Drew Valentine elevated to head coach at Loyola Chicago

Following Porter Moser‘s departure to Oklahoma last week, Loyola Chicago announced on Monday evening that assistant coach Drew Valentine would be elevated to head coach of the Ramblers. Valentine has been at Loyola since 2017 and was part of the program’s historic 2018 Final Four run.

“It is with great excitement and enthusiasm that we introduce Drew Valentine as the head coach of our men’s basketball program,” AD Steve Watson said. “Over the course of his career as both a player and as a coach, Drew had proven that he’s a winner who does things the right way. We are extremely proud of the recent success of our program and Drew has played a key role in those accomplishments. He is the perfect person to lead us as we continue to build upon that success as we begin the next chapter of Loyola basketball.”

Valentine is no stranger to the Final Four, having been there in 2015 as a graduate assistant for Tom Izzo at Michigan State, where his younger brother Denzel Valentine (now with the Chicago Bulls) was an All-American player. Drew played at Oakland and later served as an assistant coach there before arriving at Loyola in 2017.

“It is an absolute honor to be named head men’s basketball coach at Loyola University Chicago,” Valentine said. “I’d like to congratulate one of the biggest mentors and role models in my life, Coach Moser, on his new opportunity at the University of Oklahoma. The impact that he has made on this entire University will not forgotten. We will continue to do things the right way, with character and passion! The vision and standard that Coach Moser established will forever remain a part of the culture.”

The hire should provide continuity within the program, which has been one of the best mid-majors in the country for the last several years. The Ramblers have won three of the last four Missouri Valley titles and could be returning several key players from this season’s Sweet Sixteen squad, depending on how things go during transfer season.

credit to Loyola Athletics for the image