Valpo virtually at Missouri State AT THE ARC
Sunday January 10, 2021 1:00 p.m. Valpo time
ESPN3 plus. (I had to go through the Valpo Athletics website not my Xfinity tv service for Saturday's game)
I haven't even watched all the first game yet so I will not comment! :-[. Wait, I did see that 5 of 13 scholarship players did not participate and that says something.
I may not be able to watch much live today either. What a season? Many more ebbs than flows.
Quote from: bbtds on January 10, 2021, 10:26:21 AM
Valpo virtually at Missouri State AT THE ARC
This is a road game so I'll be much less optimistic. ;)
Yeah two possible contributors missing due to "personal" reasons. That's not good.
Edit: Just saw POs tweet on Nick. Best to him and his partner!
Is Sackey ever going to learn how to drive to the basket without committing an offensive foul?
Quote from: IndyEIT777 on January 10, 2021, 01:09:53 PM
Is Sackey ever going to learn how to drive to the basket without committing an offensive foul?
No.
This team sucks. Plain and simple. Sometime earlier this season I said we should judge Matt by his next four seasons instead of his first four. I was wrong. His offenses have always sucked, I have no reason to say that will change.Besides the fact the the entire offense is unimaginably awful, the players, mostly the veterans, suck at basketball. Eron just threw an uncontested pass into the stands. People are dropping the ball for no reason. Sackey, a junior, is fouling three point shooters. They take dumb shots. They aren't aggressive. I have a lot more to say but it's not even worth spending my time talking about this team anymore.
Our uniforms look good though.
Quote from: vok22 on January 10, 2021, 01:37:28 PM
Quote from: IndyEIT777 on January 10, 2021, 01:09:53 PM
Is Sackey ever going to learn how to drive to the basket without committing an offensive foul?
No.
This team sucks. Plain and simple. Sometime earlier this season I said we should judge Matt by his next four seasons instead of his first four. I was wrong. His offenses have always sucked, I have no reason to say that will change.Besides the fact the the entire offense is unimaginably awful, the players, mostly the veterans, suck at basketball. Eron just threw an uncontested pass into the stands. People are dropping the ball for no reason. Sackey, a junior, is fouling three point shooters. They take dumb shots. They aren't aggressive. I have a lot more to say but it's not even worth spending my time talking about this team anymore.
If Lottich didn't have two stud sophomores and potentially 3 promising freshman as well as a solid looking recruiting class next year, I would absolutely call for his firing. We just do not have any shooters on this team. We're taking a lot of threes, but we miss probably more than any team in the country.
The other big issue is we just don't have a point guard on this team. We need someone who can hold onto the ball and be able to pass as well as run the offense. Sackey is none of these things and it doesn't see like any of the backups are any better. I really am hopeful Palesse can come in and be that guy.
Quote from: IndyEIT777 on January 10, 2021, 01:49:40 PM
Quote from: vok22 on January 10, 2021, 01:37:28 PM
Quote from: IndyEIT777 on January 10, 2021, 01:09:53 PM
Is Sackey ever going to learn how to drive to the basket without committing an offensive foul?
No.
This team sucks. Plain and simple. Sometime earlier this season I said we should judge Matt by his next four seasons instead of his first four. I was wrong. His offenses have always sucked, I have no reason to say that will change.Besides the fact the the entire offense is unimaginably awful, the players, mostly the veterans, suck at basketball. Eron just threw an uncontested pass into the stands. People are dropping the ball for no reason. Sackey, a junior, is fouling three point shooters. They take dumb shots. They aren't aggressive. I have a lot more to say but it's not even worth spending my time talking about this team anymore.
If Lottich didn't have two stud sophomores and potentially 3 promising freshman as well as a solid looking recruiting class next year, I would absolutely call for his firing. We just do not have any shooters on this team. We're taking a lot of threes, but we miss probably more than any team in the country.
The other big issue is we just don't have a point guard on this team. We need someone who can hold onto the ball and be able to pass as well as run the offense. Sackey is none of these things and it doesn't see like any of the backups are any better. I really am hopeful Palesse can come in and be that guy.
