Edgar Garibay requests release

I am hearing that Edgar Garibay has asked for a release from the LMU Men's Basketball team. He is not here in San Francisco, where the Lions lead the Dons 37-20 at the half. More details to come.

Update from the Athletics Department: Prior to the team's departure to San Francisco, redshirt sophomore Edgar Garibay asked for and was granted his release from the LMU men's basketball program. Garibay played 37 games in three season, earning a medical redshirt in his freshman season in 2009-10 after tearing his ACL...

WCC play begins tonight at USF

After a very up and down non-conference schedule, the Lions will take the court tonight against the University of San Francisco to tip of their portion of West Coast Conference play. The San Francisco Dons are coming off of a double-digit loss to Pepperdine, and will be looking to avoid beginning their own conference schedule at 0-2.

The Lions will again be without forward Ashley Hamilton, who will remain out due to injury through mid-January.

The Lions should match up well against the Dons, who don't have an exceptional amount of size. The team did, however, build an impressive 9-4 record during non-conference play.

LMU will be looking to get revenge from one season ago, when the team fell to the USF by one point in both of the team's two match-ups. Tonight's game tips off at 5 p.m. Stay tuned to twitter.com/thebottomlinejp for live updates from San Francisco.

LMU completes non-conference play

The Lions ended their non-conference schedule this evening, beating NAIA-opponent Vanguard by the score of 100-74. Forward Drew Viney returned to action for LMU and led all scorers with 29 points. LMU opens West Coast Conference play Saturday at San Francisco. Game will tip-off at 5 p.m.

San Francisco, meanwhile, will open WCC play Thursday at Pepperdine.

The Lions wrapped up their non-conference schedule with a 7-6 record, highlighted by wins over Saint Louis and UCLA. LMU was 5-6 against Division I opponents.

Lions to close out non-conference play with Vanguard

LMU will take on Vanguard tomorrow evening to wrap up it's non-conference schedule. Vanguard, not a Division I team, is 7-4 on the season, most recently defeating the other non-Division I team LMU played earlier this year, La Sierra.

The Lions are coming off of a stretch in which they have lost three of four games, including two ugly losses on their most recent road trip. LMU can't gain too much tomorrow against the weaker Vanguard, but will hopefully continue to get in some good work on the court before opening West Coast Conference play Saturday night at San Francisco.

The Athletics Department stated that the Lions expect forward Ashley Hamilton to be out through December, which probably means he is unlikely to play in LMU's Dec. 31 WCC-opening contest. Drew Viney returned to practice this week, after not making the east coast road trip. Without their top two scorers the Lions struggled immensely on offensive end of the court, shooting 35.5% during the two-game road trip.

Tuesday's game against Vanguard tips off at 6 p.m. and is free and open to the public.

Shooting woes continue at Morgan State

LMU's post-game press release does the trick for this afternoon's embarrassing loss at Morgan State.

BALTIMORE - Finishing a two-game road swing on the east coast LMU men's basketball looked sluggish from the beginning and they couldn't recover, falling to Morgan State 69-45 at Hill Field House in Baltimore, Md., on Wednesday night.

The Lions shot just 32.1 percent (9-for-28) from the field and committed 11 of their 18 turnovers in the first half to set the tone for their struggles throughout the game. Morgan State, who entered the game one of the lowest three-point shooting teams in the nation, matched a season-high in three-pointers with five in the first half to earn the early cushion.

"We couldn't do anything right," said Head Coach Max Good. "You are going to have games where shots don't fall, but you have to be willing to work at other areas to work through that. We flat out didn't do that tonight."

Read the rest here.

Lions set to wrap up road trip at Morgan State

The Lions (6-5) will battle Morgan State (1-7) tomorrow at 4 p.m. PT. This is the Lion's final Division I opponent before they begin West Coast Conference play at San Francisco on Dec. 31.

Morgan State has only one win on the season, with it coming in the team's last game one week ago against UMBC. The Bears have played a tough schedule, however, losing to teams such as No. 15 Xavier, UNLV and USC. The team also has three loses by give points or less.

LMU is coming off of a double-digit loss to Florida State on Sunday, and will be looking to turn things around offensively after an awful shooting game down in Florida. The Lions will also look to do a better job rebounding the ball, and must do so against 7'2" Ian Chiles as well as 6'9" Kevin Thompson, who is averaging almost 16 points and nine rebounds per game.

The Lions will again be without Drew Viney and Ashley Hamilton.

Following the game, LMU will wrap up its non-conference season against Vanguard on Dec. 27 in Gersten Pavilion. Tomorrow's game can be heard live on lmulions.com.

LMU a player for recruit Aquille Carr

LMU is recruiting 5'6" Aquille Carr, who ESPN ranks as the 59th best recruit in the 2013 class, according to Zagsblog.com. According to a report in the blog, Carr's Head Coach Harry Martin states that Seton Hall, Baylor, Xavier and LMU are the schools "working the hardest" and "expressing the most interest" in Carr.

The guard has also heard from Texas, Oklahoma State and DePaul. Carr is expected to be at LMU's game tomorrow at Morgan State.

Known as one of the quickest and most explosive players in the country, Carr is currently playing for Patterson High School in Baltimore, MD. He is a point guard.

Read more about Carr in his ESPN profile here.

Thanks to Ironlion for initially finding this report.

Lions flat against Florida State

Miss today's Florida State game? All you really need to know is that the Lions shot 35 percent from the field (and only 28 percent in the first half) and gave up 25 second-chance points. That's the reason they lost 77-61.

