Quick Hits About The Hounds
- Loyola University Maryland men's basketball returns to Reitz Arena for a 5 o'clock game against Coppin State University on Saturday, December 3.
- The game will be streamed live on ESPN+.
- Loyola is in the midst of a stretch of six out of seven games on the road.
- The Greyhounds return 13 players from a year ago, including three fifth-year players who are pursuing their graduate degrees at Loyola: Jaylin Andrews, Kenneth Jones and Markese Redding.
- Andrews and Jones are the team's top two returning scorers after posting 13.9 and 8.7 points per game, respectively, last season.
- Jones led the Patriot League in assists (139) and assists per game (4.6), while Andrews was ninth in the conference in points per game. The duo ranked third and fourth in the Patriot League in steals per game, averaging 1.6 and 1.5.
- Jones finished the year ranked No. 58 in NCAA Division I in assists per game, while the Greyhounds were 51st as a team, averaging 15.0.
- Tavaras Hardy is in his fifth season on the Loyola sidelines after he was named the 21st head coach in Loyola men's basketball history on March 28, 2018.
Watch The Action
- Saturday's game, and all non-televised Loyola home contests, will stream live on ESPN+.
Series History Versus Coppin State
- Saturday's game will be the 11th meeting between Loyola and Coppin State in a series that dates to December 1972. The Eagles hold a 6-4 advantage in the previous 10 meetings.
- Loyola won the first meeting in 1972 before Coppin State took the next four contests. Loyola won three of four between 2008 and 2012, but the Eagles won last year's contest, 71-49, on their home court.
Last Time Out
- Three different Loyola players made 3-pointers in the final 3:20 on Wednesday night, as the Greyhounds closed the game on a 16-4 run to beat host Binghamton, 84-70, in non-conference play.
- Loyola came out of the game's final under-four timeout leading by two, 68-66, but Isaiah Alexander started the parade of threes on the Greyhounds' next possession. A minute later, Kenneth Jones was the next to sink a three, connecting with 2:14 on the clock to stretch the lead to 74-66; the eight-point gap was the biggest margin for either team to that point, and it forced the Bearcats to call a timeout.
- After a Binghamton turnover, Chris Kuzemka knocked down his fifth three of the night, and he then scored in the paint with 81 ticks left, negating two Binghamton free throws on its last possession.
- Jaylin Andrews made two at the free-throw line, and Alonso Faure capped the win with a traditional 3-point play 24 seconds before the final buzzer.
- Andrews led all players with 19 points, 11 coming on a jumper and three 3-pointers during a four-plus minute stretch in the second half. His first basket was a jumper from the free-throw line against Binghamton's zone with 10:03 on the clock, cutting the Bearcats' lead to one, 56-55. He put Loyola in front with a three on its next possession, and after the Bearcats momentarily tied the score at 58-58, he hit another three at 8:12.
- His final three came at 6:44 and staked the Greyhounds to a 66-62 advantage. Andrews moved into 32nd place all-time at Loyola in career points, becoming the 34th Greyhounds player to top 1,100 points.
- Kuzemka had a career-high scoring night for the second game in a row, scoring 18 off the bench with the benefit of five 3-pointers. Faure made 7 of 10 shots and was a point off his career-best with 17 points. He also had a game-high seven rebounds. Jones connected on 6 of 10 shots and scored 13, and he posted his first collegiate double-double with a career-high 10 assists. He is the 29th player in school history to dish out 10 assists or more in a game.
Sharing The Scoring
- Through eight games, five different players have led, or shared for the team-lead, in scoring this season. Nine Greyhounds have logged games with 10-plus points, as well.
- Three of the players who have led the team in scoring this year – David Brown III, Alonso Faure and Chris Kuzemka – had not led the team in scoring prior to this season, and only Faure (three times) had a game with 10 or more points.
Tale Of The Turnover Margin
- Loyola's wins and losses can be seen statistically in the turnover margin this season. In four wins, Loyola is +5.0 in the turnover margin, averaging 13.0 (52 total) to its opponents' 18.0 (72). Conversely, in Loyola's four losses, the Greyhounds are -4.0 in turnovers with 18.0 (72) to opponents' 14.0 (56).
Ten Dimes
- Kenneth Jones dished out 10 assists for the first time in his career on November 30 at Binghamton, posting his first double-double in the process (13 points).
