Thursday, November 20, 2008

Loyola Marymount Preview

Here is that K-Mac interview.

Interesting stuff there. Talks about the SI cover and how it was an honor especially being picked over Harangody. Calls Ireland the "trip of a lifetime." The article mentions how he and his mom should be making plenty of appearances on television starting in Maui. Again, thanks to our New York contributor for that.

LMU started their season off with an exhibition win against Hope International University. Unfortunately, it has been all downhill since then. The Lions dropped all three contests in the World Vision Classic, failing to score more than 55 points against Milwaukee, Iowa State, and UC Davis.

Vernon Teel leads the team with a 19.3 scoring average. No other players are in double figures. The 6'4" Juco transfer has double the amount of made field goals as anyone else on the roster. He is also the leading rebounder with 9.3 a game. Assists (8) are tops on the team as are his turnovers (15). Does anyone else like to play basketball at this school?

Marko Deric and Tim Dedrerichs are the tallest rotation players, both at 6'9". They play a little over 14 minutes a game. Along with Teal, the rest of the team's starting lineup will contain only one experienced player (Deric, Dederichs, or Corey Counts). Jarred DuBois, Ashley Hamilton, and Kevin Young are all freshman starters.

New coach Bill Bayno does appear to have this program turning around with his desire to play inexperienced, but talented players. He has inked two good recruits for next year, including PF Terrell Vinson, a four-star guy recruited by Georgetown, Maryland, Memphis, and Villanova. Best of luck to Coach Bayno and the program in the future, but tomorrow should be nothing less than a walk for the Irish.

4 comments:

BlackandGreen said...

Remember Bill Bayno? The name rang a bell, but I couldn't put my finger on it.

Bayno was the guy who ran the UNLV program when it was hit for recruiting violations in 2000. Since then, he has traveled from the ABA in Phoenix to the CBA in Yakima, with a stop in the Philippines coaching the "Talk 'N Text Phone Pals." How exciting.

He was also an assistant for the Trailblazers the last couple of years. He also worked under Carlesimo, Calipari, and Larry Brown in the 80s and 90s.

BlackandGreen said...

Bayno is a fantastic recruiter, thus the Vinson commitment in his first year. However, landing that kind of talent at a non-Gonzaga WCC school and his past history makes you wonder if something else is going on there...

In fairness, the Zags have significantly helped that Catholic school conference turn into a strong mid-major league and brought about the possibility for teams like Saint Mary's to rise from obscurity. Could LMU be the next program to turn into a national power in the WCC? Maybe, they have a coach with a strong track record, but the baggage he brings is scary.

MJenks said...

"Talk 'N Text Phone Pals" wasn't coached by Kelvin Sampson?

*badda-boom*

Try the veal.

IrishFan89 said...

I would have gone to the game had it not sold out, it was shown on Prime Ticket, and there were some empty seats. Irish won, but LMU kept it closer than expected.