The Valparaiso Beacons Fan Zone Forum

The 2017-18 college basketball season is officially over so I thought it might be time to create a new thread for the 2018-19 season.

I'm expecting a good amount of improvement next season. We were young and inexperienced last season.

Roster breakdown: (barring anymore transfers)
Seniors: 0 (we may bring in a grad-transfer or 2)
Juniors: 7 (Evelyn, Bradford, Golder, Fazekas, Kiser, Smits, Sorolla)
Sophomores: 2 (McMillan, Linssen)
Freshman: 2 (Sackey, Freeman)

2-available scholarships as of right now

We need a lot of guys to take the next step in their development this offseason and really work on their games.

Quote from: VU2014 on April 08, 2018, 06:32:30 PM
The 2017-18 college basketball season is officially over so I thought it might be time to create a new thread for the 2018-19 season.

I'm expecting a good amount of improvement next season. We were young and inexperienced last season.

Roster breakdown: (barring anymore transfers)
Seniors: 0 (we may bring in a grad-transfer or 2)
Juniors: 7 (Evelyn, Bradford, Golder, Fazekas, Kiser, Smits, Sorolla)
Sophomores: 2 (McMillan, Linssen)
Freshman: 2 (Sackey, Freeman)

2-available scholarships as of right now

We need a lot of guys to take the next step in their development this offseason and really work on their games.

We also need to start the process of evening out the scholarships.   Hurts the program to have a borderline complete rebuild once every 4 years.  Kills momentum.   Not easy to do but If I am the staff I would try to get 2 impact players and 1 "project" per class.   You are going to have a few transfers, but hopefully a few of your projects will pan out to make up for those losses.   Always try to keep an open scholarship to add a transfer, especially if they change the rules and allow everyone to play immediately.   

Agreed. It does seem to be that we go through a rebuild every 4 years, with a large class of incoming players.

2009-10 we landed a generational player in Ryan Broekhoff that elevated the program. In 2013-14 we landed Alec Peters which was another generational talent, along with a really strong class of JA, Lexus, & Yeo (could have been productive D1 player, disregarding the injuries).

Is anyone in the 2017-18 recruiting class a generational talent? To be determined. Mileek seems to have the brightest future but he was highly inconsistent (to be expected) but showed flashes last season. Marty is a big question mark for me. Is he a quick enough to play PF or is he just a big bodied/undersized Center that won't see much run because the two 7-footers are ahead of him on the depth chart. Marty needs to trim down a little and really work on his footwork. He was a foul machine last season. I love his hustle and he has nice touch on his jumper that he didn't show much last season. Bigs take longer to develop then wings. I'm hoping he and Mileek can grow into reliable players in their sophomore seasons.

Golder was the surprise player of the year for me. He noticeably got better as the season went on. He just looked more comfortable as the season went on. Freak athlete with good size, pretty good defender, nice 3pt shot and our most reliable FT shooter. He NEEDS to learn to use his off hand. HE needs to work on his ball handling some and just get more comfortable with finishing with his left hand.

We're hoping Freeman could be that next "generational" player for Valpo basketball. He certainly has the hype around him the same way Alec did (if not more) coming into his freshman year. I'm also pretty high on Sackey's future also. You can't teach speed which is his elite physical tool.

Going to need 3 or 4 of those juniors to be real threats on the court next year. Golder and Evelyn were last year and should continue, the other 5 are unproven. We all think Fazekas will be a nice add, but he isn't a sure thing.

I'm not against having huge classes every four years as that almost guarantees you should be a top contender for at least 2 of those years. I do see the value of spreading it out a bit and will be anxious to see how they attack the scholarship situation when our juniors all graduate.

It's way too early, but after watching videos of JFL and Sackey, here's how I see rotations playing out next year:

4/5 positions:  Minutes split between Smits/Sorolla and Fazekas/McMillen.  I know many think Fazekas is a small forward, but at 6'8", he's plenty big enough to play the 4 (Alec Peters-Lite) in the MVC.  I think he'll be much better offensively working against bigger/slower players than against smaller/quicker guys.

1/2/3 positions:  Minutes split between Evelyn, JFL, Sackey, Golder and Bradford.  Lots of interchangeable parts among this group.  Golder starts at the 3, but both JFL and Evelyn are big enough to play the 3 in a 3-guard lineup.  Not sure who starts in the backcourt, but it will be difficult to keep the freshmen off the court.

That leaves Kiser and Linssen (if no one else is added).  Kiser has proven to be a solid contributor, but there are so many talented players ahead of him that his minutes may decline.  However, it's great to know what you'll get when you put him on the floor.  Linssen needs to make big strides to earn minutes.  Too slow for the 4 spot and stuck behind two experienced 7 footers at the 5.  Nice insurance in case of foul trouble.

With that talent and no seniors on the roster, it may be a challenge to find quality recruits because playing time will be hard to come by for the next few seasons.

I think you could start Fazekas and McMillian and keep bringing Golder off the bench to abuse the other team's second string. Having scoring options off the bench (who play starter minutes) is so huge.

I really want to know how the coaching staff plans on using Fazekas. Are they going to use him more inside or is he going to be more a perimeter player with size. I'm guessing he'll have a hybrid role that would allow him to play with certain lineups. If we add another PF maybe that signals we plan to use him more on the perimeter?

Union Street Hoops, where you at?

Quote from: VU2014 on April 10, 2018, 10:56:59 AM
I really want to know how the coaching staff plans on using Fazekas. Are they going to use him more inside or is he going to be more a perimeter player with size. I'm guessing he'll have a hybrid role that would allow him to play with certain lineups. If we add another PF maybe that signals we plan to use him more on the perimeter?

Union Street Hoops, where you at?

I've got no reference here, but has Fazekas ever had an inside game?  Think he was quoted as saying he needed to improve with back to the basket and in similar ways that Alec showed progress his Jr/Sr year.

Mileek + Linssen are our only "wide" bodies that can guard a well built PF I might think.  But how many PF bruisers are in the MVC?  UNI and MSU graduate good inside PF.  Illinois State brings back Fehn.  We might have less "developed" true PF in the league next year than this past year.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on April 10, 2018, 11:50:08 AM
I've got no reference here, but has Fazekas ever had an inside game?  Think he was quoted as saying he needed to improve with back to the basket and in similar ways that Alec showed progress his Jr/Sr year.

Mileek + Linssen are our only "wide" bodies that can guard a well built PF I might think.  But how many PF bruisers are in the MVC?  UNI and MSU graduate good inside PF.  Illinois State brings back Fehn.  We might have less "developed" true PF in the league next year than this past year.

At Providence, Fazekas took 76% of his field goal attempts behind the 3 point line.  Given that Providence's offense is highly reliant on driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line, if Fazekas had an inside game before transferring to Valpo, he certainly hid it well.  Providence is normally a big team on the wings too, so a lot of the time he was matched up with someone who was at least shorter than he was.

That doesn't mean he couldn't develop one, or at least a better one, in his year off, but my guess is he'll be primarily used as a pick and pop guy.  He didn't create either at Providence and didn't rebound the ball overly well (a decent rebounder on the defensive end), so it'll be interesting to see what parts of his game he did develop.  I do expect him to be more versatile at Valpo than he was at Providence, but I don't expect it to be a night and day difference.  Valpo's got guards that can create in Evelyn and Bradford, so if Fazekas can continue to space the floor, defend the 4 effectively and have more of a presence on the defensive glass, then I think that's a role he should be expected to fill pretty effectively.  Just my opinion based on what I remember from watching him for 2 years.

Quote from: IrishDawg on April 10, 2018, 01:14:03 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on April 10, 2018, 11:50:08 AM
I've got no reference here, but has Fazekas ever had an inside game?  Think he was quoted as saying he needed to improve with back to the basket and in similar ways that Alec showed progress his Jr/Sr year.

Mileek + Linssen are our only "wide" bodies that can guard a well built PF I might think.  But how many PF bruisers are in the MVC?  UNI and MSU graduate good inside PF.  Illinois State brings back Fehn.  We might have less "developed" true PF in the league next year than this past year.

At Providence, Fazekas took 76% of his field goal attempts behind the 3 point line.  Given that Providence's offense is highly reliant on driving to the basket and getting to the free throw line, if Fazekas had an inside game before transferring to Valpo, he certainly hid it well.  Providence is normally a big team on the wings too, so a lot of the time he was matched up with someone who was at least shorter than he was.

That doesn't mean he couldn't develop one, or at least a better one, in his year off, but my guess is he'll be primarily used as a pick and pop guy.  He didn't create either at Providence and didn't rebound the ball overly well (a decent rebounder on the defensive end), so it'll be interesting to see what parts of his game he did develop.  I do expect him to be more versatile at Valpo than he was at Providence, but I don't expect it to be a night and day difference.  Valpo's got guards that can create in Evelyn and Bradford, so if Fazekas can continue to space the floor, defend the 4 effectively and have more of a presence on the defensive glass, then I think that's a role he should be expected to fill pretty effectively.  Just my opinion based on what I remember from watching him for 2 years.

Over Alec Peters' first 3 seasons, 46% of his attempts were 3 pointers.  That dropped to 34% in his senior year, not because he took fewer 3s, but because he nearly doubled his number of 2 point attempts per game.

As I stated above, I think Fazekas will be most effective offensively at the 4 spot, but he may have problems guarding post players unless he's bulked up a bit.  But very few teams actually have 4s that play in the post.  Linssen and McMillan were in foul trouble because they couldn't guard guys in screen and roll situations on the perimeter, not because they were being posted up.

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/984439221871050752

I won't believe anything until I see it on the court next season. I heard hype in past and bought into it and the results speak for themselves. I hope Bradford can ignite his college career and get it going but I'm personally not expecting it.
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/984439549521735681

We may need to pay for a ESPN+ subscription to watch the streams of Valpo Men's Basketball games next season...

This is from the Around The Valley Section of the Message Boards: http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=3149.0

Quote from: aleavitt on April 13, 2018, 11:01:10 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on April 12, 2018, 12:43:33 PM

Quote from: aleavitt on April 12, 2018, 10:13:53 AM
I've put together a brief story on our website regarding ESPN+ and the redesigned ESPN app, covering some of these questions. If there's any other questions regarding ESPN+, I can try to answer those as well.

http://www.valpoathletics.com/athletics/news/2017-18/18167/espn---what-you-need-to-know/

I think what most people want to know, is ESPN going to force fans to pay for ESPN+ to watch the MVC Men's Basketball games in November-March?

Any word on how ESPN+ will affect how we view Valparaiso Men's Basketball games?

That is still up in the air - as the last question reflected, schedules of which games are on which service should be available in the months leading up to the start of the seasons going forward. My guess would be (and this is just my guess based on the info we've received/heard about ESPN+ so far, nothing official) that MVC men's basketball games will be split between ESPN3 and ESPN+, with a greater number on ESPN+.

https://twitter.com/nwindianafca/status/986240304247427072

It is great that he is getting out there a little bit more. Every little bit helps.

Nice to know we have a gym rat.

https://twitter.com/dsackey_4/status/987357603993825281

Just make sure you do your homework, kid!

Tate to Loyola

Back to the drawing board I guess.  We're not likely to outrecruit Loyola on anyone right now plus it sounds like it's a tailor made fit. We could really use some positive recruiting news soon. Not used to losing recruiting targets to schools in conference.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on April 20, 2018, 08:02:42 PM
Back to the drawing board I guess.  We're not likely to outrecruit Loyola on anyone right now plus it sounds like it's a tailor made fit. We could really use some positive recruiting news soon. Not used to losing recruiting targets to schools in conference.

Spot on. We have gone from the penthouse to the basement in one year. The penthouse used to to be a no -brainer, now Valpo has got to scramble with the bottom feeders. Let's see what we are made of. Go Valpo.

Wouldn't call Loyola a bottom feeder (and I don't think that's what you're doing here) but I get your point. Recruiting in this conference is going to be a knock down drag out fight. Everyone has a comparable or better basketball tradition, the footprint is really tight, and everyone's competitive right now. The program will be tested in so many meaningful ways over the next few years in this conference. I wouldn't have it any other way, nor would I trade this step up for 5 more HL titles. Winning in the MVC is a major challenge. Bring it on! Go Valpo! I think we're up to it and our early scheduling seems to indicate that the coaching staff and administration think so too.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on April 20, 2018, 11:35:10 PM
Wouldn't call Loyola a bottom feeder (and I don't think that's what you're doing here) but I get your point. Recruiting in this conference is going to be a knock down drag out fight. Everyone has a comparable or better basketball tradition, the footprint is really tight, and everyone's competitive right now. The program will be tested in so many meaningful ways over the next few years in this conference. I wouldn't have it any other way, nor would I trade this step up for 5 more HL titles. Winning in the MVC is a major challenge. Bring it on! Go Valpo! I think we're up to it and our early scheduling seems to indicate that the coaching staff and administration think so too.

:thumbsup:

It is amazing the recruiting leverage being in the penthouse (like we were in the HL) gives a team.  We have to fight our way out of where we are right now and get back to that status. The up side is that, despite our 2017-18 MVC W-L record, we are much closer than that record would indicate. I am optimistic.

As George Jefferson said ,"We're working on up"   Let's face it, we really had no competition regarding recruiting while we were in the HL

We have a recruiting advantage being in the MVC compared to the HL. It probably hurts our recruiting coming off a rough season and have glut of Juniors that recruits know are going to get most of the playing time. It's also pretty easy to read the tea leaves that JFL is going to be tough to beat out for minutes eventually at some point. The one that's puzzling to me is how we can't land a solid PF. PF is where a grad-transfer/JUCO coming in would be able to get a good amount of playing time right away. It may be that there is a limited supply of quality 4's and a built up demand.

We're 0-2 on Spring offers that we know about: Hall and Davis (Sackey doesn't count because committed months ago).

Pretty simple on the Loyola front.  We are in the same local area and they went to the Final Four.  End of story.  They, currently, are on a different  attractive level.

Quote from: VU2014 on April 21, 2018, 12:21:11 PMWe have a recruiting advantage being in the MVC compared to the HL. It probably hurts our recruiting coming off a rough season and have glut of Juniors that recruits know are going to get most of the playing time. It's also pretty easy to read the tea leaves that JFL is going to be tough to beat out for minutes eventually at some point. The one that's puzzling to me is how we can't land a solid PF. PF is where a grad-transfer/JUCO coming in would be able to get a good amount of playing time right away. It may be that there is a limited supply of quality 4's and a built up demand. We're 0-2 on Spring offers that we know about: Hall and Davis (Sackey doesn't count because committed months ago).

I know I keep beating this drum, but what's wrong with bringing in a 3 star freshman like Messiah Jones who multiple MVC schools think is (or might be ) MVC caliber? I know we'd all like more experience but if we can't get that let's get talent.

Maybe fwalum would have a comment on the kid from FW North, Austin Boucher.  I think he is about 6-4 or 6-5 but is a great shooter.  He has been mentioned on some All-State teams this year I believe.  Any thoughts?  I wonder if our Staff even is aware of him.

Quote from: valpo64 on April 21, 2018, 01:32:21 PM
Maybe fwalum would have a comment on the kid from FW North, Austin Boucher.  I think he is about 6-4 or 6-5 but is a great shooter.  He has been mentioned on some All-State teams this year I believe.  Any thoughts?  I wonder if our Staff even is aware of him.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/high-school/recruiting-central/2015/07/21/fort-wayne-south-sides-austin-boucher-one--top-players--2018-class/30454417/

Boucher plays for the South Side Archers. He is listed at 6'3" in the Indy Star.

Schools with early interest in Boucher include Butler, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Notre Dame and Purdue. He plans to visit Illinois, Indiana and Michigan in August.

He has P5 interest and unless he has some kind of connection to NW Indiana, Valpo or the christian family environment at Valpo I can't see us bringing this guy in.

He is planning visits but I am not sure they are "official" visits.  I think he could be a sleeper, under the radar.  Schools showing interest is one thing, but being a serious recruit is another.  I wonder if VU has seen him or has any interest.  I know he scored around 50  or so when he was either a frosh or soph at S. Side H S.  Then he wanted to transfer to North Side and then his troubles began.  He was declared ineligible at North by the ISHAA and left for a prep school out East.  He then returned for his senior year at North.

Boucher is going to be under the radar even by mid-major standards.  His last offer was from Air Force late last summer, and his only other offer that I know about is Ball State.  I'm not sure if either of those even still stand at this point.  I think if Valpo wanted him, they could absolutely get him.

If he gets an offer from Air Force and he can commit to it, and has no real NBA potential, he needs to seriously consider the offer.

Quote from: usc4valpo on April 23, 2018, 12:59:56 PM
If he gets an offer from Air Force and he can commit to it, and has no real NBA potential, he needs to seriously consider the offer.

David Robinson served and had a HOF NBA career. Not saying that will be Boucher but it can be done. Probably unlikely he goes AF. There is always a chance of getting a deferment till after ones playing career is over, but I believe they keep on going back and forth with that rule.

I am not really sure what the issue is with Austin Boucher.  He seems to be a good student, it was reported that he had a 3.98 GPA starting his senior year at North Side and was #10 in his class.  Has all the moving around been perceived as a problem by college coaches? I was very impressed when I saw this kid as a freshman and sophomore at South Side in a system where he really was the main guy and then the whole debacle with the moving started to happen as valpo64 mentioned.  He thought that he was going to go to a team that had a good shot at a state title his junior year and he was not allowed to play at North Side, hence the prep school transfer for a semester just to play ball.  Then by his senior year North Side had become a real mess of a program with loads of talent and absolutely no chemistry, quite frankly I think he took some of the blame because he was suppose to be the floor general.  Everyone thought that his high major offer was going to come so he kept waiting, and waiting, and waiting, and it has never come. After Langford, he is listed as the best remaining unsigned shooting guard in the state, but I don't know that it would be a good fit because I would have the feeling that he would always be looking for a better program.

Quote from: FWalum on April 23, 2018, 02:24:53 PM
After Langford, he is listed as the best remaining unsigned shooting guard in the state, but I don't know that it would be a good fit because I would have the feeling that he would always be looking for a better program.

Nailed it. Can't blame mid-majors coaches for getting nervous that he might be a kid who bolts down the road. All the moving around is a bit of a red flag.

Boucher sounds like a kid destined for 1 year of prep school if he doesn't get the offer he's looking for.

Looking for potential impact transfers? Milwaukee just granted their top 3 scorers  their release after they declared their intention to leave the program. All of them averaged at least 10 ppg One of them is a PF and the other two are guards who shoot the three really well. Brock Stull Jeremiah Bell and Bryce Nze are their names.

It gets even worse, most of Milwaukee's incoming class is bailing too.

https://twitter.com/FatherHarry1/status/988787117508759552

Is ESPN+ A Positive for the Valley?
by Harry Schroeder
April 23, 2018

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/is-espn-a-positive-for-the-valley/

That article is a lot of words for "You're going to have to pay more."

Quote from: NativeCheesehead on April 24, 2018, 10:16:52 AM
That article is a lot of words for "You're going to have to pay more."

Yep. It's a smart business move for ESPN but it's annoying for fans. Like VUGrad1314 mentioned the other week, maybe this brings more locals to attend the games, instead of just getting the game for free on ESPN3. It sounds like a significant amount of MBB games will be on the ESPN+ platform. I guess a handful will be games broadcast at the ARC.

I'm personally willing to pay for the service at least for College Basketball months, but other then that ESPN will need beef up the content on the platform to get me to purchase the year-round subscription.

Agreed...and if I'm paying for this mess there best not be any blackouts!

https://twitter.com/MikeHuttonPT/status/990411686577360897

Hutton: NCAA commission's report a snoozer for Valparaiso University and basketball coach Matt Lottich
By: Mike Hutton
Post-Tribune
April 28, 2018

Bet he said a lot more that didn't make the story and has even more pointed opinions that never were uttered. That commission was purely  a political smoke screen.

Quote from: VU2014 on April 29, 2018, 08:57:15 PM
https://twitter.com/MikeHuttonPT/status/990411686577360897

Hutton: NCAA commission's report a snoozer for Valparaiso University and basketball coach Matt Lottich
By: Mike Hutton
Post-Tribune
April 28, 2018

"VU has been relatively unaffected by the graduate transfer rule, which allows a player to leave after he earns a bachelor's degree and complete his eligibility somewhere else.

"The Crusaders have lost one player, Brandon Wood, to a graduate transfer. He finished at Michigan State."

The Crusaders also lost graduate transfer Lexus Williams to Boise State.

"They also had another, Moussa Gueye, play for them after he graduated from Alabama."

They also had another, Will Bogan, play for them after he graduated from Ole Miss.

A .500 accuracy average - pretty good day for Hutton.

I particularly enjoyed the photo caption. When did Valpo play the University of Chicago?

Quote from: Pgmado on April 30, 2018, 09:44:48 AM
I particularly enjoyed the photo caption. When did Valpo play the University of Chicago?

During the 1961-62 season. 

Quote from: Pgmado on April 30, 2018, 09:44:48 AM
I particularly enjoyed the photo caption. When did Valpo play the University of Chicago?

I think maybe they could play University of Chicago if they got free medical treatment from the UC Advanced Medicine branch. Those guys are doing some really great work in the area of genetic medicine. Maybe we could eventually grow the perfect Valpo athlete.

http://medicine.uchicago.edu/sections/genetic-medicine/

https://twitter.com/ranta6/status/991689720848699392

I'm glad he's getting out there and doing these speaking engagements. He's being a great ambassador for the university and the program. I feel so grateful as an alum that the basketball program has been led by such great men as the Drews and Coach Lottich. Guys who get that being a college coach is about so much more than what happens on the court but who are still highly successful on it. I just hope we'll get some news about the upcoming season soon but that's just my impatience talking. Being the tireless worker Coach Lottich seems to be I don't think we'll have too long to wait. Go Valpo! Go Coach Lottich! Keep doing and being you!

One year ago today.

https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/867742218060255232
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/999977143504424960

Worth a read.

https://twitter.com/Peacone36/status/1000026348377792512

College Basketball: Crossroads of America Tournament Is Something We Deserve
by Mychal Hunter

The State of Indiana is college basketball gold. We need to mine it.

....

https://slapthesign.com/2018/05/25/college-basketball-crossroads-america-tournament-something-deserve/

This would have to be a series of one-off neutral site games because of the conference overlap of many Indiana teams  still it would be good for Indiana's mids in particular.

It would only be good for Indiana's mids.  Forgetting the conference affiliations which would automatically prevent this tournament from happening, Purdue, Indiana, Butler and Notre Dame would not want to give up an exempt tournament in Maui, the Bahamas and other prime locales to play in a tournament where 60% of the competition is in a mid-major league and more than likely won't result in a quality win most years, and would come as a major negative recruiting tool for other programs to use while their peers are traveling to more desirable locations.  They also wouldn't want to play a mid-major at a neutral site when they can get similar level teams to play a buy game and collect 100% of the revenue from the contest.

IU already doesn't like the Crossroads that much because they want to play "national" games outside the state of Indiana, and generally brings the majority of the fans to BLF since Notre Dame brings about 12 people outside their team to the event each year.

Quote from: IrishDawg on May 25, 2018, 07:36:44 PM
It would only be good for Indiana's mids.  Forgetting the conference affiliations which would automatically prevent this tournament from happening, Purdue, Indiana, Butler and Notre Dame would not want to give up an exempt tournament in Maui, the Bahamas and other prime locales to play in a tournament where 60% of the competition is in a mid-major league and more than likely won't result in a quality win most years, and would come as a major negative recruiting tool for other programs to use while their peers are traveling to more desirable locations.  They also wouldn't want to play a mid-major at a neutral site when they can get similar level teams to play a buy game and collect 100% of the revenue from the contest.

IU already doesn't like the Crossroads that much because they want to play "national" games outside the state of Indiana, and generally brings the majority of the fans to BLF since Notre Dame brings about 12 people outside their team to the event each year.

Agreed. Mids would definitely benefit more from the expanded CRC. I don't see it happening but man would it be a fun though.

IU wouldn't even take Calipari's offer of two games in Indianapolis because they only wanted a HvH with Kentucky.

Quote from: may know on May 26, 2018, 12:54:28 AM
IU wouldn't even take Calipari's offer of two games in Indianapolis because they only wanted a HvH with Kentucky.

That's completely understandable. It's surprising they won't take a H-&-H. Maybe they only want to take that series when they think they have a chance to be competitive but that should be a continuous series.

Daniel Sackey has hops!

https://twitter.com/dreadedupG/status/1002659650674790401

It looks like Jay was doing some press back in Spain

https://twitter.com/canalte/status/1002166749893201920

Well at least we know Jay isn't getting any money on the side since he apparently can't afford a dress shirt.

I predict that's not the last time we see KC Hankton.  SLU has (3) SF in this freshmen class alone.  Their offers are vast and it appears to be a "what have you done for me know" system.

Listening to the Steve Helm Union Street Hoops podcast, he mentioned Patrick Robinson who I think was a Detroit transfer as a scout team player last year.  Is he still around?  He was never listed on the roster though he is in the team picture.

In Michael Osipoff's article in the Post-Tribune he talked with Coach Lottich about Coach Dildy's departure from the staff. A very interesting quote. "I'm not surprised Northwestern saw that. Like us, they want to get into Chicago, and I don't know anyone in the business better than Emanuel. So there's definitely a void."

He expands upon that a bit more. http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-spt-mens-basketball-valparaiso-eron-gordon-notes-st-0613-story.html

It could be a sign that he's look for an assistant who has strong ties to the CPL and Chicagoland recruiting market. I think that would be a wise decision. I'm curious when they might fill the position. Hopefully we land another homerun hire.

Quote from: VU2014 on June 13, 2018, 04:21:59 PM
In Michael Osipoff's article in the Post-Tribune he talked with Coach Lottich about Coach Dildy's departure from the staff. A very interesting quote. "I'm not surprised Northwestern saw that. Like us, they want to get into Chicago, and I don't know anyone in the business better than Emanuel. So there's definitely a void."

He expands upon that a bit more. http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-spt-mens-basketball-valparaiso-eron-gordon-notes-st-0613-story.html

It could be a sign that he's look for an assistant who has strong ties to the CPL and Chicagoland recruiting market. I think that would be a wise decision. I'm curious when they might fill the position. Hopefully we land another homerun hire.

How about JFL's HS coach Tyrone Slaughter?  Great coach and mentor, similar values, his teams are all about "family," and he's better connected in Chicago than Jon Costas is in Valpo. He was also national coach of the year in 2017.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZjFZOhufvmI

https://twitter.com/Coach_Lightfoot/status/1007005444378898432

One potentially interesting name for the assistant coaching position opening is Rob Holloway. He he's currently on the Eastern Illinois Staff and he has Chicago recruiting connections.

A nice little interview with Daniel Sackey during the Biosteel Tourney. He mentions he chose Valpo because of the communication off the court with Coach Gore and building a strong relationship. It just goes to show how important assistant coaches and program culture is.

https://twitter.com/ATH_UNF/status/1009194484075253760

Looking to hear some news soon. For recruits to be signed or transfer, there isn't much time if the coaches want players to get an early start on accumulating credits and to play together in the ARC. Only 10 days until the weekend when team members would arrive on campus to begin the second summer semester for which classes start July 2.

Do you know of anything brewing Valpopal?

Also we've still yet to name an assistant to replace coach Dildy is that right?

https://twitter.com/CollegeHoopNews/status/1011256386519490561

Quote from: VU2014 on June 25, 2018, 10:35:41 AM
https://twitter.com/CollegeHoopNews/status/1011256386519490561

From the start, I thought that, if the kid could get his game together and comtol his emotions, he could be a force.  I love his enthusiasm.  He has this year and next to be that.  I'm in his corner and rooting for him.

Here's two minutes of Marcus' dunks and highlights.  Just a little something to get juiced up about for the coming season.

[tweet]1010328575021584385[/tweet]

Coach Lottich's MVC teleconference call from yesterday.

https://soundcloud.com/mvcsports/matt-lottich-valparaiso-4

Good to hear the coach and some of the things he said about Jevon.  The more I think about it the more I am convinced that our team will be very deep and should make a run at a title.  Matt always plays his cards very close to the vest.

I have no clue if the Coach Lottich has anyone in mind for the Director of Basketball Operations position yet, but Bo Patton would be a absolute home run hire for the job, imo. Would love to see him on the Coaching Staff at VU. I'm just throwing his name out there. He's a Region guy.

Insert gif of a guy nodding and clapping....

Would be a home run hire.

Looks like the team is hanging out together on the 4th of July

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1014596784298037248
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1014597701697142784

Excellent article and video of Langston Stalling today: https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-valparaiso-walk-on-langston-stalling-perseveres-through-adversity/article_12b66927-061b-5336-a03d-aeadee3c9725.html (https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-valparaiso-walk-on-langston-stalling-perseveres-through-adversity/article_12b66927-061b-5336-a03d-aeadee3c9725.html)

Quote from: valpopal on July 09, 2018, 09:50:37 AM
Excellent article and video of Langston Stalling today: https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-valparaiso-walk-on-langston-stalling-perseveres-through-adversity/article_12b66927-061b-5336-a03d-aeadee3c9725.html (https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-valparaiso-walk-on-langston-stalling-perseveres-through-adversity/article_12b66927-061b-5336-a03d-aeadee3c9725.html)

Great article!

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 12:14:43 PM

Quote from: valpopal on July 09, 2018, 09:50:37 AM
Excellent article and video of Langston Stalling today: https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-valparaiso-walk-on-langston-stalling-perseveres-through-adversity/article_12b66927-061b-5336-a03d-aeadee3c9725.html (https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-valparaiso-walk-on-langston-stalling-perseveres-through-adversity/article_12b66927-061b-5336-a03d-aeadee3c9725.html)

Great article!

At minimum we need to view Stalling as a walk-on with equal or higher potential than John Kiser brought.

Quote from: justducky on July 09, 2018, 12:33:17 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 12:14:43 PM

Quote from: valpopal on July 09, 2018, 09:50:37 AM
Excellent article and video of Langston Stalling today: https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-valparaiso-walk-on-langston-stalling-perseveres-through-adversity/article_12b66927-061b-5336-a03d-aeadee3c9725.html (https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-valparaiso-walk-on-langston-stalling-perseveres-through-adversity/article_12b66927-061b-5336-a03d-aeadee3c9725.html)

Great article!

At minimum we need to view Stalling as a walk-on with equal or higher potential than John Kiser brought.

Love hearing that a Region kid chose to stay at home and picked us over Butler. I think eventually down the road he could be a contributor. No one would have expected John Kiser to play as big of a role as he has the last 2 years, so Stalling could earn himself minutes earlier than most of us expect.

It's also pretty cool that he's going to get a shot to be a two sport athlete at VU. When was the last time we had a two-sport athlete on the Men's Basketball team? Casey Schmidt?

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1016378341492916224

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 12:39:06 PM

Quote from: justducky on July 09, 2018, 12:33:17 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 12:14:43 PM

Quote from: valpopal on July 09, 2018, 09:50:37 AM
Excellent article and video of Langston Stalling today: https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-valparaiso-walk-on-langston-stalling-perseveres-through-adversity/article_12b66927-061b-5336-a03d-aeadee3c9725.html (https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-valparaiso-walk-on-langston-stalling-perseveres-through-adversity/article_12b66927-061b-5336-a03d-aeadee3c9725.html)

Great article!

At minimum we need to view Stalling as a walk-on with equal or higher potential than John Kiser brought.

Love hearing that a Region kid chose to stay at home and picked us over Butler. I think eventually down the road he could be a contributor. No one would have expected John Kiser to play as big of a role as he has the last 2 years, so Stalling could earn himself minutes earlier than most of us expect.

It's also pretty cool that he's going to get a shot to be a two sport athlete at VU. When was the last time we had a two-sport athlete on the Men's Basketball team? Casey Schmidt?

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1016378341492916224

I guess technically Steve Helm was a member of the team last year and was a two sport athlete.  More typically it's a football player doing track or baseball.  Bruce Lindner played both basketball and baseball.

Anybody remember Matt Bowen, the grandson of former Indiana governor, Otis Bowen? He was an asst coach at Valpo twelve years ago. Well, I hope you liked him a lot because.............HE'S BACK!!!!

Quote from: historyman on July 09, 2018, 02:36:55 PM
Anybody remember Matt Bowen, the grandson of former Indiana governor, Otis Bowen? He was an asst coach at Valpo twelve years ago. Well, I hope you liked him a lot because.............HE'S BACK!!!!

He's back? Is he the new DBO?

He last coached at Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs as the HC.

https://umdbulldogs.com/news/2018/2/26/umd-mens-basketball-coach-matt-bowens-contract-not-renewed.aspx

If anyone is planning on going.

https://twitter.com/MyrtleInvite/status/1016416614332489728

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 02:53:43 PM

Quote from: historyman on July 09, 2018, 02:36:55 PM
Anybody remember Matt Bowen, the grandson of former Indiana governor, Otis Bowen? He was an asst coach at Valpo twelve years ago. Well, I hope you liked him a lot because.............HE'S BACK!!!!

He's back? Is he the new DBO?

He last coached at Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs as the HC.

https://umdbulldogs.com/news/2018/2/26/umd-mens-basketball-coach-matt-bowens-contract-not-renewed.aspx

Bowen & Holloway are the asst coaches.

Quote from: historyman on July 09, 2018, 03:29:48 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 02:53:43 PM

Quote from: historyman on July 09, 2018, 02:36:55 PM
Anybody remember Matt Bowen, the grandson of former Indiana governor, Otis Bowen? He was an asst coach at Valpo twelve years ago. Well, I hope you liked him a lot because.............HE'S BACK!!!!

He's back? Is he the new DBO?

He last coached at Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs as the HC.

https://umdbulldogs.com/news/2018/2/26/umd-mens-basketball-coach-matt-bowens-contract-not-renewed.aspx

Bowen & Holloway are the asst coaches.

Oh wow. So no Todd Townsend? or is Coach Townsend the DBO? Is Coach Townsend no longer going to be part of the staff? That is quite the curveball. Was Coach Bowen known as strong recruiter in his time here at VU? I'm sure he knows Coach Gore pretty well.

(https://media.giphy.com/media/CDJo4EgHwbaPS/giphy.gif)

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 03:34:47 PM

Quote from: historyman on July 09, 2018, 03:29:48 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 02:53:43 PM

Quote from: historyman on July 09, 2018, 02:36:55 PM
Anybody remember Matt Bowen, the grandson of former Indiana governor, Otis Bowen? He was an asst coach at Valpo twelve years ago. Well, I hope you liked him a lot because.............HE'S BACK!!!!

He's back? Is he the new DBO?

He last coached at Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs as the HC.

https://umdbulldogs.com/news/2018/2/26/umd-mens-basketball-coach-matt-bowens-contract-not-renewed.aspx

Bowen & Holloway are the asst coaches.

Oh wow. So no Todd Townsend? or is Coach Townsend the DBO? Is Coach Townsend no longer going to be part of the staff? That is quite the curveball. Was Coach Bowen known as strong recruiter in his time here at VU? I'm sure he knows Coach Gore pretty well.

(https://media.giphy.com/media/CDJo4EgHwbaPS/giphy.gif)

I'm not sure what happened with coach Townsend but he has not been on the floor during Lottich's skill sets (they are not called practices) in the last few days.

Phil Wille was seen at one of the skill sets this past week. He is working at the University of Wyoming.

As the World Turns...

Quote from: historyman on July 09, 2018, 04:08:43 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 03:34:47 PM

Quote from: historyman on July 09, 2018, 03:29:48 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 02:53:43 PM

Quote from: historyman on July 09, 2018, 02:36:55 PM
Anybody remember Matt Bowen, the grandson of former Indiana governor, Otis Bowen? He was an asst coach at Valpo twelve years ago. Well, I hope you liked him a lot because.............HE'S BACK!!!!

He's back? Is he the new DBO?

He last coached at Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs as the HC.

https://umdbulldogs.com/news/2018/2/26/umd-mens-basketball-coach-matt-bowens-contract-not-renewed.aspx

Bowen & Holloway are the asst coaches.

Oh wow. So no Todd Townsend? or is Coach Townsend the DBO? Is Coach Townsend no longer going to be part of the staff? That is quite the curveball. Was Coach Bowen known as strong recruiter in his time here at VU? I'm sure he knows Coach Gore pretty well.

(https://media.giphy.com/media/CDJo4EgHwbaPS/giphy.gif)

I'm not sure what happened with coach Townsend but he has not been on the floor during Lottich's skill sets (they are not called practices) in the last few days.

Phil Wille was seen at one of the skill sets this past week. He is working at the University of Wyoming.

Wait!!!--------So we bring Phil Wille in to teach his skill set of jumping in to scuffle? Excellent choice. :thumbsup:

I'll be honest I had no clue who Phil Wille, but I looked him up and he's the 'Sr. Associate AD, Internal Operations' at Wyoming. He seems like a fairly accomplished guy. A VU basketball alum.  Earned his BA in 2002 and graduated from VU Law in 2005. Sr. I'm assuming he was visiting? https://gowyo.com/coaches.aspx?rc=187&path=academic_support


Do you think Coach Townsend moved on to a new Coaching position? Or is he moving on from coaching? I looked up his linkedin and it says he's been a PMD Trainee at Merrill Lynch since January 2018. No mention Valparaiso Basketball. https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-townsend

Update: New tweet from the Valpo Compliance Office a few minutes ago. So I'd imagine he is an assistant on the Valparaiso Staff.

https://twitter.com/valpocompliance/status/1016437799858462721

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 04:55:17 PM
Update: New tweet from the Valpo Compliance Office a few minutes ago. So I'd imagine he is an assistant on the Valparaiso Staff.

https://twitter.com/valpocompliance/status/1016437799858462721

The tweet was quickly deleted but I grabbed a screenshot for confirmation:

All of us who remember Phil Wille as a player, especially his famous fistfight against Oakland players, will always enjoy seeing him at Valpo.

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 05:11:55 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 04:55:17 PM
Update: New tweet from the Valpo Compliance Office a few minutes ago. So I'd imagine he is an assistant on the Valparaiso Staff.

https://twitter.com/valpocompliance/status/1016437799858462721

The tweet was quickly deleted but I grabbed a screenshot for confirmation:

Why would compliance tweet about coach hirings?  Are you saying they said something like "Welcome Todd Townsend?"