- Jones had nine assists in a pair of games last season while leading the Patriot League in helpers. His 10 this year are the most by a player in the conference. He is one of 29 players in Loyola history with 10 or more assists in a game.
Faure Rounding Into Form
- Alonso Faure did not play in the Greyhounds' preseason scrimmage or exhibition due to an injury, and he played just nine minutes in the opener against DePaul before a hand injury forced him out for the second half and the following game at Penn State.
- He has come back strong, however, averaging 13.8 points in the Greyhounds' last five games.
- The native of Alicante, Spain, scored eight in 19 minutes versus Brown and then had a career-best 18 points – making 8 of 11 shots – and three steals in 20 minutes versus Washington College.
- He then saw 26 minutes of action against Clemson and went 6 of 9 from the field to score a game-high 15 points while leading Loyola with six rebounds. In the first game of the Emerald Coast Classic in Florida, Faure went 5 of 7 from the field and scored 10 to go with seven rebounds.
- He continued to convert from the field, making 7 of 10 for 17 points and a team-high seven rebounds at Binghamton.
- Faure is shooting a team-best 61.5 percent from the field in his first seven games this year, making 32 of 52 shots. His field-goal percentage this season ranks third in the Patriot League. Entering this year, he was shooting 50.7 percent in his career after putting up nearly identical numbers of 34 of 67 (.5074) in 2020-2021 and 35 of 69 (.5072) last year.
Big Game For Brown
- David Brown III had the best game of his collegiate career on November 25 against Southern, logging career-highs of 22 points and seven rebounds in 34 minutes. He made 8 of 10 shots, 3 of 4 from 3-point range in the game.
- Brown not only eclipsed his previous highs of eight points (Army West Point, January 2022) and four rebounds (three times), he scored more than he did in his first five games of the year (16 points). In 33 career games before Friday, Brown had scored 75 points (2.3 points per game).
- Brown came back with nine points, four rebounds and three blocked shots – including one on a potential game-winner at the buzzer – the following day against Louisiana Monroe. He earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Emerald Coast Classic following the games.
First-Year Starters
- Deon Perry and Isaiah Alexander have both come into the lineup this season and seen considerable minutes with Perry starting all six games and Alexander opening each of the last three.
- Alexander is fourth on the team with 7.3 points per game, and he leads the Greyhounds with 4.9 rebounds. Perry, meanwhile is sixth with 6.8 assists, and his 20 total assists are second.
Putting Up Numbers
- Kenneth Jones opened his fifth season with the Greyhounds in impressive fashion, tying his collegiate high with 20 points in the opener at DePaul. He made 4 of 7 from 3-point range and 8 of 13 from the field.
- The total matched his previous high of 20 points set on February 23, 2022, at the U.S. Naval Academy where he made 7 of 10 shots and 4 of 5 from behind the arc.
- Jaylin Andrews then had the second game with 20 or more points this year for Loyola, tallying 23 in the second contest at Penn State. He went 9 of 16 from the field and logged his 10th career game with 20 or more points.
- Andrews and Jones tied for team- and game-high honors in Loyola's third game, scoring 18 points each.
- Both players were in double figures at Binghamton as Andrews had a game-high 19, and Jones added 13.
Taking Advantage Of Time
- Chris Kuzemka missed two-thirds of his freshman season with an ankle injury suffered during the preseason, but he came back to average 7.8 minutes in 11 outings late in the year.
- He opened the season with seven points and four rebounds at DePaul and has continued to contribute significantly since. Kuzemka followed that with six points and four boards at Penn State. Against Washington College, he had four assists and three steals.
- In the finale of the Emerald Coast Classic, Kuzemka made 4 of 7 from 3-point range and scored 12 points to go with three assists in 27 minutes during the win.
- Then, for the second game in a row, Kuzemka had a career-high night in the points column, making 6 of 7 shots, 5 of 6 from 3-point range, finishing with 18 points.
- In eight games this year, Kuzemka has averaged 6.9 points per game and has a 3.3:1 assist:turnover ratio.
Chart Climbers
- Jaylin Andrews and Kenneth Jones both took advantage of their fifth years of eligibility, and they are continuing to climb the Loyola career-record charts.
- Andrews is now 32nd in points (1,115), tied for 12th in 3-pointers made (118) and ninth in steals (147).