100% agree
We look so out of sorts. Can Shay Frederick play for the men too?
Just not a fundamentally strong team.
We don't do the basics well. Too many times you see our offensive 35 feet out with 10 secs left on the the shot clock without being pressured. It's like they don't know what to do.
Quote from: Chairback on January 10, 2021, 02:24:02 PM
Just not a fundamentally strong team.
We don't do the basics well. Too many times you see our offensive 35 feet out with 10 secs left on the the shot clock without being pressured. It's like they don't know what to do.
Exactly. This team is hardly even a Thursday night team, they should be forced to play on Wednesday night.
I'll say it again...point guard, point guard, point guard. Sackey cannot guard well, cannot shoot well, cannot go the the basket strong and convert if pressured, has trouble with free throws, absolutely cannot shoot threes, often times is prone to turnovers, doesn't appear to have a good knowledge of the offense or what to do with the ball consequently does not contribute to running the offense. It all starts out front. He does have speed but it does him no good with no other offensive and defensive skills. The team's offense is not the problem, the problem is that we have no one to run it. After 2 and one half years, Sackey has not progressed one bit. It is time for him to sit and we work on finding someone to play the point in order to finish out his season with at least some respectable play from the point position.
I'm becoming numb to Lottich's teams...
I understand their first practice back was only on Thursday but I'm so tired of watching mediocre play from Valpo Basketball.
I really want to complain about how bad we are, but we had 8 players and haven't played or even practiced much for weeks. What a weird year.
Quote from: Chairback on January 10, 2021, 02:24:02 PM
Just not a fundamentally strong team.
We don't do the basics well. Too many times you see our offensive 35 feet out with 10 secs left on the the shot clock without being pressured. It's like they don't know what to do.
Not only do we get into that position late in the shot clock, but this team doesn't shoot free throws well, rebound well, or handle the ball well. You're absolutely right, basics are not a strong-suit of this team and that's going to lead to a long conference season for us.
Quote from: VU2014 on January 10, 2021, 02:54:36 PM
I'm becoming numb to Lottich's teams...
I understand their first practice back was only on Thursday but I'm so tired of watching mediocre play from Valpo Basketball.
At this point, mediocrity might be an aspiration.
Losing sucks and isn't fun but nobody on the team looks to have joy on the court
Download a Draft Kings account. Put money on VU's opponent every time. Will make the losses easier to stomach.
I had faith in Daniel (and I still do a little), certainly with his speed he can change a game. We've seen him do it a few games in the past. But one thing that I did not realize until these last two games is how far teams are sagging off of them. He will be at the 3 line and they are 3-5 feet away from him, if not further at times. It clogs the middle so bad that we can not get a pass to Ben. Certainly If they move to a zone on us.
They did on Buggs back in the day but he could finish really well driving the lane which made up for it. We also had shooters.
Post game press conference
https://youtu.be/HsGPe-lcgqs
Well, Daniel is 1 for 17 from the 3 for the season. If he is the "engine" then we may have a blown a head gasket. I liked the play of Jacob today. 13 points in 11 minutes on 2 of 4 from the 3. I also like what Sheldon brings in athleticism. Mileek seems to be a little better but isn't the answer. We've got WAY to many scholarship players who are giving us ZERO! Zion? (zero minutes all season) Sigurd? (34 minutes all season) Emil? (zero minutes) Goodnews? (80 minutes) So we are playing with 9 scholarship players and today Nick was gone so we played one of the best teams in the Valley with eight scholarship players. If we need to rely on Helms we are in deep stuff and I think Matt is realizing that as he only got 1 minute playing time today even short handed as we were.
I'm not throwing in the towel on the season. IF, and it is a BIG IF, we can get any amount of guys healthy, we have a chance. We battled back even with Donovan AWOL.
Hot take: Sackey is the worst player Valpo basketball has relied upon over the past 25 years.
Maleek is second.
