Now that Valpo has played 8 of its 31 scheduled games, we are about one-fourth of the way through the season, and we have a decent basis to start looking at trends. One important area to watch will be the continuation of a positive assists-to-turnovers comparison. Thus far, the team is averaging 16.4 assists and 13.1 turnovers per game. Last year's team averaged 12.5 assists and 14.7 turnovers per game. I look for Valpo to keep a positive assists to turnovers ratio and hopefully improve it against High Point.
I think you have to throw out Concordia for stats to mean much yet. But the team has really done well except vs SIUE.
I saw Vegas has the over/under for the Valparais student section fans at 8. I will go optimistic and say 11 now that the Bears and Colts are not playing and people are beck from the weekend. This game could be the "High Point" of their week. Finals are not until Dec. 10 week. But this is that nasty pre-Finals week.
Quote from: crusadermoe on December 03, 2018, 10:01:32 AM
I think you have to throw out Concordia for stats to mean much yet. But the team has really done well except vs SIUE.
I saw Vegas has the over/under for the Valparais student section fans at 8. I will go optimistic and say 11 now that the Bears and Colts are not playing and people are beck from the weekend. This game could be the "High Point" of their week. Finals are not until Dec. 10 week. But this is that nasty pre-Finals week.
I agree the showing was awful but, having said that and also watching the women's game, there were a bunch of students watching, just not in the student section. I'm wondering whether or not the whole cell phone generation thing has made it not cool to be seen sitting together in the end zone?
Quote from: vu72 on December 03, 2018, 10:18:36 AM
Quote from: crusadermoe on December 03, 2018, 10:01:32 AM
I think you have to throw out Concordia for stats to mean much yet. But the team has really done well except vs SIUE.
I saw Vegas has the over/under for the Valparais student section fans at 8. I will go optimistic and say 11 now that the Bears and Colts are not playing and people are beck from the weekend. This game could be the "High Point" of their week. Finals are not until Dec. 10 week. But this is that nasty pre-Finals week.
I agree the showing was awful but, having said that and also watching the women's game, there were a bunch of students watching, just not in the student section. I'm wondering whether or not the whole cell phone generation thing has made it not cool to be seen sitting together in the end zone?
I'm not sure what the deal is but the way to get high engagement from this generation is to turn the student section into a "must go" event. Make the student section into a "party" like atmosphere. Free food and a T-Shirt isn't going to get anyone excite to come anymore. Things like: beach balls, costumes, interactive games during time outs will create engagement.
Maybe they need to get Dr Pepper to give out 100,000 in tuition money like did at the Iowa football game :)
Although, for real, getting businesses to donate large checks for philantrophy (greek orgs) or for book-store dollars would be a really big incentive. they are currently promoting the basketball game with their tree lighting event and they are runnign promotions that you can only get if you sit in the student section but yeah it's gonna be hard.
Maybe the fans will connect with having Tubby Smith on the bench for the Panthers... I for one, am looking forward to seeing him. He did just win his 600th career win the other day...
From the GameNotes for High Point. Looks like a two-headed team... which have historically given us fits...
PAW PRINTS
• High Point (3-5) will meet Valpo (5-3) for the first time in program history. HPU head coach Tubby Smith has face the Crusaders once before, winning in the NCAA Tournament First Round in 2002 with Kentucky. (83-68 in the Saint Louis Regional)
• Last time out, the Panthers dropped a heartbreaker to Eastern Kentucky, 70-69, on a last-second 3-point shot Saturday afternoon (Dec. 1) at the Millis Center.
• Junior Brandonn Kamga (6'5" JR) recorded a career-high 27 points, while fellow junior Jahaad Proctor (6'3" JR) added 24.
• For Kamga, it was the third time in his career he has scored 20 or more points and was one point higher than his previous career high of 26, set against Charlotte on Nov. 24, 2017.
• For Proctor, it was the fifth-consecutive game he has scored 20 or more points and the sixth time in eight games this season. Proctor is third in the Big South in scoring, averaging 20.8 points per game.
• The Eastern Kentucky game was the third time Kamga and Proctor have scored 20 or more points in the same game.
so... who is our "Lock Down Defender" this year? I've heard a lot about our offense... but ...
Javon Freeman has 15 steals, Deion Lavender have 11 and Bakari Evelyn has 8...
Their Starting Line up for the ETSU game: 6-5; 6-3, 6-2, 6-7, 6-5; ... and their 6th and 7th players: 5-11 and 6-8. SHORT. They have out-rebounded their opponents 275-253 including a 95-70 lead on the Offensive glass. We can't let that happen Tuesday.
Quote from: talksalot on December 03, 2018, 05:01:40 PMLast time out, the Panthers dropped a heartbreaker to Eastern Kentucky, 70-69, on a last-second 3-point shot Saturday afternoon (Dec. 1) at the Millis Center.
I watched until halftime. With a nice lead and playing at home I wrongly concluded they had it in the bag and moved to another ESPN+ game. Kamga at 6'5" looked like the guy most difficult to stop.
High Point also has a neutral court win over Air Force which handled Missouri St pretty easily in the challenge.
I'm leaving in the morning to drive to the game... Looking forward to it!
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Will the VU tree lighting Tuesday night affect the game attendance positively, negatively or not at all?
I am coaching a middle school game and can't make it but look forward to hearing the reports and hopefully catching a game replay somewhere.
It definitely will be the High Point game of the season.
(https://media1.tenor.com/images/3d124f67efd8e08b6fd3f0e748255a95/tenor.gif?itemid=4421172)
Quote from: bbtds on December 03, 2018, 11:10:01 PM
It definitely will be the High Point game of the season.
(https://media1.tenor.com/images/3d124f67efd8e08b6fd3f0e748255a95/tenor.gif?itemid=4421172)
So bad... dont even know what to say .. just SMH....
Go V.U. !!!
Quote from: bbtds on December 03, 2018, 11:10:01 PM
It definitely will be the High Point game of the season.
(https://media1.tenor.com/images/3d124f67efd8e08b6fd3f0e748255a95/tenor.gif?itemid=4421172)
So cheesy I couldn't help but laugh lol
The tree lighting is at six and I think most activities surrounding it shut down right around then too. The marketing for the event is pushing going to the basketball game after the tree lighting so I think they're hoping the momentum will get students to go to the game following the tree stuff.
Here is the pre-game coverage from our local newspaper:
https://www.nwitimes.com/eedition/north/page-b/page_25ec361a-df81-55d9-8220-b7de5e613153.html
You'll find it after the listing for Andrews at Calumet College.
Not knowing anything about High Point, sports or otherwise, I did a little Google searching and came up with this:
$2.9 million man: HPU president's pay among highest in nation
"Qubein's total pay package in 2013: an eye-popping $2,909,148, more than double than what he made the year before. Only the presidents of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania made more; Qubein was paid more than the presidents of Duke and Wake Forest combined."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.greensboro.com/news/schools/million-man-hpu-president-s-pay-among-highest-in-nation/article_296bd2f4-6b06-5bb4-9a36-357d2f1a9cb0.amp.html
Not bad for a private school the size of Valpo.
Quote from: humbleopinion on December 04, 2018, 07:28:59 AM
Here is the pre-game coverage from our local newspaper:
https://www.nwitimes.com/eedition/north/page-b/page_25ec361a-df81-55d9-8220-b7de5e613153.html (https://www.nwitimes.com/eedition/north/page-b/page_25ec361a-df81-55d9-8220-b7de5e613153.html)
You'll find it after the listing for Andrews at Calumet College.
