March 4, 2009

Complete Release in PDF Format

LMU will open the 2009 West Coast Conference Men's Basketball Championship playing in the first round on Friday, March 6 against San Diego at 6 p.m. This year's tournament will be held a the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. It is the first time the annual tournament will be held at a neutral site. The Lions, the No. 8 seed, and the Toreros, the No. 5 seed, split the season series, both winning on their home floor. The game can be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM and on LMULions.com, and it can also be watched via web stream on WCCSports.com. A pregame reception will be held for Lions' fans at the TGI Friday's at the Orleans Casino starting at 4 p.m. For ticket information for the tournament, go to WCCSports.com.

WCC TOURNAMENT ROUND 1
As mentioned this will be the third meeting between USD and LMU. The Toreros won 70-59 in San Diego on Jan. 17 while the Lions defeated USD 65-57 on Feb. 12. The Lions lead the tight series, 39-38 and this will be just the third time the teams have met in the WCC tournament. Both times USD won, defeating the Lions 99-84 in 1987 and 75-51 in 1996. The Toreros were the top seed in 1987 while LMU was the No. 3 seed in 1996. The winner between the Lions and Toreros will advance to the quarterfinals and face No. 4 seed Santa Clara at 6 p.m., Saturday, Mar. 7.

QUICK HITTERS
• Freshman Jarred DuBois was named to the All-WCC Freshman Team, which honors the five best freshmen in the conference. He joins Damian Martin (2003-04) and Jim Williamson (1993-94 WCC Freshman of the Year) as the only three Lions to earn postseason freshman honors.
• Fifth-year senior Chris Kanne earned Academic All-WCC honors for achieving a 3.35 GPA as a graduate student in the Business Law program. It is the third straight year a Lion has been honored.
• By forcing 17 turnovers on 10 steals against SMC, the Lions totaled 104 steals in WCC games, good for 7.43 steals per game. Both numbers are tops in the WCC. In addition, the 213 forced turnovers in WCC play is also the most among the eight-teams (for more on LMU's defense, see page 5).
• Freshman Jarred DuBois and Kevin Young are slated to start their 31st game on Friday, tying the all-time freshman record, which was set by teammate Tim Diederichs just a year ago. Diederichs was the first player in LMU history to start every game as a freshman. In addition, the 31 starts will be tied for fifth all-time. The all-time record is 32, set by Per Stumer (1989-90), Mike Yoest (1987-88), Mark Armstrong (1987-88) and Bo Kimble (1989-90).
• The 2008-09 roster now features the all-time freshman leader in points, rebounds, steals and blocks. Jarred DuBois, with a team-high 17 points against USF, moved his season total to 391, setting the all-time freshman record. He now has 399 points. He joins Kevin Young, who holds the all-time rebounding (216), steals (48) and blocks (33) record.
• Kevin Young became the first freshman to have 200 rebounds in a season with his ninth double-digit rebound performance of the year, earning 12 against USF. He has had rebound games of 19, 13 and 12, ranking first, third and fifth in LMU freshman history. He is ranked 8th all-time in single season blocks and needs two more steals to crack the top-20 in steals.
• Jarred DuBois also became the first freshman in school history to crack the top-20 for three-pointers in a season, hitting a pair against USF to give him 46. He is tied with five players at No. 20. In addition, he is averaging 34.8 minutes per game this season, ranking 14th all-time. His 1,044 minutes played on the year is fifth, needing 30 minutes to tie the record of 1,074 minutes played in a season. In addition, his free throw percentage is ranked 15th, his 136 three-point attempts is ranked tied for 18th while his three-point field goal percentage (33.8), free throws made (113), assists (82), and steals (35) are all top-50 in LMU history.
• Team three-point leader Corey Counts, a former walk-on, hit three against the Dons, giving him 51 on the season to rank 16th. His career total is now 100, ranking 11th all-time. Counts also ranks 22nd in career assists with 183, earning nine against USF and SMC.
• Senior Marko Deric will play in his 113th game on Friday. It will move him to a tie for 8th all-time in career games played at LMU with former teammate Jon Ziri. He has also started 57 games, 24th in LMU history.

YOUNG AND THE REBOUNDS
Kevin Young is putting together one of the more impressive freshman campaigns in LMU history. Here is a by the numbers look at what Young has done his rookie season:
• 216 rebounds this season, shattering the all-time freshman record in LMU history for rebounds in a season. Averages 7.2 per game, best average by a freshman in LMU history and ranked 4th in the WCC (as of 2/28/09).
• 93 offensive rebounds, 3.10 per game, ranked fourth in the WCC (as of 2/28/09). • 48 steals is the all-time LMU freshman record and his 1.60 steals per game is ranked 2nd in the WCC (as of 2/28/09).
• 33 blocks this season is 8th all-time, passing Art Claybion (1980-81) in the LMU record books for blocks in a single season by all players. His 1.10 average is ranked 7th in the WCC (as of 2/28/09).
• 4th double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the win over USD. It's the most double-doubles by a freshman at LMU. He has 263 points this season, 10th on the freshman charts. His 8.8 ppg average is 26th in the WCC.
• 19 rebounds against NMSU set a freshman record and it was the most rebounds in a game since Ime Odouk had 22 on Jan. 7, 1994 against Buffalo. He added 16 points and 14 of his rebounds were offensive.

