Time for a new thread where we can talk about our same old familiar faces. Some quick calculations showed that our guys will return about 45% of their 20-21 minutes (higher than I thought). Meanwhile the girls (subject to last minute change) look to return over 90%. If you followed last year there shouldn't be much confusion on who is who. Just remove Ellenson while adding freshmen Lovie Malone and Ella Van Weelden plus transfer Olivia Brown from St Bonaventure.
Looks like an even better 3 point (32% conference) shooting team but inside play will still be our vulnerability.
It is way too early but for the purpose of debate only, I'll ask which team (boys or girls) will end with the higher NET ranking? I'd say flip a coin and both could be near 100. Intelligent ??? and ignorant :crazy: guesswork will both be welcomed.
There's been a lot of talk about the starting five for the men, how about the ladies? Who are you seeing for the starting five?
Quote from: DuneHwx on August 28, 2021, 02:54:30 PM
There's been a lot of talk about the starting five for the men, how about the ladies? Who are you seeing for the starting five?
I expect we will play really small
Frederick
Brown
Weinman
White
Morrison
Frederick, Weinman, White and Morrison started every game they appeared in for our #122 NET 2020-21 team. I don't see that changing. That narrows it down to Van Kempen or Dunson if we need size; Sheehan, Gunn or Pitts if we need speed; Brown if we need shooting; and Earnest if we want versatility. ;)
That is 11 players who could start for a coach who likes to play with 9. I don't see our big freshmen getting large minutes early but that remains as an open opportunity and who knows how this could evolve.
Maybe I just forgot that it was announced, but Morrison came back for a 6th year? Wow! This will be a solid team again.
We have a schedule! Trips to Michigan St (34 NET), South Dakota (35 NET), and Bowling Green at 65. Hosting Notre Dame 56 NET and Central Michigan 90. 11 OOC
The girls beat UW-Milwaukee 59-54 in an exhibition game Sunday in Milwaukee.
Morrison and Weinman with 12 each. Earnest with 10.
Five girls hit multiple 3's. They have another scrimmage this weekend. Not sure who it's against.
Quote from: justducky on September 16, 2021, 10:21:54 AMWe have a schedule! Trips to Michigan St (34 NET), South Dakota (35 NET), and Bowling Green at 65. Hosting Notre Dame 56 NET and Central Michigan 90. 11 OOC
That is a GOOD schedule. Really good. Should get us very well prepared for Valley play!
We better stop scheduling Miami, they stomped us last year in Oxford one of four wins they had all season.
Tonight they beat us even worse. We had to rally to lose by 25.
Same problem of complete domination on the boards.
I will never understand not playing everyone at least a little when you are down 33 after 3.
That was really ugly. We got boat raced from the very beginning. Miami was just way to big for us.
Quote from: vu72 on November 11, 2021, 08:48:33 AMThat was really ugly.
Painful to watch!
Quote from: vu72 on November 11, 2021, 08:48:33 AMMiami was just way to big for us.
We couldn't compete inside and the 3 point line has been moved further out so we couldn't hit from there either.
Quote from: IndyValpo on November 10, 2021, 09:18:21 PMI will never understand not playing everyone at least a little when you are down 33 after 3.
Agree but some redshirts might be in the cards???
Definitely appeared to be some redshirts.
Gutsy play by the women today as they almost pulled off the upset of CMU; however, it is going to be a long season without any rebounding. In the first two games VU has been out-rebounded by the opponents 92-48 (38-11 on the offensive boards)!
Much better performance but another loss 65-61 to Central Michigan. Didn't catch all of it but Earnest has made major improvements.
The Dorow Debacle is still too fresh in my head to not feel optimistic by close losses to good teams. That being said, the women really need to begin to take that next step this season under Mary Evans.
I finally looked up the details of the 3 point line change. From 20' 9" it has been moved to the WNBA and International Line distance of 22' 1.75". That is an additional 16 3/4". Coach Evens had stockpiled a lineup suited to the old distance with not much post play and now will have to make some adjustments or fall in the MVC and NET standings. Maybe some of our freshman centers will get an unexpected chance to contribute?
The women played a decent game losing 73-62 to Michigan State today, White especially as she led the team in both points (22) and rebounds (6), and except for a basket at the end would have kept the margin under 10. However, once again they are playing with a distinct disadvantage in their lack of rebounding. In three games they have now been out-rebounded 133-70, 49-13 on the offensive end. This may be equivalent to spotting the opponent 10 points or more in each game.
Maybe Coach Evans doesn't stress good defense and wants to play chuck and run. Maybe that's her style. She has the players to win, but I don't see her being too great of a coach to lead Valpo to the upper echelon of the Valley.
Ugly loss last night for the women. UIC is terrible. They remain winless and look lost.
Hard to understand the coach's philosophy. Nobody crashes the the boards -- they all run back on defense without a thought of offensive rebounding. They don't even line players up on the foul line when they shoot FTs. They scramble and switch way too much on defense, allowing way too many breakdowns (it's way too confusing to switch that much IMO), and their substitution and playing time decisions are baffling.
Gunn hardly plays the first 4 games after being a key contributor last year? Earnest is their leading scorer and rebounder coming into last night and plays 4 minutes? Your LEADING SCORER plays 4 minutes? None of the other young girls (4 sophomores, 4 freshmen) really play or contribute?
Going back to last year, they were 5-4 going into the holiday break with Power 5 wins over Purdue, Illinois and Xavier and an OT loss at Wisconsin. Things looked very promising. Then they add Dunson as a midyear transfer and they are 7-16 since, and a very ugly 0-5 this year with her as a starter.
They try do a lot of things that good teams just don't do (no post players, never play zone, outlaw midrange shots, don't rebound FTs, crazy playing time swings that wreck kids' confidence). And the results have been predictable. If these were all good strategies, the best coaches would be using them.
Quote from: Piledriver on November 24, 2021, 01:27:47 PMThey try do a lot of things that good teams just don't do (no post players, never play zone, outlaw midrange shots, don't rebound FTs, crazy playing time swings that wreck kids' confidence). And the results have been predictable. If these were all good strategies, the best coaches would be using them.
I think the 3 point line change turned out to be a mountain instead of a molehill.
Quote from: justducky on November 15, 2021, 10:45:51 AMI finally looked up the details of the 3 point line change. From 20' 9" it has been moved to the WNBA and International Line distance of 22' 1.75". That is an additional 16 3/4". Coach Evens had stockpiled a lineup suited to the old distance with not much post play and now will have to make some adjustments or fall in the MVC and NET standings. Maybe some of our freshman centers will get an unexpected chance to contribute?
I think the change announcement came after her entire roster had been established? Maybe she had gambled that it wouldn't happen or that the distance increase would be less or that the girls could adjust? Obviously they aren't adjusting so the game has changed and their only solution is to adapt.
I don't care if her system worked last year and everybody returned! IT ISN'T WORKING NOW!
Too early to give up the season but the signs are not encouraging considering we start 5 seniors with 4 returning starters. At least 3 are 5th or 6th year.
As bad as we have started next year almost has to be worse given the above and limited bench development.
Evans is in her 4th season. By my count she has 9 of her own high school recruits on the roster. None of them start, and only 3 of them ever see the floor at all.
9 recruits in 3 recruiting classes, and zero starters.
They lucked out when Weinman and White both wanted out of Denver and came together as transfers. That was a big score, but it was luck more than anything. If you can't recruit and develop kids, you have no chance.
Next year they have only 1 recruit coming in. Another point guard. They already have 3 point guards sitting on the bench behind Shay Frederick (Sheehan, Interrante and Pitts, who is hurt).
Once we get used to the distance difference, the season will get on track.
Last year Mary Evans was Women's Basketball's messiah. This year not so much. Last year's hero is this year's scapegoat. I hope she can turn it around. Coaching is a fickle profession.
