Dec. 27, 2008

Complete Release in PDF Format

After a grueling stretch of five games in 10 days, the Loyola Marymount men's basketball program got a much needed holiday gift, a week off. The short-handed Lions had six days off around Christmas and will begin their final three games of non-conference play when they head to New Mexico State to take on the Aggies on Sunday, Dec. 28 at 12 noon (PT). The game can be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM and LMULions.com.

DEPLETED ROSTER
Already with the absence of head coach Bill Bayno (see note below) due to health issues, five players on LMU's roster, which includes six newcomers and just three seniors, are not out for the season. Junior transfer Larry Davis (Seton Hall) and sophomore Drew Viney (Oregon) will redshirt the season due to transfer rules. The other three players out for the year are all due to injury. Redshirt sophomore Terron Sutton is out for the year due to a torn ACL suffered in practice this October, and Tim Diederichs, who had played limited minutes in the first three games, requires surgery on his injured right shoulder suffered in the first weeks of practice this season. He will miss the remainder of the season and plans on applying for a medical redshirt. The third player in that group is Ashley Hamilton, who played in five games this season, will miss the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his back. There is more. Leading scorer, rebounder and assist man Vernon Teel broke his right foot against Notre Dame and had surgery Nov. 26 and will be out four to six weeks. With the injuries, the Lions are down to seven scholarship players, two of which - seniors Corey Counts and Chris Kanne - earned scholarships this summer after playing as walk-ons the last three seasons. Current walk-on Griffin Reilly is the ninth active player and saw his first minutes of action at Arizona. The Lions added a 10th player to the roster in walk-on Daniel Latimer.

Bill Bayno
Loyola Marymount University Athletics announced on Sunday, Nov. 23, that Bill Bayno is taking a leave of absence, effective immediately, as the head coach of the LMU men's basketball team. Assistant Coach Max Good will serve as acting head coach during Bayno's leave. "Recently, I was diagnosed with a serious medical condition, in part, related to the stress and anxiety of head coaching," says Bayno. "It will require treatment which will force me to take a leave of absence. It is unfortunate and I feel badly for the University, the coaching staff and most of all my players and their families, all of whom I will miss very much. I ask for privacy for myself and my family and I thank you for your prayers and support." "The LMU Family's greatest concerns are for the wellbeing of Bill and the team," said LMU Athletics Director Dr. William Husak. "His health is the most important thing he needs to focus on right now. He has done great things in his brief time at LMU and has earned the love and respect of all. I have asked Max Good to be our acting head coach during this time period and I have great confidence that Max and the rest of the staff will continue the process Bill began. All of us at LMU are concerned for Bill's wellbeing and he and his family are in our thoughts and prayers."

TOUGH STRETCH
When it rains, it pours never fit better. Playing with just seven scholarship players, Bill Bayno taking a leave of absence and seven of their first 10 games on the road, the Lions have had to do this with a murderous schedule. The Lions' 13 opponents heading into the New Mexico State game had a combined record of 93-50 (65.0 percent) while the entire non-conference schedule posts a record of 109-69 (61.2). The remaining three non-conference opponents are 16-19 (New Mexico State: 5-6; CS Bakersfield: 4-9; Seattle: 7-4). In addition, this is the first time since the 2004-05 season the Lions have played at least two ranked teams in non-conference play.

MORE ON THAT YOUTH
Five newcomers on LMU's roster, including four true freshman, have been asked to carry the load for the Lions this season. Sophomore transfer Vernon Teel, freshmen Jarred DuBois, Ashley Hamilton, Kevin Young, LaRon Armstead and with injuries walk-on freshman Griffin Reilly have combined to play 1,507 of the 2,600 minutes played in 13 games this season, good for 57.9 percent. With Young playing all 40 minutes against Tulsa, all three starting freshman have at least one game where they have played all 40 minutes. DuBois leads the group with 35.0 minutes per game, on pace to snap the record by a freshman set by Forrest McKenzie with 29.8 minutes in 1981. Fellow freshman Armstead is quickly catching up, playing all 40 minutes in back-to-back games. He had his stretch of consecutive minutes snapped at 108, getting his first break since UALR. The group has also combined for 464 of the 691 points (67.1 percent) and 249 of the 428 rebounds (58.1 percent).