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 05:11:55 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 04:55:17 PM
Update: New tweet from the Valpo Compliance Office a few minutes ago. So I'd imagine he is an assistant on the Valparaiso Staff.

[tweet]1016437799858462721[/tweet]

The tweet was quickly deleted but I grabbed a screenshot for confirmation:

Yep. Looks like Compliance jumped the gun. Coaches are all in place but need to wait official announcement.

Quote from: valpopal on July 09, 2018, 06:18:20 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 05:11:55 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 04:55:17 PM
Update: New tweet from the Valpo Compliance Office a few minutes ago. So I'd imagine he is an assistant on the Valparaiso Staff.

[tweet]1016437799858462721[/tweet]

The tweet was quickly deleted but I grabbed a screenshot for confirmation:

Yep. Looks like Compliance jumped the gun. Coaches are all in place but need to wait official announcement.

So is his high school buddy Todd Townsend in or out as assistant coach at VU?

In looking at the UWM MBB page on their athletics website, there is no mention of Todd Townsend as an assistant coach. I take that as a good thing until there is an official announcement made about the new coaches by Valpo.

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G920A using Tapatalk

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on July 09, 2018, 08:19:27 PM

Quote from: valpopal on July 09, 2018, 06:18:20 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 05:11:55 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 04:55:17 PM
Update: New tweet from the Valpo Compliance Office a few minutes ago. So I'd imagine he is an assistant on the Valparaiso Staff.

[tweet]1016437799858462721[/tweet]

The tweet was quickly deleted but I grabbed a screenshot for confirmation:

Yep. Looks like Compliance jumped the gun. Coaches are all in place but need to wait official announcement.

So is his high school buddy Todd Townsend in or out as assistant coach at VU?

I said "looks like Compliance jumped the gun," not that their message was incorrect.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on July 09, 2018, 08:19:27 PM

Quote from: valpopal on July 09, 2018, 06:18:20 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 05:11:55 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 04:55:17 PM
Update: New tweet from the Valpo Compliance Office a few minutes ago. So I'd imagine he is an assistant on the Valparaiso Staff.

[tweet]1016437799858462721[/tweet]

The tweet was quickly deleted but I grabbed a screenshot for confirmation:

Yep. Looks like Compliance jumped the gun. Coaches are all in place but need to wait official announcement.

So is his high school buddy Todd Townsend in or out as assistant coach at VU?

It's seems highly likely since he's recruiting already. Valpo Athletics just seems to be waiting for the right moment to put out the news. Not a bad idea. Probably smart to not dump all the positive news all at the same time. First piece of news was the practice facility renovations, second is the Nick Robinson transfer, third will likely be the coaching assistants. Also combine the news of Rowdy signing with the Mavs and been a great couple weeks of news for the program.

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 04:55:17 PM
I'll be honest I had no clue who Phil Wille, but I looked him up and he's the 'Sr. Associate AD, Internal Operations' at Wyoming. He seems like a fairly accomplished guy. A VU basketball alum.  Earned his BA in 2002 and graduated from VU Law in 2005. Sr. I'm assuming he was visiting? https://gowyo.com/coaches.aspx?rc=187&path=academic_support


Do you think Coach Townsend moved on to a new Coaching position? Or is he moving on from coaching? I looked up his linkedin and it says he's been a PMD Trainee at Merrill Lynch since January 2018. No mention Valparaiso Basketball. https://www.linkedin.com/in/todd-townsend

Update: New tweet from the Valpo Compliance Office a few minutes ago. So I'd imagine he is an assistant on the Valparaiso Staff.

https://twitter.com/valpocompliance/status/1016437799858462721

So your screen shot of the tweet says "Invalid Tweet" on my iPhone.  That's why I asked for clarification because many of us cannot see anything other than "Invalid Tweet".  However, if I click on your posts history and back track it that way it becomes visible.

Good find!

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 09:16:27 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on July 09, 2018, 08:19:27 PM

Quote from: valpopal on July 09, 2018, 06:18:20 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 05:11:55 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 04:55:17 PM
Update: New tweet from the Valpo Compliance Office a few minutes ago. So I'd imagine he is an assistant on the Valparaiso Staff.

[tweet]1016437799858462721[/tweet]

The tweet was quickly deleted but I grabbed a screenshot for confirmation:

Yep. Looks like Compliance jumped the gun. Coaches are all in place but need to wait official announcement.

So is his high school buddy Todd Townsend in or out as assistant coach at VU?

It's seems highly likely since he's recruiting already. Valpo Athletics just seems to be waiting for the right moment to put out the news. Not a bad idea. Probably smart to not dump all the positive news all at the same time. First piece of news was the practice facility renovations, second is the Nick Robinson transfer, third will likely be the coaching assistants. Also combine the news of Rowdy signing with the Mavs and been a great couple weeks of news for the program.

Not contradicting your thoughts, just making an observation. Given the speed of social media and things like our forum, the Athletic Department has not handled the assistant BB coach(es) item as well as they have  other breaking news.  It just  seems a little awkward — especially when there is so much out there that points to the fact that there are two (maybe three) additions to the staff.

Phil Wille was a fun guy.  He would always play in open gym games with the rest of us wannabes, and then gets into that magnificent big guy fist fight against Oakland.  The legend of big Wille :).

As far as 2 sport stars, how could anyone forget Jamie Sykes, and the Jenkins twins?  Maybe it comes easy to me, since it was Men's Basketball and Baseball, and just 1-2 years before I started.

I've been scouring the internet looking for video of this VU vs Oakland fight. Apparently it was a televised game back in 01' so someone has to have a video lol. It sounds like it was a  89-57 beat down of Oakland.

Found the NWI Times article from that game: https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/sending-a-message/article_7724ab0e-94ce-5f8d-97cf-c8b59f09c50c.html

Quote from: VU2014 on July 09, 2018, 11:04:35 PM
I've been scouring the internet looking for video of this VU vs Oakland fight. Apparently it was a televised game back in 01' so someone has to have a video lol. It sounds like it was a  89-57 beat down of Oakland.

Found the NWI Times article from that game: https://www.nwitimes.com/uncategorized/sending-a-message/article_7724ab0e-94ce-5f8d-97cf-c8b59f09c50c.html

I was there. Champagne was a football player in a basketball uniform and a dirty player to boot. Constantly pushing, shoving, tripping throughout the game. Wille came in the game late and wasn't having any of it. Champagne elbowed him, Wille returned the favor, and Champagne put a headlock on Wille and tried to take him to the floor. On the way down Wille threw 2 quick uppercuts that caught Champagne on the head. They continued to brawl on the floor as other players tried to break it up. When it was announced that both players had been ejected, the crowd gave Wille a standing ovation as he made his exit. It was a great moment with good triumphing over evil. Several years later Kampe claimed his guy got the better of it. Complete revisionist history.

Official announcement of Townsend and Holloway is out: http://valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2018-19/18299/townsend-holloway-join-valpo-mens-basketball-coaching-staff/ (http://valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2018-19/18299/townsend-holloway-join-valpo-mens-basketball-coaching-staff/)

Quote from: valpopal on July 10, 2018, 08:45:47 AM
Official announcement of Townsend and Holloway is out: http://valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2018-19/18299/townsend-holloway-join-valpo-mens-basketball-coaching-staff/ (http://valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2018-19/18299/townsend-holloway-join-valpo-mens-basketball-coaching-staff/)

The big winner in this news (besides Matt Lottich for getting his friend on staff and the VU program for securing two quality assistants) is Paul Oren. Townsend's presence increases all the more the likelihood that we'll play a continuing series with UW-Milwaukee. Even in their current state, it's a fine series to keep as long as they're replacing the non-D1s.

Townsend played for Crean... Fingers crossed for a Home and Home with Georgia. I mean if Illinois State can get Ole Miss and Murray State can get Auburn, the idea shouldn't be totally inconceivable.

His link to Jordan may bring Butler into play as well.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on July 10, 2018, 09:12:34 AM
His link to Jordan may bring Butler into play as well.

If Coach Townsend could make that series happen, he'd be worth his weight in gold. But I'm a bit of a pessimist on it working out. Something tells me that even if LaVal wanted that series to happen, one of his higher ups put the kabosh on that series.

The UWM series on the other hand could probably get worked out with or without Coach Townsend reaching out. I'm sure the UWM coaches would like to play a MVC team and a former "rival". I believe Valpo fans gave UWM them their highest attend home game a few years ago.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on July 10, 2018, 09:12:34 AM
His link to Jordan may bring Butler into play as well.

Yeah I don't know if their link is that strong, otherwise why was he the one full-time assistant that he had at UWM (Will Vergollo and Omar Lowery were the others) that didn't follow him to Butler and instead was out of coaching last year?  That was also the only year they ever worked together. 

Plus Butler's not going to do a home and home with Valpo, and Valpo won't accept a buy game, so I don't see a matchup happening until Valpo makes several tourneys in a small time window (similar to what Butler had to do to get former conference foe Xavier to agree to home and homes).

Now his link to Crean is very real, as he played for them and was on Crean's staff at Marquette for 2 years.  I don't know if that's enough to bring Georgia to the ARC, as Crean loved padding his win total while he was at IU with a cupcake non-conference schedule.

We shouldn't (and likely won't) schedule any games against teams that are currently suing us. Full stop.

Quote from: bigmosmithfan1 on July 10, 2018, 10:13:31 AM
We shouldn't (and likely won't) schedule any games against teams that are currently suing us. Full stop.

Other sports have.

Quote from: IrishDawg on July 10, 2018, 10:09:56 AM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on July 10, 2018, 09:12:34 AMHis link to Jordan may bring Butler into play as well.

Yeah I don't know if their link is that strong, otherwise why was he the one full-time assistant that he had at UWM (Will Vergollo and Omar Lowery were the others) that didn't follow him to Butler and instead was out of coaching last year?  That was also the only year they ever worked together. Plus Butler's not going to do a home and home with Valpo, and Valpo won't accept a buy game, so I don't see a matchup happening until Valpo makes several tourneys in a small time window (similar to what Butler had to do to get former conference foe Xavier to agree to home and homes). Now his link to Crean is very real, as he played for them and was on Crean's staff at Marquette for 2 years.  I don't know if that's enough to bring Georgia to the ARC, as Crean loved padding his win total while he was at IU with a cupcake non-conference schedule.

I think you can tell by now that I  just want that series back and will look for any hope of it possibly restarting. Fair points on Crean. However, his reason for not following LaVall may well be the same reason many speculate  he didn't join Lottich's staff when Matt was originally hired at Valpo: his wife's career had her well-established in Milwaukee and the timing didn't feel right to make a move that far away. We're very glad to have him now though.

Yep, I was there, as well.  Champagne got his @$$ kicked by big Wille, in a fairly brief exchange.

Some high praise for Coach Holloway! Coach Lottich also mentioned that he's considered a rising star in the profession. Coach Lottich has made some very astute and good hires in the past.

https://twitter.com/GordonVoit/status/1016732015008403457

i think these are 2 shrewd and great coaching selections by Matt. Up and comers are developed in these ranks and I think he hit a HR on both hires. Chicago will be fine now.

Definitely worth the wait.

Question: So is Matt Bowmen going to be part of the staff in some capacity this upcoming season?

Quote from: VU2014 on July 10, 2018, 08:31:31 PM
Question: So is Matt Bowmen going to be part of the staff in some capacity this upcoming season?

No, but Matt Bowen is a possibility.  ;)

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1016886626050629637

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Lottich's childhood best friend joins Valparaiso coaching staff
Paul Oren Times Correspondent
Jul 10, 2018

https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/pro-basketball-former-vu-player-broekhoff-preparing-for-nba-experience/article_fe7f2ddf-3f61-530f-9fdd-969a9ce1aa56.html

Quote from: VU2014 on July 10, 2018, 10:33:06 PM
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1016886626050629637

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: Lottich's childhood best friend joins Valparaiso coaching staff
Paul Oren Times Correspondent
Jul 10, 2018

https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/pro-basketball-former-vu-player-broekhoff-preparing-for-nba-experience/article_fe7f2ddf-3f61-530f-9fdd-969a9ce1aa56.html

The above link is to the Broekhoff story. Here is the link to the Townsend story.

https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-lottich-s-childhood-best-friend-joins-valparaiso-coaching/article_d204690a-1d75-5e52-b1d0-26ec2b23eab7.html#tracking-source=home-top-story-1

Which means Bowen is taking a lesser position than asst coach or we are getting three new asst coaches. Unless my source misinformed me.

It sounds like Bowen would be an excellent addition to the staff if he served as a similar coaching position as Chad Warner did the previous season as the 'Special Assistant to the Head Coach/Recruiting Coordinator'. He's been an assistant under Gene Bartow and Homer Drew as well as having over a decade of head coaching experience.

Quote from: VU2014 on July 10, 2018, 08:31:31 PM
Question: So is Matt Bowmen going to be part of the staff in some capacity this upcoming season?

I learned today that the answer is YES. Matt Bowen will not have the official title of asst coach but he will be on the sideline with the other coaches giving instruction to the players. He will fill the position of DBO on the staff but having been a head coach before he will have a title such as the one suggested by VU2014 above of "special asst to the head coach" or something in that kind of verbage.


Also I found out today through my well placed sources that the Vandy game is on. Vandy's AD said they will honor the Bryce contract with Valpo and will be playing at Valpo not this coming season but the 2019-20 season. Valpo will then play at Vandy in the 2020-21 season. Since Bryce was very close to some of the Valpo players that have recently graduated/exhausted their eligibility he didn't want to play against Valpo while "his" players were still in the Valpo program.


Go VU!

Quote from: historyman on July 11, 2018, 11:26:29 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 10, 2018, 08:31:31 PM
Question: So is Matt Bowmen going to be part of the staff in some capacity this upcoming season?

I learned today that the answer is YES. Matt Bowen will not have the official title of asst coach but he will be on the sideline with the other coaches giving instruction to the players. He will fill the position of DBO on the staff but having been a head coach before he will have a title such as the one suggested by VU2014 above of "special asst to the head coach" or something in that kind of verbage.


Also I found out today through my well placed sources that the Vandy game is on. Vandy's AD said they will honor the Bryce contract with Valpo and will be playing at Valpo not this coming season but the 2019-20 season. Valpo will then play at Vandy in the 2020-21 season. Since Bryce was very close to some of the Valpo players that have recently graduated/exhausted their eligibility he didn't want to play against Valpo while "his" players were still in the Valpo program.

Go VU!

I guess that kinda makes sense.

Quote from: historyman on July 11, 2018, 11:26:29 PM

Also I found out today through my well placed sources that the Vandy game is on. Vandy's AD said they will honor the Bryce contract with Valpo and will be playing at Valpo not this coming season but the 2019-20 season. Valpo will then play at Vandy in the 2020-21 season. Since Bryce was very close to some of the Valpo players that have recently graduated/exhausted their eligibility he didn't want to play against Valpo while "his" players were still in the Valpo program.

Makes complete sense, which is why I'd mentioned it in the schedule thread.  No coach wants to have to go up against his former players.  If this is the case I think he's doing Valpo a massive favor by giving them a home game with what should be their strongest team since he left. 

Quote from: IrishDawg on July 12, 2018, 09:17:00 AM

Quote from: historyman on July 11, 2018, 11:26:29 PM

Also I found out today through my well placed sources that the Vandy game is on. Vandy's AD said they will honor the Bryce contract with Valpo and will be playing at Valpo not this coming season but the 2019-20 season. Valpo will then play at Vandy in the 2020-21 season. Since Bryce was very close to some of the Valpo players that have recently graduated/exhausted their eligibility he didn't want to play against Valpo while "his" players were still in the Valpo program.

Makes complete sense, which is why I'd mentioned it in the schedule thread.  No coach wants to have to go up against his former players.  If this is the case I think he's doing Valpo a massive favor by giving them a home game with what should be their strongest team since he left. 

I'm already pumped for that game at the ARC! A bunch of alums will be coming back for that game! I think this game could break the St. Mary's game in terms of attendance if they allow a good amount of standing room only. This game will get the attention of the Region because the native son Bryce Drew will be coming home. That game will no doubt be emotional for Bryce. So many Valpo connections on that Vandy staff.

Sounds like the University is promoting the basketball program by handing out some free tickets at the golf course. Matt works for the Athletics Department.

https://twitter.com/ward_mrw/status/1017458581921304577

Quote from: IrishDawg on July 12, 2018, 09:17:00 AM

Quote from: historyman on July 11, 2018, 11:26:29 PM

Also I found out today through my well placed sources that the Vandy game is on. Vandy's AD said they will honor the Bryce contract with Valpo and will be playing at Valpo not this coming season but the 2019-20 season. Valpo will then play at Vandy in the 2020-21 season. Since Bryce was very close to some of the Valpo players that have recently graduated/exhausted their eligibility he didn't want to play against Valpo while "his" players were still in the Valpo program.

Makes complete sense, which is why I'd mentioned it in the schedule thread.  No coach wants to have to go up against his former players.  If this is the case I think he's doing Valpo a massive favor by giving them a home game with what should be their strongest team since he left. 

I think you will find with the stud recruits that Bryce has added lately that Vandy will be much improved when Crusaders take on the Commodores in the 2019-20 season. No matter how much improved Valpo is in 19-20 season Vandy will probably be that much more improved also in that season. 

Quote from: bbtds on July 13, 2018, 10:01:19 AM

Quote from: IrishDawg on July 12, 2018, 09:17:00 AM

Quote from: historyman on July 11, 2018, 11:26:29 PM

Also I found out today through my well placed sources that the Vandy game is on. Vandy's AD said they will honor the Bryce contract with Valpo and will be playing at Valpo not this coming season but the 2019-20 season. Valpo will then play at Vandy in the 2020-21 season. Since Bryce was very close to some of the Valpo players that have recently graduated/exhausted their eligibility he didn't want to play against Valpo while "his" players were still in the Valpo program.

Makes complete sense, which is why I'd mentioned it in the schedule thread.  No coach wants to have to go up against his former players.  If this is the case I think he's doing Valpo a massive favor by giving them a home game with what should be their strongest team since he left. 

I think you will find with the stud recruits that Bryce has added lately that Vandy will be much improved when Crusaders take on the Commodores in the 2019-20 season. No matter how much improved Valpo is in 19-20 season Vandy will probably be that much more improved also in that season. 

Agreed. Bryce took over a shaky roster to begin with his first season and took that team to the tourney (I actually think IL St was more deserving than Vandy but that's a whole different discussion). Last season the roster was pretty bad after the graduation of Luke Kornet & Nolan Cressler. Bryce, Roger, Jake, and Casey have a stacked recruiting class coming in with two 5 star recruits. If Vanderbilt was an Adidas school they probably would have landed Romeo Langford over IU.

I think Vandy will be favored coming into that 2019-20 game but they'll be in our house and we should give them hell. TBH it's tough to project that far ahead.

Quote from: bbtds on July 13, 2018, 10:01:19 AM

I think you will find with the stud recruits that Bryce has added lately that Vandy will be much improved when Crusaders take on the Commodores in the 2019-20 season. No matter how much improved Valpo is in 19-20 season Vandy will probably be that much more improved also in that season.

Neither Garland nor Shittu should around for the 19-20 campaign, as both are one and done level 5 stars in what is projected to be a very weak NBA draft in 2019.  Outside of those two, he's brought in Aaron Nesmith, who had a good, but not great offer list for a 4 star, and he's supplemented the rest of their roster with some transfers who are more likely to be role players than studs.  Saban Lee is a solid returning Sophomore guard, but it remains to be seen how much he improves this season.  The rest of the guys returning aren't even average offensive players (defensively Vandy was horrible last year).  I have no doubt that on paper Vanderbilt will be the more individually higher rated team, and that they will improve from their 12-20 campaign last season.  That doesn't mean (unless he pulls in a couple more 5 star talents) that Valpo shouldn't win that first matchup.  Even then, a team full of upperclassmen shouldn't fear anyone that comes into their building.

Some JFL highlights. I can't wait to see this kid play this upcoming season.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGnw8gvn1Tk

Some great moves to the hoop.  Now imagine Marcus and Javon going to hoop while this guy waits at the three point line:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gK39pHEufvA

Quote from: VU2014 on July 15, 2018, 08:09:07 PM
Some JFL highlights. I can't wait to see this kid play this upcoming season.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGnw8gvn1Tk

We have many reasons for excitement this year.  Great share 2014

I think it was expressed by another poster on this board that we should let JLF grow on his own and not try and rush his development. After seeing Javon play in open gym and competing hard against the other players I saw a desire to succeed that really overwhelms this kid's persona. At the same time you could see some deep frustration rear it's ugly head. During a portion of the skill set instruction by Coach Lottich Javon was picked to shoot the free throws which came with a lot of pressure because if you missed a free throw the whole team had to do an extra wind sprint the length of the floor. You could tell when Javon missed his second free throw he became extremely upset and slammed the ball to the floor and then he did his wind sprint. There is a great desire to live up to his reputation. When he finally made his third free throw attempt there was great relief on his face. He wants to perform well and to expectations every time he hits the court.

Let them know you want a piece on Valpo Basketball

https://twitter.com/mid_madness/status/1019573884423671808

Quote from: VU2014 on July 18, 2018, 09:34:23 AMLet them know you want a piece on Valpo Basketball https://twitter.com/mid_madness/status/1019573884423671808

I doubt we'll get any kind of coverage from them (especially positive) unless it's totally earned and they have no choice. I wouldn't be surprised if we're almost totally blackballed by them and they totally hate us after last year when certain fans whined about not getting enough coverage for starting 8-0 in that layup drill we called the first 2\3 of our nonconference schedule.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on July 18, 2018, 09:43:59 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 18, 2018, 09:34:23 AMLet them know you want a piece on Valpo Basketball https://twitter.com/mid_madness/status/1019573884423671808

I doubt we'll get any kind of coverage from them (especially positive) unless it's totally earned and they have no choice. I wouldn't be surprised if we're almost totally blackballed by them and they totally hate us after last year when certain fans whined about not getting enough coverage for starting 8-0 in that layup drill we called the first 2\3 of our nonconference schedule.

Why would you think that?  I don't get the impression that mid-major madness is in the business of denying coverage to teams if they deserve it.  If Valpo does well against West Virginia and Western Kentucky or starts out well in the MVC, they'll get coverage.

Quote from: IrishDawg on July 18, 2018, 10:10:10 AM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on July 18, 2018, 09:43:59 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 18, 2018, 09:34:23 AMLet them know you want a piece on Valpo Basketball https://twitter.com/mid_madness/status/1019573884423671808

I doubt we'll get any kind of coverage from them (especially positive) unless it's totally earned and they have no choice. I wouldn't be surprised if we're almost totally blackballed by them and they totally hate us after last year when certain fans whined about not getting enough coverage for starting 8-0 in that layup drill we called the first 2\3 of our nonconference schedule.

Why would you think that?  I don't get the impression that mid-major madness is in the business of denying coverage to teams if they deserve it.  If Valpo does well against West Virginia and Western Kentucky or starts out well in the MVC, they'll get coverage.

I got a strong sense from last year that the people who run that site have a vindictive streak.

Well College sports madness has you guys at #112 in their "Top 144" countdown--I think that's really under rating you, For sure you'll finish in top 100 at least. UNI is below you at #129

http://www.collegesportsmadness.com/article/16410

I'm not sure how much I trust their opinion of the team. To be fair ranking 144 teams and giving a credible opinion/analysis for all of them is a tall task. They lost me when they didn't highlight Golder as one of the Top 3 returners and when they said: "Micah Bradford has played an important role for this team over the last two seasons". Micah was a net negative on the team the first half of last season and his freshman year. I'm so down on Micah's abilities on the court, in a odd/corky way it makes me feel like he's destined to have a big year.

I'm excited for this season and I'm interested to see how look. Mid-pack is a fair expectation for this season. I expect the team to be a heck of a lot more consistent. It's going to drive me nuts if we continue to consistently have those 5 minutes scoreless streaks.

Yeh, it's hard to believe for example that UNI has taken such a big fall. Hopefully 4 at least teams are well into the top 100--and 5-6 before the year is through

Really depends on the ranking system, but if you're more of an analytic kind of guy like me (since the schedule doesn't determine where a team is ranked, just how well they played against who they played), the last time the MVC had 5-6 teams rated in the top 100 of kenpom was the 2012-2013 season.  Last year was the low watermark for the league as Loyola was the only top 100 team at the end of it all, but here's how many teams the MVC has had in the top 100 at the end of each season, along with the number of bids the league received.  Generally the college sports madness polls are fun because it's the offseason, but I don't think it's any more accurate than any other human poll.  Even good publications like Blue Ribbon will butcher the analysis of some mid-major programs.

2002 - 2 teams in the top 100 (2 NCAA bids)
2003 - 3 (2)
2004 - 5 (2)
2005 - 5 (3)
2006 - 6 (4)
2007 - 8 (2)
2008 - 6 (1)
2009 - 3 (1)
2010 - 4 (1)
2011 - 3 (1)
2012 - 5 (2)
2013 - 6 (2)
2014 - 2 (1)
2015 - 3 (2)
2016 - 3 (2)
2017 - 3 (1)
2018 - 1 (1)

Quote from: IrishDawg on July 18, 2018, 03:48:44 PM
Really depends on the ranking system, but if you're more of an analytic kind of guy like me (since the schedule doesn't determine where a team is ranked, just how well they played against who they played), the last time the MVC had 5-6 teams rated in the top 100 of kenpom was the 2012-2013 season.  Last year was the low watermark for the league as Loyola was the only top 100 team at the end of it all, but here's how many teams the MVC has had in the top 100 at the end of each season, along with the number of bids the league received.  Generally the college sports madness polls are fun because it's the offseason, but I don't think it's any more accurate than any other human poll.  Even good publications like Blue Ribbon will butcher the analysis of some mid-major programs.

2002 - 2 teams in the top 100 (2 NCAA bids)
2003 - 3 (2)
2004 - 5 (2)
2005 - 5 (3)
2006 - 6 (4)
2007 - 8 (2)
2008 - 6 (1)
2009 - 3 (1)
2010 - 4 (1)
2011 - 3 (1)
2012 - 5 (2)
2013 - 6 (2)
2014 - 2 (1)
2015 - 3 (2)
2016 - 3 (2)
2017 - 3 (1)
2018 - 1 (1)

The MVC had only one team in the top 100 because the league played each other evenly.

Quote from: a3uge on July 18, 2018, 06:31:54 PM
The MVC had only one team in the top 100 because the league played each other evenly.

That definitely had something to do with it, but the bigger reason was how the league performed in the non-conference.  With Kenpom's ratings, even if you aren't playing power programs, teams can still move up in the ratings if they beat their opponents by his predicted spread for the game (his normally align very closely with what Vegas does).

So a big flaw with KenPom is that it doesn't really put a lot of weight into SOS even though it keeps track of it?

Also I am really surprised that Missouri State is not going to make the preseason top 144. (have to  assume that the last 4 MVC slots are going to the Illinois schools) I guess they have reservations about the Bears because of the coaching change. That's the only reason I can think of. They're putting together a really talented team in Springfield.

Rob is a pretty in the know guy. Just hype or does he know something we don't know? I like Sackey's potential but starting lineup for a freshman PG seems like a stretch for me. Bakari is going to be a starter. I could see Sackey and Bakari playing together though. I honestly don't know what to expect from Sackey his freshman season. Has anyone seen how he looks in one of the skills sessions (practice)?

https://twitter.com/RobBehrend/status/1019715885647433728

If he's that good that quickly then we're in fantastic shape going forward and just may surprise some folks and make a run for the top 3 of the MVC.

https://twitter.com/dreadedupG/status/1019796913552609280

When did they take the old wood bleachers out of Hilltop?

Quote from: valpotx on July 19, 2018, 06:21:15 AM
When did they take the old wood bleachers out of Hilltop?

Not sure but part of the plan is /was to put a full wall up between the court and the softball hitting area above.

Quote from: VU2014 on July 18, 2018, 09:44:42 PM
Rob is a pretty in the know guy. Just hype or does he know something we don't know? I like Sackey's potential but starting lineup for a freshman PG seems like a stretch for me. Bakari is going to be a starter. I could see Sackey and Bakari playing together though. I honestly don't know what to expect from Sackey his freshman season. Has anyone seen how he looks in one of the skills sessions (practice)?

[tweet]1019715885647433728[/tweet]

I was really impressed by Sackey's quickness in open court during open gym sessions. His athletic ability to leap when he gets near the basket is extremely impressive. Whether that equates into a starting spot at the beginning of the season in Coach Lottich's opinion is only conjecture on our part. I don't think it matters whether Sackey starts or not he will get plenty of playing time and if our opponents don't have a quick and good defender to match up with Daniel he will exploit the advantage. I see Sackey starting by the end of the season after he has acclamated to Div. I basketball.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on July 18, 2018, 07:54:11 PM
So a big flaw with KenPom is that it doesn't really put a lot of weight into SOS even though it keeps track of it?

It's a factor simply because it would impact the perceived point spread of a team's games during the season.  I'm not sure why that would be perceived as a flaw.  A team's schedule has little to do with their ability as a team.  That's why a team like St. Mary's can have an absolute crap schedule (196th) and still be rated pretty highly (32nd) because they beat their opponents in a way that would suggest they are the 32nd best team in the country. 

This is why if I were a mid-major school, I would be advocating hard to make this as big of a factor in NCAA tournament selection and seeding as possible.  Because then it wouldn't matter if you could get P5 programs to play you.  For example, in 2016 when Wichita State was a 10 seed and had to play Dayton and then Kentucky, the analytical ratings suggested they should have been a 2 seed going into the tournament.  But because of their schedule and their lack of "quality wins" that year, they got bumped down to a 10, which gave them harder matchups, which generally prevents a team from advancing as far as they could.

https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1019969075831869440

Quote from: VU2014 on July 18, 2018, 09:44:42 PM
Rob is a pretty in the know guy. Just hype or does he know something we don't know? I like Sackey's potential but starting lineup for a freshman PG seems like a stretch for me. Bakari is going to be a starter. I could see Sackey and Bakari playing together though. I honestly don't know what to expect from Sackey his freshman season. Has anyone seen how he looks in one of the skills sessions (practice)?

https://twitter.com/RobBehrend/status/1019715885647433728

Wow!  Can't wait to see this guy play!

Very cool for Marcus.  That can only help his development.

Quote from: VU2014 on July 19, 2018, 11:20:43 AM
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1019969075831869440

Anyone know of any broadcasting or streaming information for this event?  Would love to be able to watch some games next week.

http://www.usateam.org/fisu-america

There's a "Watch Live" link to Facebook on that page.

Basketball is on the schedule starting July 24 through July 28

Here's the )(&*)@#&* Roster...

First   Last   Position   University
Shannon   Bogues   G   Stephen F Austin
Eli   Cain   G   DePaul
Phlandrous   Fleming   G   Charleston Southern
Markus   Golder   G   Valporaiso
TJ   Holyfield   F   Stephen F Austin
Drew   McDonald   F   Northern Kentucky
Joshua   Nebo   F   Texas A&M
Tayler   Persons   G   Ball State
Frederick   Scott   F   Rider
William   Wampler   F   Wright State

http://www.usateam.org/mbb-fisu-america-games   for the schedule

USA is in Group B

Wednesday 7/25    7:15pm USA vs loser Mexico/Chile
Thursday 7/26     7:15pm  USA vs. Winner Mexico/Chile


Friday:  7/27:   B1 plays at 7:15   B2 plays at 5:30 and B3 plays at 11am

Saturday 7/28, thinking positively, the Gold Metal game is at 6pm vs the Group A Winner (Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay); the Bronze Metal Game is at 4:15pm

Quote from: EddieCabot on July 19, 2018, 11:52:06 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 18, 2018, 09:44:42 PM
Rob is a pretty in the know guy. Just hype or does he know something we don't know? I like Sackey's potential but starting lineup for a freshman PG seems like a stretch for me. Bakari is going to be a starter. I could see Sackey and Bakari playing together though. I honestly don't know what to expect from Sackey his freshman season. Has anyone seen how he looks in one of the skills sessions (practice)?

https://twitter.com/RobBehrend/status/1019715885647433728

Wow!  Can't wait to see this guy play!

I doubt he makes the starting lineup.  You don't start two freshman when you have other choices.  Perhaps Rob is suggesting that Javon isn't that good.  Bakari is an all conference type talent and Micah surely will see the court.  Oh, and we didn't sign a grad transfer to see him in the game only in blow out situations. Even if Daniel is that college ready, his size will be an issue when he is called on to guard a 6'4" or 6'5" guard.

Quote from: vu72 on July 19, 2018, 04:54:39 PMI doubt he makes the starting lineup.  You don't start two freshman when you have other choices.  Perhaps Rob is suggesting that Javon isn't that good.  Bakari is an all conference type talent and Micah surely will see the court.  Oh, and we didn't sign a grad transfer to see him in the game only in blow out situations. Even if Daniel is that college ready, his size will be an issue when he is called on to guard a 6'4" or 6'5" guard.

Predicting point guard playing time with this bunch has the potential to make all of us look stupid. I don't even know how to rank them. Maybe Evelyn would be best but he will likely play as much or more at the 3 and 2. Lavender started a number of games as a backup point even with him being a more natural 2. On top of this Micah can not be overlooked.

So ???

In the early going 72 could be right about the freshman not being on the floor together but as the year progresses -- who knows?

Quote from: justducky on July 19, 2018, 08:30:26 PM

Quote from: vu72 on July 19, 2018, 04:54:39 PMI doubt he makes the starting lineup.  You don't start two freshman when you have other choices.  Perhaps Rob is suggesting that Javon isn't that good.  Bakari is an all conference type talent and Micah surely will see the court.  Oh, and we didn't sign a grad transfer to see him in the game only in blow out situations. Even if Daniel is that college ready, his size will be an issue when he is called on to guard a 6'4" or 6'5" guard.

Predicting point guard playing time with this bunch has the potential to make all of us look stupid. I don't even know how to rank them. Maybe Evelyn would be best but he will likely play as much or more at the 3 and 2. Lavender started a number of games as a backup point even with him being a more natural 2. On top of this Micah can not be overlooked.

So ???

In the early going 72 could be right about the freshman not being on the floor together but as the year progresses -- who knows?

Sometimes it seemed like Bakari had a difficult time running the offense as a true pg.  He seemed better off the ball, though last year was a mess.  I think we'd do well to limit Bakari at the point.  I may get slammed here, but Bakari is not an outstanding athlete.  He's shifty but was bottled up well by our opponents.  Think he's matchups are better off the ball, on both ends of the court.  He had a difficult time keeping in front of quick pg.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on July 18, 2018, 10:52:19 AM

Quote from: IrishDawg on July 18, 2018, 10:10:10 AM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on July 18, 2018, 09:43:59 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 18, 2018, 09:34:23 AMLet them know you want a piece on Valpo Basketball https://twitter.com/mid_madness/status/1019573884423671808

I doubt we'll get any kind of coverage from them (especially positive) unless it's totally earned and they have no choice. I wouldn't be surprised if we're almost totally blackballed by them and they totally hate us after last year when certain fans whined about not getting enough coverage for starting 8-0 in that layup drill we called the first 2\3 of our nonconference schedule.

Why would you think that?  I don't get the impression that mid-major madness is in the business of denying coverage to teams if they deserve it.  If Valpo does well against West Virginia and Western Kentucky or starts out well in the MVC, they'll get coverage.

I got a strong sense from last year that the people who run that site have a vindictive streak.

Why? Are they unhinged right wing nuts like James Woods and Ryan Fournier?

Some clarity on Lavender's potential role.

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1020069465239810049
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1020070393074339840
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1020070393908989953
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1020070698813976577

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on July 19, 2018, 08:36:50 PM

Quote from: justducky on July 19, 2018, 08:30:26 PM

Quote from: vu72 on July 19, 2018, 04:54:39 PMI doubt he makes the starting lineup.  You don't start two freshman when you have other choices.  Perhaps Rob is suggesting that Javon isn't that good.  Bakari is an all conference type talent and Micah surely will see the court.  Oh, and we didn't sign a grad transfer to see him in the game only in blow out situations. Even if Daniel is that college ready, his size will be an issue when he is called on to guard a 6'4" or 6'5" guard.

Predicting point guard playing time with this bunch has the potential to make all of us look stupid. I don't even know how to rank them. Maybe Evelyn would be best but he will likely play as much or more at the 3 and 2. Lavender started a number of games as a backup point even with him being a more natural 2. On top of this Micah can not be overlooked.

So ???

In the early going 72 could be right about the freshman not being on the floor together but as the year progresses -- who knows?

Sometimes it seemed like Bakari had a difficult time running the offense as a true pg.  He seemed better off the ball, though last year was a mess.  I think we'd do well to limit Bakari at the point.  I may get slammed here, but Bakari is not an outstanding athlete.  He's shifty but was bottled up well by our opponents.  Think he's matchups are better off the ball, on both ends of the court.  He had a difficult time keeping in front of quick pg.

I'm not sure Bakari will ever be a true PG like a Keith Carter but the hope could be that he could be a sufficient PG at times the next few seasons. He definitely has the ability to play off the ball. Bakari's 3 point shooting really improved as the season went on. I like that we have the versatility to play him at the 2 when needed. One thing to keep in mind that this past season was his first full basketball season since his junior year of high school. He played well given the long layoff and he has the chance to get even better. I'm sure we'll be seeing Micah and Bakari out there at the same time.

The minutes distributions will be interesting to watch this season. Coach Lottich will need to trust guys on defense to earn a good share of minutes.

Lavender's issue is similar to Bakari's. Too many possessions ending in turnovers. He cleans that up and I think he can play that role well next season.

https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1020482461426470913

https://twitter.com/nwipreps/status/1020145229943443456

COLLEGE BASKETBALL: New assistant coach helps Valparaiso land graduate transfer
Paul Oren Times Correspondent
Jul 20, 2018 

https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/college-basketball-new-assistant-coach-helps-valparaiso-land-graduate-transfer/article_eba58c23-17a5-5bbc-a80f-cb5e23c3565a.html

https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1021148099216125952

[tweet]1022140229816385536[/tweet]

Quote from: valpopal on July 25, 2018, 10:58:26 AM
[tweet]1022140229816385536[/tweet]

Go left, young man.

