Loyola’s Clayton Custer wins MVC Player of the Year, four other Ramblers pick up awards
By Patrick Engel Medill Reports Clayton Custer sat in Loyola’s training room before Tuesday afternoon’s practice, confused by teammate Nick DiNardi’s unprompted congratulations. “I said, ‘Congrats on what?’” Custer recalled. DiNardi explained. Custer had just been named the Larry Bird Missouri Valley Conference Player of the Year. He’s the first Loyola player to win it […]
Tobias Harris’ day of service brings fun moments for him and his father
By Patrick Engel Medill Reports COMPTON, Calif. – Torrel Harris hopped into a Mercedes van Friday morning, unsure of its exact destination. He knew he and his son, Los Angeles Clippers forward Tobias Harris, were going to a Compton school as part of Friday’s NBA Cares day of service. He had no idea which one. […]
Larry Nance Jr. sees a bright future for his Northwestern-bound brother
By Patrick Engel Medill Reports LOS ANGELES – Larry Nance Jr.’s life is pretty good these days. He plays alongside LeBron James for his home state’s NBA team. He moved from a team out of the playoff picture to one that, with the addition of him and a few others, looks like title contenders once […]
Inside the sights, sounds and people of the Fake All-Star Saturday Night
By: Patrick Engel Medill Reports LOS ANGELES – There’s no need to wait until Saturday night. Here are the final dramatic moments of the NBA All-Star Verizon Slam Dunk contest. “It all comes down to this,” the emcee bellows. “Let’s see what Victor Oladipo has in store. He can make or break it right now.” […]
Loyola’s roller coaster displayed in loss to Valpo
By Patrick Engel Medill Reports Kate Achter came to her postgame media session armed with precise assurance of what had just happened. “To me, what it looked like, is that we got complacent,” Loyola’s coach said, incredulous. “We thought it was going to be a 10-point win, and we were just ready to take it […]
Ellie Rice’s bold request seems like a smart one
By Patrick Engel Medill Reports Four games into her college career, Ellie Rice approached her coach with an extraordinary request. She asked to be removed from Loyola’s starting lineup and come off the bench instead. No, she wasn’t losing her mental faculties. The freshman had, after all, turned down Dartmouth in favor of Loyola, becoming […]
Clayton Custer sparks Loyola again, leaving another reminder of his importance
By Patrick Engel Medill Reports At some point, someone was going to make a shot. Loyola and Northern Iowa traded misses and turnovers for the opening nine minutes, giving the 2,658 fans in Gentile Arena the feeling that scoring 50 would bring a win. The teams combined for 11 points in the opening 9:06, with […]
Loyola impresses, showing a glimpse of what could be, in win over Evansville
By Patrick Engel Medill Reports Kate Achter is known for her quick arrivals to postgame press conferences. On occasion, she’ll even beat a reporter to the media room. Sunday, though, she arrived in the Norville Center adjacent to Gentile Arena a couple minutes later than usual. Still digesting her team’s most complete performance of the […]
Loyola impresses with near-comeback vs. Indiana State, but rough first half looms large
Patrick Engel Medill Reports Gentile Arena has potent loudspeakers for the Missouri Valley Conference’s smallest gym. They aren’t, however, enough to drown out an exasperated coach. As Loyola’s cheer squad did its best to distract the paid attendance of 307 fans, Ramblers coach Kate Achter’s voice permeated their chants and the speakers’ music. Surrounded by […]
