Hello Valpo Fans. Long-suffering Vanderbilt fan here.
So as I'm sure you are aware, we are in the middle of an historically bad season here at Vanderbilt. Currently on an 8 game losing streak and a never before in history bad 0-7 in league play. It will be a surprise if we win another game this year.
As I'm sure you know, Bryce had us all fired up about this year after signing a top 10 nationally rated recruiting class. And we've had some bad luck with injuries to said class, but the natives are restless down here. We've literally never seen a team with these kind of results and to be honest, the results are only a part of the problem. What is more disturbing to many is the appearance in some cases of a lack of effort from some of the players.
It was my understanding when we hired him that Bryce would not be an offensive strategic mastermind, but that his teams would play tough, hard-nosed D, and that he would instill great confidence in the players and inspire great effort from them on the court. We saw this the last half of his first year, but it has been noticeably absent since.
I personally think there have been times when specific players needed to be benched for lack of effort. These same players were also probably our most talented players, and for whatever reason, Bryce didn't do it.
I was hoping to get some thoughts from the fan base that no doubt knows him better than anyone else. Obviously, Bryce was very successful at Valpo as a coach. What was he truly like? What was his approach? What kind of offense did he employ? What kind of defense did you all play? The thought is among some is that Bryce simply has to have more talented players than the opponent to really be successful. Is that what he did at Valpo? Were you all routinely out-recruiting other opponents in your league? What did you think were his strengths and his weaknesses?
I'm really interested in your opinions, because I really, really like Bryce, and I so expected us him to succeed. Instead, the program seems to be spiraling out of control to historic low points. Thanks in advance for all your thoughts.
Thanks for your visit and welcome to the board. I too live in Nashville and, although I have yet to see a Vandy game, do follow their results because I know Bryce and have also known his dad Homer for many years.
I have posted some of the Vandy results recently in other threads as a means of slowing down the drum beat of some who appear ready to get rid of our coach!
As for Bryce, there is plenty of coaching talent what with Bryce having played in the NBA, having his dad close by and his brother a phone call away. I also think his staff is talented as several were assistants at Valpo also.
Bryce can obviously recruit. He always could. He, his brother and dad are all strong Christian men and can instill a compelling sense of family to players and their families. Their record of success, both personally and at the school where they coached, (Valpo and Baylor) also makes for a great sales pitch. That bloom may be off the rose--and soon!
Having not followed the individual players for Vandy, I don't have any thoughts to add as to why the team is failing. They are young, no doubt but effort is not about age. Mistakes are about age but not effort. It is a definite step up in competition league wise but basketball is basketball--as long as the talent is there at the next level.
I will say that Bryce does wear his faith on his sleeve and that worked well at a Lutheran school like Valpo in attracting Christian kids who perhaps felt out at place at bigger state schools. Valpo has a long track record of these type players starting other places and then coming to Valpo because of the smaller, Christian, family atmosphere provided here. Is that an issue with the kids on your current roster? Are players leaving? If so, this may be part of the answer. It may take more time to get the right players and when you do, Bryce can definitely coach.
Good luck! I hope to get over to see a game soon. Would love to see Homer again!
Yes - welcome aboard! Personally, I wouldn't say it's fair to chalk any of this up to wearing his Christian faith on his sleeve. No way. What's that have to do with it, if true?
On the contrary, many of us have spoken about another former Valpo player who some of us would love to see take over the realms at Valpo - Greg Tonagel. I watched Greg during his playing days at Valpo. Heck of a player. No - he isn't known for "the shot" like Bryce, but still a Valpo legend.
Ironically, the argument against him by some folks (not me) is that he cannot separate his Christian faith from his coaching. He's at Indiana Wesleyan, which you may not have heard of before?
So, what's ironic about this? The same folks say Bryce - on the contrary - WAS able to separate the two. I've never been in the locker room with him, so I really don't know one way or the other. But, I wouldn't chalk the losses up to that. No way.
You are correct - Bryce's MO is defense. Lock-down, relentless defense. But, that's not to say he isn't a strong offensive mind. Now, idk how that translates over to SEC play as he's now coaching against some of the greats of all time. But, the man's ability - at least when at Valpo - to make in-game adjustments and draw up plays during time outs truly gave us an advantage over coaches (in the Horizon) he had a higher basketball IQ than.
So, maybe the playing field is now evened out and he no longer has *that* edge over other coaches in the SEC. Shoot, depending on the game he could very likely be at a disadvantage. Not a knock on him - a nod to the coaches he's coaching against.
As for recruiting, yes - he had an edge over Horizon coaches. Without a doubt. Why? Personality? Yes. Charisma? Yes. Basketball IQ? Yes. But, even more ... he was able to sell a program that he bought into ... as a player out of high school who played at Valparaiso High School and then went onto play for his father at Valpo University. He could've went virtually anywhere he wanted.
But, he chose Valpo. His hometown. To play for his father. In an undersized, outdated gym (even at that time lol). And to add to the storybook ending ... while at little old Valpo ... made "the shot."
He was able to sell players on that dream. What every little boy dreams of as we count down the shot clock in our bedrooms ... 3 ... 2 .... 1 ... IT'S GOOD!!! (as we make a shot on our 4' plastic hoop).
Not to mention his dad was still around ... he went on to be a first round draft pick ... made a few million ... married the daughter of Little Ricky from I Love Lucy ... living the American Dream. Not to mention his brother Scott who served as the HC at Valpo for one year before taking over a program at Baylor that was a dumpster fire.
He was *that* guy. Valpo's golden boy. Shoot, Rick Barnes tried recruiting him to Clemson in 94!
Bryce - recently reported - he thought he was going to land Admiral Schofield to VALPO!!! How's that possible? Because of everything I just said. It was a package deal.
Those of us who grew up here with Bryce - and have held season tickets - we were so proud. Yes, we knew it was inevitable year after year that Bryce should leave. That he was being pursued. The NIT championship run was the icing on the cake. We had teams like Florida State come to little old Valparaiso!!!! And, we won! Wow. Truly amazing. 81-69.
Amazing. Absolutely amazing. And he was the face of the franchise!!!! A small part of us thought he'd stay forever ... not wanting the dream to be over.
The same year we traveled to Oregon and should've won. Bear Rhode Island at home. Saint Mary's came to town in the NIT tourney and we held them to 13 points in the second half before winning 60-44 after being down 2 at half. Are you kidding me?
Unreal. Shortly thereafter, Bryce went down to Vandy. He had offers every year and declined but said he'd only leave Valpo for somewhere very special where he could raise a family. And, that is Vandy ... in a city that's fantastic ... as you know!
Ever since, us Valpo fans - after the graduation of Alec Peters - have been searching for an identity. We've been lost. All we can do now is hope for another era like this. People like me think we *could* have something like that happen if we offered for Jake Diebler to come back home and take over the reigns. Who knows. It's over. Not to mention the staff Bryce had ... with a heck of an assistant in Roger Powell Jr. ... we were something. We hoped and prayed Powell would take over but alas he's in Vandy.
Every now and again, we'll pull out the old home run inbounds play and be reminded of Bryce and the glory days. Other than that, we're just getting by ... with a glimmer of hope in a better tomorrow.
So, idk if I answered any of your questions. But, I hope I captured for you the mystique of what Bryce meant to Valpo and why we were so successful under his leadership.
I think one issue may be the types of players that play in the SEC, where I would bet require more pampering since they know they were highly recruited, play in an elite conference and have fans and friends telling them how great they are.
Other issue is that Vanderbilt is the Northwestern of the SEC - perhaps there are some academic standards these athletics have to endure. Not in recruiting likely, but in academic load once they are there. This is different from Duke where several players stay for a year or two and then leave.
Bryce is also a very ethical dude who wants to do things right and clean - which, and let's be honest - is not an environment followed at most SEC schools.
I like what 2010 said, but Valpo needs to let go of the 1998 season and move on. It's similar to Bear fans always reminiscing about 1985.
I will say that I think one thing that was a slight handicap in the way he handled specific situations at Valpo might hinder him at Vandy.
Specifically that he was "too nice" and avoided some tough conversations. I actually can see that play out in how he left Valpo. Where he avoided the conversation with his players and let the media break the news to them and then didn't answer their phone calls. It also showed up in how he handled Vashil getting his extra year and then needing to lose a scholarship where he dragged the decision out and tried to kinda convince Nick D to transfer (which enraged Alec Peters) as a way out.
His team may have bigger egos and need more wrangling than Valpo players ever did and he may not quite have the skills to do it. I've also heard he is a micro manager which we ironically at Valpo could be seeing an issue with as Lottich may not have gotten the full level of mentoring he should have under Drew. He seems to look for asst coaches who can recruit first and want to handle the play stuff himself.
Also, his star power is probably pretty diminished at Vandy compared to Valpo where his reputation and experience may have meant more.
I would say relax. He will turn it around. He has a very young team and unfortunately a key injury.
Thanks so much for the responses thus far. I look forward to more. Quickly, I do not think the issues we're encountering have anything to do with his faith. If anything, his faith seems to be a net positive. Recruits have mentioned it as a definite factor in their decision to attend Vanderbilt. I would actually say that Bryce either at the direction of someone or on his own accord has dialed back his wearing his faith on his sleeve. I remember reading comments from Valpo fans and I believe even Paul Oren that we were going to get sick of hearing him saying "how blessed" he was or we were because he was going to say it so much. I've yet to hear him actually say it in any press conference interview.
So far the biggest disappointment to me has been that it just doesn't seem like he's gotten buy-in or respect from the team on a consistent basis. He seemingly got it year one. Then last year it was a question mark as it seemed that they just didn't seem committed and bought in. And then this year, it just seems pretty clear that a certain segment of the team is not bought into what he's selling - at least not with any consistency.
Likewise, he is frustrating some people because he is just so dang positive, and he's not really owning up to some of the deficiencies. Or at the least, he's not offering standard coach speak. To many, he dwelled too much and too long on the Garland injury. Yes, he responded to questions about it as he had too, but he also continued to bring it up unsolicited in post-game comments. "Well we designed the team with Garland, and now he's gone." I think everyone was fine with that for a hot minute, but there was also an expectation of him to help the team move past it with a kind of "next man up" approach. "Hey, yes it's unfortunate, but that's the reality of the situation. We have to move on, and we're going to make the most of it." Then he's made a lot of how young we are, which again people are fine with hearing about a little bit, but also expect a certain amount of "hey we're young, but these guys need to grow up fast, and we're going to help them do it." We lost to Kentucky team by 35 when our team looked completely uninspired and hapless (15 TOs in the first half), and he opens his press conference with "Hey, when a team like Kentucky who has such a strong inside game shoots it as well as they did, any team in the country is going to have a hard time beating them." Again, he's not saying anything that isn't true, but there is an expectation from the fans for him to take some responsibility and to stop doing what people are perceiving as making excuses. Particularly when we looked so bad in our loss to them.
Anyhow, just offering a little bit of how things are being perceived here by the fanbase - not necessarily me - but some factions. Everyone agrees that he is a fantastic guy. We want him to succeed, but a narrative is starting to form that he is in over his head.
Again - really appreciate your thoughts and opinions. I remain very hopeful for the future of our program under Bryce.
So fascinating to hear those examples. Why? Because Our head coach, Matt Lottich, only ever served as an assistant for Bryce. No other coaching experience. And, he says the same things. A lot of the whole trust the process and we're young thing last year. And now, a lot of the injury talk. The last post game press conference he literally thanked the press for not bringing up how short handed we were but then brought it up haha.
Just interesting to hear the parallels.
Quote from: HutchJones on January 31, 2019, 08:24:52 PMEveryone agrees that he is a fantastic guy. We want him to succeed, but a narrative is starting to form that he is in over his head.
There are times that some of our fans had those thoughts about Bryce. I would say that Bryce is so driven that he will find a way to be successful.
Quote from: HutchJones on January 31, 2019, 08:24:52 PM
Likewise, he is frustrating some people because he is just so dang positive, and he's not really owning up to some of the deficiencies.
Welcome to the world of a Drew press conference.
Bryce, as Homer did before him, will never say anything critical of a player or the team in the press conference.
In other words, he will avoid the truth.
It's very frustrating, especially as a reporter.
Come on, these are big-time Division I athletes. They should be able to handle the truth.
It's time to toughen up. But yes, the same BS is happening with Lottich now.
I always felt that Bryce was a fantastic recruiter, but not a very good coach in key points of every game. However, because his recruits were better than the rest of the conference we played in, we would still win games when we would have a bone-headed play call or random wasted timeouts :). Good overall coach, but not the offensive mastermind that you were thinking that you would get.
Help!
My opinion....
I think he fell for the classic "I need to recruit espn100 players" because I am in the SEC now. Instead of recruiting players that will play well in his system and do what he wants.
Our Valpo teams when he was here would KILL this years Vandy team. Just a thought. Recruit under the radar guys that are coachable and will listen. Don't fall for the trap!
-- He needs to be more like Wisconsin. Find Players that fit the system.
Quote from: SanityLost17 on February 20, 2019, 05:18:52 PMInstead of recruiting players that will play well in his system and do what he wants.
What's his system?