A perfect example displaying the sad state of game-day promotion for the region's D-1 basketball team by it own hometown newspaper! >:(
Quote from: wh on December 04, 2018, 09:20:54 AM
Not knowing anything about High Point, sports or otherwise, I did a little Google searching and came up with this:
$2.9 million man: HPU president's pay among highest in nation
"Qubein's total pay package in 2013: an eye-popping $2,909,148, more than double than what he made the year before. Only the presidents of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania made more; Qubein was paid more than the presidents of Duke and Wake Forest combined."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.greensboro.com/news/schools/million-man-hpu-president-s-pay-among-highest-in-nation/article_296bd2f4-6b06-5bb4-9a36-357d2f1a9cb0.amp.html
Not bad for a private school the size of Valpo.
I could say with a name like High Point why wouldn't the president of HPU be paid the third highest.
But I won't!!
The spread: Valpo -10
Over/Under: 132.5
https://www.oddsshark.com/ncaab/high-point-valparaiso-odds-december-4-2018-1046587
Quote from: wh on December 04, 2018, 09:20:54 AM
Not knowing anything about High Point, sports or otherwise, I did a little Google searching and came up with this:
$2.9 million man: HPU president's pay among highest in nation
"Qubein's total pay package in 2013: an eye-popping $2,909,148, more than double than what he made the year before. Only the presidents of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania made more; Qubein was paid more than the presidents of Duke and Wake Forest combined."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.greensboro.com/news/schools/million-man-hpu-president-s-pay-among-highest-in-nation/article_296bd2f4-6b06-5bb4-9a36-357d2f1a9cb0.amp.html
Not bad for a private school the size of Valpo.
The headline is deceiving. Most of that 2013 compensation was deferred from other years. The article says that his compensation (only going back to 2008) for a given year has ranged from $450K to $1.4M. $1.4M is still quite high and I would bet that the board of regents, directors, etc. and Qubein are quite chummy.
Quote from: vu84v2 on December 04, 2018, 02:27:09 PM
Quote from: wh on December 04, 2018, 09:20:54 AM
Not knowing anything about High Point, sports or otherwise, I did a little Google searching and came up with this:
$2.9 million man: HPU president's pay among highest in nation
"Qubein's total pay package in 2013: an eye-popping $2,909,148, more than double than what he made the year before. Only the presidents of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania made more; Qubein was paid more than the presidents of Duke and Wake Forest combined."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.greensboro.com/news/schools/million-man-hpu-president-s-pay-among-highest-in-nation/article_296bd2f4-6b06-5bb4-9a36-357d2f1a9cb0.amp.html
Not bad for a private school the size of Valpo.
The headline is deceiving. Most of that 2013 compensation was deferred from other years. The article says that his compensation (only going back to 2008) for a given year has ranged from $450K to $1.4M. $1.4M is still quite high and I would bet that the board of regents, directors, etc. and Qubein are quite chummy.
The guy must be a hell of a fundraiser to earn that chunk of change.
Quote from: VU2014 on December 04, 2018, 03:52:00 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on December 04, 2018, 02:27:09 PM
Quote from: wh on December 04, 2018, 09:20:54 AM
Not knowing anything about High Point, sports or otherwise, I did a little Google searching and came up with this:
$2.9 million man: HPU president's pay among highest in nation
"Qubein's total pay package in 2013: an eye-popping $2,909,148, more than double than what he made the year before. Only the presidents of Columbia University and the University of Pennsylvania made more; Qubein was paid more than the presidents of Duke and Wake Forest combined."
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.greensboro.com/news/schools/million-man-hpu-president-s-pay-among-highest-in-nation/article_296bd2f4-6b06-5bb4-9a36-357d2f1a9cb0.amp.html
Not bad for a private school the size of Valpo.
The headline is deceiving. Most of that 2013 compensation was deferred from other years. The article says that his compensation (only going back to 2008) for a given year has ranged from $450K to $1.4M. $1.4M is still quite high and I would bet that the board of regents, directors, etc. and Qubein are quite chummy.
The guy must be a hell of a fundraiser to earn that chunk of change.
I would say he must have brought fund raising to a H... P....., oh never mind...................
Is High Point in Colorado? :P
And just to the south in Vegas: the Over and under for VU Cru section -has moved up to 14. There were some late rumors of a student being taken off IR and bringing another.
Trivia question:
Did Chris Halverson play for Tubby Smith at Minnesota?
Quote from: humbleopinion on December 04, 2018, 06:39:10 PM
Trivia question:
Did Chris Halverson play for Tubby Smith at Minnesota?
Yes, Chris Halvorsen played for Tubby Smith for 2 seasons. (11-13)
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/players/chris-halvorsen-1.html
Pregame Student Attendance Update: The flag is mostly in the way but looks a little thin for 10 minutes before game time...
https://twitter.com/BryanGOdom76/status/1070118385088897024
The student section looks better than the rest of the crowd.☹️
Quote from: VU2014 on December 04, 2018, 06:53:51 PM
Pregame Student Attendance Update: The flag is mostly in the way but looks a little thin for 10 minutes before game time...
https://twitter.com/BryanGOdom76/status/1070118385088897024
Looks like a much better turnout in this photo
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1070121358091272192
So for this to be "the" true high point game we would have to score 122. I predict that won't happen.
Quote from: humbleopinion on December 04, 2018, 06:59:42 PM
The student section looks better than the rest of the crowd.☹️
I wasn't in the picture so it could improve a lot. :o
Looks like some students showed up for the game. Would be nice some of our offense would too, in addition to Smits.
Halftime locker room messsge:
Lottich - Well, we cant play much worse, yet we still have a 1-point lead. Let's get back to playing Valpo basketball and we'll win this going away.
Smith - Well, we can't play much worse, yet we're only down a point. Let's get back to playing High Point basketball and we'll win this going away.
Excuse me, but our volleyball team (what a great job they have done this year) will be on the road for the remainder of the season, right? Why are the volleyball lines still on rthe BB court? It projects a high school image on TV and reinforces the ARC's HS image.
By the way the big and little Crusaders are gone. Deemed not PC.
Quote from: VULB#62 on December 04, 2018, 07:55:34 PM
Excuse me, but our volleyball team (what a great job they have done this year) will be on the road for the remainder of the season, right? Why are the volleyball lines still on rthe BB court? It projects a high school image on TV and reinforces the ARC's HS image.
I don't believe they ever remove the volleyball lines from the court and there is a slight chance they could play a home match in the NIVT but really unlikely.
We looked lifeless on offense. Almost walking the ball up at times, slow telegraphed passes, lazy lobs, etc. At the same time, really good energy and hustle on defense for the most part. I look to see us play more up-tempo in the 2nd half.
Quote from: nkvu on December 04, 2018, 07:50:24 PMLooks like some students showed up for the game. Would be nice some of our offense would too, in addition to Smits.
Timing isn't the
only reason, but it is a
big reason. We have 75+ students at the game this evening against an equally bad opponent, and I highly doubt campus culture has shifted dramatically in the last two days.
It's
very hard to get a good student crowd on Sunday afternoons when there's homework, NFL, hangovers, etc. I things were different, but that's the way things are. How much say does VU have in scheduling games?
Quote from: VUBBFan on December 04, 2018, 07:58:46 PMBy the way the big and little Crusaders are gone. Deemed not PC.
The blow up ones in the corner of the ARC? Or the mascot? And is that the official explanation?
We need to make some shots down the stretch here.
Both are gone and the new cheer and dance team uniforms have deleted Crusaders from them
I think Bakari should continue to jack early shot clock three attempts, that's great offense...
Quote from: VULB#62 on December 04, 2018, 07:55:34 PM
Excuse me, but our volleyball team (what a great job they have done this year) will be on the road for the remainder of the season, right? Why are the volleyball lines still on rthe BB court? It projects a high school image on TV and reinforces the ARC's HS image.
Season still going on and they still practice in the gym. I'm sure they practiced earlier today. The lines get taken up after volleyball season is complete.
Awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful awful.
Absolutely f'ing pathetic loss. This is now the worst loss I have seen in my Valpo fandom, even trumping the UC-Riverside road loss last year. Pathetic...
