About last year...

[classof2014]

Sadly, the 2012-13 season has ended, and so went it the careers of 6 seniors who led decorated careers here at VU. There have been many highs and lows throughout the season. So in your opinion.....

What were your best moments of this past season? Who was your biggest surprise? Who was your biggest disappointment? Who had the best single game performance? What was the most memorable play?

_______________

As for me: My best moment of the season was by far the championship win against WSU but other than that the regular season. The 22 point comeback was something special. I remember screaming at the tv as I saw them getting embarrassed in front of a national audience. As for a home game, the regular season win against WSU, and Rowdy scoring 12 points in a row or at least 12 out of the last 14 was something to watch.

My biggest surprise to the season was probably Erik Buggs. His offense was greatly improved from last year, there were times when he would make the opposing team just look silly. And that behind the back pass against Eastern Kentucky was something special to watch. I think he also had by far the biggest performance of the season in the championship. Scoring a career high 22 point on 8 of 13? shooting and 4 of 6 from from the charity stripe. I have never seen Buggs completely take a game over like that and the one problem with that was that I was wondering where that has been all season.

On the other hand my biggest disappointments were probably early season Will Bogan and Matt Kenney. Both just seemed off and did not seem the same player from last year and it hurt us in many of those early games. Maybe with Bogan and Kenney playing better we could have beaten a New Mexico or a SLU, or at least the games would have been much closer.

As for a single game, the best performance was by far against Eastern Kentucky almost 70% from the field! Enough said! While the worst was the final ten minutes against Detroit. Just pitiful.

[valpopal]

Since Flickr has now revamped its web site with upgraded programs and updated its policies with more favorable terms of agreement, I will be displaying my future photographs for the Valpo Fan Zone Forum there (Flickr: Valpo Sports Photography), as well as posting selected pictures to the forum itself.

So far, I have chosen about 200 of the 500 photos from the last basketball season to move to this new location, though I haven't inserted the titles for all the photographs. I have also separated two themed "sets" that can be viewed by clicking on "sets" in the header: "The Tournament Championship" and "The Senior Class of 2013."

I received lots of positive feedback from folks on the forum for my past photos, both in messages and in person at the games, which I appreciated, and I will be retaining the old photo blog for archive purposes as well. However, since the 2012-2013 school year has finished and the athletic season is coming to a close with baseball's success, I thought this would be a good time for the transition.

In the upcoming year I will post photos from the different sports to this new venue. For now, perhaps as a way to help pass the time between seasons, I invite everyone to check out the site thus far with the 200 selected basketball photos and the two themed sets:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/ 

[valpopal]

Last year in less than 10 seconds: A nice quick recap of the past year by Fred V.:

Valpo intro

[valpopal]

Valpo Athletics lists its top-10 videos of the past season based upon viewer stats:

1. Harlem Shake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-STAL0aNko

2. Ickow call: Broekhoff game winner
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9x2BFYpOXs

3. Men's basketball intro
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6x-OBznojc

4. Broekhoff game winner
http://youtu.be/LF--du85ebo

5. Van Wijk sportscenter top 10
http://youtu.be/kuBNCOSWF2w

6. Erik Buggs: I am Valpo
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAnCmRt7RaI

7. St. Baldrick's at valpo
http://youtu.be/hgw6i1V-09w

8. Gangnam Style video
http://youtu.be/DKUTERPaP2A

9. Valpo all-access: Broekhoff
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LACYARhKew0

10. Broekhoff between the legs assist
http://youtu.be/agt4ldQ3RRE

[agibson]

8. Gangnam Style video
http://youtu.be/DKUTERPaP2A

I'd missed this one - a long video!

[valpopal]

Here is the Horizon League's video wrap-up of the various championships for the past year. Valpo is well represented, and I even have a cameo appearance:

2012-13 Horizon League Championship Recap on Vimeo

[vuweathernerd]

1. Harlem Shake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-STAL0aNko

the fact that this video was even made still infuriates me. do we really have nothing better to do while choking a huge lead against detroit than make some stupid knockoff of a stupid video?

[HC]

   my two kids probably account for about 200 views of that harlem shake video

they also account for the same amount of the buzzer beater

[valpopal]

1. Harlem Shake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-STAL0aNko

the fact that this video was even made still infuriates me. do we really have nothing better to do while choking a huge lead against detroit than make some stupid knockoff of a stupid video?

The making of the video and student participation was planned before the game for a night when regular season fan interest and attendance would be at its highest, as well as league media coverage, and the shooting of it happened while Valpo was ahead 63-53. It also proved to be very popular online, which helped promote Valpo's fan spirit. Considering all that and the way the season turned out, I think it is time to let go of any negative emotional reaction one might be harboring. 

[agibson]

the fact that this video was even made still infuriates me. do we really have nothing better to do while choking a huge lead against detroit than make some stupid knockoff of a stupid video?

If we'd gotten a technical, I might feel differently. But, as it stands, I thought it was good fun.

[bbtds]

The important thing with the athletic dept for the next few years is not whether Valpo gets recognized for videos or has a better engineering school for undergrads than a Big Ten team but if the board of directors allows money that is clearly present in VU coffers to be spent on actual new athletic dept facilities so that these great coaches and the AD don't run away to other schools.

[wh]

The important thing with the athletic dept for the next few years is not whether Valpo gets recognized for videos or has a better engineering school for undergrads than a Big Ten team but if the board of directors allows money that is clearly present in VU coffers to be spent on actual new athletic dept facilities so that these great coaches and the AD don't run away to other schools.

