High-Powered Loyola Takes On Australians

Loyola Marymount basketball Coach Paul Westhead will preview his latest--and perhaps greatest--Lions squad Saturday in an exhibition against the Illawarra Hawks of Australia at 8 p.m. in Gersten Pavilion.

The Lions, led by West Coast Athletic Conference scoring champion Mike Yoest and rebounding leader Mark Armstrong and highly touted transfers Hank Gathers and Corey Gaines, promise to run and shoot as much as ever and will install a pressure defense to take advantage of improved depth.

The Lions averaged more than 85 points per game last season, with Yoest averaging 19.3. Also back for the Lions are guards Enoch Simmons and Jeff Fryer. Gathers is expected to be an inside force, as evidenced by his 60 points in a public intra-squad game, and Gaines will handle point guard while adding to the scoring as well.

Newcomers include 6-10 redshirt sophomore Marcellus Lee, 6-9 redshirt freshman Marcus Slater and freshman point guard Terry Mister.

Illawarra, a member of the Australian National Basketball League, is one of the country’s top teams, having been in the playoffs in 1984 and ‘86, and has also clinched a spot this season, ranking third in a 14-team conference.

On their American tour, the Hawks have defeated Washington and Oregon but lost to Oregon State, Montana and Montana State. The team has three American players including former Iowa and St. John Bosco star Steve Carfino.

The Lions will be without guard Bo Kimble, projected as the top back-court scorer. He’s recuperating from a knee injury. Center John Veargason has been nursing a badly sprained ankle and returned to practice only this week.