CHICAGO (May 26, 2020) – Jacob Hutson (Edina, Minn./Edina), a 6-foot-10 center, has been added to the Loyola University Chicago men's basketball family beginning with the 2020-21 season, head coach Porter Moser announced today. Hutson joins guard Baylor Hebb, who signed with the Ramblers last November, as freshmen on the 2020-21 roster.
 
"I couldn't be more excited about Jacob joining the Loyola family," Moser said. "He is one of the most skilled big men I saw last summer and gives us a post who can stretch the defense to the three-point line. Jacob's passing ability is something that makes him perfect for our offense. At 6-foot-10 and still only 17 years old, Jacob has a tremendous upside, especially gaining experience and learning under Cameron Krutwig and Franklin Agunanne. Jacob's sister is a student at Loyola and he has been coming to watch practice when he's visited her on campus. He covets great teammates and great culture and that makes him a perfect fit with our program."
 
A versatile big man and two-time All-Lake Conference honoree, Hutson scored over 1,000 points in his career at Edina High School, finishing eighth in school history in all-time scoring. He was a member of the Minnesota Mr. Basketball Watch List heading into his senior season in 2019-20 and wound up contributing 19 points and 11 rebounds per game last season, collecting honorable mention all-state recognition.
 
"I chose Loyola because it is the best fit for me academically," Hutson said. "Getting a great education is very important to me because the ball will stop bouncing eventually. Loyola offers what I believe to be the best fit for me from a basketball standpoint also. Lastly, I just love the city of Chicago and can't wait to put that jersey on for the city."
 
During his junior season in 2018-19, Hutson accounted for 19.0 ppg, 8.4 rpg and 3.6 apg, sinking 60 percent of his field goal attempts, 39 percent of his three-point tries and 74 percent of his tosses from the charity stripe.
 
"Coaches want their best players to be a great teammate, to be coachable and to be the hardest workers," Edina High School head coach Joe Burger said. "Jacob set a daily example for the younger guys on our team about the dedication it takes to successfully play at this level and he's been such a great representative of our program. The coaching staff at Loyola is going to realize immediately that they have an incredibly coachable kid that sets his goals high and puts the work and commitment in to achieve them. I'm looking forward to following along with Jacob's success at the next level and am so proud of how I know he'll represent Edina in the future."
 
Loyola is coming off its third straight season of 20 or more wins and has recorded four consecutive winning campaigns for the first time in nearly 40 years. The Ramblers return all five starters from last year's squad that placed second in the Missouri Valley Conference race, including First Team All-MVC center Cameron Krutwig.