Introduction
The 2014-15 season tips off for the Point Loma men's basketball team tonight when it hosts the PacWest/GNAC Crossover Challenge. This has been a highly anticipated year for the Sea Lions' basketball program and head coach Bill Carr. PLNU returns a talented and experienced core of upperclassmen coming off an NCCAA Championship last season.
 
But that is the past and Point Loma is now full active members in the NCAA and is eligible for both PacWest and national playoffs. It has been a planned process for coach Carr, who is in his fourth season, to have this group of seniors available and ready to go in with those new opportunities now available.
 
Practice
Since the 2014-15 school year began back in early September, the team has been conditioning and working out nearly every day. Practice officially started on Oct. 15 and the team immediately went to work with determined attitude as they recognize the opportunity that is in front of them this season.
 
"Practice has been great and the guys have been working hard," Carr explained. "The new guys are picking things up quickly and returners are moving forward. It is different having an experienced team. We are a little further ahead than we have been in the past."
 
Early season
Even more than in years past it will be very important for the Sea Lions to get out to a quality start. PLNU faces two teams from the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and three teams from the California Collegiate Athletic Association, all of which are in-region opponents, in the first month of the season. Those games are even more significant now with PLNU eligible for postseason play. There are only eight berths to the NCAA West Regional, and three of those are assigned to each of the conference tournament winners, so every game is critical but especially against other in-region, Division II opponents.
 
"I think if you want to be a team that makes the regional you have to play teams that make the NCAA tournament," explained Carr. "You have to know where you are and that is why we schedule the teams that we did.
 
"We have a pretty meaty schedule," Carr continued. "We have (some tough in-region opponents) and we also have a very good opponent coming in here for Homecoming. We have a lot of work to do in the early part of the season before conference starts. It will be a good test for us. We need to see where we are at as a program and to get ready for our conference."
 
PacWest Conference
PLNU is in its third season as a member of the PacWest, but this will be its first without any of the restrictions required during the thee-year transition to the NCAA. Point Loma will play a 20-game conference schedule and will look to finish at least in the top eight to earn the right to participate in the PacWest postseason tournament. The winner of the tournament will receive the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA West Regional. Last season, Point Loma went 10-10 in league play and finished in seventh place.
 
"This is a great conference from top to bottom," explained Carr. "It is a great coaching conference with some really good players. Travel is somewhat difficult at times, so it tests you as a team."
 
Offensively
The Sea Lions are returning their top four scorers from last season, and six of their top seven on a team that averaged 76.0 points per game. PLNU shot .489 percent from the field last year and .376 percent from 3-point range. Coach Carr has been happy with the progression of the offense so far in practice and the two exhibition contests.
 
"Offensively we are a little ahead of schedule," Carr said. "You might not notice it with the scores in our exhibition games but I think we are moving the ball, executing well and getting good shots."
 
Defensively
Defense has always been a staple for the Sea Lions in their previous three seasons under coach Carr. Last year PLNU held its opponents to a .426 shooting percentage and a .338 mark from long range. However, coach Carr is hoping to see even more of a commitment on the defensive end this season.
 
"Defensively we are a little behind honestly," he said. "We need to make a little bigger commitment to that end of the floor to guard and rebound."
 
Team Strengths
This experience team has been through a lot over the past few years. It went through the transition to coach Carr, the move from the NAIA to the NCAA and its run to the NCCAA Championship as a No. 4 seed, but because of all that experience coach knows this team's strengths.
 
"I think we are going to be a tough team," said Carr. "We are going to be competitive from top to bottom, we are going to shoot the ball well and eventually we are going to really guard."
 
Goals
The 2014-15 season has been marked on the calendar for years, and coach Carr knows the opportunities the Sea Lions now have in the NCAA and he has outlined some goals for the team this season with those opportunities in mind.  
 
"The goals are to win the PacWest and play in the NCAA Tournament; it is pretty simple," Carr explained. "Our goal every year is to win the PacWest but we want to be part of that tournament now that we are eligible. Obviously we want to keep everyone healthy and for everyone to have a good experience but I think to a man in our program those are the two goals we are working towards."
 
Conclusion
Point Loma has made a commitment at all levels to provide the best possible student experience, and that was one of the main reasons for the move to NCAA Division II. This 2014-15 Point Loma men's basketball team has a great opportunity in its first season of eligibility; it is now time for the Sea Lions to seize that opportunity.  
 
The first steps in the journey begin tonight when the Sea Lions tipoff against Western Oregon at 7:30 p.m.