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Post by ironlion on May 28, 2014 14:15:53 GMT -5
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Post by golions1444 on May 28, 2014 15:10:53 GMT -5
I'm a fan of this roster...we're going a different direction than the previous staff...we're not just recruiting the best talent, we are recruiting puzzle pieces...excited for next season, i think we will surprise a lot of people, and great to see siame still on the roster, he was suppose to be a possible program changer, i'd like to at least see him get the chance to do that.
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Post by uncurselmu on May 28, 2014 15:17:47 GMT -5
We've badly needed bigmen and shooters for about a decade so it's good to see that remedied already. Evan should have a lot more room to operate this year with a few bigs inside and a couple shooters to stretch the floor.
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Post by slblions08 on May 28, 2014 15:22:55 GMT -5
He's definitely going to have to do a bunch of icebreakers for this team. I hope he's good at building locker room chemistry because wow these guys have really come from all over the globe. It's clear that yes, he's not looking to stock each position with "potential" or "huge upside" and them teaching them, he's looking for guys that already know how to play a specific role with their special set of skills to fit a system. Basically, it's all up to him now to make it work on the floor. Of course, on court chemistry is really built when you have a solid locker room so he's going to have to make this all work together. It's a talent that Greg Popovich, Rick Carlisle, Phil Jackson and George Karl have had over the years.
One thing that I see, is that they might lack some leadership on the floor for awhile. Egbeyemi and Okonji are the guys that have been around for awhile, but I'm not sure they are strong vocal leaders like that. I hope Evan takes that role sooner rather than later.
Also, really glad to see Siame's name on the list. I have a feeling Siame and Mornar will be our last lines of defense more often than not in the 1-3-1. Personally, I think the big key is going to be on the wings. I could see Egbeyemi starting for defensive purposes, but it also looks like this Spires kid is going to get a bunch of minutes for the offense as the floor spacer. I hope he holds up. Personally I think that kid is the key to the team. He's gotta hit like two 3s a game.
Going off this roster, I see a sort of St. Mary's type offense, so no more herky jerky of Max Good's tenure.
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Post by LMUpepbander on May 28, 2014 16:19:21 GMT -5
Almost seems that the Roar should start waving UN flags with this roster makeup.
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Post by LIONS90045 on May 28, 2014 17:05:56 GMT -5
slb - I'm looking for Matt Hayes to provide that leadership on the floor once team chemistry gels. Our Seniors will provide composure in pressure situations with Deji and Godwin big on "D." Our 6'10" Herman is also a 3-point threat although I'd like to see him more inside. Should be an interesting season and this will be Dunlap's team from day 1.
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Post by husky on May 28, 2014 19:33:45 GMT -5
Looks pretty good. Feeling much better. I have heard it said that "our (LMU fans) scars run deep". There is no better example than: at the end of 2013 year we were riding high with a solid winning record (including 2-0 in WCC) and a great win against BYU; then injuries hit and we had a mere 2 wins the remainder of the season.
Now, in spite of the personnel leakage, it's starting to look up. If we can only stay reasonably healthy maybe a couple of our scars can start to fade away.
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Post by LIONS90045 on May 28, 2014 19:57:48 GMT -5
As of now, the roster has 6 "guards " and 6 "forwards" with room for one more. I like our size throughout the roster much better than last season - 6'4" and 6'6" SGs have an advantage over 6'0" guys and we have great potential inside although much of it unproven at the D1 level. I have a feeling Hayes will surprise with his floor leadership and our Seniors will have outstanding seasons with Clint's being understated but full of heart and aggressive defense. With our last scholarship, I wouldn't mind picking up another true PG, perhaps even an upper class man; otherwise I'd welcome another big man with some bulk to pound the boards. I hope we revert to having the Crimson/Navy exhibition game before the season starts so we can get a feeling for the team's potential. Max seemed to make the team less and less accessible as his tenure progressed which I did not appreciate. Is it too early or can I say: "Go Lions!"