We were down to BGSU by 17 in the 3rd quarter, only to get it to 1 with 9 minutes left in the 4th. We then get blown out in that quarter by 12, to lose by 16. This team is just too hot and cold, and it is so unfortunate, as there were a lot of positives coming into this season. You wouldn't think that this team would be 0-7 to start the season, with all of the veterans that returned from a pretty solid team.
Quote from: valpotx on December 05, 2021, 02:57:16 PM
We were down to BGSU by 17 in the 3rd quarter, only to get it to 1 with 9 minutes left in the 4th. We then get blown out in that quarter by 12, to lose by 16. This team is just too hot and cold, and it is so unfortunate, as there were a lot of positives coming into this season. You wouldn't think that this team would be 0-7 to start the season, with all of the veterans that returned from a pretty solid team.
Lost the rebound battle by 20 again. Average rebounding for the 7 games thus far: Valpo 24.7, Opponents 39.1.
Got murdered on on the glass by 20 again (including 13-3 on the offensive glass, a much more important stat, if you are into the analytics stuff).
Ball game. No other stats really needed.
Shooting 2 FTs the entire game will get you beat, too. Somehow, BG only shot 7 FTs themselves.
The women played about as well as they could against #22-ranked Notre Dame. They even led in the third quarter but faded away to lose 73-56. Again, the team lost the rebounding battle by nearly 20 (44-27) and the offensive rebounding margin was 14-3. They have now been beaten by opponents on the offensive boards in their first 8 games by the margin of 100-31! If only this team could compete on the boards, they would be a formidable group.
Valpo was actually leading the rebound battle at halftime. I think it was 16-15.
ND just didn't miss in the 2nd half. There weren't many rebounds to be had.
Quote from: Piledriver on December 09, 2021, 10:21:26 AM
Valpo was actually leading the rebound battle at halftime. I think it was 16-15.
ND just didn't miss in the 2nd half. There weren't many rebounds to be had.
ND missed enough to get 14 offensive rebounds!
Yup, offensive boards are huge.
Notre Dame averages 14 of them a game (13.9), so they were right on their average.
That's what you get when you can put together a roster full of high school All-Americans.
The problem is simple. We are built to be solely a three point shooting team and we aren't shooting very well. Last year, for the season, the team shot 31.4% from the 3 and this year we are shooting 28.3%.
It is pretty obvious where the big problem here lies. Shay and Morrison. Shay shot 39.6% last year and is shooting 26.4% this year. Morrison shot 34.7% last year and is shooting 20.8% this year.
Can you say scouting? The shots aren't falling and we have no other alternative. It could be a disastrous year. I hope not.
The good news Frederick may have found her shot last night.
Tough game with South Dakota next but then we play two of the worst teams in D1 Morehead State and Detroit. We should be on a 2 game win streak heading into conference, 3 if they play SD like ND.
There was a lot more driving to the bucket and sets to exploit back cuts in the game last night.
This COULD be as disastrous year? I think we are already there.
Quote from: FWalum on December 09, 2021, 05:40:51 PM
There was a lot more driving to the bucket and sets to exploit back cuts in the game last night.
Their dribble drive attack got some easy buckets. Leah Earnest is becoming a player.
Quote from: valpo64 on December 09, 2021, 06:08:15 PM
This COULD be as disastrous year? I think we are already there.
You really didn't need to point that out to us. ::)
The women's inside woes continued against USD. Valpo lost the points in the paint battle by 32-4 and they were out-rebounded on the offensive boards 10-0. It didn't help that VU shot only 20% from the field as well.
Quote from: valpopal on December 10, 2021, 08:52:30 PM
The women's inside woes continued against USD. Valpo lost the points in the paint battle by 32-4 and they were out-rebounded on the offensive boards 10-0. It didn't help that VU shot only 20% from the field as well.
Thankfully I decided to watch the volleyball instead of the basketball.
I don't even know how to comment on this performance collapse. I suspect that several players are wondering about their decisions to return.
Several players are just not the same as the last 2 seasons. Shay has been an absolute stud for us previously, and we've only seen that side of her in 1 game this season.
This could be a situation where there is some sort of internal attitude issue (s). They just look lost and aren't playing at all like last year.
31 points which from what I can tell is the lowest point output in the history of the program. We scored in the 30's only in 73-74, the program's first season.
We scored 2 points in Q2 which is probably a record.
It appears that they must have some internal problems...something is not right with this program.
Over the years I've watched a number of teams both HS and college that returned the players and talent but lost the results. I've never been able to explain any of these negative turnarounds which all began with optimism.
Quote from: valpo64 on December 12, 2021, 01:53:24 PM
It appears that they must have some internal problems...something is not right with this program.
I doubt if there is any serious internal conflict. If there was then why would all of them have returned? A simpler answer might be that they expected to return as a good team but didn't want to work as hard as maybe they had in the past? I grouped Eron Gordon with our grad gals in reference to their failure to meet expectations. The fact that you were pretty good doesn't mean that you can coast. Worse yet is the loss of confidence and the next step lower becomes desperation. Good luck to coach Evans.
Whatever the problem, Coach Evans does not appear to be able to handle/remedy the problem.
Quote from: valpo64 on December 13, 2021, 12:52:33 PM
Whatever the problem, Coach Evans does not appear to be able to handle/remedy the problem.
It's amazing the changes that can take place from one season to the next. Nothing but rave reviews for her over the first few seasons, program heading in the correct direction, etc.
The ability to adapt and adjust is what separates the good coaches from the bad ones. (See Bill Belichik)
It's great to have conviction and believe in your system. But it's a fatal error for coaches to be inflexible and refuse to change when change is needed. When your Plan A doesn't work, you better have a Plan B. And sometimes, Plan A and Plan B are totally different approaches.
Offensively, that is where the women's team is at.
We will see what the coaches do. Either they will adapt and adjust, or they won't.
In a battle of current bottom-dwellers, Valpo gets its first win of the season at Morehead State, 65-57!
Quote from: valpotx on December 19, 2021, 01:52:37 PM
In a battle of current bottom-dwellers, Valpo gets its first win of the season at Morehead State, 65-57!
Though they were playing an equally weak team, the strategy also seemed different today, as they cut their 3-point attempts to a season low of 12 (at times in past games they have surpassed 30), which led to two results, an overall field goal percentage of 50 and a win at the foul line by 17-1. Also, Valpo was only out-rebounded by 3 instead of their average of nearly 15.
We needed a win! Detroit should be win 2 heading into conference. Hopefully Brown has found her shot. At of nowhere Pitts played 4 minutes. Where is Gunn?
They continued to look lethargic though better near the end of the game. Missed bunnies. Although a win, Morehead is really bad and previously lost to Evansville by 30.
43.8% from 3 today. That's more like it!
Any word on Gunn and is Pitts playing anywhere near her 19-20 level?
My preseason optimism is gone so what will our MVC record be? Do we have a shot at finding 7 wins again? What will it take to completely turn the confidence thing around?
A win is a win but we have now beaten RPI #350 and #354 (NET #339 and #354) out of 356 schools.
Still a lot of work ahead...
Women lost 74-62 at Missouri State, which is receiving votes. I wouldn't have thought anything of the end result, until you look at the stats:
Valpo - 45.7% overall (21/46), 50% from 3 (11/22), 81.8% from FT (9/11), 10 Assists/21 Turnovers, and 27 Rebounds (2 O/25 D)
Mo St - 29.7% overall (19/64), 9.1% from 3 (2/22), 82.9% from FT (34/41), 6 Assists/12 Turnovers, and 47 Rebounds (23 O/24 D)
I stopped watching during the 2Q, but was it the lack of rebounding that led to the 33 to 14 foul disparity, and thus 41 FTs to 11 FTs? With those shooting numbers, you would have thought it was a win, until you look at the rebounds & FTs.
