Loyola vs. Youngstown State Notes

Jan. 29, 2008

Loyola (7-13, 3-7) vs. Youngstown State (7-13, 3-7)
Date: January 31, 2008
Time: 7:00 p.m. CST
Arena: Gentile Center (5,200) - Chicago, Ill.
Series: Tied 9-9
Radio: WYLL (AM 1160) - John Fitzgerald (play-by-play); Dave Klusendorf (expert analyst)
TV: Lakeshore Public Television - Joe Arredondo (play-by-play); Todd Medland (color analyst)

Tonight's Game: Fresh off a thrilling 65-63 victory at Valparaiso on Saturday night, Loyola looks to win consecutive games for the first time since Dec. 8 and 15, when it plays host to Youngstown State Thursday evening. The Ramblers are 2-2 in their last four contests and are opening up a three-game homestand tonight. Following this homestand, Loyola will play five of its final six regular-season games away from home.

Head Coach Jim Whitesell: Turning programs around is nothing new to Jim Whitesell and he has performed one of his best works in just three short seasons at Loyola. Now in his fourth season as the bench boss in Rogers Park, the Iowa Falls, Iowa native has guided the Ramblers to a 60-52 (.536) overall record. His 53 wins in his first three seasons at Loyola were the most by a Rambler head coach in his first three years since Tom Haggerty won 69 contests from 1945-48. Last year, Whitesell piloted Loyola to a 21-win season, its best showing since 1985. Whitesell comes from a family with numerous Hollywood ties. His brother Patrick is a high-profile agent in Hollywood, while brother, John, is a producer/director. Two other brothers, Sean and Chris, write for TV shows, including Cold Case and daytime soap operas. Whitesell, who owns a career 338-246 (.579) mark, is 5-4 versus Youngstown State as Loyola's head coach.

Loyola - Youngstown State - The Series: The Ramblers and Penguins are meeting for the 19th time in a series that dates back to 1956. Each team has claimed nine contests in the series and Loyola has captured five of the last eight meetings between the teams. Loyola is 7-2 all-time against Youngstown State at the Gentile Center and last season, rolled to an 80-68 victory, behind 32 points, seven rebounds and six assists from Blake Schilb. When the teams met earlier this month in Youngstown, Ohio, the Penguins held on for a 71-61 victory despite a furious second-half rally by the Ramblers. Tracy Robinson led Loyola with a career-best 19 points, while Byron Davis netted 19 points to pace Youngstown State.

Heaven On Seventy: Seventy points has been the benchmark for success when it comes to the Ramblers' offense this season, as they are 6-0 when scoring at least 70 points. In fact, dating back to last year, Loyola has won its last 10, and 11 of its last 12, contests when it reaches the 70-point plateau. Last Saturday's 65-63 victory at Valparaiso was the Ramblers' first this season when failing to score at least 70 points.

Deja Vu All Over Again: Three years ago, in Jim Whitesell's first season at Loyola in 2004-05, Loyola dropped lost at Butler to fall to 6-15 overall, but bounced back to pick up a big win at Wright State in their next outing. That win over Wright State kick-started a 7-2 finish to the season and set the foundation for a 19-win campaign in 2005-06. Could the same type of finish be on the horizon for the Ramblerrs in 2007-08? Last week, Loyola came up on the wrong end of a 63-50 decision at No. 15 Butler, but showed its resiliency by coming out two nights later to earn a 65-63 win at Valparaiso.

Three-mendous: After shooting only 25 percent (59 for 237) from three-point range in the first 15 games of the year, Loyola has found its touch, hitting 37 percent (34 for 93) from triple territory in the last six contests. In three of the last four games, the Ramblers have matched a season high with seven trifectas.

Milwaukee's Best: If you had to describe junior J.R. Blount in one word, there is no question it would be "winner". The gritty 6-foot-1 guard has compiled a staggering 98-35 (.737) record over the last four seasons and is the 37th player in Loyola history to score 1,000 points. A Preseason Second Team All-Horizon League selection, Blount is the first Rambler since Chris Williams (1998-2000) to average double figures in both his true freshman and sophomore seasons. The Milwaukee native is averaging 18.4 ppg, 3.4 rpg and 1.6 apg, while shooting 43 percent (31 for 72) from the field, including 39 percent (12 for 31) from long distance, in the last five outings. Blount had made only 9 of his first 50 (18 percent) of his tries from three-point range. Loyola is 16-6 since the start of the 2006-07 campaign when he records a positive assist-to-turnover ratio and he has scored in double digits in 11 straight, and 14 of the last 16, home games dating back to last season. Blount is averaging 17.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg in home games this season, including 16.7 ppg, 3.3 rpg and 2.0 apg in his last three at "The Joe".

