Nov. 22, 2007
Complete Release in PDF Format 
Loyola Marymount (1-4) opened the season playing five games in eight days, giving their young roster a crash course. They will have a week to prepare and will spend Thanksgiving day at home before hopping on a red-eye to Georgia to face Mercer on Saturday, Nov. 24 in a mid-day game at 11 a.m. (PT). It will be the fourth straight and fifth of their six games away from home in the early season as they face a Mercer (1-3) team, who after defeating ranked-USC to open the year, has dropped three straight. The game can be heard on KXLU 88.9 FM or online at LMULions.com.
EXPERIENCE CHANGE
The Lions made a change in their starting line-up during last week's BTI Invitational, as senior Jon Ziri and junior Marko Deric earned starts, giving the Lions a line-up with previous starts under their belt. The duo had a combined 60 starts entering the 2007-08 season, more than the rest of the entire roster combined. The move provided some spark as the Lions picked up their first victory with the new line-up in its second start together. The Lions' freshmen continue to grow as Tim Diederichs set a career-high with 14 on Friday and Orlando Johnson netted a career-best 23 in the win on Saturday. Johnson, who added 17 against New Mexico and was named to the All-Tournament team, now leads the team in scoring at 10.8 points per game. Diederichs is second at 9.2. The Lions offense took a big step forward in the win over Presbyterian with its nine underclassmen, scoring a season-best 83 points on 32-of-66 shooting. It was the Lions' best point production since scoring 88 against Pepperdine on Feb. 17. The nine three-pointers hit against Presbyterian was also the most since hitting 10 against San Diego on Jan. 15.
STAT STUFFER
Senior Jon Ziri has been doing "all the little things" according to Head Coach Rodney Tention, and it has been showing in the stats. His line scorers from the BTI Invitational were impressive as he proved to be a stat stuffer. In three games at the BTI, Ziri averaged just over 10 points, 8.3 rebounds, 5.0 assists, 2.0 steals. In the win Saturday, he added a block and hit a 10-foot jumper in the final minute that put the game away. In scanning the stats of Saturday's box score, Ziri had just one zero in his entire line, going 0-for-1 at the free throw line. In his career-high outburst on Sunday against undefeated New Mexico, his state line had no zeros in it.
FRESHMAN ALL-TOURNEY
Freshman Orlando Johnson's 23 points on Saturday is ranked 10th all-time in LMU history for single-game scoring by a freshman. It was the highest since Brandon Worthy scored 24 points in his debut against Loyola of Chicago on Nov. 22, 2002. Johnson went 9-for-14 from the field and 3-of-6 from the three-point line. He was also 2-for-2 from the charity stripe and had seven rebounds, an assist, block and a steal. Johnson has scored 54 points through five games, the most since Worthy had 57 in 2002 through five games. Here is the freshman single game top-10 list:
1. Forrest McKenzie 29 USF (1/16/82)
2. Luther Philyaw 27 SCU (3/3/73)
3. Chris Haney 25 at Mon (1/5/85)
Chris Haney 25 USD (3/7/85)
5. Forrest McKenzie 24 SCU (1/15/82)
Forrest McKenzie 24 at Por (2/6/82)
Rahim Harris 25 USI (1/5/91)
Ross Richardson 24 USI (1/5/91)
Brandon Worthy 24 Loy (11/22/02)
10. Orlando Johnson 23 Pres (11/17/07)
YOUNG GUNS
LMU opened its 2007-08 season featuring a roster with nine underclassmen and seven players without any NCAA Division I experience. The Lions starting line-up for the first two games featured three freshman (Terron Sutton, Orlando Johnson and Tim Diederichs), a junior college transfer (Quentin Turner) and a sophomore (Shawn Deadwiler). The second-year guard Deadwiler was the only one of the group that played a game in a Lions' uniform last year with 19 games. All told the Lions 14-man roster includes six freshmen. The roster entered the season with a combined 247 games with the Lions while averaging just 12.8 minutes per game. The lone senior on the squad is Jon Ziri, who entered the season with 83 games as a Lion. In Head Coach Rodney Tention's first two seasons he inherited teams top heavy with upper classmen as in 2005-06 when the Lions went to the WCC title game and a year ago, the roster had at least three players go over 100 games in their career during those seasons.
LMU'S JZ
The Lions lone senior in 2007-08 is Jon Ziri, a fifth-year player from Tempe, Ariz. Ziri leads the team with 88 games played, 46 starts and in diplomas. He earned his Business Administration degree in May and will complete his double major this year in Sociology. Possibly the most athletic player on the squad, the 6-2 Ziri enters his final season with a 4.6 points per game average. Labeled as a high-energy performer, Ziri's defense has been solid in his career with 93 total steals, eight this season and a career-best 47 as a sophomore in 2005-06. He is averaging 8.2 points, 6.6 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.6 steals per game through five games this season. Early in the West Coast Conference rankings, ZIri is ninth in rebounds, ninth in assists, 11th in steals and eighth in defensive rebounds. He averaged 5.3 points with 53 assists and 30 steals a year ago.
