The Horizon League is a collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. Headquartered in Indianapolis, the league's eleven member schools are located in and near the Great Lakes region.
Richard Clay "Rip" Hamilton is an American former professional basketball player and current basketball analyst for CBS Sports HQ. Hamilton played 14 seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) and is best known for his nine-year stint with the Detroit Pistons, where he was a three-time All-Star. He helped lead the Pistons to six straight Eastern Conference Finals appearances, back to back NBA Finals appearances, their best record in franchise history and the 2004 NBA championship.
Steven Delano Smith is an American former professional basketball player who is a basketball analyst for Turner Sports. After a collegiate career with Michigan State, he played with several teams in his 14-season National Basketball Association career, including the Miami Heat, the Portland Trail Blazers and the San Antonio Spurs, but is perhaps best known for his five-year stint with the Atlanta Hawks which included an All-Star Game appearance in 1998. He won a championship with the Spurs in 2003. Smith was widely regarded as an excellent three-point shooter, and is one of three players to make seven 3-pointers in a quarter.
The Detroit Mercy Titans are the athletic teams of University of Detroit Mercy. The university is a member of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I. The school primarily competes in the Horizon League, but competes in other conferences for fencing and lacrosse, sports not sponsored for either men or women by the Horizon League. Fencing, a co-ed sport, competes in the Midwest Fencing Conference. Men's lacrosse moved from the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference to the ASUN Conference in July 2021. Women's lacrosse joined the Mid-American Conference for that league's first women's lacrosse season in 2021.
Mark Anthony Aguirre is an American former basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Aguirre was chosen as the first overall pick of the 1981 NBA draft by the Dallas Mavericks after playing three years at DePaul University. Aguirre played in the NBA from 1981 until 1994 and won two championships with the Detroit Pistons after being traded to Detroit from Dallas in exchange for Adrian Dantley. Aguirre was a three-time All-Star for Dallas. Aguirre was inducted into the College Basketball Hall of Fame in 2016.
Willie Julius Green is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is the head coach for the New Orleans Pelicans of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played professionally in the NBA with the Philadelphia 76ers, New Orleans Hornets, Atlanta Hawks, Los Angeles Clippers and Orlando Magic. He was selected in the second round of the 2003 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics and later acquired by the Philadelphia 76ers from Seattle in a draft-night trade for the draft rights to Paccelis Morlende and cash considerations.
Jermaine Maurice Jackson Sr. is an American former professional basketball player.
The Loyola Ramblers are the varsity sports teams of Loyola University Chicago. Most teams compete in the Atlantic 10 Conference, which the school joined in 2022 after leaving the Missouri Valley Conference. They previously played in the Horizon League. Notable athletes from Loyola have included middle-distance runner Tom O'Hara, volleyball player Thomas Jaeschke, and basketball players Mike Novak, Jerry Harkness, Les Hunter, Wayne Sappleton, Alfredrick Hughes, LaRue Martin, and Blake Schilb. The nickname "Ramblers" was first used in 1926. The Loyola Ramblers departed from the Missouri Valley Conference and joined the Atlantic 10 Conference effective July 1, 2022.
The Horizon League Men's Basketball Player of the Year is an award given to the Horizon League's most outstanding player. The award was first given following the 1979–80 season, the first year of the conference's existence. Seven players have won the award multiple times: Byron Larkin, Brian Grant, Rashad Phillips, Alfredrick Hughes, Keifer Sykes, Loudon Love, and Antoine Davis. Hughes, unlike the other four who each won twice, was awarded the player of the year on three occasions.
The Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represents Loyola University Chicago in Chicago, Illinois. The Ramblers participate as members of the Atlantic 10 Conference. The Ramblers had joined the Missouri Valley Conference in 2013, and stayed until 2022. Prior to 2013, the team had spent 34 seasons as a charter member of the Horizon League.
Wayne B. Sappleton is a Jamaican former professional basketball player, formerly of the NBA's New Jersey Nets. A 6'9 forward, Sappleton was a star at Loyola University Chicago from 1978-82.
Harry A. Davis is a retired American basketball player who played for two seasons in the National Basketball Association (NBA) for the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs.
Rashad Keith Phillips is an American former professional basketball player. At a height of 5'9 1⁄4" tall, and a weight of 170 pounds, he played at the guard position.
Darius Clemons is a retired American basketball player. He is known for his standout college career at Loyola University in Chicago, where he was named Midwestern City Conference Player of the Year in 1981. He remains the school's all-time leader in assists.
Rubin Jackson is an American former basketball player, best known for his college career at Oklahoma City University, where in the 1980–81 NCAA Division I men's basketball season he was named the Midwestern City Conference Co-Player of the Year.
Victor Fleming is an American former professional basketball player who was selected by the Portland Trail Blazers in the second round of the 1984 NBA draft. Fleming was a 6'6" forward from Xavier University and is the twin brother of former NBA player Vern Fleming.
Antoine Davis is an American professional basketball player for the Stockton Kings of the NBA G League. He played college basketball for the Detroit Mercy Titans. He was twice named the Horizon League Player of the Year, a five-time All-Horizon League First Team selection, and finished his career as NCAA Division I's second all-time leading scorer with 3,664 points and all-time three-point shot maker.
The 1984–85 Loyola Ramblers men's basketball team represented Loyola University Chicago as a member of the Midwestern City Conference during the 1984–85 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The head coach was Gene Sullivan. The Ramblers won regular season and conference tournament titles, reached the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA tournament, finished with a record of 27–6, and were ranked No. 14 in the season's final AP poll.
The 2022–23 Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball team represented the University of Detroit Mercy in the 2022–23 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Titans, led by fifth-year head coach Mike Davis, played their home games at Calihan Hall in Detroit, Michigan, as members of the Horizon League. They finished the season 13–18, 9–11 in Horizon League play to tie for eighth place. They defeated Purdue Fort Wayne in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament before losing to Youngstown State in the quarterfinals.
The 2023–24 Detroit Mercy Titans men's basketball team represented the University of Detroit Mercy during the 2023–24 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Titans, led by fifth-year head coach Mike Davis, played their home games at the Calihan Hall. The Titans started the season losing their first 26 games. The Titans' only win of the season came on February 14, 2024 when they defeated IUPUI 81–66. They finished the season 1–30, 1–19 in Horizon League play to finish in last place. They lost to Milwaukee in the first round of the Horizon League Tournament.
