Post by fanblade on Dec 12, 2007 17:29:46 GMT -5
Found by pilots. Not for the faint at heart.
www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/teams/report/LOYMRY/10526121
Getting Inside
The Lions looked like the worst team in the WCC before the season started, and that still seems to be the case despite the good performance in the Dec. 8 road victory over Boise State.
Freshman Orlando Johnson leads the team in scoring and rebounding and another freshman Tim Diederichs leads the team in playing time. Both have been erratic. LMU is one of the youngest teams in the country, and relying on freshmen has never been a good recipe in the WCC.
The Lions did have two good wins -- against Mercer and Boise State, both on the road -- and they did show improvement in a loss to UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 1, but they have been beaten decisively by some pretty mediocre teams. They turn the ball over too much (more than 20 times a game), don't shoot very well (under 40 percent) and are a terrible foul-shooting team, which is a bad combination.
The Lions improved in both those categories in the win over Boise State, which may suggest the start of a turnaround.
The only two players who got significant playing time last season -- Marko Deric and Jon Ziri -- have been OK, but like nearly everyone on the team they have been inconsistent, often following a good game with a bad one.
The Lions have held their own on the boards, which is a good sign, but they have not been particularly good defensively.
Loyola Marymount does not have the talent, experience or offensive firepower to be a factor in the WCC race. Having one star who could win a game on his own would help, but the Lions don't have that either.
Coach Rodney Tention is building for the future, and his teams typically play better at the end of the season, so it's a good bet the Lions will improve as the season goes along.
Notes & Quotes
--Loyola Marymount began the season with a starting lineup that had had just 19 games of Division I experience, but Jon Ziri and Marko Deric have been inserted into the starting five to give the Lions a little experience.
--The 97 points LMU scored against Mercer was its highest total since it scored 101 against St. Mary's in 1997-98. That may not be a good sign, though, because the Lions went 7-20 and finished last in the WCC in 1998.
--The Lions are making just 61.4 percent of their free throws through Dec. 8, and Shawn Deadwiler is the only one of their top five six scorers hitting better than 70 percent.
CONFERENCE GAME TO WATCH: vs. Portland, Jan. 14 -- Any conference win will be a good one for the Lions, and they have a good chance for a victory at home in their second conference game. A loss against the Pilots could spell big trouble.
LAST YEAR'S CONFERENCE RECORD: 5-9, sixth place in West Coast Conference.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It may not have showed on the scoreboard or the win-loss column, but we made some big strides and we are improving" -- LMU coach Rodney Tention, after a seven-point loss on Dec. 1 to a good UC Santa Barbara team.
Roster Report
PLAYERS TO KNOW
Freshman Orlando Johnson is a strong wingman who shows considerable promise as a scorer and rebounder, although inconsistency and foul trouble have been problems so far. Fifth-year senior Jon Ziri is not a big scorer, but he can do a little bit everything and has considerable experience. He needs to be the stabilizing force for this team.
EARLY REVIEWS
Beating Mercer in overtime was a good sign, but more impressive were the close loss to UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 1 and the road victory over Boise Stare on Dec. 8. They cannot erase the blowout losses to Arkansas-Little Rock, New Mexico and San Diego State, but the December results show improvement. Scoring has been a major problem for the Lions, who had scored more than 61 points against a Division I foe only twice as of Dec. 10. The 76 points the Lions scored in the Dec. 8 win over Boise State may have been a good omen.
Roster Report
Junior-college transfer Quentin Turner opened the season as the team's starting point guard, but after committing nine turnovers with just two assists in the first two games, he was replaced and is now coming off the bench.
Jon Ziri, who already had a degree in business administration and is now seeking a second in sociology, was crowned Homecoming prince at halftime of the Dec. 1 game against UC Santa Barbara. He had a career-high 12 rebounds in that game.
LMU signed two guards in the November signing period -- Kwame Vaughn of Oakland and Wendell Wright of Lakewood, Calif.