MORE MINUTES
LaRon Armstead became the first Lion since Jim Williamson in the 1995-96 season to play a complete 40 minutes in back-to-back games. Armstead, who started the season averaging just 22 minutes a game at the Iowa State Tournament, is now averaging 30.9 minutes per game after going 40 minutes against Arizona and then against Wyoming. Williamson averaged 35.7 minutes a game in 1995-96, logging 40 minutes in a 67-63 win over Cal State Fullerton on Dec. 16, 1995 and then 40 minutes on Dec. 19, 1995 in an 82-80 win at Hawaii. That season total ranked seventh all-time in LMU history. The all-time leader is Keith Smith, who logged 38.1 minutes per contest in 1984-85. That season he played 40 or more minutes in 12 games, including a stretch of three straight games of 40 minutes and three more times where he went back-to-back games with 40 minutes. And the minutes have led to production. Since entering the starting line-up against Wagner, he has caught fire. He has averaged 6.4 rebounds (58) and 13.4 points (121) in the last nine games.

MAKING A POINT
Freshman Jarred DuBois, who had a 40-minute game of his own against Wyoming, is turning into a floor leader. The true freshman point guard first turned heads with his defense against No. 8 Notre Dame, helping LMU hold first-team All-Big East performer Kyle McAlarney to zero points (0-for-7), forcing him into four turnovers. DuBois has now added offense to that effort, going for 16 points, hitting 4-of-6 from long range against the Irish. He did one better against UALR with 23 points. The point total ranks tied for 12th among single game scoring by a freshman. He added another 16 points against Arizona and is averaging 10.5 points per game, good for 20th in the West Coast Conference in scoring (as of 12/24/08). He also entered the week fifth in the WCC in free throw shooting, hitting 37-for-45 (82.2 percent). He also leads the team with 44 assists (3.38 per game), good for seventh in the WCC (as of 12/24/08).

ON THE BOARDS
Leading the way on the rebounding end this season has been freshmen Kevin Young and LaRon Armstead, who have 82 and 70 rebounds, each in 13 games. Young has games of 13 (Wyoming), 11 (at Arizona, at UCSB) and 10 (vs. Notre Dame) on his resume, ranking second, tied for fifth and 12th respectively for freshman in LMU history. Young has 33 offensive rebounds, 2.54 per game this season, to lead the Lions and is ranked fifth in the WCC. His 6.3 rebounds overall per game is ranked sixth in the WCC.

MAKING THEM COUNTS
Senior Corey Counts made sure the Lions didn't go long without a three-pointer, going 5-for-6 from long range against Iowa State. It was the second time in his career he has hit five in a game, hitting the mark while going for 21 points against Gonzaga in the WCC opener a year ago. Counts is 26-for-68 (38.2 percent) from the three-point line in 2008-09, moving his career total to 75-for-198 (37.9 percent) in his career. On the season, he entered the week fifth in the WCC in three-pointers made per game (2.0) and eighth in three-point percentage. His career three-point percentage entered the season ranked 11th and remains 11th. His 75 made three-pointers moves him to 14th all-time in LMU history, replacing Chris Nikchevich, who had 68. His 198 attempts is ranked 18th.

INSIDE THE GAME
According to LMU records, the all-time series is led by the Lions, 4-3, after the Lions took the last meeting, 71-69, Nov. 17, 2006, in Los Angeles. The Aggies are looking for their first win in the series since Dec. 16, 1939. The Aggies had four players in double-figures but were stunned in the second game of the 2006-07 season at Loyola Marymount when the Lions came back from a 17-point deficit to earn the win, 71-69. Guard Brandon Worthy gave LMU the victory with an off-balance 3-pointer with one second remaining in the game. The Aggies are having a very successful non-conference season at the Pan American Center. NMSU is 5-0 at home with wins over UTEP, Sacramento State, Prairie View A&M, Pepperdine and UC Riverside. The Aggies are also winning convincingly with a 17.6 margin of victory in the five home games.