Well that terrible performance won't bring the students who showed up back. How in the world does a D1 team shoot 3-22 from the arc? How is that even possible?
Terrible beat. Hate that the last shot went in on a prayer, but they should never have put themselves in that situation to begin with.
Why does this team do this?
Nothing we could have done on that last possession.
Need to work on shot selection. 3-24 from deep just ain't gonna cut it. Fazekas certainly has an upside but when he's off, he's off. I think we could have pounded it down to Smits more. Ride the hot hand!
I was trying to think of something to say, but NativeCheesehead pretty much captures it. Still no shooters on this team somehow.
Simply embarrassing and inexcusable. I've never even heard of high point university.
Well......a lucky shot banks in in a game where we shot like crap and didn't deserve to win but had a chance at the end.
Moving on.
No focus, no offense. TERRIBLE LOSS. Great play for Fazekas towards the end, where is that all game???????????????????????????????????, bad coaching and terrible shot selection by Bakari. ugggh 2 steps forward, 1.99 back! On to GW.
Quote from: nkvu on December 04, 2018, 09:03:41 PM
Well......a lucky shot banks in in a game where we shot like crap and didn't deserve to win but had a chance at the end.
Moving on.
Agree ... stinks when you lose a game because of one lucky shot. >:(
Pathetic. Inexcusably pathetic. We have absolutely SUCKED from 3 point range ALL FREAKING YEAR and we're jacking up 20+ attempts? What happened to Smits in the offense? Did he even score in the second half? Maybe we should stop complaining about the weak schedules It's clear this team can't handle even this. I don't know if it's a player problem or a coaching problem but it seems to happen EVERY FREAKING TIME we play somebody we should beat in the Lottich era. If we tank in MVC play again we might have some serious questions to answer this offseason. Games like this really make you question whether we have the right leader.
Did McMillan even play? I wonder if he's hurt? He must be, because just a few weeks ago, the radio guy was singing his praises on the USH podcast. And if I know anything, I know that radio guy knows hoops.
This is the type of game that just makes you want to stop watching Valpo basketball, but I always keep on watching. Seriously, how can we shoot 3/23 from 3? The vast majority were well short, clanging off the front of the rim. For as highly rated of a team we have in regards to recruiting rankings, I can't see many of our prior teams playing this poorly against a bad team.
Btw, Ball State just knocked off Notre Dame on a contested 3 at the buzzer.
We better figure some stuff out before we play them.
At this rate we'd better be concerned about potentially getting beaten by PNW let alone Ball State and A&M
Quote from: nkvu on December 04, 2018, 09:17:33 PMBtw, Ball State just knocked off Notre Dame on a contested 3 at the buzzer. We better figure some stuff out before we play them.
...where are you seeing this?
Tired legs tonight. Kiser and McMillan need some minutes.
And on top of that forces on campus are chipping away at the campus culture and our identity for no good reason. I wonder if this anti-Crusader crap is affecting the team.
Quote from: hailcrusaders on December 04, 2018, 08:17:35 PM
Quote from: VUBBFan on December 04, 2018, 07:58:46 PMBy the way the big and little Crusaders are gone. Deemed not PC.
The blow up ones in the corner of the ARC? Or the mascot? And is that the official explanation?
I can't speak about what happened to the blow-up Crusader in the corner, but I do know the mascot person was sick this week; however, I'm not sure why we don't have an understudy to sub when needed.
Quote from: hailcrusaders on December 04, 2018, 09:23:45 PMQuote from: nkvu on December 04, 2018, 09:17:33 PMBtw, Ball State just knocked off Notre Dame on a contested 3 at the buzzer. We better figure some stuff out before we play them.
...where are you seeing this?
Yeah that's not accurate at all, that's from last yr, ND lost to Oklahoma by 5 tonight, research before you post...
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on December 04, 2018, 09:22:51 PMAt this rate we'd better be concerned about potentially getting beaten by PNW let alone Ball State and A&M
No need to overreact, yes a bad loss, but we'll never lose to Purdue NW.
Quote from: hailcrusaders on December 04, 2018, 09:23:45 PM
Quote from: nkvu on December 04, 2018, 09:17:33 PMBtw, Ball State just knocked off Notre Dame on a contested 3 at the buzzer. We better figure some stuff out before we play them.
...where are you seeing this?
Fox sports feed on Apple News.
Fox and/or Apple wouldn't post "fake news" would they?
Oh yes I guess they would.
Never mind.
Quote from: nkvu on December 04, 2018, 07:50:24 PM
Looks like some students showed up for the game. Would be nice some of our offense would too, in addition to Smits.
In our section the main question in the second half was why Smits was sitting so long. He dominated the first half, but only played 9 minutes in the second half.
Just a reminder that we are 12-21 since that smoke and mirrors 8-0 start last year. Conference move or not that is abysmal. We are still under .500 since Alec graduated. That's not acceptable. Some may call me a spoiled fan for saying that but I prefer to believe that my expectations were appropriately raised by the Broekhoff/Peters/Bryce era and that those expectations are NOT being met.
Quote from: valpopal on December 04, 2018, 09:28:13 PMQuote from: hailcrusaders on December 04, 2018, 08:17:35 PMQuote from: VUBBFan on December 04, 2018, 07:58:46 PMBy the way the big and little Crusaders are gone. Deemed not PC.
The blow up ones in the corner of the ARC? Or the mascot? And is that the official explanation?
I can't speak about what happened to the blow-up Crusader in the corner, but I do know the mascot person was sick this week; however, I'm not sure why we don't have an understudy to sub when needed.
I spoke to a faculty member at the game that was rather happy the Crusader was gone and said some of the faculty had finally got some alumni to join them in getting rid of the offense mascot. Then I noticed that the dance team has new uniforms that now say Valpo instead of Crusaderetts. Seems they are going under the radar hoping no one notices the change.
Quote from: VUBBFan on December 04, 2018, 09:38:39 PM
Quote from: valpopal on December 04, 2018, 09:28:13 PMQuote from: hailcrusaders on December 04, 2018, 08:17:35 PMQuote from: VUBBFan on December 04, 2018, 07:58:46 PMBy the way the big and little Crusaders are gone. Deemed not PC.
The blow up ones in the corner of the ARC? Or the mascot? And is that the official explanation?
I can't speak about what happened to the blow-up Crusader in the corner, but I do know the mascot person was sick this week; however, I'm not sure why we don't have an understudy to sub when needed.
I spoke to a faculty member at the game that was rather happy the Crusader was gone and said some of the faculty had finally got some alumni to join them in getting rid of the offense mascot. Then I noticed that the dance team has new uniforms that now say Valpo instead of Crusaderetts. They are going under the radar hoping no one notices the change.
There was supposed to be an event in the Chapel earlier this semester, and it was switched to another location. When I asked why, a faculty member told me it was felt that "the Chapel is not a welcoming place." :crazy:
I'll be honest. I prefer we keep the crusader but it really doesn't matter what you call us if we keep playing like garbage. One battle at a time.
If the Crusader is really gone the next thing will be all the other offensive things like Crosses, Christian scriptures and the like all over the campus. Those are all unwelcoming objects to non-Christians attending a so called "Christian School".
Quote from: NativeCheesehead on December 04, 2018, 09:50:20 PMI'll be honest. I prefer we keep the crusader but it really doesn't matter what you call us if we keep playing like garbage. One battle at a time.
Don't mean to start a conspiracy theory here, but it's a lot easier to clandestinely phase out a mascot/nickname when the team is having a down year. Or maybe it's just coincidence.
I'm not overly concerned about the loss. Last year, I started getting super fired up about things. Had very high expectations. Smoke and mirrors 8 game winning streak didn't help matters. Since then, I've accepted that things are different. I've accepted that the administration isn't concerned about the things we've expressed here. Pass out free shirts and pizza... still can't get the student section full. Bleachers are virtually empty in the upper section. Season ticket holders - like myself - overpaid for tickets. Why? Because they're now publicizing 1/2 off ticket prices. So, I paid the same amount for my bleacher season tickets as those who will get chairbacks? Makes sense. The season ticket holder night was an embarrassment. Barry fed us. Fire alarm was going off uncontrollably. Barely practiced. Will not ever go back.
