Lame Lion Cager Kimble Expects to Return Next Week

Bo Kimble dressed for Loyola Marymount’s basketball game Wednesday night, but it wasn’t the uniform the Lions hoped for.

While his teammates were losing a fast-paced game to Oregon State, 100-90, Kimble was nattily dressed in a cream sport coat and slacks, keeping his sore knee and point-a-minute average on the bench.

Kimble’s knee problems are creating a pattern similar to a year ago when the high-scoring guard missed the first six games and Loyola started out 3-3. The Lions won their next 25 games when he returned and averaged 22 points.

This year’s Lions are 1-2 and facing a stiff test next weekend at Oklahoma in a nationally televised game, so Kimble and the Loyola training staff are targeting that Dec. 17 game for his return.

Meanwhile, the Lions clearly aren’t the same team without him. In scoring 90 points Wednesday, four starters accounted for all but three. And they wilted in the final minutes, failing to get a field goal in the last 2:24 when it was a 2-point game.

Kimble’s 3-point shooting and assured 20 points could make a difference. His presence would also allow Coach Paul Westhead to change his substitution patterns. But, as Westhead pointed out, the Lions need a healthy Bo. He tried to play the first two games and was clearly hobbling despite scoring a point a minute.

“He’s an important player for us. But he has to be healthy to be important,” Westhead said.

Kimble’s longtime friend and teammate, Hank Gathers--who has carried much of the scoring load in Kimble’s absence--noted: “I’ve felt a little pressure to play well, to keep the team above sea level. I kinda missed him down the stretch. I’ve played with Bo since ninth grade. We usually look for each other down the stretch.”

Kimble, who broke his right kneecap last year, began experiencing soreness several weeks into practice last month. Bone scans, X-rays and constant examinations have failed to uncover structural damage.

The feeling now is Kimble has tendinitis in the soft tissue that can be treated by strengthening the muscles around the knee, and Kimble and the team trainer sounded optimistic Wednesday.

“I’m focusing on Oklahoma, doing my therapy. It’s feeling stronger,” Kimble said.

Team trainer Chip Schaefer said Kimble “is doing really well. He could have played (Wednesday)--we debated up to 4 p.m. whether to play him but figured it’s not worth it. I feel confident he’ll be 90%-plus by Oklahoma.”

Kimble will sit out Saturday’s exhibition against Athletes in Action. While the understudies get playing time, the Lions are waiting for the Bo Show to lift their ratings.

WCAC Notes: Loyola Marymount isn’t the only basketball team gaining attention in the West Coast Athletic Conference. St. Mary’s, expected to be Loyola’s major contender for the conference title, is 4-0 and defeated Montana on the road over the weekend. San Diego defeated New Mexico on the road, and San Francisco beat UC Irvine in Irvine without its best player, Mark McCathrion. Gonzaga defeated Washington State in its season opener and has beaten Idaho on the road. Pepperdine, after a slow start, has won three straight.

St. Mary’s is averaging more than 90 points per game while giving up an average of fewer than 60. Senior point guard David Carter, the one-time trigger man for Crenshaw High’s fast break, broke the school record for career assists in the Gaels’ second game. At Gonzaga, senior guard Doug Spradley is averaging 21.5 points, second in the WCAC behind Gathers, and is shooting 60% from 3-point range.

Freshman forward Segaro Bozart made his first start for Cal State Dominguez Hills on the road and contributed to two victories. Bozart, a 1986 graduate of Narbonne High who hasn’t played organized ball in two years, scored 15 points in his first start at San Francisco State and made a steal and assist that gave the Toros the lead for good the next night at Sonoma State. The 6-foot-4 Bozart is averaging 7.7 points and shooting 73% from the floor. He’s also 6 for 6 from the foul line.

Toro Tidbits: Sophomore guard Robert Barksdale passed off for 11 assists against San Francisco State, the highest assist total for a Toro in more than two years. . . . Senior Anthony Blackmon scored a career-high 32 points against San Francisco State and is within 36 points of 1,000 in his college career. Only James Shaw (1,079), Eddie Fitzpatrick (1,335) and William Alexander (1,766) are ahead, and only Alexander’s total appears out of reach. Blackmon needs 35 more rebounds to pass Kevin Burrell at 660 and pull into second place on the career list behind Shaw’s 847. . . . The surprise for first-year women’s Coach Van Girard has been 6-2 center Khyra Anderson. The transfer from L.A. Trade Tech was expected to lend backup support on the boards. So far, she leads the Lady Toros in both scoring (11 points per game) and rebounding (11.4) and is among conference leaders in blocked shots with 7.