Also, not to beat a dead horse, but this "team" is truly terrible. I may stop watching.
Fire Lottich.
Aside from the short hot streak in arch madness last year to get to the championship game, Lottichs teams have done nothing and have been bad. It's so hard to watch and a constant disappointment.
Every time we think we are turning a corner, it doesn't happen, and it's always "we have a great group coming in next year"
I love to listen to Todd on the ESPN stream (he is Valpo basketball to me) but kudos to PO on the radio these last two games. He did a great job and made it fun to listen to. I was switching back and forth. Thanks PO!
Quote from: vu72 on January 10, 2021, 04:26:27 PMDaniel is 1 for 17 from the 3 for the season.
Quote from: Chairback on January 10, 2021, 03:38:17 PMBut one thing that I did not realize until these last two games is how far teams are sagging off of them. He will be at the 3 line and they are 3-5 feet away from him, if not further at times. It clogs the middle so bad that we can not get a pass to Ben.
Sackey shot 31% from 3 last year and that was good enough to keep a defender out on him. This year I think I could lay back 10 or 12 feet and cover him pretty well. :) He is only a handful of decades younger!
Buggs was a reliably consistent 17% from 3. Maybe we should bring him up so he can give Daniel some distance shooting pointers. :o
https://twitter.com/nwisports/status/1348421636668743680?s=21
Quote from: VU2014 on January 10, 2021, 02:54:36 PM
I'm becoming numb to Lottich's teams...
I understand their first practice back was only on Thursday but I'm so tired of watching mediocre play from Valpo Basketball.
Agree. I think he is a fine person, recruited quality young men (for the most part), runs a good program, graduates players, etc. As a fan, it is frustrating to watch, not knowing which team will show up.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Lol I know what team will show up.
I'm sorry but 31% from the 3-point line is not good enough. He doesn't do much better from inside the line either and with his speed and getting fouled he is a poor free throw shooter, and seems to be lost on the court. And defensively? Wow! Look at almost any good D-1 team and if they have consistently good PG play, they play better as a team, and do it more consistently. The teams that do not have good PG play very inconsistently. The best example of this is IU. Their best point player is a 17 year old freshman. Trouble he is very young and needs experience. Perhaps someone on this year's VU team will step up and fill the bill as the season progresses. I sure hope so.
I am going to reserve my judgment on this year's team, until our next few series. We started with what is probably the top or second best team in the MVC this season. We had no answer for Mosley, and will learn from him getting to the rim on a consistent basis. As of now, I would say that we will be a 6 or 7 seed, as there are a few other bad MVC teams this year.
Lots of gloom and doom. R E L A X
The team is out of sync for a myriad of reasons.
The covid disruptions/stoppages on the team, has had a big effect on cohesiveness on offense and defense.
No set rotation yet. Players in and out. Lack of practice time, game time etc..
New players have not grasped the offense system yet. spacing on the court, cutting etc. This will take time
Team to three ball reliant at the moment. Draw more fouls and drive.
McMilliian needs to spend more time posting up. He has a soft touch in the lane.
JO needs to get in the weight room. Prim got to his spots to easily.
Sackey needs to go back to the basics on his shot mechanics. Until then D up and distribute. Forcing too much.
Intangibles that didn't show up in the box score from JFL and Kiser can't been replaced easily. Even when JFL wasn't scoring he was factor. Kiser was an underrated defender.
Connar Barrett, Kyle Korver esk player. Huge upside and high basketball IQ. Sheldon is the real deal and just needs more live games.
Quote from: Valpo89 on January 10, 2021, 03:19:46 PM
Download a Draft Kings account. Put money on VU's opponent every time. Will make the losses easier to stomach.
Only if you really like winning. As the early Martin Luther I am inclined to punish myself for enjoying the Drew years a little too much. :-)
P.S. I was binge watching season 4 of the TV series "Fargo" on Hulu over the weekend and saw a Kansas City mobster use the table prayer before a meal "God is Great, God is Good, Let us thank Him for our food." I always thought that was Lutheran for some reason. Of course those in the Dakotas & Minnesota have a huge Lutheran influence.
