Tonight?s home finale for the Loyola College men?s basketball team has added significance beyond the traditional senior sendoff.
After the team honors its two seniors, forward Josko Alujevic and guard Shane James, it will face a tough Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference foe in Rider, which comes into Reitz Arena at 14-11 overall, 8-7 in conference. With four games left before the conference tournament, Loyola (14-11, 10-5) is currently in a three-way tie for second place in the MAAC, one game behind Marist (19-7, 11-4).
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Loyola coach Jimmy Patsos is counting on big performances from both seniors as Loyola still struggles to get healthy.
“We have to step up,” Alujevic said. “With all the guys not here, we have got to win, especially without Gerald [Brown].”
Brown, the team?s leading scorer at 21.6 points per game, collapsed after Sunday?s loss to Fairfield and was hospitalized for exhaustion. Patsos said he would sit out Wednesday?s game and likely the team?s BracketBuster game Saturday at Tennessee State. Also, starting forward Omari Isreal, the team?s fourth-leading scorer (9.4 ppg), is coming back after playing sick on Sunday.
James, who has only four starts this season, will likely start in Brown?s place tonight. Over the past year, James has had to adjust his game from averaging nearly 10 points a game to focusing on defense.
“Shane used to be a big-time scorer,” Patsos said. “He had 27 when I got my first win at Niagara. Coming into this season, I asked him to be a more defensive player and passer, and he has done that.”
Said James: “I am going to get myself going more offensively and take a few more shots than I usually do.”
Both Alujevic and James remember the 1-27 season that preceded Patsos? arrival at Loyola three years ago. The fact that the Greyhounds are playing in such a meaningful conference game this late in the season is a great feeling for the seniors.
“After Jimmy came, there was such tremendous change, and he turned the whole program around,” Alujevic said. “The students started showing up for games, and we started winning.”
INTERNATIONAL SENIOR DAY
» Loyola forward Josko Alujevic hails from Split, Croatia, the same hometown of NBA star Toni Kucoc. Alujevic, who graduated with a degree in international business last May, is getting his MBA from Loyola in his final year of eligibility.
» Guard Shane James is a native of Toronto and played last summer with the Canadian national team. Before this season, his career average was 8.6 points a game. This year, it?s 2.4.
