# 2024–25 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team

The 2024–25 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represents Loyola University Chicago during the 2024–25 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Ramblers, led by fourth-year head coach Drew Valentine, play their home games at the Joseph J. Gentile Arena in Chicago, Illinois as third-year members of the Atlantic 10 Conference (A-10).

## Previous season

The Ramblers finished 2023–24 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.

## Offseason
### Departures

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Reason for departure |
| Branden Norris | 4 | G | 6' 0" | 180 | GS Senior | Hilliard, OH | Graduated |
| Trey Lewis | 5 | G | 6' 6" | 200 | Freshman | Ferndale, MI | Transferred to Purdue Fort Wayne |
| Tom Welch | 10 | F | 6' 8" | 220 | GS Senior | Naperville, IL | Graduated |
| Greg Dolan | 12 | G | 6' 3" | 188 | Senior | Williamsville, NY | Graduated |
| Philip Alston | 23 | F | 6' 6" | 235 | Junior | Columbus, OH | Declared for 2024 NBA draft (went undrafted); signed with the Milwaukee Bucks |
| Patrick Mwamba | 30 | F | 6' 7" | 210 | GS Senior | Kinshasa, Congo | Graduated |
| Will Smythe | 31 | G | 6' 4" | 170 | Sophomore | Rochester Hills, MI | Walk-on; left the team due to personal reasons |
| Dame Adelekun | 32 | F | 6' 8" | 230 | GS Senior | Gastonia, NC | Graduated |
| Ben Schwieger | 33 | G/F | 6' 7" | 205 | Sophomore | Aurora, IL | Transferred to Northern Iowa |

### Incoming transfers

| Name | Number | Pos. | Height | Weight | Year | Hometown | Previous school |
| Jalen DeLoach | 4 | F | 6' 9" | 220 | Senior | Savannah, GA | Georgia |
| Justin Moore | 8 | G | 6' 3" | 187 | Junior | Philadelphia, PA | Drexel |
| Kymany Houinsou | 28 | G | 6' 6" | 205 | Junior | Mulhouse, France | Washington State |
| Francis Nwaokorie | 35 | F | 6' 7" | 220 | Senior | Brooklyn Park, MN | UC San Diego |

### Recruiting classes
#### 2024 recruiting class

College recruiting information :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | 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 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Brayden Young C | Houston, TX | Cy Falls High School | 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) | 205 lb (93 kg) | Oct 19, 2023 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Daniil Glazkov SG | Bradenton, FL | IMG Academy | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Feb 18, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Seifeldin Hendawy SF | South Africa | NBA Academy Africa | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | Feb 15, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR ||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: ||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024. "2024 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024. ||||||

#### 2025 recruiting class

College recruiting information (2025) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | Commit date |
| Chuck Love #14 SF | Lincoln, NE | La Lumiere School | 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) | 195 lb (88 kg) | Sep 10, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: 247Sports: ESPN: ESPN grade: 82 |||||||
| Nic Anderson SG | Olathe, KS | Olathe South High School | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | Jul 16, 2024 |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: ESPN: N/A ESPN grade: NR |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: |||||||
| Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, 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: "2025 Loyola Ramblers Recruiting Class". ESPN.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024. "2025 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved October 8, 2024. |||||||

