The Lions will take the court Saturday for their one and only exhibition game in five days as they will take on Chapman in Gersten Pavilion.
Unfortunately for LMU, the injury bug that bit hard last year hasn't completely died. Center Edgar Garibay, who tore his ACL last winter and was granted a medical redshirt, is still not 100%, and from what I am hearing probably won't see game action until at least December.
Therefore, Head Coach Max Good has some decisions to make on his starting lineup until that point, as I assume Garibay will reclaim the starting center spot upon his return.
The quick fix for Good would be to replace Garibay with junior Tim Diederichs, who did an adequate job for the Lions last season and had an explosive game against Saint Mary's in the final regular season game of the year.
I would, however, like to see Good take a little bit more of a risk. Diederichs is a tough player, but often fails to complete the play around the basket, causing the Lions to miss layups and easy opportunities.
The Lions have a chance to beat their opponents in many ways this season, and one of those is by pushing the ball and playing more of a speed game. Therefore, I'd like to see Good move sophomore Ashley Hamilton to the center spot until Garibay is healthy enough to return, and in turn slide junior Drew Viney over to the 4. Then, he can either move LaRon Armstead into the starting lineup for awhile, which I would love to see after his impressive showing at the Crimson/Navy scrimmage, or start three guards (Vernon Teel, Jarred DuBois, and Larry Davis), a lineup that Good actually put on the floor multiple times last season.
Either way, Good has the best of problems, as the team's depth is impressive entering the season.
Ideal (Healthy) Lineup 2010-11 "Until Then" Lineup
PG - Vernon Teel PG - Vernon Teel
SG - Jarred DuBois SG - Jarred DuBois
SF - Drew Viney SF - LaRon Armstead/Larry Davis
PF - Ashley Hamilton PF - Drew Viney
C - Edgar Garibay C - Ashley Hamilton
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