2023–24 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team

The 2023–24 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represented Loyola University Chicago during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ramblers, led by third-year head coach Drew Valentine, played their home games at the Joseph J. Gentile Arena in Chicago, Illinois as second-year members of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10). They finished the season 23–10, 15–3 in A-10 play to finish in a tie for the regular season championship. As the No. 2 seed in the A-10 tournament, they lost to St. Bonaventure in the quarterfinals. They received a bid to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost to Bradley in the first round.

2023–24 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball
Atlantic 10 regular season co-champions
NIT, First Round
Conference	Atlantic 10 Conference
Record	23–10 (15–3 A–10)
Head coach	Drew Valentine (3rd season)
Assistant coaches	Sean Dwyer Will Bailey Justin Bradley
Home arena	Joseph J. Gentile Arena
Seasons ← 2022–23 2024–25 →

2023–24 Atlantic 10 men's basketball standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team	W		L		PCT			W		L		PCT
Richmond	15	–	3		.833			23	–	10		.697
Loyola Chicago	15	–	3		.833			23	–	10		.697
No. 24 Dayton	14	–	4		.778			25	–	8		.758
UMass	11	–	7		.611			20	–	11		.645
VCU	11	–	7		.611			24	–	14		.632
Duquesne †	10	–	8		.556			25	–	12		.676
St. Bonaventure	9	–	9		.500			20	–	13		.606
George Mason	9	–	9		.500			20	–	12		.625
Saint Joseph's	9	–	9		.500			21	–	14		.600
La Salle	6	–	12		.333			16	–	17		.485
Rhode Island	6	–	12		.333			12	–	20		.375
Fordham	6	–	12		.333			13	–	20		.394
Davidson	5	–	13		.278			15	–	17		.469
Saint Louis	5	–	13		.278			13	–	20		.394
George Washington	4	–	14		.222			15	–	17		.469
† 2024 A-10 tournament winner Rankings from AP poll

Previous season

The Ramblers finished 2022–23 season 10–21, 4–14 in A-10 play, to finish in last place. They lost to Saint Joseph's in the first round of the A-10 tournament.

Offseason

Departures

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Reason for departure
Saint Thomas	0	F	6'7"	215	Sophomore	Omaha, NE	Transferred to Northern Colorado
Marquise Kennedy	12	G	6'1"	190	Senior	Chicago, IL	Graduate transferred to UIC
Jacob Hutson	22	C	6'11"	250	Junior	Edina, MN	Transferred to Northern Iowa
Jeameril Wilson	25	F	6'7"	200	GS Senior	Chicago, IL	Graduated
Nolan Marold	32	F	6'8"	230	Freshman	Highlands Ranch, CO	Walk-on; transferred to Saint Michael's
Bryce Golden	35	C	6'9"	245	GS Senior	Richmond, VA	Graduated

Incoming transfers

Name	Number	Pos.	Height	Weight	Year	Hometown	Previous school
Desmond Watson	0	G/F	6'5"	205	Junior	Columbus, OH	Davidson
Greg Dolan	12	G	6'3"	188	GS Senior	Williamsville, NY	Cornell
Patrick Mwamba	30	F	6'7"	206	GS Senior	Kinshasa, Congo	Oral Roberts
Dame Adelekun	32	F	6'8"	220	GS Senior	Gastonia, NC	Dartmouth

2023 recruiting class

College recruiting information

Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Miles Rubin #47 PF	Chicago, IL	Simeon Career Academy	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Jun 20, 2021
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (77)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2023 Loyola Ramblers Recruiting Class". ESPN. Retrieved November 1, 2023. "2023 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved November 1, 2023.

2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2024)
Name	Hometown	School	Height	Weight	Commit date
Jack Turner SG	Bellflower, CA	St. John Bosco High School	6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)	210 lb (95 kg)	Oct 25, 2022
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Brayden Young C	Houston, TX	Cy Falls High School	6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)	205 lb (93 kg)	Oct 19, 2023
	Recruit ratings: Rivals:    247Sports:    ESPN:    (NR)
Overall recruit ranking:
Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, On3, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "2024 Loyola Ramblers Recruiting Class". ESPN. Retrieved November 1, 2023. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals. Retrieved November 1, 2023.

