COLLEGE BASKETBALL: 1994-95 PREVIEW : LOYOLA MARYMOUNT : Olive Says Season Won’t Be the Pits

In his first two seasons at Loyola Marymount, even as the Lions endured a 19-game losing streak, routinely suffered double-digit losses and twice finished last in the West Coast Conference, Coach John Olive remained optimistic, talking of brighter days ahead.

Olive, 13-41 as a head coach, is still bullish about the Lions’ future, but this season he is also excited about the present.

“We have a chance to be a very successful team,” he said. “Physically, we’re as gifted as any team in the conference.”

Four starters are back from last season, when the Lions’ 6-21 record included victories over Gonzaga, the WCC’s regular-season champion, and Pepperdine, winner of the conference tournament.

Foremost among the returnees is Wyking Jones, a 6-foot-7 senior forward who averaged 19.7 points and eight rebounds, made 57.4% of his shots and was voted to the all-conference team last season after finishing among the top four in the WCC in scoring, rebounding and shooting percentage.

“Wyking Jones is going to be one of the top players in the league,” said San Francisco Coach Jim Brovelli, who watched Jones score a season-high 39 points against the Dons last January. “We couldn’t handle him at all, and I don’t think many other teams could handle him.”

The other returning starters are 6-5 senior swingman Robin Kirksey, who was the Lions’ No. 2 scorer with a 10.3 scoring average; 6-9 junior center Ime Oduok, who ranked fourth in the conference with an average of 7.5 rebounds, and 5-10 sophomore point guard Jim Williamson, who last season became Loyola’s first WCC freshman of the year.

The fifth starter will be 6-5 sophomore Mike O’Quinn, who averaged 7.8 points and 4.1 rebounds in nine games last season before he was ruled academically ineligible.

John Anthony, a 6-7 sophomore who made 43.6% of his three-point shots last season, is the top reserve.

Also expected to contribute are Cobi McElroy, a 6-2 senior guard who averaged 6.4 points last season, and Kenny Hotopp, a 6-10, 215-pound redshirt freshman center who grew about 1 1/2 inches and added about 20 pounds while sitting out last season.

It’s a group that Olive is eager to show off to Loyola alumni.

This week’s announcement that freshmen Terryl Woolery and Will Jones have been suspended for the season because of a “violation of the university’s Student Conduct Code” has only slightly dampened Olive’s enthusiasm. As part of their punishment, sources said, Woolery and Jones will forfeit a season of eligibility if they remain at Loyola.

“Usually, I’m one to play probably eight players in a game, so everything should be fine,” said Olive, who has nine scholarship players available. “But it leaves us a little thin if anything should happen--injuries or whatever.

“Not having the ability to absorb injuries--that’s a little scary.”

Still, he is optimistic.

“For the first time, we really feel like we have a complete basketball team,” said Olive, whose teams have won only six of 22 conference games. “We have all the components.

“Of course, there’s a lot more that goes into winning championships than physical talent. It’s all the other things that are going to make the difference. Are we mature enough, mentally tough enough, to handle what it takes to be a conference champion?”

If they expect to challenge for the WCC title, the Lions will have to play better defense and take better care of the ball than they did last season, when they gave up a WCC-high 90 points a game and led the conference with an average of almost 22 turnovers.

Loyola Facts and Figures

1994-95 ROSTER

No Player Pos Hgt Wgt Yr 3 *Mike O’Quinn F 6-5 215 So 10 *Mark Gottas G 5-10 160 Jr 12 *Jim Williamson G 5-10 150 So 14 *Ime Oduok C 6-9 230 Jr 21 *Cobi McElroy G 6-2 175 Sr 22 *Robin Kirksey F 6-5 195 Sr 24 *Wyking Jones F 6-7 220 Sr 32 *John Anthony F 6-7 195 So 33 Ben Ammerman F 6-7 210 Fr 53 Kenny Hotopp C 6-10 200 Fr

No Hometown (High School) 3 Los Angeles (Muir) 10 San Francisco (St. Ignatius) 12 Torrance (South Torrance) 14 Eket, Nigeria (Pacific Christian) 21 Las Vegas (Western) 22 Gardena (Gardena) 24 Inglewood (St. Bernard’s) 32 Palos Verdes Estates (Peninsula) 33 Sacramento (Jesuit) 53 Sandwich, Ill. (Sandwich)

*Lettermen returning (8)

Coach: John Olive.

Assistants: Robert Burke, Chris Walker, Darren Kalish.