It's just different. Same crappy T-shirts thrown out. Same lame games here and there during timeouts. It is what it is. Same crappy arena. I like the team. As a graduate, I'll still be attending. I'll always remain optimistic. I left tonight completely unaffected by the loss.
On the one hand, that's a good thing because I - as a spectator - shouldn't lose sleep over a game. On the other hand, it's a learned helplessness of sorts. Accepted mediocrity.
I feel like a Cleveland browns fan. Always holding out for some sense of hope. Much like tonight as we gave up a lead to a lesser team ... in our home court. A glimmer of hope on the made 3 by Ryan. Only to be let down by the last defensive possession. Left with .8 seconds ... to throw up a shot ... that was oh too short. Yes, I was there when Broekoff made the game-winning 3. It was fun. It was special. Maybe those days return. Not sure.
But will always be tough with such a short bench. Mileek was a starter ... highly-touted for his offseason training ... and now struggles to get playing time. No Kiser tonight. Micah is mia. We all awaited Juame's return. And, are still awaiting in many respects. They're kids. No fault to them. They're trying. Coaches are good guys. Nobody to blame. It's what we - as donors and fans - have proven our willingness to support. If we're going to get rid of the Crusader, let's get rid of brown. Brown isn't an athletic color - let's be honest. Valpo Pandas? Why not...
This University is billed as "an international LUTHERAN University" CRUSADERS is the SECOND WORD in the fight song The University is considered a place "Where Athens meets Jerusalem" I'm sure that description is offensive to many as well. Students are REQUIRED to take Theology courses What's next? Phasing that out? Shouldn't the faculty have started there? Isn't that far more offensive than the team name? This name has been a part of the University for what? 80? 100 years? The name Crusaders doesn't even have to be taken in its potentially offensive meaning. A Crusader is someone who fights for advocates for or stands for something. One can be a Crusader for truth or justice or for the downtrodden. The mascot is just a knight anyway who again didn't always fight for Christianity. There are no religious symbols on it. It's not racist like Chief Wahoo or an epithet like Washington DC's professional football team. This feels like faculty and students who don't have enough work to do and are making a mountain of offense out of a molehill. Looking for outrage where there is none.
Quote from: VU2010 on December 04, 2018, 10:10:17 PMBut will always be tough with such a short bench. Mileek was a starter ... highly-touted for his offseason training ... and now struggles to get playing time. No Kiser tonight. Micah is mia. We all awaited Juame's return. And, are still awaiting in many respects. They're kids. No fault to them. They're trying. Coaches are good guys. Nobody to blame. It's what we - as donors and fans - have proven our willingness to support. If we're going to get rid of the Crusader, let's get rid of brown. Brown isn't an athletic color - let's be honest. Valpo Pandas? Why not...
I think Koala Bears is the leading mascot name (Paul Oren)
I only saw a couple set plays that free up our three point shooter. The one that Fazekas hit to tie the game with 20 seconds left.
Alec was a good three point shooter.....but he also got a lot of wide open looks!!!! Thanks coach.
Coming from Oklahoma, Kevin Durant had a lot of three pointers in OKC....but when he went to Golden State, the shots became easier.
Quote from: nkvu on December 04, 2018, 09:17:33 PMBtw, Ball State just knocked off Notre Dame on a contested 3 at the buzzer. We better figure some stuff out before we play them.
Notre Dame lost to Oklahoma tonight and doesn't play Ball State this season. Was this a pickup game in South Bend?
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Quote from: JD24 on December 04, 2018, 11:09:54 PM
Quote from: nkvu on December 04, 2018, 09:17:33 PMBtw, Ball State just knocked off Notre Dame on a contested 3 at the buzzer. We better figure some stuff out before we play them.
Notre Dame lost to Oklahoma tonight and doesn't play Ball State this season. Was this a pickup game in South Bend?
A fake news item posted today from last year from a Fox Sports feed to Apple news. Feel free to ignore.
Still. based on the way we played today my observation that we had better figure some things out before we play BSU still stands.
Quote from: valpotx on December 04, 2018, 09:16:14 PM
This is the type of game that just makes you want to stop watching Valpo basketball, but I always keep on watching. Seriously, how can we shoot 3/23 from 3? The vast majority were well short, clanging off the front of the rim. For as highly rated of a team we have in regards to recruiting rankings, I can't see many of our prior teams playing this poorly against a bad team.
Teams that beat us have "lead players" who take over games in crunch time. Last two years we have not had a reliable high octane offensive player(s) like what we witnessed tonight in Kamga and Proctor.
We are missing a Proctor / Kamga at the other 4 positions meanwhile it's easy to double down on Smits to limit his success if we go 3/23 from deep. NEXT UP...
No one had noted that this game was different in the way that it was officiated. We were whistled for only nine fouls, and High Point only committed eighteen. I can only remember one call for an illegal screen. This wasn't due to the players playing a clean game. When Smits was fouled in the first half, I was concerned that the refs were losing control of the game.
It was evident in the warmups that we gave away twenty or thirty pounds per player. I was pleasantly surprised by Javon's willingness and ability to mix it up in spite of being bounced around as much as he was. It is hard to free up shooters when screens are ineffective. I presume that this will be a learning experience.
Quote from: humbleopinion on December 05, 2018, 05:52:11 AM
No one had noted that this game was different in the way that it was officiated. We were whistled for only nine fouls, and High Point only committed eighteen. I can only remember one call for an illegal screen. This wasn't due to the players playing a clean game. When Smits was fouled in the first half, I was concerned that the refs were losing control of the game.
It was evident in the warmups gave away twenty or thirty pounds per player. I was pleasantly surprised by Javon's willingness and ability to mix it up in spite of being bounced around as much as he was. It is hard to free up shooters when screens are ineffective. I presume that this will be a learning experience.
Solid point regarding driving the lane with contact. And regarding moving screens, Smits and Sorolla should have been whistled for several which they normally would have been.
The head NCAA official was in the ARC yesterday evaluating the officiating crew.
One question I have is why did Coach stop playing smits in the 2nd half? He went to sorolla instead who couldn't match Smits' offense when we needed points.
Another thing is that these shooters need to start making shots. They are getting some decent looks all season but Bakari and Fazekas need to start playing up to their abilities. Both are are having sub par seasons
After watching the post-game press conference, I'm reminded of my frustration with Lottich. Too many excuses. We've been flying all over the country... tired legs.... blah blah blah. First, isn't that what you want? Isn't that what would happen in March if we made it to the tournament? Second, that's another reason to play more guys!!! No Mileek. No Kiser. As for Smits - who has been the leading scorer and very consistent thus far - your excuse to only have him play 9 minutes in the second half and get one shot off after having 12 points and 14 boards in the second half is "Hindsight is 20-20"...? Come on. We're spectstors and know better. Juame getting more minutes in the second half than Smits is inexcusable the way Smits has been playing. Inexcusable. Juame didn't bring anything to this game. Was a non-factor. I would've rather he put in Kiser to spill Derek. At least he'd go 100%. Tired of hearing about trusting the process and how much improvement guys are making. Only to revert back to the same old same old. Starting guys last year for 8 games only to sit them thereafter. One transfers and the other doesn't even make it in the game any longer. Got out coached by a legend. One it, man. Gotta own it. Don't say it's some on you and some on them blah blah blah. I'd rather let Derek prove he couldn't make it in the second half than not give him a shot ... lesson learned I guess. Lesson learned. People ripped on Bryce for using up his timeouts too soon. At least he made adjustments on the fly and was able to win games down the stretch. Hindsight is 20/20 though, right?
