2018-19 #WCChoops Schedule | “What We Think” WCC Week Two  |  Crumpacker 2018-19 Archives

By John Crumpacker
#WCChoops Columnist

Unless the Earth really is flat, and Mike Dunlap puts pedal to the metal and drives off the edge into the great unknown, his Loyola Marymount basketball team will have its best record in his fifth season coaching his alma mater.

Heading into Saturday night’s home game against Saint Mary’s at Gersten Pavilion, the Lions are 13-3 overall and 1-1 after the first week of West Coast Conference play. Those 13 wins are two more than LMU had last season and two shy of Dunlap’s 15-15 mark in 2016-17. Dunlap and Saint Mary’s coach Randy Bennett both joined the NCAA’s 400-victory club this season.

“Most of these guys went through a tough year last year and learned a lot,’’ Dunlap said of his team’s 11-20 record. “They’re applying those lessons … how to close games out and that defense is important. I didn’t know we would have this (13-3) record. It’s been a pleasant surprise. We’ve worked incredibly hard to get to this point. We’re a grind-it-out team. We’re not going to blow anyone out.’’

That’s reflected in the statistics. Other than a couple of non-conference cupcakes in November, most LMU games are relatively close. The Lions average a little more than 71 points and allow a little less than 61.

If LMU continues apace, Dunlap has a chance to hit .500 for his career in Los Angeles by the end of the season. He’s currently at 74-78 thanks to a couple of clunkers, 11-20 last season and 8-23 in his first season in 2014-15.

The larger issue for LMU is the patience with and belief in Dunlap showed by the school’s administration. It’s not a quick fix, which is why the school extended Dunlap’s contract through 2021. His first four seasons have led to this point and a real opportunity to finish in the top three or four in the WCC.

“Changing your coach ever three-four years is a bad bet for institutions,’’ Dunlap said. “The institutions have to own the fact they picked those coaches. That hasn’t been the answer to the equation over the long haul. It’s short-sided in my view. Of course, I’m biased.’’

Dunlap said LMU President Timothy Snyder and athletics director Craig Pintens are working toward increased funding for men’s and women’s basketball and improving facilities on campus, specifically Gersten, which opened in 1981 and seats 4,156.

Dunlap said renovating the facility is “very much needed. It grew old over time, as a lot of facilities do.’’

“It’s a whole culture of the university changing,’’ Dunlap said. “It’s a slow march. That’s why they (school administrators) gave me a long-term contract. It wasn’t going to be a quick flip. They recognize everyone has to row in the same direction. There are signs that things are pushing toward a better product. It takes some time to get things in place.’’

What Dunlap has in place this season is a nice mix of returning stalwarts in James Batemon, Mattias Markusson and Eli Scott, an improved sophomore guard in Joe Quintana and a promising freshman forward in Dameane Douglas. Batemon is leading the Lions in scoring (18.4), assists (3.8) and steals (2.0) while the 7-foot-3 Markusson is the leading rebounder (7.6), with board support from Douglas (4.9).

“I’m staying level-headed,’’ Batemon said. “My teammates constantly instill confidence in me. I feel like I’ve been playing well. I’ll have to play a lot better to get my team to where we want to be at the end of the year.’’

Batemon, a 6-1 senior, was on Thursday named to the mid-season watch list for the Lou Henson Award, given to the top mid-major player in Division I, never mind the fact the WCC balks at such a characterization; there’s certainly nothing mid-major-ish about No. 5 Gonzaga.

“It’s an exciting time for LMU basketball,’’ Batemon said. “I feel like we have expectations to build on the last couple of games last year where we found ourselves, but it was too late.’’

The Lions won three straight games at the end of the 2017-18 season before bowing to Gonzaga 83-69 in the WCC Tournament.

“We’re building off the chemistry we had last year. We have more experience and maturity,’’ Batemon said. “We’re closing out games now. Last year we lost a ton of close games. Now, we’re finding a way to win. Conference play is going to be tough. You’re going to have to grind and grit to get a win. It’s unpredictable. It comes down to who’s playing well at the time and who’s hot.’’

LMU had a successful non-conference slate that included wins over UNLV (in Las Vegas), Georgetown, Cal State Fullerton and Boise State. Then, the Lions promptly tripped up, losing their WCC opener at Pepperdine 77-62 before dispatching Portland 76-64 two days later to open conference play 1-1.

“Everybody knows Gonzaga is No. 5 in the country and has more talent than anyone,’’ Dunlap said. “Other than that, I don’t think anyone can predict. There’ll be a lot of one- and two-possession games.’’

For LMU, the path has been one of grind and grit and a whole lot of patience. It’s paying off.