Loyola men’s basketball leading scorer Jacob Theodosiou has missed the Greyhounds’ last three games, but Loyola has won two of those contests behind sophomore guard Braeden Speed … and head coach Josh Loeffler is confident his team is heading in the right direction.
Theodosiou, a 6-foot-4, 204-pound junior guard out of Ontario, is averaging 15.1 points, 4.6 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game for the Greyhounds but is considered day-to-day with a sprained ankle. Without him, Loyola defeated Boston University on Jan. 17 and Bucknell on Jan. 24.
The Greyhounds’ next test comes against American at Reitz Arena on Jan. 28.
“He’s working on it. He’s doing a great job, but he’s just not ready yet. It’s day-to-day,” Loeffler said of Theodosiou’s status. “He’s putting in all the time and all the effort, so we’ve just got to see when it’s ready that he can go out and help us and also not hurt himself.”
Speed has kept speeding along even without Theodosiou on the court, combining for 58 points in the last three games. Speed is averaging 17.4 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in eight Patriot League contests, saving his best for crunch time of Loyola’s 67-62 victory against Bucknell on Jan. 24.
Speed scored 17 points in the final 10 minutes of the contest, carrying the Greyhounds down the stretch and never allowing the Bison to get over the hump — due in part to finding his mid-range jumper.
“In the beginning and probably until about 10 minutes [left] in the second half, I felt like I was shooting everything short and off,” Speed said. “Once I saw one go in, I started to get in that rhythm.”
Speed, a 6-foot-3, 190-pound guard out of Phoenix, Ariz., announced his commitment to Loyola in May 2024, about six weeks after Loeffler was hired by Loyola. The decision has paid off for both parties, with Speed having started 51 of 52 games since coming to Baltimore and Loeffler receiving the jolt of talent he needed after taking over a thin roster.
Speed’s numbers are up across the board, though the difference in his shooting numbers is most striking. He shot 40.6 percent from the floor, 30.3 percent from 3-point range and 73.8 percent from the line a year ago. He’s shooting 43.8, 37.0 and 84.6 percent, respectively, so far this year.
“He’s had a great season,” Loeffler said. “He’s a very good player. He’s becoming an even better leader every day. He’s not afraid of big moments. We feel like when we reach into our pocket we know what we’re getting when we turn to him.”
Theodosiou’s absence has led to more minutes for freshmen guards Sebastien Emenalo (England) and Carter Berg-McLean (Georgetown Prep by way of New Zealand), with Berg-McLean totaling 21 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists in the past three games.
Speed says it’s been a team effort to fill in for Theodosiou.
“I personally don’t feel like I’ve had to step up that much,” Speed said. “I feel like my role is basically the same. I think other guys have stepped up.”
Loyola is 7-14 overall and 3-5 in the Patriot League in the team’s second year under Loeffler. The Greyhounds are sixth in the 10-team Patriot League in adjusted offensive efficiency and eighth in adjusted defensive efficiency, according to KenPom, a college hoops analytics site.
Loyola took a step forward defensively against Bucknell, holding the Bison to 23 points and 36 percent shooting in the first half. That allowed the Greyhounds to play from in front and nurse a lead in the second half.
“When you play good defense, you’re able to make up for your mistakes and if you’re not playing well on offense because if [the opposing team] scores 23 points in the first half, you have a good chance to win,” Speed said.
Loyola began league play with 84-69 and 79-64 losses to American and Lafayette, but the Greyhounds won three of their next six starting with an 84-76 win at Army. Now, they’ve got another shot at the Eagles on Jan. 28.
“I thought that once we got up to Army, we started showing the progress that we want to see from this team and what we want our team to look like every time we take the floor,” Loeffler said. “It’s not going to be perfect. Certainly you can do all that and still lose a game, but we’re giving ourselves a chance every night because we’re competing, we’re playing super hard and we’ve got great leaders. I’m very happy with the progress we’re making every day.”
Photo Credit: Michael Eigenbrode