He should just run Pacer on every play.
Quote from: HutchJones on February 20, 2019, 05:36:05 PM
Quote from: SanityLost17 on February 20, 2019, 05:18:52 PMInstead of recruiting players that will play well in his system and do what he wants.
What's his system?
Lunch box players that go through walls to win. They will turn the ball over on more occasions that you'd like, but then get back on D and make people pay. They will play as one. Despite him being less than crazy on the sideline, his players played with emotion — be ause they were talented scrappers. I think Sanity hit the nail on the head. He has to find the smart, less than 5 stars who will play with a chip on their shoulders. Those kids are his wheelhouse.
Bryce was a borderline set play genius when he was here. We had an absurd amount of set plays the guys had to memorize. He called them in the right situation and they executed. Again, bunch of strong defenders who could run a well timed set play because they were smart. Nobody ever accused us of being the most athletic. Some of our best players were cast offs from other programs. We won a lot of low scoring games.
Who is Bryce?
You mean Bruce!! Counting his $$$ in the Music City ::) And setting records for consecutive L at Vandy :o Oh well we have ML who coached a masterpiece tonight :lol:
Well, after listening to Paul's rant ... I guess I *should* feel embarrassed and down right inept because I'm in that whole "maybe Bryce will come back" fan club. Sorry but if it happened - and crazier things have happened - no Valpo fans who were here for the Drew days could tell me that the ARC wouldn't be buzzing again. You can't tell me he wouldn't be getting every drop out of these players. Maybe I'm stuck in the "glory days" and thinking too much of "the shot" ... idk ... but I still feel that way ... despite being called out on USH.
I'm not thinking of Bryce the player.
I'm thinking of Bryce the coach holding the paper with all the different set pieces.
I'm thinking of Bryce that got Peters and Ryan open shots.
The Bryce that recruited better players than the rest of the league despite having worse facilities.
But he's not coming back. It's time to move on. Lottich will win the league next year and we will forget about Bruce, I mean Bryce.
The pitchforks are out for Bryce down in Nashville.
https://twitter.com/AdamSparks/status/1103510667364106246
https://twitter.com/AdamSparks/status/1103510234017005568
https://twitter.com/joerexrode/status/1103506092015996929
https://twitter.com/AdamSparks/status/1103501484623302658
I watched the game and they are a real mess. Their five star played like a two star. They were down by 4 at half and Bryce was joking with the sideline commentator and then they lose by 36?
Serious issues. I like the comparison to Homer, who also had, shall we say, a slow start. But this isn't Valpo, it's Vanderbilt. The place was half empty on senior night. The natives are restless.
Quote from: vu72 on March 07, 2019, 08:30:49 AM
I watched the game and they are a real mess. Their five star played like a two star. They were down by 4 at half and Bryce was joking with the sideline commentator and then they lose by 36?
Serious issues. I like the comparison to Homer, who also had, shall we say, a slow start. But this isn't Valpo, it's Vanderbilt. The place was half empty on senior night. The natives are restless.
Scrambling for his job. They basically ran Stallings off for averaging 20 wins over his last 5 seasons. Since taking over, Bryce has won 19, 12 and now 9. That's a bad trend, no matter what the circumstances might be.
I can see the 30 for 30 now:
"What if I told you one man's decision to leave his alma mater would wreck two Vu's at the same time?"
Bryce had it made in the shade here. Roger was setting himself up for a head coaching job. Darn their competitiveness (and all that extra money).
Reasons Bryce Should Have Stayed:
1. He's near sainthood here and loves Valpo
Reasons Bryce Should Have Left:
1. $$$$$$$
2. Valpo wouldn't commit to a timeline on ARC Reno
3. Near unlimited recruiting budget and a conference affiliation that gets you in almost any living room in the country
4. Wife (apparently) likes it down there. Happy Wife, Happy Life.
5. Scott showed the move could be made
6. Facilites
???
The question that I will always wonder about is why Powell didn't stay. I know, same reasons as above. But staying and having success here would have fast tracked him to the job he's always wanted at Illinois.
Quote from: NativeCheesehead on March 07, 2019, 09:40:55 AM
I can see the 30 for 30 now:
"What if I told you one man's decision to leave his alma mater would wreck two Vu's at the same time?"
I would never say that anything Bryce or any of the Drews did 'wrecked' Valpo. They exhibited loyalty and commitment to Valpo far beyond what most people would do for a mid-major program. I personally hope that Bryce turns things around at Vanderbilt and that the 'powers at be' in Nashville recognize the potential for long-term success, despite some short-term poor performance. Unfortunately, too many people only look at the short term.
I get why Bryce left but I also think that he wasn't as prepared for the jump as he thought he was.
In reality he left after an NIT run which also coincided with his first post season win. Valpo had never beat a ranked team with him (I believe) and let's not forget our time in the NIT came because in the first year of motor city madness we laid an egg in the first round once we didn't have home court advantage (and maybe we don't make it to MSG if we have to play FSU on a neutral court).
I get that they wanted more money and resources from Valpo but it's pretty clear that more money and resources and access to higher level talent hasn't helped him (if anything he is going worse) and exposed a lot of weakness(ironically maybe weakness we are seeing here in a coach that learned under him).
Bryce's news conference. At least he has company as the women's team also finished last in the conference.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q_NHOuZZecA
Aside from the pay day, I wonder if Bryce regrets leaving Valpo.
Quote from: valpolaw on March 07, 2019, 12:32:07 PM
Aside from the pay day, I wonder if Bryce regrets leaving Valpo.
Notwithstanding the pay, if it doesn't work out it will have effected more than Bryce, his wife and son. Consider that in addition to guys like Powell and the other assistants, his sister and husband moved to Nashville to be Bryce's agent and assistant coach, and Homer and his wife also relocated there.
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 07, 2019, 10:02:01 AM
Quote from: NativeCheesehead on March 07, 2019, 09:40:55 AM
I can see the 30 for 30 now:
"What if I told you one man's decision to leave his alma mater would wreck two Vu's at the same time?"
I would never say that anything Bryce or any of the Drews did 'wrecked' Valpo. They exhibited loyalty and commitment to Valpo far beyond what most people would do for a mid-major program. I personally hope that Bryce turns things around at Vanderbilt and that the 'powers at be' in Nashville recognize the potential for long-term success, despite some short-term poor performance. Unfortunately, too many people only look at the short term.
Bryce wasn't loyal to Valpo as a coach. Because of his dad, he was able to get an assistant and then head coaching job handed to him at a young age. He was conducting interviews with other schools after his first year. I see not taking the DePaul job as common sense, not loyalty. I'm still not sure there's been a coach to get that large of a contract having not won an NCAA tournament game as a coach or an assistant.
Let's not forget how Bryce left the program. A raided coaching staff. A handful of open scholarships. Basically no solid recruits. Star player already graduated. No communication with current players. No statement to fans or the community (other coaches that year with virtually no past connections were taking out full page ads in their local papers when leaving).
That just doesn't scream loyalty to me.
Great point & perspective a3
Quote from: a3uge on March 07, 2019, 07:35:27 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 07, 2019, 10:02:01 AM
Quote from: NativeCheesehead on March 07, 2019, 09:40:55 AM
I can see the 30 for 30 now:
"What if I told you one man's decision to leave his alma mater would wreck two Vu's at the same time?"
I would never say that anything Bryce or any of the Drews did 'wrecked' Valpo. They exhibited loyalty and commitment to Valpo far beyond what most people would do for a mid-major program. I personally hope that Bryce turns things around at Vanderbilt and that the 'powers at be' in Nashville recognize the potential for long-term success, despite some short-term poor performance. Unfortunately, too many people only look at the short term.
Bryce wasn't loyal to Valpo as a coach. Because of his dad, he was able to get an assistant and then head coaching job handed to him at a young age. He was conducting interviews with other schools after his first year. I see not taking the DePaul job as common sense, not loyalty. I'm still not sure there's been a coach to get that large of a contract having not won an NCAA tournament game as a coach or an assistant.
Let's not forget how Bryce left the program. A raided coaching staff. A handful of open scholarships. Basically no solid recruits. Star player already graduated. No communication with current players. No statement to fans or the community (other coaches that year with virtually no past connections were taking out full page ads in their local papers when leaving).
That just doesn't scream loyalty to me.
This is not completely true... Peters had 1 more year when he left and we had a solid team returning. Peters/Jubril/Tevonn were all good with some decent pieces around them. I will say it was odd that he didn't have a formal goodbye to players and fans and yes he didn't exactly hit the recruiting trail hard before he left.
Quote from: SanityLost17 on March 07, 2019, 08:58:57 PM
Quote from: a3uge on March 07, 2019, 07:35:27 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 07, 2019, 10:02:01 AM
Quote from: NativeCheesehead on March 07, 2019, 09:40:55 AM
I can see the 30 for 30 now:
"What if I told you one man's decision to leave his alma mater would wreck two Vu's at the same time?"
I would never say that anything Bryce or any of the Drews did 'wrecked' Valpo. They exhibited loyalty and commitment to Valpo far beyond what most people would do for a mid-major program. I personally hope that Bryce turns things around at Vanderbilt and that the 'powers at be' in Nashville recognize the potential for long-term success, despite some short-term poor performance. Unfortunately, too many people only look at the short term.
Bryce wasn't loyal to Valpo as a coach. Because of his dad, he was able to get an assistant and then head coaching job handed to him at a young age. He was conducting interviews with other schools after his first year. I see not taking the DePaul job as common sense, not loyalty. I'm still not sure there's been a coach to get that large of a contract having not won an NCAA tournament game as a coach or an assistant.
Let's not forget how Bryce left the program. A raided coaching staff. A handful of open scholarships. Basically no solid recruits. Star player already graduated. No communication with current players. No statement to fans or the community (other coaches that year with virtually no past connections were taking out full page ads in their local papers when leaving).
That just doesn't scream loyalty to me.
This is not completely true... Peters had 1 more year when he left and we had a solid team returning. Peters/Jubril/Tevonn were all good with some decent pieces around them. I will say it was odd that he didn't have a formal goodbye to players and fans and yes he didn't exactly hit the recruiting trail hard before he left.
Peters had graduated with a degree already - he was grad transfer eligible.
and Bryce wanted him to come with him to Vandy
Bryce was loyal to Valpo while he was at Valpo, and that's all that VU and its fan base can ask for. When a person in that type of position is where they are at, they put on the company jersey and are totally dedicated, which he appeared to be. VU had success. When he went to Vandy, he had to put on their jersey and be totally dedicated to Vandy. When Lottich leaves, same thing. When the new coach comes in, we'll expect his old jersey to go in the closet, and be totally dedicated to Valpo.
Don't cry about what Bryce did when he left. Up to the minute that he left, the program was in as good a shape as it should have been. It was up to the new torchbearers to take it from there.
I think it's fair to criticize how he left vs just the fact that he left because, IMO, he didn't handle is as professionally as he could have, especially in regards to his players.
I also think that your point is one others were making. That Bryce and Scott both used Valpo as a platform and that they viewed it much more opportunistically than maybe the fan base viewed them and their family.
Quote from: 4throwfan on March 08, 2019, 09:24:38 AM
Bryce was loyal to Valpo while he was at Valpo, and that's all that VU and its fan base can ask for. When a person in that type of position is where they are at, they put on the company jersey and are totally dedicated, which he appeared to be. VU had success. When he went to Vandy, he had to put on their jersey and be totally dedicated to Vandy. When Lottich leaves, same thing. When the new coach comes in, we'll expect his old jersey to go in the closet, and be totally dedicated to Valpo.
Don't cry about what Bryce did when he left. Up to the minute that he left, the program was in as good a shape as it should have been. It was up to the new torchbearers to take it from there.
You do an excellent job describing my feelings on this matter as well. Not that it matters but I'll throw my support behind this logic.
I will fleetingly pay attention to the Drew family from afar but my loyalty to them has also been closeted for the time being.
Bruce and Scott took advantage of the platform Valpo gave them. They recruited well with the poor facilities given. They consistently won in bad conferences. They deserved to be promoted.
Quote from: crusader05 on March 08, 2019, 09:31:11 AM
I think it's fair to criticize how he left vs just the fact that he left because, IMO, he didn't handle is as professionally as he could have, especially in regards to his players.
I also think that your point is one others were making. That Bryce and Scott both used Valpo as a platform and that they viewed it much more opportunistically than maybe the fan base viewed them and their family.
Agreed. It wasn't the most professional or smooth exit but most of the time these things never are, but you'd expect a little more courteous exit when it's your alma mater and your hometown. I don't fault him for wanting to bring Powell with him and it sounds like Powell wanted a change of scenery anyways. You don't want someone who doesn't want to be here. They both really worked their tails off and earned the big opportunities that came their way and I'm grateful for what they've done for our University and program. The only thing that rubbed me the wrong way was trying to recruit AP and Skara to Vandy. It is what it is. Maybe we don't have the whole story. I still root for Bryce and Scotts success and happiness. I hope Bryce can turn things around at Vandy.
I think Bryce and Scott both have a huge heart for this program but they want to move onto bigger opportunities. Can't fault them for that.
