Nov. 13, 2003

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BRIEFLY
The two-game exhibition season for the Loyola Marymount University men's basketball team will come to a close this Saturday, Nov. 15 when they take on Ratiopharm Ulm (from Ulm, Germany) in the final exhibition of the season. The game will tip-off at 2:05 p.m. and will be the first game of the season broadcast on the Lions' Audio Network through partners KXLU 88.9 FM and LMULions.com. The Lions will then open the regular season at Gersten Pavilion on Nov. 21 at 7:05 p.m. against UC Riverside.

YOUTH IS SERVED
With seven freshmen on the 2002-03 roster, the Lions featured one of its most talented freshman recruiting classes in program history. The Lions had just 11 years of NCAA Division I experience on last year's 15-man roster. "We had a very young and inexperienced team going into the 2002-03 season," said Head Coach Steve Aggers, who enters his fourth season at the helm of the Lions. "Miroslav Neskovic was our only senior and our intention was to play a tough schedule that featured the Great Alaska Shootout to give our team as much experience as possible." Youth has served the Lions well. The 2003-04 season marks the fourth recruiting class of Aggers, who took over the program in April of 2000. The Lions only recruit in his first season, senior Sherman Gay, set the school record for blocks in a season with 60 while leading the West Coast Conference last season. All told, the eight freshman brought in by Aggers and his staff have set 13 LMU freshman records and have taken home four WCC Player of the Week honors in the last two seasons. Three new freshman join LMU this 2003-04 season, including Damian Martin, Matthew Knight and Jon Ziri, who will redshirt with transfer Daryl Pegram.

GROWTH SPURT
The youth from 2002-03 now turns into valuable experience heading into the 2003-04 season. With nine returning players, which includes all five starters, the Lions suddenly have one of the more experienced teams in the WCC. LMU will return 78 percent of its scoring from last season as eight of the nine returning players earned more than 10 minutes a game. "Each of our players gained valuable game experience and there is nothing that can replace that," said Aggers. "I felt our younger players learned how to compete and how to practice hard on a consistent basis. We played a challenging schedule last year that enabled our team to make some good progress in all areas."

FIRST LOOK
LMU started the season off with an 84-78 exhibition win over EA Sports Southwest All-Stars at Gersten Pavilion on Tuesday, Nov. 4. The Lions were paced by senior Sherman Gay with 18 points, nine rebounds and one block. Junior Charles Brown finished with 16 points and four assists, while Brandon Worthy added 13 points, eight rebounds and two blocks. The Lions took a 40-40 halftime tie and built their lead to as many as 21 in the second half. Leading 57-47 with 13:58 remaining, the Lions went on an 11-0 run that spanned three minutes. Brown hit a three pointer at 13:12 and then senior Jason Dickens took a pass from Gay to hit a five-footer with 12:30 remaining. Sophomore Wes Wardrop earned a steal and scored on a lay-up to make it 64-47. The run was capped by a pair of free throws from senior Keith Kincade and a lay-up by Gay. The Lions would then hold on to the lead as EA Sports cut it to four on a jumper by Koko Archibong with 3:58 remaining. The bucket capped a 15-1 EA Sports run to cut the lead to 68-52. Gay snapped the run with another jumper. The Lions created 12 turnovers and had seven steals on the night against EA Sports. Freshman Damian Martin had nine points, three rebounds, four assists and three steals in his first game as a Lion.

MORE ON RATIOPHARM
Ratiopharm Ulm is a regional organization with several teams that compete in different age and competitive classes. The Lions will be taking on the "number one" team who competes in the 2 Basketball Bundesliga (which means the second men's basketball league). Also known as the "young league" because a main goal of the league is to further the occupational and educational development of younger players. The 2 Basketball Bundesliga is divided into northern and southern divisions. Ratiopharm Ulm is in the South. Ulm posted a record of 7-2 in preseason play during August and September. In the first half prior to their two-week tour in the United States, they had a record of 8-2 in league play, moving their overall mark to 15-4 on the year.

THE US TOUR
Ratiopharm began their two weeks in the United States by taking the University of the Pacific on Friday, Nov. 7. The team suffered a 74-57 loss in the opener. Emeka Erege led the team with 20 points, going 8-for-9 from the field with four rebounds. Kai-Uwe Kranz added 13 points in the loss. On the year Erege leads the team with 16.9 points per game and adds 2.6 rebounds. Also in double figures in league play for Ulm is Maksym Shtein with 16.6, Peter Heizer (who played at Pepperdine) with 14.4 and Ed Williams with 14.3. Williams is the team's leading rebounder with 5.2 per game. Michael Bree is the team's starting point guard with 7.8 points, 3.7 rebounds and 5.9 assists per game. He had nine assists and three steals against Pacific.

