June 30, 2010

Loyola Marymount Lions Summer Report on WCCSports.com

Click here to view the LMU Summer Report

SAN BRUNO, Calif. - The 2009-10 season proved to be a revival season for Loyola Marymount basketball. The Lions posted an 18-16 overall record, finished tied for fourth in the WCC standings and advanced to the postseason for the first time in 20 years. With four of their top five scorers and rebounders back from last season, the Lions have their eyes set on a conference title in 2010-11. The WCCTV Summer Reports will continue with Pepperdine on July 7th, before moving up the coast to the Bay Area schools, and concluding with the schools in the Pacific Northwest. The complete list of team previews is below.

The Loyola Marymount Lions enjoyed a historic 2009-10 season, having turned around a program that won five games in 2007-08 and three in 2008-09. With a roster that featured no seniors, LMU (18-16) had the second largest win-turnaround in school history and had the second-best in the country behind Coastal Carolina.

LMU advanced to its first postseason in 20 years and first at home in program history when the Lions hosted Pacific in the first round of the Collegeinsider.com Postseason Tournament. The Lions game against Pacific was their first postseason game since their historic run through the NCAA Tournament in 1990 and the first-ever Lions' postseason game hosted at Gersten Pavilion.

The Lions return four of their five top scorers and rebounders, including a pair of first team All-WCC selections in senior Vernon Teel and junior Drew Viney. Teel and Viney are just the 11th LMU duo to take home first-team All-WCC honors.

Viney, who transferred from Oregon, led LMU and ranked fourth in the WCC in scoring last season with 16.7 ppg and fifth in rebounding with 7.0 rpg. He joined Saint Mary's Omar Samhan as the only players in the league to rank in the top five in both categories.

Teel proved to be one of the most versatile players in the league, finishing sixth in scoring (15.4 ppg) and second in assists (5.6 apg) and steals (1.8 spg), to go along with 5.3 rpg.

Also returning is sophomore Ashley Hamilton, who earned All-WCC Freshman Team honors last season after averaging 8.2 ppg and 5.1 rpg during conference play.

The Lions welcome back 13 letterwinners from last season and add incoming freshmen Anthony Ireland, Ayodeji Egbeyemi, and Godwin Okonji to the mix.

The LMU men's basketball program has once against partnered with Basketball Travelers, Inc., for an international experience, this time on a trip to Spain running Aug. 16 through Aug. 27 and touring Madrid, Valencia and Barcelona. The Lions are scheduled to play six games during their international trip.

WCC Men's Hoops Summer Report Schedule
June 23 - University of San Diego
June 30 - Loyola Marymount University
July 7 - Pepperdine University
July 14 - Santa Clara University
July 21 - University of San Francisco
July 28 - Saint Mary's College
August 4 - University of Portland
August 11 - Gonzaga University