Coach Evans and an assistant both missed the 2 weekend games with Covid, along with 2 players. Weinman is out with a sprained ankle and didn't make the trip. The team was very thin and short-handed. Lots of illness and injuries.
The girls didn't play real well in either game, but hung around in both games.
Great comeback at home against UNI, when down by 13 in the 4th quarter! We win 60-58, even without Weinman, and hope that this turns the season around.
Quote from: valpotx on January 07, 2022, 07:56:16 PM
Great comeback at home against UNI, when down by 13 in the 4th quarter! We win 60-58, even without Weinman, and hope that this turns the season around.
I didn't watch but the boxscore suggests some changes have been made. Earnest played 31 minutes with 9 points, Pitts 20 and 5, and Brown 39 while scoring 18 points. :o Smaller minutes for some of our mainstays. Maybe this helped?
That women's game showed that we've adapted. 40 points in the paint, players driving instead of always looking for the 3. Mary Evans has helped them to adjust the offense, we shouldn't be doubting her coaching ability. However, this does mean some of the players look a bit lost in the new offense as dribble drives are not their forte. When Weinman gets healthy I doubt VanKempen will be starting or getting many minutes. I also couldn't help but notice it looked like we only had 8 active players in the stadium which I guess has to be covid related. Hopefully everyone stays healthy and we can play all games when scheduled.
Quote from: Valpofamfan on January 08, 2022, 05:39:22 AM
That women's game showed that we've adapted. 40 points in the paint, players driving instead of always looking for the 3. Mary Evans has helped them to adjust the offense, we shouldn't be doubting her coaching ability. However, this does mean some of the players look a bit lost in the new offense as dribble drives are not their forte. When Weinman gets healthy I doubt VanKempen will be starting or getting many minutes. I also couldn't help but notice it looked like we only had 8 active players in the stadium which I guess has to be covid related. Hopefully everyone stays healthy and we can play all games when scheduled.
8 in uniform 2 redshirts and 7 missing. I suggested before the season Brown would be a starter. Looks like she was earned it.
Quote from: Valpofamfan on January 08, 2022, 05:39:22 AMThat women's game showed that we've adapted. 40 points in the paint, players driving instead of always looking for the 3. Mary Evans has helped them to adjust the offense, we shouldn't be doubting her coaching ability. However, this does mean some of the players look a bit lost in the new offense as dribble drives are not their forte. When Weinman gets healthy I doubt VanKempen will be starting or getting many minutes. I also couldn't help but notice it looked like we only had 8 active players in the stadium which I guess has to be covid related. Hopefully everyone stays healthy and we can play all games when scheduled.
The offense is the same. The coach has been out for a week with Covid. Nothing has changed as far as X's and O's. The big change is the lineup, necessitated by injury and illness.
Congrats to the ladies on our first ever victory over Drake, 71-61! It helps that their top scorers were out, but we are also without Weinman again. We just hit our 3s for the first time this year. Good win against a NET ranking of 46-48.
Quote from: valpotx on January 09, 2022, 03:02:13 PM
Congrats to the ladies on our first ever victory over Drake, 71-61! It helps that their top scorers were out, but we are also without Weinman again. We just hit our 3s for the first time this year. Good win against a NET ranking of 46-48.
Literally out of nowhere Morrison hits 7 threes
I've never understood her shooting woes in prior seasons, or this season. She has really good form on her shots, and doesn't miss badly when she misses. I had figured that last season was her true ability.
Quote from: IndyValpo link=topic=
/quote]
Literally out of nowhere Morrison hits 7 threes
And Morrison does make a shot in the next game.
I will never understand Evans' reluctance to let the deep subs play. I am assuming we dressed 10. Down over 20 after three quarters she only plays Shannon the last 3 minutes and burns Beyer's red shirt to play the final 44 seconds. I think she is up to almost 2 minutes since she arrived mid year last season.
Beyer is not redshirting. Like Interrante and Johnston, she will never see the floor.
Sheehan has been out with Covid. Not ready to play, not in the rotation. Doesn't defend or handle the ball well enough to get on the court.
The substitute pattern is just a "that ain't working so let's throw something else out there" Last game--a win--Morrison plays 27 minutes and scores 21. This game she plays 13 and get a zero. VanKempen continues to not show up yet gets plenty of minutes. Frustrating.
Quote from: Piledriver on January 14, 2022, 09:32:21 AM
Beyer is not redshirting. Like Interrante and Johnston, she will never see the floor.
Sheehan has been out with Covid. Not ready to play, not in the rotation. Doesn't defend or handle the ball well enough to get on the court.
I am not suggesting they be part of the rotation. But when it is obvious we are going to lose why not let the subs play more than a few minutes.
"I am not suggesting they be part of the rotation. But when it is obvious we are going to lose why not let the subs play more than a few minutes."
Agreed. Of course, the VU women rallied from 13 down in the 4th quarter last weekend against Northern Iowa, and have had some other huge very late comeback wins in recent years, so I guess it's hard to know when to throw in the towel.
The 2 Valpo 6-footers in the starting lineup last night combined for 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0 blocks in 40 minutes. The 2 starting big girls for Illinois St. combined for 33 points, 17 rebounds and 6 blocks. It's a familiar story
You can't win without big players. The Valpo big girls are simply not very competitive.
Quote from: Piledriver on January 14, 2022, 10:46:35 AM
Agreed. Of course, the VU women rallied from 13 down in the 4th quarter last weekend against Northern Iowa, and have had some other huge very late comeback wins in recent years, so I guess it's hard to know when to throw in the towel.
The 2 Valpo 6-footers in the starting lineup last night combined for 0 points, 2 rebounds, 0 blocks in 40 minutes. The 2 starting big girls for Illinois St. combined for 33 points, 17 rebounds and 6 blocks. It's a familiar story
You can't win without big players. The Valpo big girls are simply not very competitive.
A fair point on comebacks but a coach has to be able to understand there comes a point when it isn't going to happen.
It is almost unfair to call our bigs big. Morrison was a small forward for her first two seasons and VanKampen is a wing as well.
Evans has hit the transfer portal pretty well you think they could find size there.
Good win for the ladies on the road at Bradley, to get us to 5-12 (3-3). Still playing well without Weinman, so that is a large positive.
Quote from: valpotx on January 15, 2022, 04:47:52 PMGood win for the ladies on the road at Bradley, to get us to 5-12 (3-3).
Major mistake on my part that I didn't stay home and watch them. :(
Both teams played without their leading scorer due to injury. The Beacons looked like they ran out of gas late with some girls logging big minutes on the road trip. Some tired legs on the floor. Morrison came up big in the last couple minutes after VU had blown a big lead. Weinman would have helped them a lot in that game.
Grace White was huge defensively. She was all over the place. Earnest had a double-double. They are a strong pairing at small forward.
The girls are 5-3 in their last 8 games (6 without Weinman), so credit to them. They have have battled back after a bad start to the year.
Quote from: Piledriver on January 16, 2022, 10:15:25 AMGrace White was huge defensively. She was all over the place. Earnest had a double-double. They are a strong pairing at small forward.
The girls are 5-3 in their last 8 games (6 without Weinman), so credit to them. They have have battled back after a bad start to the year.
I just went to my calendar crossing off men's UNI Wed and penciling in girl's ISUb for Fri 6:00. Maybe I will watch another guy's game this year and maybe not.
At 3-3 we have the best record for teams having played all 6 games. Several teams sitting at 3-1 or 1-2. Maybe this will help us later in the season? Also we have faced mostly the best in the Valley and that can't hurt either. I'm almost optimistic again as long as I don't think about the guys. ;)
Sycamores win 85-65. We were outplayed in every aspect of the game. ISU is a much better team than I was expecting.
