2023–24 Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball team

2023–24 Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball
ConferenceWest Coast Conference
Record12–19 (5–11 WCC)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
Home arenaGersten Pavilion
Seasons
2023–24 West Coast Conference men's basketball standings
Conf Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
No. 21 Saint Mary's † 15 – 1   .938 26 – 8   .765
No. 15 Gonzaga 14 – 2   .875 27 – 8   .771
San Francisco 11 – 5   .688 23 – 11   .676
Santa Clara 10 – 6   .625 20 – 13   .606
San Diego 7 – 9   .438 18 – 15   .545
Portland 5 – 11   .313 12 – 21   .364
Loyola Marymount 5 – 11   .313 12 – 19   .387
Pepperdine 5 – 11   .313 13 – 20   .394
Pacific 0 – 16   .000 6 – 26   .188
† 2024 WCC tournament winner
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2023–24 Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball team represented Loyola Marymount University during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Lions, led by fourth-year head coach Stan Johnson, played their home games at Gersten Pavilion in Los Angeles, California as members of the West Coast Conference. They finished the season 12–19, 5–11 in WCC play to finish in a three-way tie for sixth place. As the No. 7 seed in the WCC Tournament, they lost to Portland in the second round.

Previous season

The Lions finished the 2022–23 season 19–12, 9–7 in WCC play to finish in fourth place. They lost in the quarterfinals of the WCC tournament to BYU.

Offseason

Departures

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Reason for departure
Jalin Anderson 0 G 6'3" 175 Junior Jackson, TN Transferred to Ball State
Dameane Douglas 1 G/F 6'7" 205 RS Senior Hanford, CA Left the team due to personal reasons
Justin Ahrens 2 G 6'6" 195 GS Senior Versailles, OH Graduated
Chase Stephens 3 G 6'3" 170 Freshman Riverside, CA Transferred to Maryland
Kwane Marble 11 G 6'5" 206 Senior Denver, CO Graduate transferred to Niagara
James Nobles 14 G 6'4" 160 RS Freshman North Hollywood, CA Transferred
Cameron Shelton 20 G 6'2" 185 RS Senior Chino, CA Graduated
Kian Nader 40 G 6'1" 170 Junior Tarzana, CA Walk-on; transferred

Incoming transfers

Name Number Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Previous school
Justice Hill 3 G 6'0" 175 Senior Little Rock, AR LSU
Will Johnston 4 G 6'3" 180 Junior Sydney, Australia UTRGV
Justin Wright 5 G 6'2" 195 Senior Greenville, NC North Carolina Central
Lars Thiemann 15 C 7'1" 260 GS Senior Krefeld, Germany California
Dominick Harris 55 G 6'3" 185 RS Junior Murrieta, CA Gonzaga

Recruiting classes

2023 recruiting class

US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Aaron McBride
PF 		Corona, CA Centennial HS 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jul 1, 2022 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Jovan Ristic
SF 		Belgrade Serbia Calusa Preparatory School 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Jul 6, 2023 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports:3/5 stars    ESPN:4/5 stars   ESPN grade: 80
Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: nr   Rivals: nr  ESPN: nr
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "Loyola Marymount Lions 2023 Basketball Commitments". Rivals.com.
  • "2023 Loyola Marymount Lions Basketball Commits". Scout.com.
  • "ESPN 2023 Loyola Marymount Lions Basketball recruits". ESPN.com.
  • "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com.
  • "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals.com.

