Senior Night

[chef]

I'm guessing it's Frank Eksten, a conditioning guru based in Lake County. Frank worked for Bob Knight for a longtime in Bloomington. Seems like he's helped out a great deal with Kevin's back issues. If that's who Kevin was talking about.

[bbtds]

He mentioned the name "Frank", so I'm guessing a specialist in back pain/chiropractor?

I believe that is the chiropracter or MD (doctor of something) from Crown Point that helped Kevin recover from his back issues over the summer of 2011. You may remember that during the season of 2010-11 Kevin could not play a full game and didn't start other games due to back pain issues. By the 2011-12 season those back pain issues seemed to be all gone and in the past. He was very grateful to that doctor.

[vuweathernerd]

He mentioned the name "Frank", so I'm guessing a specialist in back pain/chiropractor?

I believe that is the chiropracter or MD (doctor of something) from Crown Point that helped Kevin recover from his back issues over the summer of 2011. You may remember that during the season of 2010-11 Kevin could not play a full game and didn't start other games due to back pain issues. By the 2011-12 season those back pain issues seemed to be all gone and in the past. He was very grateful to that doctor.

as well he should be. that doc allowed him to become the bull in the china shop in the post that we needed post-cory johnson.

[agibson]

as well he should be. that doc allowed him to become the bull in the china shop in the post that we needed post-cory johnson.

We early saw signs that KVW _could_ be a load in the paint.  If he could play the minutes.  The transformation that off-season was more or less miraculous, and allowed KVW to have the record-breaking career at VU that he has had.

[talksalot]

For the sake of posterity... I thought I'd share the script on the players... there were three band members, 3 cheerleaders, one crusaderette and David Albers, team Manager, who were also introduced... I think Aaron Leavitt did a great job in summarizing 4 years of play into 10:57 of my reading it.

The Crusaders are also honoring a former player this evening.  He appeared in 44 games over a pair of seasons, starting 23 contests his freshman year.  Injuries cut his career short, but he has remained a vital member of the team, providing support and encouragement throughout the season.  A marketing major, native of Osceola, Indiana and son of Frank and Denise, ladies and gentlemen, #20 Tommy Kurth!

And now for the six members of the Valparaiso men's basketball class of 2013.  This group of six players came to Valpo at different times and different places in their basketball careers, but have joined together to lead the Crusader men's basketball program.  They led the Crusaders to their first ever Horizon League regular season championship last season, as well as a berth in the postseason NIT.

Our first senior has spent the last two seasons as a Crusader, appearing in 63 games and making 57 starts.  He averaged better than seven points per game last year, hitting 40.9% of his 3-point attempts, good for seventh in the league.  He scored a career-high 23 points at Detroit, making seven 3-pointers.  This season, he ranks fourth in the Horizon League with a 42.1% 3-point percentage and has led the team in scoring on three occasions.  His career 3-point percentage ranks seventh in Crusader history, and he has hit a total of 109 triples entering tonight's game.  A member of the Horizon League academic honor roll, he is on track to graduate with his MBA from Valpo this spring.  A native of Boise, Idaho and son of Bill and Janelle, ladies and gentlemen, #3 Will Bogan!

Our next senior began his Crusader career midway through last season and immediately cemented himself as a key member of Valpo's rotation.  He has started 40 of his 52 games in a Crusader uniform, averaging better than 20 minutes per game while often guarding the opposition's top scoring threat.  He has scored in double figures seven times during his Valpo career, including a career-high 17 points at Green Bay last season.  Also a success in the classroom, he was named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll at the conclusion of last year.  He earned his bachelor's degree in sports management and is currently working towards his master's in sports administration.  He is a native of Roanoke, Virginia and son of John and Sherry, ladies and gentlemen, #12 Ben Boggs!

