Former Drake University guard C.J. Rivers enters his second season as video coordinator at Loyola University Chicago in 2022-23. The East St. Louis, Ill., native spent the previous two seasons as a graduate assistant at Colorado State University, where he helped the Rams to back-to-back 20-win seasons and a National Invitation Tournament berth in 2020-21.
“C.J. has done a tremendous job at making the transition from player to coach and I’m really excited about adding his energy to our staff,” Loyola head coach Drew Valentine said. “He will be a terrific resource for our players and staff and I’m happy to have him two feet in.”
In his first season at Loyola, the Ramblers posted a 25-8 overall record and won a second consecutive Missouri Valley Conference Championship title, while making a second straight trip to the NCAA Tournament. Loyola earned a Top 25 ranking in the Associated Press Poll in mid-January and five Ramblers were honored with MVC accolades, led by First Team All-MVC and MVC Defensive Player of the Year selection Lucas Williamson.
Rivers played at Drake from 2014-18 and was a MVC Scholar-Athlete selection during his collegiate career. He appeared in 111 games during his career with the Bulldogs and averaged 4.1 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. During his prep career at Cahokia High School, he led his team to the Class 3A Super Sectional during his senior season, taking home Class 3A honorable mention all-state honors one year after leading his squad to the state championships and a 33-4 record as a junior.
Rivers graduated from Drake in 2018 with a degree in broadcast news journalism.
