Several Players Transferring from Loyola Men’s Basketball
After making it to the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, the Loyola men’s basketball team could look quite different next year after several key members have left the team. Five Ramblers have announced they’re transferring at the time of publication.
Sophomore guard Paxson Wojcik, first-year guard Baylor Hebb, redshirt sophomore guard Cooper Kaifes, junior forward Franklin Agunanne and junior guard Sami Ismail all announced they would be leaving the Ramblers.
Wojcik tweeted April 27 he’s committed to Brown University.
After playing in 30 of Loyola’s 32 games in his first season, Wojcik saw his playing time decrease during his second year. Seeing action in just 15 contests this past season, Wojcik’s average minutes per game fell from 10.9 to 6.2 minutes per contest. Wojcik scored 2.0 points per game in his first year and 2.5 points per contest this season.
Hebb announced via Twitter April 26 he’s transferring to Colorado State University.
Hebb saw action in 19 of Loyola’s 31 games this season, averaging 3.7 points and 8.6 minutes per contest. However, the Colleyville, Texas native’s minutes decreased as the season progressed. Hebb played in just two of the Ramblers’ final 10 games, logging a combined seven minutes in those two outings.
Kaifes announced via Twitter he’s transferring to Samford University.
Kaifes quickly became a fan-favorite during his first year at Loyola due to his outside shooting — knocking down 46.5 percent of his three-point attempts that season while being named to the Missouri Valley Conference (MVC) All-Freshman Team. However, Kaifes missed an entire year after suffering a torn labrum in his hip.
Returning for his redshirt sophomore season, Kaifes’ minutes and points per game both fell compared to his first year in maroon and gold. After scoring 5.7 points in 21.9 minutes per contest in 2018-19, Kaifes scored 2.0 points in 8.5 minutes per game this past season.
Agunanne had originally committed to Abilene Christian University but opened up his recruiting again, according to a tweet from Verbal Commits April 19.
After two years as a reserve big man, Agunanne didn’t play this past season after battling injuries to start the year. Over his time with the Ramblers, he averaged 2.0 points in 6.8 minutes per game.
Based on the list of transfers on Verbal Commits, Ismail has declared his intention to transfer. Ismail scored five total points in six career games over two seasons with the Ramblers. It’s unclear where Ismail intends to transfer to.
In addition to the players transferring, former head coach Porter Moser bolted for the University of Oklahoma and took a pair of assistant coaches with him. Former assistant coach Matt Gordon and Director of Player Development Clayton Custer are also on Moser’s staff.
