by Patrick Stevens
 
Loyola Chicago can’t help but to be a little different this season. Drew Valentine still hopes that was his program typically does well will remain a strength.
 
After a disappointing 9-24 season that left the Ramblers at the bottom of the Atlantic 10, Valentine oversaw a massive roster overhaul. Even by the standards of college basketball in 2026, Loyola Chicago has a new look.
 
“It was kind of a different offseason for us with the sheer amount of new players that we have,” Valentine said. “We have 12 new guys and we’ve obviously been a place that has done a great job with retention and having guys coming back that mean a lot to the program.”
 
The Ramblers grew accustomed to deploying an elite rim protector the last three seasons in Miles Rubin, and his decision to transfer to Tennessee realistically means Loyola Chicago isn’t going to block nearly as many shots.
 
Yet that doesn’t mean Valentine expects a defensive regression. Far from it. He spent a chunk of the offseason studying teams that got by without much shot swatting like Nebraska, and he’s aiming for the Ramblers to provide plenty of help for one another while shrinking the floor.
 
It’s a message that was clearly delineated to the transfer crop recruited to fill up this season’s roster.
 
“He hangs his hat on that a lot and has his entire career,” fifth-year guard Ryan Agarwal said. “Being recruited and even in the portal, that was made very prominent that was the identity of the team and that was not going to change no matter who you are. I think we’ve done a good job of buying into that and adjusting to that system.”
 
The plethora of new faces suggests the Ramblers’ defense won’t be completely polished by the Nov. 2 season opener against The Citadel. Valentine stresses he’s still evolving and growing as a coach, and is open-minded and flexible enough to seek out an optimal defensive strategy rather than unilaterally impose a single system he believes in.
 
That, along with some fresh faces, should help revive a program that finished below .500 for only the second time in a decade last season.
 
“The group has been fantastic,” Valentine said. “They really fit the identity in so many different ways, but most importantly as people. That’s led into a lot of great play, a lot of selfless play on both sides of the ball. I cannot wait for people keep getting an opportunity to watch our team because I think they’re going to be pleasantly surprised with just how good we are.”
 
A LOOK AT THE RAMBLERS:
Coach: Drew Valentine, sixth season at Loyola Chicago, 92-75 with the Ramblers and overall.
 
Last year: The injury-riddled Ramblers never won more than two in a row, but they did save one of their best stretches for the end of the year. Loyola picked off Richmond and George Washington at home the last two weekends of the regular season to finish 4-14 in the Atlantic 10, then upended Richmond again in the league tournament. The Ramblers’ 9-24 season ended with a second round loss to Davidson in the conference tournament.
 
They’ll miss: Miles Rubin, a two-time all-defensive pick in the Atlantic 10 who blocked 237 shots over the last three seasons. Rubin led the Ramblers in scoring (11.3) and rebounding (7.3) averages last season, as well as blocks (76) and steals (22). As much as anything, his departure ensures Loyola will be different, especially on the defensive end.
 
Impact returners: The Ramblers only have two guys back from last season. Forward Xavier Amos, a 6-foot-8 fifth-year player, averaged 11.1 points and 4.3 rebounds while starting 18 of the 19 games he got into. Guard Nic Anderson collected 5.1 points and 2.4 rebounds a game in his first college season, starting five games. Those all came during A-10 play, when Anderson bumped his averages up to 7.0 points and 2.9 rebounds.
 
Newcomers of note: Everyone else is new (though 2024-25 A10 second-team pick Jayden Dawson is back and waiting on a ruling over his eligibility for a fifth season after spending last year at Kansas), so there are plenty of choices.
 
Looking for guys with power conference experience? There’s guards Donald Hand Jr. (Boston College) and Agarwal (Stanford), forward Elias Rapieque (Kansas State) and center Malick Diallo (TCU).
 
Seeking familiarity with the A10? Dayan Nessah (15.4 ppg, 6.4 rpg at Cleveland State) began his career at George Washington.
 
And as for an obviously impactful player? Guillaume Grotzinger, who averaged 14.5 points and 4.0 assists in France’s Elite 2 pro league, figures to get plenty of work at point guard in his lone college season.
 
Reasons to be optimistic: It is hard to miss the size Loyola Chicago will bring to bear, especially in the backcourt. Villanova transfer Chris Jeffrey is 6-3 and 210 pounds. Hand is a 6-5, 210-pound wing. Agarwal is imposing at 6-6 and 205 pounds, and Nessah is even moreso at 6-8 and 220 pounds.
 
It’s not an accidental trait.
 
“You can see the bulk, the size, the physicality that we have,” Valentine said. “When our teams have been really good, that’s what they’ve looked like. My first year when I was a head coach, whether it’s Lucas Williamson or Aher Uguak, all those guys were big and had great size. And even our year here three years ago now when we won a share of the regular season championship, the pure size and physicality we had. I wanted to get back to that for sure.”
 
X factor: A whopping 13 Ramblers started multiple games last season, and somehow 12 of them averaged double-figures in minutes.
 
Chalk both of those figures up to a spate of injuries that left Valentine plugging rotation holes throughout the winter. He’s determined to avoid a rerun by not even bothering with 5-on-5 play until mid-September practices and keeping tabs on accumulated loads thanks to Kinexon’s player tracking technology.
 
“Just doing a full evaluation of that and making a lot of strategic changes,” Valentine said. “Even this year with our preseason practices, giving these guys kind of like a football-type of summary.”
 
Circle the date: The Ramblers will have a pair of good barometers for how their roster overhaul is faring in a five-day span in November. Loyola visits Colorado State on Nov. 14, then welcomes former Missouri Valley rival Wichita State to Gentile Arena on Nov. 18.
 
Bottom line: There’s no escaping how little fun last season was, but the Ramblers project as one of the Atlantic 10’s best bounceback candidates. Some high-end talent, experience and a commitment to defense help, and it’s best to keep in mind the last time Loyola Chicago came off a substandard season, they constructed an older roster and surged to a share of the league’s regular season title in 2023-24. Perhaps history repeats itself in the Windy City.