Florida State may have one of the strongest defenses in the nation, but that is not why the Lions shot such a low percentage. LMU consistently missed shots, many of them open looks, all afternoon. With Drew Viney and Ashley Hamilton both out of the game, Jarred DuBois' 1-10 from the field with six turnovers really didn't help. Anthony Ireland, C.J. Blackwell and LaRon Armstead were the only Lions to truly score in the game, which featured 11 different Lions on the court. Ireland led the way with 19, Blackwell had 14 while Armstead had 11.

Secondly, the Lions were once again out-rebounded, and it was Florida State's 21 offensive boards that really hurt, leading to the 25 second-chance points. The Semioles are clearly bigger, taller and more athletic, but the Lions did not do a good job under the basket trying to box out some of those bigger guys.

Ireland didn't start the game after being late to a team meeting. He did start the second half, and was the Lions' leading scorer. He also added four assists and four rebounds.

Godwin Okonji once against played limited minutes due to foul trouble, and Edgar Garibay didn't contribute anything positive in his 10 minutes of play. Florida State outscored LMU 38-12 in the paint.

The Lions will end their two-game road trip Wednesday when they face Morgan State. Game will tip-off at 4 p.m. and fans can listen live at lmulions.com.

Lions to take on Florida State on ESPNU Sunday

LMU arrived in Florida early this morning to kick off a two-game road trip that begins at Florida State tomorrow. The game tips off at noon PT and will be shown on ESPNU.

The Seminoles are 7-3 on the season, with each of the team's three losses coming back-to-back-to-back in late November. Florida State has lost to Harvard, Connecticut and Michigan State, but is thus far perfect at home.

The Lions will be without Drew Viney, who did not make the trip East, which will continue Wednesday at Morgan State.

The battle between the Lions and Seminoles will likely be a low-scoring affair, as Florida State's stellar defense has only allowed 70 or more points once this season. LMU will also have a more defensive-minded lineup on the court with Viney not available. 

Viney expected to miss upcoming road trip

It looks like the Lions may have brought Drew Viney back a little too early, as the redshirt senior is expected to miss LMU's upcoming east coast road trip to Florida State and Morgan State, which begins Sunday. Viney also sat out the Lions win over Idaho State last Saturday night.

The Lions have proven they can win without their returning leading scorer Viney, as the forward has only appeared in two games this season, both losses. Meanwhile, the Lions have upset two ranked teams (UCLA and Saint Louis) without him.

In my personal opinion, I don't think it hurts the Lions too much to be without Drew next week. There is no question he is the most talented player on the team, but from what I've seen thus far this season the Lions have not found a way to work Drew into their style of play. The games the Lions have won they've won with exceptional defense, athleticism and speed, something they lose a bit of when Drew starts in the place of either Ayodeji Egbeyemi or Quincy Lawson. The Lions need enough time to work Drew into their game plan and rotation before his addition makes the team significantly better.

That being said, the Lions need Drew Viney on the court if they want to make a significant push at a WCC title. They've showed they can be a very good team without him, but their offense is flat at times and needs the punch that Drew can bring with his 20+ points per game. If he waits to come back when he is 100%, and has time to fully practice with the team, there is little doubt in my mind that he will be an exceptional addition to the team we all saw beat Saint Louis.

Lions end homestand with come-from-behind victory

C.J. Blackwell stepped to the free throw line with 1.4 seconds on the clock and the Lions down by two to the Idaho State Bengals tonight. The freshman showed no nerves, knocking down both free throws to send the game into overtime, where LMU eventually won 80-72.

"If you can play defense and rebound, you will give your team a chance every time," said Head Coach Max Good. "Blackwell did that tonight. He showed a lot of poise for a freshman in drilling those free throws."

With 8:55 remaining in the second period the Lions found themselves in their biggest hole of the game, trailing 63-53. But clutch three-point shooting helped bring them back, with Jarred DuBois, Blackwell and Ayodeji Egbeyemi all hitting big second-half threes to close the gap. The overtime period was all Lions.

This was the second overtime game of the season between the Lions and Bengals, with the Lions winning both. Their record is now 6-4 on the season.

Five different Lions scored in double-figured, with DuBois leading the way with 15 on 5-11 shooting. LaRon Armstead had 14, Anthony Ireland and Blackwell had 13, and Quincy Lawson had 11. The Lions had a bountiful 27 three-point attempts in the contest, knocking down nine of them. Blackwell also had a game-high 11 rebounds.

The Lions played without Drew Viney, who has appeared in only two games this season due to injury.

LMU will now head out on a two-game east coast road trip, that begins with Florida State on Sunday. The game can be seen live on ESPNU at noon. Then, the Lions will play at Morgan State on Dec. 21.

Lions to face Bengals for second time this season

Senior LaRon Armstead has stepped up big for the Lions recently

The Lions will take on the Idaho State Bengals for the second time this season tomorrow at Gersten Pavilion at 7 p.m. The two teams met Nov. 23 in Idaho, as the Lions pulled off a thrilling double overtime victory with the help of sophomore guard Anthony Ireland's 25 points.

Since facing the Bengals, the Lions have gone 3-2, with a win over then-No.23 Saint Louis and disappointing losses to Columbia and North Texas. Since facing the Lions, Idaho State has gone 1-3, with a win over North Dakota and losses to Utah State, New Mexico, and most recently Boise State.

Jarred DuBois will hopefully be back in the lineup for LMU, who desperately missed his sure hand Sunday when committing 16 turnovers. All signs point to him returning to the court.

The Lions will be looking to pick up the home victory before heading out on a tough two-game road trip to take on Florida State and Morgan State.

