Toomey's lips were sealed
As a member of the NCAA selection committee for the first time, Loyola coach Charley Toomey was not permitted to be in the room when the team’s resume was being reviewed.
But he still knew the schools in the 16-team field and knew that the Greyhounds were in. So he had to button it up while watching the NCAA Selection Show with his players Sunday night.
"This is a special moment for the student-athletes, so I think this is something you want them to be excited as a team," Toomey said. "You don’t want to steal their thunder of seeing their name come up on TV. I think there was genuine excitement and elation when they saw the Loyola name and knowing that they’ve got another week together."
For Loyola, this is the third trip to the NCAA Tournament in the last four years, which pleases Toomey. But he is well aware that the team can’t be content with just making an appearance.
"We’ve been back to the tournament three of the last four years now. We’re excited about that, and we feel like the program has some great momentum," Toomey said. "Now the challenge is to take that next step in the tournament and that’s something we’ve also talked about. Maybe we dodged a bullet and got an at-large selection, and now it’s time to take that next step as a program.
With the Greyhounds slated to meet No. 7 seed Cornell on Saturday at 2:30 p.m., the availability of senior defenseman Steve Layne and junior midfielder Chris Basler is unclear.
Layne, the team’s top defenseman, has sat out the last two games because of an injured knee. Layne, who leads the team in caused turnovers with 12, attempted to return for the season finale against Johns Hopkins, but the knee wouldn’t comply.
"It’s truly a day-to-day and hopefully, by the end of the week, he’s got some flexibility and feels like he can move around," Toomey said.
Basler re-injured the separated left shoulder that sidelined him for the first three games of the season and was scheduled to get additional tests on the shoulder Monday.
"We’re hopeful, but we played without him for a few quarters against Hopkins," Toomey said. "If he can go, he will go, I promise you that."
