Euro Petr Herman and Aussie Joshua Spiers Sign with LMU
By Josh Horton
According to an official press release from the school, LMU has added two new pieces for the 2014-2015 season, both of which hail from overseas.
March 6, 2013; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Loyola Marymount Lions mascot performs against the Portland Pilots during the first half of the WCC Basketball Championships at Orleans Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Joshua Spiers from Queensland, Australia and Petr Herman from the Czech Republic have signed with the Lions for the upcoming season.
Herman played at the Canarias Basketball Academy in Spain, the same club fellow Lion commit Simon Krajcovic is from, and was a highly rated European prospect before tearing his ACL in the spring of 2013. According to LMULionsroar.com, the 6-foot-10 power forward garnered interest from North Carolina State before interest cooled down due to the incident.
The Czech Republic native played for his country in the 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 U18 European Championships, playing in Division A in 2012 and in Division B in 2013. While playing in Division A, Herman averaged 9.2 points, 4.3 rebound and 1.2 steals, helping his country to a 15th place finish.
In Division B the following year, Herman averaged 9.4 points and 5.0 rebounds, including a 13 point, 10 rebound performance against Estonia.
Highlight tape:
Spiers, who played his basketball with the Townsville Heat and the Cannons Basketball Club Inc., is a 6-foot-7 guard that can shoot the ball very well, according to Head Coach Mike Dunlap in the press release.
While playing in the Australian National U20 Championships, Spiers led his native city of Townsville to a Silver Medal, averaging 10.3 points and 4.7 rebounds per contest.
With the additions of Spiers and Herman, the Lions now have filled 12 of their allotted 13 scholarships. Fans of the LMU program should take a collective sigh of relief, as its roster has become much more complete.