Loyola Basketball Preview 2017

The 2017-2018 basketball season for the Loyola Rams and Breakers is going to bring a new face at the helm of the Breakers and a loss of talent on both teams, yet there will be the chance to see new growth with a foundation of talented student athletes.

The Loyola Breakers had strong growth in the 2016-2017 season under Betsy Cornelius’ second season placing well in the District Tournament, launching them into a tough Divisional bracket. Breaker basketball was lead by the hard nosed play of Tessa Burke and the spontaneous play of a new comer in Sydney Koppang. Loyola built there success off Burke and Koppang who had help on the boards by the athletic Sam Teide and Caroline Stahl. Being a young team over the past few seasons the Breakers have a strong senior class in the 2017-2018 season anchored by bench full of starters.

Loyola has a new face at the helm in Head Coach Travis Walker who will step in with a group girls that made strong improvements over the past year. The biggest spotlight in the Breakers team will be the tenuous nature of Emma Daniel who became increasingly aggressive as the season went on in 2016-2017. The junior took her play and increased the level of intensity on the soccer field this fall going head on into conflict on the field. With two skilled players at the point in Koppang and Burke, Coach Walker’s first task is to figure out who he is going to plug in under the basket with a bench full of talent.

With a change in the Class B Conference in Ronan moving up to Class A, look for the Breakers to make a statement. The Breakers return a whooping eight experienced seniors, grizzled talent both in the starting five and on the bench that can take them into the postseason.

Loyola Rams basketball has been electrifying in the past few seasons which has taken them deep into the postseason with young and experienced talent on the court. Ram basketball is lead by Head Coach Eddie Stack who has created a culture of unselfish play that in the 2016-2017 season saw players on the bench that could have started at one other school in Missoula, but where more then happy to let someone else shine in the spot light. With leaders like Kellen Round and Parker Davis graduating, and young star Fisher Richardson transferring to Hellgate the Rams will have a new look the season.

The Rams where without athletic leader David Koppang in the 2016-2017 season due to a preseason injury, but have the senior back for the 2017-2018 season to lead his time to a possible championship. With a year under his belt Jack Lincoln has the experience to emerge as the ball handler for Loyola, and Scott Twite will be in the mix to drop a dime or two. The paint will be controlled by the power of Joe McElroy who will control the boards with his strength, and scare defenses with his dead on three point game.

Expect the Rams to power their way through the regular season with competitive games against Anaconda and Powell County. Loyola once again has the talent to take a deep run into the postseason in 2017-2018 and the experience to help them be in the mix at state.