Quote from: VU2014 on December 05, 2018, 07:39:44 AMThe head NCAA official was in the ARC yesterday evaluating the officiating crew.
One of the three working the game was John Higgins (watch last years Final 4 if you want to watch him in action). He's got the Illinois-Ohio State game tonight. We had one "new" official working the game (Michael) and I believe he's the one they were watching/mentoring. I thought they did a good "Consistent" job on the game. They all let them play (lots of physical play on both ends). JD Collins is the head NCAA official. He worked VU games for MANY years... gave that up 8 years ago for the admin job in the NCAA.
Quote from: VU2010 on December 05, 2018, 07:52:38 AMWe've been flying all over the country... tired legs....
Hope they get over that... we have Ball State on the 17th and a quick turnaround at Texas A&M on the 19th coming up after a week off for finals.
The officials were fine. An elderly gentleman by us at the game last night screamed out at the refs before half that they don't know how to use a whistle because the suck. Lol no.... can't put that off on the officials. Called a good game. That's a fan who is mad at the overall situation and takes it out on the refs while HPU had 8 fouls and we had 3. Seriously? If that crew officiated every game in the manner they did, we'd be alright.
I'm actually fine with Kiser and Mileek not getting minutes in close games. Until Mileek can show self control on defense (in practice as well) that he won't foul then he can earn more minutes. Kiser just isn't a strong offensive player. Maybe he would have made some kind of difference, idk.
I think it's fair to criticize Lottich for some things here and there but at the end of the day if we're shooting 3-22 from 3, it won't matter. High Point was pretty good defensively last night but there was still some decent looks from 3 that the guy should have knocked down.
Quote from: VU2014 on December 05, 2018, 08:37:46 AMHigh Point was pretty good defensively last night but there was still some decent looks from 3 that the guy should have knocked down.
I think they were much better than pretty good. We simply couldn't get open for shots and when we did shoot they were on us very tight. It was an old fashioned in your face defensive grind. They just made the last, very difficult shot. They will win a lot of games. Having said that, if we are going to contend for a MVC title, we are going to have to win these tight games. They all will be tight once conference play begins.
The team with more talent lost again last night.
I'm curious how Mileek is going to show self control on defense or whatever else people are saying he needs to do in games before he gets more minutes if he isn't getting any minutes in the games. If the legs are tired he should've got some run. If the legs aren't tired, then I'm fine with him sitting. But it can't be both.
Quote from: VU2010 on December 05, 2018, 07:52:38 AMWe've been flying all over the country.
Well it IS a long flight between the dorms and the ARC 2 games in a row.
Quote from: nkvu on December 04, 2018, 11:15:35 PMStill. based on the way we played today my observation that we had better figure some things out before we play BSU still stands.
No argument from me on this point.
Quote from: vu72 on December 05, 2018, 09:00:08 AM
Quote from: VU2014 on December 05, 2018, 08:37:46 AMHigh Point was pretty good defensively last night but there was still some decent looks from 3 that the guy should have knocked down.
I think they were much better than pretty good. We simply couldn't get open for shots and when we did shoot they were on us very tight. It was an old fashioned in your face defensive grind. They just made the last, very difficult shot. They will win a lot of games. Having said that, if we are going to contend for a MVC title, we are going to have to win these tight games. They all will be tight once conference play begins.
I agree. HP played hard nosed defense for 40 minutes and they deserve credit for that. We also played tough D, and did it without fouling.
If anyone is hurting us offensively more than the rest it's Bakari Evelyn. His shooting percentage for our 4 losses is abysmal:
FG 13-50=26%
3FG 7-28=25%
Compounding the problem he's averaging 13 shot attempts/game, 7 attempts from 3. That's way too many shot attempts for a guy struggling this badly. If/when he picks it up, our fortunes will change. Until then I suspect every game will be a crap shoot.
I'd be curious how many of his shot attempts come because they seem to fall into a habit of paying hot potato with the ball and running down the clock. he's not a driver to the lane and so he ends up getting fed the ball a lot.
They looked worn down and off and so all our weak spots were almost comically on display. I'd actually be more willing to attribute it to them being students and this being the absolute worst week of the semester and ironically, not traveling, and probably having to do papers and classwork were probably more wearing than being able to skip town for a few days.
This seems to be a pattern of laying an egg at least once a year for no discernible reason where it's like every weakness we have goes on display. This, combined with us struggling against power5/ranked teams have been problems even in the Drew years but Lottich is not going to have the same leeway for this pattern to continue. Their confidence in Smits is obvious as he was who the team looked for, but you can't run an offense through him the same way you could run it through a forward or guard.
If a team shoots like we did last night, they do not deserve to win and will not win many games. For a Div 1 team I don't think I have ever seen a worse 3-point shooting effort.
I think Golder should sub for Bakari sometimes instead of Ryan all the time.
Kudos to the students!! Credit where due.
But the team really missed a chance to excite them and create momentum for themselves. Really strange to shoot so very poorly on your home court with familiar sight lines etc.
So I guess my 4-1 December is a little less firm? :)
Quote from: crusader05 on December 05, 2018, 01:18:06 PM
Their confidence in Smits is obvious as he was who the team looked for, but you can't run an offense through him the same way you could run it through a forward or guard.
You also can't run the offense through Smits when he is held off the court. Folks in my section were calling for Smits to be put in the game in the second half when Sorolla got the majority of playing time. It was obvious the guards were not as confident in Sorolla and did not pass to him the way they had been doing with Smits. I still don't understand sitting Smits most of the second half after he dominated the first half!
Quote from: tiny707 on December 05, 2018, 01:19:08 PMI think Golder should sub for Bakari sometimes instead of Ryan all the time.
Golder did not play well at either end but I agree with your general thinking. If we want a winning MVC season then the more broadly we develop ALL our options the more effective we will be. With the short bench rotation Matt seemed to treat this as a "must win" when it wasn't. I would have felt much more comfortable with a loss where everybody saw the floor. Developing your team for conference play is what OOC should be about.
Sackey looked baffled as he tried to figure out his best method of point guard attack. Against High Point a healthy Micah would easily have been the better option. As for Jay, his reaching 100% may take a bit longer than I had hoped. Even with only 11 available scholarship players I thought our bench would be our greatest strength. What happened?
Quote from: M on December 05, 2018, 11:48:43 AMI'm curious how Mileek is going to show self control on defense or whatever else people are saying he needs to do in games before he gets more minutes if he isn't getting any minutes in the games. If the legs are tired he should've got some run. If the legs aren't tired, then I'm fine with him sitting. But it can't be both.
I am far less confident about our Valley play if Mileek is not a contributor. End of story!
Quote from: tiny707 on December 05, 2018, 01:19:08 PM
I think Golder should sub for Bakari sometimes instead of Ryan all the time.
That could be an interesting lineup, I think Bakari is acting a little selfish offensively (tossing early shot clock 3's) and just generally whining too much for my preference. He seems to be our main "go-to-guy" or at least one of them offensively so results like last night will happen when he is not on.
My main concern with Golder for Bakari is that Golder is absolutely a poor ball handler. I think a line-up like that could be even more stagnant and lack the ability to drive to the basket or break a press . . .
Golder needs floor time, absolutely. But I think his skill set restricts him to more of a 3rd guard or SF when playing good defensive teams. In my view High Point was a solid defensive team that look other-worldly because we couldn't get used to body contact during our drives. I liked the no-calls by the refs last night, so I am not complaining. But it's clear that none of our guards (other than Bakari) have developed the smart drive and pivot that HP ate us alive with.
The reason Bakari can be effective is that he has mastered the lost art of using his pivot foot when driving the lane (see the probing of Lavender as well). But our young Padawan Freeman has not yet mastered this drive . . . fake, and then pivot under. I think that is partly what made the experienced duo of Kamga and Proctor so deadly last night.