Lions look lost in loss

The Lions fell to the North Texas Mean Green this afternoon by a final score of 76-63. After winning three straight, LMU has now lost two straight games against Division I opponents.

The story of the game was turnovers, as LMU turned the ball over 16 times while the Mean Green only lost the ball four times. The Lions offense struggled across the board, with LaRon Armstead leading the team with 16 points but shooting only 4-11 from the field. Drew Viney was the only other Lion in double figures, contributing 10 points on 3-7 shooting but turned the ball over five times.

LMU was without Jarred Dubois, who missed his second-straight game due to soreness in his foot.

The Lions have a week to work things out, as they don't return to action until Saturday night when they take on Idaho State for the second time this season. LMU pulled out a double OT victory at Idaho State last month.

Lions to close out tournament against North Texas

C. J. Blackwell had a career-high 21 points Saturday

LMU took care of its business last night against NAIA opponent La Sierra, winning 87-45. Freshman C.J. Blackwell led the way with a career-high 21 points against the non-Division I foe.

Drew Viney, who had made his season-debut Friday night, did not suit up for LMU. He will likely be back on the court tonight, as I would assume the coaching staff didn't want to rush him back into the lineup for back-to-back-to-back games.

Jarred DuBois also missed the action, and was on the sidelines in a boot. According to the Los Angeles Loyolan, it was a precautionary measure.

The Lions will close out their Centeniial Classic Tournament today at 1:30 p.m. against North Texas. The Mean Green lost to a hot Columbia team yesterday. After lighting up the Lions Friday night, Columbia is now shooting a blistering 24-36 from behind the arc in the tournament.

Jekyll and Hyde

The only bright spot of the evening was seeing Drew Viney back on the court.

Life as a Lions fan can pretty much be summed up with a detailed summary of the last 78 seconds of tonight's game against Columbia.

Down by 12 with 1:18 to play, LMU switched into a full-court press, raised the intensity of its defense, and scored three straight baskets from inside the key to cut the deficit to six with 38 seconds still remaining. The energy and hope that had earlier escaped the building quickly returned to the crowd of 3,844, and ideas of a miraculous comeback crept into everybody's mind. But, just as quickly as the comeback began, it ended, and poor shot choices suddenly snapped the Lions' three-game winning streak. LMU lost by the final score of 69-61.

The similarities are too apparent. First, the Lions beat Saint Louis Tuesday in one of the best played games I've seen in years. Hopes and expectations soared for Lions fans, much like they did after a very impressive 18-16 season in 2009-10. Then, by halftime of Friday's game, the Lions trailed by 14 and look flat, confused and nothing like a team that could contend in the WCC. That's where fans will have de ja vu back to last season, when high expectations and a boatload of talent ended with an 8th play finish in WCC play. The ups and downs can't be good for the hearts of all these Lions fans.

Were expectations too high entering today's game? Definitely. Fans (myself included) got swept up in the excitement of Tuesday. However, are the Lions more talented than the Columbia team they were embarrassed by tonight? Definitely. And that's the worst kind of loss.

Someone may look at the box score and think Columbia is the best shooting team in the country, after they lit the Lions up shooting 52 percent from the field and 63 percent from beyond the arc. While the visiting Lions shot extremely well, the defensive rotations by LMU were awful, and Columbia shooters were left with wide open shots Division I basketball players should only dream about.

Quick Hits:
Despite coming in off the bench, Drew Viney made his season debut, scoring 10 points in 22 minutes. His shot looked smooth as silk, but his conditioning and defense are not yet game-ready. Viney has one of the best shots I've ever seen, but right now his style of play doesn't exactly fit in with the identity the Lions have when they are playing their best basketball.

Anthony Ireland finished with a team-high 17 points, but had only one assist from the PG position. The offense looked weak for the majority of the game, and it looked like the Lions weren't running offensive sets often enough.

The Lions shot 5-18 from behind the arc. Instead of driving to the hoop, they settled for (sometimes ill-advised) jump shots, even when they weren't falling.

Jarred DuBois helped lead the Lions attempt of a comeback, scoring eight points in game's last 62 seconds. He scored five points in the game's other 39 mintes. He needs to bring that scoring mentality to the entire game, especially when the team is struggling to find its shot.

LMU will take on a non-Division I team tomorrow (La Sierra), so the opportunity to erase the feeling of tonight's loss will have to wait until Sunday. Tomorrow's game tips off at 7:30 p.m.

Thoughts, expectations and more ...

Can the Lions keep their focus with a lineup change and against unranked opponents?

The Lions' game against Saint Louis Tuesday was one of the most well-played, complete LMU games I've seen in a long time. The defense was stellar, the chemistry was better than it's been in years, and multiple players stepped up to fill the roles required of them. The win was great, but the matter of which the Lions earned that win was even more important in my mind.

A few things that stood out:

• I thought the coaching staff did an excellent job. Most people won't remember that the beginning of the game was sloppy (missed defensive assignments, missed lay-ups), and that is very much because of the fact that the coaching staff seemed to have righted the ship early on in the game. I also want to give Coach Good and co. credit for their substitution pattern. LaRon Armstead was hot from the field, and Good gave the team the opportunity to ride that. Good also managed foul trouble extremely well.
• Anthony Ireland was tough as nails down the stretch. He hadn't shot well at home thus far this season, but he didn't let it stop him from shooting through his cold-spell. A big three-pointer from the top of the key got him going again, and as he did in the Idaho State win he took the team on his back for a portion of the second half.
• Jarred DuBois has let Ireland shine this year, but he stepped up bigtime went Ireland went to the bench with foul trouble. Props to JD for leading the run that, in the end, really won LMU the game.
• LaRon Armstead plays inconsistent minutes but still manages to produce when he's on the court. He's always had a nice shot, but with Drew, Ashley and even AI out of the game late in the second-half, he had to create his own shot, something that hadn't been asked of him to do in a Lions uniform in years. The way he played Tuesday, Good is forced to find playing time for the senior this weekend. Congrats to him for such a strong game.