WHERE IT COUNTS
Corey Counts was named to the 2007 West Coast Conference Winter All-Academic team for his performance both in the classroom and on the hardwood for the LMU basketball team. Counts has gone from try-out walk-on to a valuable member to the Lions' squad. Counts has a 3.08 GPA and is an Economics major. He had the best game of his career as a Lion in the win over Presbyterian, scoring 10 points with six assists off the bench, hitting 3-for-4 from the field, including 2-for-3 from the three-point line and charity stripe. He is sixth on the team in scoring and second in assists with 12.
SCOUTING MERCER
Mercer turned heads in Southern California with a double-digit win over ranked USC to start the season. However, Mercer has dropped their last three, at home against Alabama, at Harvard (Nov. 16/91-73), and at Boston College (Nov. 18/73-56). After scoring 32 against USC, James Florence leads the Bears with 19.3 points per game and in assists with 17. Shadden Aaron is second on the team with 15.5 points while Calvin Henry is third at 11.0.
AGAINST THE ATLANTIC SUN
Mercer plays in the Atlantic Sun Conference, who has turned some heads this early non-conference season. The Bears had a big win at USC while Gardner-Webb shocked Kentucky. It will be just the third time the Lions have played a team from the current Atlantic Sun. The previous two meetings came in the 1989-90 season when the Lions faced Jacksonville and Stetson, both wins. Here is a look at the Lions against the Atlantic Sun.
LAST TIME OUT
Looks can be deceiving and Loyola Marymount's 86-58 setback to host New Mexico in the final game of the BTI Invitational was just that. Playing in front of the largest and most hostile crowd of the non-conference season at The Pit in Albuquerque, NM, the Lions and their youthful roster showed maturity beyond their years as they gave host New Mexico all they can handle. However, the Lions struggled at the free throw line and the Lobos got hot from long range late to defeat the Lions in a game much closer than the final score. LMU was led by senior Jon Ziri with his first career double-double. He had career-highs in points with 19 and in rebounds with 10. He finished the three games averaging 7.2 rebounds. Freshman Orlando Johnson continued his hot play with 17 points. He had 23 against Presbyterian and his play on the weekend earned him All-Tournament team honors. The Lions came out swinging to start both halves, taking a 9-4 lead with 11:44 to play on a steal and break-away dunk by Ziri in the first half. The Lions then cut a 16-point halftime deficit to seven, 52-45, on a three-pointer by Ziri with 12:16 remaining. However, LMU could have been much closer as they had missed 10 free throws when they cut the lead to seven and finished the game just 5-for-18 from the charity stripe compared to 19-for-28 by the Lobos. After Ziri cut the lead to just seven, New Mexico went on to outscore the Lions 34-13 the rest of the half. The run was paced by their hot shooting from long range as they went 13-for-26 from the three point line and finished hitting 45 percent from the field. The Lions hit 37 percent as they had more attempts than the Lobos and just four fewer made field goals. The Lions fall to 1-4 while New Mexico remains perfect at 5-0. The Lions, who emptied their bench with more than three minutes to play, scored the most points of the season against the Lobos, forcing them into a season-high 19 turnovers.
SUPER SOPHS
Before the Lions current class of five newcomers, the Lions welcomed five freshman in 2006-07. Two of the five served redshirt seasons - Terron Sutton and Brad Sweezy. The other three saw considerable playing time as a true freshman.
#3 Shawn Deadwiler - In his first game as a starter, the second-year player from Arizona led the Lions with 15 points and was tied for the team-high with five rebounds. He was 5-for-10 from the field and a perfect 4-for-4 from the charity strope. He is fifth on the team through five games in scoring with 6.6 points. In his first season, he missed the first eight games of the season due to a knee injury but finished averaging 9.7 minutes in 19 games. Led the Lions in points in the season finale against Saint Mary's and had three four-assist games. He finished with 26 assists.
#4 Max Craig - He had his most productive game as a sophomore against Prebyterian, scoring six points with six rebounds in 17 minutes. The native of Canada played in 26 of the Lions' 31 games in his first season of collegiate basketball. He averaged eight minutes per game and scored eight points twice for his high. The seven-footer was solid from the charity stripe, going 18-for-27 and played big in the Lions come-from-behind win over New Mexico State, scoring eight points with three rebounds. He played just three minutes off the bench for the Lions in the opener against UC Irvine.
#50 Mason Maynard - The Glendale, Ariz., native earned seven starts in his first season, playing in 24 games overall. He averaged 9.9 minutes per game and 2.2 points. He had 38 rebounds and five blocks. He had a breakout game of 10 points against Sam Houston State and a 32-minute performance against Akron. In the win over Presbyterian, he had two blocks and a steal in six minutes and followed that with six points and two rebounds against NM.
