Recruits

[valpofan11]

We need Adonis Filer from Bishop Noll, who we have offered, or Brandon Grubl from nearby Morgan Twp. who has had his best games against good teams like Bowman.

[cmack]

We need Adonis Filer from Bishop Noll, who we have offered, or Brandon Grubl from nearby Morgan Twp. who has had his best games against good teams like Bowman.

We don't need guards.  Obviously!!!  I would still take Brandon Grubl in a heartbeat.  The kid is a winner.  I have seen him time and again lead his team to victory in big games over better teams.  Unfortunately, he will be overlooked by Valpo because he is from a small school and he can make free throws.

[dcvalpo]

Milan, did you watch Butler last year? They had a Howard Little role as a starter.  Perhaps what we are talking about is that Little played the role of Willie Veasley.
For the record the top 5 teams in the HL this year all started 3 guards so it would appear that in this league that role has value

You can do that when you have a 6'8" power forward and a 6'11" center.

[valpofan11]

Well, we should then email the coaches about Grubl before he decides to go to a place like Bethel. Coach Gore needs to aware that this kid can play and he has more respect than some other players and he would be a great fit to Valpo.

[mj]

Looks like Max Bielfeldt is going to Michigan.

[Valpo89]

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Well, we should then email the coaches about Grubl before he decides to go to a place like Bethel. Coach Gore needs to aware that this kid can play and he has more respect than some other players and he would be a great fit to Valpo.

I like Brandon Grubl as much as the next guy, and even told people during the season that he's the one PCC kid who could contribute on a good DAC team (Valpo, Merrillville, CP). But I don't think he could help the Crusaders, sorry about that. Filer is on another level, and he would be a great get. He would be a beast in the Horizon League at the guard position. Another target should be D.J. Balentine of Kokomo, who is just a junior.

[valpofan11]

Well, we already have a lot of guards, so would that put a guy like Tommy Kurth down to bench warmer if we get Filer?

[milanmiracle]

Well, we already have a lot of guards, so would that put a guy like Tommy Kurth down to bench warmer if we get Filer?

If we're lucky...

[lowposter]

We need "bigs". 

But, then again, so does everyone else.

Look, the really good ones are snapped up by the majors.  No surprize.  But there are high schoolers out there that arent fully developed or fall between the cracks.  Sometimes a little work has to go into the investment.  Smoot at Crown Point is an excellent example.  D1 athletism, nearly a 4.0 student, and raw.  One could say we have two "projects" on the roster now.  Well, perhaps after this time, that is one too many.

I am not sure we can pickup Filer at this point.  His stock has risen dramatically this year.  The Times indicated he now has interest from some larger programs.

Grubl will probably be a D1 player.  He is very athletic and his eyes just seem to get huge when he sees big time talent on the floor.  Word is that he is a very smart kid too.  That is a great combo for mid majors D1's.

[valpofan11]

I hope Grubl plays D1 too. I think he really deserves it because his shots that he makes are crazy. I don't think we'll get Filer, but if for some reason we take Grubl where do you see him playing? 2 or 3 because he is about 6'3".

[valporun]

We have a strong possibility of a "nudge" for Filer to consider Valpo. The head coach at Bishop Noll is a Valpo grad, and I believe was either a basketball manager, or on the scout team, in his time at VU?

[lowposter]

Good article on Coach Trost last week in the Times of NW Indiana.  He was involved at VU, perhaps as a walkon then played at Calumet for a year and graduated  at VU.

The question is...how much influence does he have with the young man?  Or does his AAU coach have more?

[cmack]

Right now it would seem ridiculous to pick up Grubl because of our glut of guards and lack of post players, but I think he is a guy that we would regret missing out on down the road.  Ideally, I would like to see Homer sit someone down and discuss their future prospects with the program and maybe another scholarship will open up for another crap shoot at a big.  I know some may think that is such a terrible thing to say, but let's be real, we have some nonD-1 talent on our roster.

[DMvalpo18]

Right now it would seem ridiculous to pick up Grubl because of our glut of guards and lack of post players, but I think he is a guy that we would regret missing out on down the road.  Ideally, I would like to see Homer sit someone down and discuss their future prospects with the program and maybe another scholarship will open up for another crap shoot at a big.  I know some may think that is such a terrible thing to say, but let's be real, we have some nonD-1 talent on our roster.

what exactly are you getting at here? are you saying you think homer should find a way to dump a few guys on the roster to open some scholarships to use to get a shot at good bigs?

[lowposter]

Athletic scholarships are renewable yearly.

Nick Saban at Alabama has used this quite effectively.

There was discussion here last year about a couple of young men that left the program.  No one every suggested that Homer pulled the scholarships, but players usually see writing on the wall.

lowposter

[dcvalpo]

Let's not sink to the level of Nick Saban, please.