## Schedule and results

| Date time, TV | Rank$^#$ | Opponent$^#$ | Result | Record | High points | High rebounds | High assists | Site (attendance) city, state |
| Exhibition |||||||||
| October 29, 2024* 7:00 p.m. | | Calumet St. Joseph | W 87–57 | – | 16 – Moore | 9 – 2 tied | 6 – Watson | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,217) Chicago, IL |
| Non-conference regular season |||||||||
| November 4, 2024* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Chicago State | W 79–72 | 1–0 | 20 – Dawson | 9 – Nwaokorie | 7 – Moore | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,626) Chicago, IL |
| November 7, 2024* 7:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Detroit Mercy | W 87–65 | 2–0 | 13 – Edwards Jr. | 6 – Moore | 6 – Moore | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,240) Chicago, IL |
| November 10, 2024* 1:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | Eureka | W 105–53 | 3–0 | 17 – Edwards Jr. | 6 – Houinsou | 4 – Moore | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,279) Chicago, IL |
| November 15, 2024* 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Princeton | W 73–68 | 4–0 | 17 – Dawson | 13 – Rubin | 4 – Watson | Jadwin Gymnasium (2,472) Princeton, NJ |
| November 19, 2024* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Southern Utah | W 76–72 | 5–0 | 12 – Watson | 7 – Nwaokorie | 7 – Moore | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,318) Chicago, IL |
| November 23, 2024* 5:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Tulsa | W 89–53 | 6–0 | 19 – Watson | 8 – Houinsou | 7 – Houinsou | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,055) Chicago, IL |
| December 3, 2024* 7:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | Eastern Michigan | W 76–54 | 7–0 | 24 – Watson | 10 – Rubin | 8 – Moore | Joseph J. Gentile Arena Chicago, IL |
| December 7, 2024* 11:30 a.m., USA | | South Florida | W 74–72 | 8–0 | 14 – Watson | 7 – 2 tied | 5 – Houinsou | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,124) Chicago, IL |
| December 15, 2024* 5:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | vs. San Francisco Milwaukee Tip-Off | L 66–76 | 8–1 | 14 – Watson | 8 – DeLoach | 4 – Houinsou | Fiserv Forum (3,278) Milwaukee, WI |
| December 18, 2024* 7:00 p.m., Marquee | | Canisius | W 72–60 | 9–1 | 22 – Edwards Jr. | 8 – 2 tied | 6 – 2 tied | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (1,965) Chicago, IL |
| December 22, 2024* 4:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Oakland Diamond Head Classic quarterfinals | L 71–72 | 9–2 | 21 – Rubin | 9 – Rubin | 5 – Watson | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI |
| December 23, 2024* 4:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Charleston Diamond Head Classic consolation 2nd round | L 68–77 | 9–3 | 17 – Quinn | 14 – Nwaokorie | 4 – Watson | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI |
| December 25, 2024* 12:30 p.m., ESPNU | | vs. Murray State Diamond Head Classic 7th-place game | L 68–71 | 9–4 | 16 – Rubin | 5 – 2 tied | 2 – 2 tied | Stan Sheriff Center Honolulu, HI |
| Atlantic 10 regular season |||||||||
| January 4, 2025 1:00 p.m., CBSSN | | VCU | L 65–84 | 9–5 (0–1) | 20 – Watson | 8 – DeLoach | 7 – Quinn | Joseph J. Gentile Center (4,129) Chicago, IL |
| January 8, 2025 5:30 p.m., ESPN+ | | at La Salle | W 79–68 | 10–5 (1–1) | 20 – 2 tied | 6 – Dawson | 3 – 2 tied | Tom Gola Arena (1,082) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 11, 2025 2:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Saint Joseph's | L 57–93 | 10–6 (1–2) | 12 – Edwards Jr. | 7 – Nwaokorie | 4 – Watson | Hagan Arena (3,013) Philadelphia, PA |
| January 15, 2025 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Rhode Island | W 81–77 | 11–6 (2–2) | 21 – Watson | 5 – 2 tied | 6 – DeLoach | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,523) Chicago, IL |
| January 18, 2025 3:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Dayton | L 81–83 $^{OT}$ | 11–7 (2–3) | 19 – 2 tied | 6 – Edwards Jr. | 4 – 2 tied | UD Arena (13,407) Dayton, OH |
| January 22, 2025 7:00 p.m., Marquee | | Fordham | W 70–66 | 12–7 (3–3) | 13 – Edwards Jr. | 6 – 2 tied | 7 – Edwards Jr. | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,780) Chicago, IL |
| January 29, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at George Mason | L 53–58 $^{OT}$ | 12–8 (3–4) | 11 – Nwaokorie | 8 – Edwards Jr. | 7 – Dawson | EagleBank Arena (3,423) Fairfax, VA |
| February 1, 2025 1:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Saint Joseph's | W 58–55 | 13–8 (4–4) | 12 – Edwards Jr. | 6 – Edwards Jr. | 3 – 2 tied | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,427) Chicago, IL |
| February 4, 2025 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | St. Bonaventure | W 77–53 | 14–8 (5–4) | 17 – Watson | 9 – Rubin | 6 – Quinn | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,553) Chicago, IL |
| February 8, 2025 5:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Duquense | L 56–69 | 14–9 (5–5) | 14 – Watson | 7 – Dawson | 3 – Houinsou | UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse (2,577) Pittsburgh, PA |
| February 11, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN+ | | at Richmond | W 87–80 $^{OT}$ | 15–9 (6–5) | 24 – Dawson | 10 – Rubin | 6 – Houinsou | Robins Center (4,470) Richmond, VA |
| February 14, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Saint Louis | W 78–69 | 16–9 (7–5) | 26 – Dawson | 11 – Rubin | 6 – Rubin | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,137) Chicago, IL |
| February 18, 2025 6:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Davidson | W 77–69 | 17–9 (8–5) | 24 – Dawson | 8 – 2 tied | 4 – Quinn | John M. Belk Arena (2,391) Davidson, NC |
| February 21, 2025 6:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | Dayton | W 76–72 | 18–9 (9–5) | 22 – Watson | 6 – 2 tied | 6 – Houinsou | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (4,557) Chicago, IL |
| February 26, 2025 7:00 p.m., Marquee | | George Washington | W 77–57 | 19–9 (10–5) | 16 – Dawson | 8 – Nwaokorie | 6 – Edwards Jr. | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (2,751) Chicago, IL |
| March 1, 2025 3:00 p.m., CBSSN | | at Saint Louis | L 67–98 | 19–10 (10–6) | 16 – Ruben | 5 – Team | 2 – Watson | Chaifetz Arena (8,084) St. Louis, MO |
| March 5, 2025 8:00 p.m., CBSSN | | Davidson | W 82–72 | 20–10 (11–6) | 22 – Edwards Jr. | 10 – Edwards Jr. | 5 – Quinn | Joseph J. Gentile Arena (3,010) Chicago, IL |
| March 8, 2025 11:30 a.m., USA | | at UMass | W 74–51 | 21–10 (12–6) | 17 – Dawson | 10 – Houinsou | 10 – Houinsou | Mullins Center (3,484) Amherst, MA |
| A-10 tournament |||||||||
| March 14, 2025 1:00 p.m., USA | (4) | vs. (5) Saint Louis Quarterfinals | W 72–64 | 22–10 | 25 – Watson | 10 – Houinsou | 3 – DeLoach | Capital One Arena (8,153) Washington, D.C. |
| March 15, 2025 12:00 p.m., CBSSN | (4) | vs. (1) VCU Semifinals | L 55–62 | 22–11 | 12 – 2 tied | 8 – 3 tied | 4 – Watson | Capital One Arena Washington, D.C. |
| NIT |||||||||
| March 19, 2025 10:00 p.m., ESPN2 | | at (4) San Jose State First round | | | | | | Provident Credit Union Event Center San Jose, CA |
| *Non-conference game. $^#$Rankings from AP poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses. All times are in Central. |||||||||
Source: