Friday, January 16, 2009

Loyola Marymount at St. Mary's recap

Worked the LMU-St. Mary's game last night for Comcast SportsNet. SMC won by 25 as four Gaels players scored in double figures.

SMC not only has a good team, but an excellent coaching staff.

St. Mary's center Omar Samhan (pictured here in red), who's averaging a double-double this season as a junior, is a potential late second-round NBA pick. He reminds me of former NBA player Paul Mokeski, an excellent role player who played in more than 700 games in the '80s.

Like Samhan, SM senior forward Diamon Simpson is also averaging a double-double this season. He's a potential NBA summer league player who could catch on with a D-League team. His game reminds me of PHX forward Louis Amundson, who played at UNLV.

PG Patty Mills had 11 pts, 8 asts, and 3 stls in 26 mins against LMU. He's a mid- to late-first- rounder. Mills is a combo guard who reminds me a lot of Leandro Barbosa with the Suns. He must bring it every night as a defender and continue to be a pure PG.

LMU freshman guard Jarred DuBois is a lefty who is playing on a struggling Lions team that lacks talent. Mills totally outplayed him in the second half. DuBois, who's averaging about 35 mins per game, led LMU with 17 pts in 31 mins. He also had 6 turnovers, but keep in mind that he doesn't have much to work with right now. DuBois reminds me of Elliot Perry, a 10-year NBA vet who earned Most Improved Player honors in the mid-90s.