USD Men's Basketball 2007-2008

junior campaign. Last year he earned wee honorable mention recognition after lead– ing the league in assists (4.75) and rank– ing 12th in scoring (12.8 ppg). In addition to making plays on the offense, Johnson tormented the Toreros' opponents on the defensive end, ranking fourth in the wee in steals with 1.94 per game. He scored 23 points in USD's road upset over Cal in early December where he was named All– Tournament at the Golden Bear Classic. He went on to be named the wee Player of the Month for December with the Toreros go– ing 7-1 as a team. ROUNDING OUT THE JUNIOR CLASS Joining Pomare and Johnson in the ju– nior class are three players with extensive playing experience. Wing Ray Murdock (Phoenix, AZ) and guard Danny Brown (Olathe, KS) are both third year players, while center Daniel Fleming (Murrieta, CA) is back for his second go around. Murdock is one of the team's top defensive players, and last season started 12 of 27 games he appeared in. He averaged 5.9 points per game and showed a knack for hitting the three-point shot, finishing the year at a 42.6% clip (26x61 ). Brown appeared in 26 games and av– eraged just less than 12 minutes of action per game. He ranked fourth on the team in three-pointers made (21) and played a key role in the team's WCCTournament win over San Francisco, coming off the bench late to hit two key three-pointers. Fleming earned 22 starts in 30 contests in his first year with the Toreros. He averaged 3.4 points while converting 45.5 percent of his shots from

First year head coach Bill Grier was named USD's 11th head coach back on March 26th, 2007, and he immediately went to work on putting his personal stamp on Torero basket– ball. After assembling an outstanding staff, and getting acquainted with USD's returning players, he went to work on recruiting and putting together arguably USD's toughest schedule ever. He enters his first head coach– ing job without a senior on the roster, but will have the services of four starters and eight players back from last year's ball club that fin– ished 18-14 and advanced to the semi-finals of the WCC Tournament. POMARE & JOHNSON AMONG WCC'S BEST Despite not having any seniors on the ros– ter, Grier will look to junior center Gyno Po– mare (Oceanside, CA) and junior point guard Brandon Johnson (Houston, TX) to supply most of the team leadership. In a vote by wee head coaches, both of these players were picked among the top-six returning players in the conference. Poma re, a fourth-year junior who had off– season foot surgery, is hoping to work his way back to his All-Conference ways. Last year he was named First Team AII-WCC after leading theToreros in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebound– ing (8.3 rpg). He scored in double figures 29 times, and posted a team-best eight double– doubles in scoring and rebounding. Among WCC players, he ranked first in rebounding, 2nd in field goal percentage (.538), and 6th in both scoring and blocked shots (1.31 ). Col– legeHoops.net has tabbed him a preseason honorable mention All-American. Johnson, one of the top playmakers and quickest guards in the WCC, returns for his

the floor. He showed some range for a big guy by canning 11-of-32 threes, includ– ing a 4-for-4 performance in the team's home win over Cal State Bakersfield (Dec. 5, 2006). THE RETURNERS Completing USD's list of returnees is three sophomores and a red shirt fresh– man center. Chris Lewis (Bedford, TX) and De'Jon Jackson (Fresno, CA) both made an impact during their freshman campaign as both players were named to the wee All– Freshman team. The 6-7 Lewis earned 18 starts while appearing in 31 games. He av– eraged 5.8 points and 2.9 rebounds while converting 44.1 % of his shots and 70.8% from the free throw line. He scored in dou– ble figures five times with a personal-best 16 points at San Diego State.