Loyola’s men’s basketball team is looking to make their last season in the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference a memorable one by improving on last year’s 19-game winning season.

The team is set to open their season on Friday against Carver Bible College in The Den.

In the preseason rankings, the ‘Pack was ranked third, something that might motivate the team to play harder.

“They picked us third in conference, which was kind of a disrespect to us because we finished second last year and we have all five starters returning,” Sean Bennett, management senior said. “We didn’t want them to pick us to win it because then everyone would sit back and relax, but third was kind of an insult.”

The team’s confidence is so high that when they got back from summer vacation they all met and said their goal was to go undefeated and win all 29 games, according to Bennett.

“I feel like we are just more mature because we know the offense so well, it’s not like we should ever be in panic mode,” he said. “We know how to win close games and win on the road so as long as everyone shows up, we’ll be fine.”

According to Bennett, the ‘Pack needs their “big men,” Darrinton Moncrieffe, marketing junior, Robert Manson, marketing senior, Nick Tuszcinski, economics senior, and Cameron Cates, marketing sophomore, to play well to open up their whole offense.

Torry Beaulieau, history senior, believes this team will be tough to beat due to their good chemistry.

“We know what each other is going to do, and that helps a lot,” he said. “This should give us the edge against other teams whose guys have just started playing with each other.”

In order to give his game some variety and the whole offense a boost, Beaulieau has been practicing his jump shot.

“I’ve been working on my jump shot,” he said. “I want to improve my pull up jumper in the paint instead of always going to the basket and pulling up.”

Even though he is confident, he is aware of areas where the team needs to improve.

“We need to pick it up a little on the defensive end, especially on the one-on-one containment,” he said.

Ryan Brock, management junior, did not want to make a prediction on the outcome of the season.

“We want to win the conference championship, but I don’t want to say that those are our expectations because if we don’t, I don’t want it to seem like the season was a bust,” he said. “But, we have what it takes to get it done.”

Like Beaulieau, Brock has been working on aspects of the games where he has struggled to be a more versatile player and help Loyola play better.

“I worked on my mid-range jump shot as much as possible so I don’t always have to drive hard to the basket,” he said

This will be his second year with the team, and according to him, that will make a big difference in how he performs.

“I feel a lot more comfortable coming in with the guys because we all know how each other plays,” he said. “I’ve been working on the little things on defense to make sure we as a team can all come together and win.”

The ‘Pack, however, does not have a set starting line up yet, according to Head Coach Michael Giorlando.

“We would like to get about an eight to nine man rotation,” he said. “We tell our guys that they are one play away from playing, so they need to be prepared, no matter where you are on the depth chart.”

The coach is bracing himself for a tough year, even in the exhibition games.

“We have a very competitive non-conference schedule and that will get us ready for our conference which is wide open,” he said. “The polls don’t matter because one through ten, eight, nine and ten could finish the year at one, two and three,” he said.

Eduardo Gonzalez can be reached at [email protected]