Lions Are Hopeful This Is the Start of Something Big : Men’s Team Travels to Hawaii for Opener

The Loyola Marymount basketball team that opens the season Friday in Maui will have a lineup vastly different from last year’s--and from the one expected to take the court this season.

Not only are four starters gone from last season--Hank Gathers, Bo Kimble, Jeff Fryer and Per Stumer--but, due to a flurry of injuries in practice, several starters won’t even make the trip to Maui.

Point guard Tony Walker and swingman Tom Peabody--the team’s senior co-captains--and sophomore center Richard Petruska will all be in Los Angeles when Coach Jay Hillock and the Lions make their season debut in the opening round of the Maui Classic.

That leaves junior guard Terrell Lowery as the only player from last season’s top eight back in uniform when the Lions face Santa Clara (at 9 p.m. PST on ESPN).

Walker’s injury also means that Lowery will take on the added duties of point guard while still being expected to do a large portion of the scoring.

Walker, who played last season with a painful stress fracture in his right (shooting) wrist, had surgery in the spring and began practice optimistically. But he has been suffering increased discomfort recently and last week his hand and wrist were placed back in a cast.

When the cast is removed in two weeks, Walker will need several more weeks of rehabilitation. If there is still pain, he will undergo a bone scan and probably will be redshirted.

Petruska, the 6-foot-10 center who suffered a groin injury the first day of practice, is expected to get medical clearance to practice next week. However, the injury remains sore, and he will have to be brought along carefully.

Peabody, the team’s vocal leader, known for his all-out style even in practice, severely sprained his right ankle in a scrimmage Saturday and will be lost for at least four--probably closer to six--weeks. His starting spot at small forward will be filled by sophomore Brian McCloskey, who is expected to do much of the front-court scoring, especially in Petruska’s absence.

The loss of the three players, particularly the veterans Walker and Peabody, leaves Hillock with a new-look lineup. It still has enough talent to win, but much of it is untested at the college level.

Hillock said: “Our strength was depth, but this really cut into it badly. We’re playing pretty good, but I was hoping to be able to run waves of people. That won’t be the case.”

That leaves much of the weight on the newcomers--community college transfer Craig Holt, who has started all the preseason exhibitions, and freshmen Kareem Washington and Rahim Harris, who already figured in the rotation. Two other freshmen, Greg Evans and Ross Richardson, may get more early playing time than Hillock anticipated. The other key reserve is walk-on Greg Walker, who becomes the first point guard off the bench.

As one school official put it, “They’re being kicked out of the nest.”

Hillock said: “That’s right. Flight training’s a couple weeks early. I hope they don’t lose their wings.”

Loyola’s opening lineup will have Lowery and Holt at guard, McCloskey and Chris Knight at forward and John O’Connell at center. It may be center by committee as O’Connell, a 6-7 junior, Knight and sophomore Christian Scott have the unenviable task of covering Santa Clara’s 7-foot-1 Ron Reis, who had a big game against the Lions last winter.

“He’s tough to deal with,” Hillock said. “We have to make the pace of the game so fast he’s not a factor.”

The Broncos also return their starting backcourt, Melvin Chinn and LaCoby Phillips (cq), and Rhea Taylor (cq), an oft-injured forward who may be the team’s most talented player. Loyola carries an eight-game winning streak as the teams renew their fierce rivalry.

In other first-round games in Maui, Iowa State faces host Chaminade, Indiana plays Northeastern and Syracuse draws Toledo. The winner of the Loyola-Santa Clara game faces the winner of Indiana-Northeastern at 9 p.m. Saturday, also on ESPN.

The championship will be televised live at 10 p.m. Sunday.