The Lions now have a great opportunity to improve to 7-2 on the season with three home games this weekend against weaker teams. Drew Viney is expected back in the lineup, which will definitely be a weight off the shoulder of Anthony Ireland, who will now have someone else helping to steady the offense. 

I'm as excited as anyone to see Drew back on the court, but it does bring up a few concerns; the rotation and chemistry. Things seem to be gelling so well right now, that bringing in a guy that should play well over 30 minutes a game is going to change things. Good and his staff are going to have to figure out a way to work the bench guys into the lineup with Drew, and eventually Ashley, holding down the forward spots. Lions fans shouldn't be surprised if a new rotation takes some getting used to. But with a player as talented as Drew Viney, I know the players and Good will figure out whatever it takes.

The Lions next take the court Friday at 7 p.m. against Columbia. LMU has been known to play to the level of its opponents in the past, but let's hope they come out with the same intensity and focus they had in the second half of Tuesday's game.

Lions bash Billikens for second win over ranked opponent

Senior LaRon Armstead had a career-high 22 points

For the second time this season the Lions defeated a nationally ranked opponent, taking down the previously undefeated No. 23 Saint Louis at Gersten Pavilion 75-68. Senior LaRon Armstead came up huge for the Lions, pouring in a game-high, and career-high, 22 points and shooting an impressive 10-10 from the free throw line.

Saint Louis led by as many as 12 points in the first period, but a late half surge by the Lions cut the Billikens lead to four at the break. The second half was all LMU, as the team shot 62 percent from the field and 80 percent from long-range.

Ayodegi Egbeyemi and Bruce English react to the win

Sophomore point guard Anthony Ireland once again steadied the ship for LMU, scoring important buckets down the stretch.  He finished with 17 points, four rebounds and two assists.

For the second straight game the Lions received extremely balanced scoring. When Ireland was forced to the bench with foul trouble with 12 minutes to play in the game, junior guard Jarred DuBois picked up right where his teammate had left off. DuBois finished the game with 16 points and played a game-high 36 minutes. He at one point in the second half scored seven straight points, and turned a one-point deficit into a six-point lead.

Prior to this contest, the 6-0 Saint Louis hadn't trailed in the second half of a game all season.

The Lions (4-2) will host a tournament this weekend, set to take the court Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. First, they will host Columbia at 7 p.m. Friday night. Drew Viney is expected to be back in the lineup for the first time this season.

Balanced scoring leads to first home win

The Lions picked up their first home victory of the season last night, defeated the Northern Arizona Lumberjacks 81-61. Six different Lions scored in double-figures, with Jarred DuBois leading the way with 17 points on 6-11 from the field. He also added a team-high six rebounds and six assists. The Lions led for the entire second half.

"This was a complete team effort," said Head Coach Max Good. "We stressed the last couple days the need to move the ball in our offense. We are a much better team when we move the ball. We did a very good job of getting the right player the open shot."

WCC-leading scorer Anthony Ireland, who was averaging more than 19 points per game, had an off night from the field, contributing just two points on 1-7 shooting. He did still play a team-high 32 minutes. The Lions were without center Edgar Garibay, who suffered a concussion earlier in the week.

Senior LaRon Armstead contributed 11 points in just 16 minutes of play, while Godwin Okonji, Ayodeji Egbeyemi, C.J. Blackwell and Quincy Lawson each contributed 10. The Lion's also received a surprising seven points from freshman guard Bruce English, who was making just the second appearance of his collegiate career.

The Lions return back to Gersten Tuesday, when they take on a very tough Saint Louis team. The Billikens are 5-0 on the season, with an impressive win over Villanova on Friday. They take on Oklahoma later today in the 76 Classic championship game in Anaheim. Tuesday's game tips off at 7 p.m.

Lions return home to take on Northern Arizona

After a grind-it-out overtime victory over Idaho State Wednesday evening, the Lions return home tomorrow night to take on Northern Arizona. The Lumberjacks are 2-3 on the early season, but are looking to extend their winning streak to three in Saturday's showdown.

Northern Arizona's two victories were against Arizona Christian and Northern New Mexico, while having lost to La-Lafaeytte, North Dakota State, and the WCC's own San Francisco.

LMU enters the game with a 2-2 record, and will be kicking off a six-game homestand. The Lions will likely be without forward Ashley Hamilton for the second-straight game. Hamilton is averaging 19 ppg. They will also be without Drew Viney, who will likely make his season debut Dec. 2. He has, however, been cleared to begin practicing.

Saturday's game tips off in Gersten Pavilion at 7:30 p.m. It's important for the Lions to pick up the win before hosting a very tough St. Louis team Tuesday.

Lions escape Idaho State with 79-76 victory

It wasn't pretty, but LMU defeated Idaho State 79-76 Wednesday night in overtime. Anthony Ireland carried the bulk of the weight offensively, scoring 25 points and clinching the win with clutch free throws and a steal down the stretch.

The Lions were playing without Drew Viney, who has yet to suit up this season due to off-season foot surgery, and Ashley Hamilton, who injured his own foot in Saturday's game against Harvard. He is likely out three weeks.

