2018-19 #WCChoops Schedule | Week Two #WCChoops Player of the Week
By John Crumpacker
#WCChoops Columnist
Let’s get one thing straight right from the jump ball: James Batemon did not display courage in helping Loyola Marymount win the championship of the Jamaica Classic with a 65-56 victory over Ohio in Montego Bay.
No. That was just a basketball game.
Courage is reserved for people like first responders who deal with disasters and emergencies, like the firefighters battling the otherworldly wildfires raging throughout California. Citizens flee, and rightly so. Firefighters charge in, trying to minimize the damage, quell the flames and save people.
What Batemon did instead was display the kind of toughness, grit and resolve that would be appreciated by Old West movie icons like John Wayne and Gary Cooper. Knocked down and injured, Batemon picked himself up and, after an ice bag and a little rest, rejoined the fray and helped his team win a championship in a place where people go to relax, kick back and enjoy the scenery.
Batemon did not relax, kick back or enjoy the scenery. There was a game to be played. He had injured his left hip going for a loose ball with 4:42 left in the first half and the Lions holding a 23-18 lead. Batemon gave it a go for a few seconds but left the game with about 4:00 to go and did not return in the half.
After treatment at halftime, Batemon returned to start in the second half but was a conch shell of his former self, clearly in pain and limited by his hip injury. Nevertheless, Batemon was a presence on the court, first as an offensive decoy and then as a vital contributor when he stole the ball and went in for his only field goal of the second half and was fouled on the layup.
Batemon’s 3-point play pushed LMU’s lead to 64-56 in the final seconds and a 5-0 record at the final buzzer. He scored 11 of his team-high 16 points in the first half. What was equally important for the Lions were the contributions of 7-foot-3 Mattias Markusson, who exhibited old-school pivot moves and scored 12 points; senior guard Jeffery McClendon, who responded with 15 points; and junior Cameron Allen, coming off the bench to score 10 points when LMU needed points.
Batemon, with 27 points in the win over Georgetown, and Markusson were named all-tournament, with Batemon garnering MVP honors.
“We’ve been showing our versatility all year long,’’ coach Mike Dunlap said. “I think we are a better team coming off this trip than when we came here because we found a way to win.’’
Up next for LMU are home games at Gersten Pavilion against Central Connecticut State on Wednesday and Saturday vs. the Florida A&M Rattlers, the only school with a venomous serpent mascot in the NCAA, followed by a Nov. 29 home game against Bethesda before a Dec. 2 date at Pauley Pavilion with UCLA.
So, the possibility exists that LMU could have an 8-0 record when it confronts UCLA. Things are looking up at that other school in Los Angeles.
What We Learned
- As with LMU, San Francisco showcased some starch in its sails as well. Despite the disruption caused by the horrendous wildfires in Northern California that impacted its schedule due to unhealthy air quality, USF is 4-0 after defeating LIU (that’s Long Island University) Brooklyn 84-52 on Sunday at Cal State Monterey Bay, where the game was moved in the interest of all those with lungs. Returning from an injury that sidelined him in 2017-18, Charles Minlend had 20 points for the Dons while 7-0 Jimbo Lull, perhaps the world’s tallest surfer, scored a career-high 18 points to go with 7 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. Coach Kyle Smith has something going on the Hilltop despite the disruption in scheduling that forced the postponement of a Nov. 16 home game vs. Arizona State.
- If there is another WCC team searching for some feel-good, it’s Pepperdine. Wildfires in the Malibu area forced the closure of campus, a case of good timing since the Waves were in Nassau for the Islands of the Bahamas tournament. With an 86-80 win over Ohio, Pep finished in third place after rallying from 18 points down in the second half. The Waves trailed 46-33 at the half and 65-47 in the second half before closing out the game 39-15 to secure the victory. Coach Lorenzo Romar said, “It was a real team effort … something I don’t think our guys will forget for a long time.’’
- While Saint Mary’s over the years is rightfully known for the contributions of its Australian players, it’s a home-grown talent powering the Gaels thus far in 2018-19. Junior guard Jordan Ford, from the Sacramento suburb of Folsom, is averaging a robust 28.7 points per game as Saint Mary’s is off to a 3-0 start. The Gaels, hoping to boost their national standing come NCAA Tournament time, are in Las Vegas this week for the MGM Resorts Classic, where they will face Utah State on Monday and either Arizona State or Mississippi State on Wednesday.
Quote of the Week
“We’re scrapping. It’s an ugly game. We’ve been pretty good at ugly games.’’
That’s LMU’s Dunlap, describing his team’s play against Ohio.
Stat Line of the Week
While it is hard not to go with BYU’s Yoeli Childs, who had 24 points, 14 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 block and 1 steal in a 20-point win vs. Oral Roberts, we’re going with Pepperdine’s Colbey Ross, a model of consistency as he had 25 points in a loss to Georgia Southern and 25 points in a win over Miami in the Islands of the Bahamas tournament; he also had 10 assists in the two games and was 11-for-11 from the free throw line vs. Miami.
Tweet of the Week
?? pic.twitter.com/HmWH7jt5S7— Brenna Greene (@BrennaGreene_) November 16, 2018
Follow the three dots
In keeping with the mantra of learning something new every day, we did not know that the basketball facility at Cal State Monterey Bay, where USF defeated LIU Brooklyn on Sunday, is known as The Kelp Bed. Nice. … LMU’s victory over Georgetown in the Jamaica Classic afforded the opportunity of seeing Hoyas coach Patrick Ewing, a native of the island nation, wearing shorts. Can’t recall ever seeing a basketball coach in shorts during a game.