Roster

2023–24 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team
Players	Coaches
Pos. # Name Height Weight Year Previous school Hometown G/F 0 Desmond Watson 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Jr St. Francis DeSales Davidson Columbus, OH G 1 Jayden Dawson 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Omaha Central Omaha, NE G 2 Jalen Quinn 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Tuscola Tuscola, IL G 4 Braden Norris 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) GS Hilliard Bradley Oakland Hilliard, OH G 5 Trey Lewis 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) RS Fr Ferndale Ferndale, MI F 10 Tom Welch 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 220 lb (100 kg) GS Naperville North Naperville, IL G 12 Greg Dolan 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 188 lb (85 kg) Sr Northfield Mount Hermon Cornell Williamsville, NY G 13 Sheldon Edwards 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Sr TLAP Sports Academy Valparaiso West Palm Beach, FL G 14 Caleb Reese (W) 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So De La Salle Warren, MI F 23 Philip Alston 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Westerville North California (PA) Columbus, OH C 24 Miles Rubin 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) 205 lb (93 kg) Fr Simeon Chicago, IL F 30 Patrick Mwamba 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 210 lb (95 kg) GS NBA Academy Africa Oral Roberts Kinshasa, Congo G 31 Will Smythe (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 170 lb (77 kg) RS So St. Mary's Prep Rochester Hills, MI F 32 Dame Adelekun 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 230 lb (104 kg) GS Gaston Day School Dartmouth Gastonia, NC G/F 33 Ben Schwieger 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 205 lb (93 kg) RS So Waubonsie Valley Aurora, IL F 34 Matthew Mortenson (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Fr IMG Academy Plano, TX	Head coach Drew Valentine (Oakland) Assistant coach(es) Sean Dwyer (Michigan State) Will Bailey (UAB) Justin Bradley (Guilford) Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible (W) Walk-on Injured Current redshirt Roster Last update: April 6, 2024

