Lions begin work on 2012 recruiting class

Courtesy of Ironlion

The Lions have extended an offer to point guard Donovan Johnson, according to Joel Francisco of ESPN. Johnson is set to be a senior at Palisades High School in Los Angeles, and would join the Lions in the fall of 2012.

ESPN lists Johnson at 6'0" and 165 lbs, and notes that he has high-level speed and quickness. Johnson is known for attacking the rim and having exceptionally quick hands on defense.

A source has also told me that LMU is recruiting class of 2012 forward Nick Stover of Windward High School in Los Angeles.  Stover is 6'5" and 190 lbs.

ESPN writes, "Stover has a great frame with long arms and he is still adjusting to his somewhat gawky frame (big feet). He has evolving perimeter skills and he always plays with purpose in mind. He loves to attack the basket off the dribble and in transition and he's a very good athlete. He can handle the ball well in the open court and is a good passer as well. While slashing to the basket he can finish at the rim and with contact."

View a video Q&A with Johnson below.

In other news, the 2011-12 team got together today for its first workout of the season. Both freshmen (C.J. Blackwell and Bruce English) were in attendance.

San Diego State unhappy with Kevin Young's change of heart

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Former Lion joins Jayhawks

Former Lion Kevin Young, who had been rumored to be heading to San Diego State next season, is now planning on joining the Kansas University Jayhawks, as revealed by numerous reports today. Young went to community college last year after playing two seasons for the Lions, in which he averaged about 10 points and six rebounds per game.

“This is a great opportunity for me and I’m looking forward to playing at Kansas,” Young said to kusports.com. “They take a lot of pride in basketball and academics here and I’m ready for that challenge. I’m looking forward to working with my teammates and coaches and becoming a Jayhawk.”

Young was a fan favorite at LMU, and his departure came as a surprise to many (read what I thought about it at the time, here).

“I thought we definitely needed a playmaker and we were able, at a late date, to fall into Kevin and we couldn’t be happier,” KU coach Bill Self said in the team's press release. “He’s 6-8, thin and can play multiple positions. He reminds me a lot of Julian Wright — very bouncy, very athletic. He will most definitely be an impact player for us next season.”

While at LMU, Young broke the school record for rebounds, steals and blocks by a freshman. 

WCC ups exposure with long-term partnership with ESPN

As announced today by both the West Coast Conference and ESPN, the WCC and ESPN family of networks have agreed upon an eight-year contract extension that will run through the 2018-19 school year. According to terms of the agreement, the WCC will receive a minimum of 48 annual men's basketball appearances on the ESPN networks. Over the past three seasons, the Conference has appeared on ESPN, ESPN2 and ESPNU an average of 38 times per season.

In addition to continuing coverage of the Zappos.com West Coast Conference Basketball Championships (with the semifinals on ESPN2 and the championship game broadcast on ESPN), the quarterfinal matchups will now appear on ESPNU, an agreement that will begin this coming season.

"We are elated to reaffirm our long term partnership with ESPN for another eight years," West Coast Conference Commissioner Jamie Zaninovich said in the conference's press release. "ESPN has played a critical role in helping build and extend our brand as a premier national basketball conference, and this agreement will ensure that more West Coast Conference events will be telecast across more national television platforms than ever before."


In the terms of the deal, all nine WCC schools (with the addition of BYU in 22 days) are guaranteed at least one nationally televised appearance.

Lions to host Idaho State next season

As more and more scheduled opponents for next season get revealed, the Idaho State Journal reported today that the Lions will host Idaho State this coming season. It has previously been revealed that LMU will open the season at UCLA, and also host St. Joseph’s University in November.

The Bengals compete in the Big Sky Conference and were 9-20 last year.