Regular season finale at Bradley 2/26 7pm

[valpotx]

If players are reading a fans forum, that is on them.  I know that it was 20 years ago, but we all knew of the Valpo Fans Forum, and had a laugh about such a thing, wondering why people had such time on their hands.  Current athletes should have the same view of us

[usc4valpo]

64 - I disagree. The truth will set you free and it should be expressed. You don't want to turn this into some totally pro Valpo propaganda board with critique is prohibited and we are overdosed with brown and gold Kool-aid.

[Valpo89]

64 - I disagree. The truth will set you free and it should be expressed. You don't want to turn this into some totally pro Valpo propaganda board with critique is prohibited and we are overdosed with brown and gold Kool-aid.

Correct. That's what the athletics web site is for, and their posts on Facebook.

[tjn2004]

Is the editing/deleting dissenters comments on the Athletics/Mens Hoops facebook pages a new development?  There seems to have been a pretty deep cleansing of the Bradley final score post.

[valpo95]

There is a lot of speculation on this board about players transferring. The reality is that we don't know how the players view the coaching staff and their fellow teammates, as well as what opportunities each may have somewhere else. The players know who can play, and can make the decision about future years may look like. Ultimately, those factors determine the decision.

[vuny98]

Isn't it great to read and hear from our so -called "Valpo supporters" who bad mouth almost everything and constantly comment about players having reason to transfer.  I am sure these encouraging words are a big help to our program's stability and continuity, recruiting and overall team morale and I am sure the players enjoy reading these comments that originate with our loyal supporters.

Positive words of encouragement are not going to save the program. Food for thought. Fans generally are pointing the finger at the Coach for the last 6 years (no small sample size), who has largely  underachieved with the talent on the roster. I am far less critical of the players and I think we have a high character group with talent, but we are rudderless in terms of strategy at the Top. I agree it's important be positive and give people fair shakes, but it's just as important to be clear eyed and honest about the state of the program. You can't sugar coat it. I'm sure some players read this board from time to time and I would advise them against it. It's not healthy to consume negativity like this, but I am no longer going to be silent about my lack of belief in the head coach for fear of impacting morale. Programs don't fail due to fan critiques. They generally rise and fall base on the caliber of the Head Coach leading it. I genuinely hate that I am being this pessimistic, but I think Valpo's best crack at recovering and building the program back up is with a new Head Coach. That may be a few years away.

I am 100% in agreement that Lottich has failed to deliver and deserves to go. But that likely won't happen. So for a glimmer of optimism here is what I will say.
The Valley was STACKED at the top this year. The fact that Loyola ended up as a 4 seed tells you what you need to know. Those 4 teams would all be locks on their own talent for the NCAA Tournament in a normal year and all are prime candidates for a run in the tourney, who ever of them makes it. We competed well with many of these teams, and were probably a few plays (or in bound passes) away in key games to having a much better record.
Injuries happen to every team, but it hit us hard as always. We entered this year finally with a solid point guard that can score as well. We ended with two freshman that struggle to score and still make freshman mistakes. On top of that, maybe the most important player on the team from many angles, Kithier, was battling injury all year and sat for some key games.
Our biggest addition, Kobe, sat out half the year and had some significant rust to shake off as he played. We needed more out of him in many games, but he showed some signs on that special player we needed him to be.
The best recruit in many of our eyes, Young, barely saw the floor early on and wound up redshirting with some injuries. That could be a bad sign that he's not as good as advertised OR it could be a glimmer of hope that next year we get to see the special player we all expected him to be.

All it takes is one year to turn it around. Is it possible with Lottich and this group. Maybe. We have some talent. Maybe one of our players makes that leap next year from good to dominant.

[tjjvalpo]

Of the teams in front of us this year only Drake loses the majority of their starters. Everyone else loses just one starter among their top five offensive players. Murray State loses no one. Belmont loses two. UIC beat us. Can we expect anything better than the bottom half of the conference again next year? Especially with poor coaching that Lottich has shown year after year.

[tiny707]

Valpo64, better to complain about something you care about. Unfortunately, most "Valpo Supporters" have checked out now which is worse. They don't want to take the time to post on here or watch a game. They have moved on to other things in their lives what ever that is. These game posts used to be 4 or 5 pages with multiple "Valpo Supporters" chiming in. This one is three with the majority of talk about Matt Lottich or transfer.. Not the game. Sad but I don't blame anyone. No longer have the energy or desire to invest their time.

[tiny707]

My prediction is six players leaving:

Transfers: Connor, Darius, Sheldon, Ben and Keyondre.

Early Graduate: Emil

[RS]

Think you guys are wrong about transfers. I really don't think anyone will unless they think they are over their head at playing in the Missouri Valley. If many do transfer then VU is in deep trouble with trying to put a team together for next. One recruit coming in and no one else even mentioned in scouting sites. Last year co-vid kind of saved VU's butt but next year transfers will not be able to play immediately.

[oklahomamick]

RS, direct message me for a side bet that no one transfers.  I like my odds.