FAME IS FLEETING : After an Outstanding 1989-1990 Season, Loyola Teams Failed to Live Up to Expectations

The plaque on Loyola Marymount Athletic Director Brian Quinn’s desk reads:

“Talent is God-given, be thankful;

Fame is man-given, be grateful;

Conceit is self-given, be careful.”

In many cases, 1990-91 was a season in which Lion teams were not careful, got caught up in their recent fame and failed to live up to their newfound expectations.

The Lions’ most visible teams--men’s basketball and baseball--finished second in their West Coast Conference races, but failed to make the NCAA playoffs for the first time in four seasons. The disappointment around campus makes Quinn chuckle and cringe at the same time.

“Eight years ago if we’d finished second (in either sport) we’d have had a parade,” said Quinn, in his sixth year in charge of Loyola athletics. “Our expectations have gotten so much higher, people’s appetites are now more sophisticated. When I first came here the goal was ‘Let’s get competitive, at least let’s stop finishing seventh or eighth and get into the top three or four.’

“Now, coming off our (basketball) performance last year, the school was on a high and expectations were probably unrealistic by our fans, and even some of our players. Still, there were some real positive things.

“It was a good year, not a great year. There’s a lot of work to do. We still have a lot of goals. People--things I hear from alumni and even the faculty--expect us to be good now. I feel that stress, that pressure.

“Our goal is to always be competitive in the West Coast Conference, try to make the playoffs, graduate our athletes and play by the rules. By that measure, we’re successful.”

THE 1990-91 SEASON

Several Loyola programs have been on the upswing. With full-time men’s and women’s volleyball coaches for the first time, both teams showed dramatic improvement.

The women’s team, coached by Steve Stratos, won 21 matches and placed third in the WCC, with Kerry House earning All-American mention.

The men, coached by Mike Normand, qualified for the Western Intercollegiate Volleyball Assn. playoffs for the first time and had a second-team All-American in Sio Saipaia.

The men’s crew had its best showing with its heavyweight shell placing second in the Pacific Coast Championships and qualifying for the Intercollegiate Regatta Assn. championships, the rowing equivalent of an NCAA final.

The men’s soccer team was also improved, although in the top-heavy WCC--where Portland, Santa Clara and San Francisco are perennial Top 10 candidates--the Lions have yet to win a game.

The women’s tennis team remained competitive and produced an up-and-coming star in freshman Julie Oshiro, who took over at No. 1 singles and posted a 28-9 record.

The scholarship teams that draw the most attention--men’s and women’s basketball and baseball--had up-and-down seasons.

Paul Westhead, who was most responsible for Loyola’s surge to national basketball prominence the previous five years, unexpectedly resigned as coach in August to become coach of the Denver Nuggets of the NBA.

Westhead’s sudden departure upset the team, which was also beset by injuries to senior co-captains Tony Walker and Tom Peabody and entered the season trying to replace Hank Gathers, Bo Kimble and Jeff Fryer, the nucleus of the Lions’ teams the previous three seasons.

Westhead also left a brutal early schedule for his successor, Jay Hillock, and the Lions struggled to a 2-7 start.

But Loyola rebounded to finish 16-15, including a 10-game WCC winning streak.

“The pressure of following Paul made it difficult--the expectations, the tough schedule,” Hillock said shortly after the season. “It’s been a tough transition. I’ve never doubted my own ability before, but it’s tough following Paul.

“If you do things different, there’s a perception you are trying to change (Westhead’s system). I was disappointed how the year ended, but I was pleased we had our (winning steak) near the end. I’m really looking forward to next season.”

Said Quinn: “Basketball I knew would be difficult. Paul was a national personality . . . unique. He had extreme loyalty from his players--he really instilled in them a family spirit. That made it triply tough for Jay. Paul’s a tough act to follow, no matter who it would have been. Then having such a tough schedule and trying to replace the caliber of athletes we’d had, I knew it would take Jay some time.

“I think people (in the WCC) really like Jay. He never tried to put Paul or the players down. That’s commendable. Jay remained--and remains--loyal to Paul. I think he’s very loyal to me. Winning the 10 games in a row was very gratifying. I think the recruits he got (for next season) we have to feel very good about, and their loyalty will be to the staff. There won’t be any transition for them.”

Hillock made the first inroads into recruiting local players, which has frustrated Lion coaches for a decade. He signed St. Bernard High standout Wyking Jones and Gardena forward Robin Kirksey as well as Cobi McElroy, an all-state point guard from Las Vegas. Last week Hillock got an added bonus in the transfer of forward Zan Mason from UCLA. The former Westchester standout will redshirt next season and have two years of eligibility remaining.

“The key for us has always been to get the local kids,” Quinn said. “It’s really advantageous to attract the local players.”

The women’s basketball team, beset by the departure of all-conference guard Kristen Bruich in mid-December, was 11-17, dropping from third to seventh in the WCC.

The baseball team was 38-22 and finished a half-game behind Pepperdine in WCC play. Despite their record, the Lions were not selected for an at-large berth in the NCAA Regionals.

“I can’t believe for a minute we weren’t one of the 48 best teams in the country,” Quinn said.

THE 1991-92 SEASON

The women’s volleyball team, returning an experienced lineup bolstered by several highly regarded recruits, is hopeful of a big season.

When basketball practice begins Oct. 15, Hillock will welcome 12 lettermen, including All-American guard candidate Terrell Lowery and all-conference center Richard Petruska. Walker, the point guard, also returns after a redshirt season because of injury.

