Loyola, Pepperdine Announce TV Pacts

Thanks in large part to Loyola Marymount’s hot shooting last season, West Coast Athletic Conference basketball teams are gaining more television exposure.

Loyola has a television package with Z Channel and Pepperdine has one with Prime Ticket, it was announced Tuesday, at the conference’s media day at Loyola.

The Lions will also be seen on national telecasts in matchups against Oklahoma, DePaul, UC Santa Barbara and Pepperdine.

Loyola is ranked as high as 17th in some preseason polls, but a poll of reporters covering WCAC teams picked the Lions to finish behind defense-oriented St. Mary’s.

All eight conference teams are expected to be stronger than last season--with the possible exception of Loyola, which will be hard-pressed to match last season’s 28-4 record and 14-0 WCAC mark, but has as good a group of athletes as any in the conference.

Among those returning this season are all-conference players Hank Gathers and Bo Kimble at Loyola, Tom Lewis at Pepperdine, Mark McCathrion at the University of San Francisco, Robert Haugen at St. Mary’s, and Jim McPhee and Doug Spradley at Gonzaga.

“I can tell you our stock went up immensely (last season),” WCAC Commissioner Michael Gilleran said. “When I go back East now, people know our name.”

In the conference poll, the reporters picked St. Mary’s and Loyola as 1-2, followed by Santa Clara, Pepperdine, Gonzaga, USF, San Diego and Portland. St. Mary’s returns all five starters.