By John Crumpacker
#WCChoops Columnist
By the end of Feast Week, when leftover turkey is on the menu in many households, West Coast Conference men’s basketball teams will know much more about themselves and the direction they are headed in 2018-19.
Loyola Marymount could not wait that long, however. Playing in the Jamaica Classic over the weekend, the Lions scored an impressive 65-52 victory over Georgetown to improve to 4-0, all wins coming by double figures. Coach Mike Dunlap’s team has a good chance to start off 5-0 as it plays Ohio on Sunday in Montego Bay to complete the island festivities.
Down by five at halftime (26-21), LMU outscored the Hoyas 44-26 in the second half, with guard James Batemon accounting for 22 of his 27 points in the second 20 minutes.
Also in the Caribbean is Pepperdine, competing in the Islands of the Bahamas Showcase in Nassau. The Waves downed Towson 74-65 as Kameron Edwards scored 16 points and Eric Cooper Jr. 13. Pepperdine gained an advantage over Towson by hitting 8 of 19 shots from beyond the 3-point arc.
The Waves will continue in the tournament through Sunday. If nothing else, the Bahamas trip serves as a welcome respite for the Pepperdine program with the devastating wildfires in the Malibu area that forced university officials to shut down campus until after the Thanksgiving break.
Waves guard Colbey Ross likes the approach of Pep’s old-new coach, Lorenzo Romar, returning to Malibu for his second stint running the program.
“Coach Romar has been great,’’ Ross said. “He’s one of the best coaches I’ve had so far. He cares so much about each player. He wants you to succeed. He makes sure you work hard to improve. The main point he’s bringing is it’s not a year to rebuild – it’s a year to win. We want to win.’’
Another school dealing with the effects of California’s devastating wildfires is San Francisco. Poor air quality in the Bay Area forced the postponement of the Dons’ Friday night home game vs. Arizona State; makeup date to be determined.
The continuing “very unhealthy’’ air quality forced another move by USF, literally. Its women’s game vs. Cal Poly and its men’s game against LIU Brooklyn were moved to Cal State Monterey Bay for a Sunday doubleheader. The women play at 2 p.m. followed by the men at 5.
“Our thoughts and prayers continue to be with those facing the tragedy and catastrophic loss that is unfolding throughout many California communities due to the wildfires,’’ USF athletic director Scott Sidwell said in a statement.
Five schools will be involved in Thanksgiving week tournaments at such locations as Hawaii, Las Vegas and Vancouver, B.C.
Gonzaga, ranked No. 3 nationally, starts play on Monday at the Maui Jim Invitational in Lahaina, HI, against Illinois and will play either Arizona or Iowa State on Tuesday. A potential Gonzaga-Arizona early-season matchup could be as revealing as it is compelling for both teams. Even better, there is a real possibility of a breathtaking final between Gonzaga and No. 1 Duke on Wednesday. The Zags are off to a 3-0 start after Thursday night’s convincing win over Texas A&M at the McCarthey Center, 94-71.
Point guard Josh Perkins ran the show on Thursday night and will do the same in Maui.
“I’m the leader if I want to be or not,’’ Perkins said. “My role is to bring the best out of my teammates. It’s my job to put my guys in the spots to be most successful.’’
Playing Texas A&M and then Illinois and potentially Arizona and Duke in Hawaii will be a good test of Perkins’ ability to lead his team against the highest caliber opponents.
Saint Mary’s, off to a 3-0 start, will be in Las Vegas next week for the MGM Resorts Classic, facing Utah State on Monday and either Arizona State or Mississippi State on Wednesday. The Gaels were impressing in knocking off New Mexico State in Las Cruces by a 73-58 count and a strong showing in Vegas will surely help coach Randy Bennett’s team come NCAA Tournament time.
“I like this group going into the season,’’ Bennett said. “I like our personnel. We have more guys who can play. It makes it hard to separate who’s 7-8-9 in the rotation. … We may have some growing pains. We’ll be good.’’
Starting Sunday, Santa Clara will be north of the border in British Columbia for the Vancouver Showcase. The Broncos play Washington on Sunday and Minnesota on Tuesday, two quality opponents for coach Herb Sendek’s Broncos.
“We definitely want to improve on last year, make a statement and show the early predictions are wrong,’’ point guard K.J. Feagin said; Santa Clara was 11-20 last season and was picked to finish ninth in 2018-19.
San Diego hosts Colorado Tuesday at the Slim Gym where the Toreros will square off against their second Pac-12 foe in three games, while USF goes Ivy League with games against Harvard on Wednesday and Dartmouth on Saturday on the Hilltop – pending air quality.
Portland is staying home next week as it hosts the Portland Classic that features Texas State, Cal Poly and South Carolina Upstate at the Chiles Center. It’s a tournament that straddles the holiday, with the Pilots playing SC Upstate on Wednesday and Cal Poly on Friday.
“We’re extremely motivated, especially on the defensive end,’’ Portland sharpshooter Josh McSwiggan said. “That’s what we’re going to focus on. We’re going to play fast in transition.’’
McSwiggan said having a head coach who had a long career in the NBA, as Terry Porter did, makes his words carry more weight among the players.
“It’s been very good, learning the experiences he’s been through,’’ McSwiggan said. “He’s passed that knowledge down to us players. We’re developing basketball IQ from his experience.’’
BYU, meanwhile, is engaged in the Men Against Breast Cancer Cougar Cup at the Marriott Center in Provo. The Cougars defeated Northwestern State and Oral Roberts and continue with the charity event on Saturday vs. Alabama A&M, Wednesday vs. Rice and the following Saturday vs. Houston. Working for causes that benefit cancer research is a long-standing commitment of BYU coach Dave Rose and his wife Cheryl.
“I’m very confident in this year’s team,’’ said star forward Yoeli Childs. “The biggest thing that gets me excited is our experience. We have a lot of guys who can bring it every night. I’m very excited.’’