Crusader05, not trying to be argumentative, but I do want to clarify something. I wasn't trying to say that Scott and Bryce viewed Valpo as simply a rung on the ladder to something better. Maybe they did. But I do think that they worked hard to be successful, and that we should simply be thankful for that.
As for leaving when the fanbase had a warm spot for the family, that may be. However, having the community embrace them and their families is part of their job. It's their job to do that. Their families are part of the package. So when they leave after we've embraced their families, that is difficult, but that's the nature of things. Lottich and Gore have us embrace their families as well. When they leave, it'll be the same. When the new person comes in, it will be the same.
I understand. I do think sometimes there can be a weird undercurrent like the University didn't appreciate what they had with the Drews and I think that's what some of the comments were pushing back on here. I think that it was a mutually beneficial relationship but at the end of the day they were basketball coaches, they did their job well and I wish them luck. Especially since they are setting up to be our wealthiest Alumni who we know care about Athletics and maybe they want more than a court at Valpo named after more than their family :)
I re-read my original post, and something jumped out at me. I said that it was up to the torchbearers to do something with what Bryce and crew left behind. I think our issues may be with that. Had the program continued on the same trajectory as past years, then I think (but don't know for sure) that complaints about Bryce's departure would not be has loud. If there was an NCAA appearance or strong NIT run over the following two years, then I think most on this board could care less as to what Bryce did on the way out of town. He threw the keys at Lottich, and said "good luck."
I think our problem is with the torchbearers.
And on the day Bryce left, AP and Skara were still on the roster. What transpired afterward (AP's season ending injury, the Skara fiasco, Jubril's suspension) had nothing to do with Bryce and was out of the control of the new torch bearers.
There seemed to be some bad blood between Bryce and the university after his decision (or perhaps leading up to his decision) to take the Vandy job. We will never know but I was surprised there wasn't a send off or something done publicly with the university and the fans. An appreciation celebration for his tenure at VU. The Drews don't normally just up and leave or have a thankless attitude. Everything they did was all class. We will never know the true story but the way Bryce and his family left was not typical of how they lived their lives. Something was rotten in Denmark.
Largest newspaper in Nashville saying that Bryce deserves to be fired, but likely won't be:
https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/columnist/joe-rexrode/2019/03/13/vanderbilt-basketball-bryce-drew-stephanie-white-malcolm-turner/3127545002/
I know people (including Bryce) are gonna point to Homer's rough start at VU and cite that as evidence of why he should stay, but that's simply not gonna fly. For one thing, that was 30 years ago. For another, Homer was still being paid in the five digits at a program that had never won before (indeed, one where the "should we drop to Division II?" talk was an annual debate). There was almost no fan or media pressure calling for his job, because the Valpo program had little in the way of either fans or media attention at the time. Homer was a good representative of the program and there was no downside or risk in keeping him on as long as possible.
This ain't that. You have a coach with a nearly $17M contract going winless in the SEC in year three of his tenure. In a major city, in a major conference, with a history of success, with fans and big-market media with big-time expectations of their team. You can't take the big-league dough in the prestige conference and expect the same amount of slack your dad got at a struggling Mid-Con program in a town of 30,000 people three decades ago. This is a level of scrutiny that the Drew family has never been under (maybe Scott at Baylor a little bit, but media in Waco is not media in SEC-land).
Do I think Bryce should be fired? Of course not -- I want him to succeed at Vandy, and given the Garland injury, he should especially be given another year. But I don't think anyone should shed tears if Vandy decides otherwise. This is the business, which you fully accepted when you took the big payday, and coaches who have done better have been fired by other P5 schools in recent years.
Who?
Quote from: bigmosmithfan1 on March 14, 2019, 10:46:42 AMThis is the business, which you fully accepted when you took the big payday, and coaches who have done better have been fired by other P5 schools in recent years.
Probably not meant this way but this comes across so negative towards a move that I think most people in B. Drew's situation would make at the time. He's going from the Horizon League to the SEC fer christ's sake.
Quote from: JD24 on March 14, 2019, 08:17:32 PM
Quote from: bigmosmithfan1 on March 14, 2019, 10:46:42 AMThis is the business, which you fully accepted when you took the big payday, and coaches who have done better have been fired by other P5 schools in recent years.
Probably not meant this way but this comes across so negative towards a move that I think most people in B. Drew's situation would make at the time. He's going from the Horizon League to the SEC fer christ's sake.
Is it negative or the reality of being paid handsomely to produce?
QuoteProbably not meant this way but this comes across so negative towards a move that I think most people in B. Drew's situation would make at the time. He's going from the Horizon League to the SEC fer christ's sake.
Hey, get paid. I won't blame you. I'd do it, too. But that comes at a price. Bryce left a gig where he had lifetime job security for the bright lights and the big money. No shame in that -- most people would make the same choice. However, there's a big string attached to all of that, as he's learning this season.
All I know is the value of my Bryce Drew VHS autograph card is tanking in value. I'll post a picture tomorrow if I remember.
Man, that whole sister/her family and Homer moving to Nashville could backfire.
If given 1 more year I think he could right the ship and get close to a .500 record and I think have winning records every year after that. But I would not blame Vandy for firing him right now. He also had some bad luck this year. Some of it was self inflicted. Got greedy going after one and done athletes which is not a game he is equipped to play. Needs to play to his strengths which is player development.
Yep, the reality is the ability to go after the bigger recruits doesn't mean you know how to handle/coach/manage them. From what I heard Peters was a strong personality as a player because of his intensity and competitiveness and he was a decent kid with less ego than the average top 5 player.
Two opinions on Bryce's future. One "off with his head" and the other "the AD can't fire him because the AD has only been on the job for a month"--not exactly a glowing endorsement.
I guess having a 20 game losing streak will have its consequences...
https://vanderbilthustler.com/22442/featured/klein-bryce-drew-deserves-one-more-chance-but-with-conditions/
https://vanderbilthustler.com/22454/featured/schneider-why-vanderbilt-should-fire-bryce-drew/
Browsing Real Time RPI.
223 Vanderbilt 9-23 0.4669 63 0.5508 Sec 0-19
224 Valparaiso 13-18 0.4663 224 0.4801 Mvc 7-11
Haha
I'll bet Drew's assistants are a little jumpy too. I can't imagine that their contracts have long-term protections in case they are let go although I doubt that Bryce will be let go, at least not for next year.
https://twitter.com/dcotton247/status/1109085316743204864
At least Rowdy had a good game for the Mavs. Otherwise not a great week for Valpo basketball, past and present
Holy 🐄
Fire Matt, bring back Bryce, he brings Pippen Jr with him, Pippen Sr pays to rebuild the ARC, Crusaders go on 10 year run, call Hollywood
Wish Bryce and the Drew family the best. But let's PLEASE not do this "Bring Him Back" crap.
Bring Him Back
Bring him back
Ok, I said I transferred. But I want my last post to say
Bring him back. :lol: :lol: :lol:
Changed my mind. I agree!
Bring Tom Smith Back!
If it's possible bringing Bryce back is literally the best thing we can do for ourselves right now. It has to be done if there's any way to do it. Clearly we still need each other.
Could pay him next to nothing while Vandy is still paying him 8-)
Is there any reason why Valpo shouldn't reach out to Bryce and see if he's interesting in coming back? What's the downside?
Not saying he would want to come back. But on paper, the idea makes sense...
(https://media.giphy.com/media/1zSz5MVw4zKg0/giphy.gif)
Bring him back...then we would only need to b!tch about the timeouts we don't have at the end of games.
I love Bryce Drew and feel for him now. But Vandy did the right thing. Valpo should have done the same thing with Lottich. The AD at Vandy showed real leadership and commitment to the athletic program and its tradition of excellence and winning. Even if it costs money.
Quote"Vanderbilt is committed to competing at the highest levels on and off the court. After careful consideration, we've decided to make a change to the leadership of our men's basketball program."
From the Tennessean:
https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/college/vanderbilt/2019/03/22/vanderbilt-basketball-bryce-drew-fired/3196259002/?utm_source=tennessean-News%20Alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=news_alerts&utm_term=news_alert
Vandy has already hired a search firm.
Vandy wants to keep Bryce in a different position on campus so his good class of recruits for next year don't go elsewhere and to save a buyout. However, I hear Bryce is already being considered to replace Avery Johnson at Alabama. Would be a good landing spot for him.
If there were any way to get Bryce back I would support it
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Quote from: valpopal on March 22, 2019, 09:39:21 AM
Vandy wants to keep Bryce in a different position on campus so his good class of recruits for next year don't go elsewhere and to save a buyout. However, I hear Bryce is already being considered to replace Avery Johnson at Alabama. Would be a good landing spot for him.
OMG what moron is spreading a Drew to Alabama rumor. Less than 0% of that one....
Quote from: valpopal on March 22, 2019, 09:39:21 AMVandy wants to keep Bryce in a different position on campus so his good class of recruits for next year don't go elsewhere and to save a buyout. However, I hear Bryce is already being considered to replace Avery Johnson at Alabama. Would be a good landing spot for him.
Fails miserably in SEC
Gets better SEC job
Makes perfect sense
Holy crap! Welcome to the world of high major basketball!
https://watchstadium.com/news/bryce-drew-terminated-as-vandy-head-coach-03-22-2019/
Quote from: IndyValpo on March 22, 2019, 10:01:46 AM
Quote from: valpopal on March 22, 2019, 09:39:21 AM
Vandy wants to keep Bryce in a different position on campus so his good class of recruits for next year don't go elsewhere and to save a buyout. However, I hear Bryce is already being considered to replace Avery Johnson at Alabama. Would be a good landing spot for him.
OMG what moron is spreading a Drew to Alabama rumor. Less than 0% of that one....
[tweet]1109087885607817216[/tweet]
I know it's not going to happen but Good Lord it would nice to have Bryce back... problem is you can't bring him back unless he's committed to Valpo for the long-term and I think he wouldn't be. I'm not sure he'd even want to come. Feels like his aspirations have always been set for higher profile jobs.
https://twitter.com/goodmanhoops/status/1109082950203858944?s=21
This is getting ridiculous...
C'mon guys, Bryce isn't coming back. If he did, and actually found success, he'd be gone in no time again.
It should be a closed door after the way he departed.
Who cares if he's committed? Give us a few years and jump again for all I care. Just give us some stability and a chance to get ourselves up and running in the MVC. If you can do that perhaps we'll be strong enough to take it from there ourselves but we need to be established in our new conference in order to survive without the Drews If that takes one last assist from the Drews so be it. I just want this program back on track.
With the buy-out he's probably gonna get he'd have enough money to pay for the upgrades he would want at the ARC himself
Quote from: valpopal on March 22, 2019, 10:08:45 AM
Quote from: IndyValpo on March 22, 2019, 10:01:46 AM
Quote from: valpopal on March 22, 2019, 09:39:21 AM
Vandy wants to keep Bryce in a different position on campus so his good class of recruits for next year don't go elsewhere and to save a buyout. However, I hear Bryce is already being considered to replace Avery Johnson at Alabama. Would be a good landing spot for him.
OMG what moron is spreading a Drew to Alabama rumor. Less than 0% of that one....
[tweet]1109087885607817216[/tweet]
Ok I'm the moron. I can live with that. Having said that if the AD hires Drew he might be run out of town. Alabama does not hire Vandy rejects. However, I have been wrong before...
Remember Bryce's wife is from the south so I would doubt she would be happy coming back north again. Would love to see Bryce back on Valpo's sideline again but just can't see it happening now. He will get a new job at another high major program I'd guess. If not this year then he can still cash Vandy checks for a few more years. Alabama just doesn't seem to fit the criteria we've heard about before as in a private school. Maybe Wake Forest I could see if that job would be open someday?
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My thought is Bryce might spend a year as Scott's special asst to the head coach at Baylor and then get hired at an even lower Major (P5) than Vanderbilt for the season after next (2020-2021). He will no longer look for his perfect job but will look for a private school where he can still freely express his Christianity. He can no longer be picky with his choice of jobs. He will need to work in 2020-2021.
Quote from: vufan75 on March 22, 2019, 10:51:25 AMWould love to see Bryce back on Valpo's sideline again but just can't see it happening now. He will get a new job at another high major program I'd guess.
Bryce went 0-18 in SEC conference play. Seems like his stock is down at the moment. Maybe he takes an assistant position somewhere?
Look, I realize Bama is football-first but if that AD things Tide fans won't be all over him for hiring a guy who just got fired at Vandy, he thinks he's more invincible than he actually is. They'd hire a successful coach away from Vandy in a heartbeat, but one who just went winless in the SEC?
Bryce has two paths now -- go back to a midmajor and win for a few years and prove that the Vandy situation was a fluke, or go get a top assistant's gig at a P5 for a few years and continue kicking butt on the recruiting trail so that another school is willing to give him another chance with a high-major program because his ability to draw talent is undeniable.
I'll happily eat crow if I'm wrong on this but a fired HC with such a short track record at the P5 level is going to have a reeaallly hard time walking into another P5 job without a stopover somewhere else for a few seasons at least.
Also, y'all are nuts if you wouldn't trade him for Lottich in a heartbeat. (No, it won't happen for a number of reasons. But that still needs to be said).