Horace Greeley

In watching some of the half time, Marcus' shot looks great.  Hardly missed from the 3.  Don't much care for the broadcast, could barely understand the guy.  I think they need a new PA system!  Might as well have been broadcast in Spanish.

Portuguese?

Quote from: VULB#62 on July 25, 2018, 06:54:44 PM
Portuguese?

seeing that it is Brazil, that makes sense.  Still didn't understand a word!  ;)

Quote from: vu72 on July 25, 2018, 07:05:29 PM

Quote from: VULB#62 on July 25, 2018, 06:54:44 PMPortuguese?

seeing that it is Brazil, that makes sense.  Still didn't understand a word!  ;)

They did do an interview with Golder at the end that was in English. He was the only one they interviewed.

Quote from: VUBBFan on July 25, 2018, 07:36:11 PM

Quote from: vu72 on July 25, 2018, 07:05:29 PM

Quote from: VULB#62 on July 25, 2018, 06:54:44 PMPortuguese?

seeing that it is Brazil, that makes sense.  Still didn't understand a word!  ;)

They did do an interview with Golder at the end that was in English. He was the only one they interviewed.

Did anyone see his stat line?

Did anyone find a stat line for the game? I only caught the final few minutes of the game and Golder was on the bench. How did he look?

https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1022482043261747200

Quote from: VU2014 on July 26, 2018, 12:02:02 PMDid anyone find a stat line for the game? I only caught the final few minutes of the game and Golder was on the bench. How did he look?

Can't find a stat line but he looked alright. Nothing special but he did drive left to the basket and score plus he had one of his signature slams off a rebound.

Quote from: VUBBFan on July 26, 2018, 12:41:03 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 26, 2018, 12:02:02 PMDid anyone find a stat line for the game? I only caught the final few minutes of the game and Golder was on the bench. How did he look?

Can't find a stat line but he looked alright. Nothing special but he did drive left to the basket and score plus he had one of his signature slams off a rebound.

Agreed, the crew didn't do the best job in following the action and the view was pretty tight so you couldn't really follow him all that much.  I saw the drive using his left hand and he scored off the glass a couple of time.  The slam off the rebound was cool.  I know he took a couple of 3's, not sure if any went in.  I saw him shooting in warmups and he was hitting everyone.

Quote from: vu72 on July 26, 2018, 01:14:36 PM
I saw him shooting in warmups and he was hitting everyone.

I was hoping he'd gotten his temper in check, but apparently not!  ;)

Quote from: Valpower on July 26, 2018, 01:47:30 PM

Quote from: vu72 on July 26, 2018, 01:14:36 PM
I saw him shooting in warmups and he was hitting everyone.

I was hoping he'd gotten his temper in check, but apparently not!  ;)

Speaking of tempers. Ball State's Tayler Persons is on the team with Golder. Those two will be squaring off next season at the ARC. I really want that W.

Quote from: VUBBFan on July 26, 2018, 12:41:03 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 26, 2018, 12:02:02 PMDid anyone find a stat line for the game? I only caught the final few minutes of the game and Golder was on the bench. How did he look?

Can't find a stat line but he looked alright. Nothing special but he did drive left to the basket and score plus he had one of his signature slams off a rebound.

I also watched the game and thought that he looked pretty good.  It looked like he was consciously making an effort to use the left hand.  Was crashing the boards pretty well which precipitated the putback slam. I think that he took 3 3's but I don't think that he made any of them (I could be wrong on the number and the makes because the video was pretty bad at following the action and showing the court). Was hustling nicely on defense making some plays and being his effervescent self encouraging his teammates.  My impression was that he seemed to be one of the best at trying to play a "team" game and when asked in the ending interview he talked mainly about how the team stepped it up on defense in the second half and that the defensive play was the reason they pulled away at the end.  Overall a decent performance and attitude.

I've loved that kid from the get go. His enthusiasm and love of the game is infectious.

I didn't catch the game but it looks like Team USA won again. Anyone know what the AIA stands for on the jersey's? Is that "Athletes in Action"? Anyone catch the last game? USA beat Chile, 92-79.

https://twitter.com/USATeam_/status/1022674300837486592

Quote from: VU2014 on July 27, 2018, 10:13:35 AMAnyone know what the AIA stands for on the jersey's?

America Isolated Again??

Love seeing the guys putting in the work. It's going to be a big prove it year for Jay. He surpassed expectations his Freshman season but it seemed like he "stalled" a bit last season but had some sporadic bigs games: Utah State, SIU, Loyola (game 2), UNCW.

It may have been a slightly disappointing season but it actually wasn't a bad one. There were highs and lows which should be expected from a underclassman big. There were some encouraging stat lines: eFG%: 54.5, PER: 15.9, FT%: 77.1%. If he could become a more consistent on defense and improve in the rebounding department he could be in for a very nice season. He shown the ability to be a strong defender at times.

https://twitter.com/JaumeSorolla/status/1023027842945359873

If we get a step forward from Sorolla we'll be in good shape this year.

Love it!  :thumbsup:

https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1023364361715212288
https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1023369171860709381
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1023344624969101312

https://twitter.com/AlBillets/status/1023390669308612609


Gold for Golder in Brazil

https://twitter.com/i/status/1023398079247118336

Quote from: VUBBFan on July 28, 2018, 09:45:23 PM
https://twitter.com/i/status/1023398079247118336

EPIC DUNK!!! This young man has such a bight future! Can't wait to see him play in the brown and gold this November!

It looks like John Kiser may have a left wrist injury. He's rocking a brace on his left wrist on Jay's instagram.

https://www.instagram.com/p/Bl0_Y1fjEA-WLGVjjVbTju396jkex8GkRSp0j80/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=1np41y88qtvh5

https://twitter.com/JaumeSorolla/status/1023657491215929345

Quote from: VU2014 on July 28, 2018, 10:37:41 AM
Love seeing the guys putting in the work. It's going to be a big prove it year for Jay. He surpassed expectations his Freshman season but it seemed like he "stalled" a bit last season but had some sporadic bigs games: Utah State, SIU, Loyola (game 2), UNCW.

It may have been a slightly disappointing season but it actually wasn't a bad one. There were highs and lows which should be expected from a underclassman big. There were some encouraging stat lines: eFG%: 54.5, PER: 15.9, FT%: 77.1%. If he could become a more consistent on defense and improve in the rebounding department he could be in for a very nice season. He shown the ability to be a strong defender at times.

https://twitter.com/JaumeSorolla/status/1023027842945359873

Jay's defense is already pretty consistent.  I think we are still comparing him to Vashill who lead the nation in a defensive category.  Jay is a strong defender in my book.  I would rather have him on the floor than Smits.  I think we will see them flower this year....two nice change of style Centers with size.

Jay looks like he is in phenomenal shape, per that IG photo.

Even the centers seem to be working hard. This is fantastic! I'm getting excited because I'm getting the sense that the entire team--to the last man--is not happy with how last season went AT ALL and wants to do something about it in a big way. I'm still not going to revise my prediction upward out of respect for the depth and talent of the conference and  because we haven't seen them on the court yet; but I wouldn't blame a single Crusader fan for feeling pretty  optimistic right now.

Anyone hear what happened? Maybe a last minute opportunity to earn a scholarship somewhere else popped up? Either way I wish him well.

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1023951806693617665

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on July 30, 2018, 05:29:25 AM
Even the centers seem to be working hard. This is fantastic! I'm getting excited because I'm getting the sense that the entire team--to the last man--is not happy with how last season went AT ALL and wants to do something about it in a big way. I'm still not going to revise my prediction upward out of respect for the depth and talent of the conference and  because we haven't seen them on the court yet; but I wouldn't blame a single Crusader fan for feeling pretty  optimistic right now.

"Centers?" Not trying to sound picky, but what evidence have we seen that Derrik is working hard?

I guess I'm taking that one on faith based on his improved play at the end of the conference season.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on July 29, 2018, 04:00:29 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 28, 2018, 10:37:41 AMLove seeing the guys putting in the work. It's going to be a big prove it year for Jay. He surpassed expectations his Freshman season but it seemed like he "stalled" a bit last season but had some sporadic bigs games: Utah State, SIU, Loyola (game 2), UNCW. It may have been a slightly disappointing season but it actually wasn't a bad one. There were highs and lows which should be expected from a underclassman big. There were some encouraging stat lines: eFG%: 54.5, PER: 15.9, FT%: 77.1%. If he could become a more consistent on defense and improve in the rebounding department he could be in for a very nice season. He shown the ability to be a strong defender at times. https://twitter.com/JaumeSorolla/status/1023027842945359873

Jay's defense is already pretty consistent.  I think we are still comparing him to Vashill who lead the nation in a defensive category.  Jay is a strong defender in my book.  I would rather have him on the floor than Smits.  I think we will see them flower this year....two nice change of style Centers with size.

Rightly or wrongly and far or not, Vashil Fernandez set the standard by which the defense of all future Valpo centers will be judged by all who had the pleasure of having watched him play.

I think Jay is a pretty good defender at times but he could be more consistent. He finds himself in compromising spots on defense sometimes, but sometimes it was caused by a misstep by a teammate on the court missing their defensive rotation. That's one thing I'm looking forward to about the next 2 seasons. The more guys play together on the court the fewer mistakes we should see on guys on defense. At mid-major level, cohesiveness and continuity is everything. In college hoops experience can overcome a talent gap between two teams on the court.

Quote from: VU2014 on July 30, 2018, 04:25:23 PM
I think Jay is a pretty good defender at times but he could be more consistent. He finds himself in compromising spots on defense sometimes, but sometimes it was caused by a misstep by a teammate on the court missing their defensive rotation. That's one thing I'm looking forward to about the next 2 seasons. The more guys play together on the court the fewer mistakes we should see on guys on defense. At mid-major level, cohesiveness and continuity is everything. In college hoops experience can overcome a talent gap between two teams on the court.

I've mainly observed his offense as hit or miss.  I don't recall condemning his D with any frequency.  Smits CONSTANTLY has me yelling at my tv screen to sit his _____.

I hope Jay's offense improves enough that we see Smits less this year.  I have more belief in Jay enveloping offensively than Smits learning how to use his feet on defense.

I'm not trying to belittle Smits, because he has great passion on offense.  But I've never felt he tries on defense, to the point that I find myself wishing for small ball despite having tremendous size advantages with him in the game.

Option 1: Sorolla
Option 2: Small ball
Option 3: Smits

I think Derrik made much better strides forward than J last year.  J didn't improve.  Derrik improved his range and added a hook shot. Can he make the additional improvement to make those shots consistent and play defense and rebound?  Let's give him a chance to show what he has worked on.  I still think a combo of these guys will give Coach the option of using Derrik's offense against smaller teams and perhaps J's defense with teams driving the lane.

Both centers seem to have somewhat of a ceiling on each end of the court. Jay could become a very strong defensive center but the offense may be somewhat limited (although I think he'll be efficient). Smits has a chance to be the best offensive centers we've had in a while (they are different players but Raitis Grafs (admittedly I never saw him play but I heard his ceiling was sky high)), but on defense he could be maddening to watch at times. If Smits could just become a average defender he could be in for a huge year. Smits was really coming into his own on the offensive side of the court the second half of the season. I'm excited to see both guys take the next step the next 2 years. Both guys have potential and have shown glimpses. Hopefully it all comes together for both.

Yeah, let's not compare Jay or Smits to Raitis.  Not even close :)

Quote from: VU2014 on July 30, 2018, 08:59:29 PM
Both centers seem to have somewhat of a ceiling on each end of the court. Jay could become a very strong defensive center but the offense may be somewhat limited (although I think he'll be efficient). Smits has a chance to be the best offensive centers we've had in a while (they are different players but Raitis Grafs (admittedly I never saw him play but I heard his ceiling was sky high)), but on defense he could be maddening to watch at times. If Smits could just become a average defender he could be in for a huge year. Smits was really coming into his own on the offensive side of the court the second half of the season. I'm excited to see both guys take the next step the next 2 years. Both guys have potential and have shown glimpses. Hopefully it all comes together for both.

What I found interesting is that Sorolla (110 O Rating) was much more efficient offensively than Smits (96.2 O Rating) was (the main reasons for this is Smits turned the ball over more and Sorolla is a better offensive rebounder), both overall and during the conference schedule. 

Smits had a couple of efficient games that stand out in the 2nd half of the year (Drake at home, at Illinois State), but he only had 5 conference games in which his offensive rating was over 100 (100 is considered average), whereas Sorolla had 12 games during conference play with an offensive rating over 100.

Quote from: valpotx on July 31, 2018, 04:10:35 AM
Yeah, let's not compare Jay or Smits to Raitis.  Not even close :)

Put Raitis (any of his 4 seasons) on next year's roster, and he would play 30-35 minutes and Jay and Derrik the remaining 5-10 in any game where the outcome is in doubt.

Unfortunately, none of that matters. Our chances of winning a championship in the next 2 years is going to live or die with Jay and Derrik. If they play well, we will be hard to stop. If they continue with all the inconsistency and other issues, we will be in trouble. The MVC is just too darn good to be able to cover for a glaring weakness in 40 of 200 minutes.

Quote from: IrishDawg on July 31, 2018, 07:26:58 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 30, 2018, 08:59:29 PM
Both centers seem to have somewhat of a ceiling on each end of the court. Jay could become a very strong defensive center but the offense may be somewhat limited (although I think he'll be efficient). Smits has a chance to be the best offensive centers we've had in a while (they are different players but Raitis Grafs (admittedly I never saw him play but I heard his ceiling was sky high)), but on defense he could be maddening to watch at times. If Smits could just become a average defender he could be in for a huge year. Smits was really coming into his own on the offensive side of the court the second half of the season. I'm excited to see both guys take the next step the next 2 years. Both guys have potential and have shown glimpses. Hopefully it all comes together for both.

What I found interesting is that Sorolla (110 O Rating) was much more efficient offensively than Smits (96.2 O Rating) was (the main reasons for this is Smits turned the ball over more and Sorolla is a better offensive rebounder), both overall and during the conference schedule. 

Smits had a couple of efficient games that stand out in the 2nd half of the year (Drake at home, at Illinois State), but he only had 5 conference games in which his offensive rating was over 100 (100 is considered average), whereas Sorolla had 12 games during conference play with an offensive rating over 100.

Ratings aside, there are some interesting stats when examining their season performances.

Derrik played 1.5 more minutes per game, and shot slightly better at 56.9 versus 54.5.  Interestingly enough, Derrik shot 87 free throws to J's only 48 attempts.  They were similar in total fouls at 76 and 74 and J fouled out twice to Derrik's once.  Derrik was the better passer with 23 assists to J's 7 but had way more turnovers at 62 to 25.  Derrik had more rebounds at 114 versus 103 but J had 32 blocks versus Derrik's 21 and finally Derrik averaged 7.5 ppg versus J's 4.9.

So I guess you could say that Derrik is the better scorer and rebounder and also drew more fouls,  but J is a better defensive player and more reliable to not turn it over. 

Quote from: vu72 on July 31, 2018, 08:08:14 AM

Quote from: IrishDawg on July 31, 2018, 07:26:58 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 30, 2018, 08:59:29 PM
Both centers seem to have somewhat of a ceiling on each end of the court. Jay could become a very strong defensive center but the offense may be somewhat limited (although I think he'll be efficient). Smits has a chance to be the best offensive centers we've had in a while (they are different players but Raitis Grafs (admittedly I never saw him play but I heard his ceiling was sky high)), but on defense he could be maddening to watch at times. If Smits could just become a average defender he could be in for a huge year. Smits was really coming into his own on the offensive side of the court the second half of the season. I'm excited to see both guys take the next step the next 2 years. Both guys have potential and have shown glimpses. Hopefully it all comes together for both.

What I found interesting is that Sorolla (110 O Rating) was much more efficient offensively than Smits (96.2 O Rating) was (the main reasons for this is Smits turned the ball over more and Sorolla is a better offensive rebounder), both overall and during the conference schedule. 

Smits had a couple of efficient games that stand out in the 2nd half of the year (Drake at home, at Illinois State), but he only had 5 conference games in which his offensive rating was over 100 (100 is considered average), whereas Sorolla had 12 games during conference play with an offensive rating over 100.

Ratings aside, there are some interesting stats when examining their season performances.

Derrik played 1.5 more minutes per game, and shot slightly better at 56.9 versus 54.5.  Interestingly enough, Derrik shot 87 free throws to J's only 48 attempts.  They were similar in total fouls at 76 and 74 and J fouled out twice to Derrik's once.  Derrik was the better passer with 23 assists to J's 7 but had way more turnovers at 62 to 25.  Derrik had more rebounds at 114 versus 103 but J had 32 blocks versus Derrik's 21 and finally Derrik averaged 7.5 ppg versus J's 4.9.

So I guess you could say that Derrik is the better scorer and rebounder and also drew more fouls,  but J is a better defensive player and more reliable to not turn it over.

Thanks for breaking it down, numbers are telling head-to-head like that.  I suppose Smits does a better job of creating off the dribble being the main difference (offensively) between the two players.  But I can honestly say that Smits' turnovers are enough for me to yell at the TV to sit on the pine.  In my mind the only positions that should be turning the ball over are the ones that have more dribbling in their game, so why does a Center have those type of turnovers.  Oh wait, it's because Smits gets awful positioning and starts dribbling from dang near the 3-point line trying to back down OR spin (really hook) his way to the basket.

He does make some nice plays, but man alive he is frustrating to root for when he only contributes on the offensive side of the ball.  On this years team I feel the center position needs to produce (points wise) similar to last year and will have less pressure on them presumably.  We have some scoring options that will draw the attention away from the Center position with Fazekas and a few of the new comers.

Is it feasible that our Centers set less picks at the 3-point line this year?  High pick and rolls can put the pick guy out of position for rebounding . . .  But I also noticed last year that the PF position (often times Mileek) was being played exclusively around the 3-point line which also put him at a disadvantage for rebounds.  Many times last year we had our C picking and our PF waiting for the corner 3 just to have Tevonn attempt a fade away long jumper and have no size in the lane trying to get offensive rebounds.

We mainly saw Tevonn, Golder and Joseph going for O-rebounds on last years team, and the only one over 6'2" was Golder.  Can we expect a different approach this year or maybe more size?

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on July 31, 2018, 08:33:38 AMIs it feasible that our Centers set less picks at the 3-point line this year?  High pick and rolls can put the pick guy out of position for rebounding . . .  But I also noticed last year that the PF position (often times Mileek) was being played exclusively around the 3-point line which also put him at a disadvantage for rebounds.  Many times last year we had our C picking and our PF waiting for the corner 3 just to have Tevonn attempt a fade away long jumper and have no size in the lane trying to get offensive rebounds.

We mainly saw Tevonn, Golder and Joseph going for O-rebounds on last years team, and the only one over 6'2" was Golder.  Can we expect a different approach this year or maybe more size?

Now that i think back, you are spot on.  Tevonn, Golder and Max were our three leading rebounders and that has to change.  My guess is with guys like Golder and Freeman who can create off the dribble without a pick, will change our offensive approach overall.  Should be fun!

Field Goodie nails it.   

I don't know basketball theory well so I'd like to hear from others.  But there was just seemed to be a glaring oddity when big players so often set picks way outside and missed out on rebounds. 

Does slow first step by Smits (or lack of hustle) factor in?  Some players just have "it" on the court like an outfielder who anticipates the ball already during the swing and pitch location and they have a great first step to the ball.  He doesn't.  Can that be taught?  Hard to think so.

For you hoops junkies who can draw up the blackboard------was there some additional reason we used this offensive pattern so much?.....and did our slow first step make it much worse?  Or maybe a lack of tenacity in re-establishing rebounding position? 

Vote for Valpo!

https://www.facebook.com/91530127810/posts/10155354431662811/

https://twitter.com/MVCsports/status/1024294862995251200

Quote from: valpotx on July 31, 2018, 04:10:35 AM
Yeah, let's not compare Jay or Smits to Raitis.  Not even close :)

On defense lets keep one thing in mind when comparing Raitus with Jay or Derrik. The amoeba zone was the bread and butter of the Homer and Scott Drew era. Matt relies mainly on man to man and occasionally threw in the wildcard 1-3-1 with our center assigned to run the baseline. While I will concede that Raitis was the better close in defender I question if he could defend out to the 3 point line which was an assignment with which both Jay and Derrik struggled.

So I just looked at the roster for changes to our returning players, and so some startling things!

1. Derrik shrank 1"

2. Ryan shrank 1" and lost 15#!!!!

You'd think with all we have heard about Mileek that his weight might have changed, but no!  No changes for the majority of the guys!

https://twitter.com/Tom101010/status/1024460326706839552

Great stat.  I would take all 4 of those players in the picture.  Those were good times.

Quote from: VU2014 on July 31, 2018, 08:42:52 PM
https://twitter.com/Tom101010/status/1024460326706839552

Amazing! The Butler Braggadocio finally recognizes Valpo for some prolonged success. How did that slip by him before?

Not sure why he only included Indiana teams he considers "mid-majors".  Valpo's total is surpassed (barely) by only Purdue with 119 and ND with 118.   :crazy:

He would likely reply to your query that it is not apples-to-apples.  Not sure that I agree with it, but nonetheless, it would be the explanation.

Maturing Rosters in Carbondale and Valparaiso
by Harry Schroeder
August 1, 2018

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/maturing-rosters-in-carbondale-and-valparaiso/

https://twitter.com/FatherHarry1/status/1024648912748138496

Quote from: historyman on August 01, 2018, 06:30:48 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on July 31, 2018, 08:42:52 PM
https://twitter.com/Tom101010/status/1024460326706839552

Amazing! The Butler Braggadocio finally recognizes Valpo for some prolonged success. How did that slip by him before?

Have to disagree. This Twitter thread is about promoting IPFW. Any positive mention for Valpo is just an unintended and unavoidable by product of trying to promote the Mastadons.

Quote from: ml2 on August 01, 2018, 09:21:37 AM
Have to disagree. This Twitter thread is about promoting IPFW. Any positive mention for Valpo is just an unintended and unavoidable by product of trying to promote the Mastadons.

Yep. Davis had another post about IPFW being the only Indiana mid-major to go to 5 consecutive postseason lol. I almost responded back that VU turned down the opportunity to play in the CBI last season, which would put us on a longer postseason streak then IPFW but it really isn't worth getting in a pissing match with him over that.

Quote from: ml2 on August 01, 2018, 09:21:37 AM
Have to disagree. This Twitter thread is about promoting IPFW. Any positive mention for Valpo is just an unintended and unavoidable by product of trying to promote the Mastadons.

Agree.  If you look at the Tweet, @MastondonMBB is the only twitter handle included.  Clear bias toward that Fort Wayne school (whatever their name is now).

You'd expect better from a professional journalist ... we're just spoiled by the unbiased and professional coverage provided by Oren and Osipoff.

Quote from: EddieCabot on August 01, 2018, 09:39:40 AM

Quote from: ml2 on August 01, 2018, 09:21:37 AM
Have to disagree. This Twitter thread is about promoting IPFW. Any positive mention for Valpo is just an unintended and unavoidable by product of trying to promote the Mastadons.

Agree.  If you look at the Tweet, @MastondonMBB is the only twitter handle included.  Clear bias toward that Fort Wayne school (whatever their name is now).

You'd expect better from a professional journalist ... we're just spoiled by the unbiased and professional coverage provided by Oren and Osipoff.

Never change Eddie!  :thumbsup:

I doubt our offense changes much and our guards best be ready to rebound on the offensive (and defensive) ends. Your bigs set the screen to draw their rim protector away from the basket. He will either be forced to switch off into the faster ball handler who, ideally, goes by him and scores or creates for a teammate when help comes (corner 3) or give up a jump shot to the ball handler.

Sorolla has fewer assists partly because he didn't touch the ball in situations that would lead directly to an assist very often. He was setting those screens nonstop it seemed like to me.

I suspect both our centers as well as Mileek and Fazekas will all be ready and will take VUs front court game up several notches from where it was at any point last year.

Quote from: EddieCabot on August 01, 2018, 09:39:40 AM

Quote from: ml2 on August 01, 2018, 09:21:37 AM
Have to disagree. This Twitter thread is about promoting IPFW. Any positive mention for Valpo is just an unintended and unavoidable by product of trying to promote the Mastadons.

Agree.  If you look at the Tweet, @MastondonMBB is the only twitter handle included.  Clear bias toward that Fort Wayne school (whatever their name is now).

You'd expect better from a professional journalist ... we're just spoiled by the unbiased and professional coverage provided by Oren and Osipoff.

There's a little more to it than 3 local writers, all with typical "homer" bias. What sets Davis apart is he has has made derogatory comments about Valpo's program in recent years. At 1 time it was clear that he followed this board and reacted publicly to the gloating going on here about Valpo winning the last 4 games played by the 2 teams and all the negativity around Butler refusing to play Valpo thereafter. Oren and Osipoff are far too professional to use their positions to make petty, poison pen comments about opposing programs.

Quote from: wh on August 01, 2018, 04:49:21 PM

Quote from: EddieCabot on August 01, 2018, 09:39:40 AM

Quote from: ml2 on August 01, 2018, 09:21:37 AM
Have to disagree. This Twitter thread is about promoting IPFW. Any positive mention for Valpo is just an unintended and unavoidable by product of trying to promote the Mastadons.

Agree.  If you look at the Tweet, @MastondonMBB is the only twitter handle included.  Clear bias toward that Fort Wayne school (whatever their name is now).

You'd expect better from a professional journalist ... we're just spoiled by the unbiased and professional coverage provided by Oren and Osipoff.

There's a little more to it than 3 local writers, all with "homer" bias. What sets Davis apart is he has has made derogatory comments about Valpo's program in recent years. At 1 time it was clear that he followed this board and reacted publicly to the gloating going on here about Valpo winning the last 4 games played by the 2 teams and all the negativity around Butler refusing to play Valpo thereafter. Oren and Osipoff are far too professional to use their positions to make petty, poison pen comments about opposing programs.

Except for Paul's repeated twitter digs at Butler such as the following  ::) :
[tweet]1022199599241605125[/tweet]

Quote from: valpopal on August 01, 2018, 04:59:02 PM

Quote from: wh on August 01, 2018, 04:49:21 PM

Quote from: EddieCabot on August 01, 2018, 09:39:40 AM

Quote from: ml2 on August 01, 2018, 09:21:37 AM
Have to disagree. This Twitter thread is about promoting IPFW. Any positive mention for Valpo is just an unintended and unavoidable by product of trying to promote the Mastadons.

Agree.  If you look at the Tweet, @MastondonMBB is the only twitter handle included.  Clear bias toward that Fort Wayne school (whatever their name is now).

You'd expect better from a professional journalist ... we're just spoiled by the unbiased and professional coverage provided by Oren and Osipoff.

There's a little more to it than 3 local writers, all with "homer" bias. What sets Davis apart is he has has made derogatory comments about Valpo's program in recent years. At 1 time it was clear that he followed this board and reacted publicly to the gloating going on here about Valpo winning the last 4 games played by the 2 teams and all the negativity around Butler refusing to play Valpo thereafter. Oren and Osipoff are far too professional to use their positions to make petty, poison pen comments about opposing programs.

Except for Paul's repeated twitter digs at Butler such as the following  ::) :
[tweet]1022199599241605125[/tweet]

Apples and oranges. Oren is Valpo's beat writer. He is merely using a creative way of repeating a frustration shared publicly many times by ml that his repeated attempts to schedule Butler have fallen on deaf ears. To make Oren's tweet analogous to Davis' derogatory Valpo comments, Paul would have to reside in Ft.Wayne, be employed by the Ft. Wayne News Sentinel as Purdue Fort Wayne's beat writer, and use his platform to promote his Alma mater 100 miles away.

Quote from: wh on August 01, 2018, 04:49:21 PM

Quote from: EddieCabot on August 01, 2018, 09:39:40 AM

Quote from: ml2 on August 01, 2018, 09:21:37 AM
Have to disagree. This Twitter thread is about promoting IPFW. Any positive mention for Valpo is just an unintended and unavoidable by product of trying to promote the Mastadons.

Agree.  If you look at the Tweet, @MastondonMBB is the only twitter handle included.  Clear bias toward that Fort Wayne school (whatever their name is now).

You'd expect better from a professional journalist ... we're just spoiled by the unbiased and professional coverage provided by Oren and Osipoff.

There's a little more to it than 3 local writers, all with typical "homer" bias. What sets Davis apart is he has has made derogatory comments about Valpo's program in recent years. At 1 time it was clear that he followed this board and reacted publicly to the gloating going on here about Valpo winning the last 4 games played by the 2 teams and all the negativity around Butler refusing to play Valpo thereafter. Oren and Osipoff are far too professional to use their positions to make petty, poison pen comments about opposing programs.

I don't read Davis, so I likely missed his derogatory comments toward Valpo.  I was merely pointing out the quality work done by NWI Times and Post Trib in covering Valpo.

Quote from: VU2014 on August 01, 2018, 08:43:46 AMMaturing Rosters in Carbondale and Valparaiso by Harry Schroeder August 1, 2018 http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/maturing-rosters-in-carbondale-and-valparaiso/ https://twitter.com/FatherHarry1/status/1024648912748138496

Lots of praise for Valpo in here. Says the Crusaders have "some of the most exciting players in the conference." Evelyn Golder and McMillan get most of the praise but he seems to hint (rightly) that Fazekas and Lavender will play big roles as well.

https://twitter.com/MVCsports/status/1025019135883988994

Quote from: VU2014 on August 02, 2018, 09:31:21 AM
https://twitter.com/MVCsports/status/1025019135883988994

Reggie Redbird is killing the Crusader right now. Our mascot could use a lot of help from the Valpo faithful.

Voting ends at 4:00 p.m. Eastern/3:00 p.m. Central

Quote from: bbtds on August 02, 2018, 10:29:25 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on August 02, 2018, 09:31:21 AM
https://twitter.com/MVCsports/status/1025019135883988994

Reggie Redbird is killing the Crusader right now. Our mascot could use a lot of help from the Valpo faithful.

Voting ends at 4:00 p.m. Eastern/3:00 p.m. Central

So our alumni based is going to defeat a state school?

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 02, 2018, 11:05:00 AM
So our alumni based is going to defeat a state school?

Yeah the private schools don't have much of a chance to win this thing. It's always between SIU, ISUr, and MSU. I do find it funny that Valpo beat Indiana State which is a way bigger school lol.

Would rather win the games.

We have a two year first round winning streak in the Mascot Challenge, which isn't too bad. We beat Bradley last year too. Looks like we'll be 0-2 all time against Reggie Redbird. It's okay though we have a better record against his basketball team having split with the Redbirds last year. It really is amazing how good we were especially at home, particularly  from the Indiana State home game onward. We absolutely whipped many of the best in the MVC. Last year we beat Bradley by  13 Illinois State by 16 Drake by  17 and SIU by 11. These teams all finished between 2-5 in the Valley. (granted the SIU and Drake wins were before the ISUb game but I will always look to that game as the turning point of the season where we really started to see the team's growth and improvement.

[tweet]1025394461608747009[/tweet]

Should provide some good, invaluable game experience for him. Will be interesting to see how he looks.

Should provide some good, invaluable game experience for him. Will be interesting to see how he looks defensively.

Quote from: VUBBFan on August 03, 2018, 12:57:05 PM[tweet]1025394461608747009[/tweet]

Anybody know how he fared?

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on August 03, 2018, 10:23:51 PM
Anybody know how he fared?

I couldn't find any stats, but the team he's playing for is the "Experimental Netherlands"

https://twitter.com/CBB_Central/status/1025912128044183552

https://twitter.com/PostTribSports/status/1026595132894851073

'One of the better times of my life': Valparaiso's Markus Golder savors experience on way to gold medal in Brazil
Michael Osipoff
Post-Tribune
August 6, 2018

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-spt-mens-basketball-valparaiso-markus-golder-st-0807-story.html

This article leaves me very excited and encouraged. The upperclassmen who have been here seem to understand their roles as leaders on and off the court in all facets, including as transmitters of the program culture so that it remains strong..

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on August 06, 2018, 05:39:01 PM
This article leaves me very excited and encouraged. The upperclassmen who have been here seem to understand their roles as leaders on and off the court in all facets, including as transmitters of the program culture so that it remains strong..

Encouraging to be sure.  On paper we have seven juniors.  In reality a grad transfer AND four guys who should be seniors.  That is an "old" team and one who needs to really step it up, big time.  The next two years are make it or break it time.

Quote from: VU2014 on August 06, 2018, 05:30:43 PM
https://twitter.com/PostTribSports/status/1026595132894851073

'One of the better times of my life': Valparaiso's Markus Golder savors experience on way to gold medal in Brazil
Michael Osipoff
Post-Tribune
August 6, 2018

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-spt-mens-basketball-valparaiso-markus-golder-st-0807-story.html

Quote"I spent a lot of time on my ballhandling over the summer," Golder said

Music to my ears. If he can improve his ball handling then Golder has the chance to be a 1st Team MVC player by his Senior, maybe sooner if he really elevates his game next season. The tools are there and it sounds like the drive is there as well.

I think Tom Davis has given VU some very disingenuous and some what vindictive coverage over the years, but I hate to hear of a guy losing his job. Local news coverage is very important and it's been shrinking rapidly the last few years. We are beyond lucky to have two great Valpo Basketball beat reporters in Paul and Michael. If you can't subscribe to the NWI Times or Post-Trib at least give them a click and share their articles on your social media to show your support of our beat writers.

https://twitter.com/Tom101010/status/1027980977690292224

Quote from: VU2014 on August 10, 2018, 01:56:57 PM
I think Tom Davis has given VU some very disingenuous and some what vindictive coverage over the years, but I hate to hear of a guy losing his job. Local news coverage is very important and it's been shrinking rapidly the last few years. We are beyond lucky to have two great Valpo Basketball beat reporters in Paul and Michael. If you can't subscribe to the NWI Times or Post-Trib at least give them a click and share their articles on your social media to show your support of our beat writers.

https://twitter.com/Tom101010/status/1027980977690292224

Agreed, we are lucky to have the coverage we do from a small town perspective.  Was Tom Davis the reporter that many on this forum disliked?  Or was there a Mike ____?

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 10, 2018, 02:46:54 PM
Agreed, we are lucky to have the coverage we do from a small town perspective.  Was Tom Davis the reporter that many on this forum disliked?  Or was there a Mike ____?

I know Tom Davis was one of them at the very least.  He made a lot of people at Butler upset this year too when he wrote an article questioning a recruit's maturity and intelligence for even visiting Wichita State, because the recruit didn't comprehend the academic value of the degree from Butler vs. one from Wichita State and was making a decision based solely on basketball, and he also couldn't understand why Butler was recruiting him in the first place.  The Butler coaching staff basically cut off his access to the program after that (the recruit chose Wichita State, and I honestly don't blame him).

Still hate for anyone to lose their job, even though I wouldn't necessarily say he's a good guy.

Quote from: IrishDawg on August 10, 2018, 03:10:21 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 10, 2018, 02:46:54 PM
Agreed, we are lucky to have the coverage we do from a small town perspective.  Was Tom Davis the reporter that many on this forum disliked?  Or was there a Mike ____?

I know Tom Davis was one of them at the very least.  He made a lot of people at Butler upset this year too when he wrote an article questioning a recruit's maturity and intelligence for even visiting Wichita State, because the recruit didn't comprehend the academic value of the degree from Butler vs. one from Wichita State and was making a decision based solely on basketball, and he also couldn't understand why Butler was recruiting him in the first place.  The Butler coaching staff basically cut off his access to the program after that (the recruit chose Wichita State, and I honestly don't blame him).

Still hate for anyone to lose their job, even though I wouldn't necessarily say he's a good guy.

Mike Hutton.  Who is more anti-VU?

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 10, 2018, 03:50:28 PM

Quote from: IrishDawg on August 10, 2018, 03:10:21 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 10, 2018, 02:46:54 PM
Agreed, we are lucky to have the coverage we do from a small town perspective.  Was Tom Davis the reporter that many on this forum disliked?  Or was there a Mike ____?

I know Tom Davis was one of them at the very least.  He made a lot of people at Butler upset this year too when he wrote an article questioning a recruit's maturity and intelligence for even visiting Wichita State, because the recruit didn't comprehend the academic value of the degree from Butler vs. one from Wichita State and was making a decision based solely on basketball, and he also couldn't understand why Butler was recruiting him in the first place.  The Butler coaching staff basically cut off his access to the program after that (the recruit chose Wichita State, and I honestly don't blame him).

Still hate for anyone to lose their job, even though I wouldn't necessarily say he's a good guy.

Mike Hutton.  Who is more anti-VU?

I wouldn't necessarily say Hutton was anti-VU.  I think the criticism of Hutton has more to do with his lack of research and generally poor reporting.

Quote from: VU2014 on August 10, 2018, 01:56:57 PM
I think Tom Davis has given VU some very disingenuous and some what vindictive coverage over the years, but I hate to hear of a guy losing his job. Local news coverage is very important and it's been shrinking rapidly the last few years. We are beyond lucky to have two great Valpo Basketball beat reporters in Paul and Michael. If you can't subscribe to the NWI Times or Post-Trib at least give them a click and share their articles on your social media to show your support of our beat writers.

https://twitter.com/Tom101010/status/1027980977690292224

Asked a buddy from Ft Wayne and he said VU was never really mentioned in the paper locally.  In fact the first time he even heard of VU was high school junior year at a college fair.

Now this could be the case that high school and younger aren't big consumers of news.  Or is it possible that VU is truly unmentioned our in Ft Wayne?

I know we have some solid contributors from out that way, what are their thoughts on VU coverage in their local paper?  Maybe Indy can chime in too?

Growing up in Michigan and being Lutheran there was no time I came across VU.  It took football and track recruitment to learn the school even existed.  Later, after committing, my Lutheran pastor grand father had a lot to say but he didn't even actively talk about VU.

Suppose it's our tiny alumni base and lack of national marketing dollars.