Schedule and results

Date time, TV	Rank#	Opponent#	Result	Record	High points	High rebounds	High assists	Site (attendance) city, state
Exhibition
October 29, 2023* 3:30 p.m.		Trinity Christian	W 104–44		17 – Alston	8 – Adelekun	9 – Norris	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,169) Chicago, IL
Non-conference regular season
November 8, 2023* 6:00 p.m., Barstool.tv		vs. No. 10 Florida Atlantic Barstool Sports Invitational	L 62–75	0–1	15 – Alston	6 – Alston	3 – tied	Wintrust Arena (2,169) Chicago, IL
November 11, 2023* 7:00 p.m., NBCSCHI+/ESPN+		Eastern Illinois	W 89–65	1–1	24 – Watson	7 – Rubin	7 – Norris	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,311) Chicago, IL
November 14, 2023* 7:00 p.m., NBCSCHI/ESPN+		UIC	L 67–72	1–2	13 – Watson	7 – Norris	5 – Norris	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,659) Chicago, IL
November 18, 2023* 3:00 p.m., NBCSCHI+/ESPN+		New Orleans	W 73–70	2–2	22 – Adelekun	11 – Adelekun	7 – Dolan	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,833) Chicago, IL
November 22, 2023* 3:00 p.m., CBSSN		vs. No. 8 Creighton Hall of Fame Classic semifinals	L 65–88	2–3	15 – Watson	7 – Rubin	5 – Norris	T-Mobile Center  Kansas City, MO
November 23, 2023* 12:30 p.m., CBSSN		vs. Boston College Hall of Fame Classic consolation game	W 71–68	3–3	20 – Norris	7 – Norris	5 – Dolan	T-Mobile Center  Kansas City, MO
November 28, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Chicago State	W 62–53	4–3	15 – Quinn	5 – Watson	6 – Norris	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,003) Chicago, IL
December 2, 2023* 3:00 p.m., NBCSCHI+/ESPN+		Harvard	W 75–53	5–3	16 – Alston	9 – Rubin	7 – Dolan	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,754) Chicago, IL
December 5, 2023* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+		at Tulsa	L 77–88	5–4	26 – Dawson	7 – Dawson	7 – Norris	Reynolds Center (2,822) Tulsa, OK
December 9, 2023* 5:00 p.m., NBCSCHI+/ESPN+		Goshen	W 115–64	6–4	25 – Alston	7 – Adelekun	6 – Norris	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,286) Chicago, IL
December 17, 2023* 3:00 p.m., ESPN+		at South Florida	L 64–77	6–5	27 – Alston	6 – Norris	7 – Norris	Yuengling Center  Tampa, FL
December 19, 2023* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+		Charleston Southern	W 72–59	7–5	12 – tied	7 – Rubin	3 – tied	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,004) Chicago, IL
December 30, 2023* 1:00 p.m., NBCSCHI/ESPN+		Central Michigan	W 73–35	8–5	15 – Alston	9 – Rubin	6 – Norris	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,377) Chicago, IL
Atlantic 10 regular season
January 3, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Saint Louis	W 80–73	9–5 (1–0)	24 – Watson	6 – tied	7 – Norris	Chaifetz Arena (7,068) St. Louis, MO
January 6, 2024 3:00 p.m., CBSSN		Duquesne	W 72–67	10–5 (2–0)	17 – Alston	7 – Dawson	5 – Dawson	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,671) Chicago, IL
January 9, 2024 7:00 p.m., NBCSCHI/ESPN+		Richmond	L 56–58	10–6 (2–1)	16 – Dawson	8 – Dawson	5 – Quinn	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,834) Chicago, IL
January 13, 2024 3:00 p.m., ESPNU		at Saint Joseph's	W 78–75	11–6 (3–1)	20 – Dawson	7 – tied	4 – Watson	Hagan Arena (2,142) Philadelphia, PA
January 17, 2024 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		UMass	W 79–78	12–6 (4–1)	23 – Alston	9 – Watson	6 – Norris	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,748) Chicago, IL
January 20, 2024 12:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Fordham	W 65–61	13–6 (5–1)	19 – Watson	5 – Dolan	3 – tied	Rose Hill Gymnasium (1,756) The Bronx, NY
January 23, 2024 6:00 p.m., CBSSN		at VCU	L 67–74	13–7 (5–2)	14 – Adelekun	10 – Rubin	4 – Norris	Siegel Center (7,204) Richmond, VA
January 30, 2024 7:00 p.m., NBCSCHI+/ESPN+		Saint Louis	W 77–62	14–7 (6–2)	20 – Watson	7 – Rubin	3 – Watson	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,488) Chicago, IL
February 4, 2024 12:00 p.m., CBSSN		Davidson	W 76–63	15–7 (7–2)	18 – Watson	9 – Adelekun	6 – Watson	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,253) Chicago, IL
February 7, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at George Mason	W 85–79	16–7 (8–2)	27 – Edwards	5 – Adelekun	3 – tied	EagleBank Arena (2,645) Fairfax, VA
February 10, 2024 11:00 a.m., ESPN+		at George Washington	W 81–73	17–7 (9–2)	18 – Edwards	8 – Alston	4 – tied	Charles E. Smith Center (2,520) Washington, D.C.
February 14, 2024 7:00 p.m., NBCSCHI+/ESPN+		Saint Joseph's	W 64–59	18–7 (10–2)	14 – Alston	8 – tied	7 – Norris	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,794) Chicago, IL
February 18, 2024 11:00 a.m., CBSSN		at Rhode Island	W 77–67	19–7 (11–2)	21 – tied	10 – Alston	8 – Norris	Ryan Center (5,407) Kingston, RI
February 24, 2024 3:30 p.m., USA		George Mason	W 80–59	20–7 (12–2)	10 – tied	7 – Watson	8 – Norris	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,557) Chicago, IL
February 27, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at St. Bonaventure	L 64–79	20–8 (12–3)	12 – Alston	9 – Watson	7 – Norris	Reilly Center (3,855) Olean, NY
March 1, 2024 8:00 p.m., ESPN2		No. 21 Dayton	W 77–72	21–8 (13–3)	24 – Watson	7 – Alston	11 – Norris	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,557) Chicago, IL
March 6, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at Davidson	W 69–59	22–8 (14–3)	13 – tied	9 – Rubin	5 – Watson	John M. Belk Arena (2,856) Davidson, NC
March 9, 2024 3:00 p.m., NBCSCHI+/ESPN+		La Salle	W 64–54	23–8 (15–3)	12 – Adelekun	10 – Adelekun	3 – tied	Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,557) Chicago, IL
A-10 tournament
March 14, 2024 5:00 p.m., USA	(2)	vs. (7) St. Bonaventure Quarterfinals	L 74–75 2OT	23–9	22 – Alston	8 – tied	6 – Watson	Barclays Center  Brooklyn, NY
NIT
March 20, 2024 6:00 p.m., ESPN+		at (3) Bradley First Round – Indiana State Bracket	L 62–74	23–10	17 – Norris	7 – tied	2 – tied	Carver Arena (4,691) Peoria, IL
*Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central Time.

Source:^[1]