Loyola (3-11, 1-3) vs. Butler (5-7, 0-2)
January 13, 2005 - Chicago, Ill.
7:00 pm CST - WIND (AM 560)

Tonight’s Game: Loyola, which has dropped 10 of its last 11 decisions, opens up a three-game homestand tonight when it hosts Butler. The Ramblers have had recent success at the Gentile Center against schools from the neighboring state of Indiana, winning four of their last five contests. Following this homestand, Loyola plays seven of its final 10 contests away from home, where it is winless this season.

Loyola - Butler - The Series: Loyola and Butler tangle for the 66th time tonight in a rivalry that dates back to 1928. The Bulldogs own a 38-27 edge in the series and have prevailed in 11 of the last 13 meetings, however Loyola has won two of the last three showdowns at the Gentile Center. A year ago, Butler swept the season series, gaining a 74-67 victory in overtime at the Gentile Center behind 22 points from Bruce Horan while Paul McMillan scored 15 points for the Ramblers. Loyola is 15-13 all-time versus the Bulldogs in the Windy City, excluding tournament contests.

Back in Time: Nearly 20 years to the date, on Jan. 12, 1985, Loyola defeated Detroit 85-79, to begin a 19-game winning streak as the Ramblers wound up advancing to the NCAA Sweet Sixteen.

Head Coach Jim Whitesell: Jim Whitesell, in his first season at Loyola, has displayed an uncanny ability to revitalize programs and lead them to the NCAA Tournament. Previously, Whitesell has led a pair of area teams, Elmhurst College and Lewis University, to the postseason. Hired at Loyola on April 14, 2004, following 12 successful years at Lewis, Whitesell racked up a 214-126 (.629) ledger and guided the Flyers to five NCAA Tournament appearances. Success for Whitesell and his players hasn’t been limited to the hardwood however, as ninety-five percent of the players who have suited up for him in the previous 17 campaigns have earned a college degree. The Iowa Falls, Iowa native owns a 281-205 (.578) career coaching record and is currently in his 18th season overall and first as a Division I front man.

Men of Steal: The Ramblers headed into this week’s action as the League leader with 9.07 steals per game. On five occasions this year, Loyola has swiped 10 more steals, twice registering 14 thefts, with one of those efforts coming against then #8 North Carolina.

Downer for DaJuan: Senior guard DaJuan Gouard suffered a knee injury in the opening minute at North Carolina on Dec. 12 and was expected be lost to the team for four-to-six weeks. At the time of his injury, the 6-foot-2 captain was leading the club with 12.9 ppg.

Close Encounters: Of Loyola’s 11 defeats, seven have been by seven points or less, including four by four points or less. Further proof of how close the Ramblers have been is the fact that Loyola has either held the lead or trailed by no more than four points at the 4:00 mark of the second half in eight of its 11 setbacks.

Super Sophs: A talented sophomore class has started to blossom for Whitesell and his staff. Second-year players Blake Schilb, Majak Kou and Tyrelle Blair have combined to account for 51 percent (449 of 879 points) of the Loyola offense this season. The trio is combining to post 32.0 ppg and 13.4 rpg as two of the three - Schilb (15.6 ppg) and Kou (11.4 ppg) - are averaging in double figures in points, while Blair is leading the team with 21 blocks (1.5 bpg).

Sophomore Sensation: Through games of Jan. 9, Blake Schilb is one of only two players - DaShaun Wood of Wright State is the other - to rank among the top 10 in the Horizon League in scoring, rebounding and assists. The talented sophomore ranks second in scoring (15.6 ppg), sixth in assists (3.7 apg) and ninth in rebounding (5.7 rpg).

Home Boys: It is no secret that the Ramblers have been a much better team, at least statistically, when playing at home this season. Defensively, Loyola has limited four of its six foes at Gentile Center to 65 points or less. On the offensive end of the floor, LU averages 67.5 ppg at The Joe and is shooting .455 from the field, including .373 from triple territory. Away from home, those numbers slip to 59.2 ppg, .405 and .305, respectively.

Where Did the O Go?: Loyola opened the season by shooting .460 (99 for 215) from the field through the first four contests, but has dialed up at a .413 (227 for 550) rate in the 10 games since then. The Ramblers have mustered only 57.0 ppg in their last two contests.

Deep Thoughts: Since opening the year by converting .380 (41 for 108) of their tries from three-point range through the first half dozen outings, the Ramblers have gone cold from long distance, connecting on only .301 (46 for 153) of their tries over the last eight contests.

Getting Defensive...Again: A five-game stretch from Dec. 4-21 saw Loyola’s foes post 80.6 ppg, while hitting at a .534 (141 for 264) rate from the field, including .424 (36 for 85) from beyond the arc. However, in the last three outings, the Ramblers appear to have regained the defensive form they displayed early in the season. In those four games, Loyola is limiting opponents to 66.3 ppg, .429 (97 for 226) shooting from the field and .316 (18 for 57) from three-point territory.

Pierre’s Production: Gouard’s injury provided Pierre Parker with his first career start against Illinois State on Dec. 18 and he responded in fine fashion. The freshman guard tallied season highs of 12 points and six rebounds to go with three assists and a steal, while playing 32 without committing a turnover against the Redbirds. In five starts since moving into the lineup, the left-hander is recording 6.0 ppg, 4.2 rpg and 2.4 apg. Parker has converted 15 of his last 18 (.833) attempts from the foul line. He missed the UW-Milwaukee game on Jan. 8 due to a stomach virus, which coincidentally also sidelined his brother, T.J., for Northwestern’s game against Indiana on Jan. 5.