That is a team that has traditionally been the bottom-dweller of the MVC. We got outrebounded by 20+. You aren't going to win with that many second chances, no matter how well you shoot.
Again, (hate to repeat myself) you cannot win without competent big players. You have to have players big enough and with the physical attributes to be able to guard the paint and rebound on the defensive end. Winning is not sustainable without players who can defend and rebound. All things being equal, bigger players beat smaller players.
Also, not trying to be mean or single anybody out, but VU has too many players who are simply not D1 caliber players. There are several players who get minutes who simply do not have Division 1 ability. Numbers and stats certainly don't always tell the story of a player's value, but a quick look at some VU players' career stats will tell you all you need to know. Some of the players simply can't handle the ball, shoot and pass well enough to play Division 1 basketball at a competent level. There are plenty of D2 and D3 players around who are better basketball players than girls who get minutes for Valpo.
The problem with the women's team is the lack of rebounders and that isn't going to change. We have two--TWO, and they are Grace White and Leah Ernest--both, undersized. Everyone else is a wing, tall wing or a guard. We were out rebounded 41-20!!! In addition, they were just WAY more athletic. When their guards penetrated and shot the mid-range jumper, they looked like athletes. We shot40% from the 3 and lost by 20. It wasn't even close.
Look for a Thursday game. We aren't very good and based on the recruits, I don't see this changing. We need athletes and rebounding--Period.
"The problem with the women's team is the lack of rebounders and that isn't going to change. We have one--ONE, and that person is Leah Ernest. Everyone else is a wing, tall wing or a guard. We were out rebounded 41-20!!! In addition, they were just WAY more athletic. When their guards penetrated and shot the mid-range jumper, they looked like athletes. It wasn't even close.
Look for a Thursday game. We aren't very good and based on the recruits, I don't see this changing. We need athletes and rebounding--Period."
____
Agreed. This.
Ironic, because Earnest was more of a combo guard than a frontcourt player coming out of high school. Regardless, if you are playing D1 college basketball, and you are not a point guard, you better figure out how to rebound. VU has girls who are not ball handlers or fast enough to play guard, yet they are too soft or not strong enough play on the front line. That doesn't leave much value. No team really needs a bunch of wings who don't handle the ball well, don't score and don't rebound.
Isn't it interesting that with all of the problems with the women's team the coach is never mentioned/recruiting, etc. as being responsible for any of their problems. On the other hand, the men's coach is responsible for EVERYTHING.
Good win against Evansville today, and our 3-pt shooting is coming around. Morrison is on fire over the last few games, shooting it at a rate that she should have been shooting all along. If Shay and Carrie get back to their old form, watch out for a top half finish. We are now 6-13 (4-4). The difference between the Men's and Women's HC situation is that it has been a long time since the Women have consistently been competitive, really going back to my time on campus from the 2000 to 2004 seasons. The Men's team has higher expectations, after having almost 25 consecutive seasons of above .500 play (1 or 2 seasons below), up until 3 of the last 4 seasons (this season TBD). I think that Coach Evans is the right fit for our program, as long as we don't have any more games where we are outrebounded by 20. We won the rebounding battle today 39 to 31...
Yeah, good showing for the VU women after a very sluggish start. Just took over late in the first half and never gave the lead back. White and Morrison were making deep 3's from all over the gym, and the bench played well. VU defense forced misses, and the difference this time was they didn't give up offensive rebounds. Evansville does not have the horses inside to dominate the offensive boards.
Was interesting, the officials let a lot of contact go in the 2nd half that is normally called in the women's game, and it actually worked to Valpo's advantage. Lots of contact on Evansville drives, but refs let them play and Valpo collected all the misses.
Evansville looked pretty rag-tag at times.
We appear to have settled on a 9 player rotation. 6 of these are seniors. Do we know if any of these 6 will return for an extra year. We know Morrison and White will be gone.
Weinman apparently hasn't decided. Everybody else will be back except Morrison and White. They are the only 2 out of eligibility.
Logic would seem to say there will be at least some roster turnover with the large number of players on the bench who never play.
Very nice win tonight at Drake! Last win over them was blamed on three or four starters being out. Not so tonight, just smart basketball relying very little on the 3. Good job Coach Evans and the team!
Exactly. Drake can't say that they didn't have their team with them, and we've had similar team depth issues all season. We start off 0-13 against Drake, but are now 2-0 in the last 2 games, with our first ever wins both at home and on the road at a historically solid Drake program! We are now 7-14 (5-5), and the ladies have learned to rebound. It's amazing what happens, when you don't lose that battle by 20...
Quote from: vu72 on February 04, 2022, 08:33:00 PM
Very nice win tonight at Drake! Last win over them was blamed on three or four starters being out. Not so tonight, just smart basketball relying very little on the 3. Good job Coach Evans and the team!
After starting the year with 9 straight losses (many lopsided) getting to 7-14 is surprising. Finishing Valley play at 9-9 is still an achievable goal. Who would have thunk that when we were 0-9?
Credit to Coach Evans on adjusting. She stuck with the type of offense that she wants to run at Valpo, until it was proving to just not be the solution this season, most likely with the difference in the 3 point line distance. I see much more passing, better defense, and some blocking out on rebounds. We have our players that come in for specific reasons each game, and have several go-to scorers, if someone is off.
"Credit to Coach Evans on adjusting. She stuck with the type of offense that she wants to run at Valpo, until it was proving to just not be the solution this season, most likely with the difference in the 3 point line distance. I see much more passing, better defense, and some blocking out on rebounds. We have our players that come in for specific reasons each game, and have several go-to scorers, if someone is off. "
The offense has not changed. They basically have 2 different versions of the weak-side double screen (trap screen), with some options. The difference from game-to-game almost always comes down to individual performances and matchups. Against Drake, the Valpo players took good shots and converted more of them. Valpo has proven to be a bad matchup for Drake. Drake does not have players who can penetrate and score off the dribble. The don't break down the defense with penetration. They play through the post and try to get the ball to the bigs. Valpo struggles most against athletic driving teams, and that's not Drake. Drake had a hard time with Valpo last year with an even better team than they have now. Some teams just match up better (or worse) against certain teams. Drake scored just 26 points in the second half. The Valpo defense in the 2nd half was the biggest factor in the game, for sure.
Challenging schedule remains.
@UNI 7-2 Today 2PM 48 NET
Bradley 0-10. Feb 10 272 NET
ISUr 8-2 Feb 12 125 NET
@ Eville 1-8 Feb18 286 NET
@ ISUb 5-3 Feb 20 169 NET
Loyola 4-5 Feb 25 117 NET
MSU 6-3 March 3 41 NET
SIU 7-1 March 5 88 NET
Quote from: Piledriver on February 05, 2022, 09:56:45 AMThe difference from game-to-game almost always comes down to individual performances and matchups. Against Drake, the Valpo players took good shots and converted more of them. Valpo has proven to be a bad matchup for Drake. Drake does not have players who can penetrate and score off the dribble.
We beat Drake (92 NET) both times but even with 5 of our last 8 games played at the ARC getting to 9-9 or 10-8 won't be easy. Records aside we match up poorly with ISUb and Loyola and they are only middle of the pack Valley performers. To have any shot at 10-8 we have to hang in @ UNI and maybe squeeze out a close one. Otherwise 8-10 or worse looks much more likely to me than 9-9.
Agreed. After watching VU get blown out of the gym at N. Iowa yesterday, a .500 or better record in the league would be very optimistic.
They are last in the MVC in scoring, and watching them try to run the coach's "system" again yesterday was downright painful. Again. Valpo actually has some nice offensive pieces — Frederick, White, Ernest, Weinman, Brown and Morrison can all score. They are actually a pretty nice group. But watching them slog through that stationary offense with no flow, no ball movement ... it's ugly. I've watched every Valpo girls game for the past 4 years — actually every game of the Evans era — because we know one of the players, and that offense is just not the answer. That's all there is to it. It's the most poorly conceived offensive scheme I've ever seen at that level. No midrange shots. No post-ups. Very few cutters. When the opposing teams knows you will only take 3's or layups, they are starting with a huge advantage against you.