Roster

2023–24 Loyola Marymount Lions men's basketball team
Players Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown
G 3 Justice Hill 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Sr Little Rock Christian Academy
LSU 		Little Rock, AR
G 4 Will Johnston 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr The King's School
UTRGV 		Sydney, Australia
G 5 Justin Wright 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Sr Farmville Central HS
North Carolina Central 		Greenville, NC
F 8 Jovan Ristic 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Calusa Preparatory School Belgrade, Serbia
G 10 Noah Taitz 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Bishop Gorman HS
Stanford 		Las Vegas, NV
G 13 Lamaj Lewis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr St. John Charter HS Paramount, CA
F/C 15 Lars Thiemann 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 260 lb (118 kg) GS Bayer Giants U19
California 		Krefeld, Germany
F 16 Aaron McBride 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Fr Centennial HS Corona, CA
F 21 Michael Graham 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Sr Canterbury School
Elon 		Brooklyn, NY
C 22 Rick Issanza 7 ft 1 in (2.16 m) 245 lb (111 kg) RS Sr Bella Vista Prep
Oklahoma 		Kinshasa, Congo
F 23 Alex Merkviladze 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 245 lb (111 kg) Sr Modesto Christian School
Cal State Northridge 		Kutaisi, Georgia
F 34 Keli Leaupepe 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 240 lb (109 kg) GS Box Hill Senior Melbourne, Australia
G 41 Kevin Carney (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Sacred Heart Prep Menlo Park, CA
F 42 George Tupy (W) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Fr St. Francis HS Sierra Madre, CA
G 55 Dominick Harris 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 190 lb (86 kg) RS Jr Rancho Christian HS
Gonzaga 		Murrieta, CA
Head coach
Assistant coach(es)
Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • (W) Walk-on