MAKING A POINT
Freshman Jarred DuBois has been quickly developing into the Lions' floor leader and as conference play progresses he doesn't look much like a freshman anymore. Because of the progress, he was named to the WCC All-Freshman team. Here is a look at his numbers this season:
• 13.3 points per game is ranked 12th in the WCC (as of 2/28/09) and is third for a freshman in school history. His 14.1 points per WCC game is also 9th.
• 399 total points, 17 of which came Thursday against USF, is the all-time school record for points by a freshman. In addition, his 82 total assists is ranked tied for fourth by a freshman in school history.
• 39 points in the win over the CS Bakersfield snapped Forrest McKenzie's freshman record of 29 points set against San Francisco on Jan. 16, 1982. It was the most points by any Lion since Wyking Jones had 39 against San Francisco on Jan. 20, 1994. He has also had games of 28 (Feb. 12 against SCU) and 25 (Jan. 17 at USD) to rank No. 3 and No. 6.
• 0 was the number of points All-Big East performer Kyle McAlarney of Notre Dame had with DuBois guarding him. DuBois forced him into four turnovers.
• 85.0 percent (113-for-133) from the free throw line this season, ranked second in the West Coast Conference (as of 2/28/09). He is second in free throws made and attempted in the WCC and has 2.73 assists per game, good for 10th in the WCC and 1.13 steals per game, good for 13th in the WCC (as of 2/22/09).

THE TEEL DEAL
After starting the season with a bang, sophomore Vernon Teel had to go two months without playing a game due to a broken foot. He suffered the injury against Notre Dame on Nov. 21, and did not return until the Portland game on Jan. 22. SInce then, he has played 12 games in WCC play, moving him into the WCC rankings. He is ranked fifth in scoring (15.3 ppg), 12th in rebounds (5.7 rpg), 7th in assists (3.00 apg), 4th in steals (1.53 spg), and 6th in offensive rebounds (2.60 orpg) (as of 2/28/09). He started the season being named to the World Vision Classic All-Tournament team after averaging 19.3 points and 9.3 rebounds in the three games in Ames, Iowa. He finished with 58 points in the tournament, going for 23 points, six rebounds and three assists against UC Davis; 17 points, 13 rebounds and three assists against Iowa State; and putting in 18 points with nine rebounds and two assists in his debut against Wisconsin-Milwaukee.

GRAND FINALE
The Australian forward Marko Deric is the only senior on the Lions' roster who came to the Lions on a scholarship and he along with fellow seniors Corey Counts and Chris Kanne played their final home games against Saint Mary's Saturday. As mentioned, Deric enters the game against San Diego with 112 games as a Lion, tied for 8th in LMU history. He has started 57 games and is averaging 4.1 points and 2.5 rebounds per game in his career. Take a good look at the 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 will only have two juniors in redshirt Larry Davis and current sophomore Vernon Teel.

ALL-ACADEMIC
The 2009 West Coast Conference Winter All-Academic teams were announced on Wednesday, Feb. 25, and Loyola Marymount basketball players Lisa Helmers and Chris Kanne were honored. Helmers is a two-time member of the All-Academic women's basketball team while Chris Kanne earns his first honor in his senior season. Kanne is a fifth-year senior in graduate school for Business Law. He has a 3.35 GPA. He is having the most productive season of his career and as a walk-on earned a scholarship this past summer. He has played in 26 of the Lions' 30 games this season, averaging 9.8 minutes per game. He has hit 15 three-pointers on the season. He has played in 58 games as a Lion.

IT COUNTS
Senior Corey Counts went from walk-on to a three-point specialist for the Lions. He started his senior season going 5-for-6 from long range against Iowa State and hasn't looked back. He had another five three-pointer game against New Mexico State, going 5-for-8, giving him three games in his career to hit five in a game, hitting the mark while going for 21 points against Gonzaga in the WCC opener a year ago. Counts is 51-for-148 (34.5 percent) from the three-point line in 2008-09, moving his career total to 100-for-278 (36.0 percent) in his career. On the season, he is ranked 6th the WCC in three-pointers made per game (1.70)(as of 2/28/09). In his career, the former walk-on has tallied 1,985 minutes, good for 28th all-time in LMU history and the most on the Lions' squad.