I actually do agree with the coach's devotion to the 3-point shot. I think she's right on the money there. And the Valpo women do a lot of very good things defensively. When they win, that's usually the reason. But the offense they run is not effective.
Geez, that was a tough loss. We get to within 2 and have the ball with around 2 minutes left, and Dunson absolutely bricks a 3, then commits a moving screen, and finishes it off by fouling on the other end. I thought that she had hope last season, but she is just bad. Why does she continue to play 15-20 minutes, with hardly any positive production?
Quote from: valpotx on February 12, 2022, 02:54:18 PM
Geez, that was a tough loss. We get to within 2 and have the ball with around 2 minutes left, and Dunson absolutely bricks a 3, then commits a moving screen, and finishes it off by fouling on the other end. I thought that she had hope last season, but she is just bad. Why does she continue to play 15-20 minutes, with hardly any positive production?
Thank you my thoughts exactly. Earnest and Van Kampen on the bench. I see no good reason Dunson is playing at all. And if she is in, no 3 point attempts.
Why did we let them dribble off 30 seconds with a minute to play.
Also, what the hell happened to Shay over the last Summer/Fall? She is nowhere near the same player that she was. She was absolutely unconscious at times last year, taking step-back 3s, and shaking defenders. I hate saying it, but we would say it about the guys, so it is fair game. She has put on weight. Might that be the issue? I guess that her shooting percentages this season are similar to what she did prior to last season, so last season might have been the aberration. She reminded me of a Luka Doncic-type last season, with some of the shots she was making.
Just because you would say it about the men doesn't mean that it's right to say. This is a kid after all. There are a million things that impact player performance, one of the most frequent is playing through injuries that the fans would know nothing about. They nearly pulled off a win against the top team in the conference in a dramatic rebound from the first time they played them. Lots of positives to focus on.
Quote from: DuneHwx on February 13, 2022, 07:48:38 AM
Just because you would say it about the men doesn't mean that it's right to say. This is a kid after all. There are a million things that impact player performance, one of the most frequent is playing through injuries that the fans would know nothing about. They nearly pulled off a win against the top team in the conference in a dramatic rebound from the first time they played them. Lots of positives to focus on.
Umm, my college coach would routinely tell us when we were out of shape, and make us run until we all had to grab a trash can. I don't view college-aged athletes as kids anymore.
"Geez, that was a tough loss. We get to within 2 and have the ball with around 2 minutes left, and Dunson absolutely bricks a 3, then commits a moving screen, and finishes it off by fouling on the other end. I thought that she had hope last season, but she is just bad. Why does she continue to play 15-20 minutes, with hardly any positive production?"
Not to pile on, but the same player cost Evans the biggest win of her career last year. Valpo had Missouri State (ranked in the Top 25 at the time) beat, but she committed a ridiculous foul on a long desperation 3-pointer at the horn. 3 FTs later Valpo lost by 1.
She shouldn't have been in the game then, and shouldn't have been in the game Saturday.
Quote from: Piledriver on February 14, 2022, 08:38:28 AM
"Geez, that was a tough loss. We get to within 2 and have the ball with around 2 minutes left, and Dunson absolutely bricks a 3, then commits a moving screen, and finishes it off by fouling on the other end. I thought that she had hope last season, but she is just bad. Why does she continue to play 15-20 minutes, with hardly any positive production?"
Not to pile on, but the same player cost Evans the biggest win of her career last year. Valpo had Missouri State (ranked in the Top 25 at the time) beat, but she committed a ridiculous foul on a long desperation 3-pointer at the horn. 3 FTs later Valpo lost by 1.
She shouldn't have been in the game then, and shouldn't have been in the game Saturday.
Yeah, I completely forgot about that foul. That was absolutely bone-headed, and as a fan, all you can do is hold your head and say 'why...just why?'
If I were you I would think twice about publicly body shaming any young ladies, especially young ladies that you are hoping will perform at a high level. Also, Shay is in no way overweight and to suggest otherwise is insane. Also, if you want to look at her percentages try counting the number of times the ball is in her hands for the end of the shot clock desperation shot. She has been named MVP of the game a number of times this season for a reason.
No one said overweight. I said had gained weight. I don't feel bad, sorry. I am equal opportunity. If I/you can say it about a guy, it is fair game to say about another athlete that is not a guy. Our body fat % was monitored when I was at Valpo, and if I was a little over, I was made aware.
Well, I could provide you quotes and data on the impact of body shaming on young women but I won't bother. Here's hoping that you take some time for some good old fashioned soul searching, though not optimistic.
[/size][size=78%]PS: These girls are strong and admirable athletes who work hard to make the university proud. Kudos.[/size]
Stay Classy, San Diego.
Quote from: DuneHwx on February 16, 2022, 09:25:04 PM
Well, I could provide you quotes and data on the impact of body shaming on young women but I won't bother. Here's hoping that you take some time for some good old fashioned soul searching, though not optimistic.
[/size][size=78%]PS: These girls are strong and admirable athletes who work hard to make the university proud. Kudos.[/size]
You don't know me, so you can think all that you want with your 'soul searching' comment. You obviously have a personal tie, so you are taking it personally. I get it. However, why would you think that talking about weight in a female athlete is any different than a male athlete? All of the data is focused on women and weight because of traditional views between men and women and advertising in the media, but that doesn't mean male athletes take it any easier. Unlike female athletes, our weight was always posted on a public website. Saying someone has gained weight is not body shaming to me. If I would have said that someone is fat or out-of-shape, that is different.
Nope, no personal ties just hoping to present another perspective.
You used your coach's attention to your weight as justification. That was in private. This is a public forum.
This is less public than the Valpo athletics page, where my college weight is still displayed to this day :). Also, our body fat % tests were done in an open training room, where we all went in line to get it taken as part of our physicals. Not very private lol.
Good OT win at Evansville, after getting to and blowing an 11 point lead in the 3rd. Shay, Carrie, and Grace were solid. I still don't understand what Dunson gives us, to play 28 minutes with limited production. I get that Pitts provides a jolt of energy and defense, but why not switch out her and Maya's minutes? Pitts doesn't really shoot, but when she does, it has to be better than 29% overall and above the Mendoza Line from 3...
Quote from: valpotx on February 18, 2022, 09:07:56 PM
Good OT win at Evansville, after getting to and blowing an 11 point lead in the 3rd. Shay, Carrie, and Grace were solid. I still don't understand what Dunson gives us, to play 28 minutes with limited production. I get that Pitts provides a jolt of energy and defense, but why not switch out her and Maya's minutes? Pitts doesn't really shoot, but when she does, it has to be better than 29% overall and above the Mendoza Line from 3...
Probably a few rebounds and a break for our "bigs". What surprises me is VanKempen who starts and really adds very little with another zero on the score card yesterday.
Apparently there is a lot of discord on the women's team these days. Many disgruntled players. Who's playing and how much seems to be a big part of it. I talked to a parent who said "there are going to be players leaving that they didn't expect to leave."
There are about 6 subs and redshirts that never play, so maybe some of them are leaving. Brown and Dunson have already transferred once. Weinman, Morrison and White are graduating. That leaves Frederick, Pitts, Ernest, Gunn and VanKempen. Pitts has a baby and 1 year of eligibility left, so I doubt she is heading elsewhere.
Frederick might be pondering a grad year elsewhere. It's a very popular move these days. Ernest and Gunn have had wild swings in playing time. They may have had enough and are moving on.
I guess we'll see soon. Only a few games left.
Well Dunson showed us, 13 and 7 today!!