The Lions should have great depth. Lowery ranked among the nation’s leaders in scoring (28.5) and assists (9.1). Along with Walker, the Lions could have the fastest backcourt in the nation.

Other returning players include shooting guard Craig Holt, forwards John O’Connell and Brian McCloskey and center Chris Knight, all of whom saw starting duty, plus swingmen Ross Richardson and Rahim Harris, who showed great promise as freshmen.

Forward Kareem Washington, who sat out most of his freshman season because of an injury, has left school to move home to Lansing, Mich.

The Lions will play a less glamorous schedule--only nonconference opponent UCLA is expected to be ranked among the preseason Top 20--and should have a better chance at a 20-win season.

“I think the team will be more mine next year,” Hillock said. “We’re going to keep pressing and I think we can play a little faster.”

Women’s basketball Coach Todd Corman must find replacements for several key positions, but scoring leader Jamie Jesko and rebounding forward Joelle Longobardi return. Corman also had a strong recruiting class for the second year in a row.

“I’m upbeat because I like the kind of recruits we brought in--basketball, baseball, volleyball and tennis,” Quinn said. “It’s the best recruiting class across the board since I’ve been here. At least on paper. The sports we give financial assistance in, we should be better. The future looks so good.”

STUMBLING BLOCKS

The NCAA has mandated that by the 1993-94 season, Division I schools must have seven men’s and seven women’s sports and they must play the majority of their games against Division I competition. Division I teams must also provide 19 scholarships beyond basketball and football.

The Lions field nearly that many teams now, but only a handful get scholarships. The school will have to fund 10 1/2 new scholarships, the equivalent of an expenditure of $150,000 to $200,000.

One of Quinn’s concerns is that several Loyola teams are, in effect, pickup squads. He is worried about the Division I schedule rule. The men’s soccer team, for example, has yet to win a WCC game. It would have to play schools such as Portland and Santa Clara, which have All-American level programs.

The WCC plans to introduce women’s soccer as its next varsity sport, probably in 1992.

“I see that as our next major sport,” Quinn said. “I don’t want to do what’s happening to the men, though. I don’t want to see them thrown into a big-time scholarship league and lose the way the men have.

“People don’t realize what an impact that (Division I scheduling rule) has on us. Softball, for example--the only people you can play is powerhouses like UCLA, Cal State Fullerton, Long Beach. We really have to address that issue. We just can’t throw them out. I’m waiting to see if the school is going to consider funding at a level to compete in the league.”

Quinn also fears losing members of his coaching staff to other schools that can offer more money.

“I think we have some great young coaches,” Quinn said. “It’s my job to attract and keep them. I’m always worried about losing them.”

With a new president, Father Thomas Patrick O’Malley, taking office, Quinn and an ad-hoc committee have submitted an athletic master plan and budget. Everyone submitting budgets on campus is butting heads with the new Leavey Campus expansion on the school’s western border.

“My first year here nobody knew who we were,” Quinn said. “Now nobody asks who we are. The biggest problem now is finances: How do we keep up the success people expect, plus (meet NCAA requirements). That’s my battle. We have a school with infinite desires and finite resources. I’m the eternal optimist and I believe we’ll get it done (but) there aren’t going to be any frills.”

THE LEGAL BLACK CLOUD

If there’s anything that can get the usually chipper Quinn down, it’s the on-going legal quandary resulting from basketball standout Hank Gathers’ death in March of 1990. Quinn is one of several Loyola employees named in the Gathers family’s wrongful death suit, which is scheduled for trial in September but may be pushed back indefinitely as lawyers continue to file motions.

With Westhead and former trainer Chip Schaefer--also named as defendants--having moved on to NBA jobs, Quinn sometimes feels like a man alone under the weight of the looming trial.

“It hangs over my head,” he said. “It’s always there.

“Basically I’m alone here. I’m not sure people understand that, even people here at the university. I’ve tried to represent the school well. . . . To have that horrible thing hanging over my head when I know I didn’t do anything wrong . . . really has taken a lot away from what I think I do well.”

Athletic directors at most Division I schools are used to some controversy, but rarely at sleepy Loyola. Quinn said this experience has changed his view of the world.

“It’s made me a little more skeptical,” he said. “I’m dreading September. I just want it over, but mostly I want people to know I didn’t do anything wrong. I’m always accused of being such an optimist but it gets me, it gets me down. I think eventually justice will be served. I just hope when it’s all over Hank’s memory is a good one.”

HOW LOYOLA TEAMS FARED IN 1990-91

TEAM OVERALL WCC WCC FINISH Women’s volleyball 21-16 10-4 third, WCC Men’s soccer 3-18 0-5 fifth, WCC Water polo 4-15 -- 8th, West. championships Men’s cross-country -- -- fourth in WCC meet Women’s cross-country -- -- fourth at WCC meet Men’s basketball 16-15 9-5 second WCC Women’s basketball 11-17 4-10 seventh, WCC Women’s tennis 17-9 -- third, WCC tournament Men’s tennis 4-12 -- seventh, WCC tournament Men’s volleyball 9-14 5-11 fourth, WIVA Wilson Div. Golf 2-2 -- fourth, WCC tournament Softball 6-24 -- independent Baseball 38-22 25-11 second, WCC

Postseason appearances: Men’s volleyball (NCAA), women’s volleyball (Women’s Intercollegiate Volleyball Classic), men’s crew (heavyweight varsity four, IRA nationals).