Yes, Tom Davis is the guy who had no use for Valpo.  He had blue Butler blood in his veins and thought he was above all in his coverage of BU hoops.  At least as of a few years ago the VU Sports Info  people told me that they would get info to the FW papers but basically it was disregarded and ignored.  We basically get no VU or MVC news here in Fort Wayne.  Davis, a BU grad, was the Butler reporter  for the News-Sentinel and had a column devoted to BU.  He was a

Back to the article about Golder ---Lottich comments on his hard summer work sound very promising indeed!   

So often the most athletically gifted players struggle to develop the work ethic because it  comes easily.

I am speculating, but the Burton departure seemed to throw him off balance for several games.  New season..new start!

Go Markus!   

The Burton departure, coupled with the adjustment to MVC play, threw the whole team off-balance for several games. To their everlasting credit, they eventually got their legs under them and finished the season strong. Let's hope the trend of strong play continues. Go Valpo!

Quote from: VU2014 on August 10, 2018, 01:56:57 PM
I think Tom Davis has given VU some very disingenuous and some what vindictive coverage over the years, but I hate to hear of a guy losing his job. Local news coverage is very important and it's been shrinking rapidly the last few years. We are beyond lucky to have two great Valpo Basketball beat reporters in Paul and Michael. If you can't subscribe to the NWI Times or Post-Trib at least give them a click and share their articles on your social media to show your support of our beat writers.

https://twitter.com/Tom101010/status/1027980977690292224

I got my first paper route at age 10, delivering the Vidette Messenger in Valpo. I collected money from my customers every Friday night and paid my bill in person on Sat. mornings at the V-M office on Lincolnway. Had to learn where everyone wanted their paper left, and if I ever arrived later than usual, certain customers would let me know they were none too happy. :). Papers were a big deal in those days and it was fun playing a little part in something that seemed to be so important to grown-ups. :)

Maybe this is Micah's year. From everything I've heard he's putting in all the work and he's looking good. He looks in the best shape I've ever seen.

https://twitter.com/BBCHSBOYSHOOPS/status/1028820339202109443

No one can ever question Micah's work ethic.  He has always been a gym rat, based on what we have seen.  He just hasn't translated that work into in-game success on a consistent basis.

I'm rooting for him. I hope he has a breakout year. He's more than earned it with all his hard work over the years.

What ever happened with his court case?   I know they changed the charges.  Did they ever get dropped?   I take it he will miss the 1st 2 games of the season? 

https://twitter.com/PeterTheEditor/status/1029499169441017856

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmefkwiHaiy/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=19zlubb51tlxo

Quote from: VU2014 on August 14, 2018, 08:58:49 PM
https://twitter.com/PeterTheEditor/status/1029499169441017856

https://www.instagram.com/p/BmefkwiHaiy/?utm_source=ig_twitter_share&igshid=19zlubb51tlxo

Markus makes it look easier though he is 6'6" vs 6'2" of Javon...

So what's more impressive?

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 02, 2018, 11:05:00 AM

Quote from: bbtds on August 02, 2018, 10:29:25 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on August 02, 2018, 09:31:21 AM
https://twitter.com/MVCsports/status/1025019135883988994

Reggie Redbird is killing the Crusader right now. Our mascot could use a lot of help from the Valpo faithful.

Voting ends at 4:00 p.m. Eastern/3:00 p.m. Central

So our alumni based is going to defeat a state school?

Not if we give up at the beginning if we perceive a handicap for our favored side.

Micah getting some work in.

https://twitter.com/barrybradford3/status/1030225057069576193

Quote from: VU2014 on August 16, 2018, 05:53:50 PM
Micah getting some work in.

https://twitter.com/barrybradford3/status/1030225057069576193

Wow!  I'm tired just watching that workout!

Quote from: vu72 on August 17, 2018, 08:16:52 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on August 16, 2018, 05:53:50 PM
Micah getting some work in.

https://twitter.com/barrybradford3/status/1030225057069576193

Wow!  I'm tired just watching that workout!

During the video the instructor commented that a few of his step backs were NBA or more.  Had to laugh a bit, because that was the Micah we all knew and dreaded his freshmen year.  Have to say I was glad to see him take vastly better shot selection as a sophomore and can definitely say I saw progression with his IQ in the game.  If he can develop a 35% mid-range step back jumper and sink FT around 72% then we have a heck of a serviceable player in Micah.

OklahomaMick can attest that I wanted him to transfer after his freshmen year.  Thought I admit now that I was just being emotional and angry at his dumb freshmen shot selection.  What else could we really expect from a freshmen who got so many minutes early on?

Who gets minutes at PG for us this year early on?  Bakari as a starter possibly, but I like him better as a SG.  So I think Micah is really our minutes winning PG early on (after any suspension is served).  For a time last season, I think that Micah and Sorolla seemed to be the best energy guys we had on the court offensively.  I still think their games lend well to the pick-n-roll style they flashed last year.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 17, 2018, 11:35:08 AM
During the video the instructor commented that a few of his step backs were NBA or more.  Had to laugh a bit, because that was the Micah we all knew and dreaded his freshmen year.  Have to say I was glad to see him take vastly better shot selection as a sophomore and can definitely say I saw progression with his IQ in the game.  If he can develop a 35% mid-range step back jumper and sink FT around 72% then we have a heck of a serviceable player in Micah.

OklahomaMick can attest that I wanted him to transfer after his freshmen year.  Thought I admit now that I was just being emotional and angry at his dumb freshmen shot selection.  What else could we really expect from a freshmen who got so many minutes early on?

Who gets minutes at PG for us this year early on?  Bakari as a starter possibly, but I like him better as a SG.  So I think Micah is really our minutes winning PG early on (after any suspension is served).  For a time last season, I think that Micah and Sorolla seemed to be the best energy guys we had on the court offensively. I still think their games lend well to the pick-n-roll style they flashed last year.

That horrendous shot selection was still there during the OOC of last season, but there was a very noticeable 180 turn in his shot selection midseason and he transition from "scorer" to distributor. He was excelled in that role as a distributor. The jump shot never really found any consistency but he free throw shooting noticeably improved towards the end of the season. Micah has a had a somewhat rough first 2 seasons but he definitely made adjustment later in the season and showed some promise. I just hope the offseason hype is real this time. I'm not expecting him to be the player we hoped he could be when he was a recruit coming in but I'm hoping he could be a strong PG capable of knocking down the open shot and just being efficient. He did have great chemistry with Jay coming off the bench.

My guess is that Micah will play the back PG but still get significant minutes. Bakari will be the starter at the 1 with JFL playing the 2 but Bakari will slide into the 2 when JFL is on the bench and him and Micah will play together. I don't see any scenario where Bakari isn't a starter.

I'd actually like to see our bigs start setting some strong picks and screens this season and start allowing our wings to get more separation. I know those things come together with experience and chemistry, so I'm looking for that to be much improved this season.

Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

Quote from: VULB#62 on August 17, 2018, 10:52:41 PM
Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

Absolutely, but when the defense slackens and KNOWS the pg cannot score, well there in lies the issue.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 17, 2018, 11:40:59 PM

Quote from: VULB#62 on August 17, 2018, 10:52:41 PM
Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

Absolutely, but when the defense slackens and KNOWS the pg cannot score, well there in lies the issue.

As I recall that was the criticism of Buggs, yet after his VU playing days, many posters retrospectively gave him great praise for how he ran the point.

Quote from: VULB#62 on August 18, 2018, 08:30:46 AM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 17, 2018, 11:40:59 PM

Quote from: VULB#62 on August 17, 2018, 10:52:41 PM
Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

Absolutely, but when the defense slackens and KNOWS the pg cannot score, well there in lies the issue.

As I recall that was the criticism of Buggs, yet after his VU playing days, many posters retrospectively gave him great praise for how he ran the point.

I understand where you are coming from, however, pg that can't shoot decent % hurt the offense, imo. For comparison purposes...

Data taken from each players real 2nd year, Buggs must've been injured in his true soph year if memory serves.

Buggs FG 42% 3-pt 18% FT 32%
Micah FG 34% 3-pt 27% FT 49%

Difference being Micah took 162 FG to Buggs' 95 and at a significantly lower %.  So on the surface Micah shoots and Buggs distributes which make them different PG types.

They both distribute with the same A/TO rate but Buggs was a distribute first pg where Micah is a shoot first pg.

Buggs 109 assists to 58 TO (1.88)
Micah 69 assists to 38 TO (1.82)

Then if we look at Buggs' final year which is where a good bulk of the good vibes we have for him derive from...

Buggs FG 54% 3-pt 16% FT 51%

He was shooting FG% that makes a C blush combined with over 120 assists.  I just think the Buggs comparison (although both PG) is not apples to apples in archetypes.

Quote from: VULB#62 on August 17, 2018, 10:52:41 PM
Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

I think that guy will be Daniel Sackey, although he is also a very good shot.  Buggs was a great ball handler but a terrible shot.  The combo of both skills was best covered by a guy like Keith Carter.

Quote from: vu72 on August 18, 2018, 09:48:05 AM

Quote from: VULB#62 on August 17, 2018, 10:52:41 PM
Football guy here with probably a stupid statement that dates back to the 70s. Isn't the PG supposed to be the unselfish passer and play orchestrator that makes the other four players better.  Scoring is the last characteristic (unless left wide open or allowed to penetrate to th hole). Who on our roster meets my outdated view?

I think that guy will be Daniel Sackey, although he is also a very good shot.  Buggs was a great ball handler but a terrible shot.  The combo of both skills was best covered by a guy like Keith Carter.

You make a solid point regarding PG and distributors.  But the old style of feed it into the paint with strong back-to-the-basket play is changing to where G shoot more than before.  So a PG that can distribute is required, but in this style of play they cannot be terrible shooters either.

I think what we currently have (without our freshmen factored in) is a bunch of shoot first PG.  Bakari and Bradford are far better skilled play makers than many of our previous PG with the exception of Keith Carter being balanced. 

I also hope that Daniel Sackey has a distribute first mindset and that his assist-turnover ratio is edging up near 2.0+.  Because on last years team we had a lot of cohesion problems in the first 2/3 of the season.  If I leave the emotion out of it, I think a lot of that came with distribution of the basketball and was amplified with having no serviceable PF or SG for much of the middle part of the season.  Bakari took over that role over time when Tevonn was trying to get his legs back underneath him, but even Tevonn was a bit of a nightmare offensively as the go-to-guy.

I am equally excited to see how Daniel Sackey performs as I am Javon Freeman-Liberty.  I think we have talented SG/SF players so the need is much more established at PG.

Love hearing that Coach Lottich is being active with the student body and will get to meet the freshman class.

https://twitter.com/CoachLottich/status/1030796547557076993

https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1030885953806655488
https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1030825477408141312

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 18, 2018, 10:22:10 AMBakari and Bradford are far better skilled play makers than many of our previous PG with the exception of Keith Carter being balanced. 

I'm sorry but you cannot include Bradford in this.  He is not a play maker and he is not even close to previous PG's at Valpo.  I'm betting Sackey takes almost all of his minutes before conference season starts.  Lavender was an insurance policy for Bradford also.

Quote from: Chairback on August 18, 2018, 06:47:12 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 18, 2018, 10:22:10 AMBakari and Bradford are far better skilled play makers than many of our previous PG with the exception of Keith Carter being balanced. 

I'm sorry but you cannot include Bradford in this.  He is not a play maker and he is not even close to previous PG's at Valpo.  I'm betting Sackey takes almost all of his minutes before conference season starts.  Lavender was an insurance policy for Bradford also.

You are correct, that's what I get for typing that post up in the Jewel Osco parking lot.  I was trying to say "far better at play making than distributing" when compared to other VU PG's.  Meaning they are suboptimal as distributors.

aka Ball hogs.

Quote from: Chairback on August 18, 2018, 06:47:12 PMI'm sorry but you cannot include Bradford in this.  He is not a play maker and he is not even close to previous PG's at Valpo.  I'm betting Sackey takes almost all of his minutes before conference season starts.

I strongly suspect that you could be wrong about Bradford's future contributions but I am also totally unwilling to place any bets against your conclusion.   :-\.   

Possible schedule announcement.

https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1032277759102517248

So a really tough road schedule, at West Virginia, at Texas A & M, at GW, and at UNLV.  The home schedule?  Not so much.  :(  Hopefully we have arranged a few good rematches at home next year.

Quote from: vu72 on August 22, 2018, 10:31:01 AM
So a really tough road schedule, at West Virginia, at Texas A & M, at GW, and at UNLV.  The home schedule?  Not so much.  :(  Hopefully we have arranged a few good rematches at home next year.

It's actually a really good schedule, albeit none of the good games are at home (neutral site tourney against WKU is another good one).  I believe only GW is making a return trip next year, but rumor also has it that's when the Vandy game at Valpo will take place too.

No surprise here but it's being reported that Matt Bowen has joined the Valpo Coaching Staff. An excellent addition to the staff. He brings a ton of coaching experience.

https://twitter.com/WisBBYearbook/status/1032094970667298816

https://twitter.com/sawa14/status/1033151848885248000

Small man, big dreams
Single-minded five-foot-nine Winnipegger fully expects to earn a living on NBA hardwood; the lightning-quick 'Winnipeg Jet' survived a bumpy prep school experience in the U.S. and landed a NCAA scholarship
By: Mike Sawatzky
Posted: 08/24/2018 7:00 PM

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/basketball/small-man-big-dreams-491655931.html

Quote from: VU2014 on August 24, 2018, 08:45:11 PM
https://twitter.com/sawa14/status/1033151848885248000

Small man, big dreams
Single-minded five-foot-nine Winnipegger fully expects to earn a living on NBA hardwood; the lightning-quick 'Winnipeg Jet' survived a bumpy prep school experience in the U.S. and landed a NCAA scholarship
By: Mike Sawatzky
Posted: 08/24/2018 7:00 PM

https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/basketball/small-man-big-dreams-491655931.html

Any chance you can post the whole story for those not desiring to sign up for 60/day free trial?

Wow!  What a wonderful article!  Can't wait to se him in the brown and gold!

Small request: If you can access the link please read the article through there website. I don't like copy/pasting articles because I want the website to get credit for their article. Please click on the twitter link first, before reading below. If you are unable to read the article than just read it below, but share the article on your social media.

https://twitter.com/sawa14/status/1033151848885248000




Small man, big dreams
Single-minded five-foot-nine Winnipegger fully expects to earn a living on NBA hardwood; the lightning-quick 'Winnipeg Jet' survived a bumpy prep school experience in the U.S. and landed a NCAA scholarship
By: Mike Sawatzky
Posted: 08/24/2018 7:00 PM


The details of the game have faded from memory over time, but the lesson Mercy Sackey learned more than a decade ago remains as vivid today as the day it happened.

(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*1111/DanielS2boy.jpg)

Her oldest son Desmond was 13 and playing in Winnipeg's Rising Star summer basketball league while her youngest child, Daniel, a pint-sized eight-year-old, was riding the bench.

Daniel, looking comical in his oversized jersey and shorts, had been practising with the older boys and the coach decided it was time to put him into a game. The score was close as the clock ticked down in the final minutes.

Mom protested briefly; then she relented.

"They set the play — big brother Des gets the ball to Daniel," she remembers.

"He shoots the three-point(er) and they win the game and my jaw drops. Since then, I say to myself, 'I'll never limit my child.' Because he knows who he is. Since then, he knows and he's fearless."

INTRODUCING TEAM SACKEY

When your little brother tells you he needs to leave home to pursue his dream of playing Division 1 NCAA basketball and the even bigger fantasy of reaching the NBA, it doesn't seem out of the ordinary to Clementina Sackey.

"I'm so close to all my brothers but he means a lot to me," says Daniel's only sister, better known as Tina.

(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/180806_DANIEL_SACKEY-family_0139_25855456.jpg)

"I want him to succeed in every capacity, so it was hard to see him to go, but at the end of the day, for him to stay here it wouldn't have benefited him. I know he has a ton of potential. I know, one day, he can make it to the NBA if he has his mind straight.

"I was worried and I prayed for him, but at the end of the day, God's got him and he focuses his mind."

(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*533/180806_DANIEL_SACKEY_0356_25855490.jpg)

All of which goes to say the members of the Sackey family can expect the unwavering support of their siblings and parents.

David, a custodian with the Winnipeg School Division, and Mercy, a vice-principal at Lord Nelson School, came to Canada from their native Ghana in the 1990s and instilled in their children a powerful desire to succeed.

Desmond, 24, is a recent grad of the nutritional science program at the University of Manitoba and a prospective medical school applicant while 21-year-old twins Clement and Tina are finishing up education degrees at the U of M and University of Winnipeg, respectively.

The three oldest siblings also played high school basketball and Clement was also a shot put athlete on the U of M track and field team for a time.

Through the years one of their biggest passions has been their music, which has deep roots in their religious upbringing at the New Annointing Christian Fellowship in Winnipeg's North End.

(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/180806_DANIEL_SACKEY_familiy-fun0157_25855498.jpg)

The basement of the family's Amber Trails home includes a small recording studio.

"We grew up basically in the church," says Tina. "Mom's a pastor, dad's an elder and my brothers played music in the church. My brothers are amazing musicians."

(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*556/DanielS3drums.jpg)

Tina is no slouch in that department either, lending her vocals and saxophone to a family band that includes Daniel, a drummer since elementary school, Clement (bass, piano, drums), Desmond (drums, guitar, bass) and sometimes Mercy (vocals) and David (congas) to play at various church events.

"It's great because they play weddings," says Stephen Tackie, David Sackey's cousin. "They're good."

The music?

"We play a lot of genres — a little bit of contemporary, gospel, reggae," she says. "It's primarily a Jamaican church, so tons of reggae and soca."

THE BEAT OF THE GAME

There's a rhythm that connects the game Daniel loves and the music he plays.

You can see the musician at work on the court — changing tempos, improvising, fooling a defence with misdirection to make a no-look pass and generally making his teammates better from his point guard position. When he talks about his music, he might as well be describing his approach to basketball, too.

"To me, we play from our soul," he says. "What we play is all what we're feeling. So, if we go jam out, some days it will be fast, some days it will be slow, but I feel it's all from the soul."

Mercy expects her children, all born in Canada, to be good citizens.

In 2012, the entire family travelled to Ghana on a church mission to distribute food and school supplies to needy folks. A year later, the whole crew trekked to Jamaica on another charitable mission.

"We believe in adaptation," says Mercy. "We also believe in where you are is where you're meant to be and you belong there.

"It's good to have African culture and African values but we are Canadians now, so everything about what we do and how we raised them is part of what being a Canadian citizen looks like and how being African blend together. In the long run, we are Canadian."

SMALL MAN, BIG DREAMS

Daniel attended Kelvin in Grade 10 and played for the Clippers during the 2014-15 season, but he had already decided his future was going to involve becoming a basketball expeditionary.

That meant a foray into the murky, often seamy world of American basketball prep schools, where profit is often the main motive and unscrupulous operators prey on the dreams of aspiring college prospects.

(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*533/180806_DANIEL_SACKEY_0024_25855462.jpg)

Daniel's experience was truly eye-opening.

He accepted an offer to start his Grade 11 season at St. Louis Christian, a Missouri-based operation.

"Initially, I left Winnipeg so I could get more exposure and more competition," he says. "St. Louis Christian was a good wake-up call, a reality check, honestly, because we weren't living that great but the education was good and the school was very, very small.

"If everything else was good, I would've stayed because basketball-wise it was good. Living conditions, food, facilities, it was not great so I had to leave."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H2F6d1-_kf8

In 2016-17, he responded to an offer to attend the 22ft Academy in Anderson, S.C., and would have returned last fall had federal authorities not shut down the program, charging the British founder Mike Rawson and his wife, Brenda, with visa fraud.

"We clicked so well together," says Daniel. "I definitely would've stayed and the plan was to stay, but it got shut down because Mike Rawson, the owner, he was doing illegal stuff.

"It was hard, going different places, meeting new people and getting closer to having to leave. I just wanted to focus on my goal, to make it to the NBA. I have that mindset."

(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*1000/NEP4659427.jpg)

With another season looming, he opted to return to Canada to play for coach Chris Skinner while polishing his game and academics at Thornlea Prep in the north-Toronto suburb of Thornhill.

All the while, he had the support of his family back home.

"Our only fear was, how many times is he going to have to go through these situations?" says Desmond. "It's not easy for a guy to show up at a school, play hard and switch a coach and program. There wasn't a doubt in my mind about what the outcome would be. I was more concerned with how the exposure would be."

At Thornlea, Daniel had a big year, averaging more than 25 points and eight assists a game and was  invited to play in the Bio-Steel All-Canadian prospects game in the spring.

By that time, the Division I scholarship offers from schools such as Evansville, Kent State, Western Kentucky and Valparaiso started to roll in.

Feeling he made a strong connection with associate head coach Luke Gore and with an eye to the program's graduating class, Daniel signed with Valpo, which is situated in the middle of Indiana's hoops heartland.

DESTINATION VALPO

As an incoming freshman, Daniel will be expected to pay his dues at Valparaiso, but he has shown the coaching staff by way of some off-season workouts that he could be a factor in short order.

(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*533/180806_DANIEL_SACKEY_0360_25855500.jpg)

"He's taken big strides very quickly," says Crusaders head coach Matt Lottich. "I think for a lot of freshmen coming into college there's a transition period where you're coming from being the best player on your team pretty much your entire life and then having to come to a place where you're now on a team where people have been the best players on their teams their entire lives.

"Learning when to pick your spots and freshmen sometimes have a hard time doing that. Daniel's had some adjustments and he's taken them head on. Some days he was the best player on the floor."

The Crusaders, coming off a underwhelming 15-17 season and a 10th-place finish in the Missouri Valley Conference, will be hoping to return to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2014-15 and Daniel is planning ambitiously to be a big part of the resurgence.

"I think I fit in great," he says. "For me personally, I'm a very fast-paced, strong type of point guard. I've always been a vocal person, so I can fit in.

(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*1200/180806_DANIEL_SACKEY_0213_25855492.jpg)

"In college, if you're not going to play defence you're not going to play. I already know that. I've always taken defence personally."

Lottich and his staff started to actively scout the Winnipegger early in 2017 and admits Daniel's high school tour of North America was a red flag at first.

"It was a concern for us, there's no doubt about it," says Lottich. "But when you talk to him and you hear the circumstances and why it happened, it's something you can understand. For us, we asked the question of why it happened and we were confident the answer was sincere and reasonable and we were comfortable moving forward with it."

Daniel's willingness to expend vast amounts of energy at both ends of the floor makes him a coach's favourite.

"He's very competitive and very athletic and you take that combination and you've got a guy that's willing to guard and has the physical attributes to do it, you're going to be a good defender," says Lottich.

"Daniel is unique in that when he comes into a game or comes into a practice, you will play differently. He will hound the basketball, he will push the ball in transition, he is going to make everyone else faster because he's so fast and so athletic.

"There's a lot of things he does that lots of people can't do. Now we've got to get him to do it within the context of what we're doing but we also don't want to over-coach him to the point where it takes away from what he does best."

RAISING THE BAR

Daniel is just the third Manitoban to earn a scholarship in Division 1 men's basketball since the NCAA reorganized into its current competitive format in 1973.

He was preceded by Fort Richmond's Dan Becker in the early '80s and his old Wolves and under-17 national squad teammate Emmanuel Akot, a Winnipegger who started his college career at Arizona last fall.

(https://media.winnipegfreepress.com/images/800*1200/180806_DANIEL_SACKEY_0061_25855494.jpg)

Valpo and Arizona play in different conferences and are not scheduled to play each other this season.

"That's my boy," Daniel says of Akot, a six-foot-eight guard/forward for the Wildcats and a potential NBA draft pick in 2019.

"The only way we'll play each other is in the (March Madness) NCAA Tournament. If it comes, I would definitely want to guard him — I don't care."

I love the photo of the whole family wearing VU shirts.

Very excited to see him in action. Seems like a great person and fit for Valpo.

Matt and the staff are finding the right guys for our situation. Daniel is driven, but at the same time, he is a spiritual kid with a great personality and a super smile. Then last year I recall some of the stuff about Marcus when he signed and before school started - same all-out commitment to becoming better coupled with the same love of the game. Great bloodlines. Great pick ups  :thumbsup:

It sure appears Daniel is and will be a class act, both on and off the court.  Along with a loving and supportive family and being faith-based, I am sure Mr. S has a great future.   Maybe his family's band could entertain before a game or 2 to help increase attendance. :)

https://twitter.com/353jerseys4hope/status/1033881166128902146?s=20

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1034090559571460096

https://twitter.com/mid_madness/status/1034077701483712512

Quote from: VU2014 on August 27, 2018, 09:58:00 AM
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1034090559571460096

https://twitter.com/mid_madness/status/1034077701483712512

Good find VU2014.  Nice to see Daniel get such credit and to think of the quality of our (2) true freshmen this year.  Hopefully they can contribute by mid-season and keep the good vibes going.  If he is as athletic and fast as they talk about it's going to be F U N . . .

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 27, 2018, 10:24:48 AMGood find VU2014.  Nice to see Daniel get such credit and to think of the quality of our (2) true freshmen this year.  Hopefully they can contribute by mid-season and keep the good vibes going.  If he is as athletic and fast as they talk about it's going to be F U N . . .

With all of the buzz surrounding Sackey you would think he was an 8 star recruit and Freeman-Liberty was an obscure walk on.  :)   I wonder how that comparison will play out by mid season?

Quote from: justducky on August 27, 2018, 11:39:32 AM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 27, 2018, 10:24:48 AMGood find VU2014.  Nice to see Daniel get such credit and to think of the quality of our (2) true freshmen this year.  Hopefully they can contribute by mid-season and keep the good vibes going.  If he is as athletic and fast as they talk about it's going to be F U N . . .

With all of the buzz surrounding Sackey you would think he was an 8 star recruit and Freeman-Liberty was an obscure walk on.  :)   I wonder how that comparison will play out by mid season?

Good question ducky, which true freshmen (Javon Freeman-Liberty or Daniel Sackey) will be a bigger contributor in . . .

1) Year 1
2) Career

My vote
1) Year 1 = Javon Freenan-Liberty because we can play a 3-guard system in where he would get minutes.  Freshmen PG is a very difficult position to fill.
2) Career = Geez, that is really forecasting having not seen either.  But I'll go with Daniel Sackey because PG's can right-the-ship.

From the MMM article on David (my emphasis):

Sackey is a 5'9 guard who is originally from Winnipeg, MB but moved to the Toronto area to play for Thornlea Secondary in order to increase his hopes of playing in the NCAA. Winnipeg isn't exactly the kind of place where you'll see Jim Boeheim and John Calipari sitting in the stands at a high school gym, so Sackey enters his freshman year at Valpo a little under the national radar. However, Sackey is one of the fastest human beings you will ever see on a basketball court and is also freakishly athletic. He won the BioSteel All-Canadian slam dunk competition - which is the Canadian version of the McDonald's All-American game - against several big name recruits. Sackey should become an all-conference talent and be a dominant force in the Missouri Valley Conference over the next four years.

Quite the projection.

Quote from: justducky on August 27, 2018, 11:39:32 AM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 27, 2018, 10:24:48 AMGood find VU2014.  Nice to see Daniel get such credit and to think of the quality of our (2) true freshmen this year.  Hopefully they can contribute by mid-season and keep the good vibes going.  If he is as athletic and fast as they talk about it's going to be F U N . . .

With all of the buzz surrounding Sackey you would think he was an 8 star recruit and Freeman-Liberty was an obscure walk on.  :)   I wonder how that comparison will play out by mid season?

Sackey has had a nice pub boost the lat few days with some great articles, but I heard JFL has looked pretty good in open gyms as well. I wonder how the jump shot is coming along though. He could develop a consistent jumper to keep defenders honest it could really open up his game. I want to see how JFL looks against a good zone. He was pretty crafty at finding driving lanes in HS but in college it will be tougher. I don't think we'll need JFL or Sackey to stars to be competitive this season. If they can play strong defense and play within the offense it would go along way.

One guy that not many are talking about this offseason is Bakari. I know he's highly motivated and could be in for a big year. Last season was his first full season of basketball since his JR year of HS.

I thought some of Coach Lottich's comments in the article about Daniel were enlightening.

"He's taken big strides very quickly," says Crusaders head coach Matt Lottich. "I think for a lot of freshmen coming into college there's a transition period where you're coming from being the best player on your team pretty much your entire life and then having to come to a place where you're now on a team where people have been the best players on their teams their entire lives.

"Learning when to pick your spots and freshmen sometimes have a hard time doing that. Daniel's had some adjustments and he's taken them head on. Some days he was the best player on the floor."

Sackey said, "In college, if you're not going to play defence you're not going to play. I already know that. I've always taken defence personally." (It's true. He won't get court time early on if he doesn't play at least solid team defense. Love that he's taking what the coaches preach to heart)
...
Daniel's willingness to expend vast amounts of energy at both ends of the floor makes him a coach's favourite.

"He's very competitive and very athletic and you take that combination and you've got a guy that's willing to guard and has the physical attributes to do it, you're going to be a good defender," says Lottich.

"Daniel is unique in that when he comes into a game or comes into a practice, you will play differently. He will hound the basketball, he will push the ball in transition, he is going to make everyone else faster because he's so fast and so athletic.

"There's a lot of things he does that lots of people can't do. Now we've got to get him to do it within the context of what we're doing but we also don't want to over-coach him to the point where it takes away from what he does best."



I'll be watching to see how Sackey's role evolves his freshman season.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on August 27, 2018, 12:08:56 PMYear 1 = Javon Freenan-Liberty because

just for reference, I spoke with Javon at the basketball camp a few weeks ago, and he's dropping the "-Liberty" on his uniform, he'll be going by Javon Freeman and that's the way he wants to be introduced.

so... Kareen Abdul-Jabbar will be the only hyphenated name on the historical roster...

Quote from: justducky on August 27, 2018, 11:39:32 AMWith all of the buzz surrounding Sackey you would think he was an 8 star recruit and Freeman-Liberty was an obscure walk on.

Speaking of obscure walk on freshmen, are there any updates, comments or observations concerning Langston Stalling our full ride Lilly Scholar? Will he be good enough to earn some significant minutes? Its hard not to love a walk on even if his basketball talent alone might have provided him with a D-1 scholarship.  :thumbsup:

Quote from: justducky on August 27, 2018, 09:41:54 PM

Quote from: justducky on August 27, 2018, 11:39:32 AMWith all of the buzz surrounding Sackey you would think he was an 8 star recruit and Freeman-Liberty was an obscure walk on.

Speaking of obscure walk on freshmen, are there any updates, comments or observations concerning Langston Stalling our full ride Lilly Scholar? Will he be good enough to earn some significant minutes? Its hard not to love a walk on even if his basketball talent alone might have provided him with a D-1 scholarship.  :thumbsup:

I haven't heard anything but I think we may have some opportunities to see him play at home if the starters can take of business (as they should) against opponents on home OOC schedule: Concordia, PNW, SIUE, UCR, UIndy.

Did Valpo Athletics just hire a Director of Digital Media? I love the move if we did. It appears he held a similar position at the University of Minnesota Duluth. I wonder if Coach Bowen recommended him for the job.

https://twitter.com/ssalceda25

Steve Salceda is his name and here is his YouTube Channel to check out some of his past work. I'm a fan of his music choices for his videos.

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyBBfrXosWPI86nq3WJGi1w

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOlnospIm9Y
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r1YpGUl4wo

Quote from: VU2014 on August 29, 2018, 12:41:10 PMDid Valpo Athletics just hire a Director of Digital Media? I love the move if we did. It appears he held a similar position at the University of Minnesota Duluth. I wonder if Coach Bowen recommended him for the job. https://twitter.com/ssalceda25 Steve Salceda is his name and here is his YouTube Channel to check out some of his past work. I'm a fan of his music choices for his videos. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyBBfrXosWPI86nq3WJGi1w

Yes, we did recently add Steve to our marketing/communications for athletics team. He's been a great addition to our group. The video content you've seen over the last few weeks on our social media platforms - promo videos, season hype videos for men's and women's soccer, etc. - has been his work.

Good to see your post Brandon. Best wishes for some great coverage of Valpo sports in 18-19.

Quote from: VU2014 on August 24, 2018, 09:16:10 PMValpo and Arizona play in different conferences and are not scheduled to play each other this season.

"That's my boy," Daniel says of Akot, a six-foot-eight guard/forward for the Wildcats and a potential NBA draft pick in 2019.

"The only way we'll play each other is in the (March Madness) NCAA Tournament. If it comes, I would definitely want to guard him — I don't care."

Seems like a unique opportunity to get Arizona on our non-conf schedule again. Maybe Sean Miller can be contacted.

https://twitter.com/CollegeHoopNews/status/1036309098000736256

The NWI Times has a new reporter who will be reporting on Valpo Athletics if you want to give him a follow. Maybe he'll be USH's new co-host? Ironically he was covering Bryce Drew's Vandy teams as a student journalist.

https://twitter.com/rwweinstein/status/1036758843731193860

Quote from: VU2014 on September 03, 2018, 11:38:11 PM
The NWI Times has a new reporter who will be reporting on Valpo Athletics if you want to give him a follow. Maybe he'll be USH's new co-host? Ironically he was covering Bryce Drew's Vandy teams as a student journalist.

https://twitter.com/rwweinstein/status/1036758843731193860

I thought Paul Oren was the "Sports reporter covering college basketball, @valpoathletics, @ValleyHoops and @NWIPreps"?  So where does this guy come into play?

I don't live in the area any longer so it's possible I am missing something here.  Having multiple people cover @valpoathletics seems unlikely?

[tweet]1036826718860918784[/tweet]

Maybe we'll are in store for even more coverage.

Sounds like Robbie and Paul might be covering the team for the NWI Times. The more the merrier.

https://twitter.com/OchoK_/status/1038121277611892736

Quote from: VU2014 on September 07, 2018, 02:16:51 PM
Sounds like Robbie and Paul might be covering the team for the NWI Times. The more the merrier.

https://twitter.com/OchoK_/status/1038121277611892736

Side Note: Does anyone know if the media and the home broadcast will get to be court side again this season? It seems like they should be, especially the home broadcast.

Quote from: VU2014 on September 07, 2018, 02:19:00 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 07, 2018, 02:16:51 PMSounds like Robbie and Paul might be covering the team for the NWI Times. The more the merrier. https://twitter.com/OchoK_/status/1038121277611892736

Side Note: Does anyone know if the media and the home broadcast will get to be court side again this season? It seems like they should be, especially the home broadcast.

I believe it depends on the TV coverage. If its on ESPN /2/U or another network, they bring in their own crew and bump Todd and company up onto the running track. If it's just ESPN3, Todd is the broadcaster for the computer/video feed and is stationed courtside. Usually Paul and Mike are up on the running track along with any other reporters for the visitors.

Quote from: VUBBFan on September 07, 2018, 03:59:54 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 07, 2018, 02:19:00 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 07, 2018, 02:16:51 PMSounds like Robbie and Paul might be covering the team for the NWI Times. The more the merrier. https://twitter.com/OchoK_/status/1038121277611892736

Side Note: Does anyone know if the media and the home broadcast will get to be court side again this season? It seems like they should be, especially the home broadcast.

I believe it depends on the TV coverage. If its on ESPN /2/U or another network, they bring in their own crew and bump Todd and company up onto the running track. If it's just ESPN3, Todd is the broadcaster for the computer/video feed and is stationed courtside. Usually Paul and Mike are up on the running track along with any other reporters for the visitors.

Hopefully when Missouri State comes to town we don't have to listen their home broadcast. I still don't understand why Todd wasn't getting the home broadcast for that game.

Quote from: VU2014 on September 07, 2018, 08:51:06 PMHopefully when Missouri State comes to town we don't have to listen their home broadcast. I still don't understand why Todd wasn't getting the home broadcast for that game.

A TV station in Springfield, MO follows the MOST MBB team on the road and pays those costs of traveling to cover the team through advertising revenue. It's much easier for ESPN to buy the Springfield TV station's broadcast than to provide and pay for their own crew. I believe that was also true at Wichita State and one of the Wichita TV stations. Let's face it. That is a much more quality broadcast than what the students were providing for Valpo fans.

Quote from: bbtds on September 08, 2018, 12:24:07 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 07, 2018, 08:51:06 PMHopefully when Missouri State comes to town we don't have to listen their home broadcast. I still don't understand why Todd wasn't getting the home broadcast for that game.

A TV station in Springfield, MO follows the MOST MBB team on the road and pays those costs of traveling to cover the team through advertising revenue. It's much easier for ESPN to buy the Springfield TV station's broadcast than to provide and pay for their own crew. I beliIeve that was also true at Wichita State and one of the Wichita TV stations. Let's face it. That is a much more quality broadcast than what the students were providing for Valpo fans.

I could have a very skewed memory of that broadcast because we literally were taken to the woodshed, but I wasn't all that impressed with their play-by-play or color commentary guys call of the game. I'm biased but I 100% think Todd calls a better game. But that makes sense why espn would go that route for cost savings. I actually don't think VU puts on the worst broadcasts in the world. The PBP call of the game is top notch which is whats most important. The student sideline reporting can be a little amateur hour but the kid they had doing last year it got a little better by the end of the season.

Valpo Basketball was representing at the Popcorn Festival today!

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1038443981762424833
https://twitter.com/ValpoU/status/1038573115440287744

Quote from: VU2014 on September 08, 2018, 12:20:28 PMValpo Basketball was representing at the Popcorn Festival today!

Had to do a complete double take when I saw Mileek.  Looks completely different and you can tell this young man has put time in the gym.  He looks like a big 10 power forward.

Quote from: Chairback on September 08, 2018, 01:48:14 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 08, 2018, 12:20:28 PMValpo Basketball was representing at the Popcorn Festival today!

Had to do a complete double take when I saw Mileek.  Looks completely different and you can tell this young man has put time in the gym.  He looks like a big 10 power forward.

Yeah, you can definitely tell he put in some hard work in the training room this offseason. He lost most of that baby fat from last season. I'm excited to see how he looks on the court this season. He showed flashes of his future potential last season.

I'd bet the new reporter is covering Valpo high school but that's just a guess.

