Introduction
It is a new era for the Point Loma men's basketball. There are fresh faces on the sidelines, a different attitude in the gym and new personnel wearing the Green & Gold. This has all come from new head coach Ryan Looney, who has instilled a passion and discipline within this team that is seen in everything they do from their workouts, to game preparation and attitudes in the classroom.
 
Preseason
The team has two exhibition games under their belt, and the changes in the style and attitude were very evident, but this surprised no one that ever came through Golden Gym in the fall. The men's basketball team was constantly conditioning on the court or in the weight room to be ready to go once practices officially began on Oct. 15.
 
"Our focus was put on improving our fitness levels," said Point Loma's first-year head coach Ryan Looney. "Our guys have worked hard and had good attitudes."
 
Team chemistry
These workouts not only served the purpose of creating a culture of fitness, they also acted as a team bonding activity. Every man was out there together toiling in the humid conditions, carrying their baton and encouraging their teammates as one. Each student-athlete came together as one to sacrifice their own personal agenda for the good of becoming a cohesive team.
 
"Although it's a bit early to tell, everything seems to be going well with the chemistry on our team," Looney explained. "Everything is new for our guys and I am still trying to get to know everyone and their strengths."
 
Schedule
The Sea Lions will need to be solid fundamentally and ready to go the minute the ball tips, as they will face the defending West Region champions Western Oregon, to begin the season. The non-conference portion of the schedule does not get much easier from there before PLNU jumps into PacWest play on Dec. 1 against California Baptist.
 
"Our season schedule will be tough," noted Looney. "The NCAA West Region over the years, including the PacWest Conference, has been competitive.  I see every game as being a tough one for us.
 
"We will have to develop consistency," Looney continued. "At this point we can't consider ourselves more prepared or more talented than anyone else. We have to find a way to prepare ourselves every day."
 
Returners
While the Sea Lions will return just six letterwinners from their 2015-16 team, however, four of those were starters, so Point Loma will have plenty of experience returning on the court. Josh Rodriguez, the 2015-16 PacWest Freshman of the Year, will be back to handle the point. Last year, he ranked eighth in the NCAA with 6.4 assists per game while finishing fifth in the PacWest in scoring (17.3 ppg). He will be joined in the backcourt by Mike Planeta (10.6 ppg, 4.0 rpg, 2.1 apg, .439 fg%). Tanner Lancona (12.1 ppg, 5.8 rpg, .551 fg%, .467 3fg%) and Zach Burnham (8.3 ppg, 4.7 rpg, .579 fg%) will return to anchor Point Loma's front line. Also back are guards Jack Langborg (7.4 ppg, .424 3fg%) and Trevor Peterson (2.0 ppg, 1.1 rpg), and center Cameron Gilbert (1.4 ppg, 1.5 rpg).
 
"With our returners, Josh Rodriguez has a chance to be one of the better point guards in the PacWest," said Looney. "Tanner Lancona, at his position, can be a very productive player.  There are also a handful of guys that have a lot of game experience like Mike Planeta, Trevor Peterson. Zach Burnham and Jack Langborg, so I think there is a pool of guys that have significant experience that will contribute this year."
 
Newcomers
Looney brought in eight newcomers to supplement the returners. The 2016-17 recruiting class is very diverse with a transfer from a four-year institution, a couple of junior college transfers and a handful of freshmen from states all over the West.
 
"It is still up in the air as to who will play or redshirt this year," Looney explained. "Sterling Somers has proven to be reliable and steady so far through all of our workouts.  Vince Boumann has a huge body and can score it in the post. We are hoping he can continue to come along nicely. Skyler White is really skilled and can shoot it. It gives us another guy similar to Tanner. Then hopefully we can use Yusuf Shehata to rest Josh and to make shots from the perimeter. I believe we have the right pieces to help us build."
 
The offense
The Sea Lions have been guard dominant on offense for most of the past decade. They have relied on their perimeter shooting and speed to drive their offense. While both those are very important elements in coach Looney's offense, it will not just be the guards that will be counted on to shoulder the scoring load. Coach Looney believes in a balanced attack and efficiency on offense.
 
"I'm going to try this year to not be much different than my teams in the past," explained Looney. "I don't think that we are going to play slow but I don't think we are going to play very fast either. I would categorize it as mid-tempo. We want to be very efficient when we have the ball, which a large part of that is taking care of it and limiting our turnovers. If we can do that, we'll have a chance to be productive on that end of the floor."
 
The defense
Point Loma has been a strong defensive team over the past few seasons. Even while playing undersized along the front lines, PLNU has taken pride to compete on the defensive end, even leading the PacWest in scoring defense in 2014-15 (63.7 ppg).
 
"During the first couple weeks of practice we slowly started to build what we will look like defensively," Looney said. "We won't do anything that won't complement our offense system. We won't be a pressing team and we won't gamble too much on that end of the floor. The best way to describe our defensive system will be solid."
 
Goals
With a new coach taking over a program for the first time no one knows what expectations to have. Coach Looney's history at Seattle Pacific, in which he led the Falcons to the NCAA West Regionals in six straight seasons, has Sea Lion fans very optimistic for the future but these must come with tempered expectations, at least at the beginning, and take everything one step at a time.
 
"We only have one goal this year and that is to win our next game one possession at a time," Looney said emphatically.
 
Key to the season
When asked to describe the key to the Sea Lions' having success this season, coach Looney did not address physical ability or even strategy, but the attitude the student-athletes bring to the court each day.
 
"I think willingness to learn quickly, adapt, and our guys coming together as a group collectively will be the major keys for this season," Looney added. "My focus as the head couch in preseason is to develop the right culture amongst our group rather than what we will look like on offense or defense."
 
Conclusion
There is a excitement, energy and optimism surrounding the Sea Lions entering the 2016-17 season. Every one that comes in contact with the program can feel the change. Although it is hard to pinpoint, an elevated level of confidence exists around everyone in the program, from the coaches to the players, and they are all ready to attach their names to the beginning new era of Point Loma men's basketball.