Academy of Art University men's basketball came out of a tough pair of games in Washington this past week and now encounters another challenge in Division I Loyola Marymount on Wednesday evening. The Urban Knights fell 86-23 against tournament host Western Washington on Nov. 27 and then lost to Saint Martin's University 73-33 the following night. Head Coach Mark Sembrowich, however, is able to go beyond box scores and see the bigger picture.
“Nobody wants scores like that, but it's all part of the process,” Coach Sembrowich said. “We will continue to work to get better and we understand that it's a building process. You take your lumps and you know you're going to get them even though you don't want them. We can't lose sight of the overall building project.”
Despite the defeats, freshman guard Ivan "B.J." Prema, Jr. and freshman center Mike Jorritsma both had solid performances off the bench against SMU. Prema, Jr. led the Urban Knights offensively with nine points on 3-of-8 shooting while Jorritsma topped the squad with seven rebounds.
“[B.J. and Mike] are young guys and they have some ability,” Coach Sembrowich said. “They're going to have their ups and downs. Once they got into the flow of the game, they got comfortable and made some plays. Hopefully they will string some of that success together.”
In the four games the Academy of Art University has played thus far, it seems to be a different Knight who brings strong play off the bench each time out. In the team's first game versus Cal State Monterey Bay, junior guard Lance Olivier had an impressive outing backing up freshman guard Devin Williams and then freshman guard Jordan Knox was stellar against The Master's College. Now add Prema, Jr. and Jorritsma to the list that fully illustrates AAU's variety and depth this season.
“We want our guys to come in the game, do their job, and do it as hard as they can do it,” Coach Sembrowich said. “We've basically played everyone in every game and everybody on the team should have the mentality, 'When I go in, I'm going to play as hard as I can.' We need everyone to contribute.”
The Urban Knights returned to San Francisco from Bellingham, WA on Sunday and have had two days to prepare for their next opponent. According to Coach Sembrowich, the practices tend to stay routine and preparation is the same no matter how quick the turnaround may be.
“Our practices are the majority of the time spent focusing on ourselves,” Coach Sembrowich said. “The day before a game, we cover specific things and we try to set up drills that apply to some of their bread-and-butter types of things.”
With their first tournament behind them, Academy of Art University men's basketball is now set to compete against its lone Division I opponent, Loyola Marymount, on Dec. 2 at Gertsen Pavilion in Los Angeles, CA. The highlight of the Lions young season would likely be their 67-59 road victory versus USC.
“We're going to prep for that game as we would for any,” Coach Sembrowich said. “Yes, we know it's an exceptional opponent with abilities. They're a program that is turning things around at the DI level. We have lot of respect for them. They had a nice win over USC and showed they can play with the big boys. We're expecting a very good Loyola Marymount that has really improved over the years. The coach there has done a really solid job in gathering talent in the offseason and getting it to play.”