The Lions found themselves down by as many as four points in the overtime period before Ireland absolutely took over the game. Ireland scored the Lion's final six points to ice the victory, including forcing an Idaho State turnover with 30 seconds to play and LMU up by one.

Idaho State's lights-out shooting from long range forced the game into overtime, as the Bengals hit 12 threes in the contest, six of which came from Melvin Morgan who finished with 24 points. The Lions, on the other hand, were just 5-18 from long distance.

Joining Ireland in double-figure scoring were Jarred DuBois and Godwin Okonji, who each contributed 12. Okonji also had a team-high seven rebounds.

The win brings LMU's season record to 2-2. The Lions will next take the court Saturday night, when they host Northern Arizona at 7:30 p.m. LMU will face Idaho State one more time when the Bengals visit Gersten Pavilion on Dec. 10.

Hamilton likely out a couple weeks

It looks like the injury to Ashley Hamilton's foot is a little more serious than LMU fans had hoped. According to tonight's pregame radio show, Hamilton will likely be out a couple of weeks. Hamilton has been LMU's most consistent scorer thus far this season.

The Lions, however, do expect Drew Viney back at the start of December.

Lions hit road hoping to turn tide

After an exciting win at UCLA to start the season, the Lions have now lost to straight home games to Middle Tennessee State and Harvard. While neither are awful loses (both teams currently find themselves among the top-25 mid-major programs), it is important for the Lions to get back in the win column. The team left earlier this morning on a flight for Idaho, as it will take on Idaho State tomorrow at 6:05 PT.

It looks like Ashley Hamilton, who injured his foot in Saturday's game against Harvard, will sit out tomorrow's contest. This is a huge blow to the already-struggling Lions offense, who has yet to find a consistent groove this season. Hamilton was by far the Lions MVP through the 2+ games he played in, and the only player that seemed to have the ability to consistently score. Without him and Drew Viney on the court, it puts even more pressure on Anthony Ireland and Jarred DuBois to contribute the bulk of the scoring, both from inside and out.

One bright spot from Saturday's loss was the appearance of Alex Osborne, who was forced to sit out the first two games of the season due to NCAA regulations. In his 13 minutes of play, Osborne went 3-3 from the field, ending the game with six points, one rebound and one block. Hopefully Osborne can continue to show that sort of offensive production tomorrow, when the Lions will really need it.

While tomorrow's game should be an easy win for the Lions, it is exactly the sort of game the program has been known to use in the past. I hope the team doesn't take the brief roadtrip lightly, and can return home for Thanksgiving with a .500 record.

The game can be viewed live online here.

Lions to face tough test Saturday

With one win and one loss to start the early season, the Lions would love to pick up a win Saturday to get back over .500. The task will not be easy, however, as LMU will host Harvard, a team many pick to make the NCAA Tournament.

The key for the Lions will be there offense. While LMU has been stellar defensively over the first two games of the year, the offense has been hit and miss, shooting 46 percent against UCLA and then just 35 percent against Middle Tennessee.

The absence of Drew Viney directly relates to the offense's inconsistency, but the Lions have also seen inconsistent efforts from their all-star guards Anthony Ireland and Jarred DuBois. After scoring 21 points against UCLA, Ireland contributed just five against the Blue Raiders on Sunday. I would imagine his season-ending totals will hover around 13ppg, but with Viney out of the lineup the Lions aren't going to win many games with Ireland scoring only five points.

DuBois is a scorer, but the Lions haven't exactly seen that this year. From what I saw in Sunday's loss, DuBois was just getting into some type of scoring mentality and rhythm when he fouled out of the game with three minutes to play. He can be a bit of a streaky shooter from long-range, so let's hope he has his touch come Saturday.

The loss to Middle Tennessee was disappointing, mostly because it was a game within the Lions reach for the majority of the 40 minutes of play, but the season is still young. The Lions are yet to play with their best player in Viney, so I think Lions fans have yet to see this team's potential, even in the win over No. 17 UCLA.

Saturday's game against the Crimson tips off at 6:30 p.m.

Hamilton wins first WCC Player of the Week award

After leading the Lions in scoring in each of their first two games this season, Ashley Hamilton was honored Monday with the year's first West Coast Conference Player of the Year award.

Hamilton averaged 19 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.0 steals while hitting 13-for-26 from the field, 10-for-12 from the free throw line and 2-for-3 from long range over the Lions' first two games. Hamilton matched a career-high with 23 points in LMU's first win over UCLA since 1941.

LMU shocks No. 17 UCLA, 69-58

For the first time since 1941 the Lions beat the UCLA Bruins, upsetting the Pac-12 team 69-58 Friday night. Playing without leading scorer Drew Viney, who will likely miss the rest of the month recovering from foot surgery, LMU used offensive outbursts from forward Ashley Hamilton and point guard Anthony Ireland, who had 23 and 21 points, respectively.

The Lions led by one point at the half and used a 12-0 second half run to seal the deal. LMU also received a solid performance from freshman C.J. Blackwell, who knocked down three threes in the game and finished with nine points, four rebounds and two assists.

The Lions will look to keep the momentum rolling as they host Middle Tennessee State on Sunday in Gersten Pavilion at 3 p.m. 

Poll: LMU vs. UCLA

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• LMU Wins
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Update: Reeves Nelson

UCLA junior forward Reeves Nelson is expected to play in the team's season-opener against Loyola Marymount on Friday at the Sports Arena after X-rays on his left ankle were negative.

UCLA's Reeves Nelson to possibly miss LMU game

Courtesy of ESPNLA:

UCLA's Reeves Nelson missed practice Wednesday after hurting his left ankle two days earlier, leaving him in doubt for the 17th-ranked Bruins' season opener Friday [against LMU].