I just can't see any major program's fans being excited about hiring a coach who just lost 20 in a row. "Get excited fans, we just got a great new coach who has proven he can turn a program...into crap in three years" I don't see it happening. Perhaps a assistant gig or doing a Tubby Smith, moving way down to take a head coaching gig somewhere. Hopefully Homer and Janet and Dana and family haven't got to in love with country music! Wow, just wow.
QuoteHe will need to work in 2020-2021.
Bryce's net worth between his Vandy contract (of which he will receive most if not all despite the firing), his NBA earnings, investments and his very respectable six-figure salary during his Valpo years is probably north of $25M. He won't "need" to work anywhere the rest of his life unless he wants to.
Have Homer come back for a year ::) move Matt down on the bench :thumbsup: bring back Powell ::) tell Bruce to help Scott after Baylor tanks to the Zags :whiteflag: Oh yah fire the AD :o
Does this mean that the Valpo-Vandy home and home isn't happening?
Might we get a Vandy buyout check without even playing them?
If they do show I can picture dozens of us packing the first half dozen rows to watch the worst of the SEC and MVC battle for ahhhhhhhhhh ??? "The Team Rebuild Title".
I think we'll get a buyout check Maybe we can use it for a facility upgrade or a better coach if that's the direction they decide to go
Yes, we will get a buyout check from Vandy unless they don't want to pay that, in which case they'll play the contractually obligated game. This was never a question -- we're getting a game from Vandy or we're getting a check.
Powell is out of there as well. He tied his future to Bryce. We know how that went. Is he a possible replacement candidate for Matt should MLB decide to start fresh?
As to Wake Forest, that job will not be open until at least next year. They had a press conference today to announce Danny Manning will continue as coach. He would have had a substantial buy-out as well if he were exited. Here is the Q&A session as sent out by the school. They had sent out a PR earlier indicating Danny would continue. Wake's AD is retiring soon, and a new AD has been announced and starts soon.
"Dear Deacon fans,
As a follow up to this morning's message, we want to answer a few of the most common questions our fans may have. Please see below for a Q&A with Ron Wellman and Danny Manning.
Questions and Answers with Ron Wellman, Director of Athletics
Q: Was the buyout a part of the decision?
A: Danny's continuation is based on our belief in him and his staff and the future of our program. Otherwise, we do not discuss contract details publicly.
Q: What progress did you see that led you to the decision to keep Coach Manning?
A: While we did not win as many of the games as we would have liked down the stretch, there were encouraging signs for a young team. The positive chemistry was evident, they displayed grit and determination and they continued to work hard in games and the practices I attended as well.
Q: Why do you believe Danny is the right person to lead this program?
A: I am encouraged by the future of the program and the commitment of our young players. But we've got to stop the attrition. The way for us to become a championship team is to become a veteran team. While there are a lot of transfers in today's college basketball, we have to find a way to have a stable program despite the national environment. That is the formula for success for every one of our programs, that we experience our greatest success when we have a veteran team. Our best teams are dominated by upperclassmen.
Q: Why should the public believe that Danny is the right person to lead this program?
A: We have been 11-20 each of the last two years and those are not the results we expect. It has taken longer than we wanted, but we feel a good foundation has been set. Next year will be a turnaround year for us and I felt Danny was the best person to achieve that immediate improvement. The players in the program have been very impressive off the court. In the classroom, they achieved over a 3.0 grade point average in the fall, the highest GPA ever for our men's basketball program. They are good representatives of Wake Forest in the community. They commit a lot of time to charitable efforts such as the Special Olympics and Brenner Children's Hospital.
Q: Do you feel you've lost your fan base?
A: Winning is important to our fans and we have fallen short. We have a loyal group of fans and I am confident when we start winning again they will be with us. The level of frustration we have seen from the fans is an indication of their passion for the program. They care deeply about the basketball program.
Q: Was John Currie a part of this decision?
A: As I said following the announcement of my retirement, this would be and was my decision.
Questions and Answers with Danny Manning, Head Men's Basketball Coach
Q: How do you feel about your return next year?
A: I am excited for next season. We will have most of this year's squad back. Nine of our top 10 scorers are back. We have 91% of our rebounds back and 92% of our minutes returning. We saw a lot of development from that group last season and can't wait to see the progress they will make this summer. We like our incoming class and our transfers who are becoming eligible. I think the potential for this group is high and I can't wait to get to work with them.
Q: Do you anticipate any players departing the program this offseason?
A: One of the best qualities about this group of players is how close they are. They love playing together and spending time together off the court. They know that they showed glimpses of their potential last year and are excited to put in the hard work to show what they can accomplish next season. As we have had talks with our players over the last week, each one has shown enthusiasm about what we can accomplish together next year. It truly is a team that is united, and I would be surprised if any of them decided to look elsewhere.
Q: What about Jaylen Hoard? Will he test the waters?
A: We have had discussions with Jaylen about going through the process and he has filed the paperwork to go through the evaluation process. For any player who has aspirations of playing in the NBA, the process is a valuable tool. I am glad we have players that are able to test the waters. If we didn't have players at that level, we would be in trouble. NBA teams will give you blunt feedback about your strengths and weaknesses and what you need to do to be ready to play at the next level. Then it is up to you to take that advice and follow it. There were over 100 collegiate players this season who went through the process last spring and came back to school. They were better players this season because of going through that process. We support Jaylen taking this step and know he will receive great advice.
Q: What changes will you make to help the program move forward and improve?
A: I know sometimes people dismiss my calmness as a lack of passion or lack of interest in making changes. I have been around the game of basketball since childhood and I do not think lashing out emotionally solves many problems. An important part of being a leader is having the trust of your team. I tend to go overboard on keeping things internal rather than sharing things publicly, but there is no question that we need to improve. I think that will fuel our offseason. Sometimes having a chip on your shoulder and the hunger to get better can accelerate change. And we all have that passion burning in us after last season. As far as personnel changes or style changes, we will work through those when we see this whole group together on the court this summer and see how the pieces fit.
Q: Have you spoken with John Currie [new AD] at all about the program?
A: We have spoken a few times briefly. I am eager to begin to collaborate with him on plans for the future of our program. Once things slow down and he takes over, I am sure we will be talking regularly.
Q: Do you have concerns with John Currie becoming the AD on May 1?
A: Any time there's new leadership, you need to prove you're worthy of doing the job. That is the case in college athletics, but also in any job. We are both passionate about Wake Forest Basketball and want to see the program enjoy success. Our interests are aligned."
#GODEACS
Quote from: VULB#62 on March 22, 2019, 12:18:38 PM
Powell is out of there as well. He tied his future to Bryce. We know how that went. Is he a possible replacement candidate for Matt should MLB decide to start fresh?
That wouldn't be starting fresh. If MLB pulls the trigger, it would likely be an outside hire this time.
Quote from: a3uge on March 22, 2019, 01:38:44 PMThat wouldn't be starting fresh. If MLB pulls the trigger, it would likely be an outside hire this time.
True but the program was stable and successful while Roger was in the mix. Might he be interested in taking a pay cut?
Quote from: justducky on March 22, 2019, 01:50:06 PM
Quote from: a3uge on March 22, 2019, 01:38:44 PMThat wouldn't be starting fresh. If MLB pulls the trigger, it would likely be an outside hire this time.
True but the program was stable and successful while Roger was in the mix. Might he be interested in taking a pay cut?
To be honest Roger just got a pay cut down to zero. Unless, of course, the new Vandy coach wants to hire him which would seem idiotic. He needs a job and right now Bryce doesn't have a job to offer him. Roger might be able to hook on as an asst with someone he played with at Illinois.
We would be fools not to at least call Bryce to see if he wants to come back. I figured they would both be out next year and the timing might work but it's now. I hope they at least reach out to him
Bryce. Isn't. Coming. Back.
We know No one's taking it seriously but we should still reach out Let us dream for a bit
Perhaps Bryce wasn't that good of a coach and was just shielded by Peters and Broekhoff. Not sure why we'd settle for a coach that hasn't won a tournament game in any capacity as a coach.
I believe in bryce drew...my faith in ML is gone.
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Quote from: a3uge on March 22, 2019, 02:27:40 PMPerhaps Bryce wasn't that good of a coach and was just shielded by Peters and Broekhoff. Not sure why we'd settle for a coach that hasn't won a tournament game in any capacity as a coach.
You're defending Lottich by taking a shot at Bryce? That's a reach if I ever saw one.
[tweet]1109170930427674625[/tweet]
Anyone else notice what Bryce didn't say but could have said? Not sure it was intentional. Seems revealing to me.
Isn't it funny that he gets fired and puts out the aforementioned press release but when he left Valpo on his own he went out like the Colts left Baltimore for Indy basically saying nothing to the Valpo family and team. If he did say anything I missed it and apologize for the comment.
Bryce is still on Twitter, answering to well wishers.
I asked if he was going to join the Valpo Fan Board as a distinguished player alumni. He liked, but no answer
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Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 22, 2019, 02:17:29 PM
We know No one's taking it seriously but we should still reach out Let us dream for a bit
Sure thing! Nothing like a coach and staff who have lost 20 in a row! He is not coming back. It would be humiliating after thinking that he was ready for prime time and falling on his face. Or am I overreacting? Could it just be that his players couldn't shoot (Bryce isn't the one needing to make the shots!) Or could it be that a key player was hurt? No, you can't blame injuries and lousy shooting for a coaches failure! He isn't coming back.
"Not sure why we'd settle for a coach that hasn't won a tournament game in any capacity as a coach."
Lol who are we gonna get then? What D1 HC that's won a NCAA game is knocking on our door?
Quote from: may know on March 22, 2019, 03:55:30 PM
"Not sure why we'd settle for a coach that hasn't won a tournament game in any capacity as a coach."
Lol who are we gonna get then? What D1 HC that's won a NCAA game is knocking on our door?
Plenty of capable assistants out there.
If we make the switch, let's get a coach not stuck in the dark ages on offense. Someone that will prioritize shooters, passers and run up tempo.
I know less about Bryce's situation than anyone else. I don't know what was said. I don't know his conversations with MLB. I don't know if he likes the city. I don't know what his opportunities are. I don't know any such dynamics, at all.
I do know that while he was at Valpo, the program was generally successful. I do know that while he was at Valpo, the spirits on this board were higher.
I can't believe that he would come back. But I'd answer the phone if he called.
Bryce to return?
NO, NO, a thousand times NO!!!
John Groce went from Ohio to Illinois in 2012. He was fired on March 11, 2017 and named head coach at Akron 3 weeks later. It's not exactly going back home, but pretty darn close. BTW Groce's winning pct. at IL was significantly better than Bryce's at Vanderbilt.
All in vain if Valpo Admin and MLB won't do what's right and fire ML and hold a national search!!!
Bryce to Tulane. Book it!
Okay, I really have no idea
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Quote from: covufan on March 22, 2019, 03:12:27 PM
Bryce is still on Twitter, answering to well wishers.
I asked if he was going to join the Valpo Fan Board as a distinguished player alumni. He liked, but no answer
I can guarantee you that on a few occasions when he was the Valpo coach Bryce would refer to the message board in conversation.
Quote from: a3uge on March 22, 2019, 02:27:40 PMPerhaps Bryce wasn't that good of a coach and was just shielded by Peters and Broekhoff. Not sure why we'd settle for a coach that hasn't won a tournament game in any capacity as a coach.
As I've hinted at and outright said a few times, I believe this to be a very good possibility.
One of the more difficult things to do for a program is to move on from the "family" of coaches. In this case, it was a real family. If a change is made, which I have my doubts will occur, a full search needs to be done. The problem is that there is very likely some institutional issues which hold back the program and will also likely hinder the coaching search itself or the new coach when he is in place.
Quote from: JD24 on March 23, 2019, 08:08:13 AM
Quote from: a3uge on March 22, 2019, 02:27:40 PMPerhaps Bryce wasn't that good of a coach and was just shielded by Peters and Broekhoff. Not sure why we'd settle for a coach that hasn't won a tournament game in any capacity as a coach.
As I've hinted at and outright said a few times, I believe this to be a very good possibility.
One of the more difficult things to do for a program is to move on from the "family" of coaches. In this case, it was a real family. If a change is made, which I have my doubts will occur, a full search needs to be done. The problem is that there is very likely some institutional issues which hold back the program and will also likely hinder the coaching search itself or the new coach when he is in place.
Bryce's teams came within an eyelash of beating Maryland in the tournament and ran roughshod through the NIT after being screwed over by the committee until the rumors of his departure started to swirl before the final. His teams got us this MVC invite and even if he was shielded by Peters and Broekhoff those are players HE recruited. Lottich was shielded in year one by a player Bryce recruited (Peters) I have no doubt between his well demonstrated recruiting and player development abilities and the bumps in recruiting and competition in the MVC Bryce would have this program in position to win tournament games. Stop trying to defend Lottich by denigrating Bryce. It's a losing battle. Make a convincing argument for him based on his record or other meaningful factors. If you can't do that then you know which side of this debate is right.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 23, 2019, 08:36:43 AM
Quote from: JD24 on March 23, 2019, 08:08:13 AM
Quote from: a3uge on March 22, 2019, 02:27:40 PMPerhaps Bryce wasn't that good of a coach and was just shielded by Peters and Broekhoff. Not sure why we'd settle for a coach that hasn't won a tournament game in any capacity as a coach.
