attendance for Valpo games...

[talksalot]

No Missouri State next year.... our game there was the return engagement of the BBuster a few years ago.
(unless we get another home and home against them... I doubt it; if the league goes up to 12 teams, we will lose 6 non-conference opportunities (assuming we play everyone H/A)

[zvillehaze]

No Missouri State next year.... our game there was the return engagement of the BBuster a few years ago.
(unless we get another home and home against them... I doubt it; if the league goes up to 12 teams, we will lose 6 non-conference opportunities (assuming we play everyone H/A)

You really think the Horizon would go to 22 league games?  I don't see any other conference playing that many, but I guess the Horizon could opt to do that since teams will also be replacing a bracketbuster game. 

Most conferences that are 12+ teams either use divisions or play some sort of unbalanced schedule.

[talksalot]

I'm thinking year one... maybe... so everyone is on equal par...who's going to complain about not having to play _____fill in the blank___

see if we can develop some rivalry and road trips...

[LaPorteAveApostle]

we will lose 6 non-conference opportunities

wouldn't that be a GOOD thing?  nobody plays the Chicago States, NIUs of the world.  think of the possibilities...

[chef]

I'd think either Peters or Adekoya or perhaps both will be starters from the get go.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

I'd think either Peters or Adekoya or perhaps both will be starters from the get go.

Wow!  That's high praise (we know they're good, but they aren't coming into a total vacuum)--now do you see them as a 3 and 4 respectively, with Bobby at the 5, or as a 4 and 5 with a Rossi or Yeo at 3, f'rinstance?

[talksalot]

Where does Chadwick fit in this mix?

[chef]

Carter at the 1, Dority at the 2, and Capobianco at the 5. The other 2 spots are the most wide open. Coleman, Peters and Adekoya are the most likely candidates. During the first month when Carter is not eligible, Coleman could very well start in the backcourt. Thus, the comment that Peters and/or Adekoya could start from the get go. These two are extremely highly touted players for a mid-major. Remember both could have gone to BCS schools. Not saying they're going to be all-conference players right away, but the plan is for both to have an impact the moment they step onto campus.

[vu72]

Carter at the 1, Dority at the 2, and Capobianco at the 5. The other 2 spots are the most wide open. Coleman, Peters and Adekoya are the most likely candidates. During the first month when Carter is not eligible, Coleman could very well start in the backcourt. Thus, the comment that Peters and/or Adekoya could start from the get go. These two are extremely highly touted players for a mid-major. Remember both could have gone to BCS schools. Not saying they're going to be all-conference players right away, but the plan is for both to have an impact the moment they step onto campus.

Are the other freshman viewed as needing some muscle, experience or both before they can contribute or is it a matter of not enough minutes to go around?  And what about Rossi and Chadwick? Neither came to Valpo to ride the pines, they could have done that where they were.

[chef]

I don't think a coach is ever going to bring in a player that he doesn't think can make the rotation. However, Bryce is never going to have a 12 or 13 man rotation. That's not realistic for any D-I school. So it becomes a numbers game. The hope is all these freshman will contribute at some time. Next year, and this is my opinion - Carter, Dority, Coleman, Rossi, Adekoya, Peters, Capobianco and Fernandez will all be given a shot early on. A few others can be in the mix and that will depend on what happens in October. Sometimes a player shows up and exceeds expectations (Dwayne Toatley and Chris Ensminger). Other players have come in ranked very high and they fail to live up to expectations (Jimmie Miles and Jay Harris). Recruiting is a real crap shoot. Right now, the expectations are high for Peters and Adekoya.

[lowposter]

Very good freshmen usually make contributions but it is difficult to expect big things from them.  Consistency is a key factor. They are playing against more more physically mature players.  If a freshman is physically ready to play in this conference, quite often they are recruited to a higher conference....

Look at Ryan's freshman year for example.  Not bad, but he exploded on the scene his junior season.  Of course part of that was the pecking order at the time.   

I agree, Peters seems to be the one freshman that will be ready to make an impact with Adekoya being in the rotation. 

lowposter

[truth219]

I personally don't think we need to up the capacity at all. Let's be honest we don't sell out often so its not like there are fans that are ready to fill seats that aren't available. If we stayed around 4k seats that would be fine. We do however need a bowl shape with out bleachers. My back and bottom always hurt by the second half. If we had a capacity of 4k with a bowl shaped regular chairbacks I don't think anyone would complain. Its a shame only 3300 turned out for a Saturday nationally televised game. Regaurdless of what was on the line we had that many at one of our exhibition games......the crusaders need more loyoal fans and stop changing the price of tickets for no reason

[Smj]

I personally don't think we need to up the capacity at all. ...... We do however need a bowl shape with out bleachers. ......  chairbacks .....  . stop changing the price of tickets for no reason

- Agree, I don't understand the discussion around increasing capacity...
- Bowl shape is okay but I don't really like sitting in the corners...  (Also more lower seats sometimes makes a place look even more empty.)
- Had chair backs for the last game and I did not like it as much as bleacher style...
- totally agree on the pricing ...  It is stupid.   Fine you can make more money but it is frustrating and probably keeps some away from the game...   (I think they need more deals if tickets are not selling so they can fill er up...)

