Men’s Basketball Gears Up for Exciting 2025-26 Season

There are an abundance of reasons to look forward to the 2025-26 Loyola men’s basketball season. This upcoming season begins on Nov. 3 and presents an opportunity for returning talent to achieve even greater success, as well as for new players to establish themselves. This year also marks Josh Loeffler’s second season as Head Coach of the Greyhounds.

Last season, the Greyhounds concluded with a 12-19 record. The win total was a vast improvement from the 7-25 record in 2023-24, and the team looks to build on this improvement.

​“I would like to win more… We’re excited about the guys we brought back. We are excited about the guys we brought in. Now it’s about winning things more consistently than we did last year. Hopefully that translates into a record we’re even happier with,” Loeffler said.

One of the key returning players is Jacob Theodosiou ‘27, who was one of only five players named to the Preseason All-Patriot League Team. The guard earned this honor after starting all 31 games for Loyola last season, averaging 13.0 points per game and leading the Patriot League with 54 steals and 1.7 steals per game. Theodosiou is the team’s highest returning scorer.

Theodosiou is entering his third year of college basketball. This is his second year as a Greyhound after transferring from the University of Wyoming to Loyola. Now that he has established himself on the team, Theodosiou explains that this season will be different because there are big expectations, both for himself individually and the team as a whole.

Theodosiou personally has big expectations for himself. He describes himself as a goal-setter and writes down his life goals. Theodosiou highlights playing for Loyola as one more step closer to his final goal of playing in the NBA. Theodosiou also has strong goals for the Greyhound as a team.

​“This year, the main goal is to win the Patriot League and make March Madness. I feel like we’ve got all the pieces to do that with returning guys and the new freshmen. Coach Loeffler is one of the best coaches I’ve ever had, and he deserves to win here,” Theodosiou said.​

Alongside the veterans, four incoming first-years and two transfers look to push the team to the next level. Forwards Emmett Adair and Everett Barnes, as well as guards Carter Berg-McLean and Sebastien Emenalo, are first-year players. Forward Jonas Sirtautas ‘27 is a transfer from Radford University, and forward Sam Springer ‘28 is a transfer from the Air Force Academy.

Loeffler emphasizes that every player will have an opportunity to carve out a role in the team.

“It’s always a little nerve-wracking, but fun, to see how your team comes together and how they develop and progress through the year,” Loeffler said.​

Theodosiou echoes the support that the returning players feel towards the first-years. He voices that this is a good group of first-years, and that veterans have been spending a lot of time bonding with them. Theodosiou also states there is a strong sense of chemistry throughout the roster.

​Guard Jordan Stiemke ‘27 agrees that the team has excellent chemistry. He states that the team is always spending time together, either by watching sports such as basketball or football, eating together, or just hanging out.

“I feel like every year I’ve been here, we’ve gotten closer and closer,” Stiemke said.

​Stiemke is entering his third season with the Greyhounds. He took a big step forward between the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons, improving from 16.1 minutes per game to 28.9 minutes per game. Stiemke had the third-most minutes on the team last season.

Stiemke impressed with ample playing time in 2024-25, scoring the third-most points on the team and leading the team with 61 successful three-point free throws. The player says he has been working on a little bit of everything this offseason to become even better, especially on-ball movement, screen rolls, and the post.

“All summer, I’ve been continuously working on my game and all different aspects. I want to be able to show that this year and let that take me wherever it does,” Stiemke said.

A player who excels in many aspects is guard Tyson Commander ‘26. The veteran is a great shooter and leads all returning starters with a .474 field goal percentage. Commander plans to bring his ability to score, defend, and be a leader into his final season.

“This is probably the most exciting year for me. I know what I can bring to the team. I know what everybody else can bring. I feel like we have a deep group of guys this year. It’s gonna be a fun year. I’m excited,” Commander said.

Last season, the Greyhounds had an encouraging 7-7 record at home in Reitz Arena. Loeffler spotlights the passionate fans who help support and energize the players from the student section.

“I’d like to see the fans play an even bigger part. I think the more we can get our student body to get out of their dorm rooms and come support us, the better we’re gonna be… I’m really hopeful that our fanbase truly is what I think it can be, which is the best student section in the league,” Loeffler said.

Fans can support the Greyhounds as they face Towson on Nov. 3 at 9:00pm at CFG Bank Arena.