Lions’ Guard Flanagan Keeps Order in the Court

Whatever the Loyola Marymount women’s basketball team needs, Lynn Flanagan provides. The stocky 5-8 off-guard is the stable base of Loyola’s most successful women’s basketball squad.

When the Lions require a passer who can also play defense, they turn to the sophomore guard. When they need a ball handler who can drive the lane to the hoop, they also look to her. And when they want points, they know Flanagan can produce.

The 19-year-old, who is known for consistency, physical strength and aggressive play, is currently in her scoring mode.

She leads the Lions, who are in a three-way tie for first place in the West Coast Athletic Conference, in scoring with an 11.6 average. She’s led in scoring in seven of 20 games.

“Lynn is real steady,” said fourth-year Coach Todd Corman. “She does the same things every night. We rarely have a bad night with her. She’s a very intense player and an excellent scorer.”

Flanagan’s partner in the back court, point guard Kristen Bruich, says she’s a well-rounded and multitalented player who motivates the team and can do whatever she’s asked.

“I’d rather have her at off-guard than anyone else in the league,” Bruich said. “She’s good, game in and game out. When I give her the ball, I know she’s going to make something happen.”

The added stability has been a great part of Loyola’s success. The Lions are 13-7 (5-1 in the WCAC) after sweeping a two-game series against cross-town rival Pepperdine last week. Loyola has almost matched last year’s victory total and there are eight games left in the regular season. Last year, the Lions finished with their best overall record (15-15) but were sixth in the eight-member WCAC (5-9).

Thanks to experience, better player-coach communication and outstanding performances such as Flanagan’s, the Lions have a five-game winning streak going into tonight’s game at St. Mary’s. The Gaels, along with Loyola and Gonzaga, are tied for first place in the WCAC.

“I like this team this year,” Flanagan said. “I think we’ve jelled. It really is exciting to win after being so down. We knew we should have done better (last year). Todd made us feel proud, but deep down inside we knew we could have done more.”

There wasn’t, however, much more for Flanagan to do as a freshman. She started in every game and added immediate spark to struggling Loyola as the team’s second-leading scorer (10.2 points a game).

She earned a reputation for aggressiveness.

“I said: ‘So what? I’m not gonna be pushed around just cause I’m a freshman.’ I think I got a big, bad reputation last year because of that. The coaches in the league said I was mean and too aggressive. I’ve always been that way, though.”

Corman says Flanagan is just doing her job. He says she uses her physical strength and intensity wisely.

“Lynn epitomizes what our team is about,” he said. “We’re extremely physical and tough, and we’re not backing down from anybody. That’s what she stands for.

“She’s the enforcer. There’s no question about it. If there’s an altercation on the court, Lynn will be the first one out there to defend herself and her teammates.”

Flanagan has always believed in doing that. At Louisville High in Woodland Hills, she was a three-time Assigner League selection and an All-CIF player as a senior with a 16-point average. Her team went to the playoffs every year.

Loyola forward Regan O’Hara, who played with Flanagan for one year in high school, says Flanagan was a tough little player at Louisville who ran over anyone who dared to get in her way. She says Flanagan was always more muscular than her counterparts, which is owed, in part, to her childhood days as a gymnast.

Flanagan was involved with gymnastics for six years and went to the state finals in Class III twice. Her specialty was the vault.

“She was always a very physical player,” O’Hara said. “She’s just so much stronger than anyone else. We could always count on her then and we can always count on her now. With Lynn, it’s like a guarantee that things will go right.”

O’Hara’s brother Brian, who coaches the girls basketball team at Louisville, says Flanagan is the hardest working player he’s ever coached.

“I wish I had a million Lynns,” he said. “She worked her butt off and she became a fantastic player. She was our stud defensive player. Now other teams get mad at her because they think she plays too hard, but she just plays the game the way it should be played. She does great things out there.”

Flanagan could have played at Arizona or North Carolina but chose Loyola because she wanted to play in every game, she said. She didn’t want to waste her overwhelming energy on the bench.

“I can take losing better than sitting,” she said. “I’d rather be here playing than on the bench at Texas. Besides, it was a challenge coming here because it’s like, ‘We’re going to turn this program around.’ ”

Flanagan and the Lions seem to be on their way.