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Post by uncurselmu on May 29, 2014 21:17:08 GMT -5
As of now, the roster has 6 "guards " and 6 "forwards" with room for one more. I like our size throughout the roster much better than last season - 6'4" and 6'6" SGs have an advantage over 6'0" guys and we have great potential inside although much of it unproven at the D1 level. I have a feeling Hayes will surprise with his floor leadership and our Seniors will have outstanding seasons with Clint's being understated but full of heart and aggressive defense. With our last scholarship, I wouldn't mind picking up another true PG, perhaps even an upper class man; otherwise I'd welcome another big man with some bulk to pound the boards. I hope we revert to having the Crimson/Navy exhibition game before the season starts so we can get a feeling for the team's potential. Max seemed to make the team less and less accessible as his tenure progressed which I did not appreciate. Is it too early or can I say: "Go Lions!" Herman definitely makes up for the loss of Levin as long as he's healthy. He seems like a really dynamic player and with his size he does have an edge in the upside department considering herman seems to have a better post game. Our four bigmen are Herman, Siame, Godwin, Wyatt, and Mornar. I feel like all of those guys are decent to great shotblockers and our interior defense just tripled in strength. Our shooting is vastly improved, and as you say our wings are taller at each position. Someone like Spiers is going to have a lot of room to get his shot off. I agree that picking up a true PG would be an ideal way to fill out the roster. We only have two PG's and one of them is a combo guard. With all of these shooters and some inside targets it's going to be crucial that we move the ball well and are able to get good penetration and entry passes. With so many new faces we will need some steady hands on the ball and we might need to cycle through a few rotations to figure out who should be starting, playing backup, and not leaving the pine much. Playing a combination of PG's might even be a nice change of pace. Either way I'm excited, the pieces look good. They may not be flashy in the mainstream recruiting circuit but they all seem very solid otherwise. We have versatility at so many different positions I think Dunlap is going a long ways in formulating a swiss army knife of a team that, if it stays healthy and he is able to learn from his past mistakes in managing players, could (knock on wood) impress many people this season.
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Post by ironlion on May 29, 2014 21:44:22 GMT -5
This new roster should have some very good opponents this upcoming season. The last staff lined up a very good non conference schedule. I know we play two PAC 12 oponents and the Hawaii tourney is loaded.
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Post by ALioninWinter on May 30, 2014 1:49:12 GMT -5
As I stated in a post at the beginning of this whole coaching staff transition, we are going to see major changes. Every coaching change translates into adjustments in staff, team roster, game strategy, practice strategy. There were significant differences as we moved from Aggers to Tention to Bayno to Good. But the Max Good to Mike Dunlap transition is a MAJOR, MAJOR change, the likes of which we have not seen in all of these other transitions! I believe the whole look and feel of the program will be completely different from what we have known. The Lions will still play in Gersten, but that may be the only similarity. I'll be surprised if the team does not even have new look uniforms.
As prolific a twitterer as Coach Dunlap is, you won't find him saying too much publicly about his opinions on players...and sources of those players. But if you want to get some insight to what he really thinks, read up on Coach Popovich's thoughts on the subject. I believe Dunlap has an identical thought process on the virtues of international players over the AAU-driven mess we have now in this country. Coaches who are more interested in self-aggrandizement than player development, parents who milk the politics, kids who spend more time thinking about their entitlements than their practice schedules have all contributed to a lot (obviously not all, but A LOT) of players who simply aren't ready for the grind a coach like Mike Dunlap is going to put his players through.
I agree that, based on past history, there is a danger Dunlap could turn off every player he might lure to Westchester. However, if he has learned some lessons (which I believe he has), there's a much better chance that he can find the players he needs in the international arena than in our AAU ranks.
I like the direction this roster is taking. It's hard to get a true gauge on skill level but it's obvious that he is going after bigger, taller players and guys who can shoot. Man, right now it looks like the roster has more shooters on it than we've had COMBINED over the past 10 years. If these guys have the skill, Dunlap will provide the development. If that basic skill level is there with this new roster, we could see some fairly rapid improvement over the past few years. If these guys don't have the skill level, I'm pretty confident that the next batch coming in will because Dunlap will have had the time to do an adequate recruiting job. I'm excited because I see a trend line pointed up in the near future.
