CHICAGO - Men's basketball continues with opening week play Thursday in Gentile Arena. The Ramblers play host to the West Georgia Wolves for a 7 p.m. tipoff.
FOLLOW ALONG
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RAMBLINGS
• The Ramblers opened the season with a 77-52 win over The Citadel. Four Ramblers finished in double-figures, including two double-doubles by
Jason Schofield and
Guillaume Grotzinger.
• It marked the first pair of double-doubles in a game since the 2022 MVC Championship. Schofield had 10 points and 12 rebounds. Nine boards were on the offensive glass. Grotzinger had 10 points and 11 assists.
•
Dayan Nessah dropped 19 in his Maroon & Gold debut. He flirted with a double-double, adding nine rebounds.
Chris Jeffrey wrapped up double-digit efforts with a career-high 14 points.
• Loyola went 1-1 in exhibition play with a 110-49 win over Calumet College and a 72-65 loss to DePaul. Six Ramblers scored double-figures vs. the Crimson Wave, while
Guillaume Grotzinger dropped 20 vs. the Blue Demons.
• Loyola returns just two letterwinners from last season's roster,
Xavier Amos and
Nic Anderson, while 14 newcomers join the squad for the 2026-27 season. The newcomers are made up by 12 transfers, one true freshman, and one international player.
• With just Amos and Anderson back from last year, Loyola returns only 15.7 percent of its scoring (348 of 2,204), 13.1 percent of its rebounding (148 of 1,126), 6.1 percent of its assists (29 of 460), 15.7 percent of its steals (21 of 134), 12.8 percent of its blocks (16 of 125), and 14.5 percent of its minutes (964 of 6,625).
•
Jayden Dawson is one of the 12 transfers on this year's squad. Dawson returned to campus in August for classes and was granted temporary edibility. He is practicing with the team pending the final rulings on his permanent eligibility. Dawson was a Rambler from 2022-25.
• Dawson had a breakout season as a junior in 2024-25, averaging a team-best 13.9 points on 41 percent from the field. He shot over 36 percent from three, making 86 total on the year. Dawson started in 32 games for the Ramblers, dropped at least 10 points 23 times, scored 20 points six times, and surpassed 30 points once. Dawson was an A10 Second Team selection that year.
• Loyola was tabbed 11th in the Atlantic 10 Preseason Poll in October. Loyola finished 4-14 in league play last year and battled through to the A10 Tournament second round before the season came to a close. VCU was selected as the preseason favorite with 11 first-place votes.
•
Drew Valentine enters his sixth season as head coach and 10th overall with the Ramblers. At the helm, he holds a 93-75 record.
SCOUTING WEST GEORGIA
• The Wolves dropped its season opener at DePaul earlier this week, 75-58. Justin Redmond led West Georgia with 13 points off the bench, while Juaquin Dixon scored 10.
• West Georgia went 15-17 last season with an 8-10 finish in ASUN play. This marks the first season the team will play in the United Athletic Conference. The Wolves were tabbed eighth in the preseason poll earlier this season.
• Chas Lewless was named to the Preseason All-UAC Team. Lewless started all nine games he appeared in last year, averaging 11.8 points, 2.9 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, and shot 84.2% from the free throw line.
• David Moore is in his ninth season as head coach with a 124-111 overall record.
SERIES HISTORY
This is the first meeting between Loyola and West Georgia.
