For Loyola's Cerasoli, the wait is over
At a time when many players would be bouncing off the walls, Justin Cerasoli calmly enters the room and slides his 6-foot-5 frame into a chair.
With his Loyola debut just two days away, Cerasoli doesn't fidget or check the clock. The idea that he soon will be playing his first college basketball game since Nov. 30, 2006, doesn't seem to rattle the slender guard.
"I've got to stay level," he said Monday. "Everything I've been through, there's really no point in getting overly excited. I haven't really looked at this day too much, but it's here now.
"It's just time to play basketball."
Cerasoli has been through this before: new uniform, new teammates, new coach.
His first "debut" took place at West Aurora High School, where he transferred after spending two years at Providence-St. Mel.
Last fall, he suited up for Mississippi after a season at Seton Hall.
After sitting out a full academic year as stated by NCAA transfer rules, Cerasoli takes the court with Loyola tonight when the Ramblers visit Saint Louis. Cerasoli seems anything but restless.
"I don't have a game to waste," he said. "I've got to be able to come in right away with my feet on the ground, running."
Loyola needs a running start from Cerasoli, whose court speed and top-shelf skills could upgrade a struggling offense. The Ramblers rank last in the Horizon League in scoring (63.1) and are still searching for a transition game. They have managed only 7 fastbreak points in the last six games and have failed to score on the break in four of nine games.
Cerasoli's presence at point guard should facilitate more run-out opportunities.
"He's a good ball-handler with some size, a good passer, sees the floor really well," said Loyola coach Jim Whitesell. "Hopefully, he'll help us be able to run our stuff smoother."
Cerasoli can spell starting guards J.R. Blount and Tracy Robinson, both of whom are averaging more than 32 minutes per game. He also will allow Blount, Loyola's leading scorer (18.5 ppg), to move from point guard to shooting guard, his natural position.
"We're a team that would like to run more," Cerasoli said, "but we just don't have that one piece. J.R. likes to penetrate, break his man down. T-Rob's an athletic wing. We've got other players that like to shoot as well, so speed will help.
"Being a creator, I like to get other people involved because I'm a pass-first point guard."
Pace is a critical element for Cerasoli, who in the past has resembled a red sports car: fast, flashy and prone to getting pulled over -- or in his case, subbed out.
The style didn't always jive with Gordie Kerkman, the longtime coach at West Aurora, where Cerasoli averaged 11 points and 3 assists as a senior and 15 points and 5 assists as a junior. Whitesell, who prides his teams on cohesion, won't hesitate to use the brakes if needed.
"Once in a while, I have to remind him it's not an And1 commercial," Whitesell said, smiling. "Maybe in the old days, in high school sometimes, that's a part of it. But the journey he's gone through, he understands that maybe by doing something simple, that's (being) a much better player."
Cerasoli started 10 games as a freshman at Seton Hall (5.9 points and 2.5 assists). But since he left for Mississippi in July 2005, he has appeared in just seven games.
The long layoff has allowed Cerasoli to increase his strength and study the habits of his new teammates. He isn't expected to start tonight but should get decent minutes against Saint Louis, which comes off a win against Southern Illinois.
"It's still basketball, it's still the game that I love to play," Cerasoli said. "I'll be all right. I really don't have a choice but to be all right."
Loyola (4-5) at Saint Louis (7-5)
When: 7 p.m. at Scottrade Center
Radio: WYLL 1160-AM
The skinny: The solution for Loyola's offensive woes could arrive tonight as two-time transfer Justin Cerasoli, a former West Aurora standout, makes his Ramblers debut. Loyola will need every playmaker at its disposal against a Saint Louis team that leads the Atlantic 10 in scoring defense (59.2 ppg) and has held opponents to fewer than 60 points in 6 of its 7 victories. First-year coach Rick Majerus has seen mixed results from the Billikens, who suffered blowout road losses against Kent State and Boston College, fell at home to Sam Houston State but beat Southern Illinois on Saturday. Junior guard Kevin Lisch leads Saint Louis with 13.8 points per game.
-- Adam Rittenberg