In the most concise manner possible, Loyola-Chicago’s 2023-2024 team is a story out of one of those Disney sports movies from back in the 90s and 2000s. 

With a 64-54 win over the La Salle Explorers (15-16, 6-12 A10) – and a Richmond loss at the hands of George Mason – The Ramblers (23-8, 15-3 A10) officially went from worst to first and claimed a share of the Atlantic 10 regular-season title. 

During a postgame speech in front of a third consecutive sellout crowd, head coach Drew Valentine referenced a November loss to the UIC Flames as the turning point for the season. 

 “I went around [Gentile] and I was yelling at everybody, ‘stay with us, stay with us, stay with us,” Valentine said, with a breaking voice. “When you come in here next year, 2023 will be up there.”

The third-year head coach’s group still has much to play for at next week’s conference championship in Brooklyn. 

With that, I’d like to profile this team as best as I can, and dole out some end-of-season awards.

GREEN FLAGS

Depth – If I were any team going into the tournament, it would be the closest thing to a headache to have to game plan for the Ramblers. Most nights, they trot out a rotation of 11 men with stars like Braden Norris, Des Watson, and Philip Alston. That goes all the way down to an energy guy like Tom Welch. 

When one guy’s not going, no problem. They’ve got another waiting to beat you eight different ways. Drew Valentine might even take a gamble to go deeper and let Ben Schwieger or Trey Lewis play for a stretch of time should they need a fresh pair of legs. 

Defense – This is the heart and soul of what makes Loyola tick, and we know the Atlantic 10 is a league known for defensively responsible teams. Under Drew Valentine’s leadership as an assistant and head coach, the Ramblers have finished with an adjusted defensive rating within the top 25 three of the last four seasons, per KenPom. 

This season, opponents have made just 43.4% of their shots inside the arc. That figure stands as the fourth-best in Division One this season, per TeamRankings. Good luck trying to finish a game against them, because they’ve allowed just 34.6 second half points to opponents all season, which ranks inside of the top 30 in D1 as well. 

Smart Shooting – The Ramblers play a moderately fast game, clocking just around the top 100 in KenPom’s tempo metric. They’re right around collegiate average when looking at adjusted offensive efficiency, but both their three-point (35.5%) and two-point (52.5%) percentages rank inside the top 100 in D1. 

They have five or six competent three-point shooters, and a guy like Dame Adelekun who can shimmy and spin past any big man for a quick two if the Ramblers need it… more on him later, though.

RED FLAGS

Fouls – This is a big issue that remains unchanged from 2022-23. With a great defense DOES come aggressive play, but not overly aggressive to the point where, as a team, you pick up 19.6 personal fouls per game. That figure ranks 333rd out of 362 Division One teams. What’s more, they pick up fouls on nearly 25% of all possessions, 18th worst in D1. Sure, you have depth, but losing big men like Miles Rubin or Adelekun late in a big game could cause some headaches for Drew Valentine.

Turnovers – I know Drew Valentine doesn’t like to talk about fouls or turnovers, but they’re an inescapable reality with the Ramblers. They finished with 399 turnovers as a team this season, an honor they shared with the tenth place Fordham Rams. 17% of Loyola possessions ended with a turnover, teetering on the line of being bottom 50 in D1. 

Look at the co-champion Spiders; they turned the ball over 130 fewer times and averaged 8.7 per game.  That tops the Atlantic 10 but also ranks as the 5th best per game across the NCAA. What they say is true, defense wins championships. As obvious as it sounds, I’d argue that ball security is another important aspect of a successful tournament team. 

Resume – Currently, the Ramblers sit at #84 on the most updated NET rankings for the tournament. Not bad by any stretch! If you recall my review of the Ramblers’ non-conference schedule, there were some games I felt they would have liked to have back or finish a bit better in. Their November loss against UIC is their lone blemish in Quad 4 games. An 11 point loss against Tulsa sits in Quad 3. It also begs the question; could their net be higher if they had won by than three points against New Orleans (Q4) or nine against D1 Independent Chicago State (Q4)? 

What helps the Ramblers slightly is the loss against South Florida moving up to Quad 1, putting the Ramblers at 1-4 in that sector on the year. Unless they steal a bid by winning the conference tournament, the committee is unlikely to put them in the field of 68 come Selection Sunday. 

I don’t want to give any predictions on this team, simply because they’ve proven myself – and many, many others around the basketball world to be able to accomplish anything. The Ramblers have a double bye in the tournament and will not play until Thursday evening.

They will play either La Salle, George Washington, or St. Bonaventure in their quarterfinal matchup in a 4:00 CST tipoff broadcasting on USA. 

To wrap this all up, here are some guys I felt were worthy of winning my end-of-season awards. 

Rookie of the Year: Miles Rubin 

The Chicago kid hit the ground running this year and was a great find for Drew Valentine. Currently, his offensive game is a bit limited, but his rim protection was otherworldly across 31 games. 2.2 blocks per game was good enough for 22nd in Division 1, and he also led the nation in block percentage. In a perfect world, Rubin bulks up and becomes more of an inside threat on the offensive end next year. 

“Glue Guy”: Braden Norris
I like this award a lot because it’s a term that gets thrown around a lot without any actual meaning. From two tournament teams, two conferences, and the many ups and downs in between, the fifth-year captain has been a true rock for the Ramblers. With more scoring options available for Valentine’s staff, he could do what he does best throughout his final year – be a floor general. Crisp passing, smooth ballhandling, and a guy who could go all forty minutes if you needed him to. 

Comeback Player of the Year: Sheldon Edwards

He saw few opportunities for meaningful playing time during the first half of the season, but became a folk hero when stepping up for the injured Jayden Dawson. The senior made eight starts and shined on the Ramblers’ early February road trip to DC. He was not honored on senior day and will likely use his COVID year to come back for one last season with the Ramblers. 

Transfer of the Year: Dame Adelekun 

The Ivy-Loyola connection continues to grow stronger every year, and a guy like Dame Adelekun could help bring some super-seniors to the team next year. As mentioned earlier, Adelekun was a reliable scorer for the Ramblers, and his game reminds me of a LifeTime fitness oldhead (in the nicest way possible). Congrats on a great career, Dame!

Defensive Player of the Year: Jalen Quinn 

The guard improved greatly from year one to year two, especially on the defensive end. He’s comfortable showing pressure for the length of the floor. He can sniff out what a player will do next – adjusting adeptly and giving his all when his team needs a stop or two. I like his game a lot and am excited to see what he will do next year with a bigger role for Loyola. 

Player of the Year: Des Watson 

In my view, he’s lined up to be the next captain of this team and became a force to be reckoned with here this season. He’s a fiery, two-way guard who can pull up from three, hit you with a mid-range jumper, and isn’t afraid to drive the lane when he has to. He strikes fear into the eyes of opponents, and sure as heck not afraid of whoever he’s matched up with. 

I can’t even begin to say how thankful I am to have been a part of this A10 Talk crew this season. I was welcomed with open arms and it is very rewarding to be surrounded by so many passionate individuals who care about this conference and its teams. I wanted to be able to give strong coverage to a newer team and I’m grateful for everyone who’s checked out my work in one way or another. This is not at all a goodbye by any means! I just wanted to take a minute to be personal and reflective of how much this opportunity means to me. 

If you’d like to connect with me further, feel free to follow me on TWITTER, (I will not call it X, Elon) or send me a request on LinkedIn. I’m happy to talk basketball with anyone, DMs are always open to you all. In the meantime, let’s have a great conference tournament, and may the best team win!