Linn-Mar Boys Basketball

Lions embrace new role as underdogs

Times have changed for the Linn-Mar boys basketball team.

They won't come into the new season with glossy rankings or high expectations in the general public, at least not in comparison to their glory days, but that doesn't seem to faze this group of Lions at all.

"I think we'll do really well," senior Ben Larson said Saturday after Linn-Mar beat Marion, 67-39, in the Metro Sports Report.com Classic at Johnson Hall. "A lot of people think we're going to be the underdogs this season."

"Underdogs" is a new role for Linn-Mar, which has won three Class 4A state titles in the past 10 years and finished second on two other trips to Des Moines.

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Lions answer early wakeup call on Day 1

Some college basketball teams celebrate the first day of practice each year with "Midnight Madness," holding their initial workout for a new season at 12:01 a.m. and inviting their fans, pep band and cheerleaders to have a good time.

By contrast, the Linn-Mar Lions held their first practice for the 2013-14 high school season at 6 a.m. Monday in an otherwise quiet gym with perhaps a few sleepy players.

"Everybody was on time," said Coach Chris Robertson, happy with the response. "One was close, but he made it."

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Gibbs granted 6th year by NCAA

Creighton University basketball player Grant Gibbs  was granted a sixth year of collegiate eligibility by the NCAA on Tuesday.

Gibbs, a 6-foot-5 guard, prepped at Linn-Mar. He is a two-year starter for the Bluejays, who are 57-14 with him in the lineup. He led the Missouri Valley Conference in assists the past two seasons.

Gibbs averaged 8.5 points, 5.8 assists and 4.1 rebounds last season. He and Syracuse's Michael Carter-Williams were the only two players in the nation with at least 300 points, 200 assists and 145 rebounds.

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Jordan Bohannon gets offer from UNI

Linn-Mar freshman Jordan Bohannon has been offered a scholarship to play basketball at the University of Northern Iowa, according to several reports on Twitter Tuesday night.

One of the tweets came from Matt Bohannon, who is a member of the UNI basketball team and Jordan's brother.

"Very excited to announce that the little bro got his first offer from UNI tonight!!!," Matt Bohannon reported. "Remember who was there first, bro."

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