I agree.  I have stated on several occasions that I believe the administration should have made a more proactive commitment to athletic facilities over the past 20 years.  Others think not, and I respect their opinion.  The bottom line is we are where we are, and hopefully everyone agrees that a major commitment must be made in the immediate future to modernize athletic facilities on several fronts.     

[78crusader]

The important thing with the athletic dept for the next few years is not whether Valpo gets recognized for videos or has a better engineering school for undergrads than a Big Ten team but if the board of directors allows money that is clearly present in VU coffers to be spent on actual new athletic dept facilities so that these great coaches and the AD don't run away to other schools.

Why do you assume that there is money that has been collected and is merely waiting to be spent?  I hope there is, but I haven't heard of this.  Perhaps you can elaborate if you know something.  I figure it is going to cost $65 million to update VU facilities (35 mil for the new fieldhouse, 15 mil to renovate the ARC, 10 mil for a new track and football stadium, and 5 mil to relocate the baseball and soccer facilties. 

Paul

[bbtds]

The important thing with the athletic dept for the next few years is not whether Valpo gets recognized for videos or has a better engineering school for undergrads than a Big Ten team but if the board of directors allows money that is clearly present in VU coffers to be spent on actual new athletic dept facilities so that these great coaches and the AD don't run away to other schools.

Why do you assume that there is money that has been collected and is merely waiting to be spent?  I hope there is, but I haven't heard of this.  Perhaps you can elaborate if you know something.  I figure it is going to cost $65 million to update VU facilities (35 mil for the new fieldhouse, 15 mil to renovate the ARC, 10 mil for a new track and football stadium, and 5 mil to relocate the baseball and soccer facilties. 

Paul

http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/best-colleges/valparaiso-university-1842

2011 Endowment    $163,721,000

What better way to use the endowment than to invest in a long neglected area that brings more publicity to the university than any other dept (whether the board of directors likes it or not) than the athletic department which in turn will increase the enrollment (Butler has proven this beyond all doubt) and return the dollars taken for this investment.

[78crusader]

These endowment numbers do not = cash on hand.

No school is going to dip into their endowment to build athletic facilities. 

Paul

[wh]

I am far from an endowment expert, but as former head of an N-P with an endowment fund I am somewhat familiar with restrictions and limitations.  The purpose of N-P endowments is to accumulate as much money (and other assets) as possible, hold the principal in perpetuity, and draw a small amount each year (typically 5%) for capital and operating expenses.  Endowments are popular with donors because their contribution is assured to be "a gift that keeps on giving." 

Healthy endowments need investment income of at least 8% in order to cover the 5% draw, plus provide an amount to cover inflation.  I believe that certain categories of 501c(3)'s are required by law to take the 5% and use it, but others can elect to reinvest it.  I do know that some universities with billions of dollars in their endowments (e.g., Harvard and Yale) have been accused of hoarding dividends simply for growth's sake rather than using them to help defray ever increasing costs.  I seriously doubt that that applies to Valpo.   

[a3uge]

1. Harlem Shake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-STAL0aNko

the fact that this video was even made still infuriates me. do we really have nothing better to do while choking a huge lead against detroit than make some stupid knockoff of a stupid video?

Tell me how you really feel. It's not like it was a video of students scribbling Valpo's area code on private property or anything. It's hard to get mad at a rowdy, packed student section when there's games where the student section was lackluster. Maybe you saw a Harlem Shake video where your lady was necking with another guy in the background, I don't know. But lighten up and be happy we're not UWM and have more than 5 students in our student section. You know what their students do during timeouts? Hold up big cutout faces of an oranged-face former head coach whom disgraced himself at another school. THAT would be infuriating to me. Not a bunch of college kids doing college kid stuff while showing immense school spirit.

Is it college basketball season yet?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

[vu72]

1. Harlem Shake
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-STAL0aNko

the fact that this video was even made still infuriates me. do we really have nothing better to do while choking a huge lead against detroit than make some stupid knockoff of a stupid video?

Tell me how you really feel. It's not like it was a video of students scribbling Valpo's area code on private property or anything. It's hard to get mad at a rowdy, packed student section when there's games where the student section was lackluster. Maybe you saw a Harlem Shake video where your lady was necking with another guy in the background, I don't know. But lighten up and be happy we're not UWM and have more than 5 students in our student section. You know what their students do during timeouts? Hold up big cutout faces of an oranged-face former head coach whom disgraced himself at another school. THAT would be infuriating to me. Not a bunch of college kids doing college kid stuff while showing immense school spirit.

Is it college basketball season yet?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk 4 Beta

100% agree!!

[sliman]

I am far from an endowment expert, but as former head of an N-P with an endowment fund I am somewhat familiar with restrictions and limitations.  The purpose of N-P endowments is to accumulate as much money (and other assets) as possible, hold the principal in perpetuity, and draw a small amount each year (typically 5%) for capital and operating expenses.  Endowments are popular with donors because their contribution is assured to be "a gift that keeps on giving." 

Healthy endowments need investment income of at least 8% in order to cover the 5% draw, plus provide an amount to cover inflation.  I believe that certain categories of 501c(3)'s are required by law to take the 5% and use it, but others can elect to reinvest it.  I do know that some universities with billions of dollars in their endowments (e.g., Harvard and Yale) have been accused of hoarding dividends simply for growth's sake rather than using them to help defray ever increasing costs.  I seriously doubt that that applies to Valpo.   

I think WH is pretty much on target with his comments.  In addition, the endowment may be restricted for a particular use by the donor (e.g., support of scholarships, the music program, etc.).  An institution that spends its endowment for capital needs generally comes to regret it.