Transfer Portal Cleans Out Men’s and Women’s Basketball Rosters

Men’s and women’s basketball will enter their fifth season in the Atlantic 10 looking a lot different from when they came in, starting in the 2022-23 season. Nearly the entire roster for both teams entered the transfer portal, as head coach Drew Valentine looks to rebuild after a 9-24 season, and women’s basketball attempts to find a new footing after the departure of head coach Allison Guth. 

Ramblers Leaving

Men’s Basketball:

Brayden Young was the first Rambler to enter the portal March 23, according to VerbalCommits. The redshirt first-year center saw limited playing time throughout his time at Loyola, only playing in 12 games with a high of 10 minutes played against George Washington University Jan. 10. 

Young committed to Northeastern University April 11, according to a post on his Instagram. 

Kayde Dotson entered the transfer portal April 5, according to VerbalCommits. Dotson has two years of eligibility remaining, as the second-year guard looks to find his third home for his third season. 

Dotson transferred to Loyola during last season’s portal window and was sidelined for five games due to injury. He started in all but four games played. He scored a career-high 26 against Santa Clara and averaged 10.5 points per game. 

Daniil Glazkov, a second-year guard, entered the transfer portal April 6, after spending two years with the Ramblers. Glazkov spent the majority of his time as a bench player, playing in 59 total games and only starting in two. He averages two points per game across both seasons at Loyola. 

The biggest shock for Rambler fans came April 7, when third-year center Miles Rubin entered the portal, confirmed by VerbalCommits. Rubin has spent his entire collegiate career at Loyola, becoming the all-time blocks leader at 237 total.

Rubin led the Ramblers this past season, averaging 11.3 points per game, and started in all 33 games. Throughout his time at Loyola, Rubin scored 930 points across 103 games. 

Rubin committed to the University of Tennessee April 12, announced on his personal Instagram and the Volunteers’ Instagram accounts. 

Third-year guard and walk-on Sam Yurasek entered the transfer portal April 7. He’s only played in seven games in three seasons with the Ramblers, and has never scored a collegiate point. 

Deywilk Tavarez entered the transfer portal April 8, according to VerbalCommits. The third-year guard has one more year of eligibility. Tavarez scored his career-high 17 points against Chicago State University Dec. 14, racking up 295 throughout his time as a Rambler. 

Tavarez transferred to Loyola from the College of Charleston during the transfer window last season. He maintained a clean bill of health, playing in all 33 games this season and started in 17. Overall, he shot 34.3% from the field and averaged 8.9 points per game. 

Justin Moore entered the portal April 8, after a two-year stint with the Ramblers was plagued with injuries. In his 31 games across two seasons, Moore started in all games he played, averaging 10 points per game. 

Moore isn’t a stranger to the transfer portal. After a year at Drexel University, Moore entered the portal and transferred to Loyola to start his second year. He has one more year of eligibility left. 

Chuck Love III also entered the portal April 8, after dealing with an injury which put him out for conference play this season. The first-year guard averaged 7.2 points per game, with a majority of those points coming from 3-pointer attempts. 

Dominick Harris entered the portal April 9, looking to find his fifth school in six years. The graduate guard barely played this season and, according to sources, is seeking a medical redshirt for this season. 

In his seven games with the Ramblers, Harris only scored 10 points across 44 minutes played. 

Women’s Basketball:

Daniella Matus was the first Rambler to enter the transfer portal, announcing she would enter the transfer portal in a since-deleted X post, March 29. The first-year guard struggled to find her footing in 19 games for Loyola, averaging 1.1 points, 0.4 rebounds and 0.1 assists while shooting 15.6% from the floor. 

Matus was the first Rambler to commit elsewhere, announcing in a post on X April 8 she would be transferring to the University of Delaware.

Alexa Kinas also announced her intentions to enter the transfer portal in an Instagram post March 29. The second-year guard was strong for Loyola this season, leading the team in steals at 2.4 per game, while being second on the team in free throw percentage at 77.9% and three point percentage at 32.7%. She boasted the third highest team field goal percentage at 42.3%. 

After two years at Loyola, Kinas hasn’t yet declared a new school as of the posting of this article.

Update: Kinas announced on her Instagram account April 15 that she committed to play at the University of Tulsa.

Nevaeh Dickman was the first Rambler to enter the transfer portal following the resignation of Guth in an Instagram post April 2, where she cited “the recent change in coaching staff” as part of her reason for entering. 

The first-year forward entered the portal after one season with the Ramblers, where she appeared in 28 games, averaging 1.1 points, 0.5 rebounds and 0.3 assists on 31.4% shooting. Dickman announced she was committing to Eastern Illinois University in an Instagram post April 14.

Women’s basketball’s biggest loss is undoubtedly first-year guard and forward Alex-Anne Bessette. Bessette shone for the Ramblers this season, earning Atlantic 10 Third Team and All-Rookie Team honors before announcing her intention to enter the transfer portal in an Instagram post April 4.

The Québec City native enters the portal with three years of eligibility after finishing second on the team with 11.3 points and fourth with 3.4 rebounds per game while shooting 42.8% from the field. 

Roisin Grandberry entered the transfer portal April 5 with an Instagram post, announcing her move, like Dickman’s, was due to the resignation of Guth. Grandberry, a second-year forward, was a rebounding specialist for Loyola, being the team’s tallest member at 6’4”, averaging 1.2 points and 1.6 rebounds in 6.9 minutes per game over 29 appearances. 

Grandberry announced the potential of returning to Loyola despite entering the portal.

Yasmyn Palmer announced her intentions to enter the transfer portal with an Instagram post. April 6. The second-year forward only appeared in six games this season, recording a single rebound in seven total minutes.

Coaching Changes

Loyola women’s basketball announced the hiring of new head coach Morgan Paige April 12. Paige brings a strong pedigree of winning, posting five straight winning seasons at the University of Kansas as their associate head coach. 

A “meet the coach” event will be held in the Alfie Norville Practice Facility April 17 at 1 p.m..

Men’s basketball announced two new assistant coaches to the roster, in Will Bailey and Christian Webster. Bailey returns to Loyola after helping the team to a regular season championship during the 2023-24 season. Webster makes Loyola his fifth stop in his coaching career, after previous assistant coaching stints at Stetson University, Virginia Tech University, the University of Central Florida and Harvard University.

After the worst season in his coaching history, Loyola Athletics confirmed Valentine “isn’t going anywhere” as the next season approaches. 

Newcomers

Due to the new coaching hire, women’s basketball has yet to pick up any new players in the portal. Men’s basketball picked up three commits in Jason Schofield, Dayan Nessah, Eddie Ricks III and Dayton Williams. 

Schofield previously played at Marist University for three seasons, redshirting for the first season. In his two playing seasons with the Red Foxes, Schofield played in 54 games, averaging 6.7 points per game. 

Nessah is a familiar foe for the Ramblers, attending Cleveland State University most recently, after a year stint at Atlantic 10 conference school George Washington University. This season against the Ramblers, Nessah dropped 25 points for the Vikings in the Nov. 3 matchup. 

Ricks III committed to Loyola after two seasons at James Madison University and a single season at Morehead State University. With the Dukes, Ricks III averaged 7.1 points this past season, starting in 46 of 62 games played. 

Dayton Williams committed to Loyola after a stint at junior college Vincennes University. Williams started in all games played, averaging 11 points per game. 

This is a developing article. Additions will be made as more information becomes available.