Closed door scrimmage today

The Lions will scrimmage Washington today in a closed door scrimmage. Just last week I critiqued the Lions non-conference schedule, worrying that there wasn't enough competition to really test the team before WCC play begins. This scrimmage will help.

Washington comes in having been picked to win the Pac-10 this season, and finished in the top-25 last year. Regardless of how the scrimmage today turns out, this will be a great opportunity for the Lions to see how they match-up against a strong team. If any problem areas emerge, Head Coach Max Good and his staff will have some idea of what needs to be worked on in the next two weeks.

Some surprises in pre-season picks

As announced earlier today, the West Coast Conference (WCC) released its 2010-11 Men's Basketball Coaches Poll. Here are the results:

2010-11 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
Team - (First Place Votes) - Points
1. Gonzaga (6) - 48
2. Loyola Marymount (1) - 42
3. Saint Mary's (1) - 39
4. Santa Clara - 28
5. Portland - 25
6. San Francisco - 18
7. Pepperdine - 14
8. San Diego - 10
(* - Coaches could not vote for their own team)

It is really no surprise that Gonzaga got six of the eight first place votes, as the Bulldogs have won 10 straight WCC regular season championships.  What was pleasantly surprising, however, was the fact that the Lions received more points than the Saint Mary's Gaels, who are coming off of their first NCAA Sweet 16 appearance as well as a WCC Tournament Championship.

The biggest factor in these votes has got to be the fact that the Gaels will be without center Omar Samhan, who graduated last May after being one of the top players in the WCC for a number of years. I would argue Samhan got snubbed last season, and deserved to win WCC Player of the Year.


While I agree that the Lions can challenge Gonzaga at the top of the WCC, my surprise in the votes comes from the fact that WCC coaches were already ready to acknowledge the growth the Lions have made, before the season has even begun.


Another surprise was that coaches predicted Santa Clara to be a stronger team than Portland. Two seasons ago the Pilots emerged as a surprise powerhouse in the WCC, and finished last season in third place with a 10-4 conference record. Returning the majority of its team, I don't see Portland dropping below the Broncos this season, despite the fact that Santa Clara had one of the strongest recruiting classes in the league.


Lastly, it is not surprising to see San Francisco drop down to sixth, after finishing last season tied with the Lions at a 7-7 record and taking the 4th place spot due to their head-to-head record against LMU. The Dons, much like the Gaels, lost their best player to graduation, and will feel the impact of losing one of the conference's best big men (Dior Lowhorn).

The Lions and Gaels each received one first place vote. My gut tells me that the Lions received their's from Gonzaga Head Coach Mark Few, who saw first hand last season how tough LMU can be when he and the Bulldogs lost in Gersten Pavilion to the less experienced Lions team. Now I don't think Few underestimates Saint Mary's, I just think he also knew first hand how important Samhan was to that squad. It should be noted, however, that Few was not allowed to vote for his own team.


The other lone first place vote, however, will remain a mystery.

WCC coaches pick Lions to challenge for conference title

The annual WCC Preseason Coaches' Poll was released just minutes ago and it seems that the league's coaches have taken note of the up-and-coming Lions team. LMU has been picked to finish second, receiving 42 points along with one first-place vote.

In addition, both junior Drew Viney and senior Vernon Teel are expected to repeat as members of the all-conference team, earning a spot on the Preseason All-Conference Team.

The final votes were as followed:

2010-11 WCC Men's Basketball Preseason Coaches Poll
Team (First Place Votes) - Points
1. Gonzaga (6) - 48
2. LMU (1) - 42
3. Saint Mary's (1) - 39
4. Santa Clara - 28
5. Portland - 25
6. San Francisco - 18
7. Pepperdine - 14
8. San Diego - 10

Lions non-conference schedule leaves something to be desired

There's much to be excited about if you're a Lions fan, but there is one thing that leaves a little something to be desired. This season's non-conference schedule is weak (and can be seen by clicking on that link).

For the Lions, the biggest thing early this season is going to be to get wins. Student excitement is higher than it has been in years, and an early winning streak will be just the thing to keep that going all season long.

But at the same time, the Lions needs some national exposure, and facing below-average teams isn't going to help them get that.

