When the Point Loma Nazarene University (PLNU) Sea Lions men’s basketball squad entered the 2009-10 season, head coach Ethan Hamilton realized it would be somewhat of a rebuilding year in the highly competitive Golden State Athletic Conference (GSAC). “It has been an interesting year so far and what I have discovered is that we are even younger and don’t have as much depth as I thought, but these are a great group of guys,” Hamilton said. Hamilton did not count on injuries to four of his players either, including sophomore Greg Murray, Hamilton’s top scorer after 7 games. Murray had averaged 15.4 points per game, a 33.3 three-point percentage, a 66.7 free-throw percentage and 3.3 rebounds per game. Murray expects to be out for the next six weeks, which would most likely keep him out for the remainder of the year — with an outside chance at returning if the Sea Lions make a deep run into the postseason. Murray is expected to make a full recovery by fall. Rhett Beal and Nate Van Wheelden are two other sophomores who have also contributed and helped fill the void caused by Murray’s injury. Beal has averaged 13.2 points per game, a 78.3 free-throw percentage, a 27.3 three-point percentage and 7.2 rebounds per game. Van Wheelden has averaged 10.9 points per game with a 60.5 free-throw percentage, a 32.7 three-point percentage and 3.8 rebounds per game. Point Loma entered this season with an extremely young and inexperienced roster, which includes only three juniors, seven sophomores and two freshmen. The Sea Lions’ overall record is 5-9 with a 2-4 record in the GSAC. But Hamilton said that does not reflect the competitiveness of the young Sea Lions. “We have done some really good things so far,” Hamilton said. “The guys have bought into what we are trying to do and everyone is staying together.” Hamilton expects his young roster to be improved in the second swing of conference play as the season progresses. In four of the five wins so far, the Sea Lions have won by an average of almost 20 points and have only lost by two points in three of the nine defeats. Despite the struggles of this year, Hamilton said he is encouraged by what he sees as a bright future, with many of his young players getting valuable experience this season in preparation for the next few years.