Coach Ben Howland says the nature of Nelson's injury wasn't immediately clear and an X-ray had not yet been read Wednesday. The junior forward left about two-thirds of the way through practice Monday, complaining that his foot was bothering him.

Howland says Nelson didn't sprain his ankle, but he says "it could be serious."

Lions to face tough test in season opener

The wait is over for Lions fans to put last year's disappointing season behind them, as LMU will officially begin their 2011-12 season Friday at the L.A. Sports Arena when it takes on the UCLA Bruins. It definitely won't be an easy opener for the Lions, as UCLA has been selected by many to be one of the top 25 teams in the nation in preseason rankings.

The biggest challenge for LMU is going to be protecting the paint. The Bruins boast a huge lineup, with four roster players checking in at 6'10" or taller. The Lions, on the other hand, will be without one of their best rebounders, with Drew Viney likely sidelined for a couple more weeks. Godwin Okonji, Edgar Garibay, Tim Diederichs and Ashley Hamilton will have to show up big on the boards if the Lions want to have a chance to steal a "W" from their crosstown rivals.

The biggest thing the Lions have going for them, however, is the fact that they have a much more talented backcourt than the Bruins. Jarred DuBois and Anthony Ireland need to take over this game, and even out the fact that the Lions may get pounded inside by the Bruins big men's depth. To make matters easier for DuBois, Ireland and even freshman Bruce English is the fact that UCLA's Jerime Anderson is suspended for the game, meaning the Bruins will have even less manpower to try and stop the Lions speedy back court.

This past weekend, LMU scrimmaged a tough UNLV team (losing by single-digits), which I think was probably great preparation for Friday's game. Either way, it should be a good one. Game tips off Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Offense shines in exhibition victory

The men's basketball team took the court tonight for their lone exhibition game, beating University of La Verne 94-49 in Gersten Pavilion.

Exploding offensively was guard Jarred DuBois, who missed all but six games for the Lions last year due to injury. DuBois scored 19 points in 19 minutes, going 7-11 from the field. Also adding a large portion of the offense was power forward Ashley Hamilton, who contributed 17 points in 21 minutes and was a force under the basket on the offensive end, a welcoming site for Lions fans who have seen an inconsistent Hamilton over the past few seasons.

The Lions seemed to gel as a team well, with much better communication and especially passing than last season. LMU had 17 assists to La Verne's seven.

Freshman C.J. Blackwell also played productive minutes, scoring 11 points and pulling down six rebounds. It looks like he will be an immediate contributor to a Lions team which needs to improve on the boards. LMU only out-rebounded the D-II La Verne team by six.

The Lions will next take the court on Friday, Nov. 11 at the L.A. Sports Arena when they face a impressive UCLA team.

Lone exhibition game tomorrow at Gersten

The Lions will play their only exhibition game of the season tomorrow at Gersten Pavilion at 7 p.m. against University of La Verne. Last year, La Verne had a 13-13 overall record which included an 8-6 mark in their Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

In addition, check out a season preview written by the LMU Athletics department here.

Quotes from Good

For those who couldn't tune in, here are some quotes from LMU Basketball Head Coach Max Good from today's WCC Tip-Off event that I felt stood out.

• Concerning finding some offense while Drew Viney is out with his injury, Good said, "We're going to have to do that a little bit by committee. CJ Blackwell, JD DuBious, Anthony Ireland will have to step up along with all our post players. We have to get a little more out of each of them. From a pure shooting standpoint it'll be tough to replace him."
• About being picked to finish sixth in the pre-season coaches poll, Good said, " It's not one we're pleased with. We've got to prove them wrong. It's accurate based on our performance from last season."
• When asked if he expects to improve in terms of winning close games, Good said, " We not only expect it but we're going to demand it. We will be better at every phase of the game that we can control."

Furthermore, Good noted:

• Anthony Ireland has really improved his shooting, but still wants him to get the ball to other guys. He doesn't love the idea of the point guard position contributing a high percentage of the team's points.
• Quincy Lawson has been the pleasant surprise thus far this season in practice
• Admitted that he didn't deal with all the injuries well last year, and takes responsibility for the disappointing season
• Godwin Okonji will start at the center position

WCC Preseason All-Conference Team, Coaches Poll

To kick-off today's West Coast Conference Basketball Tip-off event, the conference announced this year's Preseason All-Conference Team.

Brandon Davies, BYU

Matthew Dellavedova, SMC

Kevin Foster, SCU

Rashad Green, USF

Elias Harris, GON

Rob Jones, SMC

Nemanja Mitrovic, POR

Robert Sacre, GON

Drew Viney, LMU

Michael Williams, USF

In addition, this year's coaches poll:

1) Gonzaga 

2) St. Marys 

3) BYU 

4) USF 

5) Santa Clara

 6) LMU 

7) Portland 

8) Pepperdine 

9) USD

WCC to hold Men's Basketball Tip-Off event at YouTube

The West Coast Conference will hold its 2011-12 men's basketball tip-off event at neighboring YouTube headquarters on Thursday. The event will give WCC fans the ability to interact with all nine head men's basketball coaches through three different mediums, all available on WCCsports.com.

Update: For the one-on-one interviews, the WCC website is now showing that Max Good will be live on-air at 2:30 p.m.

Read more here, on the WCC website.

Stover completes 2012 recruiting class

Nick Stover out of Windward High School in Los Angeles must have liked what he saw at LMU this weekend because he has officially made his commitment tonight. The 6'5" Stover rounds out a 2012 recruiting class that also includes 6'11" Tobe Okafor and Taj Adams.