As I've hinted at and outright said a few times, I believe this to be a very good possibility.
One of the more difficult things to do for a program is to move on from the "family" of coaches. In this case, it was a real family. If a change is made, which I have my doubts will occur, a full search needs to be done. The problem is that there is very likely some institutional issues which hold back the program and will also likely hinder the coaching search itself or the new coach when he is in place.
Bryce's teams came within an eyelash of beating Maryland in the tournament and ran roughshod through the NIT after being screwed over by the committee until the rumors of his departure started to swirl before the final. His teams got us this MVC invite and even if he was shielded by Peters and Broekhoff those are players HE recruited. Lottich was shielded in year one by a player Bryce recruited (Peters) I have no doubt between his well demonstrated recruiting and player development abilities and the bumps in recruiting and competition in the MVC Bryce would have this program in position to win tournament games. Stop trying to defend Lottich by denigrating Bryce. It's a losing battle. Make a convincing argument for him based on his record or other meaningful factors. If you can't do that then you know which side of this debate is right.
Two events have drastically changed our perception of Matt.
- Alec Peter's injury
- Joe Burton's academic issues and pre-conference departure.
One of the reasons Matt got this job was because it appeared that without some continuity we may have lost some of the senior players. As it turned out, that team played very well for him (24-9) considering he had no Carter, Skara, and Adekoya. 4 of those loses where without Alec. As I said in another thread, do you really think the Bryce led 2016 team wins 30 games without those guys? If Alec remains healthy, Matt probably has a NCAA tournament berth and a first season win total similar to Bryce and the previous season.
Hypothetically, if Alec (I know this would have never happened) flunks out after first semester of his Junior year, you don't think that would have had a far reaching effect on that season and the next?? Matt owns Joe's situation, I get that, but it amazes me that posters on this board with no recruiting experience can just think teams are so malleable that given a couple of weeks coaches should be able to adapt to the loss of a key player and that other players will "grow" into their new role. We had no replacement for Burton and because of when this occurred in the recruiting cycle we had little opportunity to replace him for the following year.
So now with Matt having a potential NCAA tournament berth, a first year upper half conference campaign and then a team competing for the top 3 spots in this years conference race, all of which I could see as being attainable, I think we would have a different perception of VU MBB. If these two events don't happen, we aren't having any of these discussions about firing coaches and players transferring.
If you are a Bryce fan, and I would consider myself one, you could most definitely point to a couple of things that have had similar impact on the Vanderbilt program. I personally don't think that Bryce should have been fired knowing what I know about Bryce. I also believe that Matt can turn things around if he can recruit the right players and he gets support from the Board of Trustees. Recruiting is where I think he really needs to step things up, Bryce made 16.3 million off of his recruiting chops.
From Tennessean
QuoteFour-star basketball signee Austin Crowley has asked Vanderbilt to be released from his national letter of intent following coach Bryce Drew's firing, 247 Sports reports.
Crowley, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard is one of two signees from Drew's 2019 recruiting class, along with four-star forward Dylan Disu. Crowley is ranked as the No. 20 shooting guard in the 2019 class by 247 Composite ratings.
FWAlum -
I respect what you are saying, but an 0-18 conference does give you a warm fuzzy to keep things as is. In the very competitive SEC, alums want to see their teams win, sometimes at all means necessary. Vanderbilt alums at the offices are liking taking grief with Tennessee alums. What happened to Bryce Drew is not surprising at all.
Valpo on the other hand has been overly patient and reactive in their decisions.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 23, 2019, 08:36:43 AM. Stop trying to defend Lottich by denigrating Bryce. It's a losing battle. Make a convincing argument for him based on his record or other meaningful factors. If you can't do that then you know which side of this debate is right.
When I start defending Lottich by denigrating Bryce maybe then I'll stop. I don't care if Valpo keeps him or fires him tonight but the bottom line is that the entire success of the program from B. Drew through Lottich was based essentially on one player and that player hid a lot of warts whether with the coaches themselves or the program and everything that goes into it as a whole.
[tweet]1109541857682513920[/tweet]
It's fascinating to read the different opinions, Valpo fans and alums have on Bryce Drew. I'd say the overwhelming opinion of him is quite positive but there is a small minority of people that are still a little bitter about him leaving for Vandy. Him leaving really cut deep with some people because they must have thought he never would leave Valpo because it's his hometown and alma mater. It's just interesting to read peoples opinions the last few days.
Quote from: FWalum on March 23, 2019, 12:45:20 PM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 23, 2019, 08:36:43 AM
Quote from: JD24 on March 23, 2019, 08:08:13 AM
Quote from: a3uge on March 22, 2019, 02:27:40 PMPerhaps Bryce wasn't that good of a coach and was just shielded by Peters and Broekhoff. Not sure why we'd settle for a coach that hasn't won a tournament game in any capacity as a coach.
As I've hinted at and outright said a few times, I believe this to be a very good possibility.
One of the more difficult things to do for a program is to move on from the "family" of coaches. In this case, it was a real family. If a change is made, which I have my doubts will occur, a full search needs to be done. The problem is that there is very likely some institutional issues which hold back the program and will also likely hinder the coaching search itself or the new coach when he is in place.
Bryce's teams came within an eyelash of beating Maryland in the tournament and ran roughshod through the NIT after being screwed over by the committee until the rumors of his departure started to swirl before the final. His teams got us this MVC invite and even if he was shielded by Peters and Broekhoff those are players HE recruited. Lottich was shielded in year one by a player Bryce recruited (Peters) I have no doubt between his well demonstrated recruiting and player development abilities and the bumps in recruiting and competition in the MVC Bryce would have this program in position to win tournament games. Stop trying to defend Lottich by denigrating Bryce. It's a losing battle. Make a convincing argument for him based on his record or other meaningful factors. If you can't do that then you know which side of this debate is right.
Two events have drastically changed our perception of Matt.
- Alec Peter's injury
- Joe Burton's academic issues and pre-conference departure.
One of the reasons Matt got this job was because it appeared that without some continuity we may have lost some of the senior players. As it turned out, that team played very well for him (24-9) considering he had no Carter, Skara, and Adekoya. 4 of those loses where without Alec. As I said in another thread, do you really think the Bryce led 2016 team wins 30 games without those guys? If Alec remains healthy, Matt probably has a NCAA tournament berth and a first season win total similar to Bryce and the previous season.
Hypothetically, if Alec (I know this would have never happened) flunks out after first semester of his Junior year, you don't think that would have had a far reaching effect on that season and the next?? Matt owns Joe's situation, I get that, but it amazes me that posters on this board with no recruiting experience can just think teams are so malleable that given a couple of weeks coaches should be able to adapt to the loss of a key player and that other players will "grow" into their new role. We had no replacement for Burton and because of when this occurred in the recruiting cycle we had little opportunity to replace him for the following year.
So now with Matt having a potential NCAA tournament berth, a first year upper half conference campaign and then a team competing for the top 3 spots in this years conference race, all of which I could see as being attainable, I think we would have a different perception of VU MBB. If these two events don't happen, we aren't having any of these discussions about firing coaches and players transferring.
If you are a Bryce fan, and I would consider myself one, you could most definitely point to a couple of things that have had similar impact on the Vanderbilt program. I personally don't think that Bryce should have been fired knowing what I know about Bryce. I also believe that Matt can turn things around if he can recruit the right players and he gets support from the Board of Trustees. Recruiting is where I think he really needs to step things up, Bryce made 16.3 million off of his recruiting chops.
I think you make some good points about Matt have some very tough luck with a few key things but I'm not sure he has the coaching chops that Bryce Drew has. I actually think Matt is a pretty good recruiter and is a solid defensive minded coach but as for the offensive side not so much... This isn't just based on my own personal thoughts, this is after talking to people who have a much higher Basketball IQ than myself. It's tough to give Matt a fair grade or assessment on the job he's done here because of all the genuine tough luck but there are some areas of concern that are fair to question. I'm for giving him at least next season to prove himself but he needs to show he's made strides as a coach and start winning. If the arrow is clearly pointing up for the program after next season then give him an extension if he's earned it.
Valpo fans still pissed about Bryce Drew leaving Valpo need a serious reality check.
Will be interesting to see how his recruiting is potentially impacted by the mass exodus ... and two straight losing seasons. Or - for that matter a combined 30 total wins in the post-Peters injury world. Keeping in mind we lost to Milwaukee and were ousted from the HL Tournament before getting whooped by Illinois 82-57. Other than an urge to potentially have immediate playing time, what's the sell to bring in solid recruits at this point? Asking for a friend.
"Valpo fans still pissed about Bryce Drew leaving Valpo need a serious reality check."
And the masquerading it as he somehow didn't how to coach at Valpo and was masked by 2 players is unintentionally transparent.
Quote from: GoldenCrusader87 on March 23, 2019, 06:42:00 PM
Will be interesting to see how his recruiting is potentially impacted by the mass exodus ... and two straight losing seasons. Or - for that matter a combined 30 total wins in the post-Peters injury world. Keeping in mind wCe lost to Milwaukee and were ousted from the HL Tournament before getting whooped by Illinois 82-57. Other than an urge to potentially have immediate playing time, what's the sell to bring in solid recruits at this point? Asking for a friend.
Valpo can certainly offer a opportunity of playing time and could sell kids on playing a significant role. If you're a big man we could sell kids on developing bigs. I'm wondering if the brand is damaged a bit also, but I don't know. I think we could still land some nice players.
It sounds like we're going to be going for guys who are immediately eligible.
Quote from: may know on March 23, 2019, 06:54:57 PM"Valpo fans still pissed about Bryce Drew leaving Valpo need a serious reality check." And the masquerading it as he somehow didn't how to coach at Valpo and was masked by 2 players is unintentionally transparent.
Or perhaps more accurately stated, instead of the inaccurate characterization of "not knowing how to coach at Valpo", is that the difference between the two coaches isn't all that great.
This is particularly apparent when you put the one or two players mentioned on their respective rosters and they had similar results.
I think you over simply the emotions with Bryce:
I am pissed he left
I expected him to leave
I would have done the exact same thing in his position.
Quote from: JD24 on March 23, 2019, 07:26:36 PMQuote from: may know on March 23, 2019, 06:54:57 PM"Valpo fans still pissed about Bryce Drew leaving Valpo need a serious reality check." And the masquerading it as he somehow didn't how to coach at Valpo and was masked by 2 players is unintentionally transparent.
Or perhaps more accurately stated, instead of the inaccurate characterization of "not knowing how to coach at Valpo", is that the difference between the two coaches isn't all that great. This is particularly apparent when you put the one or two players mentioned on their respective rosters and they had similar results.
We'll never know for sure and of course itsi different to play them in cinfconfer vs the non con but given Bryce's ability to beat MVC and P5 team a skill Lottich hasn't consistently shown yet I feel very comfortable and confident saying that Bryce would have fared better in the MVC than Lottich has thus far.
You can make the argument that Bryce should have gotten one more year and his firing was unfair. I might agree, but I would also argue that when you sign the nearly $17m contract, normal definitions of "fair" and "patience" no longer apply. You're at the whims of your latest W/L record. Bryce knew the score when he signed on, or should have. That's the price of prestige.
Quote from: bigmosmithfan1 on March 23, 2019, 07:58:47 PMYou can make the argument that Bryce should have gotten one more year and his firing was unfair. I might agree, but I would also argue that when you sign the nearly $17m contract, normal definitions of "fair" and "patience" no longer apply. You're at the whims of your latest W/L record. Bryce knew the score when he signed on, or should have. That's the price of prestige.
Problem with Bryce's teams is that the record got progressively worse and, as you point out, in the SEC that's not going to work.
Somebody mentioned Tulane and, while the program level might be a good fit for Bryce, he'd be a tough sell to Tulane fans after Dunleavy's team went winless themselves this season in conference. They are apparently hiring Ron Hunter from Georgia State. I think Bryce takes an assistants job for a season or two and maybe in the pros.
It is no surprise he got axed. You are what your record shows, especially when you are in a major conference.
Mike Krzyzewski's Conference win totals his first 3 seasons at Duke. Yeah that guy can't coach :crazy:
1980–81: 6–8
1981–82: 4–10
1982–83: 3–11
If Lottich comes anywhere near Coach K I'll eat every hat I own and every negative word I ever said about him.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 23, 2019, 02:12:15 PM
FWAlum -
I respect what you are saying, but an 0-18 conference does give you a warm fuzzy to keep things as is. In the very competitive SEC, alums want to see their teams win, sometimes at all means necessary. Vanderbilt alums at the offices are liking taking grief with Tennessee alums. What happened to Bryce Drew is not surprising at all.
Valpo on the other hand has been overly patient and reactive in their decisions.
I understand and absolutely agree with what you're saying. From the Vanderbilt alum side I can definitely see Bryce being fired. What I am saying is that because of our long history with the Drew family and Bryce's success at Valpo, our perception of the situation and Bryce's potential to remedy things would be very different.
