Loyola men?s basketball coach Jimmy Patsos is the first to acknowledge the first month of the season hasn?t gone as planned.
But he?ll also point out his team still deserves support from the community after just 1,222 fans attended a 77-54 victory over Manhattan in the team?s best performance of the season.
“It?s not all right to quit on people because we didn?t do so well the first month,” Patsos said. “I?m a little upset at the community. We have won every game at home. It?s hard to win on the road.”
The Greyhounds will get a chance to earn their first road victory of the year in five tries on Dec. 22 in Dayton, Ohio, when they return from a break for semester exams to face the Flyers (7-1) at UD Arena. However, the Flyers will present the toughest test of the season for the Greyhounds, who have averaged just 68.8 points and 16.8 turnovers on 40.4 percent shooting during road games.
Loyola (5-5, 1-1 Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference) hit its low point of the season during a92-68 loss at Iona (2-7, 1-1), which won just two games last season.
However, Patsos and his players believe that loss, which was followed by a team meeting, could be a turning point.
“Our guys learned one of the most important things you can ever learn in life: that you can only count on a few people, your teammates and your parents and your really close friends,” Patsos said. “I heard a lot of [negative] things the past couple days and I was really impressed with the way our team handled themselves.”
Loyola senior guard Gerald Brown who averages a team-high 21.1 points per game, compared the loss to the Gaels to an early season setback last year that served as a catalyst for an 18-win season.
“What happened against Iona was a wake up call like last year against St. Peter?s,” Brown said of the team?s conference-opening 66-55 loss last season. “That was a slap in the face, and now we are going to be tighter as a team.”