According to Josh Gershon of Scout.com, "Nick Stover is one of the most improved players out west over past year. Very good scorer. Taj Adams is one of the west's biggest sleepers ... Two good ones for LMU."

Stover has a Scouts Grade of 86 on ESPN.com.

Thoughts from the Crimson/Navy Scrimmage

• Team camaraderie seems great. Of course, in a high-pressure, competitive setting is when this will be tested, but I was happy with what I saw today.
• Freshman C.J. Blackwell should be a contributor from day one. He has a nice mid-range jump shot, and has an ability to create space for a shot (very Drew Viney-like) that is very impressive for a freshman.
• I can't wait to see Anthony Ireland and Jarred DuBois play together. Jarred is more vocal than I remember him being, and Ireland will enter the season as a starter for the first time, which I think will really help him know his place. He is so quick and his ability to get to the hoop is beyond impressive.
• The big-men struggled a little offensively. Edgar Garibay, Godwin Okonji and Tim Diederichs had some trouble putting the ball in the hoop, a problem they also had last season.
• Ashley Hamilton was pretty MIA offensively, which surprised me. He played some solid defense though, and he had Godwin had a number of big-time blocked shots.
• Nice to see both Tobe Okafor and Nick Stover in attendance.

Up next, the Lions will play their lone exhibition game Tuesday, Nov. 1 against La Verne. Game starts at 7 p.m.

Nick Stover to take official visit to LMU this weekend

LMU Recruit Nick Stover will take an official visit to the bluff this weekend, according to his Twitter account. With recent commitments from Tobe Okafor and Taj Adams, the Lions have now filled two of the likely three 2012 recruiting spots.

According to Scout.com, Stover has offers from LMU, Boise State and San Francisco.

Fans first chance to see 2011-12 squad tomorrow

Freshmen Bruce English (left) and C.J. Blackwell (right)

The Annual Crimson/Navy Scrimmage will take place tomorrow at Gersten Pavilion, with the women's team taking the court at 10 a.m. and the men's squad facing off at 2 p.m. Having been the last two years, I highly encourage anyone with interest in this season to attend.

While watching the Crimson/Navy Scrimmage won't give you insight into how the team will perform this year (you need to see them compete against real competition for that), it is an opportunity to see how the coaching staff and players interact with each other and the first chance to see the freshmen take the court. This year, for the men's team, those freshmen are guard Bruce English and forward C.J. Blackwell.

After last year's scrimmage, I wrote about how impressive Ayodeji Egbeyemi and Anthony Ireland looked. The two both ended up spending valuable time on the court for the Lions, and were in the starting lineup when LMU took the court for its final game of the season at the West Coast Conference Tournament in Las Vegas, NV. Even in the relaxed scrimmage setting, fans were able to see Anthony Ireland's quickness and ball-handing skills and Ayodeji's athleticism to the extent of knowing that they would be major contributors for the upcoming season. I'm hoping one or both of the freshmen leave fans with that same feeling this year.

The festivities begin tonight at 8 p.m. with the annual Madness at Midnight event, also in Gersten Pavilion. LMU will also supply lunch at 1 p.m. tomorrow before the men's scrimmage, courtesy of In-N-Out.

6'11" center, 6'6" forward commit to Lions

LMU has landed a commitment from 6-foot-11 Mount Zion Academy center Tobe Okaform originally from Nigeria. The New England Basketball Recruiting Report refers to Okafor as a "high level athlete, with a ton of physical tools."

Okafor will be visiting LMU this weekend, and will likely be in attendance for Friday night's Madness at Midnight and Saturday's Crimson/Navy scrimmage.

In addition, Taj Adams, who I wrote about last week, also committed to the Lions tonight.

Max Good speaks at annual Wooden Awards

13 head coaches gathered at the John Wooden Award College Basketball Tip-off Luncheon on Wednesday. LMU Head Coach Max Good was amongst the head coaches who gave speeches and shared insight on the 2011-12 season at the Los Angeles Athletic Club. 

Click here to watch part of his speech.

Crimson/Navy Scrimmage set for Oct. 22

The annual Crimson/Navy Scrimmage, Lions fans first chance to see both basketball teams in action, is scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 22. The women's team will scrimmage at 11 a.m. while the men's team will scrimmage at 2 p.m. LMU will also be serving free lunch, courtesy of In-N-Out.

LMU makes offer to local small forward

LMU made an offer to Fairfax High School small forward Taj Adams yesterday, according to Josh Gershon of Scout.com. Adams has a Scouts Grade of 87 on ESPN.com, and is a 6'6", 170 lb class of 2012 small forward out of Los Angeles.

From what I have read, he sounds like a solid offensive player who is able to create his own shot, definitely something that could fill a gaping hole for the Lions once Drew Viney graduates.

Adams is apparently also looking into San Diego State, Nevada and USC, but is only reported to have received an official offer from LMU. 

Good expecting Viney back by Dec. 1

Jeff Goodman of CBSSports reported today that forward Drew Viney could potentially be out longer than initially reported. 

"We're hoping to get him back by December 1," Head Coach Max Good told CBSSports.com on Tuesday. "He was doing fine and all of the sudden, his foot was bothering him. He had an MRI and it was his fifth metatarsal."

December 1 would have Viney missing the first six games, so hopefully LMU sees him back on the court before then.

The article also reported, however, that Viney is the only player expected to begin the season injured, which is good news for a team that had its top six players lose 64 games due to injury last year.

Read more here.