Did we talk about this latest offer for 2020? PG out of the D

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/lorne-bowman-ii (http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/lorne-bowman-ii)

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 09, 2018, 09:43:19 AM
Did we talk about this latest offer for 2020? PG out of the D

http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/lorne-bowman-ii (http://www.verbalcommits.com/players/lorne-bowman-ii)

I missed that we offered him yesterday. The coaches are good at bringing recruits on visits around big events (popcorn festival, freshman welcome week, etc.)

I'm wondering who (2019 or 2020 recruit?) they'll bring on a visit for homecoming weekend. 

https://twitter.com/TheRealLorneB/status/1038535120788107264

Congrats Todd! Well deserved!

https://twitter.com/ValpoU/status/1041010294271733761

The count down has begun.

https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1041817035532107778

Quote from: VU2014 on September 18, 2018, 09:06:36 AM
The count down has begun.

https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1041817035532107778

Ordered up ESPN+ over the weekend and was able to watch first half of VU football game.  What a nice service to have, I think I will greatly enjoy it and be fine with $4.99/month.  After all, you get what you pay for.  If they have put a lot of that programming behind a pay wall then conceivably they will continue to enhance the user experience and make it easier for the rest of us.  Though it was quite easy to sign up and enjoy!

Fire away

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1042068613337935872

Quote from: VU2014 on September 18, 2018, 03:24:05 PM
Fire away

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1042068613337935872

My question is when can we expect another stellar Podcast from Union Street Hoops!?!?

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 18, 2018, 03:39:10 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 18, 2018, 03:24:05 PM
Fire away

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1042068613337935872

My question is when can we expect another stellar Podcast from Union Street Hoops!?!?

I'm hoping we might get one soon, because tomorrow is MVC MBB Media Day. Be on the look out for all kinds of news tomorrow.

Quote from: VU2014 on September 18, 2018, 03:24:05 PM
Fire away

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1042068613337935872

I'm most interested on how he thinks minutes will be distributed.  That becomes an even bigger issue next year when Gordon and Robinson are eligible.  Lots of guys expecting starter minutes, but only so much PT to go around.  Coach Lottich has accumulated a bunch of talented players ... his biggest challenge may be distributing those minutes in a way that's best for the team but still keeps everyone happy.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 18, 2018, 11:44:08 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 18, 2018, 09:06:36 AM
The count down has begun.

https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1042601282907893760

Ordered up ESPN+ over the weekend and was able to watch first half of VU football game.  What a nice service to have, I think I will greatly enjoy it and be fine with $4.99/month.  After all, you get what you pay for.  If they have put a lot of that programming behind a pay wall then conceivably they will continue to enhance the user experience and make it easier for the rest of us.  Though it was quite easy to sign up and enjoy!

I'm definitely signing up for espn+ when the season starts (43 days).

Anyone know when the TV Schedule gets released. Maybe I missed it. How many games on cable do we get this season?

Quote from: VU2014 on September 19, 2018, 10:19:52 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 18, 2018, 11:44:08 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 18, 2018, 09:06:36 AM
The count down has begun.

https://twitter.com/TheReal_MG3/status/1042601282907893760

Ordered up ESPN+ over the weekend and was able to watch first half of VU football game.  What a nice service to have, I think I will greatly enjoy it and be fine with $4.99/month.  After all, you get what you pay for.  If they have put a lot of that programming behind a pay wall then conceivably they will continue to enhance the user experience and make it easier for the rest of us.  Though it was quite easy to sign up and enjoy!

I'm definitely signing up for espn+ when the season starts (43 days).

Anyone know when the TV Schedule gets released. Maybe I missed it. How many games on cable do we get this season?

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a television crew at a Valpo game it will be picked up by ESPN on one of it's various platforms unless, of course, it's on a competing network such as CBS Sports, NBC Sports Channel, etc. Which means I'm plugged into enough formats that I'm no longer concerned with how many games are on cable alone.

Quote from: VU2014 on September 19, 2018, 10:19:52 PM

I'm definitely signing up for espn+ when the season starts (43 days).

Anyone know when the TV Schedule gets released. Maybe I missed it. How many games on cable do we get this season?

Here's what I've been able to find so far - most conferences have their listed TV platforms out.  It also appears that the Valley either hasn't chosen which games to put on TV because literally no team has TV information outside of the non-conference slate.

November 15th vs. WKU - ESPNU
November 16th - If they win, they'll be on ESPNU.  If they lose it'll be ESPN3/+
November 17th - As long as they aren't in the 7th place game, they'll be on ESPN2 or ESPNU
November 28th at UNLV - AT&T SportsNet (Similar to a Fox Sports Regional network)

The West Virginia game does not appear to be getting picked up on a network, so my guess is that'll be on ESPN+ since the Big 12 has a deal with ESPN.

Found this to be a interesting conversation on twitter. The former NWI Times sports columnist Jim Peters completely dismisses Valpo's Program essentially. He's a diehard purdue fan. I think he's half joking and half serious about VU.

I didn't grow up in the "Region" but I always found it interesting how little people seem to care about Valpo Basketball, when they've been a fairly successful Mid-Major program the last 20 years. I understand that most people will be purdue, iu, or ND fans but surprised how little they root for a local team that isn't even in the same conference. Is it simply the fact that they don't think highly of Mid-Major basketball? Was it that we were previously in some not so great conferences: Old Mid-Con and Horizon League? Is their just not enough fandom bandwidth to care about VU? I feel like VU is a bit of a after thought in most "region" native minds. How can we change that?

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1042615216616419333

Do you think getting on a local TV station would help? I think that would have helped 10 years ago but with all the cord cutting it might only get on the radar of a crowd of a certain age and above, which isn't nothing but it would only be a short-term play. I'd be all for it, even if it didn't make much $ for Valpo and as long as it didn't cause a black out for those who have espn+ and no cable.

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1042619682493292544

Valpo needs to get as much coverage from local media outlets as possible. It's a bummer to see cut backs in coverage over the years. We don't get game previews in the local papers anymore. I understand there is limited print space but maybe the University and the papers could workout some kind of deal? The papers are probably concerned about costs, but maybe Valpo could create co-op/partnership with the local papers. The deal would be that one of Valpo's journalism students could write the preview articles for the papers at zero labor cost but the student would get valuable experience/mentorship writing and working with a real newspaper. It's not uncommon for Universities to have co op internships with local businesses. I'm just spit balling ideas here.

I think you can point to a lot of the over-looking of Valpo to a few causes.
1. People in the area are much more likely to be Alumna and therefore fans of Purdue or IU and even Notre Dame especially with the big Catholic contingency in Michigan City and other areas.
2. I don't believe Lutheranism had a big foot print in the area when many of these people were growing up. More likely to be Catholic or Orthodox due to who was lured to come for for the mills
3. Valpo was too small a school and not on any radar as far as sports are concerned until the 90s. There are literally two movies made about Indiana College Teams with Rudy and Hoosiers. These schools just take up so much space in Indiana identity it's always been hard for Valpo, as just the Lutheran school, to break into

Does the religious component really come into play that much? It's sort of an after thought in my mind, especially when it comes to sports. It's not like VU pushes "you must be lutheran or don't bother attending here" or anything. If I remember correctly, there more self identified catholics who attend VU than lutherans. It's just not that big of a deal in my eyes. Maybe it is to others.

Quote from: crusader05 on September 20, 2018, 09:36:59 AM
I think you can point to a lot of the over-looking of Valpo to a few causes.
1. People in the area are much more likely to be Alumna and therefore fans of Purdue or IU and even Notre Dame especially with the big Catholic contingency in Michigan City and other areas.
2. I don't believe Lutheranism had a big foot print in the area when many of these people were growing up. More likely to be Catholic or Orthodox due to who was lured to come for for the mills
3. Valpo was too small a school and not on any radar as far as sports are concerned until the 90s. There are literally two movies made about Indiana College Teams with Rudy and Hoosiers. These schools just take up so much space in Indiana identity it's always been hard for Valpo, as just the Lutheran school, to break into

Agree.  In addition there was generally resentment from town folks who thought of Valpo students as rich, elite types. Of course that was many years ago.  The demographics of the Valpo community have changed as have the efforts to be part of the community.  As an example, President Harre wanted to live in the community while OP had his home on campus.

Quote from: VU2014 on September 20, 2018, 09:52:26 AM
Does the religious component really come into play that much? It's sort of an after thought in my mind, especially when it comes to sports. It's not like VU pushes "you must be lutheran or don't bother attending here" or anything. If I remember correctly, there more self identified catholics who attend VU than lutherans. It's just not that big of a deal in my eyes. Maybe it is to others.

I'd have to agree.  Religion played 0% in my decision to attend VU.  If I was committed to 4-years, what's to stop a local from attending a few b-ball games a year.

Heck 3 of my best friends at VU we're catholic.

Quote from: crusader05 on September 20, 2018, 09:36:59 AM
I think you can point to a lot of the over-looking of Valpo to a few causes.
1. (a) People in the area are much more likely to be Alumna and therefore fans of Purdue or IU and even Notre Dame especially with the big Catholic contingency in Michigan City and other areas.
1. (b) From the Valpo.edu site re: geographic distribution -- "From most U.S. states and 38 countries."  When you distribute these factors over a UG student body of only 3,220, and most of these graduates go back to their home locations after graduation, the number of active alumni remaining in the region is substantailly waterd down so as not to be a factor in fan support compared to the point made in 1. (a) about massive public universities that both draw from the same region.
2. I don't believe Lutheranism had a big foot print in the area when many of these people were growing up. More likely to be Catholic or Orthodox due to who was lured to come for for the mills
3. Valpo was too small a school and not on any radar as far as sports are concerned until the 90s. There are literally two movies made about Indiana College Teams with Rudy and Hoosiers. These schools just take up so much space in Indiana identity it's always been hard for Valpo, as just the Lutheran school, to break into

I would amend #1 to add a 1.(b).

Quote from: crusader05 on September 20, 2018, 09:36:59 AM
There are literally two movies made about Indiana College Teams with Rudy and Hoosiers. These schools just take up so much space in Indiana identity it's always been hard for Valpo, as just the Lutheran school, to break into

Hoosiers was about an Indiana High School basketball team.  It happened to be filmed in Hinkle, which makes sense as at the time that's where the state championship game took place.

I can't answer why people in the region aren't more interested in Valparaiso University, but it's also not a great sign when I was doing research on Valpo's TV schedule this morning, that when I type in "Valparaiso basketball schedule" into Google that the first highlighted result at the top of the search page is for the VHS' basketball schedule.

For a smaller program with a small alumni base, the only way to get into people's hearts and minds is winning consistently.  TV, even in this era of cord-cutting would still help, but local TV isn't going to be enough anymore, especially if you're trying to get younger people interested.  People who are already interested in Valpo might be excited, but the casual fan isn't going to tune in to that.

Quote from: VULB#62 on September 20, 2018, 10:22:55 AM

Quote from: crusader05 on September 20, 2018, 09:36:59 AM
I think you can point to a lot of the over-looking of Valpo to a few causes.
1. (a) People in the area are much more likely to be Alumna and therefore fans of Purdue or IU and even Notre Dame especially with the big Catholic contingency in Michigan City and other areas.
1. (b) From the Valpo.edu site re: geographic distribution -- "From most U.S. states and 38 countries."  When you distribute these factors over a UG student body of only 3,220, and most of these graduates go back to their home locations after graduation, the number of active alumni remaining in the region is substantailly waterd down so as not to be a factor in fan support compared to the point made in 1. (a) about massive public universities that both draw from the same region.
2. I don't believe Lutheranism had a big foot print in the area when many of these people were growing up. More likely to be Catholic or Orthodox due to who was lured to come for for the mills
3. Valpo was too small a school and not on any radar as far as sports are concerned until the 90s. There are literally two movies made about Indiana College Teams with Rudy and Hoosiers. These schools just take up so much space in Indiana identity it's always been hard for Valpo, as just the Lutheran school, to break into

I would amend #1 to add a 1.(b).

Well said, any those alumni that do "stay" go to Indy or CHICAGO as real job markets.  It's a real chore making weekday games from those two markets, so that really only leaves weekend games.

I don't think the religion thing effects who goes to Valpo , But these dedications to schools and fanbases are not just 6-10 years deep. they are probably 30 plus years running. We are talking parents and grandparents of high school kids in the area are Purdue/IU/Notre Dame fans and I definitely think the Catholic Identity and it's tie with Notre Dame is way stronger than any Lutheran connection with ANY Lutheran based academy (even the Concordias) Because it's both a Catholic University and an established elite institution. 


I think the above poster said it best. We need to win and keep winning on a bigger stage to get people to wake up. I think recruiting local talent also helps with that. But unless we become an Elite institution on Notre Dame's scale or we create a re-location program for Valpo Alumna in Northwest Indiana we are probably always going to be out-numbered and fighting for attention.

Quote from: crusader05 on September 20, 2018, 11:00:41 AM
I don't think the religion thing effects who goes to Valpo , But these dedications to schools and fanbases are not just 6-10 years deep. they are probably 30 plus years running. We are talking parents and grandparents of high school kids in the area are Purdue/IU/Notre Dame fans and I definitely think the Catholic Identity and it's tie with Notre Dame is way stronger than any Lutheran connection with ANY Lutheran based academy (even the Concordias) Because it's both a Catholic University and an established elite institution. 


I think the above poster said it best. We need to win and keep winning on a bigger stage to get people to wake up. I think recruiting local talent also helps with that. But unless we become an Elite institution on Notre Dame's scale or we create a re-location program for Valpo Alumna in Northwest Indiana we are probably always going to be out-numbered and fighting for attention.

Perhaps not at the present, but it clearly was a factor when some of us went to Valpo.  In fact, as recently as 1990, the majority of students were Lutheran although at present only about 20% identify as such.  Here are the facts from admissions:

Percentage of Lutheran Students


1960    85
1970    70
1980    51
1990    52
2000    40
2010    29
Today   20

If in fact a large percentage of the Valpo community were Catholic then at least going back toward 1960, when Catholic/Lutheran relations weren't very good, it could have made for a negative feeling toward VU.

I agree that it was much different back then vs now. I think that speaks to the issue even further as if Catholics were super not interested in a Lutheran institutions back then and  there was not a huge Lutheran footprint in the area Valpo would have trouble recruiting people.

What's interesting to me is that, because it was so locally revered back then, I think I heard more about the Valpo Law School than Valpo as a whole and that is because a LOT of local judges and lawyers and politicians were Valpo Law alumni. Once Law Schools went National and people were not going to school where they lived you saw that regional angle leave and it probably contributed early on to our eventual issues with the school

Union Street Hoops podcast was quality interviews.  Glad to have excitement in the women's program again.

Couple of take aways:

1). We are exceedingly deep at G and it sounds like Bakari could even guard SF if coach needed

2). Coach Lottich is still a terrible interview for information.  "Going to compete every day" is getting old.  But he's leaps and bounds better than "umm" Drew on the mic.

3). Glad to hear former Coach Dildy has strong connections and introduced Coach Holloway to Lottich.  Always a positive when an outgoing coach is so well respected that his advice and connections matter

4). Glad to hear players and coach talk about Fazekas' scoring abilities.  He's a big x-factor for our midget team.  Being 6'7" means he can get shots our G cannot AND HIT THEM

5). Mileek was mentioned as the biggest improvement by Bakari, WE NEED THAT BADLY.  And not because Mileek was bad, but because his position is not deep

6). Commissioner Elgin mentioned multiple times VU's upgrading their facilities.  I think he's gently reminding the VU administration that although it wasn't part of the contract, that he'd like to see it done.  I still couldn't care less about facilities but that ought to get a few of you all excited

7). Coach cleverly brought on Deon Lavender because he still doesn't trust our distributors, that's not so good.  Clearly Micah and Bakari were not assist minded G for much of last season.

Interesting comments from Coach Evans, particularly when she talked about one of her assistants who had experience in the Ivy League.  That was interesting in that she said that she needed to learn how to deal with high achieving players like what is found in the Ivy League.  She said that she hadn't had to deal with that in her previous experience (Ohio U). I look forward to seeing this Women's team step it up.

Love Markus "not a lot of people like getting dunked on"  :lol:

An improved Mileek and a hot shooting Ryan!  Love it!  ;D

I thought Coach Lottich did a good job, didn't whine about losing a guy like Tevonn but rather focused on the chemistry of the team.  Really excited for this season!

Really a terrific broadcast!  Bravo!   :clap: :clap: :clap:

Great points made about the Valpo identity in the region being more shallow than we might think.  Those factors all make sense. Relatively few multi-generational Valpo alumni would live in NW Indiana.  Most VU students came from Chicago and the big great lakes cities and returned there for jobs and/or to be near family.

There's also the reality that Valpo's sports sucked dramatically in the 70s, 80s and early 90s.  Football was horrific in its D-2 period of 1988 to 1994.  Then we caught a break in hoops when VHS grads Redmon, Casey, and Bryce "came home" to play for Homer.  You could argue that the crowds who began coming to the ARC to see those teams were simply a VHS crowd that would fade away again after Bryce.   

Nobody saw the Sweet 16 coming.  No investment was made afterward.  And let's be honest that the seed of excitement landed in soil that was pretty shallow based on the VU sports history of 1975-1995.   

We can't undo our history or change past decisions. So.......

Shouldn't we assume we need to start from scratch?  And when we do that, I think it comes down to what so many of our posters have said: Just win baby. Winning at the new level we are at will change the paradigm. Plain and simple. Just think:  What if it was us who made the F4 instead of Loyola? Don't you think that would totally change our marketing approach and our appeal to the region —- especially if we probably mote the REGION in doing so?

So what does this take in a $$$ sense?  I have no idea. Another $200K in the recruiting budget?  ARC upgrades or expansion?  Building a new arena (nah)? Building a basketball dorm (totally antithetic to the university values IMO)?  Getting tons of buy games from P6 teams and Gonzaga? Adding $100K to the BB marketing budget?  Buying a private jet for team travel and recruiting trips? (Ha, ha)  And so on.......

Only Matt and Mark know the realistic answers to all those questions.

But if Valpo wants to get to a truly national level through the MVC, it has to take solid positive strides (which includes consistantly winning conference basketball games) in that direction sooner than later.

Yes indeed '62. 

The very recent huge attendance for the NIT tournament games in Valpo in March 2016 showed the possibilities still out there for us.  I don't know what the admissions charge was. I would think it was NIT governed at $12-15 and up.   I was just puzzled as to why the attendance went to hell in 2016-2017 so quickly afterward with a huge star player returning. 

But just carry on and win in the MVC and good things will happen!!   

Quote from: crusadermoe on September 21, 2018, 10:13:04 AM
Yes indeed '62. 

The very recent huge attendance for the NIT tournament games in Valpo in March 2016 showed the possibilities still out there for us.  I don't know what the admissions charge was. I would think it was NIT governed at $12-15 and up.   I was just puzzled as to why the attendance went to hell in 2016-2017 so quickly afterward with a huge star player returning. 

But just carry on and win in the MVC and good things will happen!!   

I still wonder why this was the case, especially from the student body. That was the year the student attendance started to slide and took a absolute nose dive last season. I was wonder if admissions is targeting a different type of student the last few years?  ??? I just can't explain the slide but anticipate if each class doesn't learn the traditions and cheers (including the not PC ones the coach can't teach you at the beginning of the year) it will be a slippery slide.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 20, 2018, 06:17:03 PM
Union Street Hoops podcast was quality interviews.  Glad to have excitement in the women's program again.
7). Coach cleverly brought on Deon Lavender because he still doesn't trust our distributors, that's not so good.  Clearly Micah and Bakari were not assist minded G for much of last season.

I'm wondering how much Micah will play this season. You can argue that Micah turned into a solid distributor around mid-season when he start to take fewer horrendous shots. Bakari may not be an elite ball handler but I'm not sure he isn't a solid distributor. He was forced into a taking more shots because we badly needed him to be a shooter and he shot the 3 really well last season. I could definitely see him playing more off the ball than last season.

Will Coach Lottich sit Micah more this season in favor of playing the greener freshman with possibly more future potential? That's what he did with Lexus when Micah was a Freshman. He was trying to get the kid more experience and favored him over a more reliable player (different scenario with how the second half of the 16-17 teams season shook out) but Lexus may not have been 100% healthy his last season at VU. We badly could have used him last season.

How much are Sackey and Javon going to play in the beginning of the season? I could see JFL playing more because he's apparently already a solid defender and PG requires more responsibilities on Sackey's plate.

It's great to hear Fazekas is looking strong and shooting the ball well! We NeeD shooters in the Valley if we have any hopes of competing for a MVC title.

Just saw Street and Smith's magazine which picks us 5th.  Lindy's has us 7th. 

Yes, saw the Lindy's in Walgreens.   

I got a kick out of the author saying that Fazekas will give us a "wondrous outside weapon."   Not typically a sports writer adjective.  More typically used in the theatre critic section.  Oh well, that was worth the price of not paying for the magazine.

We are a total wild card...anywhere from #3 to #8 is a possibility.  Call #5 a best guess.

Can anyone make out who is injured in this picture? (sitting on the cart to the left??) Is that Nick Robinson? Mileek? Looks like he may have a right leg injury? I don't see him wearing a shoe on his right foot. Hopefully it's not serious.

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1044796902062116866

Quote from: VU2014 on September 25, 2018, 11:00:18 PM
Can anyone make out who is injured in this picture? (sitting on the cart to the left??) Is that Nick Robinson? Mileek? Looks like he may have a right leg injury? I don't see him wearing a shoe on his right foot. Hopefully it's not serious.

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1044796902062116866

Not positive, but I don't believe he's a player.

https://twitter.com/KernHoops/status/1045007829940281345

Valparaiso Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Crusaders
by Joey Loose
September 26, 2018

https://bustingbrackets.com/2018/09/26/valparaiso-basketball-2018-19-season-preview-for-the-crusaders/

I really can't see how Golder or Lavender isn't the starter at SG this year. I believe that Freeman will be great but I'd be a bit nervous about giving a freshman starters' minutes. McMillan will likely start and I hope he runs with the opportunity. He's certainly been working hard enough. Ideally, they'd have a capable starting PG that can allow Evelyn to play off ball. I hope and believe that Sackey will emerge as that guy. I'd prefer Sorolla over Smits for defensive reasons. I think they have the makings of a strong offensive second unit which could help protect and extend any leads. This should be an exciting and much better year. Go Valpo!

Quote from: VU2014 on September 26, 2018, 03:13:20 PMValparaiso Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Crusaders
by Joey Loose
September 26, 2018

https://bustingbrackets.com/2018/09/26/valparaiso-basketball-2018-19-season-preview-for-the-crusaders/

This guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.   :thumbsup:   

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on September 26, 2018, 03:46:11 PM
I really can't see how Golder or Lavender isn't the starter at SG this year. I believe that Freeman will be great but I'd be a bit nervous about giving a freshman starters' minutes. McMillan will likely start and I hope he runs with the opportunity. He's certainly been working hard enough. Ideally, they'd have a capable starting PG that can allow Evelyn to play off ball. I hope and believe that Sackey will emerge as that guy. I'd prefer Sorolla over Smits for defensive reasons. I think they have the makings of a strong offensive second unit which could help protect and extend any leads. This should be an exciting and much better year. Go Valpo!

I have difficulty ever seeing Golder playing much at the 2 while agreeing that shooting guard was and probably is the best position for Lavender. If everyone is healthy I see a lot of nearly interchangeable position parts by the mid season MVC portion. The rotation will eventually shorten but I see a significant minutes for all 11 guys going well into the season.

I will agree that freshman development might be slower than we want but they will be given plenty of room to find their game. If they don't find their games in 18-19 then my team expectations will be hard to meet.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on September 26, 2018, 03:46:11 PM
I really can't see how Golder or Lavender isn't the starter at SG this year. I believe that Freeman will be great but I'd be a bit nervous about giving a freshman starters' minutes. McMillan will likely start and I hope he runs with the opportunity. He's certainly been working hard enough. Ideally, they'd have a capable starting PG that can allow Evelyn to play off ball. I hope and believe that Sackey will emerge as that guy. I'd prefer Sorolla over Smits for defensive reasons. I think they have the makings of a strong offensive second unit which could help protect and extend any leads. This should be an exciting and much better year. Go Valpo!

Starters
Micah Bradford
Bakari Evelyn
Markus Golder
Ryan Fazekas
Derrik Smits

Most Minutes (in order)
PG Bradford / Lavender / Sackey
SG Evelyn / Freeman / Lavender
SF Golder / Fazekas / Kiser
PF McMillan / Fazekas / Golder / Kiser / Sorolla
C Sorolla / Smits / McMillan / Golder

Most productive Offensive
Lavender
Evelyn
Golder
Fazekas
Smits

Most productive Defense
Sackey
Lavender
Golder
McMillan
Sorolla

Most Exciting
Sackey
Evelyn
Freeman
Golder
McMillan

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 26, 2018, 07:23:32 PM

Most productive Defense
Sackey*
Lavender
Golder
McMillan* Maybe
Sorolla

Mileek was pretty terrible on defense last year. He was really slow on defensive switches and put his teammates in a bad spot on defense. He has a heck of a lot left to prove. Sackey hasn't proven anything on defense either and he is 5-10.

This would be my Most productive defense.

Lavender
Javon Freeman (he's coming in with a strong reputation as a good on ball defender)
Golder
Fazekas (I'm not expecting him to be good on defense but Mileek hasn't proven to be a capable defender yet. In the long run yes, Mileek should be better)
Sorolla

This guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.

I suppose I don't really follow.  What in particular do you disagree with?  I had a hard time finding fault other than calling Loyola the class of the MVC.  I think they are "amongst" those competing for Top 3.

We just do not have any stars on this team.  No proven coaching at this elite mid major level of competition.  And weren't we the only MVC team to get smoked by all all semi decent OOC competitors last year?

Forget mono boy and no grades, that means nothing to outsiders.  Just like cheater the year before didn't register to outsiders. 

Every team has diversity, I found sometimes these last 3-years that we all forgot that other teams have suspension/academic/injury issues at the same rate or worse than VU.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 26, 2018, 07:47:07 PM
This guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.

I suppose I don't really follow.  What in particular do you disagree with?  I had a hard time finding fault other than calling Loyola the class of the MVC.  I think they are "amongst" those competing for Top 3.

We just do not have any stars on this team.  No proven coaching at this elite mid major level of competition.  And weren't we the only MVC team to get smoked by all all semi decent OOC competitors last year?

Forget mono boy and no grades, that means nothing to outsiders.  Just like cheater the year before didn't register to outsiders. 

Every team has diversity, I found sometimes these last 3-years that we all forgot that other teams have suspension/academic/injury issues at the same rate or worse than VU.

Agreed, but we have been hit particularly hard the last 2 years, more than most programs.

-Losing Bryce (common occurrence at the mid-major level)
-A key player (Skara) getting forced into a transfer
-NCAA screwing our anticipated starting PG out of his last year of eligibility
-NCAA screwing over Jubril for more than half the season. (if we were a P5 school it would be a much smaller suspension)
-Lost a NBA player to a season ending injury
-Shane Hammink gets ill going into the Horizon League tournament
-Tevonn Walker gets mono during the non-conference schedule and never fully recovers the rest of the season
-Arguably the most talented player on the roster and the centerpiece of our offense makes himself academically ineligible right before conference play starts

every program faces adversity but let's not act like most programs have dealt with as much as ours has the last few years. It is what it is and we can only look to the future and hope we can benefit from the adversity. Pressure makes diamonds.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 26, 2018, 07:23:32 PM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on September 26, 2018, 03:46:11 PM
I really can't see how Golder or Lavender isn't the starter at SG this year. I believe that Freeman will be great but I'd be a bit nervous about giving a freshman starters' minutes. McMillan will likely start and I hope he runs with the opportunity. He's certainly been working hard enough. Ideally, they'd have a capable starting PG that can allow Evelyn to play off ball. I hope and believe that Sackey will emerge as that guy. I'd prefer Sorolla over Smits for defensive reasons. I think they have the makings of a strong offensive second unit which could help protect and extend any leads. This should be an exciting and much better year. Go Valpo!

Starters
Micah Bradford
Bakari Evelyn
Markus Golder
Ryan Fazekas
Derrik Smits

Most Minutes (in order)
PG Bradford / Lavender / Sackey
SG Evelyn / Freeman / Lavender
SF Golder / Fazekas / Kiser
PF McMillan / Fazekas / Golder / Kiser / Sorolla
C Sorolla / Smits / McMillan / Golder

Most productive Offensive
Lavender
Evelyn
Golder
Fazekas
Smits

Most productive Defense
Sackey
Lavender
Golder
McMillan
Sorolla

Most Exciting
Sackey
Evelyn
Freeman
Golder
McMillan

Biggest defensive liability from last year:
Smits (slow to react, easy to back down, terrible position rebounder, half-hearted effort)
McMillan (constantly out of position, easy to back door in zone, committed 3 fouls in the first 5 minutes of every half he started)

How does Mileek go from "biggest defensive liability" to "most productive defense," in 1 off-season, especially since his problems did not stem from lack of effort? 

Matt needs to make Derrik earn his minutes by demanding a much better effort defensively. Countless times last year I watched his teammates giving 110% on defense possession after possession, chasing their man relentlessly, fighting through picks, racing to the 3-pt line, bodying up, blocking out, etc., while Derrik coasted. He's not an overgrown kid anymore. This is his 4th year (3rd year playing). He needs to lead by example at both ends of the court. It's time to man up and play to his potential at both ends of the court. Otherwise, Matt should go with Jay and develop him to his full potential. He may not be as good offensively, but he a far better defender, and I've never seen him coast even one time or take plays off.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 26, 2018, 07:47:07 PMThis guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.

I suppose I don't really follow.  What in particular do you disagree with? 

I disagree with the whole system. This sounds like a guy with little or no experience, little or no time, and little or no budget doing little or no research, with few or no answered e-mails or phone calls. The results yield a piece of work with little or no value having little or no interest. In the writers defense he was probably given little or no money for his efforts. I have little or no better answers for my frustration. :banghead:

Quote from: justducky on September 26, 2018, 06:41:40 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 26, 2018, 03:13:20 PMValparaiso Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Crusaders
by Joey Loose
September 26, 2018

https://bustingbrackets.com/2018/09/26/valparaiso-basketball-2018-19-season-preview-for-the-crusaders/

This guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.   :thumbsup:   

15 of 35 (43%) of our own posters picked us to finish 5th or below. Heck, our own beat reporter Paul Oren did not include Valpo among the teams he considers to be in the top half of the league. So, although I agree with you, it's important to note that we have other people who are in perfect lock step with this guy.

I think this guy is a poster on this board...

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on September 26, 2018, 11:15:17 PM
I think this guy is a poster on this board...

Yep. Always appreciate JLoose's opinions/thoughts on the board.

https://bustingbrackets.com/author/jloose/

QuoteJoey Loose
A Chicago native and Valparaiso University alum, I'm obsessed with all things sports, especially college basketball, with a particular focus on sports statistics and data analysis.

Quote from: wh on September 26, 2018, 08:38:39 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 26, 2018, 07:23:32 PM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on September 26, 2018, 03:46:11 PM
I really can't see how Golder or Lavender isn't the starter at SG this year. I believe that Freeman will be great but I'd be a bit nervous about giving a freshman starters' minutes. McMillan will likely start and I hope he runs with the opportunity. He's certainly been working hard enough. Ideally, they'd have a capable starting PG that can allow Evelyn to play off ball. I hope and believe that Sackey will emerge as that guy. I'd prefer Sorolla over Smits for defensive reasons. I think they have the makings of a strong offensive second unit which could help protect and extend any leads. This should be an exciting and much better year. Go Valpo!

Starters
Micah Bradford
Bakari Evelyn
Markus Golder
Ryan Fazekas
Derrik Smits

Most Minutes (in order)
PG Bradford / Lavender / Sackey
SG Evelyn / Freeman / Lavender
SF Golder / Fazekas / Kiser
PF McMillan / Fazekas / Golder / Kiser / Sorolla
C Sorolla / Smits / McMillan / Golder

Most productive Offensive
Lavender
Evelyn
Golder
Fazekas
Smits

Most productive Defense
Sackey
Lavender
Golder
McMillan
Sorolla

Most Exciting
Sackey
Evelyn
Freeman
Golder
McMillan

Biggest defensive liability from last year:
Smits (slow to react, easy to back down, terrible position rebounder, half-hearted effort)
McMillan (constantly out of position, easy to back door in zone, committed 3 fouls in the first 5 minutes of every half he started)

How does Mileek go from "biggest defensive liability" to "most productive defense," in 1 off-season, especially since his problems did not stem from lack of effort? 

Matt needs to make Derrik earn his minutes by demanding a much better effort defensively. Countless times last year I watched his teammates giving 110% on defense possession after possession, chasing their man relentlessly, fighting through picks, racing to the 3-pt line, bodying up, blocking out, etc., while Derrik coasted. He's not an overgrown kid anymore. This is his 4th year (3rd year playing). He needs to lead by example at both ends of the court. It's time to man up and play to his potential at both ends of the court. Otherwise, Matt should go with Jay and develop him to his full potential. He may not be as good offensively, but he a far better defender, and I've never seen him coast even one time or take plays off.

The best I can say regarding McMillan is ....who else plays that position?  Fazekas seems fairly slow for the SF and rail thin did the PF.  So I'm unsure he can do much defensively until he proves us otherwise.

We have a BIG liability at PF defensively so I felt the need to at least put a name on the list.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 26, 2018, 07:47:07 PM
This guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.

I suppose I don't really follow.  What in particular do you disagree with?  I had a hard time finding fault other than calling Loyola the class of the MVC.  I think they are "amongst" those competing for Top 3.

We just do not have any stars on this team.  No proven coaching at this elite mid major level of competition.  And weren't we the only MVC team to get smoked by all all semi decent OOC competitors last year?

Forget Tevonn and Burton, that means nothing to outsiders.  Just like Adekoya the year before didn't register to outsiders. 

Every team has diversity, I found sometimes these last 3-years that we all forgot that other teams have suspension/academic/injury issues at the same rate or worse than VU.

I suppose I was a little aggressive in name calling so I adjusted these to their actual names.  My point remains, we are far too whinny about our woes and I am guilty there as well.  As any coach worth his salt would say, Next Up.  There is a reason that you recruit 13 players for a roster and we were guilty of not having a properly balanced team in most of the last 2-years.  We can use all the excuses out there, but the fact remains we were not prepared.

I'd say the coaches learned a valuable lesson.  So much so, that we now have Lavender on our squad to add the much needed grit and experience that our team (even now) lacks to a degree.

If you guys don't think Fazekas will lead the team in scoring, you are wrong.  Ryan was a four star guy ranked in the top 5 coming out of Indiana.  He started 19 games for a Big East team.

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 08:30:57 AM
If you guys don't think Fazekas will lead the team in scoring, you are wrong.  Ryan was a four star guy ranked in the top 5 coming out of Indiana.  He started 19 games for a Big East team.

My question is, where is he going to play his minutes predominantly?  I'd guess Fazekas is our 3rd leading scorer unless he develops his game inside the 3-point line. 

Admittedly I have seen limited game film of his.  At 6'7" and 200 lbs he could get tossed around in the post but he does have the potential for a quicker first step.  If he develops the ability to drive on PF then he can be Top 2 scorer.  If he primarily scores for 3-point land and FT then I don't see leading scorer as a lock.  Either way immediately Top 3 on this team.

Leading Scorers
Markus Golder
Bakari Evelyn
Ryan Fazekas
Smirolla 2-headed monster
........then a bunch of 2-6 ppg

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 08:30:57 AM
If you guys don't think Fazekas will lead the team in scoring, you are wrong.  Ryan was a four star guy ranked in the top 5 coming out of Indiana.  He started 19 games for a Big East team.

A guy's recruiting ranking coming out of high school doesn't mean much once he's played 2 years in college.  He'll get heavier usage than he did at Providence (he did very little other than shooting 3's there), but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a balanced scoring attack from the Crusaders this season.  Most of the games where he got heavier minutes were at the start of his freshman and sophomore seasons, and then once conference play started he didn't get nearly as much run.  What I'm most interested in seeing from him is how well he defends.  That was his biggest liability when he got into Big East play.  Now some of that may have been injury or mono impacting him, but we'll see pretty quick out of the gates how healthy he is and whether his game has diversified significantly in his transfer year.

Quote from: VU2014 on September 26, 2018, 11:22:28 PM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on September 26, 2018, 11:15:17 PM
I think this guy is a poster on this board...

Yep. Always appreciate JLoose's opinions/thoughts on the board.

https://bustingbrackets.com/author/jloose/

QuoteJoey Loose
A Chicago native and Valparaiso University alum, I'm obsessed with all things sports, especially college basketball, with a particular focus on sports statistics and data analysis.

Sorry kid.

I fully appreciate the difficulty of boiling down important, complex stories into a few hundred words that are easily digestible. I probably would have liked your uncut first draft much more than your final product.   ;D  Something generically written for a MVC audience just doesn't have enough meat on the bone for us. Tell us something we don't know!

Also-----You are now in presidential company as I am frequently referring to him as a MORON!!!

Quote from: justducky on September 27, 2018, 11:14:48 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 26, 2018, 11:22:28 PM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on September 26, 2018, 11:15:17 PM
I think this guy is a poster on this board...

Yep. Always appreciate JLoose's opinions/thoughts on the board.

https://bustingbrackets.com/author/jloose/

QuoteJoey Loose
A Chicago native and Valparaiso University alum, I'm obsessed with all things sports, especially college basketball, with a particular focus on sports statistics and data analysis.

Sorry kid.

I fully appreciate the difficulty of boiling down important, complex stories into a few hundred words that are easily digestible. I probably would have liked your uncut first draft much more than your final product.   ;D  Something generically written for a MVC audience just doesn't have enough meat on the bone for us. Tell us something we don't know!

Also-----You are now in presidential company as I am frequently referring to him as a MORON!!!

contrite might not start with Sorry Kid! haha

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 08:30:57 AM
If you guys don't think Fazekas will lead the team in scoring, you are wrong.  Ryan was a four star guy ranked in the top 5 coming out of Indiana.  He started 19 games for a Big East team.

I think Fazekas will make an impact, but I could see either Golder or Evelyn leading the team in scoring.  I'm not sold that being a role player in the Big East somehow guarantees he'll be a star in the MVC ... both are top 8 conferences, so there's not a huge difference in the level of play between them.  Now ... if Fazekas used his year off to get healthy and expand his game, you could very well be right.

