Loyola Opens Up 2018-2019 Basketball Season With a Win

What a memorable Final Four run we had that captured the nation’s attention a few months ago. Now, Loyola is back at it again with its 2018-2019 season!

The Ramblers opened up with a home game at Gentile Arena against UMKC on Tuesday night! Loyola commemorated the Final Four Season to make the opening game as special as the sentiments were during the heat last semester! Loyola raised its Final Four banner, which joined the team’s 1963 national championship banner and others in the stadium rafters.

“The pregame banner for me was emotional,” Townes said. “Just seeing that banner go up and thinking about last year and what we’ve done to get that banner raised in this arena with all these fans here, the community of Chicago, it meant a lot. I almost started tearing up a little. Me and [Custer] were talking about we wanted to tear up.”

Loyola came off of a 32-6 season that saw them win the Missouri Valley Conference by four games before taking the country by storm with a memorable run in March.

Ramblers Donte Ingram and guard Ben Richardson will not be in season but much of the team’s core is back for another potential run.

Reigning MVC Conference Player of the Year Clayton Custer is back at point guard for Loyola and the senior is flanked by returning double-figure scorers like senior guard Marques Townes and sophomore center Cameron Krutwig. Loyola is also expecting some role players from last season to make a leap, as expectations are high for sophomore Lucas Williamson entering the season.

Sister Jean Dolores Schmidt, Loyola’s 99-year-old team chaplain who became an international celebrity during the team’s NCAA tournament run, attended the game and delivered a short speech and the pregame prayer, asking God “to remind the referees to call plays as they see them.”She told the crowd, “We all want the same thing tonight, so go Ramblers!”

Fortunately, Loyola took the win! With a lead of 76 to 45 against UMKC! 

“It’s who we are,” Moser said. “You have this shared vision of what you are. The guys believe that together we can be higher than we are individually. When you’re together defensively, when you’re together offensively, you can go a lot higher than you can individually. It’s at the core of our culture.”