On March 19, Loyola Marymount University hired Lorenzo Romar as an assistant coach for the Men’s Basketball team. In an attempt to raise the bar for the upcoming 2024-25 season, Romar has coached Division I basketball for 32 years, 27 of them as a head coach. In just his first month on the Bluff, coach Romar has already developed a great bond with head coach Stan Johnson and is ready to get to work preparing for next season.
“I’m really excited to be here,” said Romar, “My whole attitude is to come here and just serve, and be the best I can be, and do what I can to help the program get better.”
The move to LMU has been easy for coach Romar. In addition to growing up in LA, Romar additionally just came off a six-year stint as the head coach at Pepperdine University. His coaching career is extensive. Before moving to Pepperdine, he spent 15 years at the University of Washington as their head coach, and three years as the head coach at Saint Louis University. He is one of the most decorated coaches of this generation with his teams racking up an impressive 467 wins throughout his career. These impressive numbers rank him in the top 100 most wins by a Division I basketball head coach ever. Romar additionally has a history in the NCAA tournament, winning the National Championship while an assistant coach at UCLA in 1995 and reaching the Sweet 16 three times with the Washington Huskies.
LMU fans hope that Romar’s experience and wisdom can bring success to the team and help them make it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 25 years.
“I don’t think there’s any question that we want to make the NCAA tournament,” said Romar, “And I believe we have the recipe to do that.”
That recipe starts with the mutual respect and willingness to collaborate which both coaches seem to share. Romar expressed how easy it is to work with Johnson and how he has always believed in his coaching abilities.
“I knew coach Johnson from when he was an assistant and from just observing him, and me being a little older, I look at someone younger and think he is going to be a star,” Romar said, “I could tell just from the way he goes about his business, how he handles himself.”
Bringing coach Romar to the team was a big step for LMU Basketball. Along with the signing of Romar, LMU has brought in Louis Wilson as an assistant coach and Daniel Eberhardt as the Director of Operations, solidifying an experienced staff.
Along with the staff signings, LMU has added five new players to their roster, including 6’11” power forward Jevon Porter, who played under coach Romar at Pepperdine University and was an honorable mention for the All-WCC team last season.
“We had to replace seven scholarships, and I feel strongly that we have replaced them with some quality talent that also has chemistry,” Romar said, “I think the guys we have brought in are team guys, culture guys, that we expect them to mesh together well and join what’s already been here.”
