After putting in a summer's worth of preparation and going through fall workouts and conditioning, the Loyola University Chicago men's basketball team will officially begin preseason practice Monday afternoon (Oct 2). Seventh-year head coach Porter Moser welcomes back three starters as well as the 2016-17 Missouri Valley Conference Sixth Man of the Year, but the team will have to replace the production of do-everything guard Milton Doyle (15.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg, 4.4 apg, 1.7 spg), who secured First Team All-MVC praise a year ago.
 
Last season, Loyola took a giant step forward, finishing fifth in the MVC standings, winning 18 games overall and picking up decisions over Washington State and San Diego State, among others. The Ramblers got off to a sizzling 10-2 start and earned their first Associated Press Top 25 votes since 1985.
 
"I'm excited because of the time and effort these guys have put in this summer," Moser said "We are a very connected and close group. There's something about the official start of practice that gets the guys fired up because you're creeping toward the opening of the season. We've got a lot of work to do and have got to get better in a lot of areas in these next five to six weeks as everyone else in the country does, but I couldn't like going to practice more with this group. I haven't had to coach effort and enthusiasm because the seniors have been really good at having everyone ready to go every day."
 
Moser will call on a veteran cast headed by seniors Donte Ingram, Aundre Jackson, Ben Richardson and redshirt junior Clayton Custer. All but Jackson started each game in which they appeared in 2016-17, with Jackson earning MVC Sixth Man of the Year accolades.
 
Ingram, who has steadily improved each season, made a big jump from his sophomore year to his junior year, increasing his scoring average from 7.4 to 13.6 points per game, while adding 6.8 rebounds per contest and leading The Valley in three-point field goal percentage (.458) en route to Third Team All-MVC and MVC Most Improved Team recognition. A year ago, he was one of four players to rank in the top 10 in The Valley in both scoring and rebounding.
 
Meanwhile, Jackson ranked among the national leaders and set a Loyola single-season record by connecting on 66.9 percent (178-for-266) of his field goal attempts in 2016-17. The 6-foot-5 forward contributed 14.1 ppg and 4.2 rpg and earned MVC All-Newcomer Team accolades in addition to Sixth Man of the Year honors. His play this offseason has been singled out by Moser, who feels the senior is poised for a big year.
 
Richardson's numbers weren't as impressive as Ingram's or Jackson's but his value to the team is immeasurable. The 6-foot-3 defensive stalwart brings all the intangibles and is one of the top perimeter defenders in the conference. Last season he emerged as of the top marksmen in the league ranking seventh in three-point field goal percentage (.423), while pitching in 8.3 ppg, 2.9 rpg, 2.9 apg and 1.3 spg.
 
His high school teammate, Custer, made an immediate impact in his first season of eligibility at Loyola, starting all 32 games and putting up 11.6 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 3.0 apg and 1.0 spg. The 6-foot-1 transfer from Iowa State connected on 46.4 percent of his field goal attempts, including 42 percent from beyond the arc, and this year should run the point more frequently.
 
A pair of sophomores, Cameron Satterwhite and Bruno Skokna also gained valuable experience as freshmen and are expected to be key contributors in 2017-18. An incredible athlete, Satterwhite, who missed his senior season of high school basketball due to a knee injury, was a valuable weapon off the bench last year, especially down the stretch. Skokna showed flashes of brilliance last season and was one of five Ramblers to appear in all 32 contests.
 
Moser welcomes in a highly touted freshman class that features three of the top players from the Chicagoland area – center Cameron Krutwig (Jacobs), forward Christian Negron (Elgin Larkin) and guard Lucas Williamson (White Young). In addition, transfers Marques Townes, Adarius Avery and Carson Shanks are eligible this season, while fellow transfer Aher Uguak must sit out 2017-18 after transferring from New Mexico.
 
Townes was focal point of the offense at Fairleigh Dickinson in 2015-16 when he helped the Knights to the NCAA Tournament by averaging 11.5 ppg, 3.9 rpg and 2.7 apg. Avery made a name for himself last season at Connors State Community College as one of the most prolific scorers in the nation with 24.1 ppg, while Shanks, Loyola's first 7-footer, was a vital cog on a North Dakota team that also reached the NCAA Tournament.
 
Loyola, which is looking for its first-ever MVC title, will open the 2017-18 season on November 10 when it hosts Wright State.