Surprised to see the men’s team still practicing at almost 6:30 p.m., I waited at the Rec Plex Nov. 27 to meet up with Coach Michael Giorlando afterwards. A couple of the guys were cooling off at the water fountain, and I asked when they were finishing.
“I don’t know. Coach told us 45 minutes,” said forward Robert Manson, marketing sophomore. “But that was an hour-and-a-half ago.”
Carter “Bear” Wurts, marketing senior, stood red-faced with his hands on hips, gasping. Between breaths he said, “Coach is mad at us.”
At the Wiley College Classic on Nov. 24, the men’s team defeated Texas College 72-69. This season, the Steers have defeated Grambling State, apart of the superior National Collegiate Athletic Association Div. I, and narrowly lost by three points to Gulf Coast Athletic Conference leader Louisiana State University-Shreveport.
It was a big win for the ‘Pack; however, nobody seemed to be celebrating tonight.
“I don’t know, is this really our best start in 41 years?” asked Giorlando after the three-and-a-half-hour practice. “Like that makes a whole lot of difference come time for conference play.”
With a winning 6-2 record, the men’s team has matched their best start in a heck of a long time. But Giorlando could care less about making school history and is more interested in the next 21 games of the season.
One major concern for the ‘Pack – and one of the reasons for the extra late practice – is the lagging offensive production coming off the bench. Almost 87 percent of the ‘Pack’s points have come from the starting five: guard Luke Zumo, psychology senior; forward Mario Faranda, finance junior; forward Nick Tuszynski, general business studies sophomore; guard Torry Beaulieu, history sophomore; and guard Sean Bennett, general business studies sophomore.
So far they have played a good three-quarters of every game and have done especially well finishing late in close situations.
But for offensive scoring, Loyola ranks dead last in the GCAC averaging only 73.8 points a game. The ‘Pack’s top scorers are fairing well for conference standards, but nobody else seems to be making any shots other than those starting.
“It’s something that we’ve addressed and something that we are trying to improve on. Although we’re 6-2, we have a lot of improvement (to make) and that’s one area that we need to work on … getting more production from our bench,” Giorlando said.
Loyola ranks second to Tougaloo College in the GCAC for lowest points coming from the bench. Comparing points from the bench over a few of the team’s victories this season shows glaring disparities: Loyola 11 – Wesley College 25 (final score 86-51), Loyola 4 – Webber International University 24 (62-54), Loyola 9 – Huston-Tillotson University 29 (71-57) and Loyola 12 – Delta State University 50 (72-69).
Even when the ‘Pack substantially outscores opponents, they still struggle to get offensive production from their sixth man on down.
Playing time must be accounted for when looking at these numbers, however it’s important for a team to have some offensive production when the starters need rest. This season, Loyola’s new triangle offense has worked well to open opportunities for the starters who all average between nine and 18.5 points per game. However, the next best scorer, Matt McCabe, has averaged only 2.3 points per game. Giorlando said the bench players have done well grasping the triangle, but in games, they are hesitant to execute on open opportunities.
“To stay on the floor for us (right now) you have to defend,” Giorlando said.
Prior to the season Giorlando and players made defensive improvement a priority, and so far they have been successful. Currently, Loyola ranks No. 1 in the GCAC for defensive scoring, holding opponents to only 64 points a game. The ‘Pack’s non-starters have helped protect leads achieved mostly by the starters, and the record reflects that.
However, with 21 more games left and the first round of conference play looming in January, spreading out the scoring wouldn’t hurt.
Injuries always threaten a team, especially when it relies on only a few players to play longer and bear the scoring load. Giorlando said he sees double-digit scoring potential in McArthur Strickland, marketing sophomore, and McCabe. Strickland had several impressive plays against Wesley, including an alley-oop slam off a Bennett pass, and McCabe has played significant minutes filling the critical pinch-post position for Tuszynski, Giorlando said.
If these two embrace their potential to score more often, the team’s starters should get some relief and needed rest time as the season progresses.
The team’s tallest player, management freshman, Darrinton Moncrieffe, has yet to really blossom in his offensive abilities. Subbing in for Faranda he has contributed substantial minutes and leads the team in blocks. However, offensively he hasn’t taken advantage of his size and gets easily shaken by physical defenders. Giorlando and other team members have said that it’s just a matter of time before he adjusts to college play and becomes a dominating offensive presence.
As Giorlando said after defeating Huston-Tillotson, they are playing these games to prepare for the important ones come January. They look better than ever so far, but they are also expending a lot of gas in doing so. Early wins boost morale, but rotating the bench and giving other players confidence-building playing time will assist for when it matters most.
Steve Heath can be reached at [email protected].