Unfortunate to see, but Vandy had to do it. I assume that their big money donors got the AD to act fast. That is really unprofessional that he asked for a plan to be brought, and didn't even hear him out.
Quote from: valpotx on March 23, 2019, 10:24:09 PM
Unfortunate to see, but Vandy had to do it. I assume that their big money donors got the AD to act fast. That is really unprofessional that he asked for a plan to be brought, and didn't even hear him out.
It was a brand new AD and it sounds like he wanted to get his guy in there.
I get it, but you don't tell a guy that he needs to come in and plead for his job with an elaborate plan, and then just say, 'F U.'
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 23, 2019, 06:06:49 PM
Valpo fans still pissed about Bryce Drew leaving Valpo need a serious reality check.
I can't be mad at Bryce for leaving a university (majority of students & board of directors) that didn't appreciate much what he did as a student and coach, in coordination with Homer, for the university AND it's mission to increase enrollment.
Quote from: VU2014 on March 23, 2019, 10:27:59 PM
Quote from: valpotx on March 23, 2019, 10:24:09 PM
Unfortunate to see, but Vandy had to do it. I assume that their big money donors got the AD to act fast. That is really unprofessional that he asked for a plan to be brought, and didn't even hear him out.
It was a brand new AD and it sounds like he wanted to get his guy in there.
I think he didn't want stick with Bryce and maybe have a worse record and find himself out of a job in one year.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 23, 2019, 09:02:06 PM
If Lottich comes anywhere near Coach K I'll eat every hat I own and every negative word I ever said about him.
Define "comes anywhere near."
You have put yourself on the line now and this statement will be remembered for years to come.
Agreed. The hat eating must be done in public after Lottich wins his 4th National Championship.
Quote from: bbtds on March 24, 2019, 10:16:49 AM
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 23, 2019, 06:06:49 PM
Valpo fans still pissed about Bryce Drew leaving Valpo need a serious reality check.
I can't be mad at Bryce for leaving a university (majority of students & board of directors) that didn't appreciate much what he did as a student and coach, in coordination with Homer, for the university AND it's mission to increase enrollment.
Quote from: bbtds on March 24, 2019, 10:16:49 AM
Perhaps but, the University did appreciate him enough to make him the highest paid coach in the Horizon and the highest paid employee of the University.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 23, 2019, 06:06:49 PM
Valpo fans still pissed about Bryce Drew leaving Valpo need a serious reality check.
I can't be mad at Bryce for leaving a university (majority of students & board of directors) that didn't appreciate much what he did as a student and coach, in coordination with Homer, for the university AND it's mission to increase enrollment.
Quote from: vu72 on March 24, 2019, 10:43:27 AM
Quote from: bbtds on March 24, 2019, 10:16:49 AM
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 23, 2019, 06:06:49 PM
Valpo fans still pissed about Bryce Drew leaving Valpo need a serious reality check.
I can't be mad at Bryce for leaving a university (majority of students & board of directors) that didn't appreciate much what he did as a student and coach, in coordination with Homer, for the university AND it's mission to increase enrollment.
Quote from: bbtds on March 24, 2019, 10:16:49 AM
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 23, 2019, 06:06:49 PM
Valpo fans still pissed about Bryce Drew leaving Valpo need a serious reality check.
I can't be mad at Bryce for leaving a university (majority of students & board of directors) that didn't appreciate much what he did as a student and coach, in coordination with Homer, for the university AND it's mission to increase enrollment.
QuotePerhaps but, the University did appreciate him enough to make him the highest paid coach in the Horizon and the highest paid employee of the University.
In a failed attempt to keep Bryce around longer but his dream job opened up at about 10 times of what he was paid at Valpo.
Welcome to major college sports where tact is an afterthought. You see it at the coaches side and the administrative side. It is actually surprising when departures are done with integrity.
Again, it's not the fact that he left Valpo that ticked off some fans. It's how he left. Even if Bryce stayed an extra year, we were heading for a bad season in 2017-18 because he stopped recruiting.
A3uge, please. No departure in a job or in sports goes in a perfectly smooth and lovingly manner. Bryce found an opportunity and took it - what do you except, tears and hugs and a parade and a party wishing him the best of luck? You knew he was going to leave sooner or later, and if I were in his position I would have done the same.
Quote from: usc4valpo on March 24, 2019, 11:07:06 AM
A3uge, please. No departure in a job or in sports goes in a perfectly smooth and lovingly manner. Bryce found an opportunity and took it - what do you except, tears and hugs and a parade and a party wishing him the best of luck? You knew he was going to leave sooner or later, and if I were in his position I would have done the same.
I expect a coach to not blown off his current job responsibilities, like recruiting. Bryce is as much to blame for this collapse as Lottich, since Bryce's juniors and seniors should have been major contributors these past two years.
I didn't expect a parade, but it's very telling Bryce gave a statement after getting fired, but not after leaving Valpo. That's fine, it's a business, but there's no way the program should forget all of this and hire a guy that's going to be more focused on interviewing for other jobs than winning postseason games or recruiting.
And yes, Valpo looked completely unprepared to handle George Washington's and BYU's zone.
Quote from: valpotx on March 23, 2019, 10:50:10 PMI get it, but you don't tell a guy that he needs to come in and plead for his job with an elaborate plan, and then just say, 'F U.'
The assumption is Fraschilla's info was correct. It may not have been.
My post about Coach K wasn't necessarily a direct comparison about Lottich. It was more so about Bryce and also just showing that your record doesn't necessarily always tell the whole story about Coach's abilities.
Wow...
https://twitter.com/docsander30/status/1109229754731950080?s=21
At Valpo, Bryce never beat a top 25 team and he had the players to do it. No tourney wins, never beat a top 25, how can anyone be surprised at poor results at the next level?
Quote from: chairback on March 24, 2019, 07:31:15 PM
At Valpo, Bryce never beat a top 25 team and he had the players to do it. No tourney wins, never beat a top 25, how can anyone be surprised at poor results at the next level?
If you think Bryce is a bad coach then that says a lot about you... not him...
That tweet about the search firm is... a really silly tweet. Korn Ferry is one of the biggest executive search firms in the nation. They probably have a contract with Vandy to handle all of their national high-level searches, and even if they don't, it's be like drawing a conspiracy theory based on the fact that both jobs were listed on Indeed or something.
Quote from: VU2014 on March 24, 2019, 07:34:04 PM
Quote from: chairback on March 24, 2019, 07:31:15 PM
At Valpo, Bryce never beat a top 25 team and he had the players to do it. No tourney wins, never beat a top 25, how can anyone be surprised at poor results at the next level?
If you think Bryce is a bad coach then that says a lot about you... not him...
VU2014 do you have the Bryce goggles on? Chairback makes valid points, they alone don't mean he's a bad coach but they are marks against his resume until he proves otherwise.
I know I'm going to be lambasted for saying this, but we have only won in the NCAA tournament during one run. Since 1998, we haven't won outside of the NIT and CBI.
For as little big time winning as we do, our conference mates (Mid-Con, Summit, HL and now MVC) sees right through our egos and to this incontrovertible fact.
Now up until the MVC we can say our conference mates really couldn't put up a better resume. Now we can't fallback on the appearances game. MVC is used to seeing teams enter and win in March, and our resume was simply the price of entry. Now I will choose to be humble and support the program, but I won't go on other fan forums and act a fool. (Not sayin you do this because I don't GO on other fan forums)
Bryce didn't win a ton of big games, and frankly neither did Homer. The argument can be made about 14-16 seeds etc etc....but here we are.
He nearly beat Maryland on a neutral court in the tourney and got screwed by a blatant no call at the end of the game. Took another team to the tourney. He arguably should of had a at-large bid in 15-16 and took that team to the NIT Championship game. He took a very mediocre sec roster to the tourney his first year at Vandy. This year at Vandy was bad no doubt but he also nearly beat the #1 ranked team in the country also. Found and developed two NBA caliber players at the mid-major level.
I'll be the first to admit I'm a huge Bryce Drew fan but I think the argument that he's not a good coach to fall flat even when I take off my blinders.
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 24, 2019, 08:06:22 PM
Quote from: VU2014 on March 24, 2019, 07:34:04 PM
Quote from: chairback on March 24, 2019, 07:31:15 PM
At Valpo, Bryce never beat a top 25 team and he had the players to do it. No tourney wins, never beat a top 25, how can anyone be surprised at poor results at the next level?
If you think Bryce is a bad coach then that says a lot about you... not him...
VU2014 do you have the Bryce goggles on? Chairback makes valid points, they alone don't mean he's a bad coach but they are marks against his resume until he proves otherwise.
I know I'm going to be lambasted for saying this, but we have only won in the NCAA tournament during one run. Since 1998, we haven't won outside of the NIT and CBI.
For as little big time winning as we do, our conference mates (Mid-Con, Summit, HL and now MVC) sees right through our egos and to this incontrovertible fact.
Now up until the MVC we can say our conference mates really couldn't put up a better resume. Now we can't fallback on the appearances game. MVC is used to seeing teams enter and win in March, and our resume was simply the price of entry. Now I will choose to be humble and support the program, but I won't go on other fan forums and act a fool. (Not sayin you do this because I don't GO on other fan forums)
Bryce didn't win a ton of big games, and frankly neither did Homer. The argument can be made about 14-16 seeds etc etc....but here we are.
All this said, Bryce may be the best player and best coach we've had at Valpo. Though Scott may be better, we never truly had his full attention as a HC. Again, I'm sure some would argue for pre Homer, and I have no understanding of that era.
Quote from: VU2014 on March 24, 2019, 08:15:09 PM
He nearly beat Maryland on a neutral court in the tourney and got screwed by a blatant no call at the end of the game. Took another team to the tourney. He arguably should of had a at-large bid in 15-16 and took that team to the NIT Championship game. He took a very mediocre sec roster to the tourney his first year at Vandy. This year at Vandy was bad no doubt but he also nearly beat the #1 ranked team in the country also. Found and developed two NBA caliber players at the mid-major level.
I'll be the first to admit I'm a huge Bryce Drew fan but I think the argument that he's not a good coach to fall flat even when I take off my blinders.
btw, you do an outstanding job informing the rest of us and adding value on this forum. I just slightly disagree to the grade I'd assign Bryce (B+) to Lottich (C-) to Homers (B).
2014- Moral victories don't count. We have many many moral victories and almost wins.
He's our home down hero so it's a hard to accept.
He didn't win the big games. A lot of his offensive struggles at Vandy were also at Valpo. Going 7-10 mins without scoring happened at Valpo too. But the conference we played in didn't expose it like the SEC did. If you followed Vandy that team made zero progress when they had decent players who could. Even after the injury. He had good players on that team to at least compete a little. The AD (and board) to make the decision to fire him had to see that this was not going to get better. The AD is well connected in the basketball circles.
I think Bryce has good recruiting skills, good ability to connect to players and decent Basketball IQ. I don't think he was as ready or had learned as much as maybe we and he thought. He should have stayed at Valpo as we steadily mproved, our quality of recruits increased, and our quality of opponents through continued post season play increased. He didn't, and he had to learn those lessons faster than he could handle. Chairback makes a good point, we often fumbled it away. Yeah we almost won the Maryland Game but we also played very poorly at times during that game (remember that time like 3 players in a row missed the same easy layup) and if we criticize Lottich for not calling a play that gets the ball in the right person's hand. Bryce's play should have put the ball in Alec's hands, it didn't.
I actually think you could make all the same criticisms of Lottich, except he's even greener than Bryce so my question is: Does he learn? Does Bryce learn?
Quote from: crusader05 on March 25, 2019, 08:34:51 AM
I think Bryce has good recruiting skills, good ability to connect to players and decent Basketball IQ. I don't think he was as ready or had learned as much as maybe we and he thought. He should have stayed at Valpo as we steadily mproved, our quality of recruits increased, and our quality of opponents through continued post season play increased. He didn't, and he had to learn those lessons faster than he could handle. Chairback makes a good point, we often fumbled it away. Yeah we almost won the Maryland Game but we also played very poorly at times during that game (remember that time like 3 players in a row missed the same easy layup) and if we criticize Lottich for not calling a play that gets the ball in the right person's hand. Bryce's play should have put the ball in Alec's hands, it didn't.
I actually think you could make all the same criticisms of Lottich, except he's even greener than Bryce so my question is: Does he learn? Does Bryce learn?
In all fairness, the play Bryce drew (no pun intended) up was designed for Alec to take the shot, but Maryland swarmed him and blew up the play. KC tried to improvise in the few seconds remaining, and it didn't work out. That's life.
No miracle finish for Valparaiso as Maryland wins 65-62
"I'll take the blame for that," Bryce Drew said. "We tried to do something different than we usually run. We wanted Alec Peters to have a chance to tie it. But they made a really good defensive play at the end."
https://www.wishtv.com/sports/no-miracle-finish-for-valparaiso-as-maryland-wins-65-62/1116258642
I'm not saying I blame Drew for that. It's why you don't want your chance to come down to a last second shot. But more just that we based Drew on his potential at times more than what he had fully realized and that he probably could have learned a lot more from staying at Valpo even for a few more years.