While you may think this schedule would be good (some sort of confidence builder) for a team that just had their first season above .500 since 2004, it's not. LMU should be the favorite in many of these matchups, and therefore, when they secure the W, they will have just done what is expected of them. If they lose, however, then it's a disappointment. It just seems that too many games on this season's non-conference schedule can do more harm than good.

Furthermore, the players and fans were pumped up last season by huge wins that got the Lions a bit of national attention. LMU beat USC, Notre Dame, Portand and Gonzaga last season, and were 3-1 in the games following those upset victories. Big games like that pump the Lions up, and unfortunately, there seems to only be one game like that on this year's schedule (a Dec. 18 match-up against Florida State).

If everything goes according to plan, the Lions could compete for a WCC Championship this season. The non-conference schedule puts a little damper on that in two ways. Firstly, it means the Lions will face their toughest competition of the year after conference play begins. While that doesn't mean the Lions won't be ready for it, as I fully expect them to be ready for every one of their opponents, it does mean they may not truly be tested until it matters. Secondly, if the Lions can't secure an NCAA Tournament spot the easy way, then they would be looking for an at-large bid. Without facing high-profile opponents or getting national attention, that is going to be hard to do.

In the end, however, everything is in the player's hands once the season tips off. If the Lions want to make the tournament they know what they have to do, and that's win, no matter who they face.

The Lions are like the Tampa Bay Rays?

The Tampa Bay Rays (finally) called out their fans this year for not coming to support a team that had won the American League East. Some people were critical of the players for going about it the way that they did, but I thought it was about time. A team like the Rays should not have been playing in front of thousands of empty seats on a daily occasion.

Well, in a much more creative and lighthearted way, the Lions are doing the same thing with their new video that premiered at Madness at Midnight on Friday. In this video, the players, led by Vernon Teel, call out LMU students for wearing other school's apparel on campus.

The reason the team can finally do this? LMU finally feels like it can live up to fans expectations this season.

The video was even noticed by an ESPN Blogger: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/17025/loyola-marymount-has-team-of-terry-tates

Lions receive verbal commitment from Bruce English

According to Scout.com, LMU has just secured its first recruit of the 2011 class as shooting guard Bruce English has given a verbal commitment to become a Lion next fall.

English is from La Verne, Calif., and has been given a scouts grade of 84 on ESPN.com, meaning that is he is mid-major prospect who could be a solid contributor for the Lions.

ESPN.com writes that English's biggest strength is his athleticism, but his size may limit him from being a big-time Division I basketball player.

Crimson/Navy Scrimmage Recap

Just got back from the Crimson/Navy Scrimmage. Definitely a lot of talent on this year's team.

Some highlights:

1) Junior LaRon Armstead came out to play today. He must have hit at least five three-pointers, and was easily the game's highest scorer.

I felt really bad for him last season, because he just seemed to be the odd man out of the rotation (and for no fault of his own). I remember talking to Head Coach Max Good at one point last year, and he made it clear that he felt the same way. Nothing Armstead did kept him out of the regular rotation, it was just kind of hard to find the right place for him.

If today's performance means anything, than it seems like Armstead worked hard on his outside shot this off season. This will make it easier for Good to find a spot for him. Armstead works hard and plays hard, and I really look for him to be a bigger piece of the puzzle this season.

2) The Lions have some really talented freshmen. The best part about the Crimson/Navy Scrimmage every season is that it really is the first time we get to see the freshmen play. Quincy Lawson (who redshirtted last season) looked great today. So did Ayodeji Egbeyemi and Anthony Ireland.

Ireland is a true ball-handler, and has great speed and body control. With Vernon Teel, Jarred DuBois, and Larry Davis all upperclassmen, it is nice to see we have a point guard of the future.

Egbeyemi also made his presence known. He took some nice shots, and seems to be able to get to the hoop.

3) Griffin Reilly hit four three-pointers, and made it look easy. He probably won't get much playing time this season, but he sure did put on a show for a few minutes in the second half today.

4) The team's communication looked great. Sophomore Ashley Hamilton didn't play (I hear he was nursing a minor injury) but that didn't stop him from being involved. Throughout most of the game Hamilton was coaching some of the other players, which was great to see.

