Danny Loftus enjoyed basketball ecstasy this past season with a career-best 44 points against Elmwood Park, Dec. 17. Just a few years earlier, Loftus was the one watching a similar RBHS performances from the stands.
Older sister and girls basketball standout Brenna achieved multiple 40-point games and went as high as 48 before graduating in 2021. They’re among the few — perhaps the only — brother-sister combination to achieve 40-point games in Illinois high school basketball history.
“I don’t think I’ve heard of anyone [else], Loftus said. After that, [RBHS boys basketball coach Mike Reingruber] looked into it and couldn’t find much so it was pretty cool.”
After contributing to each other’s success since first playing together with their father Mark, the siblings are entering their next basketball chapters. Brenna just completed four seasons with NCAA Division III Washington University (St. Louis) and graduated with a degree in psychology. She’ll be attending law school at the University of Illinois.
Danny will major in political science and pre-law as he hopes to make the men’s basketball team as a walk-on at the University of Iowa, a school he wanted to attend regardless of playing opportunities.
“Getting to watch him grow up and see and hear about the player he was senior year compared to how he played when he was 12 and younger, it was super-sweet,” Brenna Loftus said. “[The 44-point game] I didn’t get to see in person but I heard about it. My parents let me know when I was at school. It was super-exciting. And honestly, I was like the celebrity sibling.”
Mark Loftus proved to be a great mentor. He played college basketball at Knox in downstate Galesburg and was a co-captain. He then attended DePaul University College of Law and currently practices law.
“It’s special, the three of us have this sport that has bonded us and he can share with us,” Brenna said. “I remember being younger and thinking about how annoying it was dad had the nicest jump shot. And [Danny] has it too.”
Brenna set quite a standard as the RBHS girls program’s career leading scorer with more than 2,500 points. For Illinois girls high school basketball single-season records on IHSA.org, Loftus still ranks No. 8 for field goals (389) and No. 9 for free throws (257 for 362). Both occurred her 2019-20 junior year when she scored 1,044 points (30.7 per game) and passed 2006 RBHS graduate Maggie McCloskey’s 1,905 career points.
“Brenna being my sister was always a big motivator for me growing up. Sixth through eighth grade, she was really killing it at RB. I’d hear everyone talk about her and I was just so proud to call her my sister,” Danny said. “[In high school], we definitely played similar ways. She was good in transition and more of a two-point scorer. The mid-range, that was a huge part of my game.”
The 2019-20 Bulldogs finished with a program-best 30-4 record and won the Class 3A regional in one of Brenna’s most memorable games. At home, the Bulldogs defeated Comer 60-49 with Loftus scoring 40 points in front of a packed and enthusiastic crowd that reminded Brenna of RBHS boys’ games.
“When I think back on those (40-point) games, now a couple of years removed, the feeling’s the same. I played with really incredible teammates who trusted me and were very team-oriented and shared the ball and wanted to see us win,” Brenna said. “That isn’t always the case. It was special to share it with teammates that were super-proud of me and also wanted the team to succeed. I got to play with special teammates and that made it feel so much more special.”
Danny’s junior year as starting guard for an inside-outside attack was fueled primarily by all-state center Stef Cicic. With Cicic graduated in 2024, Reingruber challenged Danny to provide a breakthrough senior season and he more than delivered.
“I worked hard that offseason and summer. And it paid off,” Danny said. “I didn’t foresee a lot of the recognition or statistics or any of the accolades. I just wanted to get better.”
Danny received special mention on the Illinois Basketball Coaches Association’s 4A all-state team and was unanimous All-Upstate Eight Conference. His 242 field goals broke the single-season school record of 228 by Ryan Jackson in 2010-11.
Brenna saw, and felt, it coming.
“I remember him being really shrimpy and being able to body him up for a really long time. I think I came home after freshman year in college and I tried to bump him and he didn’t move. I think he ended up swatting my shot into the ground,” Brenna said. “I guess watching him grow up as a player and into himself was really fun. Maybe not fun all of the time because he started beating me, but other than that.”
The two could only attend each other’s games sporadically. Brenna might be in town. Danny would visit St. Louis with his parents or watch the Bears play at the University of Chicago.
For WashU, Brenna played in 102 games (62 starts), averaging 3.8 points and 3.5 rebounds. Her sophomore year, Brenna contributed to a 57-56 upset of No. 1-ranked rival New York University in St. Louis.
“I think of [WashU basketball] as an amazing time. I met really talented people I’ll be friends with the rest of my life,” Brenna said. “That level of competition, balancing that while handling that kind of academic work, it’s definitely hard and with its ups and downs but overall it was amazing and I’m super-grateful to have had it.”
Brenna’s final season was a transition after starting 51 games the previous two seasons. She was the only true senior for an entirely new coaching staff.
“My senior year was just as much fun as the other three,” Brenna said. “I adored my teammates, the freshmen I got to welcome. In a way it felt the same but at the same time there was a lot to adjust to.”
Danny said he received enticing offers to play basketball at smaller schools. He never really wavered from attending Iowa.
“I really wanted to go to a big campus and when I visited Iowa about a year ago, I loved it. The second I went on campus I was like, ‘This is where I wanted to be,’” he said.
“I was really thinking about [other schools], but as the season progressed, I kind of decided DIII or II wasn’t where I wanted to be. I wanted to hopefully go to a big university and hopefully play but also get a big-time college feel.”