We will certainly miss AI. Face it. Guys like that are a real treat and they don't come along too often. Losing Gabe Levin was a bit of a blow, but I look at the new roster and I have a lot more confidence in it than I've had in past rosters. Max, like a lot of coaches, was enamored with the lanky athletes who look good in a basketball uniform. Unfortunately, the best ones ended up at Kentucky, UCLA, etc. The next best group went to other PAC 12 schools or maybe SDSU, New Mexico, etc. By the time Max got his pick, we were down to the 3rd or 4th echelon. That's not a recipe for success. I know we lamented losing recruits Stewart and Cartwright, but there was no guarantee that they would succeed. Personally, I had doubts about both of them. While I don't have a lot of insight into the exact skill level of the new players, I'm willing to put my money on this roster over one with Levin, Stewart, Cartwright, Stover and Blackwell. Time will tell if I placed a good bet.
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Post by LMUpepbander on May 30, 2014 7:43:36 GMT -5
Now that you bring up new uniforms, what I'd give for an updated throwback using the current colors and the "Loyola Marymount" font from the Worthy/Knight era road set.
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Post by longtimelionfan on May 30, 2014 11:06:32 GMT -5
Winter,
Thank you for your very insightful offering. I agree with your observations and I join in your ending bet. I smiled when I read your reference to Greg Popovich because I too think Dunlap has a similar philosophy and style from reading various of Dunlap's writings and statements. In fact, I've mused while watching parts of the OKC v. Spurs playoff series about whether that match-up might roughly resemble future Gonzaga v. LMU tilts - great players with greater athleticism (Gonzaga/OKC) vs. talented, well schooled, fundamentally sound and strategic players (SAS/LMU). How wonderful and exciting if this musing proves accurate.
One additional thought. I think the WCC, as a whole, has some pretty good coaches. But, there is a pecking order. I want to believe that with Dunlap LMU has climbed to near the top of that pecking order. And, while you obviously need talented players, unless there is a very wide talent gap I think superior coaching, strategic game plans and smart in-game adjustments closes lesser talent gaps (e.g. elite well coached teams v. Calipari's teams). If I'm correct, going forward I think walking onto the court LMU has a material advantage over USF, SCU, Pepperdine, Pacific and Portland because whatever talent gap exists, if any, LMU's coaching more than compensates. I'm not saying that LMU wins every game against these teams but that Dunlap's Lions will win a sizable majority of those contests. And, I think Dunlap's Lions will severely challenge Gonzaga, SMC, BYU and USD mentally as well as physically. And, mentally challenged teams play slower and are much more likely to lose their rhythm and preferred game style. For example, a slower, flat footed and confused SMC and BYU won't hit as many 3 pointers and without those 3's SMC and BYU are very ordinary. Indeed, the games SMC and BYU played against each other last year demonstrate this point. Another example, despite the gap between Gonzaga and the rest of the conference no one has played Gonzaga tougher and beaten them more than USD. I think that is because Greer knows how Gonzaga operates and has successfully taken them out of their rhythm and game. I think Dunlap does the same but, and this is key, the talent gap between Dunlap's LMU teams and Gonzaga will be smaller than the talent gap between Gonzaga and USD. In other words, Dunlap's LMU roster is better than Greer's USD roster. If true, Gonzaga v. LMU becomes a real rivalry and the WCC's best match-up with each school winning a fair share of games against each other.
This season and coming seasons should be fun.
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Post by ironlion on May 30, 2014 12:00:06 GMT -5
I enjoy reading the optimism on the board but let's not get ahead ourselves. Evan is proven scorer at D1 level but Deji,Godwin,Chase and Money's combined PPG is only around 20. The rest of the team is still unproven on a D1 level. Patson is great defensively but still raw on the offensive side. Devin will most likely need to red shirt. No matter how good a coach is at x's and o's he still needs recruit players to compete at a D1 level. Of the new recruits, I only really see Herman as having a immediate impact.
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Post by LIONS90045 on May 30, 2014 12:09:36 GMT -5
Winter and Longtime your comments warm my heart and excite me about prospects for the coming season. However I share some of iron 's cautionary comments. A number of recruits, while tempered by international play, have yet to see D1 opponents, which can be a big transition. In sum, I'm very optimistic about next season but will not expect too much right away so as not to be "disappointed." Go Lions!
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