STEPPING UP
Leadership will be a key for LMU as they continue to build on the Team First and "program" concept. "We now have everyone on the same page and buying into what we are working so hard to build and develop," said Aggers. "Having a group of players that are taking more ownership in the program is critical for continued growth." Junior Charles Brown (G, 5-11, 170, Jr., Hercules, CA) was voted the team MVP from last season, leading the Lions in scoring (11.1 ppg), assists (137) and steals (61). The point guard developed into the floor leader for the Lions, placing third in the WCC in assists with 4.4 per game and first in steals with 1.96 per game while starting all 31 games.

ON THE GLASS
Rebounding will also be a key in the upcoming season. Despite becoming the first WCC opponent to out-rebound Gonzaga in 13 games, the Lions were seventh in the WCC with a -3.5 rebound margin. "Improving our rebounding has become one of the main points of emphasis," said Aggers. Senior Sherman Gay (F, 6-7, 195, Sr., Carson, CA), who was Aggers first recruit in 2000, led the Lions with 4.5 rebounds per game, improving that average to 5.0 per game in WCC play. Gay had a breakout season with 9.0 points per game and setting the all-time school record for blocks in a season with 60, which also led the WCC. Brown was second on the team with 4.0 rebounds per game while sophomore Chris Ayer (C, 6-10, 255, So., Tucson, AZ) worked his way into the starting line-up for most of conference play thanks to his 4.2 rebounds against WCC opponents. He finished fifth in the WCC with 30 blocks as the Lions led the league as a team with 4.16 blocks per game.

KNOCKING THEM DOWN
The Lions will also put an emphasis on improving their field goal percentage. "We need to improve in all offensive categories with perimeter shooting as the number one priority," said Aggers. The Lions finished the season hitting 42.8 percent from the field to rank sixth in the WCC. Gay led the team with 51.5 percent from the field and Brown is the Lions' top three-point shooter returning at 29.4 percent (35-of-119). A key to the Lions' offense in 2002-03 will be sophomore Brandon Worthy (G, 6-2, 205, So., San Jose, CA). As a true freshman in 2002-03, the native of San Jose, Calif., was voted the Offensive Player of the Year by his teammates as he earned honorable mention all-conference honors in the WCC last season. He turned heads with his freshman record 24 points in the first game of the season against Loyola Chicago. Coach Aggers breaks down each position heading into the 2003-04 season.

BACKCOURT
Brown, Worthy and sophomore Wes Wardrop (G, 6-3, 185, So., Anaheim, CA) gained valuable playing time and game experience as the leaders of the Lions' backcourt last season. Brown led the team with 29.4 minutes a game and Wardrop, who started the final half of the season at the two guard position, averaged 21.9 minutes as a true freshman. Worthy came off the bench for more than 22 minutes a game to lead the Lions most of the season in scoring. "All three of these young men need to take what they have learned and move their game to the next level," said Aggers. "They have a great work ethic. Both Wes and Charles each had a productive spring with individual skill development and weight room work." Senior Keith Kincade (G/F, 6-6, 210, Sr., Norwalk, CA) brings four years of experience to the Lions in 2003-04. Kincade, who averaged 9.2 points per game in 29 starts last season at the wing, will be looked to for more than just his offense. "For our team to improve he must get better defensively and be more consistent with his rebounding," said Aggers. "I know he will take on that challenge and be ready for a great senior season." Joining Kincade at the wing will be sophomore John Haywood (F, 6-6, 210, So., Chino, CA). In his first season of collegiate basketball, Haywood improved as the season progressed to average 12 minutes, 2.6 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. "We need him to continue improve his offensive abilities with ball handling and perimeter shooting," said Aggers. The Lions will add freshmen Jon Ziri (G, 6-2, 200, Fr., Tempe, AZ) and Damian Martin (G, 6-1, 190, Fr., Gloucester, Australia) to the back court. Ziri brings a shooting touch that coach Aggers says has been missing for the Lions and Martin has international experience and floor leadership that will compliment Brown at the point guard position. Redshirt freshman John Montgomery (G, 6-1, 175, Fr., Menlo Park, CA) has a year of experience with the Lions' program and brings a solid outside shot to the Lions' arsenal. He will also compete for time at the guard position. "Our point guards need to provide more verbal, on the court leadership and take care of the ball much better," said Aggers. "Reducing our turnovers and improving our turnover-to-assist ratio is a team goal for next year." Both Ziri and Martin will fill in for the loss of Kent Dennis, who averaged 14.8 minutes per game overall and 7.9 in conference play. Dennis will not return for his senior season athletically but will complete his studies and graduate from LMU in the spring.

