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July 7th,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Preview:
Loyola Marymount Lions
Overall Rank:
#126
Conference
Rank: #4 WCC
2005-06:
12-18, 8-6, 2nd (t)
2005-06
postseason: none
 Every
year the conversation arises about who can knock off Gonzaga in
the West Coast Conference. This year
Loyola Marymount has as
good a chance as any. Second year coach Rodney Tention has
brought a renewed vigor to the Lions and with Matthew Knight and
Brandon Worthy returning an underrated and super talented
inside-outside combination, LMU is poised to make some noise in
the WCC.
Who’s Out:
There are some losses in Los Angeles. The backcourt suffers the
loss of Wes Wardrop, who averaged 13.8 points and 3.8 assists as
a senior. The big loss up front is Chris Ayer. The 6-10 center
started all 30 games putting up 9.4 points, 6.3 rebounds and 1.3
blocks per game. The graduations of roleplayers Dustin Brown
and John Haywood, along with the injury to Daryl Pegram, leave
the options in the frontcourt quite slim.
Who’s In:
Coach
Tention and Lion fans alike hope the frontcourt problems can be
answered by newcomers Brad Sweezy, Terron Sutton, Mason Maynard
and Max Zuyderhoff-Craig. Sweezy, at 6-6, is the smallest of
the bunch, but the forward has the skills necessary to
contribute major minutes immediately. He has a nice stroke from
short range and will do all of the dirty work under the basket.
Unlike Sweezy, Sutton can help replace the departed Ayer in the
block department. The 6-9, 230 pounder still needs to develop
his offensive game, but he is ready to contribute on the
defensive end. Maynard was a blocking and rebounding machine in
high school. It will take a little time to adjust to the
collegiate level of play, yet Maynard will battle the rest of
the newcomers for playing time. Zuyderhoff-Craig hammers home
the point that the frontcourt of LMU will be set for four
years. The 7-0 French Canadian isn’t polished yet; however, he
has international experience and a big upside. For good
measure, the Lions are bringing in one guard. Shawn Deadwiler
II isn’t expected to play much out of necessity. The combo
guard led South Mountain High School, the highest scoring team
in Arizona, with 21 points and six assists per contest.
Who to Watch:
If
you don’t know Worthy and Knight yet, you will soon. Worthy
averaged 15.0 points and 4.3 assists last year, while Knight put
up 16.2 points and 10.0 rebounds per contest. They are the
stars, but the play of Jon Ziri and Adoyah Miller will be the
difference between a good year and a great year. Ziri started
27 games last season, averaging 5.8 points and 2.4 assists.
Without Wardrop, Ziri needs to pickup his scoring and long range
shooting. Miller has continually battled injuries, but when he
is healthy, he is a solid player who could provide a big spark
for the Lions.
Final
Projection:
Fourth place
might be a little disappointing after tying for second last
year, but the youth of the frontcourt is too big of an issue.
It doesn’t help that teams like San Diego, San Francisco and St.
Mary’s are all sporting talented squads that are looking to
knock off Gonzaga as well. The battle for minutes in the paint
will be very interesting amongst the newcomers and sophomore
Marko Deric. If a couple of those players can step up by the
time conference play rolls around, fourth place might be too low
for Loyola Marymount.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected
Starting Five:
Brandon Worthy,
Senior, Guard, 15.0 points per game
Jon Ziri,
Junior, Guard, 5.8 points per game
Adoyah Miller,
Senior, Guard, 4.0 points per game
Brad Sweezy,
Freshman, Forward, DNP last season
Matthew Knight,
Senior, Forward, 16.2 points per game
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