2019-20 First Look: Loyola Blakefield
Loyola had a strong end to the 2018-19 season by making a run to the MIAA Semifinals. They came up short in the semifinal match up against the eventual champion St. Frances Academy. The Dons finished with a 20-12 record…
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Continue ReadingLoyola had a strong end to the 2018-19 season by making a run to the MIAA Semifinals. They came up short in the semifinal match up against the eventual champion St. Frances Academy. The Dons finished with a 20-12 record led by Mitch Fischer, a 2020 forward who was an All-MIAA First Team selection. Head coach Josh Davalli was named MIAA Coach of the Year for his efforts.
As we look forward to the 2019-20 season, Loyola lost some key players to graduation, but still enters with high expectations with an intriguing roster.
Moving on
’19 Brendan Fox was a 6-foot-3 guard that provided outside shooting and high IQ to last year’s team. Fox is attempting to walk on at Maryland this season.
’19 Conner Hepting played an important role on last year’s team as the point guard. Like this season, last year’s team was slim at the position, so having Hepting there to take the ball handling duties was critical. Hepting, like Fox, attends Maryland and will try to walk on.
Returning starters
’20 Mitch Fischer is the biggest name of note for this year’s team. The 6-foot-7 forward offers versatility and high IQ at the forward position. For the Dons’ offensive system in the half court, Fischer is a perfect piece. He can score with his back to the basket, shoot from the perimeter, make good decisions with the ball at the top of the key and move effectively without the ball. As more and more Division I programs catch on, Fischer is out to prove this year that he is a better athlete then most give him credit for. Doing so would not only rise his stock, but also make him a more effective on-ball defender.
’21 guard Jordan Moore switched from the starting lineup to the sixth-man role last season depending upon the match up. At 6-foot-1, Moore brings the much needed athleticism and the craftiness to the backcourt. He’s effective with the ball in the open floor both as a scorer and distributor. In the half court, he operates well in isolation and ball-screen actions when the set breaks down. The Dons are a very system-heavy team, but Moore offers the ability to improvise when things go wrong. He’ll also play a vital role defensively. With little depth at guard, Moore will likely have to match up against the opposing teams best backcourt option.
’21 forward Cam Smith brings the size and athleticism to the frontcourt alongside Fischer. At 6-foot-7, Smith is an above the rim finisher who has developed a capable jump shot even out to the three-point line. Smith will be vital in guarding athletic bigs that the Dons go up against. He’ll also be expected to be a heavy presence on the glass.
Reserves playing a bigger role
Niko Georgelis, a rising junior, will be featured on the wing off the bench. The 6-foot-5 shooter will stretch the floor and bring energy along with a willingness to communicate on both ends. Georgelis didn’t see much time at all last season, but has proven this summer that he can be a consistent contributor as he steps into his increased role.
’20 Rece Gardner is another player off the bench that will be expected to provide energy at the guard spot. Doing things such as taking charges, diving on the floor and running the floor consistently will be ways he could chip in significantly.
Impact Additions
’22 Gavin Walsh brings more size and versatility as a big. The 6-foot-6 forward has solid size and instincts. He can stretch the floor with an above average shot from three. Walsh, Fischer and Smith will be counted on heavily to be anchors defensively and control the rebounding department.
Uche Unegbu is a junior transfer from St. Mary’s who will fill the huge hole at point guard. Unegbu doesn’t have much size at 5-foot-6, but he is quick with the ball, tough defensively and can get the team in sets.
Ryan Johnson is a sophomore point guard who will make the transition from junior varsity to varsity. During his time on JV, Johnson was an impact scorer and did so at a decent clip from all three levels. As he logs minutes for varsity, he’ll have to develop into more of a facilitator and passer until his role is increased in later seasons.
’21 John Dickson Jr. is an athletic 6-foot-5 forward who will provide energy in the frontcourt behind Fischer and Smith after spending his first two seasons on junior varsity.
Coach’s outlook
“We had a great group last year. I think one of the main things for us this year is to come in and continue the chemistry from last year because we had great senior leaders. We lost eight seniors from last year, so we’re gonna need leadership among our seniors this year. I like the kids that we have. There’s definitely some talent here. We just have to put it all together. We gotta make it happen, we can’t just expect that it’s gonna happen.
We have a lot of guys that can do a lot of different things, that’s maybe the one thing that has changed. We play pretty positionless as it is, but I think we will even more so offensively because we’ll have guys out on the floor where everybody can pretty much shoot the three and out the ball on the floor. We’re not changing anything big. We just have to be really good at what we’re good at.”