Quote from: vok22 on January 10, 2021, 01:37:28 PM
Quote from: IndyEIT777 on January 10, 2021, 01:09:53 PM
Is Sackey ever going to learn how to drive to the basket without committing an offensive foul?
No.
This team sucks. Plain and simple. Sometime earlier this season I said we should judge Matt by his next four seasons instead of his first four. I was wrong. His offenses have always sucked, I have no reason to say that will change.Besides the fact the the entire offense is unimaginably awful, the players, mostly the veterans, suck at basketball. Eron just threw an uncontested pass into the stands. People are dropping the ball for no reason. Sackey, a junior, is fouling three point shooters. They take dumb shots. They aren't aggressive. I have a lot more to say but it's not even worth spending my time talking about this team anymore.
I'm not sure how you really feel about this season's (20-21) Valpo MBB team. Could you explain your true feelings and stop holding back, please. It's so tough to get through your indirect rhetoric. Thank you.
P.S. Also please explain when Eron Gordon threw an uncontested pass into the stands. Was he passing the ball to some of the support staff?
As mentioned in the broadcast Southern Illinois is on Covid-19 protocol. It is likely that the next game scheduled at Carbondale against the Salukis will be postponed but keep tuned for further updates EVERYDAY!!
The problem with Daniel is something nobody can fix. It has nothing to do with effort or even talent--though his shooting is really bad right now. It is his height. He is listed at 5'9". I have never stood next to him so don't know if he really is that tall but often roster listings are generous.
D1 point guards are just bigger. Lane from Central Michigan, who ate our lunch is 6'3". Black from Missouri State is 6'4". These guys also are often bigger through the body and so can muscle Daniel up. It isn't his fault. These guys are just a very tough matchup.
Quote from: bbtds on January 11, 2021, 06:29:13 AM
Quote from: vok22 on January 10, 2021, 01:37:28 PM
Quote from: IndyEIT777 on January 10, 2021, 01:09:53 PM
Is Sackey ever going to learn how to drive to the basket without committing an offensive foul?
No.
This team sucks. Plain and simple. Sometime earlier this season I said we should judge Matt by his next four seasons instead of his first four. I was wrong. His offenses have always sucked, I have no reason to say that will change.Besides the fact the the entire offense is unimaginably awful, the players, mostly the veterans, suck at basketball. Eron just threw an uncontested pass into the stands. People are dropping the ball for no reason. Sackey, a junior, is fouling three point shooters. They take dumb shots. They aren't aggressive. I have a lot more to say but it's not even worth spending my time talking about this team anymore.
I'm not sure how you really feel about this season's (20-21) Valpo MBB team. Could you explain your true feelings and stop holding back, please. It's so tough to get through your indirect rhetoric. Thank you.
P.S. Also please explain when Eron Gordon threw an uncontested pass into the stands. Was he passing the ball to some of the support staff?
I admit, I have been way too turbulent on my opinions of this team this year. Been way too hot and cold with my posts. I think this team has a lot of nice pieces (clay, Krikke, JO, edwards, and Barrett) as well as a solid recruiting class coming in (with point guards which is the most important part). I don't think this team will have success this year though. I think that partly comes down to point guard play. Clearly this team has not figured out the offense with the new additions this offseason a new significantly limited practice time. In order to overcome that we need strong point guard play, and we just don't have that on this team unfortunately. I was also hoping krikke and/or clay would acquire the "takeover" factor in the off-season so that we could have one of them carry us when we go through bad offensive stretches. That isn't there yet, but I still have hope that they will start to become that with them only being sophomores. The weak PG play, no "takeover" player, and 3 contributing freshmen in year where practice has been hard to come by, we are in for a crappy year. I just hope that this doesn't discourage a player like Clay or Barrett to the point that they transfer this off-season. I'm starting to get vibes from Clay that he might not be around very much longer. If I everybody does stay, I think the next few years could be interesting. We have a nice point guard coming in next year from what I can tell. Throw in a 6'8 guard ranked 4th in Oklahoma, and a 6'5 guard that is averaging 36 ppg right now (palesse), I think we have a recruiting class with even more promise than the freshmen this year. Add that to a developed Clay and krikke, now we are talking.
