Coming off of 24-win season that included winning the postseason CBI Tournament, there is a lot of optimism coming from Loyola basketball entering the 2015-16 season.
Head coach Porter Moser and his staff have done a nice job of transitioning from the Horizon League to the Missouri Valley Conference the last two seasons, and they've started to see some success on the recruiting trail of late as well.
The Class of 2016 for Loyola will be an important one in recruiting as the Ramblers have to replace some key seniors like guards Earl Peterson, Devon Turk and Jeff White while senior forward Montel James will also exhaust his eligibility.
The good news for Loyola is that they already own a commitment from Arizona guard Cameron Satterwhite. The former Colorado commit tore his ACL over the summer at a July event and decided to open up his recruitment. Loyola jumped at the chance to bring in an athletic 6-foot-4 wing with a lot of upside.
[MORE: DePaul's recruiting focus]
Satterwhite helped Gilbert Christian win a Division II state championship in Arizona as a junior and also sports a ridiculous wingspan that is over 7-feet long. Sources told CSN that the Loyola staff is optimistic that Satterwhite can make a full recovery from the ACL injury -- which could give them a major recruiting steal if he lives up to his potential.
As for the other spots in the Class of 2016, Loyola's staff is still seeking a post scorer to replace James and perimeter options that can play with Satterwhite. Iowa State transfer Clayton Custer will also be available to Loyola starting during the 2016-17 season, so he can also be looked at as another member of that recruiting class.
News
To fill out the final spots in that class, Moser and his staff are searching through all sorts of ways to bring in talent, including going the international route. Moser was one of the few Division I head coaches to go overseas and watch the FIBA U18 European championships in Greece this summer and Loyola has aggressively pursued international recruits. The Ramblers will also explore potential transfers and junior college prospects to round out their Class of 2016.
[ALSO: Illinois' recruiting focus]
Since the Class of 2017 is much deeper for in-state prospects, Loyola has already started to get involved with some talented local juniors. Jacobs junior big man Cameron Krutwig has been a focus for Loyola on the recruiting trail while Curie guard Elijah Joiner and Simeon point guard Evan Gilyard have both made unofficial visits up to Loyola's campus.
Loyola has also been actively scouring the Midwest for players in 2017, which includes recruiting La Lumiere guard Isaiah Coleman-Lands, the younger brother of Illinois freshman guard Jalen Coleman-Lands.
Overall, the Ramblers still have some work to do when it comes to finishing out an important Class of 2016. But there are a lot of reasons to pay attention to Loyola after a 24-win season and some notable commitments.