FRONT COURT
The Lions starting front court of Gay and Ayer showed great promise at the close of the 2002-03 season. They were ranked first and fifth in the WCC in blocks respectively and bring athleticism and size to the Lions line-up. "Chris gained valuable experience getting the bulk of the minutes during WCC play. His continued development is critical to our team's success," said Aggers. "Sherman's emergence as a starter and prime-time performer has been a big positive. The confidence he gained last season will provide the push for continued growth into his senior year." Senior Jason Dickens (F, 6-8, 230, Sr., Tucson, AZ), another fifth year player for the Lions, has shown to be a solid inside-outside player in the past and the Lions will look for him to develop into a more consistent performer after major ankle surgery in 2002. The Lions will also bring in freshman Matt Knight (F, 6-8, 240, Fr., Burnie, Australia) to shore up the Lions' rebounding. "We have players with good athletic ability who we need to develop and continue to grow to answer questions that we need solutions to in order to be successful," said Aggers. "We need someone to step up as a consistent low post player and give the team a low post scoring presence. We want all of our front line players to improve this off-season." Sophomore Dustin Brown (F, 6-7, 225, So., San Rafael, CA), hampered by early season injuries in his freshman season, will be looked to for his athleticism to bring more rebounding and an inside-outside presence to the Lions. Redshirt freshman Antti Kasko (C, 7-0, 270, Fr., Helsinki, Finland) from Finland brings the Lions their biggest body at 7-0. Both will look to compete for playing time with off-season improvement in their skill development. The Lions look to have the depth and talent to fill the void of the loss of Miroslav Neskovic, who graduated in 2003, and Andy Osborn, who transferred to the University of Colorado. LMU will add sophomore Daryl Pegram (F, 6-9, 200, So., San Bernardino, CA) to the roster. The transfer from Indiana University played with teammate Wardrop at Worchester Academy and will redshirt the 2003-04 season.

SCHEDULE
The Lions' 2003-04 season will begin with two straight non-conference games at home as the Lions will host UC Riverside on Friday, Nov. 21 and then Cal State Northridge on Tuesday, Nov. 25. They will then head to a competitive Central Connecticut State University tournament with SUNY-Binghamton, CCSU and Charleston Southern. The Lions will open with Binghamton. LMU will return with home games against Cal Poly and UNLV before heading on the road to UCLA and Denver. They will also have home non-conference games against Virginia, Colgate and Northern Colorado. Conference play starts with Portland on Jan. 8 and a rematch at Gersten Pavilion with Gonzaga on Jan. 10. Pepperdine will be the final home game on Feb. 21. The WCC changed the conference schedule this season from Friday-Saturday games to Thursday-Saturday games.

GERSTEN PAVILION
The Lions' home opener on Nov. 21 against UC Riverside will start the 24th season of basketball at Gersten Pavilion. Opening on Jan. 15, 1981, the men's basketball team has set many records, including several national NCAA records. More memorable moments in Gersten's history include the Lions' 16-game winning streak from Feb. 28, 1987 through Nov. 28, 1988. Gersten is also the home of the all-time NCAA Division I highest scoring game, a 186-140 win by the Lions over US International on Jan. 5, 1991. The Lions finished 7-6 in 2002-03 in Gersten, giving them an overall record of 162-134 (.547) in the facility.

TAKING ON THE BEST
The Lions faced a schedule that featured seven teams who advanced beyond conference tournament play into either the NIT or NCAA tournaments in 2002-03. For the second straight season, the Lions earned at least one win against a team in the NCAA tournament. LMU defeated Gonzaga and South Carolina State, both advancing to the NCAA Tournament. The Lions upset Gonzaga 80-74 on Feb. 8 and defeated the Bulldogs of South Carolina State, 74-69, in the Montana State tournament. The Lions also added an impressive win against Montana (who defeated highly-ranked Stanford), a three-game win streak in West Coast Conference (WCC) play, and the first win in the WCC tournament in seven seasons with a 65-63 victory over Portland. With the highs of solid wins came tough losses, including 10 defeats by eight points or less to finish the season 11-20 overall and 4-10 in the WCC. "Beating a nationally ranked team in Gonzaga was a big boost for our program and seeing the student body storm the floor following that win was fun to see and should be a sign of positive things yet to come," said Aggers. "It was also good to win our first round game in the WCC tournament and advance in postseason competition. Each positive step creates momentum to build on in the off-season."

CLOSE CALLS
The Lions finished the 2002-03 season with a 11-20 record overall and 4-10 in the West Coast Conference. Of LMU's 20 losses last season, the Lions led or were within four points of the lead in the final 10 minutes of 13 of those games.

THE WCC
The West Coast Conference was ranked No. 10 in the College Basketball News RPI rating to end the 2002-03 season. It is the conference's highest ranking ever. The WCC finished ranked 15th in last year's RPI. The top 15:

1. SEC (12 teams)
2. Big 12 (12)
3. ACC (9)
4. Big Ten (11)
5. Big East (14)
6. Mountain West (8)
7. Pacific 10 (10)
8. Conference USA (14)
9. Atlantic 10 (12)
10. WCC (8)
11. WAC (10)
12. Missouri Valley (8)
13. Mid-American (13)
14. Horizon (9)
15. Sun Belt (11)