So my final verdict: we suck this year and I don't think that will change, but we do have something to look forward to. The up and coming contributors are in no way mcmillans, Gordons, or sackeys. All are great guys I'm sure, but they aren't helping us win. JO has already made it clear he can contribute and stretch the floor by knocking down 3s. Same with Barrett, who also has had some nice offensive rebounds with put backs. Edwards I'm a little more confused on but he's hit some tough shots and I think he can make some highlight plays.
Honestly, I think I had my expectations a little too high this year and that's why I can't really get a grasp on this team.
Quote from: vok22 on January 11, 2021, 07:56:54 PM
Quote from: bbtds on January 11, 2021, 06:29:13 AM
Quote from: vok22 on January 10, 2021, 01:37:28 PM
Quote from: IndyEIT777 on January 10, 2021, 01:09:53 PM
Is Sackey ever going to learn how to drive to the basket without committing an offensive foul?
No.
This team sucks. Plain and simple. Sometime earlier this season I said we should judge Matt by his next four seasons instead of his first four. I was wrong. His offenses have always sucked, I have no reason to say that will change.Besides the fact the the entire offense is unimaginably awful, the players, mostly the veterans, suck at basketball. Eron just threw an uncontested pass into the stands. People are dropping the ball for no reason. Sackey, a junior, is fouling three point shooters. They take dumb shots. They aren't aggressive. I have a lot more to say but it's not even worth spending my time talking about this team anymore.
I'm not sure how you really feel about this season's (20-21) Valpo MBB team. Could you explain your true feelings and stop holding back, please. It's so tough to get through your indirect rhetoric. Thank you.
P.S. Also please explain when Eron Gordon threw an uncontested pass into the stands. Was he passing the ball to some of the support staff?
I admit, I have been way too turbulent on my opinions of this team this year. Been way too hot and cold with my posts. I think this team has a lot of nice pieces (clay, Krikke, JO, edwards, and Barrett) as well as a solid recruiting class coming in (with point guards which is the most important part). I don't think this team will have success this year though. I think that partly comes down to point guard play. Clearly this team has not figured out the offense with the new additions this offseason a new significantly limited practice time. In order to overcome that we need strong point guard play, and we just don't have that on this team unfortunately. I was also hoping krikke and/or clay would acquire the "takeover" factor in the off-season so that we could have one of them carry us when we go through bad offensive stretches. That isn't there yet, but I still have hope that they will start to become that with them only being sophomores. The weak PG play, no "takeover" player, and 3 contributing freshmen in year where practice has been hard to come by, we are in for a crappy year. I just hope that this doesn't discourage a player like Clay or Barrett to the point that they transfer this off-season. I'm starting to get vibes from Clay that he might not be around very much longer. If I everybody does stay, I think the next few years could be interesting. We have a nice point guard coming in next year from what I can tell. Throw in a 6'8 guard ranked 4th in Oklahoma, and a 6'5 guard that is averaging 36 ppg right now (palesse), I think we have a recruiting class with even more promise than the freshmen this year. Add that to a developed Clay and krikke, now we are talking.
So my final verdict: we suck this year and I don't think that will change, but we do have something to look forward to. The up and coming contributors are in no way mcmillans, Gordons, or sackeys. All are great guys I'm sure, but they aren't helping us win. JO has already made it clear he can contribute and stretch the floor by knocking down 3s. Same with Barrett, who also has had some nice offensive rebounds with put backs. Edwards I'm a little more confused on but he's hit some tough shots and I think he can make some highlight plays.
Honestly, I think I had my expectations a little too high this year and that's why I can't really get a grasp on this team.
That was interesting. I was being completely facetious and it produces a very introspective post from a passionate Valpo fan. I applaud your ability to self analyze your thoughts on this team. I truly hope you are wrong though and Valpo puts together about a 500 record in conference this year.