Good road win at an improved Indiana State program. I have to give credit where it is due that Dunson and Shay played very well. I remember that when Maya first started playing for Valpo, she appeared to have a good shot at that time. I am not sure what happened at the end of last year or most of this year, but her shooting today was more like what I remember from her in her first few Valpo games.
Great performance by Dunson today. That's the way to silence the critics.
Coach had them ready to play today. Lots of good performances. The best I have seem them play this year, and against a team that has a lot of tough matchups for them and hammered them in the ARC last month.
Two big wins on the weekend, after getting stuck on their team bus all day Wednesday in the snow. I'm sure it was a long weekend, but it will be a happier bus ride home.
I mean, it silences our view for one game, but she is still shooting 31.8% overall, and 21.6% from 3, with a decent volume of shots. If she keeps it up, sure, I will eat crow, but this doesn't change the overall view of her season so far
Quote from: Piledriver on February 20, 2022, 09:41:32 AM
Apparently there is a lot of discord on the women's team these days. Many disgruntled players. Who's playing and how much seems to be a big part of it. I talked to a parent who said "there are going to be players leaving that they didn't expect to leave."
There are about 6 subs and redshirts that never play, so maybe some of them are leaving. Brown and Dunson have already transferred once. Weinman, Morrison and White are graduating. That leaves Frederick, Pitts, Ernest, Gunn and VanKempen. Pitts has a baby and 1 year of eligibility left, so I doubt she is heading elsewhere.
Frederick might be pondering a grad year elsewhere. It's a very popular move these days. Ernest and Gunn have had wild swings in playing time. They may have had enough and are moving on.
I guess we'll see soon. Only a few games left.
I hadn't thought about Frederick taking a Grad transfer but she can handle the ball and make free throws. She might find something.
With those 3 graduating we currently look to really struggle next year. Evans, though spotty recruiting freshmen, has been successful in the transfer portal. I see us working that.
Darn. We get it to 3 in the 4th quarter, and then mass turnovers ensue, leading to being down 15, all over a 3-4 minute period of time.
But we learned the difference between Coach Evans and Juwan Howard...
If we beat either Missouri State or SIU in the next 2 games, we will end up at 9-9 in conference. To me, that would be another step forward for the program, even with the 2-9 non-conference record. Obviously, both would be a major upset, as each is slated to be in the NCAA tourney, per current bracketology.
I just don't see Mary's team getting to the top of the conference with this five out strategy. We consistently are out-rebounded and I don't see any size being added. Next year, with the loss of three starters and the two seniors coming off the bench, we should be picked last and that won't sit well.
Quote from: valpotx on February 26, 2022, 07:47:40 AM
If we beat either Missouri State or SIU in the next 2 games, we will end up at 9-9 in conference. To me, that would be another step forward for the program, even with the 2-9 non-conference record. Obviously, both would be a major upset, as each is slated to be in the NCAA tourney, per current bracketology.
Throwing out Evans' first year we have been 9-9 7-9 and 8-8 in conference. We took a big step forward in year 2 but have plateaued.
Quote from: vu72 on February 26, 2022, 08:43:01 AM
I just don't see Mary's team getting to the top of the conference with this five out strategy. We consistently are out-rebounded and I don't see any size being added. Next year, with the loss of three starters and the two seniors coming off the bench, we should be picked last and that won't sit well.
I tend agree I think we have seen where this approach can go. We play 5 out because we can recruit bigs. Or we can't recruit bigs so we play 5 out.
I just will never understand. Tonight's game was over by the end of 3, yet under 3 minutes remaining we put 3 starters back in the game down 17. Then with 1:15 left we cleared the bench, sort of.
"I just will never understand. Tonight's game was over by the end of 3, yet under 3 minutes remaining we put 3 starters back in the game down 17. Then with 1:15 left we cleared the bench, sort of."
Agreed. There a lot of things about their team I don't understand. Mostly their offense. Been into basketball my entire life and never seen anybody run that offense. I feel for the players trying to run that. It would be very difficult to score. 44 points last night... they'd be so much better off if they just spread the floor and played motion. They have some nice offensive players, but that offense is so bad. I guarantee if any of the players ever go coach their own team, they won't be using that offense.
Wow, big home win to end the conference season at 9-9, beating an SIU team that was 15-2 in conference. I did not expect such a thing, but congrats!
Quote from: valpotx on March 05, 2022, 03:19:47 PM
Wow, big home win to end the conference season at 9-9, beating an SIU team that was 15-2 in conference. I did not expect such a thing, but congrats!
Great game indeed! So hard to predict what Valpo team will show up. SIU will have the #1 seed for their tournament.
It also gave us the 6 seed, as we went 2-0 against Drake, which has the same 9-9 conference record.
A very pleasant surprise! Haven't watched yet but the teams were even on rebounds and VU shot 10-21 from 3 while SIU struggled at 2-19. We outscored them every quarter. :o
Congratulations to our three seniors on a fine career and a great home finish!
Open with UNI. We beat them by 2 at home, lost by 30 on the road.
Congrats to our award winners!
https://www.valpoathletics.com/wbasketball/news/2021-22/21153/frederick-brown-white-earn-mvc-postseason-honors/
Shay was a beast this season despite what some people suggested. Grace as 6th person is silly since the award infers that it's the best player who isn't good enough to start. For many coaches who "starts" doesn't mean a whole lot, it's all a rotation and not necessarily the five best players. Clearly that was the case here. It appears that Coach Evans tends to move people out of the starting lineup when they get hurt and then she sticks with that lineup until injury forces the next lineup change.
Haha. Saying that she was not the same player this year as she was last season, is not saying she was not good. The fact is that she was unconscious last year, and was not this year. You cannot deny that she played better last season.
Unfortunately the season ends as expected. This off season is big. We lose three who played a ton of minutes with no one really ready to take their place. One recruit to date, a guard.
Quote from: IndyValpo on March 12, 2022, 06:10:20 PM
Unfortunately the season ends as expected. This off season is big. We lose three who played a ton of minutes with no one really ready to take their place. One recruit to date, a guard.
Of course! Ya wouldn't want to recruit any size! We lose 54 blocked shots between Grace and Caitlin. Leah Ernest will be our top returning rebounder. Let's hope the transfer portal helps, otherwise it could be another disappointing year for the women.
I don't view this year as disappointing, other than the non-conference record. Within conference, which is a very difficult conference, we did pretty well in our 5th season. We would have done better, had Weinman not gotten hurt for several games in MVC play. However, I do agree that next year will be rough, short of any surprises in the transfer portal.
In addition to the 3 seniors, I know there are at least 4 returning players who all played significant minutes who are seriously considering transferring. There was definitely a big divide between the coach and the players.
To say the coach and her methods are not popular among the players would be an understatement.
The final weekend was apparently quite a circus ... The coach kicked all the players out of the final practice of the year in Moline. The players and coach were fighting during halftime, then the seniors decided on their own to start playing zone in the second half and all got pulled and benched. None of the 3 departing seniors got back in the game for a final departing moment (curtain call)... The end of the season was all bad.
Mary Evans has a lot of work to do.
I wonder what would happen if this same scenario happened with the men's program.
New AD showing up to work in June:
(https://media.giphy.com/media/137TKgM3d2XQjK/giphy.gif)
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1503455943689875458
per paul's twitter feed we have one women's player in the transfer. Our starting forward from this year.
"With that being said ..." is the phrase that pays when kids enter the transfer portal.
Every time I see an announcement like that on Twitter, that's the phrase that precedes the inevitable "I'm leaving."
Here's the format:
1. Thank you to everyone at my current school. I love you all and it's been great
2. "With that being said ..."
3. I'm leaving.
Watch for it.
Quote from: Valpo89 on March 14, 2022, 04:01:20 PM
"With that being said ..." is the phrase that pays when kids enter the transfer portal.