Drew Viney didn't play the second half, but he contributed in the same way Hamilton did. In fact, it was Viney who told Reilly to take his open shots, and Drew was the first one out of seat congratulating him when he nailed back-to-back deep threes.

With the first exhibition game of the season just two weeks away, I definitely think it's time for Lion fans to start getting excited. Good has put together a deep squad, and the rest of the WCC better take note.

Let the Madness begin

Loyola Marymount University's 10th annual Madness at Midnight is set for tonight. While this event marks the beginning of men's and women's basketball seasons, it also marks the first time in years that Lions fans will have high expectations for their men's squad, after it posted a winning record (18-16) for the first time since the 2003-04 season.

These expectations are not unwarranted. The team returns four of five starters from last year's turnaround team and also welcomes back redshirt freshman center Edgar Garibay and senior Larry Davis, who both missed the majority of last season due to injury. The Lions said goodbye to only Brad Sweezy (who averaged just six minutes a game, mostly due to injuries to both Garibay and sophomore Ashley Hamilton), Given Kalipinde (whose decision to transfer this summer was surprisingly, but not all that detrimental to the Lions), and Kevin Young (whose decision to transfer came last spring, and can be read about in this Bottom Line Column).

So with the core of the team still in tact, there is no reason the Lions shouldn't improve upon their 18-16, or especially their 7-7 conference, record this season. But this is LMU we're talking about, and nothing about this program has gone as planned over the past four or five years, highlighted by the sudden disappearance of newly hired Head Coach Bill Bayno two years ago, and back-to-back seasons of five or less wins.

So what will the Lions need to do to fully emerge as a threat to compete for the WCC Title? Well, I'm so glad you asked.

The most important thing for LMU this season is going to be creating consistency, especially with its offense. Last season the Lions strung together a six-game winning streak, which included a huge road win over Notre Dame, but then lost to a struggling Pepperdine team and a San Francisco team they later defeated easily in the WCC Tournament to begin conference play 0-2. In the end, those two loses prevented the Lions from earning a first-round WCC Tournament bye.

LMU had its fair share of upset victories last season, as in addition to Notre Dame the Lions also defeated USC, Portland, and WCC powerhouse Gonzaga, but for them to be a legitimate team this season they are going to have to learn to play with that kind of drive every game, not just during marquee match-ups.

This new characteristic of consistancy is possible, but it is going to have to start with the team's offense, which last season scored as many as 104 points in a non-conference win and as few as 39 points in a late-season loss.

Here are the keys to the Lions offense:

1) Junior forward Drew Viney needs to be a bigger piece of the offense. After leading the team in both scoring and rebounding last season, despite missing a couple games with a leg injury, fans have still not seen the best of Viney. It is going to be crucial for the Lions to get Viney the ball more, and there is no reason that he shouldn't touch the ball every time LMU gets into its half court offense. If this happens, and Viney at least touches the ball every time down the court, there is no reason the Lions shouldn't win, and he shouldn't be WCC Player of the Year.

2) However, like any rule, there is always an exception. The Lions can also put together a successful offense by running the ball, and that is going to mean putting the ball in the hands of senior point guard Vernon Teel. Like Viney, Teel emerged as one of the WCC's elite players last season, and possesses the impressive ability to create and score off a turnover multiple times a game. Turning defense into offense is going to be key for the Lions, and if Teel can avoid turning the ball over, LMU's offense should average over 80 points per game. I'm fine with Viney not touching the ball on offense if: either Teel goes coast-to-coast for an easy layup OR he leads a fastbreak break opportunity only to kick it back to junior Jarred DuBois for a quick three from the top of the arc.

3) For the first time in years, the Lions will have the opportunity to possess some sort of an inside post presence. Garibay is still working his way back from injury, but by the start of WCC play both he and Hamilton should see themselves in the starting lineup. With the two of them getting to play with each other consistently for the first time ever, it gives the Lions a front court advantage that has been missing. Hamilton's strength and Garibay's height may be unmatched in the WCC, especially with both Omar Samham (SMC) and Dior Lowhorm (USF) now out of the picture.