Our next senior has been one of the most efficient players to ever take the court for the Crusaders over his 3-year career.  He has played in 94 games for Valpo, including 61 starts.  He was a First Team All Horizon-League selection a season ago, averaging 14 points per game and leading the league by hitting 61.7% of his shots, ranking among the top-five nationally.  This season, he is hitting 64.8% from the floor, again leading the league, and is averaging 12.7 points per game.  He enters tonight as Valpo's all-time leader in career field goal percentage and has two of the top-four single season efforts as well.  He is also just 22 points shy of becoming the 32nd player in program history to score 1,000 career points.  A member of the Horizon League academic honor roll, he is a Spanish major, native of Hoofddorp, The Netherlands and son of Henk and Lydia, ladies and gentlemen, #55 Kevin Van Wijk!

Our next senior has been one of the most versatile players to ever suit up for the Crusaders.  Tonight marks his 126th career game at Valpo, seventh-most in program history, while he has made 36 starts.  He is one of just two players in program history with at least 400 career rebounds and 300 career assists, joining Lubos Barton as the only players all-time at Valpo to reach those marks.  He enters tonight's game with 316 assists over his four-year career, tied for 11th-most all-time at Valpo, and has also tallied 824 career points and 438 rebounds.  This season has been perhaps his finest, as he has scored in double figures 12 times and led the Crusaders in assists on 11 occasions.  A sports management major, native of Mooresville, Indiana and son of Kevin and Bonnie, ladies and gentlemen, #23 Matt Kenney!

Our next senior has simply been one of the most outstanding players to ever wear a Valparaiso men's basketball uniform.  He was named Horizon League Player of the Year last season as a junior and was also named an AP Honorable Mention All-American, just the seventh-such selection in Crusader history.  He ranks among Valpo's all-time best in numerous categories, including third in rebounds and 3-pointers made, fourth in blocked shots, fifth in games played, seventh in 3-point percentage and free throw percentage and ninth in scoring.  He is one of just two players in program history to rank among the career top-20 in points, rebounds and assists.  This season, he has been named Horizon League Player of the Week four times and is averaging a career-high 16 points per game, ranking third in the league in scoring and second in rebounding.  A kinesiology major, he has been named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll during his time at Valpo.  A native of Frankston, Victoria, Australia and the son of Jo Toebelman, also accompanied by his step-father Kevin, ladies and gentlemen, #45 Ryan Broekhoff!

Our final senior will be setting a new standard when he steps on the court tonight, breaking the Valparaiso record for career games played as he plays in his 134th career game.  Tonight will be the 118th start of his Crusader career as well.  He was installed as the starter at point guard almost immediately as a freshman and has been a catalyst on both sides of the ball for Valpo ever since.  His 407 career assists are fourth-most in Crusader history, while he is currently tied for eighth all-time at Valpo with 145 career steals.  He has also enjoyed his best offensive season this year as a senior, scoring a career-high 6.3 points per game and hitting better than half of his field goal attempts.  He earned his bachelor's degree in sports management last spring and is currently working towards his master's degree in sports media.  A native of Memphis, Tennessee, son of Steven and Katheryn and father of Kyleigh, ladies and gentlemen, [ at the point ]#15 Erik Buggs!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Valparaiso University men's basketball class of 2013.  Coach Drew and the rest of the Crusaders would like to thank all of you for your hard work and dedication over your years at Valpo, and wish you all the best of luck in the future.

[talksalot]

The HLN Video Archive of the game actually has the entire ceremony... which unfortunately, does end after 1:59:59... with 5:06 on the clock and valpo up 9....   It does capture the Chef's plea for attendance at the First Round games

[StlVUFan]

The HLN Video Archive of the game actually has the entire ceremony... which unfortunately, does end after 1:59:59... with 5:06 on the clock and valpo up 9....   It does capture the Chef's plea for attendance at the First Round games

There isn't a Part 2 link?

[talksalot]

I just found it... thanks!  YES, the Part two is there... Chef's call of the TD pass to Buggs at 1:25 on the clock about 14:50 into part 2....

[covufan]

The senior accolades are well deserved!  Congrats to all of them!  The six senior players will be missed, as they played (so far) 74.1% of the minutes, scored 75.4% of the points, grabbed 65.0% of the rebounds, dished out 81.1% of the assists, and accounted for 96.7% of the starts!