Quote from: EddieCabot on September 27, 2018, 12:25:03 PM

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 08:30:57 AM
If you guys don't think Fazekas will lead the team in scoring, you are wrong.  Ryan was a four star guy ranked in the top 5 coming out of Indiana.  He started 19 games for a Big East team.

I think Fazekas will make an impact, but I could see either Golder or Evelyn leading the team in scoring.  I'm not sold that being a role player in the Big East somehow guarantees he'll be a star in the MVC ... both are top 8 conferences, so there's not a huge difference in the level of play between them.  Now ... if Fazekas used his year off to get healthy and expand his game, you could very well be right.

For those who think he doesn't have a quick first step or has defensive liabilities, watch this from the state title game and yes, I undrstand it was against high school kids. Watch how quick his release is and how well he runs the floor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxqX7TBIT1A

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 01:09:29 PM

For those who think he doesn't have a quick first step or has defensive liabilities, watch this from the state title game and yes, I undrstand it was against high school kids. Watch how quick his release is and how well he runs the floor.

Hope you are right, he was a great pickup even if he is the 3rd leading scorer this year.  There is depth (offensively) that we simply could not depend on last year with this squads current makeup.  It's sure nice knowing that we don't require immediate production from our first year players (transfers or true freshmen).

We were so atrocious on offense last year through long stretches that I think our defense suffered some let downs.  So I would expect cohesion alone will improve our defense from day one.

I remain concerned about rebounding, even with Fazekas being added to the equation I am not sure of his rebounding prowess . . .

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 01:09:29 PM

For those who think he doesn't have a quick first step or has defensive liabilities, watch this from the state title game and yes, I undrstand it was against high school kids. Watch how quick his release is and how well he runs the floor.

Not only is it against high school kids, it's the 1A state title game, so it's the lowest level of Indiana high school basketball, so as a 6'7/8 D1 recruit, he should be dominating in that setting.  I don't think anyone doubts his shooting prowess, but that's all he's really been able to show so far in his college career.  Doesn't mean he doesn't have the other aspects to his game, but I watched him play for Providence for a couple of years, and during that time, he did have his shortcomings.

He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

Quote from: IrishDawg on September 27, 2018, 03:13:08 PM

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 01:09:29 PM

For those who think he doesn't have a quick first step or has defensive liabilities, watch this from the state title game and yes, I undrstand it was against high school kids. Watch how quick his release is and how well he runs the floor.

Not only is it against high school kids, it's the 1A state title game, so it's the lowest level of Indiana high school basketball, so as a 6'7/8 D1 recruit, he should be dominating in that setting.  I don't think anyone doubts his shooting prowess, but that's all he's really been able to show so far in his college career.  Doesn't mean he doesn't have the other aspects to his game, but I watched him play for Providence for a couple of years, and during that time, he did have his shortcomings.

He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

What level did Parker Hazen play (1A)??  I am from Michigan so I don't know the Indiana classes well.

:( :( :(

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 27, 2018, 03:23:06 PM

Quote from: IrishDawg on September 27, 2018, 03:13:08 PM

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 01:09:29 PM

For those who think he doesn't have a quick first step or has defensive liabilities, watch this from the state title game and yes, I undrstand it was against high school kids. Watch how quick his release is and how well he runs the floor.

Not only is it against high school kids, it's the 1A state title game, so it's the lowest level of Indiana high school basketball, so as a 6'7/8 D1 recruit, he should be dominating in that setting.  I don't think anyone doubts his shooting prowess, but that's all he's really been able to show so far in his college career.  Doesn't mean he doesn't have the other aspects to his game, but I watched him play for Providence for a couple of years, and during that time, he did have his shortcomings.

He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

What level did Parker Hazen play (1A)??  I am from Michigan so I don't know the Indiana classes well.

:( :( :(

Parker played at Columbia City, which at 1,050 enrollment, is the smallest school in 4A (the largest for basketball).  They were 3A when Parker played there.

For comparison, the school Fazekas was playing against in the 1A finals (Barr Reeve) had an enrollment of 200, or about 50 per grade.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 27, 2018, 03:23:06 PM

What level did Parker Hazen play (1A)??  I am from Michigan so I don't know the Indiana classes well.

:( :( :(

I don't know how we made that recruiting mistake. Parker physically has the tools and the work ethic but the skills were incredibly raw. The coaches probably knew they made a mistake after the first practice. He very well could make himself a decent D1 player, but he needs to get playing time at a lower level to develop his skills and he wasn't going to get that here. I'll always get a chuckle out of PO's AP comp lol. Prep school may have been the best route so he doesn't burn eligibility. I wish him well. Does anyone know where he ended up transferring? Is he taking a year off? Juco?

Quote from: IrishDawg on September 27, 2018, 03:13:08 PM
He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

In looking at returning minutes by position, the biggest void is clearly at the 4.  I consider Golder a 3, but he played most of his minutes last year at the 4 because Valpo normally played 3 true guards.  With the addition of Lavender (20 mpg for his career) and the 2 freshmen guards, minutes at the 1/2/3 will be scarce again. 

Because of the depth in the backcourt, Fazekas/Golder/Kiser will all see plenty of minutes at the 4 spot.   Those guys are all undersized at the 4, however, I'm not concerned because Valpo a). covers them by playing zone, or b). double teams immediately when the ball is passed into the post.   :twocents:

Quote from: EddieCabot on September 27, 2018, 04:05:29 PM

Quote from: IrishDawg on September 27, 2018, 03:13:08 PM
He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

In looking at returning minutes by position, the biggest void is clearly at the 4.  I consider Golder a 3, but he played most of his minutes last year at the 4 because Valpo normally played 3 true guards.  With the addition of Lavender (20 mpg for his career) and the 2 freshmen guards, minutes at the 1/2/3 will be scarce again. 

Because of the depth in the backcourt, Fazekas/Golder/Kiser will all see plenty of minutes at the 4 spot.   Those guys are all undersized at the 4, however, I'm not concerned because Valpo a). covers them by playing zone, or b). double teams immediately when the ball is passed into the post.   :twocents:

McMillan is only going to play the 4, and he is not undersized for a 4.

Quote from: VU2014 on September 27, 2018, 03:38:33 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 27, 2018, 03:23:06 PMWhat level did Parker Hazen play (1A)??  I am from Michigan so I don't know the Indiana classes well. :( :( :(

I don't know how we made that recruiting mistake. Parker physically has the tools and the work ethic but the skills were incredibly raw. The coaches probably knew they made a mistake after the first practice. He very well could make himself a decent D1 player, but he needs to get playing time at a lower level to develop his skills and he wasn't going to get that here. I'll always get a chuckle out of PO's AP comp lol. Prep school may have been the best route so he doesn't burn eligibility. I wish him well. Does anyone know where he ended up transferring? Is he taking a year off? Juco?

He transfered to Daytona State College

Quote from: VUBBFan on September 27, 2018, 04:35:54 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 27, 2018, 03:38:33 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 27, 2018, 03:23:06 PMWhat level did Parker Hazen play (1A)??  I am from Michigan so I don't know the Indiana classes well. :( :( :(

I don't know how we made that recruiting mistake. Parker physically has the tools and the work ethic but the skills were incredibly raw. The coaches probably knew they made a mistake after the first practice. He very well could make himself a decent D1 player, but he needs to get playing time at a lower level to develop his skills and he wasn't going to get that here. I'll always get a chuckle out of PO's AP comp lol. Prep school may have been the best route so he doesn't burn eligibility. I wish him well. Does anyone know where he ended up transferring? Is he taking a year off? Juco?

He transfered to Daytona State College

I was asking what high school class he played in prior to coming to VU.  Sorry for the confusion, but also good to know.

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 04:23:15 PM

Quote from: EddieCabot on September 27, 2018, 04:05:29 PM

Quote from: IrishDawg on September 27, 2018, 03:13:08 PM
He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

In looking at returning minutes by position, the biggest void is clearly at the 4.  I consider Golder a 3, but he played most of his minutes last year at the 4 because Valpo normally played 3 true guards.  With the addition of Lavender (20 mpg for his career) and the 2 freshmen guards, minutes at the 1/2/3 will be scarce again. 

Because of the depth in the backcourt, Fazekas/Golder/Kiser will all see plenty of minutes at the 4 spot.   Those guys are all undersized at the 4, however, I'm not concerned because Valpo a). covers them by playing zone, or b). double teams immediately when the ball is passed into the post.   :twocents:

McMillan is only going to play the 4, and he is not undersized for a 4.

I didn't mean to say McMillan was undersized ... sorry if my wording wasn't clear.  However, he played 10 MPG last year and unless he plays 40 this year, others (possibly Fazekas/Golder/Kiser) may need to play some minutes at the 4.

Also, if those 3 guys don't get minutes at the 4 spot, then you have a total of 120 minutes to allocate to Evelyn/Bradford/Lavender/Freeman/Sackey/Golder/Fazekas/Kiser.  That's not very many minutes for many very good players.

Luckily, Lottich showed last year that he was smart enough to get his best players on the floor, even when it meant going small and playing guys out of position (Max at the 3 and Golder/Kiser at the 4).  I'm sure he'll do the same this season.  :thumbsup:

Fazekas is gonna be a baller. I thought who on the team was going to score more than him?  And then I thought of golder. And I like golder.  And I really like Bakari. So, I'm going to say fazekas has the chance to be a game changer (highest upside), but all 3 will be similar ppg over the season and whoever the other teams try to eliminate will depend on who has the better nights!

Update on Parker Hazen
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1045469839492620288

Quote from: VUBBFan on September 27, 2018, 07:33:39 PM
Update on Parker Hazen
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1045469839492620288

Strange? 

Quote from: elephtheria47 on September 27, 2018, 06:57:02 PM
Fazekas is gonna be a baller. I thought who on the team was going to score more than him?  And then I thought of golder. And I like golder.  And I really like Bakari. So, I'm going to say fazekas has the chance to be a game changer (highest upside), but all 3 will be similar ppg over the season and whoever the other teams try to eliminate will depend on who has the better nights!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 is an arbitrarily (and traditional) assigned bunch of positions on the floor. Why can't we be a 1, 2, 3, 3 (or 3+), 5?   Why get hung up. Throw out the stereotypes and use your best however they contribute.

Personally, I want to see Marcus and Ryan on the floor together A LOT. I want the better of the two defensive bigs on the floor with them also a lot (we desperatly need rim protection). I want to see the best distributor/defender at the PG (who is?) and I want a shoot your eyes out at the SG (who is that?) who can also shut down their SG. Do we have that combination?

Quote from: VULB#62 on September 27, 2018, 08:13:55 PM

Quote from: elephtheria47 on September 27, 2018, 06:57:02 PM
Fazekas is gonna be a baller. I thought who on the team was going to score more than him?  And then I thought of golder. And I like golder.  And I really like Bakari. So, I'm going to say fazekas has the chance to be a game changer (highest upside), but all 3 will be similar ppg over the season and whoever the other teams try to eliminate will depend on who has the better nights!

1, 2, 3, 4, 5 is an arbitrarily (and traditional) assigned bunch of positions on the floor. Why can't we be a 1, 2, 3, 3 (or 3+), 5?   Why get hung up. Throw out the stereotypes and use your best however they contribute.

Personally, I want to see Marcus and Ryan on the floor together A LOT. I want the better of the two defensive bigs on the floor with them also a lot (we desperatly need rim protection). I want to see the best distributor/defender at the PG (who is?) and I want a shoot your eyes out at the SG (who is that?) who can also shut down their SG. Do we have that combination?

I think the 1, 2, 3, 3+, 5 system overlooks our biggest weakness.  We will probably give McMillan 15-18 mpg and play a ton of 3+ lineups BUT we still have to successfully play in a PF system when the opponent / matchup calls for it.

I think we all agree Fazekas + Golder will be fun, probably will get 60% of the minutes.  However, I persist with PG/SG/SF/PF/C because we need a solid hunk of minutes with that lineup being productive.

Without a serviceable true 4 we will have some difficulty.  I think we'd be far less concerned if we had a two headed monster set of PF who could be 4+ rather than 5's.  But as we stand, we have two C only and only one PF only.  McMillan may be one of the most important pieces for us to take a step forward this year.  If we can get + minutes out of him without foul trouble that's critical.

Quote from: elephtheria47 on September 27, 2018, 06:57:02 PM
Fazekas is gonna be a baller. I thought who on the team was going to score more than him?  And then I thought of golder. And I like golder.  And I really like Bakari. So, I'm going to say fazekas has the chance to be a game changer (highest upside), but all 3 will be similar ppg over the season and whoever the other teams try to eliminate will depend on who has the better nights!

I'm hoping Fazekas is the scorer we hope he can be. But is he one dimensional? Is he just a shooter or has he developed more of a offensive arsenal because  if he's just a shooter it will limit what we can do with him on the court. Hopefully he's more polished in more facets of his game.

Quote from: VU2014 on September 27, 2018, 08:34:39 PM

Quote from: elephtheria47 on September 27, 2018, 06:57:02 PM
Fazekas is gonna be a baller. I thought who on the team was going to score more than him?  And then I thought of golder. And I like golder.  And I really like Bakari. So, I'm going to say fazekas has the chance to be a game changer (highest upside), but all 3 will be similar ppg over the season and whoever the other teams try to eliminate will depend on who has the better nights!

I'm hoping  is the scorer we hope he can be. But is he on dimensional? IFazekass he just a shooter or has he developed more of a offensive arsenal because  if he's just a shooter it will limit what we can do with him on the court. Hopefully he's more polished in more facets of his game.

Sorry about the screwed up wording, my finger slipped!  As for Fazekas just being one dimensional, i.e. a three point shooter, the same  could be said initially about Rowdy or Alec.  Granted, they were freshman, but Ryan is a senior, grade wise, and we have to assume that he has matured into an all around player.  We will see.

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 09:25:26 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 27, 2018, 08:34:39 PM

Quote from: elephtheria47 on September 27, 2018, 06:57:02 PM
Fazekas is gonna be a baller. I thought who on the team was going to score more than him?  And then I thought of golder. And I like golder.  And I really like Bakari. So, I'm going to say fazekas has the chance to be a game changer (highest upside), but all 3 will be similar ppg over the season and whoever the other teams try to eliminate will depend on who has the better nights!

I'm hoping  is the scorer we hope he can be. But is he on dimensional? IFazekass he just a shooter or has he developed more of a offensive arsenal because  if he's just a shooter it will limit what we can do with him on the court. Hopefully he's more polished in more facets of his game.

Sorry about the screwed up wording, my finger slipped!  As for Fazekas just being one dimensional, i.e. a three point shooter, the same  could be said initially about Rowdy or Alec.  Granted, they were freshman, but Ryan is a senior, grade wise, and we have to assume that he has matured into an all around player.  We will see.

I haven't watched Ryan enough at Providence to make a full assessment of his game. It also needs to be pointed out that he was struggling with illness and injury with his time at Providence and it hampered him. But I'd argue that Alec certainly showed more dimensions of his game than just being a 3 pt shooter his freshman year. Rowdy didn't play a huge role his freshman season but he flashes and was a pretty competent rebounder if I remember correctly. It sounds like Ryan is an elite shooter but to be a elite scorer he'll need to be more than just jump shooter. I'm wondering if he'll be able create his own shot. With his height and length, he shouldn't need to have great athleticism to get his shot off. I'm hoping he'll be an effective player in high pick and roll situations. Side Note, but Jay/Smits NeeD to be better at setting picks for our wings this season. I haven't seen a Valpo center set an effective pick since Vashil was here. Part of that comes with experience and chemistry but it needs to happen to get our wings some separation and better looks.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 27, 2018, 08:31:15 PMWithout a serviceable true 4 we will have some difficulty.  I think we'd be far less concerned if we had a two headed monster set of PF who could be 4+ rather than 5's.  But as we stand, we have two C only and only one PF only.  McMillan may be one of the most important pieces for us to take a step forward this year.  If we can get + minutes out of him without foul trouble that's critical.

Remembering the number of fouls that Smits/Sorolla gave up last year, Mileek better be prepared to be a 4+.

Quote from: VU2014 on September 27, 2018, 10:54:13 PM

Quote from: vu72 on September 27, 2018, 09:25:26 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 27, 2018, 08:34:39 PM

Quote from: elephtheria47 on September 27, 2018, 06:57:02 PM
Fazekas is gonna be a baller. I thought who on the team was going to score more than him?  And then I thought of golder. And I like golder.  And I really like Bakari. So, I'm going to say fazekas has the chance to be a game changer (highest upside), but all 3 will be similar ppg over the season and whoever the other teams try to eliminate will depend on who has the better nights!

I'm hoping  is the scorer we hope he can be. But is he on dimensional? IFazekass he just a shooter or has he developed more of a offensive arsenal because  if he's just a shooter it will limit what we can do with him on the court. Hopefully he's more polished in more facets of his game.

Sorry about the screwed up wording, my finger slipped!  As for Fazekas just being one dimensional, i.e. a three point shooter, the same  could be said initially about Rowdy or Alec.  Granted, they were freshman, but Ryan is a senior, grade wise, and we have to assume that he has matured into an all around player.  We will see.

I haven't watched Ryan enough at Providence to make a full assessment of his game. It also needs to be pointed out that he was struggling with illness and injury with his time at Providence and it hampered him. But I'd argue that Alec certainly showed more dimensions of his game than just being a 3 pt shooter his freshman year. Rowdy didn't play a huge role his freshman season but he flashes and was a pretty competent rebounder if I remember correctly. It sounds like Ryan is an elite shooter but to be a elite scorer he'll need to be more than just jump shooter. I'm wondering if he'll be able create his own shot. With his height and length, he shouldn't need to have great athleticism to get his shot off. I'm hoping he'll be an effective player in high pick and roll situations. Side Note, but Jay/Smits NeeD to be better at setting picks for our wings this season. I haven't seen a Valpo center set an effective pick since Vashil was here. Part of that comes with experience and chemistry but it needs to happen to get our wings some separation and better looks.

Smits is terrible with picks.  Sorolla on the other hand does fine.  He and Micah's pick and rolls last year were one of the high lights of the season to me.

I'm hoping we get burned less on the double teams when Smits is in!!!

Quote from: VU2014 on September 27, 2018, 10:54:13 PM
I haven't watched Ryan enough at Providence to make a full assessment of his game. It also needs to be pointed out that he was struggling with illness and injury with his time at Providence and it hampered him. But I'd argue that Alec certainly showed more dimensions of his game than just being a 3 pt shooter his freshman year. Rowdy didn't play a huge role his freshman season but he flashes and was a pretty competent rebounder if I remember correctly. It sounds like Ryan is an elite shooter but to be a elite scorer he'll need to be more than just jump shooter. I'm wondering if he'll be able create his own shot. With his height and length, he shouldn't need to have great athleticism to get his shot off. I'm hoping he'll be an effective player in high pick and roll situations. Side Note, but Jay/Smits NeeD to be better at setting picks for our wings this season. I haven't seen a Valpo center set an effective pick since Vashil was here. Part of that comes with experience and chemistry but it needs to happen to get our wings some separation and better looks.

Even having watched him while he was at Providence, there's no way that someone could make a full assessment of where he'll be as a player unless they've been at practice.  As you said, he was dealing with Mono and injury while he was at Providence, which obviously would have hampered him.  Additionally, he wasn't asked to be as much of a rebounder as I assume he will be at Valparaiso just because of him playing at the 3 most of the time at Providence.  He also wasn't asked to do much outside of being a jump shooter, which, if you look at any of his statistics or highlights from high school or college, that's mostly what he did.  Can he do more?  We'll find out.

Comparing him to Peters really isn't fair because outside of maybe a few, I don't think anyone expects him to be a guy that's one of the greatest in school history or go to the NBA.  My expectations for him are to be a threat from the outside, which should help clear the lane for the guards, and to be one of the team's primary rebounders.  Not sure if they'll play him at the 3, but I will say he was ranked last in individual defensive efficiency ratings during conference play his sophomore season.  His freshman year was better, but he still ranked 3rd to last in that same scenario, which is why I think playing him at the 4 is the smarter move for Valpo.

Quote from: IrishDawg on September 28, 2018, 07:30:34 AMEven having watched him while he was at Providence, there's no way that someone could make a full assessment of where he'll be as a player unless they've been at practice.  As you said, he was dealing with Mono and injury while he was at Providence, which obviously would have hampered him.  Additionally, he wasn't asked to be as much of a rebounder as I assume he will be at Valparaiso just because of him playing at the 3 most of the time at Providence.  He also wasn't asked to do much outside of being a jump shooter, which, if you look at any of his statistics or highlights from high school or college, that's mostly what he did.  Can he do more?  We'll find out.

Comparing him to Peters really isn't fair because outside of maybe a few, I don't think anyone expects him to be a guy that's one of the greatest in school history or go to the NBA.  My expectations for him are to be a threat from the outside, which should help clear the lane for the guards, and to be one of the team's primary rebounders.  Not sure if they'll play him at the 3, but I will say he was ranked last in individual defensive efficiency ratings during conference play his sophomore season.  His freshman year was better, but he still ranked 3rd to last in that same scenario, which is why I think playing him at the 4 is the smarter move for Valpo.

Fazekas will easily see more time at the 3 than did Broekoff, Peters or Adekoya who were all once 3 wanna-bees. What portion of his floor time will actually place him there is the open question. I am as much in the dark as the rest of you but I think it is a reasonably safe bet that 65%+ of his minutes are spent at the 4. The only thing that could change this would be a complete Miileek McMillan metamorphosis (that was a mouthful). Mileek making that kind of leap this season is highly unlikely but the 19-20 season might stack up differently. Either way I can see Ryan being a very effective Valley 3 when used there situationally.

Quote from: justducky on September 28, 2018, 08:52:25 AM

Quote from: IrishDawg on September 28, 2018, 07:30:34 AMEven having watched him while he was at Providence, there's no way that someone could make a full assessment of where he'll be as a player unless they've been at practice.  As you said, he was dealing with Mono and injury while he was at Providence, which obviously would have hampered him.  Additionally, he wasn't asked to be as much of a rebounder as I assume he will be at Valparaiso just because of him playing at the 3 most of the time at Providence.  He also wasn't asked to do much outside of being a jump shooter, which, if you look at any of his statistics or highlights from high school or college, that's mostly what he did.  Can he do more?  We'll find out.

Comparing him to Peters really isn't fair because outside of maybe a few, I don't think anyone expects him to be a guy that's one of the greatest in school history or go to the NBA.  My expectations for him are to be a threat from the outside, which should help clear the lane for the guards, and to be one of the team's primary rebounders.  Not sure if they'll play him at the 3, but I will say he was ranked last in individual defensive efficiency ratings during conference play his sophomore season.  His freshman year was better, but he still ranked 3rd to last in that same scenario, which is why I think playing him at the 4 is the smarter move for Valpo.

Fazekas will easily see more time at the 3 than did Broekoff, Peters or Adekoya who were all once 3 wanna-bees. What portion of his floor time will actually place him there is the open question. I am as much in the dark as the rest of you but I think it is a reasonably safe bet that 65%+ of his minutes are spent at the 4. The only thing that could change this would be a complete Miileek McMillan metamorphosis (that was a mouthful). Mileek making that kind of leap this season is highly unlikely but the 19-20 season might stack up differently. Either way I can see Ryan being a very effective Valley 3 when used there situationally.

Mileek McMillan Metamorphosis (TM - Just Ducky)!!!!  I like it . . .

Quote from: IrishDawg on September 28, 2018, 07:30:34 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on September 27, 2018, 10:54:13 PM
I haven't watched Ryan enough at Providence to make a full assessment of his game. It also needs to be pointed out that he was struggling with illness and injury with his time at Providence and it hampered him. But I'd argue that Alec certainly showed more dimensions of his game than just being a 3 pt shooter his freshman year. Rowdy didn't play a huge role his freshman season but he flashes and was a pretty competent rebounder if I remember correctly. It sounds like Ryan is an elite shooter but to be a elite scorer he'll need to be more than just jump shooter. I'm wondering if he'll be able create his own shot. With his height and length, he shouldn't need to have great athleticism to get his shot off. I'm hoping he'll be an effective player in high pick and roll situations. Side Note, but Jay/Smits NeeD to be better at setting picks for our wings this season. I haven't seen a Valpo center set an effective pick since Vashil was here. Part of that comes with experience and chemistry but it needs to happen to get our wings some separation and better looks.

Even having watched him while he was at Providence, there's no way that someone could make a full assessment of where he'll be as a player unless they've been at practice.  As you said, he was dealing with Mono and injury while he was at Providence, which obviously would have hampered him.  Additionally, he wasn't asked to be as much of a rebounder as I assume he will be at Valparaiso just because of him playing at the 3 most of the time at Providence.  He also wasn't asked to do much outside of being a jump shooter, which, if you look at any of his statistics or highlights from high school or college, that's mostly what he did.  Can he do more?  We'll find out.

Comparing him to Peters really isn't fair because outside of maybe a few, I don't think anyone expects him to be a guy that's one of the greatest in school history or go to the NBA.  My expectations for him are to be a threat from the outside, which should help clear the lane for the guards, and to be one of the team's primary rebounders.  Not sure if they'll play him at the 3, but I will say he was ranked last in individual defensive efficiency ratings during conference play his sophomore season.  His freshman year was better, but he still ranked 3rd to last in that same scenario, which is why I think playing him at the 4 is the smarter move for Valpo.

Great data, thanks.  To be clear, that is last in their conference / last on the team / last in the country?  I am assuming conference.

We got basically nothing offensively from the power forward position last year. You could never count on points from Parker OOC, nor Mileek in conference. The same for Kiser. The same trio got badly schooled on defense, as well - especially in conference. It was by far the most glaring deficiency we've had in any one position in years. There were times, especially offensively, we were literally playing 4 on 5. If Ryan can average even 13 and 4, that's about 10 and 2 better than last year. If absolutely nothing else improves (and it will), we should be in a position to win several more games. The fact that Ryan is an undersized 4 or isn't as well rounded as our 2 NBA players that played that position, while probably true, is trivial compared to the positives he brings to the equation over last year.

6'8 players who can make it splash from 3? Sign me up. Sure, he may be a liability on defense, however he will also be a mismatch on offense. Play to your strengths and make the other team adjust.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 28, 2018, 10:16:48 AM

Great data, thanks.  To be clear, that is last in their conference / last on the team / last in the country?  I am assuming conference.

Sorry for not being more clear - he was the worst rated individual defender (of the guys that played regularly) on Providence during league play in 16-17, and was 3rd worst on Providence during league play in 15-16.

Just a friendly reminder that we are going to be UIndy's superbowl game this season. They're a strong non-D1 program and we'll get their best shot. We heavily recruited one of their players Tate Hall who chose Loyola over us. The guys need to take care of business.

https://twitter.com/UIndyMBB/status/1045842941317705729?s=20

You guys got a good one in Fazekas believe me. He had a couple tough injuries at Providence or would still be there. He is a good all around player.

Quote from: Phriar10 on September 30, 2018, 08:02:48 AM
You guys got a good one in Fazekas believe me. He had a couple tough injuries at Providence or would still be there. He is a good all around player.

Nice to hear from someone who followed him. Thanks for chiming in. As long as your here, maybe you could shed some light on questions some of us have had. Offensively, do you see Ryan as primarily a spot-up jump shooter, or is there more to his game?  Can he play the 4 without getting outmuscled, backed down, bullied on the boards, etc. Thanks.

https://twitter.com/MikeReingruber/status/1046422092726571010

Ya know, after looking at the pics below, the ARC is not that far from looking like a legit D-I bb facility. Upgrades to the bowl seating and additional tweaks present a pretty good game day environment. It will never be a palace but it would be a great place to play (which it is already). I hope MLB and the department bring in designers who can make this place into a real "pit."  Keep the capacity at 5k for now but find ways to make 5k seem like 10.

Quote from: VULB#62 on September 30, 2018, 01:54:49 PM
Ya know, after looking at the pics below, the ARC is not that far from looking like a legit D-I bb facility. Upgrades to the bowl seating and additional tweaks present a pretty good game day environment. It will never be a palace but it would be a great place to play (which it is already). I hope MLB and the department bring in designers who can make this place into a real "pit."  Keep the capacity at 5k for now but find ways to make 5k seem like 10.

I really hope they put seating on all four sides of the court. It would make the ARC more aesthetically pleasing. Also put chairbacks across the court from the other chairbacks. It would go along way in presentation. The athletics dept could probably get away with charging slightly more per ticket by making those chairbacks. I think they should leave the student section as bleachers.

The renovated version of the Knapp Center is a reasonable presentation of what the ARC could look like with seating improvements. Although I'd like it if we had seating over the walkway onto the main floor. Make it as much seating as possible on the lower bowl.

Whatever the University does I hope they make the seat close to the court so it makes the fans feel like they are on top of the opposing team. It makes the ARC a tough place to play for opposing teams. Make sure fans and students are as close to the court as possible, because it creates a competitive advantage.

(https://stadiumjourney.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/unnamed-6.jpg)

Spot on!

Quote from: VULB#62 on September 30, 2018, 03:55:58 PM
Spot on!

If they raise the $$ with at least 50-75% donation, then go BIG!  Not in the sense of expanding seating but improving experience.  I'd like to see expansive windows (let nature in) like in the Drake picture but on steroids.  Maybe make the vast majority of the track level and up (chair back side) become picture windows.  Bump out the concession side and more picture windows above the track level surrounding a new concession area in the front right corner.

Keep the track IMO but improve the surface.  AC of course and improved lighting/speakers and call it a day.  The above could be phase 1 ($10,000,000??).

Phase 2 would be other non revenue generating upgrades like staff offices and third level gym etc.

You put your finger on the one thing we on the forum have little info on:  the stuff behind the scenes that is not readily visible to the basic fan
 
Having said that, I would want colorful  chairbacks on three sides in the lower bowl, benches for the Valparaiszone at one end. Replace the current bleachers on the upper Hilltop side with upgraded benches that scream Valpo brown and gold. Build it so that it is a hated place to play if you are not Valpo. Obviously improve sound, AC, and lighting. The designers would also need to incorporate easily accessible concessions in the equation at multiple levels. Damn, I wish I had that consulting contract  ;D

The ARC has the potential to be a mega-migraine to every MVC opponent if we do it right.

And if we do it right, it will draw locals like crazy because of the wild experience. Goal:  make  Valpo basketball THE event to follow.

Oops. Sorry,  I was dreaming.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 30, 2018, 06:07:02 PM

Quote from: VULB#62 on September 30, 2018, 03:55:58 PM
Spot on!

If they raise the $$ with at least 50-75% donation, then go BIG!  Not in the sense of expanding seating but improving experience.  I'd like to see expansive windows (let nature in) like in the Drake picture but on steroids.  Maybe make the vast majority of the track level and up (chair back side) become picture windows.  Bump out the concession side and more picture windows above the track level surrounding a new concession area in the front right corner.

Keep the track IMO but improve the surface.  AC of course and improved lighting/speakers and call it a day.  The above could be phase 1 ($10,000,000??).

Phase 2 would be other non revenue generating upgrades like staff offices and third level gym etc.

Natural light from Windows? Yes please!

I know I threw this idea out there a while ago but I think it would be cool pay homage to Chapel in the ARC improvements in some way like having on the upper walls above the track have a glass wall like the Chapel's but put the Crusader logo in the middle and it could tower over the court. If they could do it right, it could possibly look pretty cool. It would definitely make the ARC unique and different, as well as being impressive for recruits. They'd probably need to use a stronger type of glass but I'd leave that up to the engineers/architects to figure out. Thoughts?

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Chapel_of_the_Resurrection_-_06.JPG/1200px-Chapel_of_the_Resurrection_-_06.JPG)

I just want to throw this out there and if it's been discussed already (or maybe I'm misremembering altogether) then please forgive me....

I wonder if Golder will be as effective as a starter as he was as a 6th man.  I don't think he will be, and suspect he will be back being effective coming off the bench (and in the game at the end which is more important then starting) by the time conference season rolls around.  I recall Matt Kenney (I think it was) being a real good option off the bench and not being nearly as effective when he was inserted as a starter. 

I'm real excited for the season to get here and can't wait to see how all the players, and coaches, have improved and are implemented.

Quote from: M on October 01, 2018, 11:53:01 AM
I just want to throw this out there and if it's been discussed already (or maybe I'm misremembering altogether) then please forgive me....

I wonder if Golder will be as effective as a starter as he was as a 6th man.  I don't think he will be, and suspect he will be back being effective coming off the bench (and in the game at the end which is more important then starting) by the time conference season rolls around.  I recall Matt Kenney (I think it was) being a real good option off the bench and not being nearly as effective when he was inserted as a starter. 

I'm real excited for the season to get here and can't wait to see how all the players, and coaches, have improved and are implemented.

You make a very interesting point.  What about Golders' game makes you think he is a better 6th man then a starter?  I guess I would benefit from hearing the generally accepted logic behind this phenomenon as well.  I have heard players comment about a 6th man getting a chance to observe the flow of the game and critique how best to execute based on how the game starts.

What else is an important differentiator between Starting -vs- Coming Off the Bench?

Quote from: M on October 01, 2018, 11:53:01 AMI just want to throw this out there and if it's been discussed already (or maybe I'm misremembering altogether) then please forgive me.... I wonder if Golder will be as effective as a starter as he was as a 6th man.  I don't think he will be, and suspect he will be back being effective coming off the bench (and in the game at the end which is more important then starting) by the time conference season rolls around.  I recall Matt Kenney (I think it was) being a real good option off the bench and not being nearly as effective when he was inserted as a starter. I'm real excited for the season to get here and can't wait to see how all the players, and coaches, have improved and are implemented.

For Valpo to have a good year, Golder needs to be solid as a starter, playing starter minutes. I see no reason why he can't do that.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on October 01, 2018, 12:00:12 PMYou make a very interesting point.  What about Golders' game makes you think he is a better 6th man then a starter?  I guess I would benefit from hearing the generally accepted logic behind this phenomenon as well.  I have heard players comment about a 6th man getting a chance to observe the flow of the game and critique how best to execute based on how the game starts.

What else is an important differentiator between Starting -vs- Coming Off the Bench?

Matchups can make a huge difference.  If you have a 6th man of that caliber who can come in when the opposition has had to substitute or has a different type of player in the game based on who we started, then that matchup can be a big difference in the flow of a game. 

Golder played starter minutes for the most part last year, whether he starts or not he will be a major contributor to this team. 

Some players do actually benefit from coming off the bench because of matchups, watching the flow of the game, nerves, etc., but generally I think players who play a lot wind up in the starting lineup eventually and I'd expect Golder to be one of the starting 5.  He's the 2nd most valuable returner (according to http://www.barttorvik.com/), so it would be silly to not start him in my opinion.

Quote from: IrishDawg on October 01, 2018, 03:32:11 PM
Some players do actually benefit from coming off the bench because of matchups, watching the flow of the game, nerves, etc., but generally I think players who play a lot wind up in the starting lineup eventually and I'd expect Golder to be one of the starting 5.  He's the 2nd most valuable returner (according to http://www.barttorvik.com/), so it would be silly to not start him in my opinion.

Solid points, I'd have to say that we don't have a wealth of talent to play him off the bench (minutes wise).  So I'd imagine he will start 2/3 of the games and 1/3 will be discipline or matchup changes.

Though starting means so very little in the grand scheme of things.

Quote from: IrishDawg on October 01, 2018, 03:32:11 PM
Some players do actually benefit from coming off the bench because of matchups, watching the flow of the game, nerves, etc., but generally I think players who play a lot wind up in the starting lineup eventually and I'd expect Golder to be one of the starting 5.  He's the 2nd most valuable returner (according to http://www.barttorvik.com/), so it would be silly to not start him in my opinion.

The old adage "it only matters who finishes, not who starts" gets way more credence than it deserves. If we expect to compete for a conference championship, Marcus will have to start and play well for 25-30 minutes. That said, for the many on this board and PO who think we're not ready to compete for a championship in the big bad Missouri Valley Conference, I guess it doesn't really matter.

Quote from: wh on October 01, 2018, 03:56:01 PM

Quote from: IrishDawg on October 01, 2018, 03:32:11 PM
Some players do actually benefit from coming off the bench because of matchups, watching the flow of the game, nerves, etc., but generally I think players who play a lot wind up in the starting lineup eventually and I'd expect Golder to be one of the starting 5.  He's the 2nd most valuable returner (according to http://www.barttorvik.com/), so it would be silly to not start him in my opinion.

The old adage "it only matters who finishes, not who starts" gets way more credence than it deserves. If we expect to compete for a conference championship, Marcus will have to start and play well for 25-30 minutes. That said, for the many on this board and PO who think we're not ready to compete for a championship in the big bad Missouri Valley Conference, I guess it doesn't really matter.

I will not argue that with some improvement in his ball handling Golder should be a far better 3 than a 4 or 2 but that doesn't tell us much about starting assignments. On paper our 3 best players all have made their biggest contributions to date at the 3 position. Sooooooo??????? Looks to me more like finding successful rotations will trump starting assignments. I really hadn't been much worried about Evelyn needing to improve at the 1 and both Evelyn and Golder needing improvement at the 2 but the logjam for playing time at the 3 might require some adjustments. I still suspect that McMillan may start at the 4 with Fazekas at the 3. A few minutes in Mileek will sit, Ryan rotates to the 4 and Golder probably comes off the bench.   ???   The experiments with rotations could really get interesting.

Wow!!! This could develop into a really good 5 guard spot pressure defense. Of course we will have to fall behind before we will need it. ;)

What has not been lost on me in the last 12 months is that, subtlely over time, the VU athletic admin has been promoting and publicizing Marcus over every other roster player. He has grown to be the face of Valpo MBB going into this season. He has presence.  Why wouldn't he start?

Quote from: VULB#62 on October 01, 2018, 10:30:25 PM
What has not been lost on me in the last 12 months is that, subtlely over time, the VU athletic admin has been promoting and publicizing Marcus over every other roster player. He has grown to be the face of Valpo MBB going into this season. He has presence.  Why wouldn't he start?