- Jones is eighth in 3-pointers made (154), 12th in assists (327) and tied for 15th in steals (119).
Business Suits Required
- Three Greyhounds – Jaylin Andrews, Kenneth Jones and Markese Redding – returned to the Loyola roster this season as graduate students. All three are completing classes in the fall and spring semesters to earn their M.B.A. degrees.
Scorers Under Hardy
- Loyola has had the total points scored leader in the Patriot League fourth year in a row since Head Coach Tavaras Hardy came to the Evergreen campus for the 2018-19 season.
- Andrew Kostecka led the conference in points scored during the 2018-19 and 2019-20 seasons, as did Santi Aldama during 2019-20.
- Last year, Cam Spencer leads all Patriot League players with 566 points.
Guardian of the Game
- Tavaras Hardy was named the recipient of the 2022 National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Guardian of the Game Award for Inclusion, honoring Hardy and the Greyhounds' commitment to building a program that embodies all cultures and backgrounds.
- Hardy formed a coaching staff that includes the only female assistant coach at the NCAA Division I level, a female director of operations and previously a former European coach.
- The Greyhounds have also recruited student-athletes from diverse backgrounds, including from four other countries.
Stepping Into A Leading Role
- Jaylin Andrews was the Greyhounds' top returning scorer last year, after averaging 11.6 points per game as a junior in the shortened 2020-2021 season, and he showed his ability to step into a leading role during Loyola's 2021-2022 opener at North Carolina. Andrews started his senior year with a team-high 17 points, knocking down 4 of 8 shots from 3-point range.
- Andrews then blew up for a career-high 30 points on November 12 against South Carolina State, going 11 of 15 from the field and 5 of 7 from 3-point range. The 30 points exceeded his previous career-best of 25 points from January 2020 against American.
- He finished the 2021-22 season ranked ninth in the Patriot League in points per game at 13.7, while he also averaged 1.4 steals and 4.1 rebounds per game.
- Andrews became the 39th player in school history to score 1,000 points in a career when on February 16, 2022, at Lafayette, his 104th career game.
- Andrews continued his climb as a consistent scorer and rebounder for the Greyhounds during the 2020-2021 season. He went for 13 points twice during the first two games of the year before breaking out for 22 on January 24 against American.
- He averaged 14.3 points during that year's Patriot League Championships, scoring 17 in the quarterfinal at Navy and 20 in the title game at Colgate. Overall, Andrews wrapped up his junior campaign by averaging 11.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game in the 17 contests.
- Through 114 career games, of which he has started 91, Andrews is averaging 9.8 points and 3.9 rebounds per game.
On The Right Track
- Kenneth Jones was a consistent member of the Greyhounds' rotation throughout the first three years of his career, averaging 20.8 minutes over 76 games heading into his senior season. In 2021-22, however, Jones stepped into the role of a full-time starter and saw his minutes, and production, soar.
- He averaged 33.3 minutes per game, while producing 8.9 points, 2.6 rebounds and 4.6 assists per contest, all career-highs. He had a 2.21:1 assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks third in the Patriot League and is a career-high, as well. His 4.6 assists were 58th in NCAA Division I.
- His 139 assists were 10th in school single-season history.
- Jones averaged 4.6 assists in 18 Patriot League regular-season games last year, and his total of 83 dimes were 14 more than any other player in conference play.
- Over his career, Jones has played in 114 games, starting 48, and averages 7.1 points and 2.9 assists per game.
Glass Ceiling Shattered
- Corin 'Tiny' Adams is in her third year on the Loyola bench as an assistant coach after joining the Greyhounds staff in October 2020.
- The all-time leading scorer in Morgan State women's basketball history is the sixth woman to serve as an assistant in NCAA Division I history, and she is currently the only woman in the position.
At The Next Level
- Former Loyola standout Santi Aldama has made a considerable impact in his second NBA season. Aldama, who played for the Greyhounds from 2018-2020, earning 2019 Patriot League All-Rookie honors and then 2020 All-Patriot League First Team recognition, was a first-round pick of the Memphis Grizzlies in the 2021 NBA Draft.
- After seeing action in 32 games a rookie, Aldama stepped into Memphis' starting lineup early this year at the four spot and is averaging 9.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 0.9 blocked shots per game for the Grizzlies through 20 games.
