CHICAGO (May 12, 2023) – Loyola Chicago head men's basketball coach
Drew Valentine announced the addition of four players to the Ramblers' 2023 class with the signing of transfers Dame Adelekun, Greg Dolan, Patrick Mwamba and Des Watson. The four will join incoming freshman Miles Rubin as newcomers to Rogers Park beginning next season.
The quartet of Adelekun, Dolan, Mwamba and Watson give Loyola the 20
th ranked transfer class in the country according to Evan Miya CBB Analytics and top transfer class in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
Dame Adelekun | F | 6-8 | 230 | Grad.
Gastonia, N.C. (Gaston Day School/Dartmouth)
Coach Valentine on Adelekun: "Dame is a BALLER.
Chris Knight was a championship-level guy for us and Dame boasts a similar skill set and ability to impact the game on both sides of the floor. He has a variety of moves on the block that allowed him to be one of the best post players in the Ivy League, including a 40-point game this season. Dame is a high character and high IQ guy that is passionate about his craft and I cannot wait to get to work with him."
Prior to Loyola: Named Second Team All-Ivy League last season for Dartmouth after averaging a team-leading 13.8 points and 7.2 rebounds per game … Led the Ivy League and ranked 25
th nationally with 1.96 blocks per game while his 56.3% field goal percentage was 39
th-best in the country … As a senior in 2022-23, scored a career-high 41 points against Columbia, finishing 14-of-18 from the field and 13-of-19 from the free throw line while adding 10 rebounds for a double-double … Had 18 games with 10 or more points (4 with 20+ points) and five games with double figure rebounds, including a career high 15 against Incarnate Word … Started in all 27 games he appeared in this past season.
Greg Dolan | G | 6-4 | 190 | Grad.
Williamsville, N.Y. (Northfield Mount Hermon School/Cornell)
Coach Valentine on Dolan: "Greg is a seasoned vet. He's physically and mentally ready to compete for championships. He's a versatile guard that has a high level of skill with his shooting and IQ. Greg brings a high level of competitiveness and leadership that will be a great addition for our group. He comes from a great basketball family and has been extremely well coached in college."
Prior to Loyola: Named Second Team All-Ivy League last season for Cornell in addition to being an NABC Second Team All-Region pick … Led the team in scoring (13.3 ppg.) and assists (3.5 apg) while ranking second in steals (1.6 spg) and third in rebounds (3.6 rpg) … Ranked second in the Ivy League in assists and 3-point percentage (.425), third in steals and ninth in scoring ... His 2.53 assist/turnover ratio ranked 38th nationally … Posted 20 double figure scoring games, including a career-best 29 points at Penn and 25 in a win at Patriot League champion Colgate ... named Ivy League Player of the Week on Dec. 26 after averaging 20.5 points, 3.5 rebounds, 4.5 assists and 1.0 steals while shooting.635 from the floor, .667 from 3-point range and 1.000 from the free-throw line in wins over the Lehigh and Colgate.
Patrick Mwamba | F | 6-7 | 210 | Grad
Kinshasa, Congo (NBA Academy Africa/Oral Roberts)
Coach Valentine on Mwamba: "We're really excited to coach Patrick! Every person that has had the chance to work with him raves about his character, work ethic, toughness and competitiveness. Watching his film, his style of play reminded us so much of
Aher Uguak, and we love his versatility and athleticism on both sides of the ball. He brings us another veteran presence that brings a championship pedigree and NCAA Tournament experience. Patrick is an unbelievable FIT and brings exactly what our team needs."
Prior to Loyola: Spent one season on the NCAA Tournament qualifying Oral Roberts squad where he averaged 7.9 points and 5.4 rebounds off the bench … Scored 10 or more points in 12 games this past season, with 11 of those performances coming from the bench … Dropped a season-high 20 points against North Dakota State, finishing 7-for-14 from the field and 4-for-10 from 3-point range in the win over the Bison … Came off the bench to record three games with 10 or more rebounds … Prior to joining Oral Roberts, Mwamba appeared in 83 career games at UT Arlington, averaging a career-best 9.9 points during his final season with the Mavs (2021-22).
Des Watson | G | 6-5 | 210 | Junior
Columbus, Ohio (St. Francis DeSales/Davidson)
Coach Valentine on Watson: "Des is the ultimate competitor. We had the chance to prepare and play against him this season and his speed and toughness popped through the screen on tape. He's got great size for a guard and just has a knack to score baskets both on and off the ball. He has played in the NCAA Tournament and is all about doing whatever it takes for his team to be successful on both sides of the floor. Des comes from a great family and we couldn't be more excited for them all to join our Rambler Family!"
Prior to Loyola: Spent his first two seasons at Davidson where he appeared in 66 career games, while starting the final 18 contests last year as a sophomore … Ranked tied for third on the team in scoring, averaging 9.4 points on 40.9% shooting from the field … Scored 10 or more points on 17 occasions a season ago, including a career-high 19 at Dayton where he finished 8-of-14 from the field … Hauled in a career-high 11 rebounds, his first career game with 10 or more boards, at Fordham … Added 15 points in the contest against the Rams for his first collegiate double-double … Raised his scoring average to 9.9 points per game during A-10 play while finishing third on the team in rebounding with 4.1 rebounds per contest during league play.