In particular, Señor Smits has really perfected this foot work and made him deadly underneath. Either way, Golder really and truly might be lost in the role of 2nd guard as mentioned above. This run on dialogue with myself was really intended only to drive home that point. I think it's quite obvious at this point that I am on my home laptop and not my phone (as is my usual device). :twocents: :twocents: :twocents: :crazy: :crazy: :twocents: :twocents: :twocents:
I'm just going to throw this out and wait to be told I'm wrong. In the second half HP began to double Smits. Now the advantage to going inside out is when the post player recognizes the double team and kicks the ball out for an open shot. Either to the perimeter or to a cutter. What I think I saw was Smits taking a bit long to recognize the double team and kicking the ball out. Now sometimes the first player the ball is kicked to doesn't have the shot so he should quickly pass to the next player and so on. It seemed to me that we were slow to pass the ball around the perimeter. Once someone got the kick from Smits it seems they were looking to dribble before they finally passed. By that time the defense had recovered and there was no open shot. Nor did I see any cutters when Smits was double teamed.
I noted a number of times when we double teamed the post they were able to quickly hit a cutter for an easy basket. Given Smits development it seems to me he will see a lot of double teams this year. Yet we don't seemed to have developed an offense to take advantage of this.
Also, the play we ran to get Fazekus the shot to tie the game at the end. Where was that or something similar the rest of the game? It seems clear to me that he can't create his own shot. Why aren't we running plays that give him looks like he got at the end of the game? Our guards seem to spend lots of the clock looking to dribble drive yet none of them have shown that they are consistently good at it. When that fails we need to have a plan B and I don't know what that is.
Umm coaching????? Always making excuses. Look at our free throw shooting. Atrocious! Shooting? Horrific. Rotations? Nonexistent! I've yet to see anything indicating we are on a positive trajectory. Other than utilizing transfers and thinking of the ceiling a guy line Freeman has, where's the player development?
And, what's the little sheet of paper Lottich always looks at? What's on there? Neither Big takes a shot in the second half against HPU. Is that the game plan? And why do our coaches have to huddle up every time out? Talk during the game. Coach them up during time outs. Sorry but frustrating.
I love the last part of this...Valpo has to be about the only ones I've seen (I know I know UC Riverside did it too) huddle up the coaches between timeouts. Mind boggling.
At
Sent from my XT1635-01 using Tapatalk
UIC 94 Illinois St 75
ISU predicted 3rd in MVC, right???
So maybe any team on any night?
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on December 05, 2018, 08:13:23 PM
UIC 94 Illinois St 75
ISU predicted 3rd in MVC, right???
So maybe any team on any night?
Horizon teams will always be "up" to play MVC teams ... it's like their Super Bowl.
For UIC to be doing this to Bradley and Illinois State really undermines the HL's claim that Valpo's departure caused damage to the league.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on December 05, 2018, 08:26:15 PM
For UIC to be doing this to Bradley and Illinois State really undermines the HL's claim that Valpo's departure caused damage to the league.
They might get some wins against the MVC, but without Valpo, the Horizon League will continue to be a one-bid league that doesn't win any NCAA tourney games.
Quote from: M on December 05, 2018, 07:34:57 PM
I love the last part of this...Valpo has to be about the only ones I've seen (I know I know UC Riverside did it too) huddle up the coaches between timeouts. Mind boggling.
Bryce consistently huddled with the coaching staff at the beginning of full timeouts. Matt is simply carrying on the tradition.
Quote from: EddieCabot on December 05, 2018, 08:29:42 PMQuote from: VUGrad1314 on December 05, 2018, 08:26:15 PMFor UIC to be doing this to Bradley and Illinois State really undermines the HL's claim that Valpo's departure caused damage to the league.
They might get some wins against the MVC, but without Valpo, the Horizon League will continue to be a one-bid league that doesn't win any NCAA tourney games.
Just like they were without Butler?
Quote from: nkvu on December 05, 2018, 04:55:40 PM
I'm just going to throw this out and wait to be told I'm wrong. In the second half HP began to double Smits. Now the advantage to going inside out is when the post player recognizes the double team and kicks the ball out for an open shot. Either to the perimeter or to a cutter. What I think I saw was Smits taking a bit long to recognize the double team and kicking the ball out. Now sometimes the first player the ball is kicked to doesn't have the shot so he should quickly pass to the next player and so on. It seemed to me that we were slow to pass the ball around the perimeter. Once someone got the kick from Smits it seems they were looking to dribble before they finally passed. By that time the defense had recovered and there was no open shot. Nor did I see any cutters when Smits was double teamed.
I noted a number of times when we double teamed the post they were able to quickly hit a cutter for an easy basket. Given Smits development it seems to me he will see a lot of double teams this year. Yet we don't seemed to have developed an offense to take advantage of this.
Also, the play we ran to get Fazekus the shot to tie the game at the end. Where was that or something similar the rest of the game? It seems clear to me that he can't create his own shot. Why aren't we running plays that give him looks like he got at the end of the game? Our guards seem to spend lots of the clock looking to dribble drive yet none of them have shown that they are consistently good at it. When that fails we need to have a plan B and I don't know what that is.
I second everything said in this post! All absolutely true of the HP game. Smits is going to get doubled and the next evolution of our offense needs to be quick ball movement out of the post when that happens to get a wide open shot. We did not get wide open shots against HP. Also, Fazekas needs set plays to get him open for spot up shots as well as he is not a create his own shot kind of guy.
I said that too. I'll say it again, it doesn't appear we run plays to get open looks. Alec was a great shooter but he also had plays designed to get him open or another teammate open.
Quote from: valpopal on December 04, 2018, 09:42:05 PM
Quote from: VUBBFan on December 04, 2018, 09:38:39 PM
Quote from: valpopal on December 04, 2018, 09:28:13 PMQuote from: hailcrusaders on December 04, 2018, 08:17:35 PMQuote from: VUBBFan on December 04, 2018, 07:58:46 PMBy the way the big and little Crusaders are gone. Deemed not PC.
The blow up ones in the corner of the ARC? Or the mascot? And is that the official explanation?
I can't speak about what happened to the blow-up Crusader in the corner, but I do know the mascot person was sick this week; however, I'm not sure why we don't have an understudy to sub when needed.
I spoke to a faculty member at the game that was rather happy the Crusader was gone and said some of the faculty had finally got some alumni to join them in getting rid of the offense mascot. Then I noticed that the dance team has new uniforms that now say Valpo instead of Crusaderetts. They are going under the radar hoping no one notices the change.
There was supposed to be an event in the Chapel earlier this semester, and it was switched to another location. When I asked why, a faculty member told me it was felt that "the Chapel is not a welcoming place." :crazy:
This last post is, to me, the most upsetting and depressing thing about VU I've ever read on this board. If this is true, the culture war at VU has been lost to the PC mob. As mentioned by another poster on the board, the next step is for the mob to go after any sign of the Christian religion on this campus.
Paul
Glad someone (FG) took the words out of my mouth on BE. Just didn't want to be the one to say it.
Huge credit and congrats to Smits for his play of late. Most valuable player on the team right now.
Quote from: VU2010 on December 05, 2018, 05:44:02 PMAnd why do our coaches have to huddle up every time out? Talk during the game. Coach them up during time outs. Sorry but frustrating.
Quote from: VU2010 on December 05, 2018, 05:44:02 PMI love the last part of this...Valpo has to be about the only ones I've seen (I know I know UC Riverside did it too) huddle up the coaches between timeouts. Mind boggling.
You have got to be kidding me... This is frustrating and mind boggling?
Quote from: wh on December 05, 2018, 08:38:09 PMBryce consistently huddled with the coaching staff at the beginning of full timeouts. Matt is simply carrying on the tradition.
As wh says, not only did Bryce do the same thing as did Homer, but practically every other coaching staff in the country. It may not happen every timeout, but certainly frequently especially during fulls.
