LINKS: Hoyas face Loyola Marymount at Jamaica Classic

The undefeated Georgetown Hoyas are set to play the Loyola Marymount Lions on Friday, Nov. 16, at 7PM EST as part of the 2018 Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic and will be featured on CBS Sports Network.

Recently in #hoopstwitter, there was quite a bit confusion as to why Patrick Ewing was listed as one of the best “international” players the NBA has ever seen. Well, quite a few people were quickly reminded that Ewing was born in Kingston, Jamaica—a fact that might be uttered more than a few hundred times this weekend as Georgetown headlines a tournament at the Montego Bay Convention Centre.

The news that the Hoyas would be playing in the Jamaica Classic was broken by Casual in March and confirmed in May, along with a full field including South Florida, Loyola Marymount, Ohio, Central Connecticut State, Austin Peay, Campbell and Florida A&M.

The first game is Friday against LMU at 7:30 and the second game is at noon on Sunday against South Florida. Before the first tipoff, the Hoya faithful expect Jessie Govan, Mac McClung, Josh LeBlanc and James Akinjo to be well known favorites of the locals.

Much of the news and discussion of Loyola Marymount (KenPom #124) revolves around Coach Mike Dunlap and his (finally) familiar, stable Lions’ Roster, as they beat UNLV by forcing 24 turnovers.

Here are the links:

LMU athletics hosts first coaches show of 2018-2019 season | LA LOYOLAN

Mike Dunlap [] spoke about the specific improvements that certain players have made during the offseason, such as senior guard James Batemon’s improved perimeter shooting or sophomores Eli Scott and Zafir Williams’ improved consistency after their freshman seasons. With the way teams play basketball changing dramatically over the past decade, Coach Dunlap believes the team addressed shooting issues during the offseason.

“Well the game has changed, and it’s a space game because everybody is more athletic: they’re bigger, they’re quicker, and everybody spends more time on their game, so if you can’t shoot the ball it really hurts you because the defense can shrink on you and it’s tough to live one way,” said Coach Dunlap. “So, we knew we needed to get better with the perimeter shooting, and I know we’re better, so that’s what we’re working on.”

Bateman’s double-double sends LMU past CSU Northridge 79-64 | AP | Madison.com

Batemon hit 11 of 13 free throws and added four rebounds for the Lions (3-0), who had a 41-26 advantage on the boards. Mattias Markusson added a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds — the seventh time he’s accomplished the feat. Zafir Williams added 13 points and Joe Quintana came off the bench to score 10 with five steals.

...

LMU, which led 36-31 at halftime, made 27 of 55 shots from the floor (49 percent), including 7 of 18 from 3-point range (39 percent). Northridge hit 22 of 55 (40 percent) from the field, but just 15 of its 28 free throws (54 percent).

James Batemon scores 27 points, leads LMU over UNLV 61-50 | AP | FOX Sports

James Batemon scored 27 points to lead Loyola Marymount to a 61-50 victory and spoiled UNLV’s season opener on Saturday night.

Batemon was 8 of 19 from the floor and made four 3-pointers. Jeffery McClendon added 13 points and Joe Quintana 11 for Loyola Marymount (2-0). Mattias Markusson grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and chipped in eight points.

UNLV Drop Home Opener To Loyola Marymount, 61-50 | Mountain West Wire

The Rebels held the Lions to just 18 points in the half, Forcing eight turnovers and held the lions to just 25.8% shooting from the field. Mbacke Diong looked phenomenal as the man in the middle with two blocks as UNLV went into halftime with a 25-18 lead.

The second half did not go as planned for the Rebels. Turnovers proved to be the achilles’ heel for the Rebels finishing with 24 turnovers.

The team could not move the ball effectively against the zone defense. To (sic) many forced passes lead to easy buckets for the lions.

One possession sums up UNLV’s offensive struggles | LVSPORTSNETWORK

Down by six in the final 10 minutes, UNLV added to their turnover count with Shakur Juiston’s poor read of the defense. But the problems run deeper than Juiston’s pass.

