As the first signing period for the class of 2014 comes to a close, I believe Loyola has done very well. The men's volleyball team has seven recruits who appear to have the skills to keep the program among the nation's best. The women's basketball team has four recruits who bring size and rebounding ability to the team. Each golf team has three recruits who look impressive.

Expect a lot of heads sticking up higher than usual in the crowds as classes change next year. The women's basketball team signed four recruits between 5'11" and 6'2". And the men's volleyball team signed seven players, six of them ranging from 6'4" to 6'11".

The women basketball recruits may be tall, but their resumes are not overly impressive. I thought Swoopes' fame would attract higher ranked recruits. It doesn't appear to be the case.

As for the current squad, they just got creamed by Minnesota 80-36. They lost to Louisville to start the season 101-54. They are obviously not in the same league with the elite teams.

So far the Swoopes' experiment doesn't seem to be working out, but I guess it's too early to call it a failure.

We're only six games in to the Swoopes era, and I guess you're just looking at scores, no deeper. Louisville is 6-0, with the #1 RPI in the country. Minnesota is 5-1, with an RPI of 22, and their only loss was at Crieghton. Meanwhile, Loyola didn't have their all conference player Simone Law for the first few games, and she's still working her way back into the lineup.

What's much more concerning to me was the last-second loss to Idaho at home and the one point loss on two free throws with three seconds left at Eastern Illinois (which I watched on streaming video). The MVC is an average league in terms of women's basketball, not much better than the HL. So I think if the team can figure out how to close out close games a little better, we'll finish in the middle of the pack this year in the MVC. Next year the team should be among the favorites, with Law, Beavers, Faught, and Crosby as seniors; Karapolous as a sophomore; and Taylor Johnson as a junior.

Its swella fella , did you notice that arguably our best player Taylor Johnson did not play? Any one know what the scoop is? Also in my local paper was the announcement of the signing of a Soccer player for the girls from my hometown and I know both the parents who hare great creative people
GO RAMLBERS