max Craig, a 7-foot Canadian center, has played well early and might be the first player off the bench. There should be improved depth with the large recruiting class, although it's still uncertain which player will replace Wes Wardrop.
Defeat in last season's WCC Tournament title game provides motivation for the Lions.
By Bob Holtzman
DAILY BREEZE
Loyola Marymount senior guard Brandon Worthy watched the last game of his junior season once, about a week after it was played. He hasn't watched it since and he doesn't plan on seeing it any time soon.
Worthy has reason to wish every videotape or film of the West Coast Conference Tournament final was burned. The Lions couldn't make a layup as time expired and fell to Gonzaga, 68-67, blowing a great chance to reach the NCAA Tournament.
Sharks Cove
"We had a chance to go to the NCAA Tournament on a wide-open layup," Worthy said. "It kills you at first. You go through a long period where you're just devastated, and once you go through that mourning period and the healing begins and (you) get back on the court or back in the gym, everybody knows how close we were and how easily we could have been in the NCAA Tournament."
People are taking notice of the Lions, who were 12-18 in Coach Rodney Tention's first year but stood out with an 8-6 conference record. The Lions were ranked 16th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25 ranking and Worthy was one of 25 players named to the Web site's Mid-Major All-America Team.
WCC coaches picked LMU to finish second in their preseason poll, giving it one first-place vote. Worthy and Matthew Knight were picked by the coaches as two of the top six returners in the league. Worthy averaged 15 points and 4.3 assists last year. Knight is back after averaging 16.2 points and 10 rebounds per game.
"Those guys are obviously going to be go-to type guys, they've earned that respect," Tention said. "Their teammates understand that, but they're not the type that are very selfish. They understand we've got other guys."
Knight is excited about the return of fellow Australian Damian Martin. The junior point guard missed all of last season with a ruptured Achilles' tendon. Martin, along with Worthy and junior Jon Ziri will make up the Lions' starting three guards. Ziri currently is playing with a face mask to protect his broken nose.
"We played together on the Australia under-20 team so we've got three years playing together," Knight said of Martin. "It helps me a lot because we understand each other on the court, knowing where each other is going to be. It's a huge advantage having him back."
Knight will be joined in the frontcourt by Pepperdine transfer Derick Grubb. The 6-foot-9 senior used a new NCAA rule, which allows a fifth-year player who already graduated to transfer and not sit out a year if he's enrolled in a graduate program at the new university. Grubb is in the general education graduate program at LMU.
Tention brought in six freshmen and hoped to have several of them contribute, but injuries could prevent a few of them from working into the rotation.
Shawn Deadwiler II had surgery on his left knee last month after partially tearing his meniscus and should be out for at least the first few weeks of the season.
Terron Sutton, a 6-9 forward from Price High, is contemplating redshirting. Max Craig, a 7-foot Canadian center, has played well early and might be the first player off the bench. There should be improved depth with the large recruiting class, although it's still uncertain which player will replace Wes Wardrop.