Polka Mania: Bruising 6-foot-7 forward Andy Polka has picked up where he left off last season when he established himself as one of the premier rebounders in the Horizon League. The 2006 Mr. Basketball in the state of Wisconsin, Polka has scored in double digits in five of Loyola's last nine games, after accomplishing the feat three times in the first 11 outings of the season. One of only two Ramblers to have started every game this season, Polka is accounting for 10.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg and 1.7 apg in the last three contests. The Ramblers are 10-6 in Polka's career when he scores in double digits. Polka, who is accounting for 11.0 ppg, 6.2 rpg and 1.4 apg in the last five home games, is on pace to finish as one of the top 10 rebounders in Loyola history. A threat from three-point range, Polka has buried 7 of his last 15 (47 percent) tries from beyond the arc, and is shooting 52 percent (35 for 68) from the field in the last nine games. By averaging 9.1 ppg and 7.1 rpg in January, Polka has raised his scoring average by 1.4 ppg and his rebounding total by 0.5 rpg. Although he attempted only one three-point field goal a year ago, Polka leads the Ramblers with a 39 percent accuracy rate (9 for 23) from long range this season.

Mister Robinson's Neighborhood: Tracy Robinson has developed a knack for coming up big late in games to lift Loyola to victories. Two years ago, he converted a pair of crucial free throws in the waning seconds to seal a win at UIC. He scored 14 of his career-best 16 points in the second half Nov. 13 to lead Loyola to a 72-65 victory at Eastern Illinois and laid in the game-tying basket just before the final buzzer to force overtime in a Dec. 8 win versus Milwaukee. A year ago, Robinson buried five free throws in the final minute to seal a 75-71 win at No. 15 Butler. The versatile 6-foot-7 forward has established a career high with 183 total points this year, surpassing his junior year total of 154 points. The senior, who poured in a career-high 19 points at Youngstown State on Jan. 5, is contributing 9.9 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 1.0 apg, 1.0 bpg and 1.0 spg in League play this season.

Only The Young Can Say: One of the top free-throw shooters in the Horizon League with a career .803 (257 for 320) accuracy rate from the charity stripe, Leon Young has buried 31 of his last 34 (.912) attempts and recently drained 19 straight freebies. Young, who has already dealt a career-best 15 assists this season, needs 50 rebounds to become the 28th member of Loyola's 500-Rebound Club. Loyola is 4-1 in Young's career when he registers 20 or more points. He came off the bench to record 19 points and eight rebounds in a Jan. 17 win versus Detroit. Young, who missed four games over the semester break while battling pneumonia, then missed both games in Indiana last week, is contributing 16.0 ppg and 7.5 rpg in his last four home games. His 19-point performance off the bench versus Detroit was the best by a Rambler reserve since Young himself poured in 23 points of f the pine at Youngstown State on Feb. 25, 2006.

Cerasoli Contributes: Junior guard Justin Cerasoli, a transfer from the University of Mississippi, has made an immediate impact, scoring in double figures in eight of his first 11 games of the season. Cerasoli, who has hit 5 of his last 7 tries (71 percent) from three-point range, is shooting 61 percent (11 for 18) from the field in Loyola's wins, compared to 38 percent (40 for 105) in its defeats. A high school teammate of current Illinois star Shaun Pruitt, the 6-foot-5 guard is averaging 12.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.3 apg and shooting 55 percent (18 for 33) from the field and 57 percent (8 for 14) from long distance at the Gentile Center this year.

Finishing With A Flourish: One thing Loyola has been known for over the last three seasons has been a strong finish. In three years at Loyola, Whitesell's clubs have posted a remarkable 17-5 (.773) record in the month of February. Included in that run is a pair of four-game winning streaks and a six-game winning streak.

Ten Spot: Whitesell needs three more wins to become the first Loyola bench boss since Gene Sullivan in the early 1980s to win 10 or more games in each of his first four seasons on the Lake Shore Campus.

Blount's Count: Through 20 games, Blount leads the Ramblers with 15.9 ppg and is on pace to become the first Loyola player since Eric Dolezal (1990-93) to average 10 or more points in each of his first three seasons on the Lake Shore Campus. Blount enters tonight's game ranked fourth in the Horizon League in scoring.

That Under 70s Show: Loyola is 43-21 (.672) under Whitesell when allowing fewer than 70 points. Since the start of the 2005-06 campaign, the Ramblers have posted a 33-16 ledger when yielding fewer than 70 points, including a 16-4 mark a year ago, but are 6-9 this season.