Roster

Schedule and results

Date
time, TV 		Rank# Opponent# Result Record High points High rebounds High assists Site (attendance)
city, state
Non-conference regular season
November 7, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Westcliff W 109–68  1–0
  18 – Merkviladze   8 – Johnston   5 – Hill  Gersten Pavilion (1,430)
Los Angeles, CA
November 12, 2023*
3:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Yale L 80–83  1–1
  21 – Harris   5 – Tied   4 – Johnston  Gersten Pavilion (1,571)
Los Angeles, CA
November 14, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Jackson State W 88–66  2–1
  23 – Hill   12 – Leaupepe   8 – Hill  Gersten Pavilion (1,015)
Los Angeles, CA
November 19, 2023*
10:30 a.m., FloSports 		vs. Stephen F. Austin
Cayman Islands Classic quarterfinals 		L 76–86  2–2
  24 – Hill   8 – Leaupepe   4 – Leaupepe  John Gray Gymnasium 
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 20, 2023*
11:00 a.m., FloSports 		vs. Oakland
Cayman Islands Classic Semifinals 		L 69–74  2–3
  22 – Johnston   7 – Thiemann   4 – Harris  John Gray Gymnasium 
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 21, 2023*
8:00 a.m., FloSports 		vs. FIU
Cayman Islands Classic 7th place game 		W 61–60  3–3
  15 – Wright   8 – Wright   2 – Tied  John Gray Gymnasium 
George Town, Cayman Islands
November 25, 2023*
4:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		UTEP W 67–47  4–3
  20 – Wright   9 – Merkviladze   4 – Hill  Gersten Pavilion (750)
Los Angeles, CA
November 29, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Central Arkansas W 90–63  5–3
  31 – Harris   7 – Wright   7 – Hill  Gersten Pavilion (752)
Los Angeles, CA
December 2, 2023*
7:00 p.m. 		at Nevada L 59–73  5–4
  15 – Johnston   6 – Merkviladze   4 – Johnston  Lawlor Events Center (7,851)
Reno, NV
December 9, 2023*
7:00 p.m. 		vs. UNLV
Jack Jones Classic 		W 78–75  6–4
  28 – Harris   9 – Merkviladze   7 – Hill  Dollar Loan Center 
Henderson, NV
December 16, 2023*
1:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		vs. UC Santa Barbara
Jerry Colangelo Classic 		L 59–68  6–5
  18 – Merkviladze   9 – Merkviladze   5 – Hill  Footprint Center 
Phoenix, AZ
December 18, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Detroit Mercy W 76–56  7–5
  19 – Wright   11 – Graham   6 – Wright  Gersten Pavilion (926)
Los Angeles, CA
December 22, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		No. 16 Colorado State L 67–76  7–6
  27 – Johnston   5 – Issanza   3 – Tied  Gersten Pavilion (1,365)
Los Angeles, CA
December 29, 2023*
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Tarleton State L 66–79  7–7
  18 – Wright   5 – Tied   4 – Johnston  Gersten Pavilion (818)
Los Angeles, CA
WCC regular season
January 4, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Santa Clara L 57–68  7–8
(0–1) 		 14 – Leaupepe   9 – Merkviladze   3 – Harris  Gersten Pavilion (958)
Los Angeles, CA
January 6, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Saint Mary's L 64–68  7–9
(0–2) 		 19 – Johnston   7 – Leaupepe   6 – Johnston  Gersten Pavilion (1,566)
Los Angeles, CA
January 13, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Pacific W 81–64  8–9
(1–2) 		 22 – Wright   11 – Merkviladze   2 – Tied  Gersten Pavilion (1,122)
Los Angeles, CA
January 18, 2024
8:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at San Francisco L 74–90  8–10
(1–3) 		 22 – Harris   9 – Merkviladze   4 – Leaupepe  War Memorial Gymnasium (1,849)
San Francisco, CA
January 20, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Pepperdine W 68–61  9–10
(2–3) 		 16 – Harris   8 – Leaupepe   5 – Johnston  Firestone Fieldhouse (927)
Malibu, CA
January 25, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Portland W 92–65  10–10
(3–3) 		 25 – Merkviladze   10 – Merkviladze   8 – Wright  Gersten Pavilion (991)
Los Angeles, CA
January 27, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPNU 		at Saint Mary's L 65–70  10–11
(3–4) 		 15 – Tied   6 – Leaupepe   5 – Hill  University Credit Union Pavilion (3,500)
Moraga, CA
January 30, 2024
8:00 p.m., ESPN 		at Gonzaga L 58–92  10–12
(3–5) 		 14 – Hill   7 – Wright   3 – Wright  McCarthey Athletic Center (6,000)
Spokane, WA
February 7, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at San Diego L 77–79  10–13
(3–6) 		 19 – Hill   8 – Tied   5 – Hill  Jenny Craig Pavilion (1,003)
San Diego, CA
February 10, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		Pepperdine L 63–72  10–14
(3–7) 		 17 – Merkviladze   9 – Merkviladze   5 – Hill  Gersten Pavilion (1,607)
Los Angeles, CA
February 15, 2024
6:00 p.m., CBSSN 		Gonzaga L 74–91  10–15
(3–8) 		 33 – Johnston   7 – Thiemann   7 – Hill  Gersten Pavilion (2,827)
Los Angeles, CA
February 17, 2024
6:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		San Francisco L 59–82  10–16
(3–9) 		 24 – Merkviladze   12 – Merkviladze   4 – Hill  Gersten Pavilion (2,057)
Los Angeles, CA
February 22, 2024
8:00 p.m., CBSSN 		at Santa Clara L 55–65  10–17
(3–10) 		 19 – Wright   13 – Merkviladze   2 – Wright  Leavey Center (2,385)
Santa Clara, CA
February 24, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Pacific W 86–63  11–17
(4–10) 		 24 – Hill   12 – Merkviladze   7 – Hill  Alex G. Spanos Center (1,959)
Stockton, CA
February 29, 2024
7:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		San Diego W 96–62  12–17
(5–10) 		 26 – Johnston   13 – Graham   6 – Hill  Gersten Pavilion (1,113)
Los Angeles, CA
March 2, 2024
5:00 p.m., ESPN+ 		at Portland L 60–70  12–18
(5–11) 		 16 – Hill   7 – Tied   7 – Merkviladze  Chiles Center (1,165)
Portland, OR
WCC tournament
March 8, 2024
8:30 p.m., ESPN+ 		(7) vs. (6) Portland
Second round 		L 70–78  12–19
  20 – Hill   8 – Tied   6 – Hill  Orleans Arena (2,181)
Paradise, NV
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.

Source[1]

References

  1. ^ "LMULIONS.com :: Loyola Marymount Official Athletic Site :: Men's Basketball". www.lmulions.com. Retrieved October 12, 2023.