Quote from: FWalum on December 06, 2018, 11:50:42 AM
Quote from: VU2010 on December 05, 2018, 05:44:02 PMAnd why do our coaches have to huddle up every time out? Talk during the game. Coach them up during time outs. Sorry but frustrating.
Quote from: VU2010 on December 05, 2018, 05:44:02 PMI love the last part of this...Valpo has to be about the only ones I've seen (I know I know UC Riverside did it too) huddle up the coaches between timeouts. Mind boggling.
You have got to be kidding me... This is frustrating and mind boggling?
Quote from: wh on December 05, 2018, 08:38:09 PMBryce consistently huddled with the coaching staff at the beginning of full timeouts. Matt is simply carrying on the tradition.
As wh says, not only did Bryce do the same thing as did Homer, but practically every other coaching staff in the country. It may not happen every timeout, but certainly frequently especially during fulls.
Yea this a pretty standard practice during a TV timeout. Coaches get the chance to have all 4 or 5 together for a quick discussion and decide on their main talking points when going back to the players and allows everybody to be on the same page. It's a really nice thing to have, a lot of people don't realize how fast a game happens in a coach's eyes (I don't think Lottich has gotten up to speed on this, think he would be an amazing asset as an assistant currently but don't see the head man ability yet, key word is yet).
Quote from: 78crusader on December 06, 2018, 10:13:59 AM
Quote from: valpopal on December 04, 2018, 09:42:05 PM
There was supposed to be an event in the Chapel earlier this semester, and it was switched to another location. When I asked why, a faculty member told me it was felt that "the Chapel is not a welcoming place." :crazy:
This last post is, to me, the most upsetting and depressing thing about VU I've ever read on this board. If this is true, the culture war at VU has been lost to the PC mob. As mentioned by another poster on the board, the next step is for the mob to go after any sign of the Christian religion on this campus.
Paul
This whole sub-thread smells funny to me.
I'm skeptical about such "welcoming place" language being used to reschedule an event at VU. (I'll admit that thoughts about how appropriate the Chapel is for some groups have occasionally come to mind, e.g. when brainstorming places that Muslim Student Association might gather for prayer.)
I'm also skeptical about suggestions that changes have already been made to the mascot, e.g.
" some of the faculty had finally got some alumni to join them in getting rid of the offense mascot"
And I'm writing as a faculty member who would be happy to get rid of the mascot. Such changes don't seem to come quickly or easily. I'll be surprised if they come quietly.
Quote from: agibson on December 06, 2018, 05:40:55 PM
Quote from: 78crusader on December 06, 2018, 10:13:59 AM
Quote from: valpopal on December 04, 2018, 09:42:05 PM
There was supposed to be an event in the Chapel earlier this semester, and it was switched to another location. When I asked why, a faculty member told me it was felt that "the Chapel is not a welcoming place." :crazy:
This last post is, to me, the most upsetting and depressing thing about VU I've ever read on this board. If this is true, the culture war at VU has been lost to the PC mob. As mentioned by another poster on the board, the next step is for the mob to go after any sign of the Christian religion on this campus.
Paul
This whole sub-thread smells funny to me.
I'm skeptical about such "welcoming place" language being used to reschedule an event at VU. (I'll admit that thoughts about how appropriate the Chapel is for some groups have occasionally come to mind, e.g. when brainstorming places that Muslim Student Association might gather for prayer.)
I'm also skeptical about suggestions that changes have already been made to the mascot, e.g.
" some of the faculty had finally got some alumni to join them in getting rid of the offense mascot"
And I'm writing as a faculty member who would be happy to get rid of the mascot. Such changes don't seem to come quickly or easily. I'll be surprised if they come quietly.
I can address both issues with knowledge. I was there and heard the comment by a respected faculty member that the venue was changed since it was felt "the Chapel is not a welcoming place because it is not inclusive." The faculty member's statement was made in a tone that indicated a lack of agreement with the decision. As for the mascot: I spoke today with someone who knows, and the person who dons the mascot outfit is currently sick. However, perhaps the comment about some of the faculty contributing to getting rid of the offensive mascot is in reference to the large blow-up Crusader, which definitely has been removed.
We need to "rain" emails on the Marks, LaBarbera and Heckler. This is silly to have removed the blow up mascot. Mine is going out now.
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I'm glad the blow up mascot is gone. Made the place look like a circus and child's playground in my opinion.
Quote from: VUBBFan on December 04, 2018, 09:38:39 PMI spoke to a faculty member at the game that was rather happy the Crusader was gone and said some of the faculty had finally got some alumni to join them in getting rid of the offensive mascot. Then I noticed that the dance team has new uniforms that now say Valpo instead of Crusaderetts. Seems they are going under the radar hoping no one notices the change.
I should have been more clear. My conversation was about the blow up 30ft Crusader. Absence of the human mascot and the Crusaderetts were my observations and my thought that getting rid of the big Crusader is a first step in trying to drop the Crusader name.
Quote from: valpolaw on December 06, 2018, 07:08:14 PM
Everyone is entitled to their own opinion but I'm glad the blow up mascot is gone. Made the place look like a circus and child's playground in my opinion.
If we bought it, we should continue to use it. But I'd agree it's quite a silly spend item that I'd not have thrown in on.
Tbh I didn't care much for it either but I don't care if it's being used or not. I'm indifferent to the blow up crusader this athletics dept has bigger issues to worry about.
I thought I remembered seeing it for football games at brown field in the past.
I'm just thankful that they only eyesore in the ARC - the giant crusader - is now gone. Now, we can enjoy the freshly painted walls, comfortable seating, and try to peak thru the yellow handrail. Oh, and we can even be blown away by the air conditioning. And, we've got plenty of leg room nowadays. We can stretch out and take a nap if we wanted to. It's so quiet and relaxing. We stand up for the first couple minutes until the Crusaders score. We hope for a Centier Bank 3-pointer or two or maybe even 3!!! We yell at the refs because that makes us feel better about ourselves. And, then we watch a relaxed game of musical chairs. Most players never get up and hit the court. That way - they always have a seat! But, alas we do have tired legs from all that flying around the county! Go Valpo Pandas!
Quote from: VU2010 on December 04, 2018, 10:10:17 PM
I feel like a Cleveland browns fan. Always holding out for some sense of hope. Much like tonight as we gave up a lead to a lesser team ... in our home court. A glimmer of hope on the made 3 by Ryan. Only to be let down by the last defensive possession. Left with .8 seconds ... to throw up a shot ... that was oh too short. Yes, I was there when Broekoff made the game-winning 3. It was fun. It was special. Maybe those days return. Not sure.
The Browns is an absurd comparison. They've been above .500 twice in the last 20 years and haven't won their division since the 80's - when they were literally a different franchise.
Valpo has only had 1 season since the 90s where they weren't at least around .500. Don't get me wrong, there's a lack of talent at Valpo right now, but let's not pretend they're some dismal program year after year.
Quote from: a3uge on December 07, 2018, 09:30:23 AM
Quote from: VU2010 on December 04, 2018, 10:10:17 PM
I feel like a Cleveland browns fan. Always holding out for some sense of hope. Much like tonight as we gave up a lead to a lesser team ... in our home court. A glimmer of hope on the made 3 by Ryan. Only to be let down by the last defensive possession. Left with .8 seconds ... to throw up a shot ... that was oh too short. Yes, I was there when Broekoff made the game-winning 3. It was fun. It was special. Maybe those days return. Not sure.
The Browns is an absurd comparison. They've been above .500 twice in the last 20 years and haven't won their division since the 80's - when they were literally a different franchise.
Valpo has only had 1 season since the 90s where they weren't at least around .500. Don't get me wrong, there's a lack of talent at Valpo right now, but let's not pretend they're some dismal program year after year.