AGAINST THE WAC
The Lions have had success over the teams in the current Western Athletic Conference. This will be the 138th time the Lions will face a team who are now in the WAC. The Lions are 74-63 (54.0) against the WAC, winning its last two meetings (Boise State in 2007 and NMSU in 2006).

SHOOTING TOUCH
Against Arkansas-Little Rock in game two of the three-game road trip, the Lions shot 56.8 percent from the field (21-for-37), 58.3 percent from long range and 83.3 percent from the free throw line. It was the best shooting performance for the Lions in over two seasons and ranks seventh overall in the last decade. The Lions held UALR to just 41.7 percent shooting (25-for-60) and out-rebounded one of the best rebounding teams in the nation by nine (34-25).

TAKE A GOOD LOOK
The Australian forward Marko Deric is the only senior on the Lions' roster who came to the Lions on a scholarship. He enters the NMSU game with 95 games as a Lion, averaging 4.2 per game in his first three-plus seasons. Fellow senior guards Corey Counts and Chris Kanne are former walk-ons who earned scholarships this summer. Kanne is a fifth-year senior who earned his Business degree in May and is now in graduate school at LMU for Business Law. Kanne turned heads this offseason with his shooting and is expected to play more as he enters the NMSU game with 44 career games in three-plus seasons. Counts had a breakout year last season, starting 22 games, leading the team with 88 assists while hitting on 39 percent from the three-point line (37-for-95). Counts has played 72 games as a Lion, hitting 75 three-pointers with 154 assists, ranking 14th and 24th, respectively. Take a good look at seniors this season as Counts, Kanne and Deric will be the only three seniors in the LMU men's basketball program for the next two years as the roster has only one junior and that is redshirt Larry Davis.

HISTORICAL THREE
Since the three-point field goal was introduced in the 1986-87 season, LMU has had just one game where they have not had a three-pointer. Well, in the first game with the three-point line pushed back a foot they had their second, snapping a streak of 375 games snapped. The Lions went 0-for-8 against Wisconsin-Milwaukee, marking just the second time they went without a three. The only other "miss" came on Dec. 19, 1995 when the Lions went 0-for-6 in an 82-80 win over Hawaii. That game snapped a 271 consecutive three-pointer streak for the Lions. Heading into the game against NMSU, in the 660 games the Lions have played since the three-point line was instituted, the Lions have hit three-pointers in 658 of them. The Lions have never gone without a three-pointer in WCC play.

DEFENSE
It might not show in the record, but the Lions and their zone defense has frustrated opponents. First it was No. 8 Notre Dame, holding first-team All-Big East performer Kyle McAlarney to zero points. The senior McAlarney averaged 15.1 points a year ago and hit 108 three-pointers (hitting 44 percent) and then went on to hit 39 against No. 1 North Carolina a week later. Freshman Jarred DuBois and senior Corey Counts held him to 0-for-7 from the field and 0-for-4 from long range, forcing him into four turnovers. The Lions then held Arizona's Chase Budinger to just 10 points in 27 minutes, more than 12 points less than his average entering the game. Then last week against Wyoming, holding the Mountain West Conference's highest scoring team more than 20 points under its season average. The Lions held Preseason All-American Honorable Mention selection, Brandon Ewing, under double digits for the first time in 21 games, dating back to the middle of last season. On top of that, the Lions held a Cowboys team that averages better than 48 percent from the field to 40 percent and 28 percent from behind the arc. Against UC Riverside, they limited the Highlanders to a season low 59 points on 25.9 percent shooting from the three-point line (7-for-27) while at No. 12 UCLA, the Lions held the Bruins to their lowest shooting percentage at Pauley Pavilion, 39.4. It was also the lowest shooting percentage by any opponent against LMU this season.