Every time I see an announcement like that on Twitter, that's the phrase that precedes the inevitable "I'm leaving."
Here's the format:
1. Thank you to everyone at my current school. I love you all and it's been great
2. "With that being said ..."
3. I'm leaving.
Watch for it.
True indeed, likewise there is a canned response when someone receives an offer.
I know you have said you are close to a player, but it sounds like a lot of blame is being placed on the coaches and none on the players. What behavior would it take for a coach to kick their players out of the last practice of the year? What kind of senior leaders would go rouge and start free styling a defense in the conference tournament?
Here's hoping next year's program can all get on the same page and that there is good leadership both from coaches and players.
I just rewatched the fourth quarter and if was about 30 seconds into the zone that she did a line change. What I don't understand is why these kids are now upset when they have been playing for the same coach for a few years. VanKempen was not very good. Good size but couldn't rebound. It will be very interesting to see if Shay leaves. If she does then there really is something very wrong on the women's side.
Quote from: vu72 on March 14, 2022, 04:49:57 PM
I just rewatched the fourth quarter and if was about 30 seconds into the zone that she did a line change. What I don't understand is why these kids are now upset when they have been playing for the same coach for a few years. VanKempen was not very good. Good size but couldn't rebound. It will be very interesting to see if Shay leaves. If he does then there really is something very wrong on the women's side.
They may have been upset for years, we will never know. Van Kampen is a wing forced to play inside on defense because she is 6-0. I am sure she looked around and saw she'd be asked to guard centers next year. I am also worried about Earnest who is also playing out of position.
Yes, all thanks to Cara on her time at Valpo, but she couldn't shoot anymore, and was slow to get her shot up, which is part of the reason that her shot count was so low for a starter. I had thought that there was hope at times in the last few seasons, but the numbers don't lie. She seems to indicate that she will be trying a level below D-1, which would make sense for her.
While I have no knowledge of this situation, it is interesting to see this forum's reaction to the women's team situation/problems...no problems with the coach but it is the player(s) who have a problem(s). Did I miss something here?
Quote from: Piledriver on March 14, 2022, 10:27:52 AM
In addition to the 3 seniors, I know there are at least 4 returning players who all played significant minutes who are seriously considering transferring. There was definitely a big divide between the coach and the players.
To say the coach and her methods are not popular among the players would be an understatement.
The final weekend was apparently quite a circus ... The coach kicked all the players out of the final practice of the year in Moline. The players and coach were fighting during halftime, then the seniors decided on their own to start playing zone in the second half and all got pulled and benched. None of the 3 departing seniors got back in the game for a final departing moment (curtain call)... The end of the season was all bad.
Mary Evans has a lot of work to do.
I have been on this board since the RLH days and this may be the most fascinating post I have ever read.
Quote from: valpo64 on March 15, 2022, 12:35:20 PM
While I have no knowledge of this situation, it is interesting to see this forum's reaction to the women's team situation/problems...no problems with the coach but it is the player(s) who have a problem(s). Did I miss something here?
Don't jump to conclusions! I think most of us are anxiously waiting to hear more and I don't know where that might take. I will also guess that about 70% of the men's basketball posters do not closely follow the girl's side thus explaining some of the silence.
Obviously something is wrong and I'd welcome any details.
Shay Frederick announced today she is transferring.
I don't think she'll be the last one to go.
Quote from: Piledriver on March 16, 2022, 11:43:07 AM
Shay Frederick announced today she is transferring.
I don't think she'll be the last one to go.
I always want our players to stay but she has already played for 4 years, 3.5 as a starter. Hopefully she can find a program that is tournament bound. I think she could be a valuable backup on a good team because she can make free throws. I completely understand this one.
Quote from: crusader05 on March 14, 2022, 02:47:09 PM
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1503455943689875458
per paul's twitter feed we have one women's player in the transfer. Our starting forward from this year.
Could this be possibly correct? Cara was a starting forward, played an average of 14.9 minutes per game, averaged 2.0 ppg and 1.0 rebounds per game. Amazingly, she made ALL of her free throws! She took a total of ONE!!!! Throw in 15 assists and 23 turnovers and we've got a player who won't be terribly missed. I wish her success at a lower level.
Yes, Cara was a starter, but Coach Evans went with a strategy in bringing Weinman and sometimes White off the bench, so I wouldn't view Cara as a top 5 starter. She could probably play at a low mid-major program, D-2, or NAIA, but is not MVC caliber.
Shay's transfer makes sense for her. She is probably graduating, has played for 4 years, and still has 1 season left to try her hand at a P5 program (Wisconsin?). She can definitely make the move up, and maybe she will recapture her playing form from last year, in not having to be the go-to player.
I just looked there are over 500 players in the transfer portal. Surely we can find some size. The only one I am aware we are looking at is a guard from the region and St Johns.
I saw that Loyola fired its women's coach after going 18-12 this year. Don't know anything, just thought it was interesting.
I think riding the coattails of Coach Boldon is going to catch up with Mary soon.
Quote from: VUSupport on March 28, 2022, 01:11:30 PM
I think riding the coattails of Coach Boldon is going to catch up with Mary soon.
Bob Bolden has obviously been a very successful MAC coach at Ohio University. His 3 point shooting reliance has certainly influenced coach Evans. Even with slightly above average ball handling the 3 is a "live by the sword, die by the sword" tool if you have no inside game. The 2021-22 team and coach hit this ceiling pretty hard and I'm very worried about their recovery.
Creighton seems to be doing just fine running five out so I'm not sure the universal condemnation that the scheme has received on this board is justified.
Lauren Gunn is in the transfer portal. Apparently doesn't want to play basketball anymore. Not sure why she entered her name in the portal if she's done with basketball.
Good athlete. Very low skill level. Obviously didn't love the game that much.
Another example of why recruiting "ballers" -- kids who love the game and will work as hard as they can -- is so important.
This person is ABSOLUTELY CLUELESS about Lauren Gunn. I KNOW that she loves the game of basketball, and wishes to continue to play.
Also, her skill level is HIGH, just like her athleticism, however Valpo's absolutely horrendous offense does not capitalize on any of her strengths such as mid-range jump shots, actually running the floor (majority of the lady Crusaders are SLOW AS MOLASSES and/or TOO SHORT to actually run a fast break).
Welcome to the board, Mr Gunn.
Quote from: BeaconManiaNap on March 31, 2022, 12:51:02 PMAlso, her skill level is HIGH, just like her athleticism, however Valpo's absolutely horrendous offense does not capitalize on any of her strengths such as mid-range jump shots, actually running the floor (majority of the lady Crusaders are SLOW AS MOLASSES and/or TOO SHORT to actually run a fast break).
Her freshman minutes were almost double her sophomore minutes and the quality of her offensive play seemed to decline in the process. Obviously her game has some limitations but a transfer away from the Evans system makes perfect sense to me. If she can find a fit that complements her strengths I can imagine her numbers exploding.
Best of luck to Lauren but sorry to see her go.
This person is ABSOLUTELY CLUELESS about Lauren Gunn. I KNOW that she loves the game of basketball, and wishes to continue to play.
Also, her skill level is HIGH, just like her athleticism, however Valpo's absolutely horrendous offense does not capitalize on any of her strengths such as mid-range jump shots, actually running the floor (majority of the lady Crusaders are SLOW AS MOLASSES and/or TOO SHORT to actually run a fast break).
Yes, obviously a personal connection to her. I wish her well, but don't view her as a top 10 conference RPI player. I hope that she finds success in a lower level conference.
Mary can't develop players, period
VU walk-on Syria Butler is now in the transfer portal. Guessing she's looking for a school she can get some minutes.