C2CRecruiting checks in with Stover, who has narrowed his search to 3 schools

According to c2crecruiting, Nick Stover has narrowed his search down to LMU, Hawaii and UC Irvine, as of last night. 

“I most recently had a in home with Hawaii that went well," Stover said in this article. Loyola Marymount and UC Irvine have stopped by to see me in the open gym.”

As far as any visits setup, ” I only have one visit setup right now, and it's to Loyola Marymount on October 21st for an official visit," the 6-foot-4 senior out of Windward High School in Los Angeles said.

Nick Stover likely to sign with LMU

I wrote back in June that the Lions were heavily recruiting Nick Stover, a 6'5" forward from Winward high school in Los Angeles. A Los Angeles Times blog today reported that Stover could end up signing with the Lions within the next month.

Update on Drew Viney's Injury Status

As reported Sunday, Drew Viney had surgery on his left foot Monday, as is expected to be out 1-2 months.

According to a close family member of Drew's, Drew "also had surgery in April to remove bone spurs on his left ankle. His rehab from that was excellent - monitored very closely by [LMU Basketball Trainer] Keith. Drew was fully recovered, and playing well, when they noticed lingering pain in his left foot last week (not related to the ankle). An MRI showed a problem developing, which could be handled much quicker through surgery. Without surgery, he could have been down 10-12 weeks minimum, possibly an entire season, while waiting for the bone to recover. With surgery - he could be back in 4-6 weeks, and the bone is now stabilized and stronger for future play."

Today, ESPN's Diamond Leung reported on the injury, stating that Viney will likely miss the Lions' season-opener at UCLA. Read more of Leung's report here.

Check out this WCC Season Preview

Ballinisahabit.net just released their WCC Men's Basketball season preview, and it definitely has some good stuff. In addition to predicting LMU guard Anthony Ireland to be the conference's 2011-12 Breakthrough Player, they also predict Drew Viney to be First-Team All-Conference.

The website also very accurately noted LMU's greatest flaw from last season. "And while that record is ghastly -- 11 wins, 2-12 in the WCC -- LMU was not nearly that bad. They lost seven of the nine games that were one possession differences or went to overtime."

Click here to read the full preview, including a paragraph titled "So is Loyola Marymount for real?"

Drew Viney out 6-8 weeks?

According to his Twitter account (@DViney34), Lions' star Drew Viney will be out 6-8 weeks after receiving surgery on his foot tomorrow.

The fifth-year senior tweeted, "gettin surgery on Monday, out 6 to 8. I'll be good though no worries" in response to the question "hows the foot" from Saint Mary's player Kenton Walker.

No confirmation on the injury other than twitter, but 6-8 weeks would likely put Viney on the sideline for at least the Lions' exhibition game against La Verne and season-opener at UCLA.

Update, Monday Oct. 3: I can confirm that Drew is indeed having surgery today. He should be out 1-2 months.

Max Good speaks on conference realignment

Men's Basketball Head Coach Max Good was a guest speaker at the Kentucky Association of Basketball Coaches clinic this weekend and had unfavorable things to say about the recent shuffling of colleges amongst conferences.

He was quoted as saying the moves were "cannibalism," and greedy.

Read more here.

Dakarai Tucker on LMU recruiting radar

Both ESPN and FoxSports list LMU as an active recruiter of Dakarai Tucker, 6'4", 175 lb small forward from Gardena, CA. The class of 2012 forward is also garnering interest from Santa Clara, UC Riverside and Cal State Bakersfield.

ESPN writes, "Tucker is a long and wiry wing-type with blossoming skills. He affects the game at both ends due to his defensive presence and relentless pursuit of the ball. He is quite potent on the fast break where he uses his length and athletic prowess to get to the rim."

Lions make offer to local power forward

According to Scout.com and Hot100Hoops, LMU has made an offer to 2012 power forward Chris Reyes of Damien High School in La Verne, Ca. The 6'6", 200 lb forward is scheduled to visit Gonzaga early next month.

In addition, Reyes will also visit St. Mary's, Boston College and UC Santa Barbara.  

Santa Clara star to miss entire season

As just reported by Diamond Leung of ESPN, Santa Clara men's basketball star Marc Trasolini will miss the entire 2011-12 season due to a torn ACL. Trasolini was the team's second highest scorer and leading rebounder.

According to the report, "Trasolini, a native of Vancouver, Canada, suffered the injury while playing in front of a hometown crowd during the Broncos' exhibition loss to Trinity Western University on Tuesday. The senior came down on the leg after attempting a shot within the game's first two minutes, and was sidelined for the rest of the evening."


Read more here: http://espn.go.com/blog/collegebasketballnation/post/_/id/35071/marc-trasolini-tears-acl-during-trip-home

Hoops adds one more home game

The men's basketball team has added a home game to the previously released schedule. The Lions will host Vanguard in Gersten Pavilion on December 27 at 7 p.m. The Lions will host a program-record 19 games at home this season.

"We had an open date to play with and after the conference schedule came out, we didn't want to go 10 days without playing a game," said Head Coach Max Good. "We were working on a home-and-home relationship but at this late of date our options were limited. We were fortunate to be able to schedule Vanguard at home. We made an effort to play more at home. We accomplished that."

Mark your calendars

ESPNU has picked up LMU's away game at Florida State on Dec. 18. The ESPN channel will broadcast the game live at noon Pacific Time.

Sundays with Sondheimer: Fulfilling a dream

Passing along a nice link from an LA Times Blog today. Eric Sondheimer, who shot video at the home of LaRon Armstead just weeks before his graduation from high school, re-posted the video today, as Armstead is now months away from graduating from LMU.

Check it out here.