TD, a .500 conference record? This isn't the Mid-Con or Horizon.
Quote from: bbtds on January 11, 2021, 11:14:34 PM
Quote from: vok22 on January 11, 2021, 07:56:54 PM
Quote from: bbtds on January 11, 2021, 06:29:13 AM
Quote from: vok22 on January 10, 2021, 01:37:28 PM
Quote from: IndyEIT777 on January 10, 2021, 01:09:53 PM
Is Sackey ever going to learn how to drive to the basket without committing an offensive foul?
No.
This team sucks. Plain and simple. Sometime earlier this season I said we should judge Matt by his next four seasons instead of his first four. I was wrong. His offenses have always sucked, I have no reason to say that will change.Besides the fact the the entire offense is unimaginably awful, the players, mostly the veterans, suck at basketball. Eron just threw an uncontested pass into the stands. People are dropping the ball for no reason. Sackey, a junior, is fouling three point shooters. They take dumb shots. They aren't aggressive. I have a lot more to say but it's not even worth spending my time talking about this team anymore.
I'm not sure how you really feel about this season's (20-21) Valpo MBB team. Could you explain your true feelings and stop holding back, please. It's so tough to get through your indirect rhetoric. Thank you.
P.S. Also please explain when Eron Gordon threw an uncontested pass into the stands. Was he passing the ball to some of the support staff?
I admit, I have been way too turbulent on my opinions of this team this year. Been way too hot and cold with my posts. I think this team has a lot of nice pieces (clay, Krikke, JO, edwards, and Barrett) as well as a solid recruiting class coming in (with point guards which is the most important part). I don't think this team will have success this year though. I think that partly comes down to point guard play. Clearly this team has not figured out the offense with the new additions this offseason a new significantly limited practice time. In order to overcome that we need strong point guard play, and we just don't have that on this team unfortunately. I was also hoping krikke and/or clay would acquire the "takeover" factor in the off-season so that we could have one of them carry us when we go through bad offensive stretches. That isn't there yet, but I still have hope that they will start to become that with them only being sophomores. The weak PG play, no "takeover" player, and 3 contributing freshmen in year where practice has been hard to come by, we are in for a crappy year. I just hope that this doesn't discourage a player like Clay or Barrett to the point that they transfer this off-season. I'm starting to get vibes from Clay that he might not be around very much longer. If I everybody does stay, I think the next few years could be interesting. We have a nice point guard coming in next year from what I can tell. Throw in a 6'8 guard ranked 4th in Oklahoma, and a 6'5 guard that is averaging 36 ppg right now (palesse), I think we have a recruiting class with even more promise than the freshmen this year. Add that to a developed Clay and krikke, now we are talking.
So my final verdict: we suck this year and I don't think that will change, but we do have something to look forward to. The up and coming contributors are in no way mcmillans, Gordons, or sackeys. All are great guys I'm sure, but they aren't helping us win. JO has already made it clear he can contribute and stretch the floor by knocking down 3s. Same with Barrett, who also has had some nice offensive rebounds with put backs. Edwards I'm a little more confused on but he's hit some tough shots and I think he can make some highlight plays.
Honestly, I think I had my expectations a little too high this year and that's why I can't really get a grasp on this team.
That was interesting. I was being completely facetious and it produces a very introspective post from a passionate Valpo fan. I applaud your ability to self analyze your thoughts on this team. I truly hope you are wrong though and Valpo puts together about a 500 record in conference this year.
:lol: :lol: :lol: That completely went over my head, it was an exhausting weekend and that CFB championship game was starting to put me to sleep.
Quote from: Valpo89 on January 12, 2021, 08:19:47 AM
TD, a .500 conference record? This isn't the Mid-Con or Horizon.
Reality and Hope are entirely two different things. Otherwise the Colts & Bears would be playing in the Super Bowl every year. ;-)
I figured you, like me, were too old to have any hope left for this year's squad. :)