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Loyola's Cupboard Not Bare

3/10/04
by John C. Thomas
Loyola’s 2003-04 season was a huge disappointment, not just because of the 9-20 final record or the lengthy losing streaks, but because there was a great deal of talent on the team that was squandered. Most programs that find themselves in a position to make a search for a new coach do so because of a lack of talent, a scandal, or because a successful coach has moved on. None of these conditions apply at Loyola.

The Horizon League/MCC is a conference that had been improving steadily since it lost its automatic bid in 1993 and had to rebuild with an infusion of Mid-Con schools. While many would point to 1998 as the best year for the conference in the past decade and a half (when Butler gained an automatic bid and Detroit and UIC received at large invitations), the conference’s strength top-to-bottom may have been even better in 2003.

UW-Milwaukee’s near upset of Notre Dame in the first round of the NCAA Tournament, Butler’s impressive Sweet 16 appearance, UIC’s NIT bid, and a league player selected in the NBA Draft for the first time since 1996 is testament to the steady improvement of the league.

The Horizon had its first down year since 1999 in 2004 when Butler had to re-tool and UIC and UW-Milwaukee failed to live up to expectations. But the prestige, coaching ability, and strength of the conference is still very strong. Next year’s conference season promises to be highly competitive, with Butler and Detroit expected to return to prominence and the bottom of the league expected to improve.

Loyola’s new coach will have to quickly make a winner out of what’s left from the Larry Farmer regime. The Ramblers will lose quite a bit in Paul McMillan, Demetrius Williams, Jason Telford, and Louis Smith. That’s 80% of a starting lineup that should have been able to go .500 in a down year in the Horizon League. But there is a still a whole lot of talent to work with.

Terrance Whiters’ two years at Loyola have been full of both promise and frustration. Whiters has missed 10 out of a possible 60 games in his brief Loyola career, and almost all of his missed games have not been due to injury. Hopefully, a new coach will be able to channel his talent and attitude toward a more productive result.

DaJuan Gouard mysteriously assumed “coach’s favorite” status under Farmer in 2003-04, but didn’t show why until late in the season. Gouard finally appeared worthy of his court time early in the Detroit game, when he exploded for 27 points and hit big shots down the stretch. From that game through the rest of the season, the 6’2” shooting guard/point averaged 14.4 ppg on drastically improved shooting percentages. If he can carry that through his senior season, he has a chance to be a Vernard Hollins type player for the Ramblers while providing some maturity and leadership.

Blake Schilb and Majak Kou are talents that could have gone to big time programs. They came to Loyola instead. Loyola’s next coach will have to make that leap of faith worthwhile. With some improvement from Schilb and a full season at one position from Kou, the Ramblers will continue to have big talent and explosive weapons at several spots on the court.

The Smith twins have taken up two scholarships for three years, yet combined they have accounted for only 275 minutes on the court (9.5 mpg), 87 points (3.0 ppg), and 66 rebounds (2.3 rpg) in their junior seasons. Both of them showed some fleeting glimpses of promise this year, but they will have to make a huge leap in production and court savvy to make their Loyola careers worthwhile. At a beefy 6’9” and 6’8”, they can’t be ignored at the end of the bench.

Perhaps most exciting of all is the potential of 6’11” freshman Tyrelle Blair, who showed some very promising ability and more advanced skills than many expected. But among the many confounding mysteries of the Farmer years is why the long-armed 6’11” freshman who captured nine rebounds in 22 minutes against Providence completely disappeared from the substitution rotation after that game. Blair only saw 13 minutes of court time in the next 13 games.

Andre Knox has shown solid ball handling and impressive three-point shooting skills as a freshman. His demeanor appears to be very mature, and he could become an important leader in the future.

Next year’s signee Chris Fuller is reportedly a defensive-minded swingman that could help make up for the loss of Louis Smith.

Whiters, Gouard, Schilb, and Kou have each put up 20 points or more in a game, and three out of four of them have at least two more seasons of eligibility. Add the potential of Blair and Knox to become an inside-outside tandem, and Loyola’s cupboard is not bare by any stretch of the imagination.

Loyola’s starting lineup next year might look something like this:

Terrance Whiters, PG (Jr.)
DaJuan Gouard, SG (Sr.)
Tyrelle Blair, C (So.)
Anthony Smith, PF (Sr.)
Blake Schilb, WF (So.)

First off the bench would be Majak Kou or Antoine Smith depending on circumstances. Knox, Fuller, and David Gale could provide specialized adjustments to game conditions.

Add a juco or two, or a late signee, and there are many tools available for Loyola’s next coach. Without a dominant player and personality like McMillan, this group could easily be molded into a cohesive unit that relies on teamwork and coaching instructions without too much difficulty. That’s what Loyola fans have been longing for during most of the Larry Farmer years.