MVC Basketball: Ranking of 25 best players from last decade (2013-23)

6. Clayton Custer

Custer is a 6’1 point guard from Overland Park, Kansas who was recruited to Iowa State by Fred Hoiberg. He’d play a very minimal role as a freshman with the Cyclones and decided to transfer. He began playing for Loyola-Chicago in 2016 and would start all 99 games he played across the next three seasons, developing into a major part of history with the Ramblers.

He certainly showed that potential as a sophomore, averaging 11.6 points per game, but it was his junior year that stands out. Custer helped lead the Ramblers to their first MVC Tournament title and to an incredible Final Four run, even hitting the game-winning shot over Tennessee in the second round. He’d average 13.2 points, 4.1 assists, and 1.5 steals in that junior year where history was made for both program and the conference. His senior was less impressive but was still a very solid season for Custer.

What more could you ask from the former Cyclone? In that junior season, he was named MVC Player of the Year and helped power the Ramblers to the Final Four just a few weeks later. He was among the leaders in steals, assists, and shooting percentage in those final years, even though he settled for just Third Team All-MVC honors as a senior. Custer’s name will forever be a legend in the halls at Loyola-Chicago for what he did in 2018.