CHICAGO (November 14, 2018) – A trio of highly regarded prep players have signed National Letters of Intent to join the Loyola University Chicago men's basketball program beginning with the 2019-20 season, Ramblers head coach Porter Moser announced today. Joining the program next fall will be guards Marquise Kennedy (Chicago, Ill./Brother Rice) and Paxson Wojcik (Charleston, S.C./La Lumiere), along with forward Tom Welch (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North). All three players are ranked in the top 50 in the nation at their respective position by Rivals.com.
 
"This class fits with everything we are trying to do here – recruit high character, tough, skilled players. Watching them interact with our coaches, staff and players, you could tell that all three were perfect fits for Loyola. The underlying theme with all three individuals was how much winning mattered to them."
 
Kennedy, Wojcik and Welch will join Chicago area products Cameron Krutwig (Algonquin, Ill./Jacobs), the 2018 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, Lucas Williamson (Chicago, Ill./Whitney Young), a member of the MVC All-Bench Team a year ago, and Christian Negron (Elgin, Ill./Larkin), among others, on the 2019-20 Loyola roster. 
 
The Ramblers are back in action tonight when they host Niagara at 7 p.m. in an on-campus game as part of the Fort Myers Tip-Off.
 
Complete bios on Loyola's three signees can be found below.
 
Marquise Kennedy, 6-1, Guard, Chicago, Ill. (Brother Rice)
Is Loyola's first signee from the Chicago Catholic League since 2010 … His stock skyrocketed over the past year … As a junior at Brother Rice High School, averaged 17.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 3.5 assists per game … Was ranked as high as the No. 6 senior prospect in the state and No. 175 nationally … Made a living at the free throw line, where he converted 81 percent of his attempts … Played his first two seasons at Crete-Monee High School before transferring to Brother Rice. 
 
Moser on Kennedy: "Marquise brings ultra-athleticism and speed to our roster and he has the potential to develop into an elite defender. He can play multiple guard positions, brings another gear to our pace of play and can score from anywhere on the court – at the rim, from mid-range and from behind the three-point line."
 
Paxson Wojcik, 6-4, Guard, Charleston, S.C. (La Lumiere)
Ranked third on the team with 14.4 points per game and second with 4.8 rebounds and 4.0 assists per outing last season at La Lumiere in LaPorte, Ind., where he was a teammate of current Loyola freshman Franklin Agunanne … Helped La Lumiere to a 23-4 record in 2017-18.
 
Moser on Wojcik: "A big, skilled extremely competitive guard, Paxson is the son of a college coach and his father, Doug, was a teammate of David Robinson at Navy.  Paxson can play multiple positions and is an exceptional shooter and passer who possesses a basketball IQ that is off the charts."
 
Tom Welch, 6-8, Forward, Naperville, Ill. (Naperville North)
During his junior season at Naperville North High School, put up 13.5 points, 6.6 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game and helped the Huskies to a 26-3 overall record as well as conference and regional championships … Was rated as high as the No. 5 senior in the state of Illinois … Also was a standout goalkeeper on the Naperville North soccer team, earning Gatorade Illinois Boys Soccer Player of the Year accolades in 2017 after registering a 0.38 goals-against average and 19 shutouts as the Huskies won their second straight state title … Was the starting goalkeeper in 2018 as Naperville North won its third consecutive IHSA state crown.
 
Moser on Welch: "Tom is very versatile in the different positions that he can play and he is the prototypical mismatch player that we have had success with through the years. He can be physical in the paint because of his toughness and also has the athleticism and skill to bring the ball up the floor. A multi-sport athlete in high school, Tom was a standout goalkeeper who helped his soccer team to three straight state championships."