Bryce has always been very good at cultivating the aura (I'd argue he's doing that right now with his new twitter account that never existed until he had been fired) but that the balance was off and he needed a firmer foundation (I'd argue this is also why it's been so hard for Lottich, the foundation was definitely not as firm as we had hoped).
Guys, I think you all are overthinking this too much... Bryce was an excellent coach who quickly turned around the program and crafted a few NBA/semi NBA players during the run. Plus, also important to remember he was a major reason why we got solid recruits during the final Homer years. Brandon Wood, Richie Edwards, Peters and many others noted he was a major reason why they came to Valpo. So, not only was he a terrific coach but a terrific recruiter (even at Vanderbilt). He deserved to leave Valpo. Vanderbilt panicked and wanted to start fresh, nothing wrong with that either.
But, it's also disingenuous to say the program was in shambles when he left Valpo. The new coaching staff did pretty well during the transition to a new conference (which is extremely hard). While I am not a Lottich coaching strategy stan and am not sure if he is the solution, I am much more concerned/interested in the personality/attitude of the staff and less concerned with the XO's. It's difficult to take over a program as the main guy. He might not be suited for this but maybe he is. The bottom line is: if the transfers did not happen, we would be excited for next season, not worried. Maybe the players just did not like the school or did not vibe with the coaches. It happens, but let's not go exaggerating and blaming it on Bryce, the guy who made the program relevant again.
Rick Byrd is retiring from CBB at Belmont and Bryce make ALL the sense in the world as a potential replacement. Man it would hurt to see him at Belmont. Mainly because I want him to come home even though I know it's not going to happen here.
Side Note: it will be interesting to see how to the program does without Byrd who is a HOF coach. Valpo knows first handed what life is like once you lose a stabilizing Coach (or family in our case...). I mean it's not all doom and gloom for but you get my point.
Quote from: vu72 on March 22, 2019, 11:09:29 AM
I just can't see any major program's fans being excited about hiring a coach who just lost 20 in a row. "Get excited fans, we just got a great new coach who has proven he can turn a program...into crap in three years" I don't see it happening. Perhaps a assistant gig or doing a Tubby Smith, moving way down to take a head coaching gig somewhere. Hopefully Homer and Janet and Dana and family haven't got to in love with country music! Wow, just wow.
I noticed the Belmont job just opened. If Bryce and family like the area, this might be a chance to get his career back on path while not needing to move away from Nashville.
Very interesting that they are undertaking a national search even after such a successful tenure under one staff. That says something to me. It says to me that they're looking for more. Also interesting is no overt statements or mention at all of the OVC. Maybe I'm reading too much into these things but maybe there's something there to give us pro MVC expansion folks some hope?
https://belmontbruins.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190401gs3zfz
While I doubt it'll ever happen, Murray State and Belmont in the MVC would be amazing. If the current institutions can't get it done, bring in ones who can.
Valpo playing in Chicago, St Louis, & Nashville every year sounds like a dream.
By the way, the ESPN scroll last night had Vandy connected to Jerry Stackhouse, who was on the Grizzlies' (Memphis not Montana) staff this past year. No head coaching experience. I guess they want to keep up with Li'l Penny over at Memphis.
Stackhouse and the Vandy AD have a D League connection.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on April 01, 2019, 10:32:23 PMVery interesting that they are undertaking a national search even after such a successful tenure under one staff. That says something to me. It says to me that they're looking for more. Also interesting is no overt statements or mention at all of the OVC. Maybe I'm reading too much into these things but maybe there's something there to give us pro MVC expansion folks some hope? https://belmontbruins.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190401gs3zfz
It says to me it is a press release which comes across better than "we are limiting our search to a 50 mile radius".
The longer they go without naming anyone the more I think Alexander is their guy and they are simply waiting for Lipscomb's season to finish so that they can talk to him.
https://www.tennessean.com/story/sports/high-school/2019/04/02/vanderbilt-basketball-casey-shaw-named-davidson-academy-boys-coach-bryce-drew/3342155002/
QuoteCasey Shaw, brother-in-law of Bryce Drew, named next Davidson Academy boys basketball coach
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on April 01, 2019, 10:32:23 PM
Very interesting that they are undertaking a national search even after such a successful tenure under one staff. That says something to me. It says to me that they're looking for more. Also interesting is no overt statements or mention at all of the OVC. Maybe I'm reading too much into these things but maybe there's something there to give us pro MVC expansion folks some hope?
https://belmontbruins.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190401gs3zfz
I'm not sure why anything about Belmont, past or present, would make you feel hopeful. They flat out rejected previous overtures from both the HL and MVC, and if they had any lingering doubts (as unlikely as that might be), those were put to bed the day the OVC became a 2-bid league.
I worry about that myself but I also struggle to believe that the OVC will ever do that again. I know they only had to do it once but I like the MVC's future much better. As I said Byrd was very opposed to the MVC so maybe there's a chance now because it would be an opportunity for Belmont to grow their program.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on April 03, 2019, 08:40:37 AM
I worry about that myself but I also struggle to believe that the OVC will ever do that again. I know they only had to do it once but I like the MVC's future much better. As I said Byrd was very opposed to the MVC so maybe there's a chance now because it would be an opportunity for Belmont to grow their program.
Has it ever happened in the OVC before (at large)?
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on April 03, 2019, 09:18:37 AM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on April 03, 2019, 08:40:37 AM
I worry about that myself but I also struggle to believe that the OVC will ever do that again. I know they only had to do it once but I like the MVC's future much better. As I said Byrd was very opposed to the MVC so maybe there's a chance now because it would be an opportunity for Belmont to grow their program.
Has it ever happened in the OVC before (at large)?
Middle Tennessee in 1987.
Quote from: wh on April 03, 2019, 08:08:38 AM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on April 01, 2019, 10:32:23 PM
Very interesting that they are undertaking a national search even after such a successful tenure under one staff. That says something to me. It says to me that they're looking for more. Also interesting is no overt statements or mention at all of the OVC. Maybe I'm reading too much into these things but maybe there's something there to give us pro MVC expansion folks some hope?
https://belmontbruins.com/sports/m-baskbl/2018-19/releases/20190401gs3zfz
I'm not sure why anything about Belmont, past or present, would make you feel hopeful. They flat out rejected previous overtures from both the HL and MVC, and if they had any lingering doubts (as unlikely as that might be), those were put to bed the day the OVC became a 2-bid league.
On April Fool's Day I proposed a twist to the future for Bryce on the forum: "What if Belmont hired Lipscomb coach Casey Alexander, a Belmont product, and Lipscomb hires Drew, since they are also a Christian school in Nashville. With Lipscomb, Bryce and his coaches don't need to move their families." Given that Bryce's brother-in-law now has taken a job in the area, the possibility of the Drews not wanting to move families becomes even more real. Also, if Bryce were to become the head coach at Lipscomb, and Belmont doesn't change its position about entering the MVC, I'd be happy to see Lipscomb paired with Murray State and added to the MVC. Who knows?
Quote from: vu84v2 on April 03, 2019, 09:26:41 AM
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on April 03, 2019, 09:18:37 AM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on April 03, 2019, 08:40:37 AM
I worry about that myself but I also struggle to believe that the OVC will ever do that again. I know they only had to do it once but I like the MVC's future much better. As I said Byrd was very opposed to the MVC so maybe there's a chance now because it would be an opportunity for Belmont to grow their program.
Has it ever happened in the OVC before (at large)?
Middle Tennessee in 1987.
Horizon Wikipedia states from 1995-2011 had 24 teams make NCAA tournament. Producing 22 wins in the NCAA tournament. Assuming that's all true, the OVC has quite a hill to climb.
Yeah no thanks on the Limpscomb to the MVC proposal... one good year with its coach halfway out the door doesn't sound appealing. Also there are question marks about the schools financial commitment to athletics.
TBH life after Byrd at Belmont is somewhat of a risk but who knows what that program will look like in 10years. Murray State has proven to be able to sustain a mid-major level of success with different coaches.
Quote from: VU2014 on April 03, 2019, 03:28:01 PM
Yeah no thanks on the Limpscomb to the MVC proposal... one good year with its coach halfway out the door doesn't sound appealing. Also there are question marks about the schools financial commitment to athletics.
TBH life after Byrd at Belmont is somewhat of a risk but who knows what that program will look like in 10years. Murray State has proven to be able to sustain a mid-major level of success with different coaches.
My suggestion about adding Lipscomb was based upon three hypotheticals: 1, if Belmont continues to say no to the MVC; 2, if Bryce were to be hired as head coach at Lipscomb; 3, if Lipsomb were necessary as a partner to add Murray State. In those circumstances, I see no problem with its addition, especially from a Valpo perspective. A team coached by Bryce would guarantee sold-out games at the ARC and that program would be sure to continue at a higher level because of the recruits Bryce would bring to it. Moreover, if they hired Bryce, that might be a signal of willingness to raise their financial commitment. Finally, everyone seems to agree Murray State would strengthen the conference, but those in charge appear to believe they can only be added in tandem with a 12th team and not merely as an 11th team.
Vanderbilt just replaced Bryce with Jerry Stackhouse as the head coach.
Might as well take advantage of every opportunity that Nashville has to offer. Looks like Bryce is beginning a new singing career.
https://www.hotelcafe.com/tickets/?s=events_view&id=9070
Concert is in LA... Likely not the same person...
Duh
Unless he's taking the UCLA job. Though I can't imagine UCLA handing the keys to a guy that just went 0 for 2019 and 0 for the SEC at Vanderbilt unless they've truly gotten desperate or believe that he'd somehow do better there. However I don't see UCLA as a good cultural fit for Bryce AT ALL but hey John Wooden proved that Hoosiers can succeed out there so who knows? Not that Drew is anywhere near Wooden's level of course but still...
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on April 06, 2019, 06:17:19 PM
Concert is in LA... Likely not the same person...
I don't know....................I found this info about Taylor Noelle which was listed under this Youtube video.
A Los Angeles native, pop singer-songwriter Taylor Noelle moved to Nashville after her senior year of high school to study music business at Belmont University..So Taylor Noelle did attend Belmont in Nashville. There could be a connection.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ilnl94R0NoU]
So Bryce Drew while coaching in the SEC and bringing in their best recruiting classes ever has time to moonlight as a singer with women from another university? If it really is him, he's either a superhuman dynamo or we now know exactly why Vanderbilt sucked this year and Bryce has lost his marbles and his priorities and needs an intervention desperately.
It's not him. It never was. My post was a joke and Went over your head completely.
Bryce Drew is a woman singer
https://twitter.com/brycedrewmusic?lang=en
Vanderbilt Basketball alums react to hiring of Jerry StackhouseQuoteAnother reason why Vanderbilt fans were so excited about Stackhouse's hire was the financial commitment to the Men's Basketball program that could come with it. According to ESPN's Adrian Wojnarowski, Vanderbilt has pledged to upgrade its financial commitment to the program, including increased assistant coaching salaries and budgets. Commodore Basketball alum and former NBA player Will Perdue has some ideas about what Athletic Director Malcolm Turner should do as part of that increased commitment.
"One, Malcolm needs to be touring the country or have somebody that's constantly touring or keeping an eye on your opponents' facilities," Perdue said. "As soon as a new facility has been labeled the latest and greatest, I think you need to go check that facility out and compare it to what you have. And then once you do that, you say okay, we need to upgrade, or we need to do this, or we need to do that. It's about facility maintenance and trying to stay ahead of the curve.
"Secondly, the bottom line is you really need to pay your assistants more money at Vanderbilt because the cost of living in Nashville is more than it is in Knoxville or Oxford or Tuscaloosa or Gainesville. You have to account for that, but at the same time, because it's Vanderbilt, and I don't like to use the term 'limitations,' but your recruitment base is probably a little smaller, so coaches have to work a little harder. Maybe you have to pay a little more in that sense because you truly have to be able to identify who the available players are. You can't just look at the best player available and move on. There are some criteria that have to be met that require a little extra work on behalf of the coaches."
QuoteOverall, the general sentiment from Foster, Byars, LaChance, Kornet and Perdue was that they are all excited about the direction of the program under Turner and Stackhouse. After two dismal seasons, the hiring of Stackhouse has been able to inject some excitement into the fanbase.
For LaChance, it was tough to see his former coach in Bryce Drew let go, but he still understands how exciting Stackhouse is for Vanderbilt.
"I have a lot of respect for Coach Drew and everything he did for me and for the program," LaChance said. "It was just kind of the perfect storm that happened, he had some bad luck and stuff like that. I'm thankful for everything he did for the program and myself included. But, it's a fresh face, and I think anytime there's change, it brings excitement among our fanbase and I think this hire specifically is one that brings a little extra excitement because of how well-respected he is around the NBA. A lot of fans have watched him play and coach over their lifetimes. It's definitely a hire that brings excitement to the program."
I'll give their AD credit, this is a gutsy hire.
Within five years they'll be a top ten program or both coach and AD will be looking for new jobs. Hard to see an in between there.