[cmack]

I know that it would be a ridiculous concept for any player to leave Valpo with a grim prospect of playing time on the horizon.  Of course, I ask that you possibly open your eyes to see that a few players have gone down this route already.  Or should we just pretend that it hasn't?

[rlh]

I know that it would be a ridiculous concept for any player to leave Valpo with a grim prospect of playing time on the horizon.  Of course, I ask that you possibly open your eyes to see that a few players have gone down this route already.  Or should we just pretend that it hasn't?

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make.  Possibly a player or two will leave, as has happened in the past, and happens everywhere.  That's one reason coaches are always recruiting, because of that eventuallity.  What are you trying to say?

[vu72]

I guess I don't know who would consider leaving.  Two guys didn't play much last year and one will be a senior with an enhanced chance at playing time now that Cory has left.  The other will be just a sophomore, eligibility wise and may also see some playing time with more to come as he hopefully continues to improve.

Who else?  While we on paper have plenty of point guards, Harris likely will move to the 2, particularly if Brandon does go pro.  Sure we have a bunch of guards but as we saw this year, with injuries and a more uptempo offense, we needed them.  Don't see anyone leaving.

[cmack]

I know that it would be a ridiculous concept for any player to leave Valpo with a grim prospect of playing time on the horizon.  Of course, I ask that you possibly open your eyes to see that a few players have gone down this route already.  Or should we just pretend that it hasn't?

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make.  Possibly a player or two will leave, as has happened in the past, and happens everywhere.  That's one reason coaches are always recruiting, because of that eventuallity.  What are you trying to say?

rlh, best for you to just ignore my posts on this topic.  In the rainbows and sunshine world of Valpo hoops you live in, these things don't happen.  That is fine.  Nothing to see here.

[cmack]

I guess I don't know who would consider leaving.  Two guys didn't play much last year and one will be a senior with an enhanced chance at playing time now that Cory has left.  The other will be just a sophomore, eligibility wise and may also see some playing time with more to come as he hopefully continues to improve.

Who else?  While we on paper have plenty of point guards, Harris likely will move to the 2, particularly if Brandon does go pro.  Sure we have a bunch of guards but as we saw this year, with injuries and a more uptempo offense, we needed them.  Don't see anyone leaving.

Good point,  I guess I would hope that we aren't bringing in new recruits to sit back and watch for a year.  For the most part, I roster probably is what it is.  Middle of the pack.

[milanmiracle]

I know that it would be a ridiculous concept for any player to leave Valpo with a grim prospect of playing time on the horizon.  Of course, I ask that you possibly open your eyes to see that a few players have gone down this route already.  Or should we just pretend that it hasn't?

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make.  Possibly a player or two will leave, as has happened in the past, and happens everywhere.  That's one reason coaches are always recruiting, because of that eventuallity.  What are you trying to say?

I think you know where this is going...maybe ever so gently nudge a player or two out the door in order to recruit a better player or free up a spot for a transfer

[justducky]

I know that it would be a ridiculous concept for any player to leave Valpo with a grim prospect of playing time on the horizon.  Of course, I ask that you possibly open your eyes to see that a few players have gone down this route already.  Or should we just pretend that it hasn't?

I'm not sure what point you are trying to make.  Possibly a player or two will leave, as has happened in the past, and happens everywhere.  That's one reason coaches are always recruiting, because of that eventuallity.  What are you trying to say?

I think you know where this is going...maybe ever so gently nudge a player or two out the door in order to recruit a better player or free up a spot for a transfer

So what are the spots you want to free up? Vucic is a project but still has 3 years to develop.Kurth played 18 minutes per game as a freshman and will return much improved. That would leave Cameron Witt who is better than Vucic and as a senior might be able able to contribute. Thats not an easy choice for even an unprincipled coach. But I am willing to agree that unprincipled coaches are much easier to find than big time centers.

[cmack]

You did identify the 2 best options.  I do feel Vucic to be a total loss even if he were 10 feet tall.  I am not sure other than height what our coaching staff saw in him when they went to see him play.   Poor Tommie,  like him, but I don't see him moving ahead of anyone on the depth chart over the next 3 years.  I just don't see how the redshirt year helps him.  He is a slower Buggs which we have established as a liability on offense unless he finds a perimeter shot.

[rlh]

You did identify the 2 best options.  I do feel Vucic to be a total loss even if he were 10 feet tall.  I am not sure other than height what our coaching staff saw in him when they went to see him play.   Poor Tommie,  like him, but I don't see him moving ahead of anyone on the depth chart over the next 3 years.  I just don't see how the redshirt year helps him.  He is a slower Buggs which we have established as a liability on offense unless he finds a perimeter shot.

So you're answer is to force players to leave.  FYI, the coaches meet with each player individually and tell them where they stand in their minds and what they think they need do to improve.  If the player then decides it's best for them to leave for somewhere else, that's certainly understandable.....BUT I would hate for us to become one of those schools who force kids to leave.  If that's what you want, then you need to find another school to support.