Post by Deleted on Mar 24, 2008 15:40:43 GMT -5
Relive the magic, guys.
Getting Inside
Coach Rodney Tention arrived as a touted former assistant of Arizona legend Lute Olson and was hailed as a savior when the team finished second in his first season and made it to the WCC tournament championship game. But things have been rough the past two seasons, last year because of injuries and in 2007-08 because of youth.
Tention resigned amidst speculation that he might be fired in mid-March.
The Lions lost their final seven games, and the nine-point loss to San Francisco was the only game in that span decided by a single-digit margin.
It was the Lions’ 11th losing season in the past 12 years, the only exception being 2004, when they were 15-14.
There is one cause for optimism for a new coach—Orlando Johnson, who, as a freshman, led the team in scoring and rebounding. Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of his 2007-08 season is that he responded to his worst game of the season—an 0-for-9, scoreless game against Pepperdine—by scoring 17, 19 and 19 points in his final three games.
He has the look of a future all-conference player, but getting enough help will be an issue.
Taking care of the ball was a problem all season, and that was primarily because the Lions could not find a reliable point guard. They committed 18.4 turnovers a game, the most in the conference.
Tention was 30-61 in three seasons and 2-12 in the West Coast Conference.
Notes, Quotes
Final Record: 5-26 overall, 2-12 WCC, eighth place.
What Went Right: The Lions were almost injury-free. The top six scorers missed only one game among them, and the top three players—Orlando Johnson, Shawn Deadwiler and Tim Diederichs—played every game, which is important for a young team that needs experience. Johnson and Diederichs may have exceeded expectations for freshmen. The highlight was the road win over Boise State, which shared the regular-season championship in the Western Athletic Conference.
What Went Wrong: Coach Rodney Tention never duplicated his first-year success and resigned on March 12. A lot of things went wrong, and it was likely LMU was going to give Tention the boot had he not resigned first. The Lions were not in many games and things seemed to get worse as the season went on. They lost 18 of their final 20 games and did not win any conference road games. They were last in the conference in field-goal percentage defense and last in field-goal percentage offense, and that’s a bad combination. But the biggest problem was taking care of the ball. Loyola Marymount led the conference in turnovers at more than 18 a game.
Quote To Note: “It’s a nice accomplishment, but I came to win and that didn’t happen this season, so the time to start getting better is right now.”—Orlando Johnson, on setting the school record for points in a season by a freshman.
Strategy And Personnel
The Good News: The top four scorers will be back next season, and two of them are freshmen. The program has two freshman guards coming in next season who should help. Isaiah Jenkins was the top-rated recruit last year, but he redshirted this season and may help in 2008-09.
The Bad News: Coaching changes can be positive, but the instability won’t help a young club. The deficiency in talent is obvious, and the Lions will not have nearly as much talent as other WCC teams next year either. Point guard is the most important position in college basketball, and the Lions are still searching for a dependable one.
Key Returnees: Freshmen Orlando Johnson and Tim Diederichs are the cornerstone of the team, and may be for the next three years. Johnson is the one Loyola Marymount player who is of all-WCC caliber. The Lions hope Isaiah Jenkins will benefit for the redshirt year this season and be ready to contribute next season.
Roster Report:
• Orlando Johnson set a school record for points in a season by a freshman, and tied the freshman record for rebounds in a season.
• Tim Diederichs started all 31 games, the first Loyola Marymount freshman to start every game.
• Quentin Turner, the Lions’ starting point guard when the season began, committed a lot of turnovers early on but had more assists (13) than turnovers (nine) in the eight games before the season finale. He had five turnovers and no assists in that one.
Getting Inside
Coach Rodney Tention arrived as a touted former assistant of Arizona legend Lute Olson and was hailed as a savior when the team finished second in his first season and made it to the WCC tournament championship game. But things have been rough the past two seasons, last year because of injuries and in 2007-08 because of youth.
Tention resigned amidst speculation that he might be fired in mid-March.
The Lions lost their final seven games, and the nine-point loss to San Francisco was the only game in that span decided by a single-digit margin.
It was the Lions’ 11th losing season in the past 12 years, the only exception being 2004, when they were 15-14.
There is one cause for optimism for a new coach—Orlando Johnson, who, as a freshman, led the team in scoring and rebounding. Perhaps the most encouraging aspect of his 2007-08 season is that he responded to his worst game of the season—an 0-for-9, scoreless game against Pepperdine—by scoring 17, 19 and 19 points in his final three games.
He has the look of a future all-conference player, but getting enough help will be an issue.
Taking care of the ball was a problem all season, and that was primarily because the Lions could not find a reliable point guard. They committed 18.4 turnovers a game, the most in the conference.
Tention was 30-61 in three seasons and 2-12 in the West Coast Conference.
Notes, Quotes
Final Record: 5-26 overall, 2-12 WCC, eighth place.
What Went Right: The Lions were almost injury-free. The top six scorers missed only one game among them, and the top three players—Orlando Johnson, Shawn Deadwiler and Tim Diederichs—played every game, which is important for a young team that needs experience. Johnson and Diederichs may have exceeded expectations for freshmen. The highlight was the road win over Boise State, which shared the regular-season championship in the Western Athletic Conference.
What Went Wrong: Coach Rodney Tention never duplicated his first-year success and resigned on March 12. A lot of things went wrong, and it was likely LMU was going to give Tention the boot had he not resigned first. The Lions were not in many games and things seemed to get worse as the season went on. They lost 18 of their final 20 games and did not win any conference road games. They were last in the conference in field-goal percentage defense and last in field-goal percentage offense, and that’s a bad combination. But the biggest problem was taking care of the ball. Loyola Marymount led the conference in turnovers at more than 18 a game.
Quote To Note: “It’s a nice accomplishment, but I came to win and that didn’t happen this season, so the time to start getting better is right now.”—Orlando Johnson, on setting the school record for points in a season by a freshman.
Strategy And Personnel
The Good News: The top four scorers will be back next season, and two of them are freshmen. The program has two freshman guards coming in next season who should help. Isaiah Jenkins was the top-rated recruit last year, but he redshirted this season and may help in 2008-09.
The Bad News: Coaching changes can be positive, but the instability won’t help a young club. The deficiency in talent is obvious, and the Lions will not have nearly as much talent as other WCC teams next year either. Point guard is the most important position in college basketball, and the Lions are still searching for a dependable one.
Key Returnees: Freshmen Orlando Johnson and Tim Diederichs are the cornerstone of the team, and may be for the next three years. Johnson is the one Loyola Marymount player who is of all-WCC caliber. The Lions hope Isaiah Jenkins will benefit for the redshirt year this season and be ready to contribute next season.
Roster Report:
• Orlando Johnson set a school record for points in a season by a freshman, and tied the freshman record for rebounds in a season.
• Tim Diederichs started all 31 games, the first Loyola Marymount freshman to start every game.
• Quentin Turner, the Lions’ starting point guard when the season began, committed a lot of turnovers early on but had more assists (13) than turnovers (nine) in the eight games before the season finale. He had five turnovers and no assists in that one.