He also represented the team at the MVC media event. Of course he's going to start.

Quote from: VULB#62 on October 01, 2018, 10:30:25 PMHe has grown to be the face of Valpo MBB going into this season.

If this is the case, I hope that he has matured emotionally over the year. 

Quote from: humbleopinion on October 02, 2018, 06:10:18 AM

Quote from: VULB#62 on October 01, 2018, 10:30:25 PMHe has grown to be the face of Valpo MBB going into this season.

If this is the case, I hope that he has matured emotionally over the year.

I agree whole heartedly with your sentiment.  Though it did seem Markus matured (emotionally) as the in conference season continued.  He had some really questionable reactions early on.

Do you think the observed maturation was real or just us getting used to antics?

Quote from: humbleopinion on October 02, 2018, 06:10:18 AM

Quote from: VULB#62 on October 01, 2018, 10:30:25 PMHe has grown to be the face of Valpo MBB going into this season.

If this is the case, I hope that he has matured emotionally over the year. 

I would expand this a little bit.  I thought that both Bakari and Markus had some attitude issues, especially early in the season and even the practice I attended with some local coaches. I hope and believe we will see that both men have matured and grown in to their roles as players and leaders representing Valparaiso University.

I spoke with Derrik Smits at Homecoming and he told me he expects Lavender to be in the starting lineup. So maybe its Derrik or J, Lavender, Golder, Fazekas and Bakari? He expects to see 11 getting action.  He looks good, still slim but also still 7'2"!!

I've heard from others that the team's attitude has become much more mature and positive over the year and that they believe a lot of the turmoil over the last two years has been shrugged off. I've also heard people comment on how the team and coaching staff seem to really understand more about how they need to be engaged with campus and asking for support in ways they hadn't prior.

We had a rough two years getting our sea legs. Didn't help that Lottich and the younger classmen really took control when we were in a heavy storm. Hopefully they have leveled off and we can see real growth as a team this year, even outside of what our win-loss record.

Quote from: wh on October 01, 2018, 10:39:50 PM

Quote from: VULB#62 on October 01, 2018, 10:30:25 PM
What has not been lost on me in the last 12 months is that, subtlely over time, the VU athletic admin has been promoting and publicizing Marcus over every other roster player. He has grown to be the face of Valpo MBB going into this season. He has presence.  Why wouldn't he start?

He also represented the team at the MVC media event. Of course he's going to start.

And then there was Marcus winning a medal in Brazil this summer and the promotion that resulted.

And then there is Marcus as the poster figure for season ticket sales.

Quote from: crusader05 on October 02, 2018, 08:35:01 AM
I've heard from others that the team's attitude has become much more mature and positive over the year and that they believe a lot of the turmoil over the last two years has been shrugged off. I've also heard people comment on how the team and coaching staff seem to really understand more about how they need to be engaged with campus and asking for support in ways they hadn't prior.

We had a rough two years getting our sea legs. Didn't help that Lottich and the younger classmen really took control when we were in a heavy storm. Hopefully they have leveled off and we can see real growth as a team this year, even outside of what our win-loss record.

Growing pains are going to happen when you jump up in weight class and don't necessarily have the talent or experience to handle it.  Valpo should be in a much better spot this year and next year especially assuming all the pieces stay in place.  Key will be to continue getting transfers from power leagues as they have done and to continue finding diamonds in the rough on the recruiting trail as I think this coaching staff has also done.  Future is bright, IMO.

Quote from: vu72 on October 02, 2018, 08:21:32 AMI spoke with Derrik Smits at Homecoming and he told me he expects Lavender to be in the starting lineup. So maybe its Derrik or J, Lavender, Golder, Fazekas and Bakari? He expects to see 11 getting action.

Lavender in a starting role would suggest that our freshman need a lot of seasoning. His numbers at UAB were only fair at the 2 and backup quality at the 1. So who starts at the point? Evelyn really struggled in his 17-18 point guard attempts, his play as a backup 2 was limited, and many of you seem to have conceded to Golder  22 or more minutes as our backbone 3. I'm just wondering if Bakari with 31.4 minutes and 12.6 points per game will struggle to hold on to those numbers. I don't think that it is a given if he is now to be our starting 2 playing some 1. Worse yet might be if he is our starting 1 playing some 2.

I don't want any of you to interpret my concerns to be a prediction of doom but this would seem to reinforce my expectation that this team might take some time before it really starts to click.

Quote from: justducky on October 02, 2018, 11:57:59 AM

Quote from: vu72 on October 02, 2018, 08:21:32 AMI spoke with Derrik Smits at Homecoming and he told me he expects Lavender to be in the starting lineup. So maybe its Derrik or J, Lavender, Golder, Fazekas and Bakari? He expects to see 11 getting action.

Lavender in a starting role would suggest that our freshman need a lot of seasoning. His numbers at UAB were only fair at the 2 and backup quality at the 1. So who starts at the point? Evelyn really struggled in his 17-18 point guard attempts, his play as a backup 2 was limited, and many of you seem to have conceded to Golder  22 or more minutes as our backbone 3. I'm just wondering if Bakari with 31.4 minutes and 12.6 points per game will struggle to hold on to those numbers. I don't think that it is a given if he is now to be our starting 2 playing some 1. Worse yet might be if he is our starting 1 playing some 2.

I don't want any of you to interpret my concerns to be a prediction of doom but this would seem to reinforce my expectation that this team might take some time before it really starts to click.

You make a solid point, other than PF, the PG position remains the other huge question mark.

It's not for a lack of available options, but mainly for a lack of proven ability to run the offense / not be a liability on defense.

Best defender (PG)?
Best assists guy (PG)?
Best scoring (PG)?
Best crunch time knows the offense (PG)?

Quote from: justducky on October 02, 2018, 11:57:59 AM

Quote from: vu72 on October 02, 2018, 08:21:32 AMI spoke with Derrik Smits at Homecoming and he told me he expects Lavender to be in the starting lineup. So maybe its Derrik or J, Lavender, Golder, Fazekas and Bakari? He expects to see 11 getting action.

Lavender in a starting role would suggest that our freshman need a lot of seasoning. His numbers at UAB were only fair at the 2 and backup quality at the 1. So who starts at the point? Evelyn really struggled in his 17-18 point guard attempts, his play as a backup 2 was limited, and many of you seem to have conceded to Golder  22 or more minutes as our backbone 3. I'm just wondering if Bakari with 31.4 minutes and 12.6 points per game will struggle to hold on to those numbers. I don't think that it is a given if he is now to be our starting 2 playing some 1. Worse yet might be if he is our starting 1 playing some 2.

I don't want any of you to interpret my concerns to be a prediction of doom but this would seem to reinforce my expectation that this team might take some time before it really starts to click.

I don't get the concern about Lavender being the starting point.  My guess is that that is exactly the role he will play--a reliable, mature, strong point, who doesn't turn the ball over.  Bakari ends up at the 2 where he performed very well once he didn't have to be the ball handling distributor. Golder at the 3 and Ryan at the 4.  I like it.  The freshman come off the bench where they can get used to the speed of the college game.  Later in the year perhaps they can get into a starting role. We'll see.

And, hopefully, Smitts and Jay have grown into their roles as true 5s.

Quote from: vu72 on October 02, 2018, 04:10:46 PMI don't get the concern about Lavender being the starting point.

It is ok for you not to be concerned about Lavender. I can assure you that I have plenty enough concern on my own to cover for the both of us. :o

Ok- that was an obvious overstatement so there is no need for you to shift into counterattack mode.  :thumbsup:

Lets talk turnovers. Last year was as bad as it gets and this year should be significantly better. We have lost 2 with more assists than turnovers (Walker, Joseph), retained 3 (Evelyn, Bradford, Kiser) and added Sakey, Freeman, and Lavender who all should have neutral to somewhat positive numbers. On top of this we have Golder with improved ball handling skills and Fazekas who will be a shooting guard playing mostly the 4 position. Also our centers have another year of experience under their 7 footer belts. Fewer turnovers mean more shots and those shots will be taken by what looks to be an improved shooting team. I like it. Even if Matt ups the offensive pace our turnovers should decline and that decline should be reflected in our win-loss totals.

Javon and Daniel are going to gobble up a lot more minutes than anyone appears to be thinking. Yes I know there are only 200 minutes to go around. Yes I know that means they will be leapfrogging more experienced players, who will in turn will become unhappy with a lot more bench time than they ever thought, blah, blah, blah. I also know there are 2 guys sitting out this year who will throw the minutes discussion into chaos next year at the same time. And it's all fine. This isn't a union where seniority rules or a socialist utopia where where equal outcomes rule the day over equal opportunity/earned outcomes. Best of the best programs have no pecking order. Every year is a zero sum game. Every minute is up for grabs. 

Quote from: wh on October 03, 2018, 02:35:20 PM
Javon and Daniel are going to gobble up a lot more minutes than anyone appears to be thinking. Yes I know there are only 200 minutes to go around. Yes I know that means they will be leapfrogging more experienced players, who will in turn will become unhappy with a lot more bench time than they ever thought, blah, blah, blah. I also know there are 2 guys sitting out this year who will throw the minutes discussion into chaos next year at the same time. And it's all fine. This isn't a union where seniority rules or a socialist utopia where where equal outcomes rule the day over equal opportunity/earned outcomes. Best of the best programs have no pecking order. Every year is a zero sum game. Every minute is up for grabs.

Prediction based on observation or gut feeling regarding minutes for Sackey and Freeman?

Quote from: wh on October 03, 2018, 02:35:20 PMJavon and Daniel are going to gobble up a lot more minutes than anyone appears to be thinking. Yes I know there are only 200 minutes to go around.

Is it too early for someone to start our annual over-under competition? I think playing time over-unders for all 11 would be appropriate plus our usual assortment of mad speculations.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on October 03, 2018, 02:57:50 PM

Quote from: wh on October 03, 2018, 02:35:20 PM
Javon and Daniel are going to gobble up a lot more minutes than anyone appears to be thinking. Yes I know there are only 200 minutes to go around. Yes I know that means they will be leapfrogging more experienced players, who will in turn will become unhappy with a lot more bench time than they ever thought, blah, blah, blah. I also know there are 2 guys sitting out this year who will throw the minutes discussion into chaos next year at the same time. And it's all fine. This isn't a union where seniority rules or a socialist utopia where where equal outcomes rule the day over equal opportunity/earned outcomes. Best of the best programs have no pecking order. Every year is a zero sum game. Every minute is up for grabs.

Prediction based on observation or gut feeling regarding minutes for Sackey and Freeman?

It's based on almost 30 minutes of observation at a recent practice, plus the fact that I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.  ;)

Quote from: wh on October 03, 2018, 04:01:27 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on October 03, 2018, 02:57:50 PM

Quote from: wh on October 03, 2018, 02:35:20 PM
Javon and Daniel are going to gobble up a lot more minutes than anyone appears to be thinking. Yes I know there are only 200 minutes to go around. Yes I know that means they will be leapfrogging more experienced players, who will in turn will become unhappy with a lot more bench time than they ever thought, blah, blah, blah. I also know there are 2 guys sitting out this year who will throw the minutes discussion into chaos next year at the same time. And it's all fine. This isn't a union where seniority rules or a socialist utopia where where equal outcomes rule the day over equal opportunity/earned outcomes. Best of the best programs have no pecking order. Every year is a zero sum game. Every minute is up for grabs.

Prediction based on observation or gut feeling regarding minutes for Sackey and Freeman?

It's based on almost 30 minutes of observation at a recent practice, plus the fact that I stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.  ;)

Definitely positive to hear the freshman are looking strong in practice.

If Lavender is expected to be the Starting PG and Sackey (I'm assuming) will see a growing a role as the season progresses, how much will Micah play this season? Micah isn't a SG and only excelled as distributor last season. His role (or lack thereof) should be interesting to monitor this season. We can probably also assume Bakari will run the poit at certain points during the game this season, even if primarily be playing off the ball.

It's pretty surprising to hear Lavender may be a starter. He's pretty much a mystery to the fan-base. I don't think he'd be the the starting SG. Given Coach Lottich's earlier comments about Lavender being a guy who is a low turnover guy it makes me think they are looking at him as more of a distributor than a scorer. It might not be a bad idea to not throw the freshman to the wolves early in the season. We should have the opportunity to see the freshman get some solid minutes at home in the non-conference.

I'm somewhat surprised that Lavender is known as a "low turnover" guy when his turnover rate higher than Evelyn, Bradford and Joseph's (last season for Valpo) both of the last 2 seasons at UAB (last year was limited minutes though).  It wasn't as high at SIU, but he was also not a distributor there.

Quote from: IrishDawg on October 03, 2018, 08:03:55 PM
I'm somewhat surprised that Lavender is known as a "low turnover" guy when his turnover rate higher than Evelyn, Bradford and Joseph's (last season for Valpo) both of the last 2 seasons at UAB (last year was limited minutes though).  It wasn't as high at SIU, but he was also not a distributor there.

I looked at his UAB numbers when he was announced and reached a similar conclusion. Admittedly those numbers were for a 2 who was filling in at times as a 1 and that could skew the results and our interpretations. Still for me this will be seeing is believing.

Defensively it isn't hard to picture him being a better defender than Bradford and what will be a raw Sackey freshman. Maybe this will be the deciding factor? Anyway I first speculated that he would play less than 12 minutes per game. If he starts I will need to up that number but I'm not yet sure it will be a major revision.

https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1047912587831205889

Quote from: VU2014 on October 04, 2018, 04:59:29 PM
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1047912587831205889

If anyone is listening from the Athletics Department. Please get in contact with the Dean of Greek Life and please ask that they don't allow Greek recruiting/rushing events on Saturday January 19th!! Get ahead of this while we can. We need a strong turnout from the students that game and it will be on cable.

Quote from: VU2014 on October 04, 2018, 08:16:14 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on October 04, 2018, 04:59:29 PM
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1047912587831205889

If anyone is listening from the Athletics Department. Please get in contact with the Dean of Greek Life and please ask that they don't allow Greek recruiting/rushing events on Saturday January 19th!! Get ahead of this while we can. We need a strong turnout from the students that game and it will be on cable.

In addition to Greek life scheduling conflicts, I recall valpopal pointing out ongoing conflicts with other student organizations and clubs, especially on week nights. I also recall someone saying that the majority of profs could care less about men's basketball, some of whom feel that every dollar spent on men's BB takes a dollar away from academics, pay raises, etc. From these and other similar comments, I've long had the impression that Valpo is highly siloed with everyone looking out for#1. Can someone shed some light on this?

Quote from: wh on October 04, 2018, 08:43:57 PM
In addition to Greek life scheduling conflicts, I recall valpopal pointing out ongoing conflicts with other student organizations and clubs, especially on week nights. I also recall someone saying that the majority of profs could care less about men's basketball, some of whom feel that every dollar spent on men's BB takes a dollar away from academics, pay raises, etc. From these and other similar comments, I've long had the impression that Valpo is highly siloed with everyone looking out for#1. Can someone shed some light on this?

Once upon a time, this was an issue at Butler also.  With leadership from the top, all areas of the university have realized that the benefits of a strong athletic program (particularly, men's basketball) benefit all areas of the university (ie. increase in applications and enrollment).  A successful basketball program also leads to increased contributions to other areas of the university.  It started in 1990, when Butler was just a blip on the radar of college basketball.  It was a bold move, but one that has turned out to be successful.  Can Valpo do the same?  I don't know, but I know it won't happen without leadership from the top and support from the entire university.

https://www.ibj.com/articles/40197-ex-butler-chief-hatched-plan-to-use-basketball-to-turn-around-university (https://www.ibj.com/articles/40197-ex-butler-chief-hatched-plan-to-use-basketball-to-turn-around-university)

This needs to be stressed the next time the academic staff complain. Show them the example of Butler. Show them the example of Gonzaga. Show them the example of Wichita State. Ask VCU UNI George Mason and Loyola what recent runs of success have meant for them. At least one of Dayton SLU and Richmond will soon see their investments in athletics culminate in an invite to the prestigious Big East. Think any of those schools are having trouble funding academic projects or giving out pay raises? Not likely. Athletic success especially at a high level is the single greatest thing that can happen to and for a university short of producing several highly generous millionaire and billionaire alumni. Our location and size keep us out of any hope of joining the Big East but becoming a leading player in the MVC and reaching the national success of UNI VCU Loyola or even  Gonzaga is entirely possible if we want it.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on October 04, 2018, 11:56:06 PM
This needs to be stressed the next time the academic staff complain. Show them the example of Butler. Show them the example of Gonzaga. Show them the example of Wichita State. Ask VCU UNI George Mason and Loyola what recent runs of success have meant for them. At least one of Dayton SLU and Richmond will soon see their investments in athletics culminate in an invite to the prestigious Big East. Think any of those schools are having trouble funding academic projects or giving out pay raises? Not likely. Athletic success especially at a high level is the single greatest thing that can happen to and for a university short of producing several highly generous millionaire and billionaire alumni. Our location and size keep us out of any hope of joining the Big East but becoming a leading player in the MVC and reaching the national success of UNI VCU Loyola or even  Gonzaga is entirely possible if we want it.

You mean show them schools in population centers of 150,000 or more?  WE ARE A CORNFIELD UNIVERSITY.  The tallest building was razed to the ground and moved to Portage.  There isn't even a hospital in our town anymore.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on October 05, 2018, 06:14:14 AM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on October 04, 2018, 11:56:06 PM
This needs to be stressed the next time the academic staff complain. Show them the example of Butler. Show them the example of Gonzaga. Show them the example of Wichita State. Ask VCU UNI George Mason and Loyola what recent runs of success have meant for them. At least one of Dayton SLU and Richmond will soon see their investments in athletics culminate in an invite to the prestigious Big East. Think any of those schools are having trouble funding academic projects or giving out pay raises? Not likely. Athletic success especially at a high level is the single greatest thing that can happen to and for a university short of producing several highly generous millionaire and billionaire alumni. Our location and size keep us out of any hope of joining the Big East but becoming a leading player in the MVC and reaching the national success of UNI VCU Loyola or even  Gonzaga is entirely possible if we want it.

You mean show them schools in population centers of 150,000 or more?  WE ARE A CORNFIELD UNIVERSITY.  The tallest building was razed to the ground and moved to Portage.  There isn't even a hospital in our town anymore.

Apparently the cornfield hospital is still technically in Valparaiso but I have no clue how THAT location is considered still in town.  I think my point is still made.  We are not suited to make a Gonzaga / Butler type push as much as I'd like.

I get sort of tired of hearing these pie in the sky "mortgage the U future to become athletic focused".  I just find it silly.

Either way, having the university's name appear on television, sports shows, newspapers, etc. doesn't hurt for any and all prospective students. The more someone hears or sees the name Valpo, the better. And most students arent trudging through the top midwest/national university magazines. If athletics is how the door gets open so Valpo can get in the door to make their pitch, I'm entirely fine with that.

A suggestion for Athletics that is perhaps a little better than "dont hold events when we do" Maybe open up your doors for fraternities to have their recruiting events AT the basketball game. Reserve some seating in the valparaizone, let them bring in some pizza to meet and chat before the game?

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on October 04, 2018, 11:56:06 PM
Gonzaga is entirely possible if we want it.

What Gonzaga has done is a lot more impressive than what most people realize. They not only spend like a big time program (over 7 million dollars a year) but they also outperform what you'd expect based on their spending. To be "the next Gonzaga" involves not only radically increasing spending, but also performing at a really high level even relative to that higher spending.

Below is a graph I put together of all D1 schools that shows the relationship between MBB budget size and KenPom rating (averaged over 7 years to avoid the effects of one fluke season). The orange line is the expected relationship between spending and on-court success, based on the averages of all schools in D1 (each gray dot is one school). Schools above the line are UNDER-performing relative to their budget and schools below the line are OVER-performing relative to their budget. Gonzaga is farther below the line than any other program in the country.

(https://i.imgur.com/4ECXPF2.jpg)

Quote from: crusader05 on October 05, 2018, 08:45:52 AM
A suggestion for Athletics that is perhaps a little better than "dont hold events when we do" Maybe open up your doors for fraternities to have their recruiting events AT the basketball game. Reserve some seating in the valparaizone, let them bring in some pizza to meet and chat before the game?

Aren't you an academic insider? Any thoughts on my earlier post? 

"In addition to Greek life scheduling conflicts, I recall valpopal pointing out ongoing conflicts with other student organizations and clubs, especially on week nights. I also recall someone saying that the majority of profs could care less about men's basketball, some of whom feel that every dollar spent on men's BB takes a dollar away from academics, pay raises, etc. From these and other similar comments, I've long had the impression that Valpo is highly siloed with everyone looking out for#1. Can someone shed some light on this?"

A few thoughts on the recent discussion in this thread:

1. I can't say that I know a great many professors at Valparaiso, but I know and have known more than a few. The vast majority of those I know support the basketball program and other athletics, feeling that they add to the student experience and bring some degree of good attention to the university. Some of those are season ticket holders, while others only attend a few games per year due to family commitments. I would not deny that there are some faculty who feel men's BB (and athletics, in general) takes money away from their own priority areas.

2. Last week I ended up having a discussion with someone very close to the Gonzaga basketball program. He just co-authored a book on the history of Gonzaga basketball. I asked him, "as a fan of Valparaiso, I can tell you that Gonzaga is the gold-standard for what Valparaiso would ideally like to become...what are the key factors that drove Gonzaga's success?". His answer: (1) find a good coach that is extremely loyal to the school and program. When the program wins, recognize that he is paying for his loyalty by taking less salary than the market would command - so treat him extremely well and give him whatever discretion you possibly can, (2) recruit well, but be patient on talent - you're not going to get the superstars until you have been successful for a long time, (3) recognize the nature of your university and spend accordingly. Gonzaga has 7500 students and is in a city much larger than Valparaiso. When Gonzaga built a new area, they built one with 6,000 seats - not 8000 or 10,000.

When I watch the chairbacks on TV I see a LOT of professors.   Although, I wouldn't know the young ones if I saw them.   

Does anyone close the university observe a difference in attendance between older faculty (age 60+) and the younger ones.  I perceive the younger ones might well be more liberal and may come from a more selfish generation with no time for sports.  But perhaps that is mistaken.   

Quote from: crusadermoe on October 05, 2018, 04:11:30 PM
When I watch the chairbacks on TV I see a LOT of professors.   Although, I wouldn't know the young ones if I saw them.   

Does anyone close the university observe a difference in attendance between older faculty (age 60+) and the younger ones.  I perceive the younger ones might well be more liberal and may come from a more selfish generation with no time for sports.  But perhaps that is mistaken.   

It's been a few years now since I lived on campus but when I was student I could definitely attest that the more tenured professors were more regulars  in the crowd, than the young ones. I never saw any of my professors who were in their 30s at the games. Maybe it's because younger professors have young families and it could be tougher to make it out to games.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but faculty/staff and their families get into games for free? Sounds like a great deal. Agibson might be able to shed some light on this subject.

I don't really know faculty views about Bball and athletics overall although my guess Valpo is no different than many universities with those that support and those that don't. I have seen regulars in the bleacher section that I know are faculty. I often sit there because I have children and that seems to be where the younger (say 30-40) staff and faculty congregate.

I have stated my belief that lower attendance was largely due to the a change in how the team related to campus. Once Vashil graduated there was a noticeable lack of athlete engagement with the overall campus community and I think a small campus that doesn't have a really established sports culture relies on that. There have always been events, there have always been recruitment activities at the same time.

I don't know if we can get back up to sell outs and stuff without a good team and quality opponents. But I think team engagement can definitely help out.

Quote from: VU2014 on September 30, 2018, 10:58:12 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on September 30, 2018, 06:07:02 PM

Quote from: VULB#62 on September 30, 2018, 03:55:58 PM
Spot on!

If they raise the $$ with at least 50-75% donation, then go BIG!  Not in the sense of expanding seating but improving experience.  I'd like to see expansive windows (let nature in) like in the Drake picture but on steroids.  Maybe make the vast majority of the track level and up (chair back side) become picture windows.  Bump out the concession side and more picture windows above the track level surrounding a new concession area in the front right corner.

Keep the track IMO but improve the surface.  AC of course and improved lighting/speakers and call it a day.  The above could be phase 1 ($10,000,000??).

Phase 2 would be other non revenue generating upgrades like staff offices and third level gym etc.

Natural light from Windows? Yes please!

I know I threw this idea out there a while ago but I think it would be cool pay homage to Chapel in the ARC improvements in some way like having on the upper walls above the track have a glass wall like the Chapel's but put the Crusader logo in the middle and it could tower over the court. If they could do it right, it could possibly look pretty cool. It would definitely make the ARC unique and different, as well as being impressive for recruits. They'd probably need to use a stronger type of glass but I'd leave that up to the engineers/architects to figure out. Thoughts?

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Chapel_of_the_Resurrection_-_06.JPG/1200px-Chapel_of_the_Resurrection_-_06.JPG)

Since most games are at night, Pretty windows will not be all that impressive.

Quote from: valpospartan on October 05, 2018, 10:46:33 PM
Since most games are at night, Pretty windows will not be all that impressive.

They could probably put some lights shining windows from the outside and it could show case to windows. I just think it would be a pretty cool touch to the ARC and it would be pretty impressive. I doubt it happens or even gets considered. If we were able to getting seating on all four side of the court with chairbacks throughout the lower bowl (other than the student section), improved sound system, and a few ARC cosmetic improvements I'd be a very happy camper.

Quote from: VU2014 on October 06, 2018, 12:38:49 AM

Quote from: valpospartan on October 05, 2018, 10:46:33 PM
Since most games are at night, Pretty windows will not be all that impressive.

They could probably put some lights shining windows from the outside and it could show case to windows. I just think it would be a pretty cool touch to the ARC and it would be pretty impressive. I doubt it happens or even gets considered. If we were able to getting seating on all four side of the court with chairbacks throughout the lower bowl (other than the student section), improved sound system, and a few ARC cosmetic improvements I'd be a very happy camper.

IMO, that would be a distinct touch and the stained glass would not have to be a real open window.  It could have a modern sports motif but done in a classic sense like the chapel  The probem is where does it fit?  My thought would be on the north side behind the track and bleachers.  And if a renovation of the ARC includes an addition on the north side for more seating and more services areas beneath, then that "stained glass window" could be the center piece of the rebuild.  But it is all about $$$ and that lilttle addition could be a significantly expensive proposition.

(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/Chapel_of_the_Resurrection_-_06.JPG/1200px-Chapel_of_the_Resurrection_-_06.JPG)

Personal aside: 30+ years ago, my daughter was married in the chapel and I walked her down that long aisle  (a lot farther than this photo).

192'   My father-in-law counted it out 37 years ago when he walked my wife down the aisle... and I confirmed it when I walked my daughter down there 10 years ago...  it is a beautiful walk.

Evansville freshmen, Deandre Williams not eligible this year.

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/24951229/evansville-purple-aces-deandre-williams-declared-ineligible-ncaa (http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/24951229/evansville-purple-aces-deandre-williams-declared-ineligible-ncaa)

The season ticket night was a dull event. Not much planning went into it to make it fun.  A very seasoned crowd.  It's like they had it to just have it.   

Here are my 2 cents:
-I don't have the enthusiasm for the team that I had after seeing them at this "practice".  They seem to lack a leader.  They look just average.  Almost a mix up of players who haven't found their way anywhere else and ended up at Valpo.
- Sackey is fast but his shoot is below average
-Mileek looks like the best player on the court.  Kid looks focused.  excited to see him progress.   
-Javon should start. 
-stalling has an awkward odd looking shot.  Almost like he was never taught how to shoot correctly.  I can't see him getting any PT ever.
-if our bigs have another season like last year we are in trouble.

They where just shooting around, having a little fun.

https://twitter.com/AlBillets/status/1050913745806024705

https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1050937368566484992

Quote from: Chairback on October 12, 2018, 09:22:25 PM
The season ticket night was a dull event. Not much planning went into it to make it fun. A very seasoned crowd.  It's like they had it to just have it.   

Here are my 2 cents:
-I don't have the enthusiasm for the team that I had after seeing them at this "practice".  They seem to lack a leader.  They look just average. 

I have never been to one of these events, but I'm disappointed in the lack of planning observed above.  This, like the Hammond Civic Center open practice coming later, needs to be well choreographed  to appeal to the audience that attends.  I assume the goal of both open practices is to develop some fan excitement and create a closer bond between the fans and the players on the team. It sounds like this could have been done better.  Season ticket holders should send some feed back to Matt, Mary and MLB  to help them better plan for the HCC event.  To my mind, going forward the HCC event has great potential for positive exposure (but also has the risk of being a dud if not done right).

However, the website release paints a slightly different and more positive picture.  http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2018-19/18511/valpo-basketball-hosts-season-ticket-holder-open-practice/

I don't understand all this negativity about the open practice. Basically it's a dinner for the season ticket holders to watch the players shoot hoops while they eat and pick up their tickets. They were never going to go through a "real" practice drill or scrimmage in front of "outside" people.

This event is really a thank you dinner for the season ticket holders' support for the team and an opportunity to interact with the coaches and team members.

I took the time to speak to the players and ask them questions while getting their autographs. I found out a little about what they did during the summer and what they planned on doing this season. This was an opportunity to go one on one with players and coaches that I took advantage of and enjoyed. This amount of close interaction with coaches and players is not usually afforded to most fans, and this was the aspect of the night that I found most satisfying to me.

I talked to Marcus about his time in Brazil, the 25 days Derrick spent in Europe and Jay going back to visit Spain. Fun facts to me and something you would get if you didn't try.


For the players it was just having fun hooping and getting introduced to the fans.

https://mobile.twitter.com/AlBillets/status/1050910452853686272

Quote from: VUBBFan on October 13, 2018, 01:14:17 PM
I don't understand all this negativity about the open practice. Basically it's a dinner for the season ticket holders to watch the players shoot hoops while they eat and pick up their tickets. They were never going to go through a "real" practice drill or scrimmage in front of "outside" people.

This event is really a thank you dinner for the season ticket holders' support for the team and an opportunity to interact with the coaches and team members.

I took the time to speak to the players and ask them questions while getting their autographs. I found out a little about what they did during the summer and what they planned on doing this season. This was an opportunity to go one on one with players and coaches that I took advantage of and enjoyed. This amount of close interaction with coaches and players is not usually afforded to most fans, and this was the aspect of the night that I found most satisfying to me.

I talked to Marcus about his time in Brazil, the 25 days Derrick spent in Europe and Jay going back to visit Spain. Fun facts to me and something you would get if you didn't try.


For the players it was just having fun hooping and getting introduced to the fans.

https://mobile.twitter.com/AlBillets/status/1050910452853686272

Agreed - Not sure how anyone is going to tell anything positive or negative (outside of physical appearance from the previous year) from an event like that.  Even a single actual practice or exhibition isn't always going to mean a lot.

Wishnevski valpo would do a midnight madness type event. Charge a few bucks for public admission, season ticket holders, students, staff/faculty in for free. Dunk contest and maybe a Brown vs Gold scrimmage.

QuoteAgreed - Not sure how anyone is going to tell anything positive or negative (outside of physical appearance from the previous year) from an event like that.  Even a single actual practice or exhibition isn't always going to mean a lot.

Exactly. Fans trying to extrapolate stuff from even a live, closed practice is always aggravating. For one thing -- good coaches usually spend more time working on a team/player's weaknesses during practice than strengths. And even if they are working on strengths, a good coach is usually going to set up drills to try and foil those strengths, so you are almost never going to see a team looking like world-beaters in practice. By design. And that's at a practice where no one is watching. For a public-facing, glorified shootaround? Come on. Drawing conclusions from that is silly.

Quote from: bigmosmithfan1 on October 15, 2018, 11:51:58 AMExactly. Fans trying to extrapolate stuff from even a live, closed practice is always aggravating. For one thing -- good coaches usually spend more time working on a team/player's weaknesses during practice than strengths. And even if they are working on strengths, a good coach is usually going to set up drills to try and foil those strengths, so you are almost never going to see a team looking like world-beaters in practice. By design. And that's at a practice where no one is watching. For a public-facing, glorified shootaround? Come on. Drawing conclusions from that is silly.

Totally agree. I am very much looking forward to seeing this team play an actual game.

Was Jay participating at the practice? Spotted in a boot and on crutches on campus today. Anyone have the story?

Quote from: agibson on October 19, 2018, 07:18:16 PM
Was Jay participating at the practice? Spotted in a boot and on crutches on campus today. Anyone have the story?

Yikes. Hopefully it's not too serious. Typically when big guy need to wear the boot it's for a stress fracture or a very serious ankle sprain. Hopefully no ligament damage or broken bones.

Jay hobbled into the VB game, tonight, on crutches with a bare foot.  He hopped up to a third row seat.

If anyone is planning on attending the open practice today at the Hammond Civic Center ask around about Jay's injury and see if you can get any info on recruiting from the coaching staff.

VALPARAISO MEN'S BASKETBALL: Crusaders focused on turnover woes
Robbie Weinstein robert.weinstein@nwi.com 219-933-4198
Oct 19, 2018 Updated 3 hrs ago 

https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/basketball/college/valparaiso-men-s-basketball-crusaders-focused-on-turnover-woes/article_a603d7fb-4017-5492-9589-11e09674b483.html?utm_content=buffercb75a&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=LEEDCC


https://twitter.com/nwi/status/1053722552248532992

That was not a practice, complete waste of time....

Glad I was listening to the Michigan vs Michigan State game with my headphones.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on October 20, 2018, 03:37:35 PM
That was not a practice, complete waste of time....

Glad I was listening to the Michigan vs Michigan State game with my headphones.

Really? What was the issue with it?

If you ask one of the coaches they might let you sit in on a real practice where they're going hard in practice.

Quote from: VU2014 on October 20, 2018, 03:40:14 PM

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on October 20, 2018, 03:37:35 PM
That was not a practice, complete waste of time....

Glad I was listening to the Michigan vs Michigan State game with my headphones.

Really? What was the issue with it?

If you ask one of the coaches they might let you sit in on a real practice where their going hard in practice.

Admittedly our group arrived 20-minutes after the "alumni" portion began, so we might have missed the most abridged "practice" of all time. 

They lazily mingled with locals and watched as 5-year olds air balled shots.  It felt like halftime @ the ARC of late.  Disorganized and meaningless.  I won't be driving 90-minutes each way for less than open gym quality play again.  Most of the players never took off their sweat shirts.

The limited info gleaned from the mess was:

1) No Sorolla sighting unless he was hiding in a corner
2) Nick Robinson was in a walking boot?  Best I could tell it was him
3) Eron Gordon has a beard
4) Mileek is a legit 6'8" and no more baby face
5) Ryan Fazekas can type fast on his phone
6) Micah Bradford doesn't even shoot during "practice", heck maybe that's good news!
7) Javon Freeman looks like Kobe Bryant (physically) and is shifty and going to be fun!
8) Daniel Sackey is FAST and tiny
9) Hammond is a bit ghetto
10) Neither coach even picked up the microphone in the 60-minutes we were there

Attendance - what is your guess?

Quote from: wh on October 20, 2018, 06:17:03 PM
Attendance - what is your guess?

Minus players and staff...maybe 50 ppl?  It's really a guess because most ppl were staff/players in one regard or another.  There were ~10 of us in the stands not on the court.  Picture the ARC with the floor level bleachers missing.  So the 10 of us were in the mezzanine and maybe ~40 ppl including children on the floor with the men's and women's team.

We started our way up to the mezzanine level and a staff member tried to direct us to the court.  We weren't interested in mingling because we expected a semi-scrimmage in the hour.

Just horribly organized, I was wholly dissatisfied.  Maybe I'm the fool for thinking "Practice" meant drills and possibly scrimmage.

An email was just sent out tonight from the pep band director to all current members and alumni stating that the music department was taking over the running of the pep band. A new director is being hired and the current director is stepping down after Thanksgiving break.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on October 20, 2018, 06:28:00 PM

Quote from: wh on October 20, 2018, 06:17:03 PM
Attendance - what is your guess?

Minus players and staff...maybe 50 ppl?  It's really a guess because most ppl were staff/players in one regard or another.  There were ~10 of us in the stands not on the court.  Picture the ARC with the floor level bleachers missing.  So the 10 of us were in the mezzanine and maybe ~40 ppl including children on the floor with the men's and women's team.

We started our way up to the mezzanine level and a staff member tried to direct us to the court.  We weren't interested in mingling because we expected a semi-scrimmage in the hour.

Just horribly organized, I was wholly dissatisfied.  Maybe I'm the fool for thinking "Practice" meant drills and possibly scrimmage.

I was planning on making the trip earlier today but a family thing came up last minute. I'd be a little disappointed also if it was just a shootaround, but we're diehards and want to actually see the team compete. Maybe they were just trying some community outreach. A lot of times it takes consistency and persistence to build momentum with these types of events. I appreciate the Athletics Dept mixing it up and trying new things.

Love hearing this news.

Quote from: VUCPB alum on October 20, 2018, 10:08:57 PM
An email was just sent out tonight from the pep band director to all current members and alumni stating that the music department was taking over the running of the pep band. A new director is being hired and the current director is stepping down after Thanksgiving break.

Sorry you missed the first half of the event.  After the teams were introduced, Coach Lottich took the microphone and invited everyone down to the court.  And he explained a bunch of defensive drills. 

He then had all the children take part in a shoot out with the help of the players. 

All the while the women's team ran through their usual drills, in full uniform. 

The players mingled with the crowd and folks left.  The venue is a neat place,but not being an official size court, makes it hard to have a real game.  There was talk about having a scrimmage, but that didn't happen. 

We'll probably try again next year.

This came about through a Hammond city councilman suggesting it to Mark labarbara. 

Quote from: talksalot on October 21, 2018, 08:45:59 AM
Sorry you missed the first half of the event.  After the teams were introduced, Coach Lottich took the microphone and invited everyone down to the court.  And he explained a bunch of defensive drills. 

He then had all the children take part in a shoot out with the help of the players. 

All the while the women's team ran through their usual drills, in full uniform. 

The players mingled with the crowd and folks left.  The venue is a neat place,but not being an official size court, makes it hard to have a real game.  There was talk about having a scrimmage, but that didn't happen. 

We'll probably try again next year.

This came about through a Hammond city councilman suggesting it to Mark labarbara. 