Elite Company: With 40 total wins over the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons, only Butler recorded more than Loyola among Horizon League institutions.

Start Him Up: Blount enters tonight's game having been a member of Loyola's starting five in 56 consecutive contests.

Helping Hands: Loyola is 5-0 this season when it has posted a positive assist-to-turnover ratio. Over the last two seasons, the Ramblers are 15-1 (.938) when recording more assists than turnovers, with the only loss coming at the hands of then-No. 14 Butler, 70-66, in overtime.

Maybe It Is How You Start: Since the start of the 2005-06 season, Loyola has amassed a 42-7 (.857) record in games in which it has held the lead at halftime.

Bench Boost: Over the last four contests, Loyola has received some major contributions off the bench, outscoring its opponents' reserves, 91-66. After getting only 21 points from its bench in the previous four games, Loyola's reserves came up big in a Jan. 17 win over Detroit, out-producing those of the Titans by a whopping 35-5 margin, with Young (19 points), Dave Telander (8 points) and Robinson (7 points) having big games. Over the first 16 games of the season, the Ramblers' bench was outscored 292-185.

Nice Work, Junior: Loyola's top three scorers - J.R. Blount, Leon Young and Justin Cerasoli - are all juniors. That trio of juniors have accounted for a collective 39.4 ppg, a total that accounts for 63 percent of the Ramblers' total offense, and 13.3 rpg. Darrin Williams, who is also a junior, is contributing 3.2 ppg and 2.2 rpg to add to those numbers. Last year's senior class of Blake Schilb, Majak Kou, Brandon Woods and Kye Pattrick averaged a combined 34.5 ppg and 12.7 rpg.

Thousand Island: Blount became the 37th player in Loyola history to score 1,000 points when he scored the game-winning basket with four seconds left to help his squad to a 65-63 victory at Valparaiso on Jan. 26. The 6-foot-1 guard is the third Rambler in as many seasons to achieve the feat, joining former teammates Blake Schilb (2004-05) and Majak Kou (2006-07), and he is also one of five current Horizon League players with over 1,000 points - A.J. Graves of Butler (1,627), Mike Schachtner of Green Bay (1,138), Jon Goode of Detroit (1,096) and J'Nathan Bullock of Cleveland State (1,021). Blount currently ranks 36th on Loyola's all-time scoring chart with 1,001 points and needs only 17 points to tie Ed Earle (1946-50) for 35th place. Blount is the 123rd player in Horizon League annals to score 1,000 points.

Smith Passes Away: Loyola is mourning the passing of former men's basketball player Anthony Smith (2002-05), who passed away on Monday after a courageous bout with leukemia. The 6-foot-9 forward averaged career bests of 5.3 ppg and 3.7 rpg as a senior in 2004-05.

Forman's Grilling Up Points: Over the last pair of games, Ross Forman has contributed 6.0 ppg, 1.5 rpg, 1.5 apg and 1.0 bpg, while shooting 57 percent (4 for 7) from the field and 67 percent (2 for 3) from triple territory. He had managed only six points in his previous five appearances before combining for 12 points in games at Butler and Valparaiso last week.

Not Without A Hitch: Head athletic trainer Dr. Tom Hitcho has worked 883 consecutive Loyola men's basketball contests. Since joining the staff for the 1977-78 campaign, "Hitch", as he is affectionately known to those on campus, has not missed a single game and has witnessed 412 Rambler victories. In his 31st year at Loyola, Hitcho was inducted into the Loyola Athletics Hall of Fame in February 2006.

Getting A Handle On Randall: First-year assistant coach Lance Randall is a familiar face to a pair of Ramblers. Senior Tom Levin was coached by Randall's late father, Steve, at Oshkosh West High School. Randall, left his job as an assistant coach at Saint Louis to succeed his father at Oshkosh West following his untimely passing, was the head coach for two seasons for current Loyola sophomore Andy Polka. Randall guided Polka, and his 2005-06 squad, to a perfect 26-0 record and the Wisconsin Division I state title.

Ramblers Sign Four Early: In November, Loyola announced the signing of four recruits, three of whom stand 6-foot-6 or taller, during the NCAA Early Signing Period. Joining the fold for the 2008-09 season are 6-foot-9 forward John Benkoske (Oshkosh, Wis.), 6-foot-7 forward Walt Gibler (Cincinnati, Ohio), 6-foot-6 swing player Jordan Hicks (Rochester, Minn.) and 6-foot-1 guard Courtney Stanley (Philadelphia, Pa.).