Apparently, word on the street at the final four is that Roger Powell Jr is close to joining a "much bigger program"... I wonder who? Potentially, Purdue? Supposedly several of their assistants are moving up the ladder and taking coaching jobs
I continue to think we'll look back on Roger not taking the HC job as a pivotal moment in the course of our program.
Quote from: NativeCheesehead on April 08, 2019, 12:57:47 PM
I continue to think we'll look back on Roger not taking the HC job as a pivotal moment in the course of our program.
I thought the same thing for a while but after talking to some people I'm no so sure about that anymore. Some people just aren't HC "material", but make excellent top assistants. Either way I think he definitely deserves to prove himself as a HC and get that opportunity.
Quote from: mp91 on April 08, 2019, 12:44:58 PM
Apparently, word on the street at the final four is that Roger Powell Jr is close to joining a "much bigger program"... I wonder who? Potentially, Purdue? Supposedly several of their assistants are moving up the ladder and taking coaching jobs
Bigger than Purdue.
Bigger than Purdue doesn't leave much room.
Wild guess would be an asst. with the Chicago Bulls.
My guess is that maybe Roger Powell is headed to Kansas as an assistant. Bill Self used to coach at Illinois and loves Chicago kids.
Quote from: tiny707 on April 09, 2019, 10:09:59 AM
My guess is that maybe Roger Powell is headed to Kansas as an assistant. Bill Self used to coach at Illinois and loves Chicago kids.
I don't have any info about Powell, but this recent story about Kansas basketball being under investigation, especially its assistant coach, seems pertinent: "Kansas assistant basketball coach Kurtis Townsend was also caught on a wiretap recording discussing payment for prized recruit Zion Williamson, who ultimately committed to Duke."
https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2825777-report-ncaa-opens-investigation-into-kansas-mens-basketball-football-programs (https://bleacherreport.com/articles/2825777-report-ncaa-opens-investigation-into-kansas-mens-basketball-football-programs)
Quote from: tiny707 on April 09, 2019, 10:09:59 AM
My guess is that maybe Roger Powell is headed to Kansas as an assistant. Bill Self used to coach at Illinois and loves Chicago kids.
Going from an assistant with no ethics to a assistant with strong ethics sounds like a pretty solid choice for Self and Kansas.
I still like Powell even if he tried to take Valpo players with him to Vandy when they left. It's a just cut throat business and if our coaches didn't take it personally neither should we I guess.
Maybe it's just me but I don't think any "significant" punishment will come down on Kansas.
Quote from: VU2014 on April 09, 2019, 11:26:04 AMMaybe it's just me but I don't think any "significant" punishment will come down on Kansas.
Kansas will not get off so easy. They are being dealt with accordingly.
I heard they will receive very stiff punishment from the NCAA via "an additional 2 years of probation to Cleveland State".
Strong ethics = taking players from Valpo :crazy:
https://www.14powers.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=11352
Bryce to Cincy? No way.
Seems an odd fit but money is money... Assuming the money Vanderbilt still owes him isn't mitigated by him coaching during the original contract term this is a good strategy for him. Maybe his final gift to Valpo wasn't MVC membership, maybe he's trying to build up enough cash reserves to give us just one more... I can dream can't I?
If the AD and President Heckler thought fans weren't happy right now, well this would tip the displeasure to an even greater scale, considering a good handful of fans have been openly begging to bring him back home.
It would make sense if Porter left for St. John's and it would be a good landing spot for him.
https://twitter.com/airalston/status/1117885795883290626?s=21
That would be pretty disappointing if that happened. Not sure who the person is that tweeted that and whether they have any credibility though.
Valpo Loyola games would end 25-24.
Quote from: valpolaw on April 15, 2019, 03:35:17 PM
That would be pretty disappointing if that happened. Not sure who the person is that tweeted that and whether they have any credibility though.
He's just a diehard LU fan and I think just lightheartedly joking around. But in all honesty it's not out of the realm of possibility with Bryce's Midwest connections and private religious school and all. It also wouldn't be a job where he'd be taking over a train wreck
Guys, its highly doubtful Drew is coaching anywhere this upcoming season. And, try explaining to your boss (and your fans) why you're excited about hiring a coach who lost 20 games in a row. I'd imagine he will be back coaching sometime, but he will take at least a year off, if not more.
Moser to St. John, if it happens, would be interesting. I was surprised when he came back this season and I think he found out *how* hard it is to maintain or achieve what they did last year. Unfortunately for coaches, gotta strike while you're hot. I can see him taking the gig.
A few Porter Moser quotes last Spring.
Porter Moser after Loyola reached the Final Four: "God has blessed me on my journey. He's blessed this university, and this group of guys are resilient. So the first glory goes to him. Second of all, the journey with these guys, it's an unbelievable group. It's amazing when you believe. They have believed and believed and believed, and it's awesome to see. I just want to stare at them celebrating."
I guess God is no longer blessing Loyola. If God does 'bless' teams (which is extraordinarily doubtful), I guess God must be fickle and change loyalties often.
Porter Moser after being given a contract extension through 2025: "As I have said many times before, I am a Catholic kid from Chicago who played in the Missouri Valley Conference. This is the trifecta for me. We have invested so much time and energy in this program and I'm beyond excited to continue the journey. Watching Chicago as well as Loyola students, alumni and fans get excited for this team was exactly the vision we had when we took over the program. I will continue to challenge our fans to fill Gentile Arena as we did for the final home game to make it one of the best college basketball atmospheres in the country."
If Moser leaves, it would be another example that these guys don't care about the journey and they don't care about programs unless it serves their interests. That is all fine, but they should never make themselves out to be anything more than people who act in their own interest.
Quote from: VU2014 on April 15, 2019, 04:53:52 PM
Quote from: valpolaw on April 15, 2019, 03:35:17 PM
That would be pretty disappointing if that happened. Not sure who the person is that tweeted that and whether they have any credibility though.
He's just a diehard LU fan and I think just lightheartedly joking around. But in all honesty it's not out of the realm of possibility with Bryce's Midwest connections and private religious school and all. It also wouldn't be a job where he'd be taking over a train wreck
This was the same guy who said "I have a hunch Quasimodo is back at Notre Dame Cathedral for revenge."
I dont know vu84v2, just because someone takes a new job doesnt mean they dont care about the program. I wont ever fault someone who triples/quadruples their salary and goes somewhere that has more resources to make the job easier. I will and do question how some coaches make the exit, however. It sucks, but unfortunately its just part of it now days. Fortunately, MVC is, at least historically, at a level where they can choose a replacement that has D1 head coaching experience if they want to go that route. Is the grass always greener? Who knows. Theres certainly a lot more pressure to perform at that price point. I'd love to know Bryce's honest feelings and if he would do it again if he had the chance with how things went down. Maybe Porter is just using this as leverage at Loyola and stays. Let's hope.
If Moser takes the St. John's job he's taking it for the challenge. The Moser family, at one time, owned much of what is now Naperville. His ancestors set them up to be independently wealthy so it's not about money and given the extension he agreed to last year, he's doing welll and will continue to do so, For him it's about being ona national stage and coaching a national commodity. Now with that, his coaching and recruiting chops will be on a full display as he will be recruiting ona national stage as opposed to a regional one and will have to deal with the scrutiny of a fan base and media that will expect immediate results.
Given their recruiting losses and transfers, he will be hard pressed to not be in the lower tier of the BE next year.
Bryce needs to take the year off, take the family on picnics, chill and evaluate lessons learned. then he can take the job at DePaul
Moser turns down St. John's
https://www.newsday.com/amp/sports/college/st-johns/porter-moser-st-johns-coaching-search-1.29883354
I must be the only one who thought that Moser to St. John's made little sense from the coach's perspective unless his pay raise was substantial enough to warrant it.
The Big East is a more highly rated conference than the MVC however St. John's is not the program and hasn't been the program it once was. Meanwhile I'd give Loyola a greater chance of an NCAA bid with one bid out of the MVC than St. John's out of a multiple bid conference such as the Big East.
Edit: The Johnnies were going to pay Moser $2mil per which is more than double what he gets at Loyola. That probably explains the interest.
Valpo is SO Out OF THIS LEAGUUE that it is embarrassing. Our facility is #10 in the conference and there is no plan in place to immediately correct that. Does anyone think we could match what Loyola is doing to keep Moser? Our foreign signings tell me that we realize that we are not competitive in the US48 and we must go other places. What publicly, visual things has Valpo demonstrated that substantially reflects that Valpo is ALL IN in the MVC? I hear .............a few crickets. And that's about it.
62- as said previously, this problem with Valpo basketball goes beyond Lottich - the support from the higher ups is just not there.
Roger Powell to Gonzaga 8-)
Quote from: M on April 18, 2019, 10:26:01 AMRoger Powell to Gonzaga 8-)
Trying to figure out the connection between either Powell and Few or Powell and the school. Not that it is always the case, but hires such as this tend to source in familiarity and it is not evident (at least to me) that it's there in this case. Vandy was terrible this year so it doesn't appear to be a case of "wow....let's get their assistants now!" type of situation.
Anyone have any further color on the situation?
Quote from: JD24 on April 18, 2019, 11:08:39 AM
Quote from: M on April 18, 2019, 10:26:01 AMRoger Powell to Gonzaga 8-)
Trying to figure out the connection between either Powell and Few or Powell and the school. Not that it is always the case, but hires such as this tend to source in familiarity and it is not evident (at least to me) that it's there in this case. Vandy was terrible this year so it doesn't appear to be a case of "wow....let's get their assistants now!" type of situation.
Anyone have any further color on the situation?
I sure couldn't find anything either. Nice that the picture of Powell used in the announcement was from his days at Valpo!
http://www.spokesman.com/stories/2019/apr/17/gonzaga-expected-to-hire-roger-powell-jr-to-replac/
I also think the assistants scattering to the winds is further proof to the belief that Bryce takes a year off. Although probably any position he takes would also be a step down for the assistants would be my guess.
Wonder what Powell was making and what kind of contract he had. Is it possible that he might also get a little something from Vanderbilt?
Quote from: FWalum on April 18, 2019, 04:00:27 PM
Wonder what Powell was making and what kind of contract he had. Is it possible that he might also get a little something from Vanderbilt?
I don't think it's typical that assistannce get "severance" when the HC gets fire but he was the associate HC or top assistant on that staff so maybe. He might be taking a pay cut to coach with the Zags but it's certainly probably a "resume booster".
Nice article from Pete Thamel at Yahoo Sports:
https://sports.yahoo.com/bryce-drew-opens-up-on-his-dismissal-we-never-had-a-conversation-about-basketball-035226726.html (https://sports.yahoo.com/bryce-drew-opens-up-on-his-dismissal-we-never-had-a-conversation-about-basketball-035226726.html)
Good article. It paints a much rosier future for Bryce than I had in mind. The eyebrows raised by Rick Barnes & Tom Cream show the new administrators at Vanderbilt as shadowy figures who didn't really give Bryce any chance at all.
Quote from: Just Sayin on April 06, 2019, 09:10:31 PM
Bryce Drew is a woman singer
https://twitter.com/brycedrewmusic?lang=en
A wig and some make up can do wonders. ;D :o
Recent interview in Nashville Bryce said he's been visiting both ncaa and nba teams looking for some opportunities. Also has been looking into broadcasting. Being selective as he wants to hone his craft as a coach and make sure there is a mutually good fit. First love is college basketball.
It's too bad, as a program like Vandy is his long-term fit. He just needed an extra 4-5 years of HC experience, before making that jump to the SEC.
His team may have bigger egos and need more wrangling than Valpo players ever did and he may not quite have the skills to do it. I've also heard he is a micro manager which we ironically at Valpo could be seeing an issue with as Lottich may not have gotten the full level of mentoring he should have under Drew. He seems to look for asst coaches who can recruit first and want to handle the play stuff himself.
I must be the only one who thought that Moser to St. John's made little sense from the coach's perspective unless his pay raise was substantial enough to warrant it.
Is Paul being serious or just making a lighthearted comment? I tend to think the latter. I know Bryce was planning on doing some TV work this upcoming season, but I thought it was more on a national stage.
Could Bryce actually be the color guy for a Valpo game or two with Todd?
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1153112830243033088
Quote from: VU2014 on July 21, 2019, 08:35:19 PM
Is Paul being serious or just making a lighthearted comment? I tend to think the latter. I know Bryce was planning on doing some TV work this upcoming season, but I thought it was more on a national stage.
Could Bryce actually be the color guy for a Valpo game or two with Todd?
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1153112830243033088
Not to be rude, but Bryce is not a good public speaker. Ummm, maybe we just saw him in the wrong tv segments 🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️🤷🏻♂️
Total joke.
Perhaps Bryce has been attending Toastmasters...
If we could get him on the call of MVC ESPN3 games, this could be fun, just because Bryce is Valpo and would be a solid add to the broadcasts.
Besides Roger going to Gonzaga, where did the rest of his staff land?
Quote from: oklahomamick on September 02, 2019, 07:33:55 PM
Besides Roger going to Gonzaga, where did the rest of his staff land?
Jake Diebler is an assistant at OSU. Casey Shaw is the basketball coach at Davidson Academy, the school his kids attend.
Luke Simons is the DOBO at College of Charleston.