[truth219]

No the chairbacks we have now are awful. There isn't any room in the chairbacks. You are shoulder to shoulder and its all senior citizens no offense but its an old crowd. If they revamped the arc they would have to make them comfortable chairbacks with some space...like cleveland states got just a smaller arena. Until they do something with the arc however, I think you should be able to get season tickets in the upper deck for 100 bucks...

[Smj]

No the chairbacks we have now are awful. There isn't any room in the chairbacks. You are shoulder to shoulder and its all senior citizens no offense but its an old crowd. If they revamped the arc they would have to make them comfortable chairbacks with some space...like cleveland states got just a smaller arena. Until they do something with the arc however, I think you should be able to get season tickets in the upper deck for 100 bucks...

100 bucks  - - - truth, I think the place would really be empty.   (if we had 3000 attendance they would be pulling in $300,000 a game....)   

[truth219]

Season tickets for the upper deck now are currently 175....I think it would be nice if they were 100 even.

[HC]

I think Smj misunderstood...$100 for the year, not per game.

[Smj]

Thought you added a zero.......

[valpopal]

There is a forecast for a big storm on Tuesday with possibility of 6 inches of snow by game time. I hope this doesn't diminish the crowd for senior night:

"Snow, possibly mixed with sleet, is expected to begin late Tuesday morning and continue through Tuesday night before tapering off early Tuesday night, with winds gusting to 40 mph."

[KL31NY]

Here's my thought on the forecast

Folks heading out to the game, allow yourself some extra time for travel. Take care heading over and back to your homes, bundle up and stay warm. Students, you're probably already complaining Tuesday's weather. Suck it up and go to your classes, and if you truly love basketball and this team in particular, "brave the elements" one more time to have some fun and watch some hoops. The guys love your attendance and enthusiasm, and our seniors specifically deserve a good crowd and a nice send-off heading into Green Bay and the Horizon League Tournament.

Make it happen #CrusaderNation

[FWalum]

There is a forecast for a big storm on Tuesday with possibility of 6 inches of snow by game time. I hope this doesn't diminish the crowd for senior night:

"Snow, possibly mixed with sleet, is expected to begin late Tuesday morning and continue through Tuesday night before tapering off early Tuesday night, with winds gusting to 40 mph."

Had also planned on doing some work in Valpo on Tuesday and staying for the game.  If the storm is coming don't really want to be driving 100 miles on US 30.  Can we get a confirmation from vuweathernerd? 

[valpo04]

There is a forecast for a big storm on Tuesday with possibility of 6 inches of snow by game time. I hope this doesn't diminish the crowd for senior night:

"Snow, possibly mixed with sleet, is expected to begin late Tuesday morning and continue through Tuesday night before tapering off early Tuesday night, with winds gusting to 40 mph."

Had also planned on doing some work in Valpo on Tuesday and staying for the game.  If the storm is coming don't really want to be driving 100 miles on US 30.  Can we get a confirmation from vuweathernerd? 

Valpo is not going to get much snow from this.  I don't know where valpopal's forecast is from, but the NWS has this:

Tuesday: Snow before 9am, then snow and sleet between 9am and noon, then rain and snow after noon. High near 36. Breezy, with a east northeast wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 9pm. Low around 29. East northeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.


The storm track and current setup is such that Valpo and vicinity will be too warm for any major snowfall. 

[valpopal]

There is a forecast for a big storm on Tuesday with possibility of 6 inches of snow by game time. I hope this doesn't diminish the crowd for senior night:

"Snow, possibly mixed with sleet, is expected to begin late Tuesday morning and continue through Tuesday night before tapering off early Tuesday night, with winds gusting to 40 mph."

Had also planned on doing some work in Valpo on Tuesday and staying for the game.  If the storm is coming don't really want to be driving 100 miles on US 30.  Can we get a confirmation from vuweathernerd? 

Valpo is not going to get much snow from this.  I don't know where valpopal's forecast is from, but the NWS has this:

Tuesday: Snow before 9am, then snow and sleet between 9am and noon, then rain and snow after noon. High near 36. Breezy, with a east northeast wind 15 to 25 mph, with gusts as high as 30 mph. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New snow and sleet accumulation of less than a half inch possible.

Tuesday Night: Rain and snow, becoming all snow after 9pm. Low around 29. East northeast wind 5 to 15 mph becoming north after midnight. Winds could gust as high as 20 mph. Chance of precipitation is 80%. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches possible.


The storm track and current setup is such that Valpo and vicinity will be too warm for any major snowfall. 

I hope you are right. I got the forecast from our own NWI Times: http://www.nwitimes.com/news/local/illinois/winter-storm-could-dump-inches-of-snow-tuesday/article_ea720c7f-d427-5305-a6a6-361f2e6e0d2d.html

[agibson]

Even that article doesn't sounds so bad.

the worst conditions will take place between late morning and late afternoon

[historyman]

Here is the key paragraph in that story on the weather in Valpo:

Cook, Will and LaPorte counties are under a winter storm watch all day Tuesday, but Izzi said he anticipates a winter weather advisory will be issued for those counties and all others in Northwest Indiana by day's end Monday.

It sounds like the worst of the storm goes over Illinois then over Lake Michigan and into LaPorte County in Indiana with Valpo and Porter County getting the lesser of the storm which will mainly will pass over the lake. It also sounds like the storm will be downgraded in severity on tonight (Monday) due to the temperature rising above the freezing mark.