Gonzaga’s stiffest competition in the WCC this coming season may not come from Saint Mary’s. THE Gaels will still be tough despite the loss of Omar Samhan, but the ‘Zags most formidable challenge could come from, believe it or not, Loyola Marymount.

The program that was in shambles just a couple years ago is now one that has the depth and talent to challenge the ‘Zags.

Some of the credit belongs to short-lived LMU coach Bill Bayno, who resigned after a brief stint as the head coach due to personal issues. Much of it also should be directed to Max Good, who Bayno brought out west as his right-hand man and has now taken charge of the program.

The Lions just returned from a 12-day trip to Spain – one in which Good raved about the togetherness of his group.

WHAT GOOD LEARNED: ``I know it’s a cliché, but we really did bond on the trip. I’ve been talking all summer to them about guys like Bill Russell, Larry Bird and Steve Nash – who averages over 300 high-fives in a game. We had 26 assists in the first or second game. We shared the ball. It was beyond anything we had last year.”

BIGGEST SURPRISE: ``We had three or four different people come up to us unsolicited and talk to us about how well-behaved our kids were.”

BASKETBALL HIGHLIGHT: ``From an athletic standpoint, it was getting a chance to see the USA team practice in Madrid. The players and coaches were so gracious and invited us on the floor.”

As far as the personnel is concerned, Good said that three key players didn’t play: Larry Davis (ankle), Redshirt freshman Edgar Garibay (visa concerns) and freshman point guard Anthony Ireland (focusing on academics).

The Lions were 18-16 last season and .500 in league play, but return everyone of note except for Kevin Young – who transferred out of the program.

LMU has four starters back: Oregon transfer Drew Viney (16.7 ppg, 7 rpg), point guard Vernon Teel (15.4 ppg, 5.6 apg, 5.3 rpg), Jarred DuBois (12.3 ppg) and Ashley Hamilton (8.6 ppg) – and is hoping Davis can be healthy and both Garibay and Ireland make significant impacts.

``We’re going to be more flexible this year,” Good said. ``We have a lot of guys who can play multiple positions. We’ll be more versatile.”

``We’ve got a chance to be pretty good if we continue to share the ball,” he added. ``There were times on the trip when we had four or five passes and the ball didn’t even touch the floor.”

NEW MEXICO STATE RETURNS FROM TRIP

By Matt Norlander

Did any team have its 2009-10 season end with as much controversy as New Mexico State? The Aggies were felled in the first round of the NCAA tournament by Michigan State.

Questions and disdain over a lane violation that wasn’t called dominated the NMSU postgame presser.

The Spartans won 70-67 and parlayed the close win to the Final Four, but Marvin Menzies said his team has put that in the rearview, admitting that it took a while to fully accept, nonetheless.

“Yeah, I think so. We’re past that now,” Menzies said. “Plus, I think after you have an NCAA appearance you’re obviously feeling good about yourself going into the summer. You have good motivation in going beyond that level. I think most of the kids were very driven this offseason. That was good to see, and hopefully we’ll reap the benefits.”

Menzies took his team to Canada earlier this month, playing six games in seven days in Ontario, Ottawa, Quebec and Montreal against Canadian college all-star teams.

“We went down and had some good competition,” Menzies said. “We didn’t go down and just get a bunch of blowouts and not get anything out of it. Even though we were short a few guys, too.”

The guys Menzies referred to were Troy Gillenwater and Wendell McKines. Gillenwater had a minor ankle injury and McKines did not apply for a passport in

time to make the flight over the border. (Aside: Gillenwater missed the first half of last season due to poor academic standing. Menzies assured me Gillenwater’s grades are safe now.)

NMSU only loses one senior who contributed significant minutes in 2009-10: Jonathan Gibson. However, also gone is leading scorer Jahmar Young, who opted to sign with an agent and leave early. 

Given that, Menzies said the quick glimpse he got of his team earlier this month was the opportunity for the group to knock off the rust and fall back in line with each other, as the core will return for a repeat NCAA appearance.

“You get 10 practices, so really, when you combine that with the week, it’s a pretty good window of opportunity to get some things in and take a look at things you might want to speculate,” Menzies said. “That, along with the bonding and the chemistry, the opportunity for the new guys to get out and compete, it was what we needed to get going again. We like our depth and our chemistry and we’re confident.”

PITINO’S MONSTER WEEKEND

No one has more on the line this weekend than Rick Pitino and the Louisville Cardinals.

Pitino will host Quincy Miller, Deuce Bello, Josiah Turner and Chane Behanan on visits.

While his rival from down the road, John Calipari, has already landed one of the top recruiting classes in recent memory, the Cards have a chance to pull in one that’s not far behind.

Louisville already has a pledge from Wayne Blackshear, a likely McDonald’s All-American – and a commitment from Miller would be huge in terms of talent and credibility in the wake of the off-court news Pitino has endured over the past year or so.

Bello and Turner are a pair of elite-level guards and Behanan is an undersized post player whose value could be significant to a high-major program in that he’s not considered a likely early entry candidate.

RANDOM NOTES: John Watson of the Devils Den reported that Austin Rivers has set official visits to North Carolina (10-1) and Duke (10-15). … Amir Garrett told Evan Daniels of Scout.com that his top three are St. John’s, Oregon and Kansas. … Tyler Harris, the younger brother of Tennessee freshman Tobias Harris, will transfer to St. Benedict’s (N.J.). … Arkansas State coach John Brady has added former Mississippi State coach Richard Williams to his staff.