River Lions Announce Signing of American Forward, Loudon Love
St. Catharines, ON - The Niagara River Lions announced today the signing of 26 year-old American, Loudon Love. The 6’8 forward from Geneva, Illinois is currently playing in Italy for Victoria Libertas Pesaro of the Lega Basket (LBA) where he is averaging 6.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 0.5 blocks in 15.8 minutes per game over his first 4 games.
“Loudon will be an excellent addition to our team this year,” said Head Coach and General Manager, Victor Raso. “He can anchor a defense, he is capable of impacting the game offensively in a variety of ways, but most importantly he comes to us as a high character person who will be a great teammate. I look forward to coaching Loudon this season!”
Prior to his professional career, Loudon spent four years at Wright State University where he played Division 1 basketball in the Horizon League while earning a Business Management degree. As a member of the Raiders, Loudon averaged 15.0 points, 9.4 rebounds and 1.1 blocks in 119 games played. During the 2020-2021 season, Loudon ranked among the top 10 in the Horizon League in scoring (16.6 per game, 7th), rebounding (10.1 per game, 2nd), blocked shots (1.3 per game, 2nd) and field goal percentage (56.4%, 3rd) earning him his second consecutive Horizon League Men’s Basketball Player of the Year Award.
Following his collegiate career, Loudon signed with the Texas Legends of the NBA G-League where the team went 19-15 earning the Legends a 5th place finish and a playoff spot. Loudon made his mark with strong performances averaging 8.4 points, 7.1 rebounds and shooting 54.3% during the Legends season in a meaningful 23.6 minutes per game.
In his most recent G-League season with the Memphis Hustle, Loudon saw an increased role playing in 43 games while putting up 8.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.0 steals per game shooting 53.8% from the field.
“I am definitely looking forward to this new experience,” said Love. “I have never played in the CEBL, but I know it’s one of the most competitive summer leagues there is! I also look forward to getting more and more familiar with FIBA style play while also developing individually. I will get to reconnect with an old teammate in Nate Cayo, and I’m also excited to create new bonds along the way. Overall I think this opportunity will be very fruitful.”
The Niagara River Lions are one of the original six teams of the CEBL. Playing out of Meridian Centre in downtown St. Catharines, the River Lions represent the twelve municipalities of the Niagara Region while living up to the River Lions moniker of pride and strength of community. Tickets for the 2024 season which tips off with the River Lions home opener on May 30th are on sale now. Visit www.riverlions.ca/tickets for more information.
About the Canadian Elite Basketball League (CEBL)
A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 73% of its 2023 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Fourteen players have signed NBA contracts following a CEBL season, and numerous CEBL players attend NBA G League training camps every year. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.