GETTING 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 29.5 minutes per game after going 40 minutes four times this season. 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. If it wasn't for fellow freshman Kevin Young, Armstead's pace on the glass would break the freshman record. He has 157 rebounds on the year and is 15th in the WCC at 5.2 per game. His 8.1 points per contest are ranked 30th.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
Five newcomers on LMU's roster, including four true freshman, have been asked to carry the load for the Lions this season. And with injuries the freshman trio of Jarred DuBois, Kevin Young, and LaRon Armstead have been asked to play big minutes and they have become the heart of the Lions. DuBois, Young, Armstead along with sophomore transfer Vernon Teel have combined to play 3,519 of the 6,000 minutes played in 29 games this season, good for 58.7 percent. The group has also combined for 1,181 of the 1,670 points (70.7 percent) and 586 of the 978 rebounds (59.9 percent) this season. With the youth, the Lions have been rated as the 24th youngest roster in the country (according to Statsheet.com). All four players have logged a complete game this season and along with senior Corey Counts, the Lions have had five different players play all 40 minutes at some point this season. DuBois leads the group with 34.8 minutes per game, on pace to snap the record by a freshman set by Forrest McKenzie with 29.8 minutes in 1981 and to crack the all-time top-10 in minutes played per season.

DEPLETED ROSTER
Five players on LMU's roster, which includes six newcomers and just three seniors, are now out for the season. Junior transfer Larry Davis (Seton Hall) and sophomore Drew Viney (Oregon) are redshirting 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, required 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, missed the remainder of the season with a stress fracture in his back. He will also apply for a medical redshirt. In addition, Vernon Teel missed two months of the season with a broken foot. With the injuries, the Lions went two months with just 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 eighth active player and saw his first minutes of action at Arizona. The Lions added two more players to the roster in walk-ons Daniel Latimer and the newest addition, Wes Libuit, who joined the team on Jan. 18, and saw his first action of collegiate basketball against Santa Clara.

LMU CARES
The Loyola Marymount men's basketball team has launched its community outreach program, LMU Cares, and has linked with Project Knapsack Inc., a non-profit organization that partners students in the United States with their peers in developing countries in an international pen pal exchange. Students on the African side of the exchange will each receive their very own backpacks filled with school supplies and other essential learning tools. LMU's participation is designed to foster cross-cultural communication between Lennox Middle School and Daniel Freeman Elementary students and their new friends at the Molalatandi Primary School in Soweto, South Africa. This month, members from the Lions will travel to Lennox and Daniel Freeman where they will deliver the letters from students in Africa and assist with writing the return responses. In March, Project Knapsack will travel to South Africa and personally deliver the second round of letters from students at Lennox and Daniel Freeman. In celebration of the new partnership, LMU Cares has donated over 1,000 pocket dictionaries, calculators, maps/globes, and brand new encyclopedias to students at Molalatandi.

BAYNO/GOOD
Head Coach Bill Bayno, who has been serving a leave of absence since Nov. 24, officially resigned from the position, Athletics Director Dr. William Husak announced Monday, Jan. 12. Husak also announced that Max Good, who has been the acting head coach during Bayno's leave, has agreed to a multiple-year deal to be the head coach of the Lions (For complete bio on Coach Good, see page 6).
Quotes From Bayno:
"Due to medical reasons and on the advice of my doctors, I am resigning from my duties as head men's basketball coach at Loyola Marymount," said Bayno. "I sincerely apologize for any disappointment this might cause the fans, the administration, the students and most importantly my players, their families and my coaching staff. I care deeply for them all and I will always be available to help in any way I can in basketball and in life. I would especially like to thank Dr. Husak and the entire LMU administration for this opportunity. Dr. Husak's support and guidance has been invaluable for both my personal and professional growth. Again, I apologize for being unable to accomplish the goals that we have set forth, but I still believe in the vision and I think LMU will still undoubtedly realize their championship aspirations. I wish the entire LMU family all the best in the future."
Quotes From Husak on Bayno:
"In his seven months on the job at LMU, Bill Bayno accomplished more than any coach could reasonably be expected to achieve," said Husak. "We are all grateful for his efforts and recognize the foundation he has built and the path he has established for our basketball program. The LMU family wishes Bill continued progress in his comeback from the emotional distress triggered by responsibilities associated with being a head coach. Bill Bayno will always be a Lion."

SCHOLL PROMOTION
LMU Head Coach Max Good announced on Jan. 20 that Myke Scholl has been promoted to Associate Head Coach of the LMU men's basketball program. Scholl, who holds a law degree from Maryland, has worked with basketball programs in the U.S. Virgin Islands, at the junior college level in northern California, with the South Africa National and Under-20 teams, the Senegal Men's National Team, with a professional team in South Africa and as a scout for the Detroit Pistons. Scholl, a graduate of Jesuit High School in Sacramento where he played for LMU alum Steve Smith, played at Sacramento State for two seasons before finishing his career at Ohio Wesleyan University and earning a double major in Sociology and History in 1991.

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).

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 USD, in the 678 games the Lions have played since the three-point line was instituted, the Lions have hit three-pointers in 676 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 defense has frustrated opponents. In the win over San Diego, the Lions held the Toreros to just 36.2 percent shooting from the field and 19.0 percent from the three-point line (4-for-21). It was also the lowest shooting percentage by any opponent against LMU this season. They followed that by forcing Santa Clara into 17 turnovers on nine steals, including seven turnovers by the Broncos' point guard. It started with 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 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.