Is there really a lack of talent? According to the measurement by Verbal Commits, Valpo's talent of recruits present on the team is the highest rated (2.564) in the Missouri Valley, Loyola (2.515) is second. The highest rated of all the other teams is Missouri State (2.333). Admittedly, the number is slightly inflated because of the two redshirts, who average 3.0, but I believe enough talent is present, and the challenge for coaches is both developing and motivating the players, as well as using correct game strategy.
I really liked the large Crusader looming over the ARC games. It looked good on TV.a Anything that marks "our turf" is helpful.
The PC discussions among the faculty may or may not be related to its removal. But one has to see a potential connection. Could we get someone to speak to the removal and its rationale?
The student mascot absence is hopefully an odd coincidence. I don't know if the term, "Crusaderette," ever made a bunch of sense anyway. But if it turns out to be a PC-driven decision, I would be further concerned.
As for the dance uniforms I've heard that the drive was to be more cohesive with the cheerleaders in regards to both having Valpo and that they just needed new uniforms. You could barely read the crusaderette type from far away anyway.
My guess is that more than anything the giant crusader was a big pain in the ass. It seems to be that if they were really phasing out the name all the social media encouraging you to get out there and support your crusaders wouldn't be happening. Also, sometimes the chapel isn't the best place to hold an event and that's okay, especially now that there are other locations on campus.
Quote from: VU2010 on December 06, 2018, 10:02:02 PM
I'm just thankful that they only eyesore in the ARC - the giant crusader - is now gone. Now, we can enjoy the freshly painted walls, comfortable seating, and try to peak thru the yellow handrail. Oh, and we can even be blown away by the air conditioning. And, we've got plenty of leg room nowadays. We can stretch out and take a nap if we wanted to. It's so quiet and relaxing. We stand up for the first couple minutes until the Crusaders score. We hope for a Centier Bank 3-pointer or two or maybe even 3!!! We yell at the refs because that makes us feel better about ourselves. And, then we watch a relaxed game of musical chairs. Most players never get up and hit the court. That way - they always have a seat! But, alas we do have tired legs from all that flying around the county! Go Valpo Pandas!
Trying to placate chronic complaining secular professors with a hodgepodge of personal agendas and student organizations representing a religion that has a dark, centuries-old hatred for Christianity and Judaism by hiding religious symbols and deeming your Christian chapel as "unwelcoming" is a fools errand. Earlier this morning I had a physical therapy session at St. Anthony's Hospital in Crown Point. Catholic symbols are on proud display everywhere. Their chapel looks like a miniature Catholic Church, yet it's open to anyone regardless of religious affiliation. Every day at lunch time someone from the leadership team says a community prayer over the PA system. Yet, their medical services are open to everyone, regardless of religious affiliation or any ties to religion whatsoever. At the same time they don't water down their stand on abortion to placate the pro abortion crowd, or hide their crucifixes.
Valpo needs to stop trying to run from its religious heritage if it expects to survive. Otherwise, by default it will be perceived as equivalent to a quality state-supported universitiy at twice the cost. It's all about establishing a unique value proposition and staying true to it. A few of the Concordias have have done an excellent job of staying true to themselves and are thriving because of it, despite a decline in membership in the Lutheran faith. IMO if Valpo continues down the same road it is headed for serious trouble.
"If you stand for something you will have people for you and people against you. But if you stand for nothing you will have nobody for you and nobody against you."
Maurice Saatchi
Quote from: valpopal on December 06, 2018, 06:01:04 PMI can address both issues with knowledge. I was there and heard the comment by a respected faculty member that the venue was changed since it was felt "the Chapel is not a welcoming place because it is not inclusive." The faculty member's statement was made in a tone that indicated a lack of agreement with the decision.
Which event was it?
I mean, the Chapel - particularly the sanctuary and the chancel - is obviously a sort of a sectarian space. That said, it's the sect with which the university is connected. In a sense, it's _our_ sect. It's at the high point (too soon?) of campus on purpose. We routinely have large public, university events there (convocation, the MLK plenary, December commencement) and I can't imagine that changing anytime soon.
This "PC" thing is getting ridiculous. As for the Chapel, I remember attending a "concert" in the Chapel starring, at the peak of their popularity at the time, Peter, Paul and Mary! A packed house as I remember it. Do I need to ask for forgiveness?
Quote from: valpo64 on December 07, 2018, 11:24:13 AM
This "PC" thing is getting ridiculous. As for the Chapel, I remember attending a "concert" in the Chapel starring, at the peak of their popularity at the time, Peter, Paul and Mary! A packed house as I remember it. Do I need to ask for forgiveness?
There is a whole other (conservative?) tack there, certainly. We could put up a movie screen and show Hollywood films in the chapel. But, it probably does make more sense to show those in the Neils auditorium.
Quote from: valpo64 on December 07, 2018, 11:24:13 AM
This "PC" thing is getting ridiculous. As for the Chapel, I remember attending a "concert" in the Chapel starring, at the peak of their popularity at the time, Peter, Paul and Mary! A packed house as I remember it. Do I need to ask for forgiveness?
One can just imagine the words and melodies of "Puff, the Magic Dragon" wafting around the chapel.
Quote from: valpopal on December 07, 2018, 09:45:33 AM
Quote from: a3uge on December 07, 2018, 09:30:23 AM
Quote from: VU2010 on December 04, 2018, 10:10:17 PM
I feel like a Cleveland browns fan. Always holding out for some sense of hope. Much like tonight as we gave up a lead to a lesser team ... in our home court. A glimmer of hope on the made 3 by Ryan. Only to be let down by the last defensive possession. Left with .8 seconds ... to throw up a shot ... that was oh too short. Yes, I was there when Broekoff made the game-winning 3. It was fun. It was special. Maybe those days return. Not sure.
The Browns is an absurd comparison. They've been above .500 twice in the last 20 years and haven't won their division since the 80's - when they were literally a different franchise.
Valpo has only had 1 season since the 90s where they weren't at least around .500. Don't get me wrong, there's a lack of talent at Valpo right now, but let's not pretend they're some dismal program year after year.
Is there really a lack of talent? According to the measurement by Verbal Commits, Valpo's talent of recruits present on the team is the highest rated (2.564) in the Missouri Valley, Loyola (2.515) is second. The highest rated of all the other teams is Missouri State (2.333). Admittedly, the number is slightly inflated because of the two redshirts, who average 3.0, but I believe enough talent is present, and the challenge for coaches is both developing and motivating the players, as well as using correct game strategy.
Agreed, in my view we are more like the "all-star" players that are not accustomed to playing together at this juncture. To be fair, none of these are "all-stars" as it stands today but each has individual talent level that dwarfs many many players I have seen on VU since 2001. It's a team game at this level and we are simply note cohesive yet.
Now if we are talking "elite" outside shooting, I don't think we have 2.564 average star rating on this team in ANY WORLD!!! That COULD end up being quite concerning, but I am willing to be angry ever 3rd game until we get things figured out.
Watching the ND-UCLA game at Pauley... one of the three officials is John Higgins... who worked this game in the ARC.
Quote from: VUSWIM08-12 on December 04, 2018, 09:30:27 PM
Quote from: hailcrusaders on December 04, 2018, 09:23:45 PMQuote from: nkvu on December 04, 2018, 09:17:33 PMBtw, Ball State just knocked off Notre Dame on a contested 3 at the buzzer. We better figure some stuff out before we play them.
...where are you seeing this?
Yeah that's not accurate at all, that's from last yr, ND lost to Oklahoma by 5 tonight, research before you post...
When he said "just" he could have meant "just last year." ;)
High Point is beating Ohio State in Columbus.
Quote from: tiny707 on December 29, 2018, 11:38:31 AM
High Point is beating Ohio State in Columbus.
In hindsight, maybe that wasn't such a bad loss.
Quote from: tiny707 on December 29, 2018, 11:38:31 AM
High Point is beating Ohio State in Columbus.
They were only leading for a very small part of the first half.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NbjYcC2stjQ&feature=onebox