1993-94 STATISTICS

Player G FGM-FGA Pct. FTM-FTA Pct. Reb Ast Pts Wyking Jones 27 198-345 .574 135-191 .707 8.0 1.0 19.7 Zan Mason 8 31-72 .431 23-37 .622 6.4 1.0 11.3 Robin Kirksey 27 91-220 .414 83-112 .741 3.7 2.0 10.3 Bill Mazurie 25 79-157 .503 58-75 .773 2.1 1.0 9.7 Mike O’Quinn 9 25-62 .403 18-24 .750 4.1 1.3 7.8 Ime Oduok 23 65-116 .560 44-70 .629 7.5 0.2 7.6 Rahim Harris 27 76-178 .427 33-55 .600 3.2 1.8 7.0 Cobi McElroy 27 56-154 .364 23-32 .719 0.9 0.9 6.4 Jim Williamson 27 43-114 .377 29-38 .763 1.6 3.6 4.9 John Anthony 20 31-78 .397 11-22 .500 3.6 0.7 4.5 Ross Richardson 21 27-71 .380 7-7 1000 1.0 0.5 4.0 Jimmy Harris 27 23-83 .277 13-22 .591 1.3 2.7 2.8 Mark Gottas 4 1-3 .333 2-2 1000 0.5 0.3 1.0 LMU Totals 27 746-1653 .451 479-687 .697 37.6 14.7 79.0 Opponents 27 857-1876 .457 544-828 .657 44.0 16.9 90.0

Three-point goals: Jones 0-3; Kirksey 12-43; Mazurie 26-69; Harris 4-20; McElroy 39-114; Williamson 17-50; Anthony 17-39; Mason 5-20; Richardson 22-62; Harris 17-62; O’Quinn 2-20. Loyola Marymount 161-502, 32.1%; Opponents 171-482, 35.5%.

1994-95 SCHEDULE

Date Opponent Time Nov. 26 CS Hayward 7:05 Nov. 29 San Jose St. 7:05 Dec. 2 SW Louisiana 7:05 Dec. 5 Notre Dame 7:05 Dec. 7 at San Diego St. 7:00 Dec. 17 Loyola-Chicago 7:05 Dec. 20 Washington 7:05 Dec. 23 at Wisconsin 5:00 Dec. 28 at UC Santa Barbara 7:30 Dec. 30 CS Fullerton 7:05 Jan. 4 at Texas A&M; 5:00 Jan. 9 CS Northridge 7:05 Jan. 13 at Saint Mary’s 7:30 Jan. 14 at Santa Clara 7:30 Jan. 20 San Francisco 7:05 Jan. 21 San Diego 7:05 Jan. 25 Pepperdine 7:05 Jan. 28 at Pepperdine 5:00 Feb. 2 at Gonzaga 7:05 Feb. 4 at Portland 7:05 Feb. 10 Portland 7:05 Feb. 11 Gonzaga 7:05 Feb. 16 at San Diego 7:05 Feb. 18 at San Francisco 7:00 Feb. 24 Santa Clara 7:05 Feb. 25 Saint Mary’s 7:05 Mar. 4-6 *WCC Tournament

All Times are p.m. and PST

*at Santa Clara

1993-94 RESULTS

W-L, Rec. Opponent Score L, 0-1 UCLA 115-77 L, 0-2 USC 105-92 L, 0-3 *Wisconsin 103-67 L, 0-4 San Jose St. 95-90OT L, 0-5 UNLV 93-77 L, 0-6 *UC Santa Barbara 80-61 L, 0-7 *San Diego St. 88-84OT L, 0-8 *Texas A&M; 81-79 L, 0-9 *Fairfield 92-91OT W, 1-9 Buffalo 93-77 L, 1-10 Oral Roberts 83-69 L, 1-11 *St. Mary’s 82-77 L, 1-12 *Santa Clara 74-58 L, 1-13 San Francisco 101-86 L, 1-14 San Diego 99-93 W, 2-14 Pepperdine 76-74 L, 2-15 *Pepperdine 86-56 W, 3-15 *Gonzaga 82-80 W, 4-15 *Portland 91-79 W, 5-15 Portland 88-79 L, 5-16 Gonzaga 121-85 L, 5-17 San Diego 89-82 L, 5-18 San Francisco 108-103 W, 6-18 Sacramento St. 73-71 L, 6-19 Santa Clara 98-58 L, 6-20 Saint Mary’s 85-68 L, 6-21 Gonzaga 91-76

*Home: 4-10. Away: 2-10. Neutral: 0-1.

Conference: 4-10