Jasmine Brewer said she didn’t think basketball would become an essential part of her life when she first started playing.
Growing up as the only girl on her street, Brewer said she joined the boys in her neighborhood during their pickup basketball games because she wanted to make friends and have fun.
“I grew up playing basketball because I loved it,” Brewer said. “I didn’t grow up playing because I thought I was going to receive some type of accolade or be a really good player. I just loved it.”
But Brewer did receive accolades even following her career at Loyola which began in 2010. She was inducted into the Wolf Pack hall of fame this year on Feb. 12, along with her teammates from the 2013-2014 women’s basketball team, in addition to baseball player Luis Anguizola and basketball inductee Robert Lovaglio.
“Being able to see everybody just felt like home,” Brewer said. “To be rewarded for doing something that I love is a huge blessing to me. It’s wonderful.”
At the annual ceremony, Anguizola was inducted into the Hall of Fame for his contributions to the baseball team after he came to Loyola from Panama in 2013. Anguizola played on the baseball team for three years, recording the program’s highest career batting average.
In 2016, he was drafted by Major League Baseball’s San Diego Padres. He played professionally for three seasons before returning to Loyola to finish his degree.
“I’m so happy with Loyola for the opportunity that they gave me,” Anguizola said. “Coming from another country, it’s very hard for us to get a chance in an American university to play a sport.”
After graduating, Anguizola said he retired from the sport and moved back home to work and be with family.
Anguizola said he was honored to get the call from Loyola Athletic Director Brett Simpson letting him know he’d be inducted.
“I was very happy for the news,” Anguizola said. “It’s an honor for me. Like I said, being from another country, from another place and coming here and having that honor of being in the Hall of Fame.”
Lovaglio, men’s basketball inductee, said a place in the Hall of Fame is one of the greatest honors an athlete can receive, so he is happy to be recognized among the best.
“I was not expecting it,” Lovaglio said. “But then that phone call came through, and it was exciting.”
Lovaglio was a shooting guard on the men’s basketball team from 2010 to 2015. He is ranked seventh for all-time career scoring, eighth in all-time career rebounds, and ninth in all-time career assists, according to Wolf Pack Athletics. He was also named All-Conference, All-American, and All-Louisiana honoree.
Like Brewer and Anguizola, he said he’s proud to see the athletic program grow and glad to be a part of the Wolf Pack legacy.
“You don’t really realize how big of an impact this school has on you, or your coaches, until you get older and realize they really helped you grow in positive ways. That all stays with you for the rest of your life,” Lovaglio said. “I’m super grateful for the university and super happy that I chose to go here.”
Brewer said she hasn’t played on the court for a few years, but she hasn’t strayed far. She currently works as the head girls’ basketball coach and girls’ physical education teacher at Hightower High School in Missouri City, Texas.
“Basketball is my heart. I’m still taking it and running with it,” Brewer said.