USD Magazine Spring 2008

TORERO ATHLET I CS

Coach Bill Grier is excited that USD is hosting the 2008 WCC Men’s and Women’s Basketball Tournament: “Anytime you can get it on your home court gives you an edge,” he says.

[ t e a m b u i l d i n g ]

UNDER CONSTRUCTION Gr ier wants to promote USD ’s own brand of March Madness

ERIC DROTTER

by Ryan T. Blystone T he most important month for college basketball nationwide —March and its well-documented tournament madness — is nearly here, but for the USD men’s basketball team, it holds a twofold purpose in 2008. Nearly a year after Bill Grier was introduced as the Toreros’ fourth head coach since the pro- gram moved to the Division I level in 1979, he and his staff have a team comprised of no seniors, several young players still finding their way at the

Every program has challenges, and this one does too. But I think there are a lot of positives that made this a very attractive position to me. I’m excited for the opportunity and excited to be here.” Grier recruited two freshmen, 6-foot-2 guard Trumaine Johnson and 6-foot-10 center Nathan Lozeau, to USD. To gain exposure for the program, Grier also used a tactic learned at Gonzaga, where he spent the last 16 years as an assistant coach: play better nonconference competition.

collegiate level, and juniors Gyno Pomare and Brandon Johnson who have the experience, but are still working on leadership roles. This scenario may seem a recipe for a first-year disaster, but it requires more than a pass- ing glance. “Every job out there has something that makes it hard,” Grier said. “You look at the elite programs like UCLA, Kentucky, Duke and North Carolina. Their expectations are so high that if they don’t win a national champi- onship, it’s been a disastrous year.

Grier’s debut non-conference schedule featured home games with UNLV and San Diego State, a neutral-court tournament with a game against USC, and road games against New Mexico and Kentucky. USD will be in next year’s Paradise Jam in the U.S. Vir- gin Islands, and USD hopes to be in the 2009 Great Alaska Shootout. “To build something here, it has to be done with scheduling and recruiting,”Grier says. “Our sched- ule was beefed up, maybe unfairly to this team. I think it’s going to

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