CHICAGO (August 9, 2022) – Second-year Loyola University Chicago head men's basketball coach Drew Valentine will have a chance to get some valuable game experience and bonding time for his 11 newcomers when the Ramblers make a 10-day trip to France, August 11 through 21. Loyola will play three games versus professional teams in France.
 
After flying to Monaco on August 11, the Ramblers will play their first game of the trip on August 13 when they take on Le Cannet Basket at 1 p.m. CT in Cannes.
 
Loyola will also face Roanne 1^stDivision at 12 p.m. CT on August 17 in Roanne and will battle FOS Provence at 9 a.m. CT on August 20 in Paris to close out the overseas trip. All three games will be available via live stream for free on YouTube.
 
"I'm really excited for our players to get the opportunity to make this trip," Valentine said. "We are so thankful to our dedicated supporters whose investment in our program has made this trip a possibility. We have had nine great weeks of summer workouts on the floor and in the weight room. I'm looking forward to watching our returnees show the improvements that they've made against high-level competition and I'm eager to coach our newcomers in game settings. Although it's early, I love how much better this group has gotten this summer and I'm excited for them to get a chance to compete."
 
Valentine, who guided Loyola to a 25-8 overall record and a second straight NCAA Tournament berth in his first season at the helm of the program in 2021-22, will lean on a pair of returning starters in the backcourt this season in redshirt senior Braden Norris and senior Marquise Kennedy.
 
Norris is coming off a season in which he averaged 10.4 points and 3.9 assists per outing, while converting a team-high 43 percent (68-for-158) of his three-point field goal attempts. The 6-foot point guard will enter the 2022-23 campaign as one of the top three-point shooters, in terms of career three-point percentage, in NCAA Division I play.
 
Complementing Norris in the backcourt is Kennedy, who battled injuries last season but still managed to produce 7.9 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. A two-time Missouri Valley Conference All-Bench Team selection in his career, the explosive guard started 19 contests a year ago. He underwent offseason surgery and will be sidelined for the team's trip to France. 
 
A trio of returnees in the front court will also be looked upon to provide leadership for the Ramblers this season. Jacob Hutson averaged 5.0 points per game in 2021-22 and earned 19 starts, while Tom Welch, one of three seniors on the squad, was a key reserve, tallying 3.5 points per game. Sophomore forward Saint Thomas, who contributed 1.8 points and 1.0 rebounds per game, showcased his enormous potential by tallying 13 points last season in his collegiate debut in Loyola's season opener against Coppin State.
 
Valentine's host of fresh faces for the 2022-23 season includes four transfers – Philip Alston (California of Pennsylvania), Sheldon Edwards (Valparaiso), Bryce Golden (Butler) and Jeameril Wilson (Lehigh) – as well as a pair of redshirt freshmen who sat out last season – guard/forward Ben Schwieger and guard Will Smythe.
 
This winter, Loyola will play its first season as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference and will be in search of a third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, a feat never before achieved in the storied history of the program.
 
"I'm looking forward to sharing once-in-a-lifetime experiences off the court with our student-athletes and staff," Valentine said. "Growing together, getting to know each other better and bonding as a program is something that this trip will allow us to do."