Any and all efforts to reach out to the NWI community-at-large are commendable. And, kudos to the councilman for thinking outside the box. For next year, Mark might want to consider something similar at Merrillville H.S., home of Mileek McMillan. That's sure to draw a bigger crowd, especially if Mileek has a productive year.

Quote from: wh on October 21, 2018, 10:21:00 AM

Quote from: talksalot on October 21, 2018, 08:45:59 AM
Sorry you missed the first half of the event.  After the teams were introduced, Coach Lottich took the microphone and invited everyone down to the court.  And he explained a bunch of defensive drills. 

He then had all the children take part in a shoot out with the help of the players. 

All the while the women's team ran through their usual drills, in full uniform. 

The players mingled with the crowd and folks left.  The venue is a neat place,but not being an official size court, makes it hard to have a real game.  There was talk about having a scrimmage, but that didn't happen. 

We'll probably try again next year.

This came about through a Hammond city councilman suggesting it to Mark labarbara. 

Any and all efforts to reach out to the NWI community-at-large are commendable. And, kudos to the councilman for thinking outside the box. For next year, Mark might want to consider something similar at Merrillville H.S., home of Mileek McMillan. That's sure to draw a bigger crowd, especially if Mileek has a productive year.

I emailed a staff member and everything indicated alumni meet and greet THEN practice.  I can accept that our timing was off because of the annoying Michigan weather delay (football).  I'm just concerned that we arrived between 2:20 and 2:30PM and everyone was on the court while children took shots.  The women were doing something, but I was not there to see the women's team sadly.

It was advertised as 2PM - 4PM, and for 75% of the event there was no structure what so ever.  I'm glad done enjoyed, and that's all that matters.  For the three of us were not the intended audience it seems.

If the first 25 minutes was structured and involved drills, then awesome.  Just not awesome for alumni such as us.

Ecstatic that we are doing community our reach, I applaud that and hope it continues.

Key to the season needs to be limiting the TOs and getting better PG play. Is Lavender a true PG? Idk. Will Sackey force the coaches hands in terms of playing time and can he be trusted to run the offense? Can Micah prove he's more than a sub-par D1 player?

A few big question marks for the season. A good article by the new NWI Times reporter Robbie Weinstein. I wonder if he'll join Paul on a occasional USH podcast.

https://twitter.com/rwweinstein/status/1054078344671756293

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on October 21, 2018, 01:31:13 PM
I emailed a staff member and everything indicated alumni meet and greet THEN practice.  I can accept that our timing was off because of the annoying Michigan weather delay (football).  I'm just concerned that we arrived between 2:20 and 2:30PM and everyone was on the court while children took shots.  The women were doing something, but I was not there to see the women's team sadly.

It was advertised as 2PM - 4PM, and for 75% of the event there was no structure what so ever.  I'm glad done enjoyed, and that's all that matters.  For the three of us were not the intended audience it seems.

If the first 25 minutes was structured and involved drills, then awesome.  Just not awesome for alumni such as us.

Ecstatic that we are doing community our reach, I applaud that and hope it continues.

When I first heard of this event, I expressed a hope that it would be well choreographed and that local HSBB coaches were personally invited along with their players. It would seem that there wasn't enough time to pull this thing together as well as it could have been. Silver lining:  NEXT year they can do a much better job and turn it into a truly great outreach. BTW, I like the idea of using Mileek's HS alma mater for the next one.

Quote from: VU2014 on October 21, 2018, 02:39:49 PM
Key to the season needs to be limiting the TOs and getting better PG play. Is Lavender a true PG? Idk. Will Sackey force the coaches hands in terms of playing time and can he be trusted to run the offense? Can Micah prove he's more than a sub-par D1 player?

A few big question marks for the season. A good article by the new NWI Times reporter Robbie Weinstein. I wonder if he'll join Paul on a occasional USH podcast.

https://twitter.com/rwweinstein/status/1054078344671756293

About Mileek playing center:

"I think it'll open up things for our team, me being able to stretch the floor and me just playing the 5 position," McMillan said. "Most 5's aren't gonna be able to guard a shot, be able to guard the three. They won't want to step out to the three, and then if they come too close, I'm able to go around them, go through them, create things for my other teammates."

Taken literally, Mileek will only be playing the 5. That is also consistent with what Todd is said. There is absolutely no mention of him playing the 4 - part time, full time, anytime.

McMillan 5 Fazekas 4... The shooting in the frontcourt will be amazing and will give us a massive advantage. I'm getting excited again!

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on October 21, 2018, 04:30:30 PMMcMillan 5 Fazekas 4... The shooting in the frontcourt will be amazing and will give us a massive advantage. I'm getting excited again!

Mileek has solid potential as a MVC 5 but even bigger potential as a PF 4. A combination of many factors will determine how his playing time for 18-19 will be divided. I was excited about Adekoya as a sophomore and my excitement about McMillan is even larger. If Mileek comes out just dog paddling instead of walking on water I will be expressing my disappointment.   ::)

Quote from: justducky on October 21, 2018, 05:50:47 PM

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on October 21, 2018, 04:30:30 PMMcMillan 5 Fazekas 4... The shooting in the frontcourt will be amazing and will give us a massive advantage. I'm getting excited again!

Mileek has solid potential as a MVC 5 but even bigger potential as a PF 4. A combination of many factors will determine how his playing time for 18-19 will be divided. I was excited about Adekoya as a sophomore and my excitement about McMillan is even larger. If Mileek comes out just dog paddling instead of walking on water I will be expressing my disappointment.   ::)

I'd agree, PF is where I'd like him to develop.  Maybe make 5-10 mpg appearance at the 5 slot but please make it the lesser.

If he simply finds a way to not foul and be a defensive liability that's a win his sophomore year.  I know this is a low bar but we only need 7-10 ppg and some strong rebounding/defending to make him a valuable contributor.  I think we gain more his junior year in polish because I still think he's a bull in the fine china shop. 

He mentioned shooting over C and getting around them, but did anyone else notice he mentioned "through them" in that NWI Times article?  He's Terry Tate, office linebacker still in his head!!!

Quote from: talksalot on October 21, 2018, 08:45:59 AM
Sorry you missed the first half of the event.  After the teams were introduced, Coach Lottich took the microphone and invited everyone down to the court.  And he explained a bunch of defensive drills. 

He then had all the children take part in a shoot out with the help of the players. 

All the while the women's team ran through their usual drills, in full uniform. 

The players mingled with the crowd and folks left.  The venue is a neat place,but not being an official size court, makes it hard to have a real game.  There was talk about having a scrimmage, but that didn't happen. 

We'll probably try again next year.

This came about through a Hammond city councilman suggesting it to Mark labarbara.

We didn't see Jay Sorolla from the bleachers area.  Did you happen to see him there OR learn of his injury status?

He did not make the trip.  No more information available.

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1054203263162163200

Is that Sackey standing next to Derrik and looking not much taller than the kids?

Quote from: VU2014 on October 21, 2018, 09:53:14 PM
[tweet]1054203263162163200[/tweet]

Quote from: valpopal on October 21, 2018, 10:14:07 PM

Is that Sackey standing next to Derrik and looking not much taller than the kids?

Yes, indeed that is Daniel.

When the heck are the new team pictures going to be coming out? And Daniel is really short, listed at 5'9", maybe less??  The amazing thing is his leaping ability.  Maybe the next Calvin Murphy!  Let's hope so.

No players on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd Team. I can't say I disagree but that needs to change.

I think Ryan Fazekas has a chance to be on this list next year, but that's only if Ryan actually is the player most of us hope he can be. Smits? Probably not. If he plays better defense and coach can trust him to play more meaningful minutes late in games then maybe. Kiser? No. eron Gordon? I honest have no clue what he'll provide. I don't expect him to be bad but I'm not sure what his ceiling is. Langston Stalling? No.

https://twitter.com/MattGlenesk/status/1054751464453758976

Quote from: VU2014 on October 23, 2018, 04:39:40 PMNo players on the 1st, 2nd or 3rd Team. I can't say I disagree but that needs to change. I think Ryan Fazekas has a chance to be on this list next year, but that's only if Ryan actually is the player most of us hope he can be. Smits? Probably not. If he plays better defense and coach can trust him to play more meaningful minutes late in games then maybe. Kiser? No. eron Gordon? I honest have no clue what he'll provide. I don't expect him to be bad but I'm not sure what his ceiling is. Langston Stalling? No. https://twitter.com/MattGlenesk/status/1054751464453758976

You missed Mileek.

I personal think we should be better than 160. I think a health 18-19 Valpo team should be closer to 140. But it's a fools errand to rank this many teams in the preseason.

https://twitter.com/MattNorlander/status/1055146393940172800

Scrimmage with UIC is tomorrow, right?  Does anyone know Jay's status for this and next week's exhibition game?

LOL, of course the Indiana University Star puts an IU guy who hasn't played a second of college ball on its first team.

(I'm sure the kid's good. But that's just so laughable in terms of that paper being completely in the tank for Bloomington).

Quote from: bigmosmithfan1 on October 26, 2018, 02:33:06 PM
LOL, of course the Indiana University Star puts an IU guy who hasn't played a second of college ball on its first team.

(I'm sure the kid's good. But that's just so laughable in terms of that paper being completely in the tank for Bloomington).

It took Butler close to 50 years to break in on IU's hold on the Indy Star's sports dept to get more than a two paragraph story on their ICC games, including against Indiana Central (UIndy), Ball State, ISUb, Depauw and Wabash.

Has anyone heard who won or how our guys looked?

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1056303210909106181

Quote from: VU2014 on October 27, 2018, 05:34:30 PM
Has anyone heard who won or how our guys looked?

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/1056303210909106181

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1056312982538518528

Does anyone know if our exhibition game against UIndy on Thursday will be televised?

Quote from: VU2014 on October 28, 2018, 11:20:21 PM
Does anyone know if our exhibition game against UIndy on Thursday will be televised?

Are we even sure there will be a radio call?

And we are just 4 days away from our exhibition with UIndy and neither the men's nor women's BB athletic website pages have been updated yet with new 2018-19 team pictures and individual player pics and bios.  Same for MBB Twitter and FB pages. Always good to see Tevonn's picture, but.....................   What is taking so long?

UIndy's MBB page is up to date in all respects and that's with 8 or 9 new players for 2018-19. 

Finally the Basketball websites are updated. Take a look at our new team members and updated pics of last year's players.

http://valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/roster/?view=thumbnails

https://twitter.com/DLavenjr/status/1057413825232809984

Quote from: VUBBFan on October 30, 2018, 05:57:05 PM
Finally the Basketball websites are updated. Take a look at our new team members and updated pics of last year's players.

http://valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/roster/?view=thumbnails

YAY!

Like the updated photo of this year's team.  However I still want to know why ALL of the players do not wear the gold/yellow shoes.  I think they look great.  I do not understand why not only VU, but some other schools, allow players to wear whatever type/color/style they want as long as they are manufactured by the respective school's contracted supplier.  I think the gold/yellow shoes are very unique help our overall uniform appearance.

https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/2018/10/31/valparaiso-aims-breakout-year-missouri-valley-conference-season/1788535002/

I'd imagine shoes are a pretty personal piece of a player's uniform. In my mind it would be like making all tennis players play with the same racket. People like or need different fits and types of support based on arch and foot size.

Quote from: VULB#62 on October 30, 2018, 09:01:35 PM

Quote from: VUBBFan on October 30, 2018, 05:57:05 PM
Finally the Basketball websites are updated. Take a look at our new team members and updated pics of last year's players.

http://valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/roster/?view=thumbnails

YAY!

More ggod news.  The Twitter and FB accounts have also been upgraded.  Nice pics!

https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball

https://www.facebook.com/ValpoBasketball/

Team Picture.

https://twitter.com/AlBillets/status/1057710816345100289

One of Micah's friends sub-tweeted Javon's post and Javon's Mom responded to the tweet. I understand wanting to support your friend but it's not right to @ his freshman teammates post.

https://twitter.com/DeeDeeLiberty1/status/1057680538771824640
https://twitter.com/DeeDeeLiberty1/status/1057683937118564358
https://twitter.com/DeeDeeLiberty1/status/1057680412791767040
https://twitter.com/vjlofton/status/1057324169325625344

https://twitter.com/IndyStarSports/status/1057660970384875521

Micah's friend doesn't look very old. Like you said, he's a little defensive about his bud getting upstaged by a freshman. That's what kids do. Not a big deal. Javon's mom handled it beautifully.

BTW, as someone who played 3 sports through HS and loved every minute, let me say this. EVERYONE wants to start. I never once thought about anything but. Even as a sophomore, I never willingly deferred to anybody older. I'm sure Javon and Micah and everyone of our guys are every bit as competitive that, maybe more. We wouldn't want it any other way, would we?

Quote from: wh on October 31, 2018, 03:33:51 PM
Micah's friend doesn't look very old. Like you said, he's a little defensive about his bud getting upstaged by a freshman. That's what kids do. Not a big deal. Javon's mom handled it beautifully.

BTW, as someone who played 3 sports through HS and loved every minute, let me say this. EVERYONE wants to start. I never once thought about anything but. Even as a sophomore, I never willingly deferred to anybody older. I'm sure Javon and Micah and everyone of our guys are every bit as competitive that, maybe more. We wouldn't want it any other way, would we?

Are they even remotely the same position? 

https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/1057729100188659712

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1057759371021729795

https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1057823141911773184

Quote from: VUBBFan on October 31, 2018, 09:12:00 PM
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1057759371021729795

Ryan's quote at the end says a lot!   Maybe  Mileek is the real thing.

Quote from: VUBBFan on October 31, 2018, 09:40:00 PM
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1057823141911773184

Like how impressed coach is of the b-ball IQ that Javon possesses.  Mentioned junior or senior level basketball IQ on the floor!

https://twitter.com/klehmansports/status/1058019909685444608

Quote from: VUBBFan on November 01, 2018, 03:07:15 PM
https://twitter.com/klehmansports/status/1058019909685444608

Unfortunately the three that would have tied the UIndy game did not go down. If Fazekas, Evelyn and Javon Freeman don't shoot better in the road games at West Virginia, Western KY (Myrtle Beach) George Washington and UNLV we are in for some really big losses this OOC season.

https://twitter.com/ValleyHoops/status/1058501509468565504

We've built our team around strong rebounding? Could've fooled me.

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on November 02, 2018, 09:06:58 PM
We've built our team around strong rebounding? Could've fooled me.

Yeah, this was poor timing for the release of this video. I was shaking my head when I heard rebounding and strong outside shooting. I think the outside shooting should be improved but we are likely to get killed on the boards this season.

I don't even think it's poor timing it's just a ridiculous statement to anyone who has watched this team. Our rebounding was terrible last year too. Maybe guys like Lavender Freeman Golder etc are strong for their position but none of those guys can even hold a candle to Tywon Pickford. Up front and as a collective this is not a good rebounding team and there's really no way to conclude otherwise.

https://twitter.com/rwweinstein/status/1058736618851459072

Quote from: VU2014 on November 03, 2018, 03:10:29 PM
https://twitter.com/rwweinstein/status/1058736618851459072

Good article.  Noticeable just how poor of 3-point shooters (historical) our current roster of guards are by reading this article.  No bueno....

Does anyone have an update on Jay's injured ankle/foot? I think I remember someone saying 2 weeks, but it was odd that they didn't bring to the game on Thursday and Coach was very tight lipped when asked about it in the post-game press conference.

Things could get very ugly if he doesn't play in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.... we need at least one big man who can play some defense and fight for rebounds.

I believe the first prognosis was a turned ankle and out for at least two weeks. Was suppose to go for cat scan/x-rays on Wednesday. Not bein g at the game Thursday and Matt's response does not bode well. However, Matt never is very forthright with information on what is happening with players, outside of the game

Quote from: VU2014 on November 04, 2018, 03:00:54 PM
Does anyone have an update on Jay's injured ankle/foot? I think I remember someone saying 2 weeks, but it was odd that they didn't bring to the game on Thursday and Coach was very tight lipped when asked about it in the post-game press conference.

Things could get very ugly if he doesn't play in the Myrtle Beach Invitational.... we need at least one big man who can play some defense and fight for rebounds.

I thought the same thing when I watched the post game. Micah is injured and still on the bench. Plenty of other guys have been in a boot and on the bench for games in years past.

Just hope there isn't something bigger at play here. Matt's comment reminded me of how they talked about and tight lipped they were about the whole Jubril situation. Something just seems off. If you haven't seen the post game press conference on YouTube, watch it.

Sent from my LG-US998 using Tapatalk

It would very beneficial to have Jay when we play WKU. I can see Mileek fouling out in the first half against their highly touted center Bassey. However they have been having some trouble with their other projected starters or main players.


First transfer Lamonte Bearden has been declared academically ineligble to play until after the fall semester.


Then last week three players (Hollingsworth, Anderson & Murray) were involved in police matters. All unrelated to each other and differrent days (Monday, Thursday and Friday). They have each been suspended subsequently for violation of team rules. However, it appears the punishment for that is only one game at WKU (VU's seems to be two) so they will be back by Myrtle Beach time. Still it may cause a little distraction for the team, hopefully.


https://wkuherald.com/sports/desean-murray-suspended-will-not-travel-to-washington/article_7674bee0-dfb5-11e8-8142-1332870c041d.html

MEN'S BASKETBALL: Valparaiso's big men brimming with potential
Robbie Weinstein robert.weinstein@nwi.com
Nov 4, 2018 Updated 51 min ago 

https://twitter.com/rwweinstein/status/1059305305392197632

Quote from: VU2014 on November 04, 2018, 10:46:55 PM
MEN'S BASKETBALL: Valparaiso's big men brimming with potential
Robbie Weinstein robert.weinstein@nwi.com
Nov 4, 2018 Updated 51 min ago 

https://twitter.com/rwweinstein/status/1059305305392197632

In the article it says sorolla will be out till mid-November.

Also interesting is that Jay was the only player highlighted that wasn't quoted in the story, so the coaches didn't make him available to the media. I don't think Robbie was at the game so he probably interviewed Smits and McMillan after the Thursday game, unless this article was written over a week ago.

It's just suspicious that the Coaches are shielding him so much. This doesn't feel like standard protocol for an injury. I can't remember if AP was made available to the media during his injury? I'm pretty sure he was. This combined with him not being on the bench for Thursday, but Micah was is just odd. It makes me think that that X-ray turned up something more serious. It could be the case that I'm over thinking everything.

Gonna look for Jay at Tuesday's game to hopefully see how he's doing.

The middle of November (the 15th) is the first game at Myrtle Beach.

https://twitter.com/rwweinstein/status/1059564139566247936

Peak 'Zeke': Marquette grad Ryan Fazekas improved, healthy for official Valparaiso debut
Michael Osipoff
Post-Tribune
Novembor 5, 2018

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/1059580138935988224

Did anyone hear anything about how the scrimmage went?

I love the fact that the coaches brought the MVC refs in for this game.

a) it makes the scrimmage all that more real
b) it allow our guys to build somewhat of a rapport with the refs which just wasn't there last season. Our guys weren't use to the way they called games and it was pretty obvious at points last season. There may not have been a "respect" factor either. We finished last in the conference last season because others were better than us but there were some games where the officiating played an impact on the outcome of games. Maybe this will help all parties involved.

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1060010309115670534

Quote from: VU2014 on November 10, 2018, 12:31:14 PMDid anyone hear anything about how the scrimmage went?

I heard that the playing time competition has gotten so intense that a bench clearing brawl broke out with the coaches also exchanging punches. The gold team or the Golder team was winning, I think. Afterward everybody kissed and made up with a dinner of raw red meat.   :thumbsup:

Just as a precaution the MVC referees were given an armed escort to the Porter County line.

Quote from: justducky on November 10, 2018, 01:16:47 PM

Quote from: VU2014 on November 10, 2018, 12:31:14 PMDid anyone hear anything about how the scrimmage went?

I heard that the playing time competition has gotten so intense that a bench clearing brawl broke out with the coaches also exchanging punches. The gold team or the Golder team was winning, I think. Afterward everybody kissed and made up with a dinner of raw red meat.   :thumbsup:

Just as a precaution the MVC referees were given an armed escort to the Porter County line.

I heard they had to call it shortly after it started because there was no one on hand to rebound missed shots.

https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1062395141212790786

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vreuc635B4w

Quote from: justducky on November 10, 2018, 01:16:47 PMI heard that the playing time competition has gotten so intense that a bench clearing brawl broke out with the coaches also exchanging punches. The gold team or the Golder team was winning, I think. Afterward everybody kissed and made up with a dinner of raw red meat.   

So a bit of bad blood between Special Asst Bowen and Coach Holloway. I can see that. It's obvious that Bowen is trying to get one of the asst coaching positions.







:-)

Off and on: Valparaiso's Bakari Evelyn acclimates to playing multiple backcourt roles
Michael Osipoff
Post-Tribune
Nov 14, 2018


https://twitter.com/PostTribSports/status/1062874288074747904

https://twitter.com/JaumeSorolla/status/1066891797538848768

I was reading through the Valpo game notes and saw a Pronunciation Guide showing coach's name as "lot-ICK" , indicating emphasis is on the 2nd syllable (or 2nd syl-LA-ble, if you wish).  That seemed odd, so I watched Todd's interviews with him and he clearly doesn't pronounce it that way.  Does anyone who's met the coach know which is correct?

Quote from: EddieCabot on November 26, 2018, 05:11:21 PM
I was reading through the Valpo game notes and saw a Pronunciation Guide showing coach's name as "lot-ICK" , indicating emphasis is on the 2nd syllable (or 2nd syl-LA-ble, if you wish).  That seemed odd, so I watched Todd's interviews with him and he clearly doesn't pronounce it that way.  Does anyone who's met the coach know which is correct?

It's pronounced "Coach lot•ICK". If you forget, just remember "more cow•BELL".

From the MVC projections at Teamrankings.com:

https://www.teamrankings.com/ncaa-basketball/team/valparaiso-crusaders/projections

It could be quite crowded in the 2nd thru 8th positions.

It sounds like a medical redshirt situation waiting to happen.

Hopefully Micah starts to feel better just from a quality of life perspective. Back injuries are very tricky and problematic. Forget basketball for now. Hopefully he just starts to feel better.

https://twitter.com/michaelosipoff/status/1070795394718801920?s=21

Does not look good for Micah this year. Back problems are tricky injures to come back from.

https://twitter.com/barrybradford3/status/1070871781928562688

Quote from: VUBBFan on December 06, 2018, 09:21:45 PM
Does not look good for Micah this year. Back problems are tricky injures to come back from.

https://twitter.com/barrybradford3/status/1070871781928562688

The gamble with signing 2 redshirt transfers for the same season is that everybody else needs to stays healthy. Matt rolled the dice to get Eron Gordon and Nick Robinson for the 19-20 and 20-21 seasons and inadvertently handicapped our 18-19 results in the process.  No Micah means at most 10 scholarship players with 6 largely unsuited for either the 1 or the 2. This will significantly reduce my MVC expectations. Every sniffle, bruise and ankle twist could cost us an additional game.  :'(

Micah is a point guard and I actually don't think we've been in bad shape this season with Lavender and Bakari. Lavender has played pretty darn well and Bakari has improved as well this season at limiting the TOs compared to last season.

I think the 2 redshirts will be worth the risk reward even if we're a little short handed this season.

I will continue to say I think Micah was due for a breakout season just like Smits.   At this point I hope he redshirts and stays at Valpo 2 more years.  He will be a very solid PG for us when Lavender graduates.   

Quote from: SanityLost17 on December 07, 2018, 07:18:36 AM
I will continue to say I think Micah was due for a breakout season just like Smits.   At this point I hope he redshirts and stays at Valpo 2 more years.  He will be a very solid PG for us when Lavender graduates.   

If this back injury turns into something chronic, that breakout season might not come to fruition. I've been sort of down on Micah for a while now. When he was strictly a PG on the court he was actually pretty solid, but he was a huge offensive liability at the same time because defender just dared him to shoot the ball and ended up crowding the paint. The FT shooting started to show signs of improving by seasons end. I honestly didn't know what to expect coming into this season and I'm even less sure after this injury. Regardless I hope he recovers quickly and returns to being pain free.

Sucks to see him go through such a thing.  Makes sense why he was aggravated after coming out 3 minutes into his return.  My gut reaction was similar to others, where we thought it was due to playing time, but now it makes more sense.

I don't know where this comment should be posted, but as far as the post-game pressers are concerned, the sound is terrible(at least on my computer).  They have a mike for Coach but none for the players.  It appears that sound problems are running rampant in the ARC these days.

Quote from: valpo64 on December 08, 2018, 10:11:37 AM
I don't know where this comment should be posted, but as far as the post-game pressers are concerned, the sound is terrible(at least on my computer).  They have a mike for Coach but none for the players.  It appears that sound problems are running rampant in the ARC these days.

Speaking of technical problems, why does the overhead scoreboard always lag so far behind the action? It often takes five minutes or more just to update which players are on the court.

That scoreboard problem has existed since the new board was installed.  A couple of years ago I asked  MLB why the board was not "in sync and he then said he wasn't aware that it was not "current"  as far as fouls, points, who is in the game, etc. go.  I guess he wasn't that concerned because the same problem still exists.  If you check the electronic board in the west side of the ARC(not the west side of the big overhead board) yiou will notice it give fouls etc as soon as they are called.  I also pointed that our to MLB, but.....and we are a Div 1 program?  Come on people lets get our house in order!

https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1072234163577724931

Quote from: valpo64 on December 10, 2018, 10:06:10 AM
That scoreboard problem has existed since the new board was installed.  A couple of years ago I asked  MLB why the board was not "in sync and he then said he wasn't aware that it was not "current"  as far as fouls, points, who is in the game, etc. go.  I guess he wasn't that concerned because the same problem still exists.  If you check the electronic board in the west side of the ARC(not the west side of the big overhead board) yiou will notice it give fouls etc as soon as they are called.  I also pointed that our to MLB, but.....and we are a Div 1 program?  Come on people lets get our house in order!

I've noticed the same thing, as have others in my family and no doubt every regular. It stands out like a sore thumb. It's obvious no one over there has any pride of workmanship, or it would have been remedied long ago. Just like the garbled PA system and many other issues and eyesores. Apparently, that's supposed to add to the charm. Tone deaf amateur hour everywhere you look.

And to some, the lack of AC is the biggest problem with the current ARC.

The ARC just doesn't ooze any energy
The colors are bad...and other things that are obvious
And
When the place isn't packed like it was when we were playing Purdue or Butler or the conference championships....it becomes even more glaring....

https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/1072503274455121920

The interview starts at 57:00.

https://www.facebook.com/WJOB.1230/videos/272815803429536/

Quote from: VU2014 on December 11, 2018, 08:49:43 AM
https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/1072503274455121920

The interview starts at 57:00.

https://www.facebook.com/WJOB.1230/videos/272815803429536/

Just listened to it.  Great to hear that this station will now be doing Valpo games live.  Great effort by Mark to get exposure to the Region.

any exposure is good-especially if its free
I dont understand though-why would the station do radio broadcasts?
Dont we already do that?
Is there a way to track how many people actually listen?

Quote from: Valpo2013 on December 11, 2018, 09:43:33 AM
any exposure is good-especially if its free
I dont understand though-why would the station do radio broadcasts?
Dont we already do that?
Is there a way to track how many people actually listen?

They probably have a larger audience than WVUR. I'm sure they have some kind of analytic to estimate listenership.

WJOB is the radio station of the region and the people who do the show are pretty connected with the local sports community so I think this is a great idea and can really get people to think more about going or even if it's just getting local sports coaches to talk about Valpo to their students as a good way to have easy access to what a DI program is like.

The thing I thought was most interesting was when Mark asked several people why they hadn't gone to a game yet when they were calling to win the tickets and they all seemed kinda baffled and couldn't give a good answer. It's proof that the biggest obstacle to change is that it's hard to move people from inaction to action and that getting people to decide to do something "new" even if it's on the surface something they would enjoy is always an uphill battle that takes a lot of concentrated effort. Obviously big name teams and final four appearances help, but those feel "special" so people come when what you really want is to cultivate Valpo Basketball games as a pretty normal activity for people in the region. That would probably mean targeting larger groups, businesses, schools, etc.

Except via the computer, WVUR can't be received west of the Lake-Porter county line and WJOB has long been the region station that carries sports broadcasts of local interests.  Probably the best opportunity to get Lake County listeners and, as pointed out, one step in a process of developing new interests among them.

Quote from: sliman on December 11, 2018, 10:15:38 AMExcept via the computer, WVUR can't be received WEST of the Lake-Porter county line

And that is being rather generous.

I often try to listen to games on my way home after coaching in Gary.  Can hardly hear WVUR if I'm west of 149.  Where can I find the WJOB on my radio dial? This is good news!

Quote from: M on December 11, 2018, 11:02:03 AMI often try to listen to games on my way home after coaching in Gary.  Can hardly hear WVUR if I'm west of 149.  Where can I find the WJOB on my radio dial? This is good news!

1230 on your AM radio dial. However they don't broadcast the games.

Quote from: vu72 on December 11, 2018, 09:13:05 AM

Quote from: VU2014 on December 11, 2018, 08:49:43 AMhttps://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/1072503274455121920 The interview starts at 57:00. https://www.facebook.com/WJOB.1230/videos/272815803429536/

Just listened to it.  Great to hear that this station will now be doing Valpo games live.  Great effort by Mark to get exposure to the Region.

I'm glad that they're doing this but one really has to wonder why this wasn't do years even decades ago. We are the only D1 team in the region so why weren't we on a radio station that actually reaches the region? Why wasn't something like this day when Valpo was getting all of that national love way back in 1998? Oh well. Better late than never. I'm really glad to see them trying and making a concerted effort. I think it will pay off in the future. I think the absolute dream scenario which will never happen would be to one day get games carried on Indiana 105.

For years I listened to games on radio stations other than WVUR as I live outside of its broadcast area.  Most recently, it was broadcast on 95.9 -- I think out of Michigan City.  That arrangement expired a few years ago.  Getting WJOB is a step up from previous broadcast stations.

Quote from: VUBBFan on December 11, 2018, 10:49:27 AM

Quote from: sliman on December 11, 2018, 10:15:38 AMExcept via the computer, WVUR can't be received WEST of the Lake-Porter county line

And that is being rather generous.

When I was up for Homecoming I tried to listen to WVUR as I headed west toward 65.  It ran out of steam about 4 miles down the road!

Quote from: humbleopinion on December 11, 2018, 03:37:37 PM
For years I listened to games on radio stations other than WVUR as I live outside of its broadcast area.  Most recently, it was broadcast on 95.9 -- I think out of Michigan City.  That arrangement expired a few years ago.  Getting WJOB is a step up from previous broadcast stations.

I listen to WVUR games when we are on the road because of Ickow getting the call.  I just mute the tv and sync up the game action with the WVUR call.  I recommend anyone that cares to download the TUNE-IN Radio app for their smart phones or tablets.  If you are at home under your wifi you can stream the call live on this app, I have done this for many years.

And with unlimited data packages with some carries, even streaming the call outside of your Wi-Fi network is a great option.

All that being said, here are the links if you care to look into this.  I even find myself using the TUNEIN radio app to stream some Detroit radio stations I used to listen to back in the day.  I really like the app and it's free!

https://tunein.com/radio/home/ (https://tunein.com/radio/home/)

http://thesource95.com/#music (http://thesource95.com/#music)

and WJOB is planning to air something at the Ball State game.  I don't know if it's going to be FB-Live (like that interview was today), or over the air. 

Off topic but I've been thinking about this lately. How frustrating is it for football players to be able to play up to 4 games and still be redshirted but the minute you play one minute in basketball you cant be redshirted?

Don't you mean BB players play 1 minute and CAN'T be redshirted? 

And that is a big discrepancy between sports. Why isn't it consistent across the board?  Oh, I forgot. Football rules the NCAA.

Yes. Fixed. Thanks.

Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on December 11, 2018, 04:37:49 PM

Quote from: humbleopinion on December 11, 2018, 03:37:37 PM
For years I listened to games on radio stations other than WVUR as I live outside of its broadcast area.  Most recently, it was broadcast on 95.9 -- I think out of Michigan City.  That arrangement expired a few years ago.  Getting WJOB is a step up from previous broadcast stations.

I listen to WVUR games when we are on the road because of Ickow getting the call.  I just mute the tv and sync up the game action with the WVUR call.  I recommend anyone that cares to download the TUNE-IN Radio app for their smart phones or tablets.  If you are at home under your wifi you can stream the call live on this app, I have done this for many years.

And with unlimited data packages with some carries, even streaming the call outside of your Wi-Fi network is a great option.

All that being said, here are the links if you care to look into this.  I even find myself using the TUNEIN radio app to stream some Detroit radio stations I used to listen to back in the day.  I really like the app and it's free!

https://tunein.com/radio/home/ (https://tunein.com/radio/home/)

http://thesource95.com/#music (http://thesource95.com/#music)

:rotfl: I do the exact same thing, watch it on DirecTV or Smart TV depending if the game is on a sports channel or being streamed, and then connect the TUNEIN radio app audio of Todd calling the game to my audio system via Bluetooth.

Jay takes flight: Jaume Sorolla rounding back into form for Valparaiso after ankle injury
Michael Osipoff
Post-Tribune
Dec. 12, 2018

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-spt-mens-basketball-valparaiso-jaume-sorolla-st-1213-story.html

https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/1073365705532301312

https://twitter.com/nwindianafca/status/1075800277431799808
https://twitter.com/GeneralChills/status/1073749620151541760

Father Harry calls Valpo an "under the radar" team, and believes in Lottich's offensive acumen. While I agree that most of our issues are on the defensive end maybe he sees something we don't? Maybe we're too close and too invested to see that things aren't as bad as we think? I don't know... Our metrics look pretty bad... But that has a lot to do with how other teams do as well and many of our marquee games have featured teams that have underperformed  to date. But that just means maybe we should have beaten them instead of just playing them tough. I'm trying to be optimistic right now but it's very hard. Please let us use PNW as a get right game and then get off to a good start in Valley play. Please make all this negativity go away.

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/wide-open-valley-race/

Quote from: VUGrad1314 on December 23, 2018, 02:16:59 AM
Father Harry calls Valpo an "under the radar" team, and believes in Lottich's offensive acumen. While I agree that most of our issues are on the defensive end maybe he sees something we don't? Maybe we're too close and too invested to see that things aren't as bad as we think? I don't know... Our metrics look pretty bad... But that has a lot to do with how other teams do as well and many of our marquee games have featured teams that have underperformed  to date. But that just means maybe we should have beaten them instead of just playing them tough. I'm trying to be optimistic right now but it's very hard. Please let us use PNW as a get right game and then get off to a good start in Valley play. Please make all this negativity go away.

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/wide-open-valley-race/

It's been a tough team to read, so far.  I could argue that High Point is the only bad loss,  but that was somewhat offset by road wins at UNLV and GW.  I think most people are more concerned about the way the team has looked at times (like in wins over SIUE and UCR) than in the actual win-loss record.

I think things are wide open heading into the MVC.  The teams are very balanced and Valpo has shown it can play well on the road, so opportunities will be there.   But they need to eliminate those games where they play with no energy and/or can't make a shot.

Jay, expressing his frustration with the refs.

https://twitter.com/jaumesorolla/status/1077275482595438592?s=21

Merry Christmas everyone!

https://twitter.com/valpobasketball/status/1077586005685870594?s=21

We're back to blaming the refs now? Final exams, refs, etc. Frankly tired of the excuses

Literally laughed out loud when I saw this on Twitter. Ain't nobody going to stop him lol - even the refs! Unreal. Hey, optimistically - maybe he actually has a fire lit under him and starts to play decently well.

Quote from: VU2010 on December 26, 2018, 08:47:54 AM
Literally laughed out loud when I saw this on Twitter. Ain't nobody going to stop him lol - even the refs! Unreal. Hey, optimistically - maybe he actually has a fire lit under him and starts to play decently well.

He may want to learn how to catch the ball and not trip over his own feet before saying he's not going to be stopped by the opposition.

https://twitter.com/rwweinstein/status/1078849745861382145

Another nice article explaining Valpo's schedule.  Glad to see the AD is out in front of this issue and takes the time to explain to Robbie why scheduling is so difficult.

Okay so we recognize the problem. Now what are we doing to do to  fix the problem? Saying that the step up to the MVC is a detriment to our potential non-conference scheduling is an insulting cop out. It should make MWC\A10\WCC\CUSA opponents easier to schedule.

WKU Murray State MTSU St Joseph's Belmont SLU South Dakota State and others all play multiple MVC teams frequently MAC schools take series with HL schools all the time.Teams broadcast their desire to play games all the time. Are we not plugged in to those channels? If not whose responsibility is it to ensure that we are? It may be hard to get dates lined up but it can be done if the want to is there. You can have a good slate home and away it just takes a little more dialogue and convincing and a little less hand wringing and lamenting. In the time it took to give the quotes for this article he could have made a few calls and maybe gotten something good going. When a team that would make a good series is in the area call them up. The worst they can say is no  and they may remember you in the future. I doubt very strongly that schools especially our fellow mid-majors won't come here as long as you agree to return the favor in the future. Mid major scheduling is predicated on the home and home.

For scheduling help there's always this:

http://www.etsubucs.com/mbasketball/news/2018-19/15338/mens-hoops-to-join-scheduling-alliance-in-2019/

Or this:

https://www.wbko.com/content/sports/Conference-USA-changing-mens-basketball-scheduling-format-483950131.html

Or this:

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1078715663835938816

Or adding Murray State and going to 20 conference games.

Even whining on Twitter got Illinois State a Home and Home with Ole Miss

All of these could do wonderful things for our schedules seeding and even potentially our at large prospects.

Time to stop lamenting and start creating.

Also not to be rude but what kind of a bass ackwards scheduling strategy is "balancing" a tough likely loss on the road to a P5 with a game that either doesn't count or is discouraged by the committee? It's embarrassing that the Committee has to expressly discourage non-D1s for us to consider not scheduling them. Are we trying to continue building a mid-major power or are we content with being an also-ran?

A lot of great work against tremendous odds has been done here the past quarter century I don't want to see it all wither away.