Shake and Blake: Blake Schilb leads the team in scoring (15.6 ppg), rebounding (5.7 rpg), assists (3.7 apg) and steals (1.8 spg). The only Rambler to start all 14 contests this year, the 6-foot-7 forward is contributing 19.8 ppg, 5.5 rpg, 3.8 apg and 1.7 spg, while shooting .494 (43 for 87) from the field, in six games since Gouard went down with a knee injury. Schilb has scored in double figures in a career-best, eight consecutive outings, and leads the Horizon League with 20.5 ppg in conference contests. A starter in 16 consecutive games, Schilb already has drained more free throws this season (31) than he did all of his freshman year (25), and has connected on 13 of his last 14 (.929) charity tosses. He has drained 22 of 23 (.957) tries from the charity stripe at the Gentile Center this season. Schilb needs 40 points to reach 500 for his young career and 22 points to equal his season total from a year ago (241).

Bench Marks: Despite a lack of depth, Loyola’s bench has performed admirably this season. Through the first five games of the year, Loyola’s bench outscored its opponent’s, 92-80. Over the next four contests, the opponent’s bench out-produced Loyola’s, 106-61, but over the past five outings, the Ramblers’ bench owns a 119-97 advantage in the scoring department. Nine times this season, a Rambler reserve has come off the bench to score in double figures.

Youth Gone Wild: Loyola’s roster features eight new faces and 12 of the 16 players are either freshmen or sophomores. Furthermore, the lone junior, guard Chris Logan, is playing his first season of Division I basketball after transferring from Northeast Mississippi Community College.

Majak of All Trades: Sophomore Majak Kou has been a major force off the bench this season for the Ramblers, but particularly so in the last five contests, in which the slender guard is contributing 16.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg and is shooting .448 (13 for 29) from three-point range. He has scored in double figures six times when coming off the bench this season (10 times in his career) and is averaging 13.2 ppg when serving as a reserve. Like many of his teammates, Kou has shot the ball significantly better at home, burying .500 of his tries from the field at the Gentile Center compared to .364 away from home. Against Cleveland State on Jan. 3, he came off the bench to pour in a career-high 22 points, the highest total by a Rambler reserve since Terrance Whiters netted 22 points at Wright State on Feb. 4, 2004. In his last two home games, Kou is posting 18.5 ppg and is scorching the nets at a .591 (13 for 22) clip from the field, including .500 (6 for 12) from long distance. With 13 points at UW-Milwaukee on Jan. 8, he became the first Rambler since Hunter Atkins in 1991 to score in double figures off the bench in five consecutive outings.

Not Night Owls: Loyola earned its first night victory in eight tries when it defeated Cleveland State on Jan. 3. The Ramblers are 2-2 in matinee action, but only 1-9 after dark.

Tom Terrific: Tom Levin has broken out of a month-long slump and been a force at both ends of the floor in the last three games, averaging 7.3 ppg and 5.3 rpg, while draining shots at a .467 (7 for 15) clip. A big man with the range to step out and shoot the three, Levin has converted 4 of his last 9 (.444) triple tries and is actually shooting better from beyond the arc (.400) than he is from inside the three-point line (.391) this year. Levin scored nine points and snagged a season-high eight rebounds versus Cleveland State on Jan. 3. In two home Horizon League contests, the 6-foot-8 forward is contributing 9.0 ppg, 6.0 rpg and is shooting .538 (7 for 13) from the field.

Fortune 500: DaJuan Gouard needs 65 points to reach the 500-point plateau for his career. He got off to a slow start to his career, scoring only 74 points while appearing in 30 games in his first two years, but since the start of the 2003-04 campaign, has averaged 9.8 ppg.

Ramblers Getting Charitable: Loyola is shooting .813 (39 for 48) from the charity stripe over the last three contests after converting only .652 (101 for 155) of their shots in the first 11 outings. In a pair of Horizon League tilts at the Gentile Center this season, the Ramblers have connected at a .743 (52 for 70) success rate from the foul line.

Middle Man: Tyrelle Blair has started to come into his own this season and is tallying 8.5 ppg, 5.5 rpg and 3.5 bpg over the last pair of outings. At UW-Milwaukee on Jan. 8, he ripped down a career-best 10 rebounds, the most by a Rambler this season, and added eight points and a pair of blocks. Already an established shot blocker, the 6-foot-11 center owns 30 blocks to his name in only 28 career appearances. Blair has displayed a deft touch at the foul line lately, knocking down 9 of his last 12 (.750) tries from the charity stripe. He also has converted 6 of his last 8 field goal attempts at the Gentile Center.

Logan Logs Minutes: After appearing in only two of the Ramblers’ first 10 games, junior Chris Logan has averaged 13.5 minutes over the last four contests and made his first career start at UW-Milwaukee on Jan. 8. In those four outings, the 6-foot-1 guard is posting 3.3 ppg. He played a season-high 19 minutes and chipped in four points and three assists versus UIC on Jan. 6.

Family Matters: Loyola’s roster this season features some players with interesting bloodlines. Freshman forward Tracy Robinson is the nephew of former Rambler Stephond Robinson (1983-88) while fellow rookie guard Dave Telander is the nephew of Chicago Sun-Times columnist Rick Telander. Pierre Parker, also a freshman guard, has the most interesting lineage of any player on the roster. His father Tony, is the seventh all-time leading scorer in Loyola history with 1,605 points. Pierre’s brother T.J. is a starting guard at Northwestern University and his other brother Tony Jr., stars for the San Antonio Spurs.

Blount Force: During the early signing period in November, Whitesell and his staff landed 6-foot-1 point guard J.R. Blount, from Dominican High School in Whitefish Bay, Wis. As a junior, Blount averaged 19.5 ppg, 4.4 rpg and 3.0 apg while helping lead Dominican to its eighth overall Division III state title.