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LOS ANGELES -- The 2015-16 LMU Lions will combine a talented incoming recruiting class with a group of veterans that have a full season under second-year Head Coach Mike Dunlap. With a committed offseason that saw all 14 players on campus throughout the summer, the team has taken huge strides in coming together. The new-look Lions will hit the floor for the first time in 2015-16 when they host Cal State Dominguez Hills at Gersten Pavilion on Sunday at 5 pm.

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"This group of young men has been very committed to the hard work needed within this program," said Dunlap. "We are very excited with the group of guys we have and they are much further along in coming together as a team."

As the season begins, the Lions will feature a 15-man roster, and nine of them were not in an LMU uniform in 2014-15, eight newcomers and Steven Haney, Jr., who sat due to transfer rules last season. Haney and the six returning players have a season under their belt within the new program, and they will be asked to lead the team into the new season.

"It was really important to the growth of this program to have all seven newcomers on campus this summer with our group of seven returners. All 14 arrived for summer school in June with a determination to work day-in and day-out," said Dunlap. "As the summer session progressed, the group really grew together as a team. We are pleased with the progress that each individual made this summer, and as the fall semester has started, they have only continued to grow. We ask a lot of this group and they continue to work hard to answer."

RETURNERS
Seniors Marin Mornar and David Humphries top the list of returning leaders. Mornar is the only four-year player on this year's roster, and he took huge strides a year ago. He played in all 31 games and made 22 starts, the most of any returner. He finished second on the team with 9.9 ppg and 5.3 rpg. He finished his junior season second in the WCC with 47 blocks, giving him 93 in his career. He enters the season ranked fifth all-time in LMU history.

Humphries was one of Dunlap's first recruits, and the junior college transfer hit his stride in West Coast Conference play last season. He also played all 31 games, starting 18 - 14 of which came in WCC play. He averaged 6.6 ppg on the season, raising that to 8.3 ppg in conference games. He shot 39.3 percent from the field and 37.2 percent from three on the season, raising that to 42.3 and 43.1 percent, respectively, in the WCC.

Junior Matt Hayes was another junior college transfer, entering the Lions program as a sophomore. The sharpshooter was ranked ninth in the WCC in hitting 40.5 percent from three on the season. He finished playing 29 games, starting seven. Injuries slowed him in the middle of the season, but like Humphries, he was leaned on more as WCC play progressed. He finished averaging 4.2 ppg, scoring a season-best 20 against Santa Clara on Feb. 21.

Sophomores Joshua Spiers and Petr Herman also had opportunities in their freshmen campaigns. Both had to adjust to coming from overseas, but showed flashes of growth towards the end of the season.

Also returning for the Lions are the redshirt transfer Haney and walk-on Tyler Batiste. Haney played in 24 of the 31 games as a true freshman for Central Florida before transferring to LMU a year ago. He averaged 4.8 minutes and 1.5 points per game at UCF. Haney was named second-team Florida Class 7A All-State after averaging 16.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 steals per contest for St. Thomas Aquinas. Batiste graduated from Westchester High School in 2013 and earned letters his final two seasons for Head Coach Ed Azzam. He was a Daily Breeze All-Area, CIF All-City, and City Section All-State honoree as a senior.

NEWCOMERS
The 2015-16 recruiting class combined to post a record of 266-98 (73.1 winning percentage) in each of their final two seasons at the previous institution. The incoming class includes NJCAA Player of the Year Brandon Brown (Phoenix College; Phoenix, Ariz.), Guyer High School (TX) all-conference selection and walk-on Miles Crawford (Denton, Tex., Elev8 Academy), 2014 CCCAA All-State forward Adom Jacko (Chaffey College; Upland, Calif.), NJCAA All-Conference selection Shamar Johnson (Pensacola State College; Pensacola, Fla.), McDonald's All-American Games nominee Jeffery McClendon (Eastside HS, Pasadena, Calif.), NJCAA All-Conference selection Buay Tuach (Northeast C.C.; Norfolk, Neb.) and Canadian National Team member Munis Tutu (Windsor, Ontario, Canada; La Lumiere).

Jacko was a 2014 CCCAA First-Team All-State forward from Chaffey College in Rancho Cucamonga, Calif. "We started our recruiting class back in November with Adom (pronounced Autumn). He is a fierce competitor on the glass, quick for a post player, and battles on the defensive side of the ball," said Dunlap. Jacko led his team to back-to-back final fours in the state of California, and as a sophomore at Chaffey, he posted nearly 14 points a game while shooting over 61 percent.

The first of six players to commit to LMU in the spring was the power-forward Johnson. "He really is a load under the basket, as evident by his scholarship coming out of high school to play football at Louisville," said Dunlap. "Thankfully he committed to basketball, and it really paid off. He has great size, great hands, and plays a physical game every time he takes the floor." Johnson was a 2015 NJCAA All-Conference player at Pensacola State College in Pensacola, Fla., leading them to back-to-back NJCAA tournament appearances, the first time the program has done that in 21 seasons.

"Arguably our most athletic transfer is Buay (pronounced Boy) Tuach," said Dunlap. The third newcomer was an all-conference player who helped lead Northeast Community College in Norfolk, Neb., to a winning percentage of better than 73 percent in his two seasons. He was a workhorse for NECC, starting 50 of the 52 games, scoring nearly 17 points a contest a year ago as a sophomore. Buay was an all-state selection at Omaha's South High School.

The final transfer is the point guard Brown. In two seasons at Phoenix College in Arizona, he led the program to new levels of success. As a freshman he led the team to the NJCAA National Championship, and as a sophomore a year ago, they were runners-up. He is a two-time NJCAA All-American and last season he was named the NJCAA Player of the Year. "He is a very mature player and he makes those around him better," said Dunlap.

Joining the four junior college transfers are three incoming freshmen Tutu, McClendon and Crawford.

Tutu was born in Cairo, Egypt and grew up in Windsor, Canada. He was a two-year star at Windsor's J.L. Forster High School, leading the team to a 20-1 record as a sophomore. He went on to join La Lumiere School in Indiana in LaPorte, Ind. "He helped one of the nation's top programs compete for national titles, and has gained valuable experience in starting at the point for the U18 Canadian National Team," said Dunlap. He graduated a Cum Laude Honor Roll student.

"Another freshman joining us is Southern California product Jeffery McClendon. He is a lock down defender and is always looking for a challenge," said Dunlap. "He was considered one of the best defenders in the state last year while averaging 25 points and seven rebounds at Eastside High School." McClendon was a part of two conference championships before that at Pasadena High School.

The third incoming freshman is Crawford from Elev8 Sports Academy in Delray Beach, Fla. "He is a fierce competitor that gained valuable experience his one season of prep school in Florida," said Dunlap. Originally from Denton, Texas, Miles attended Guyer High School and averaged 11.6 points, 2.7 assists, and 2.7 rebounds per game during his final season in 2013-14.

The Lions also added walk-on transfer Jalen Ward at the start of the season. Ward was at Bellevue College in Washington before coming to LMU. He went to O'Dea High School in Seattle.