| |
LOCATION: Los Angeles, CA
CONFERENCE: West Coast
LAST SEASON: 11-16 (.407)
CONFERENCE RECORD: 6-8 (5th)
STARTERS LOST/RETURNING: 4/1
NICKNAME: Lions
COLORS: Crimson and Columbia Blue
HOMECOURT: Gersten Pavilion (4,156)
COACH: Charles Bradley (Wyoming '81)
record at school 18-36 (2 years)
career record 55-79 (5 years)
|
ASSISTANTS: Ronnie Stubbs (Southern Utah '80)
Michael Fenison (Cal Poly-Pomona '88)
TEAM WINS: (last 5 years) 13-18-7-7-11
RPI (last 5 years) 212-160-254-255-184
1998-99 FINISH: Lost in conference quarterfinal.
ESPN.com Clubhouse
|
When your recruiting base is the greater Los Angeles area, it seems likely that you will eventually have some size. But Loyola Marymount was the WCC equivalent of the 90-pound weakling trying to bench press 400 pounds at nearby Venice Beach. There was no hernia, but the Lions' 11-16 record was just as painful to coach Charles Bradley, a one-time first-round NBA draft pick. Bradley wanted an inside-out game, but LMU was mostly out. The Lions had 5-foot-4 point guard Haywood Eaddy the smallest player in the history of the WCC and a bunch of perimeter players. Finesse goes only so far in the WCC, where road games are often a physical, no-holds-barred war inside. The plan at LMU was to add some bulk, and boy, did LMU add some bulk: Four players at more than 230 pounds who figure to give the weight room a workout and Lions' opponents pause when they venture into the paint. "We've been a pretty consistent scoring and rebounding team the last couple years," said Bradley, the former Wyoming All-American. "But we didn't have a lot of size last year. With that we've got now, I think we'll be able to do a better job on the glass." Bradley admits losing Eaddy (14.8 ppg), shooting guard Willie Allen (14 ppg) and guard Tim Kennedy (11.6 ppg) will hurt. "They were the guys who did most of the scoring," Bradley said. "It's going to take some time to find the right mix and see what works for us offensively. Any time you lose half your squad to graduation, some of the chemistry is lost. We'll essentially have a brand-new starting lineup."
|
Blue Ribbon Analysis |
|
BACKCOURT C BENCH/DEPTH C
FRONTCOURT C INTANGIBLES C
With six seniors gone and four starters lost, the Lions are rebuilding as coach Charles Bradley enters his third year. LMU was picked seventh in the preseason, just ahead of Portland. With the strength of the top clubs this season, there appears little room for Bradley's team to improve much on that prediction. But this will be a dangerous team to play all season simply because it can run and potentially put up a lot of points. Pablo Machado, if he clicks immediately, could be one of the league's biggest surprises. We can hardly wait to see him bump and grind down low with 7-3 St. Mary's center Brad Millard. |
That isn't necessarily a bad thing. LMU super-sized its point guard position. Eaddy, the entertaining little Smurf who made all-WCC, is being replaced by 6-7 sophomore Curtis Slaughter (3.8 ppg, 2.8 rpg, 31 assists), unless 5-8 freshman Stanley Thorne (17.0 ppg, 8.0 apg at Fairfax High in Culver City, Calif.) beats him out. Slaughter played in just 12 games after suffering a broken thumb on his right (shooting) hand in practice on Jan. 12. Surgery was successful and he worked hard in the L.A. summer leagues to improve his shooting touch (.289). LMU took a major hit at shooting guard when freshman talent Robert Davis (7.1 ppg) decided to take a break from basketball. Davis, 6-3, was a three-point threat who had a career 17-point night against UCLA. He was projected as a starter. The Lions' lone returning starter is 6-5 junior forward Elton Mashack (12.1 ppg, 6.9 rpg), who begins his third season after earning honorable mention All-WCC his sophomore year. Mashack is a gifted athlete who is slowly growing into a leadership role. LMU has two experienced forwards back in 6-7, 245-pound senior Ed Wolfe (4.3 ppg, 2.5 rpg) and 6-5 senior Rupert McClendon (5.5 ppg, 2.2 rpg). Wolfe got into the spirit of the Lions' push for bulk when he gained 20 pounds during the off-season. He's bigger and stronger and should be more effective with his post moves. Kevin Richard, a 6-5 freshman from Pasadena (Calif.) High, has the ability to challenge McClendon for the distinction of being the team's top all-around athlete. Richard (13.0 ppg, 10.0 rpg) is supposed to be a strong, tough-minded player who loves challenges. He'll fit perfectly with LMU's emphasis on the transition game and pushing the ball. LMU's reinforcements inside are a few Whoppers short of being humongous. It starts with 6-10, 235-pound junior center Pablo Machado (1.6 ppg, 1.5 rpg in '97-98), a transfer from Georgia Tech by way of Venezuela. Then there's 6-8, 235-pound sophomore Jean-Paul Afif (5.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg), 6-7, 240-pound freshman forward J.J. Sola (20.0 ppg, 12.0 rpg) and 6-8, 220-pound transfer forward Greg Lakey. Lakey and 6-6 junior guard/forward Philipp Czernin will redshirt. Afif is a project, but Machado, a redshirt in '98-99, is the starting center unless he breaks a leg. LMU coaches say he can run, pass shoot and play physical down on the block. He played 22 games for Georgia Tech. In '97-98, Machado battled injuries and earned only one start. As a freshman, Machado was Tech's top player off the bench, playing power forward and center. Machado moved to the U.S. in '91 from Venezuela. A big surfing fan, Machado said he considered USC and UCLA before transferring to Loyola Marymount. Now he will be asked to fill 6-11 Sylvester Kainga's shoes. Kainga (5.6 ppg, 5.5 rpg) had 55 blocked shots last season, tying Richard Petruska's 1991 school record. As a team, LMU finished with 4.0 blocks per game and led the conference for the second straight year. The Lions were also the league's top free-throw shooting team (.733). On the down side, LMU gave up a WCC-high 81.4 points per game. Bradley's fall practices should be interesting as he tries to find the right combination. The Lions figure to have enough scoring they ranked just behind Gonzaga last season at 75.9 ppg but defense and defensive rebounding were the trouble areas a year ago. Those concerns must be addressed. "We may rely on a different philosophy, offensively and defensively, depending on how the players respond to our system," Bradley said.
 | The 19th edition of Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook is on sale now. To order, call 800-828-HOOP (4667), or visit their web site at
http://www.collegebaskets.com
|
| |
Conferences
America East
ACC
Atlantic 10
Big East
Big Sky
Big South
Big Ten
Big 12
Big West
Colonial
Conference USA
Independents
Ivy League
MAAC
Mid-American
Mid-Continent
Mid-Eastern Athletic
MCC
Missouri Valley
Mountain West
Northeast
Ohio Valley
Pac-10
Patriot
SEC
Southern
Southland
Sun Belt
SWAC
TAAC
WAC
West Coast
|