The play starts off with Noah Robotham getting a ball screen from Mbacke Diong. The pick only slightly deters the on-ball defender, as Robotham and Diong failed to get close enough for an effective screen.

Loyola Marymount elected to use a hard hedge to defend the action, meaning Diong’s defender stays with Robotham until the on-ball defender recovers. That prevents the Rebel point guard from turning the corner and attacking the basket. Instead he is strung out, dribbling towards the sideline instead of the baseline.

Coach Dunlap Q&A | LA LOYOLAN

AS: Who are some of the new players that Lions’ fans will be excited to see?

MD: You bet, we have three new players, as mentioned, Jordan Bell is a transfer and he’s got three years left and he transferred out of Northridge. We’ve got Ivan, and Ivan is out of Bulgaria, and he’s a 6’7” shooter. He can handle the ball; he’s just a dimensionless player who is 18 years old and teething right now. Then you got Dameane Douglas out of Fresno, and he’s a heck of a defender. He’s a slasher, a tremendous offensive rebounder and his athleticism helps us move up and down the floor.

AS: How would you describe the offensive and defensive systems that the team runs?

MD: I would say that we’re an opportunistic running team and we’re a pass-first team. We like to move the ball and get high percentage shots. Defensively we like to play up the floor; we like to be disruptive when we can, and we like to see if we can out-condition our opponent.

Defense Leads Lions to 30+ Point Opening Night Victory | LMU Lions

LMU held Westcliff to just 27.3 percent shooting in the opening half and used a 16-0 run to take an early 16-3 lead. Joe Quintana put a cap on the early outburst with his knock down three on his only shot of the game.

Last year’s West Coast Conference leader in steals picked up right where he left off. Jeffery McClendon added two swipes, including one for a fast break layup to push the lead to 15, 25-10, with 5:17 to play.

The Warriors committed 20 turnovers on the night which resulted in 24 points off turnovers, compared to just nine allowed.

Lions Seek 3-0 Start in Tuesday’s Return Home | LMU Lions

“We worked on some simple things at practice to get better,” said Head Coach Mike Dunlap. “They will be coming in here fresh, licking their chops. Whatever the variables are, I think the key is to adjust. If your guys see that your leadership is unsettled by that, which we aren’t, then you look forward to the opportunity. Right now we just want to play games.”

Men’s basketball head coach Mike Dunlap hosts free coaching clinic | LA LOYOLAN

Dunlap emphasized the importance of sticking to the fundamentals of basketball despite the recent increase of pace in the professional game. Dunlap shared his personal opinion regarding the current state of the NBA, discussing how the Golden State Warriors offense has revolutionized the way teams are playing offense, creating more space for three-point shooters and taking touches away from the big men down low.

“A lot of coaches don’t really know what to do with the big [man] on the pick and roll and they kind of crapped on the big man,” said Coach Dunlap. “We haven’t, that’s my bloodline, so the big [men] are welcome in our program and we traditionally just roll them and post them and we’re going to go into them. They’re going to get their touches. We don’t believe the influence in our gym is all guards, we’re not going down that road.”

Bobcats To Interview Mike Dunlap, Nate Tibbetts | HOOPSRUMORS

[May 2012] Chris Broussard of ESPN.com... identifies Mike Dunlap and Nate Tibbetts as the two newest candidates that will be interviewed by the Bobcats within the next week or so.

Dunlap is currently serving as the associate head coach at St. John’s University, while Tibbetts is employed by the NBA’s Cavaliers as an assistant coach. They will join Patrick Ewing, Michael Malone, Brian Shaw, and Stephen Silas as candidates for the Bobcats’ coaching job that either have already received an interview or are expected to meet with the team in the near future.

What’s The Deal With Georgetown’s Coaching Staff? | CASUALHOYA (2013)

Would former St. Johns assistant and recent Bobcats coach Mike Dunlap be interested in being JT3’s #1 assistant? Would former Hoya legend Patrick Ewing consider joining the staff? Is there a young basketball mind out there that JT3 could pluck from another school?