Valpo also signed a transfer, Olivia Simms of Oakland. Left the team after 1 semester. 5-9 shooting guard from Holland, OH. Was off to a pretty good start to her career, but didn't stick around long.
https://www.valpoathletics.com/wbasketball/news/2021-22/21234/olivia-sims-signs-with-womens-basketball-program/
If my math is right, that's 12 on the current roster, so there should be 3 open roster spots.
She's not a big loss, honestly.
Quote from: Piledriver on April 06, 2022, 08:24:42 AM
VU walk-on Syria Butler is now in the transfer portal. Guessing she's looking for a school she can get some minutes.
Valpo also signed a transfer, Olivia Simms of Oakland. Left the team after 1 semester. 5-9 shooting guard from Holland, OH. Was off to a pretty good start to her career, but didn't stick around long.
https://www.valpoathletics.com/wbasketball/news/2021-22/21234/olivia-sims-signs-with-womens-basketball-program/
If my math is right, that's 12 on the current roster, so there should be 3 open roster spots.
I was wondering why Simms had only played 12 games last year.
Quote from: Piledriver on April 06, 2022, 08:24:42 AM
VU walk-on Syria Butler is now in the transfer portal. Guessing she's looking for a school she can get some minutes.
God bless the walk-on! 2 years given to the team. 2 games, 4 minutes played.
Quote from: VUSupport on April 06, 2022, 10:46:54 AM
She's not a big loss, honestly.
Have you ever seen her play? How would you know what she can do or not. I heard she kills the players in practice but the coach just doesn't play walk-ons.
Quote from: iluvvalpo on April 06, 2022, 10:37:53 PM
Quote from: VUSupport on April 06, 2022, 10:46:54 AM
She's not a big loss, honestly.
Have you ever seen her play? How would you know what she can do or not. I heard she kills the players in practice but the coach just doesn't play walk-ons.
Ah yes, a new poster! What makes zero sense is if the coach actually doesn't want to play the best players. The idea that she "just doesn't play walk-ons" is just silly on its face.
Wasn't saying that Mary doesn't play walk ons. I'm saying Syria wasn't good enough to get any quality minutes and isn't a big loss for the team.
Quote from: Piledriver on March 16, 2022, 11:43:07 AM
Shay Frederick announced today she is transferring.
I don't think she'll be the last one to go.
Going to Butler. I honestly thought she would land at a contender as a backup PG. Wish her the best.
Quote from: IndyValpo on April 15, 2022, 05:11:23 PM
Quote from: Piledriver on March 16, 2022, 11:43:07 AM
Shay Frederick announced today she is transferring.
I don't think she'll be the last one to go.
Going to Butler. I honestly thought she would land at a contender as a backup PG. Wish her the best.
Kind of a strange sideways move. The Big East is ranked slightly higher than the Valley but BU is terrible. Might be a grad degree thing, who knows.
Butler has a new women's coach who is coming from IUPUI. It's been in the news in the area b/c Crown Point's Jessica Carrother's, who was runner up Ms Indiana Basketball, followed him to Butler
https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/college/butler/2022/04/16/butler-womens-basketball-jessica-carrothers-flips-iupui-recruit-crown-point/7343828001/
More power to her and wish her luck. She did her time at Valpo, and it seems that Butler overall is a fit for her new direction. Buck Futler Forever, however.
Quote from: valpotx on March 16, 2022, 10:48:01 PM
Yes, Cara was a starter, but Coach Evans went with a strategy in bringing Weinman and sometimes White off the bench, so I wouldn't view Cara as a top 5 starter. She could probably play at a low mid-major program, D-2, or NAIA, but is not MVC caliber.
Shay's transfer makes sense for her. She is probably graduating, has played for 4 years, and still has 1 season left to try her hand at a P5 program (Wisconsin?). She can definitely make the move up, and maybe she will recapture her playing form from last year, in not having to be the go-to player.
Quote from: valpotx on March 16, 2022, 10:48:01 PM
Yes, Cara was a starter, but Coach Evans went with a strategy in bringing Weinman and sometimes White off the bench, so I wouldn't view Cara as a top 5 starter. She could probably play at a low mid-major program, D-2, or NAIA, but is not MVC caliber.
Shay's transfer makes sense for her. She is probably graduating, has played for 4 years, and still has 1 season left to try her hand at a P5 program (Wisconsin?). She can definitely make the move up, and maybe she will recapture her playing form from last year, in not having to be the go-to player.
Transferring to Wright State....didn't that one coming.
Wish her luck, but this does match a low mid-major conference, whereas the MVC is a top mid-major conference in Women's Basketball
Quote from: IndyValpo on April 21, 2022, 03:16:42 PMTransferring to Wright State....didn't that one coming.
Is Keith Freeman still at Wright State? He was the last women's coach to take Valpo to the tourney. A big mistake to replace him.
Quote from: vu72 on April 22, 2022, 09:23:25 AM
Quote from: IndyValpo on April 21, 2022, 03:16:42 PMTransferring to Wright State....didn't that one coming.
Is Keith Freeman still at Wright State? He was the last women's coach to take Valpo to the tourney. A big mistake to replace him.
He is at Miss St after a stop at Old Dominion
Quote from: Piledriver on April 06, 2022, 08:24:42 AM
Valpo also signed a transfer, Olivia Simms of Oakland. Left the team after 1 semester. 5-9 shooting guard from Holland, OH. Was off to a pretty good start to her career, but didn't stick around long.
https://www.valpoathletics.com/wbasketball/news/2021-22/21234/olivia-sims-signs-with-womens-basketball-program/
If my math is right, that's 12 on the current roster, so there should be 3 open roster spots.
Sims scored double figures back to back against Michigan and Michigan State. Then two weeks later left.
https://www.valpoathletics.com/wbasketball/news/2021-22/21320/womens-basketball-signs-emma-tecca/
Surprise we have added another guard transfer. This one from Akron where she played quite a bit 2 years ago but appears to have been phased out last season (38 total minutes).
So now we have exactly two players (both 6'1") over 6'. We, once again, will live or die by the three.
Creighton's run this year should prove the concept. Not a player over 6'1 and reliance on the three can work.
Quote from: DuneHwx on May 03, 2022, 03:29:30 PM
Creighton's run this year should prove the concept. Not a player over 6'1 and reliance on the three can work.
Yes it can work. Understand they had 2 players 6-0 and 2 players 6-1 either starting or a key sub.
One out of 377 is not very good odds, however.
According to the Victory Bell, there are two more scholarships to fill. I would guess that Evans will be hoping for some height.
Quote from: humbleopinion on May 05, 2022, 05:41:38 AM
According to the Victory Bell, there are two more scholarships to fill. I would guess that Evans will be hoping for some height.
Coach specifically mentioned adding shooters first then height. There are still over 700 in the portal so hopefully we can add a couple.
Quote from: IndyValpo on May 05, 2022, 10:54:09 AM
Quote from: humbleopinion on May 05, 2022, 05:41:38 AM
According to the Victory Bell, there are two more scholarships to fill. I would guess that Evans will be hoping for some height.
Coach specifically mentioned adding shooters first then height. There are still over 700 in the portal so hopefully we can add a couple.
Tecca and Sims fall under the category of shooters. They've covered that in the portal. If Evans choose to use the two remaining scholarships, it will be for height.
It would appear based on the Victory Bell article that Gunn has indeed walked away from playing as was suggested.
Also former walk on Butler has landed at D2 Purdue Northwest.
Quote from: IndyValpo on June 22, 2022, 12:25:14 PM
It would appear based on the Victory Bell article that Gunn has indeed walked away from playing as was suggested.
Also former walk on Butler has landed at D2 Purdue Northwest.
I don't know whether or not we will be tall enough to compete. We will have 8 players at 5'10" or bigger but no one over 6'1". Maybe speed will make up the difference. Here's the full roster:
https://www.valpoathletics.com/wbasketball/roster/?view=list