Freshman F Terron Sutton was a starter for the first two games, but has played very little since.
www.sportsline.com/collegebasketball/teams/report/LOYMRY/10526121
Getting Inside
The Lions looked like the worst team in the WCC before the season started, and that still seems to be the case despite the good performance in the Dec. 8 road victory over Boise State.
Freshman Orlando Johnson leads the team in scoring and rebounding and another freshman Tim Diederichs leads the team in playing time. Both have been erratic. LMU is one of the youngest teams in the country, and relying on freshmen has never been a good recipe in the WCC.
The Lions did have two good wins -- against Mercer and Boise State, both on the road -- and they did show improvement in a loss to UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 1, but they have been beaten decisively by some pretty mediocre teams. They turn the ball over too much (more than 20 times a game), don't shoot very well (under 40 percent) and are a terrible foul-shooting team, which is a bad combination.
The Lions improved in both those categories in the win over Boise State, which may suggest the start of a turnaround.
The only two players who got significant playing time last season -- Marko Deric and Jon Ziri -- have been OK, but like nearly everyone on the team they have been inconsistent, often following a good game with a bad one.
The Lions have held their own on the boards, which is a good sign, but they have not been particularly good defensively.
Loyola Marymount does not have the talent, experience or offensive firepower to be a factor in the WCC race. Having one star who could win a game on his own would help, but the Lions don't have that either.
Coach Rodney Tention is building for the future, and his teams typically play better at the end of the season, so it's a good bet the Lions will improve as the season goes along.
Notes & Quotes
--Loyola Marymount began the season with a starting lineup that had had just 19 games of Division I experience, but Jon Ziri and Marko Deric have been inserted into the starting five to give the Lions a little experience.
--The 97 points LMU scored against Mercer was its highest total since it scored 101 against St. Mary's in 1997-98. That may not be a good sign, though, because the Lions went 7-20 and finished last in the WCC in 1998.
--The Lions are making just 61.4 percent of their free throws through Dec. 8, and Shawn Deadwiler is the only one of their top five six scorers hitting better than 70 percent.
CONFERENCE GAME TO WATCH: vs. Portland, Jan. 14 -- Any conference win will be a good one for the Lions, and they have a good chance for a victory at home in their second conference game. A loss against the Pilots could spell big trouble.
LAST YEAR'S CONFERENCE RECORD: 5-9, sixth place in West Coast Conference.
QUOTE TO NOTE: "It may not have showed on the scoreboard or the win-loss column, but we made some big strides and we are improving" -- LMU coach Rodney Tention, after a seven-point loss on Dec. 1 to a good UC Santa Barbara team.
Roster Report
PLAYERS TO KNOW
Freshman Orlando Johnson is a strong wingman who shows considerable promise as a scorer and rebounder, although inconsistency and foul trouble have been problems so far. Fifth-year senior Jon Ziri is not a big scorer, but he can do a little bit everything and has considerable experience. He needs to be the stabilizing force for this team.
EARLY REVIEWS
Beating Mercer in overtime was a good sign, but more impressive were the close loss to UC Santa Barbara on Dec. 1 and the road victory over Boise Stare on Dec. 8. They cannot erase the blowout losses to Arkansas-Little Rock, New Mexico and San Diego State, but the December results show improvement. Scoring has been a major problem for the Lions, who had scored more than 61 points against a Division I foe only twice as of Dec. 10. The 76 points the Lions scored in the Dec. 8 win over Boise State may have been a good omen.
Roster Report
Junior-college transfer Quentin Turner opened the season as the team's starting point guard, but after committing nine turnovers with just two assists in the first two games, he was replaced and is now coming off the bench.
Jon Ziri, who already had a degree in business administration and is now seeking a second in sociology, was crowned Homecoming prince at halftime of the Dec. 1 game against UC Santa Barbara. He had a career-high 12 rebounds in that game.
LMU signed two guards in the November signing period -- Kwame Vaughn of Oakland and Wendell Wright of Lakewood, Calif.
Freshman F Terron Sutton was a starter for the first two games, but has played very little since.
