Alfredrick Hughes, Loyola’s all-time leading scorer who helped the Ramblers end a 16-year NCAA Tournament drought during his All-America senior season, died Friday. The Chicago native was 63.
Loyola confirmed Hughes’ death on its athletics website Saturday evening. It did not list a cause of death.
“Not only was Alfredrick an all-time great on one of the best Loyola Basketball teams in program history, but he was a great guy who continued to support the Ramblers long after his playing days,” athletic director Steve Watson in a university release.
Hughes’ 2,914 points rank first in program history and 15th in NCAA history. He was named an Associated Press All-American as a senior in 1984-85, averaging 26.3 points in leading the Ramblers to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1968.
Hughes called it “a special year” in an interview with the Tribune in 2018.
“We brought the whole school together, the whole state together and we were just great friends who loved each other and still do,” Hughes said of Ramblers teammates such as Carl Golston, Andre Battle and Andre Moore. “We did something nobody thought we could do. We won two NCAA games, and then …”
Under fellow Chicago native Gene Sullivan, Loyola was the No. 4 seed in the East Region and won its first two tournament games before bowing out to Patrick Ewing and top-seeded Georgetown in the Round of 16. The Ramblers finished 27-6.
“Today is a sad day for Loyola,” former assistant coach Doug Bruno said in the release. “The loss of Alfredrick Hughes touches all former Loyola players, administrators, coaches, and fans. Alfredrick led a Loyola men’s basketball resurgence that rekindled the excellent standard set by the 1963 national champions.”
Hughes was a three-time Midwestern Collegiate Conference Player of the Year, averaging 24.3 points and 8.2 rebounds from 1981-85.
He set the Loyola single-game record for points with 47 against Detroit on Feb. 9, 1985. Loyola inducted Hughes into its Hall of Fame and retired his No. 21 jersey.
“Alfredrick and I were more than teammates. He was my brother for over 45 years,” former teammate Carl Golston said. “Alfredrick has stamped his name on Loyola basketball forever. We will never forget him, Alfredrick The Great!”
The San Antonio Spurs selected Hughes with the 14th pick in the 1985 NBA draft. He averaged 5.2 points in 68 games in his only season in the league.
He continued to play after his NBA exit, including in the World Basketball League, which was for players 6-foot-5 and under.
“I was just drafted by the wrong (NBA) team,” Hughes told the Tribune in 2018. “People said I didn’t make it, but I always felt when I got to the NBA, I made it. You don’t want to walk around bitter. I ended up playing in Greece for 12 years and in the WBL, running and gunning. I loved it.’’
Hughes grew up as the youngest of nine children on the South Side and played in high school at Robeson before heading to Loyola. He returned to support the Ramblers at games well after his playing career, the school said.
“In the true spirit of Loyola Athletics, Alfredrick was a teammate for others on and off the court,” Loyola senior associate athletic director Tom Hitcho said in the release. “May he rest in peace.”