WHO THE HECK ARE YOU
After graduating nine players the last two seasons, this year's team features a completely different look than the last two seasons. In addition to the uniform change this season, the Lions feature five players new to LMU and two more who redshirted last year. Here is a quick introduction to the seven players making their debut this season.
#2 Quentin Turner - He opened the season as the team's starting point guard and played 21 minutes with four points and two assists. He is averaging 16.4 minutes and 3.0 points per game... A junior college transfer from Motlow State Community College... Averaged 11.1 points per game and was third in the league in free throw shooting... Also ranked in top-10 in assists with 106 and steals with 71... A natural science major from Dickinson, Texas.
#10 Brad Sweezy - A medical redshirt due to a knee injury actually played three minutes last season against Mississippi State. However, in his first extended action, he came off the bench to play 16 minutes with two points and five rebounds. He is also a SoCal product, earning All-CIF honors at Ocean View HS... This season he is averaging 8.8 minutes per contest.
#20 Terron Sutton - The local product from Price High School finally started in his first game as a Lion, playing 19 minutes with eight points, a team-tying five rebounds, a block and a steal against UC Irvine... He has averaged 12.0 minutes so far this season. He was an All-CIF player in 2005 with Price. He was one of three freshman to start for the Lions in the opener.
#21 Isaiah Jenkins - A guard from right down the street at Westchester High School... First player from near-by high school power to play for Lions in more than 25 years... a three point shooter that averaged 14.8 points, 4.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists... Undecided as a major and is slated to redshirt the 2007-08 season.
#22 Brandon Walker - A guard from Bishop O'Dowd High School that was named Bay Area Co-Player of the Year... He averaged 16 points and seven rebounds in his career, including a 24.5 points in two playoff games... A Liberal Arts major and a Business Management minor. He played 16 minutes off the bench in his first appearance with two rebounds and a steal. He is averaging 16.0 minutes through four games this season.
#32 Tim Diederichs - One of the Lions three starting freshman, he is averaging 25.8 minutes per game and is second on the team in scoring with 9.2 points per game. He had a career-best 14 points with six rebounds against St. Bonaventure. He is averaging 4.4 rebounds per game and is ranked eighth in the West Coast Conference in field goal shooting at 56.7 percent. A forward from Snohomish High School in Snohomish, Wash... Averaged 14 points, nine rebounds and five assists as a senior... Helped team go 25-3 in 2006-07, placing fifth in state... Earned 4A state honors as a senior..
#33 Orlando Johnson - The third of three starting freshman, Johnson is averaging 23.8 minutes per game on the season and has become the Lions leading scorer at 10.8 points per game, thanks in large part to his 23 against Presbyterian and 17 against New Mexico. He is 14th in the WCC overall in scoring and 18th in rebounds at 5.2 per game. He was named to the All-Tournament team in New Mexico. He had a team-high 20 points in the Lions' exhibition game. A forward from Salinas, Calif... Graduated from Palma High School where he was named Monterey County Player of the Year... Led Palma to Division IV crown and averaged 25 points and 12 rebounds as a senior... Team went 27-3 with a 19-game win streak last year... was an all-league football player. Raised by his brothers Jamell and Robert and is a Communications major.
LIONS AT HOME
The Lions finished the 2006-07 season 8-5 at home, with four setbacks coming on a halfcourt buzzer beater to Long Beach State, two missed shots at the buzzer to San Francisco (which went to overtime) and Pepperdine, and a five-point setback to San Diego. Overall, LMU is 15-10 at Gersten under Head Coach Rodney Tention. The Lions averaged 2,393 fans per game in 2006-07, the most since the Elite Eight run of 1989-90 when they averaged 4,037 in the 4,156-seat Gersten Pavilion. The Lions drew 31,114 fans in one home season for the first time since 1992-93 and for just the sixth time since the building opened in the 1981-82 season. The Lions are now 191-157 all-time in Gersten.
HISTORICAL THREE
Since the three-point field goal was introduced in the 1986-87 season, Loyola Marymount men's basketball has had just one game where they have not had a three-pointer. In the 617 games the Lions have played since the three-point line was instituted, the Lions have hit three-pointers in 616 of them. The only "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. They currently have made a three-pointer in 345 straight games heading into the game against Mercer.
LIONS IN OT
The Lions have played three overtime games this season, going 2-1 in those games. LMU claimed double overtime wins over Pacific and Boise State but fell to USF in a single overtime. The Lions are 4-2 under Head Coach Rodney Tention in overtime, going 2-1 in Tention's first season. LMU is 27-39 in overtime games with the first overtime game coming in the 1926-27 season against California Christian College, a 16-14 win for the Lions. As for double overtime, the Lions improved to 9-1 with the win over Boise State, winning their sixth straight. The longest game in LMU history was a five-overtime affair against Fresno State in 1957. The Lions lost 92-90.
- GO LIONS -
