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LOS ANGELES – Despite the obstacles and challenges that faced Stan Johnson since his hire on March 20, LMU new men's basketball coach has guided his team to a position to open the season at home prepped and ready for a new tenure of LMU hoops.
 
This Wednesday, Nov. 25 the 2020-21 men's basketball season opens across the country, and at 5:00 p.m. pacific time the ball will tip off from Gersten Pavilion as well. LMU will face Southern Utah University, a team the Lions have beaten in all three previous matchups, including last year's 10-point win.
 
The game's leading scorer from a year ago, Parker Dortch (17 points on 8-for-11 shooting), returns for his senior year, along with a team that has come together to play for their new head coach.
 
Led by Preseason All-WCC selection Eli Scott, the do-it-all forward from Chino Hills, the Lions have worked through the challenges of the world to return to the court and compete. Scott, who led the team in points per game, rebounds per game, assists per game, minutes per game, and field goal percentage last season has the opportunity to take an even bigger leap in his fourth year.
 
The LMU lineup is also bolstered by three starters from the 2018-19 team who missed all of last season. Mattias Markusson is back for his senior season in a big way. The 7-3 center is LMU's all-time lead in field goal percentage, making 59.1 percent of his career-attempts attempts and a program-record 62.1 percent in his sophomore season alone, also improved his free throw percentage by over 13 points as a junior to shoot 76.1 percent from the line.
 
As a result, his scoring increased from 57 points in year one, to 268 in his second year, to averaging double-figures with 348 points as a junior. With 673 career-points, Markusson has a chance to join Scott in the 1,000-point club with a strong senior season.
 
His rebounding numbers show a similar trend of improvement year-after-year. Markusson grabbed 38 boards as a freshman, 196 as a sophomore, and 215 as a junior, leaving the Swede 51 rebounds away from becoming LMU's 29th member of the 500-rebound club.
 
Markusson's 76 blocked shots rank eight all-time in program history, and only three Lions, Sherman Gay (144), Marin Mornar (131), and Chris Ayer (110) have ever swatted triple-digit shot attempted for the Lions.
 
Additionally, Dameane Douglas and Joe Quintana could be the #1 and #2 options after Scott, and not just based on their jersey numbers. The pair can prove to be deep threats as Douglas led the team with a 57.7 percent clip from three in his freshman season, while Quintana enters the season with 57 career made threes, the most of any of the players on the 2020-21 roster.
 
This year has and will continue to look unlike any season of the past. For the first time, Gersten Pavilion will not have any fans in the seats and the teams will be playing with just working staff in the venue.
 
The game will stream live on Stadium. Live Stats will be run through Statbroadcast. Live audio can be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM.