Recruiting: 2016

[VU2624]

Crusaders Add Pair of Transfers to Program

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2015-16/15586/crusaders-add-pair-of-transfers-to-program/#.V2BMjjWxWS4

[nkvu]

Crusaders Add Pair of Transfers to Program

http://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/news/2015-16/15586/crusaders-add-pair-of-transfers-to-program/#.V2BMjjWxWS4

So this leaves us the one scholarship being held for hopefully Carter's return?

[VULB#62]

[tweet]742812587172200449[/tweet]
[tweet]742813384022839296[/tweet]

On Keith

[tweet]742813687354957824[/tweet]

On style of play and the use of the "point forward".....

[tweet]742813985293111296[/tweet]

And this....

[tweet]742814346078740480[/tweet]

[valpopal]

Look for a Father's Day gift coming Valpo way!

[M]

John Kiser has committed to Valpo.

[VULB#62]

Taking Keith's slot this Fall as a SG freshman?

[humbleopinion]

At the meets and greet, Matt talked about a walk-on from Noblesville before he was hushed by Luke Gore.  I presume we now know the name of that walk-on.

[VULB#62]

Answering my own question from Mike Osipoff tweets:

Kiser is walking on.
[tweet]744681501728645121[/tweet]

But should Keith's appeal be denied, chances are he slides into the scholarship slot.  Make sense?
[tweet]744681584293470208[/tweet]

[valpopal]

Taking Keith's slot this Fall as a SG freshman?

No, he is a walk-on; therefore, my previous message advising about Valpo receiving a gift on Father's Day.

[VULB#62]

But could he slide into a scholarship slot if one becomes available?

[justducky]

John Kiser has committed to Valpo.

Looks like an interesting roll of the dice benefiting both parties. We get a D-1 quality (project?) player regardless of the Keith Carter appeal outcome. He comes to a solid program and institution which shows great loyalty to its chosen recruits. All else being equal I love having Indiana kids on the team.

Would he have competed against Smits in HS?

[vu72]

I was just reading an article about Kiser whose author thought Kiser had been snubbed by not being named to the Indiana All Star Team.  At 6'5" he may be a "tweener", but apparently is a tough kid who can play some defense. Here's a video highlite clip:

https://new.berecruited.com/athletes/2452616

[VU2014]

As long as Kiser is a walk-on I'm pretty happy with this move. Seems like a fine player and someone you'd like to see if you could develop and he could possibly earn a scholarship if the coaching staff sees potential down the road, but at first glance he's not the type of athlete that stands out, but could possibly become nice bench player or role player with stout defense when he comes in the game. I think at this stage in Valpo's program we should be only offering scholarships to players that the coaching staff sees as being potential starters down the road by their junior/senior year, or have a skill set that really makes an impact on the game when he's out on the floor. No risk in adding Kiser as a walk-on and best of luck to him and I hope he develops into the best basketball player/man/student athlete he can be at Valpo.

If Keith's appeal gets denied I still wouldn't offer the scholarship to Kiser this year. I'd role with one scholarship down and role it into next season for next years potential recruit with a higher ceiling recruit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-y8EYoo2tg

[a3uge]

The biggest question: how good is his bench celebration game?

[VU2014]

I think with Nick Davidson's senior leadership I think the bench celebration game will be strong this year haha

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:14810025

[oklahomamick]

With the success that Valpo has had in the last 5 years we should be landing 3* recruits on a regular basis.  If UIC and NKU can get multiple 3*'s  we should as well.  I don't care about if our facilities aren't as nice, recruits would rather win and play in big games. 

Ray was a good recruiter but bad coach
Billy was a good coach but bad recruiter
Time will tell which one Lottich is.

[atkins]

It is good to see us make at least some some inroads into Indiana recruiting.  Smits and Kiser obviously were not heavily recruited by power D-1 schools.  They (fortunately) fell through the cracks to us.  But the trend is positive.

In the future, hopefully we can sign a few of the prime Indiana players. The state is loaded with them each year, but Valpo has been a non-factor.  Bryce and Roger were good overall recruiters, but they were schooled by other coaches in their own state.  Perhaps that will change under Lottich.

We have to go all the way back to Kenny Harris to see Valpo attract a prime national-level recruit.  Matt Kenney and Clay Yeo were good, but they were not in Harris' category.

[vu72]

As long as Kiser is a walk-on I'm pretty happy with this move. Seems like a fine player and someone you'd like to see if you could develop and he could possibly earn a scholarship if the coaching staff sees potential down the road, but at first glance he's not the type of athlete that stands out, but could possibly become nice bench player or role player with stout defense when he comes in the game. I think at this stage in Valpo's program we should be only offering scholarships to players that the coaching staff sees as being potential starters down the road by their junior/senior year, or have a skill set that really makes an impact on the game when he's out on the floor. No risk in adding Kiser as a walk-on and best of luck to him and I hope he develops into the best basketball player/man/student athlete he can be at Valpo.

If Keith's appeal gets denied I still wouldn't offer the scholarship to Kiser this year. I'd role with one scholarship down and role it into next season for next years potential recruit with a higher ceiling recruit.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a-y8EYoo2tg

Just watched the game.  Very exciting but Noblesville did lose to Fort Wayne Southside 73-70 in OT.  Kiser played well (major understatement), scoring 41 with 11 rebounds and going 8 for 8 from the line.  The kid played point or at least handled the ball for much of the time and showed an ability to drive to the hoop with a couple of two handed slams.  Solid handle and very solid defense as well. Could be an excellent get for Valpo.

[covufan]

But could he slide into a scholarship slot if one becomes available?

Doubtful.  He only had one scholarship offer, from Division II Hillsdale.

http://verbalcommits.com/players/john-kiser

[valpotx]

But Hillsdale is a top D-2 program, that could beat many lower level D-1 schools.  Maybe we have another Drew Ferry on our hands, but someone who might stay long-term .

[Valpower]

But Hillsdale is a top D-2 program, that could beat many lower level D-1 schools.  Maybe we have another Drew Ferry on our hands, but someone who might stay long-term .

Or a Dwayne Toatley.

[VU2014]

I watched the game and I was impressed but not enough to spend a scholarship on him yet. He just doesn't scream impact player, which is fine because every team needs guys who are role guys and good bench players. I don't think Valpo will ever be a team that consistently gets multiple 3 star recruits every year, but I think we should be getting 1 every year. But at the same time I think the "3 star" characterization is somewhat overrated. Jay Harris was a 3-star guy but I could tell from the moment he step on the floor there was no way he was that great of a player.

I don't want to beat a dead horse but the reason UIC, NKU and Oakland get 3-star is because of the arena and athletic facilities and also having very charismatic coaches. With UIC they can sell kids on the big city and being in Chicago and I think Steve McClain also convinces kids with in different ways (cough-cough: $$$ cough: $). Interestingly though many kids from the inner-city have absolutely zero desire to play for UIC because they want to get out out of the city and they also know that absolutely no one cares about UIC basketball but many kids from outside the city don't know that and they look at wanting to play in a big city and are a little more naive. NKU just has great facilities and seems like their coach is a pretty good recruiter. (side note: we snagged NKU's former assistant Reggie Ragland who recruits the Indiana region pretty well) As for Oakland they have a really nice athletic facilities and Kampe is an extremely personable guy and he's a good coach that has been there for forever. Kampe gets some of his best players from transfers that have character or judgement issues that other teams won't take chances on. Martez Walker got kicked out of Texas for assaulting his girlfriend and trespassing charges. One of their 4-star transfer is a this year got kicked out of school at Oklahoma State for drug possession and public urination. Oakland had 2 players a couple years ago that were arrested for allegedly raping a girl. Kampe has proven to role with questionable character/judgement players if he thinks they can win him games.

Facilities/arena do have a huge impact on 18 year old kids decisions of where they want to play. Obviously has a ton to do with relationship/fit with coaches but lets not act like facilities don't play a role in our lack of 3-stars in the past. There have been rumblings for years that Bryce/Homer were pleading with management for improve facilities. New facilities or new ARC won't happen till an alum or many Alum's write huge checks specifically for a new ARC. From what I've heard and seen from Lottich so far I'm pretty confident Lottich can do a pretty good job recruiting with what we have. The biggest thing for recruiting now is proving the coaching chops and winning. If he show he's a good coach and continues the winning then he'll definitely be able to sway recruits and transfers. I'm optimistic.

[valpotx]

But Hillsdale is a top D-2 program, that could beat many lower level D-1 schools.  Maybe we have another Drew Ferry on our hands, but someone who might stay long-term .

Or a Dwayne Toatley.

I always forget that he was a walk-on, because he was a main contributor during my FR/SO years at Valpo. 

[vu72]

 

I watched the game and I was impressed but not enough to spend a scholarship on him yet. He just doesn't scream impact player, which is fine because every team needs guys who are role guys and good bench players. I don't think Valpo will ever be a team that consistently gets multiple 3 star recruits every year, but I think we should be getting 1 every year. But at the same time I think the "3 star" characterization is somewhat overrated. Jay Harris was a 3-star guy but I could tell from the moment he step on the floor there was no way he was that great of a player.

I don't want to beat a dead horse but the reason UIC, NKU and Oakland get 3-star is because of the arena and athletic facilities and also having very charismatic coaches. With UIC they can sell kids on the big city and being in Chicago and I think Steve McClain also convinces kids with in different ways (cough-cough: $$$ cough: $). Interestingly though many kids from the inner-city have absolutely zero desire to play for UIC because they want to get out out of the city and they also know that absolutely no one cares about UIC basketball but many kids from outside the city don't know that and they look at wanting to play in a big city and are a little more naive. NKU just has great facilities and seems like their coach is a pretty good recruiter. (side note: we snagged NKU's former assistant Reggie Ragland who recruits the Indiana region pretty well) As for Oakland they have a really nice athletic facilities and Kampe is an extremely personable guy and he's a good coach that has been there for forever. Kampe gets some of his best players from transfers that have character or judgement issues that other teams won't take chances on. Martez Walker got kicked out of Texas for assaulting his girlfriend and trespassing charges. One of their 4-star transfer is a this year got kicked out of school at Oklahoma State for drug possession and public urination. Oakland had 2 players a couple years ago that were arrested for allegedly raping a girl. Kampe has proven to role with questionable character/judgement players if he thinks they can win him games.

Facilities/arena do have a huge impact on 18 year old kids decisions of where they want to play. Obviously has a ton to do with relationship/fit with coaches but lets not act like facilities don't play a role in our lack of 3-stars in the past. There have been rumblings for years that Bryce/Homer were pleading with management for improve facilities. New facilities or new ARC won't happen till an alum or many Alum's write huge checks specifically for a new ARC. From what I've heard and seen from Lottich so far I'm pretty confident Lottich can do a pretty good job recruiting with what we have. The biggest thing for recruiting now is proving the coaching chops and winning. If he show he's a good coach and continues the winning then he'll definitely be able to sway recruits and transfers. I'm optimistic.

Not sure I agree on Oakland though I've never set foot in the 3000 seat O'Rena.  This article is a good read on where Kampe sits now that he has another contract extention all the while being probably the lowest paid coach in the Horizon.  The article says that Oakland doesn't even have a film room let alone a practice facility.  Hilltop provides a very nice practice facility that will be even more closed to other sports going forward and, I think I'm right on this, will have air conditioning added.

Here's the article:

POSTED: 05/01/16, 4:34 PM EDT | UPDATED: ON 05/02/2016
At a glance, it was a rubber stamp moment at a meeting of the Oakland University Board of Trustees.

Men's basketball coach Greg Kampe's contract was extended by three years, through 2020, on April 11. No open discussion.

It was presented like a formality, Kampe, in his position since 1984, and widely considered the face of the university, securely in place.

Buried was how the extension may be the beginning of the end for Kampe at OU, and how expectations have changed with considerable delusion blended in.


It was more a take-it-or-leave moment for Kampe. He took it, but upon further examination, you may wonder why.

Kay Felder, the Golden Grizzlies' third-team Associated Press All-American point guard, had signed with an agent three days prior, meaning he officially declared for the NBA Draft to the point of no return to OU.

Had he come back, Felder would have been a consensus first-team preseason All-American. Oakland likely would have received votes in the Associated Press Preseason Top 25 and been the consensus favorite to win the Horizon League. You'd hear a groundswell of discussion about how the Golden Grizzlies were about to become the next Butler or Gonzaga or Wichita State, although it would be overblown.

Instead, Kampe is left without Felder, his best big man in Percy Gibson and 3-point shooter deluxe Max Hooper — and much noise about what could have been.

The path to the NCAA tournament was so clear in March. Oakland placed second in the Horizon League, earning a double-bye to the semifinals of the conference tournament. They were essentially in a friendly environment — at Joe Louis Arena. Valparaiso, the best team in the league, was upset by Green Bay.

Then it happened for the second straight year. Felder struggled, including missing a crucial layup down the stretch, and OU lost to Wright State, a team it clocked twice during the regular season. The year before, Oakland was upset in the Horizon League tournament by Illinois-Chicago.

All of a sudden everything Kampe has accomplished at OU — gradually turning the program into a Division II power, guiding it smoothly under difficult circumstances into Division I, reaching the NCAA Division I tournament three times, developing some of the best players in college basketball, performing surprisingly well after taking the step up to the Horizon League, consistently beating Detroit — was forgotten.

At one point, Kampe even stepped in as interim athletic director. He was a steadying presence during an difficult time for OU — the controversial parting from the school of longtime president Gary Russi and his wife, women's basketball coach Beckie Francis.

Kampe has always had detractors, but they grew in the face of the loss at Joe Louis Arena, especially after Wright State fired its coach anyway, as did Milwaukee and Detroit.

It wasn't Kampe so much being "rewarded" an extension as much as OU athletic director Jeff Konya getting Kampe what he could under the circumstances to prevent the perception Kampe is a lame duck. He was entering the last year of his contract.

It involved only a modest pay raise — from $275,000 to $288,000 per year. And the length of the contract as presented is misleading. If Kampe, as an at-will employee, is dismissed, he will only be paid two years of the contract. Kampe is the lowest paid of the Division I men's college basketball coaches in this state, the only one below $300,000 annually.

Oakland doesn't have a film room, let alone a practice facility. The O'Rena is nice and quaint, but it only holds slightly more than 4,000.

Yet, Kampe is not being respected as much for defying the odds as questioned for not getting Oakland back in the NCAA tournament since moving to the Horizon League.

Adding salt to the wound is that when Detroit signed its new head coach, Bacari Alexander, multiple sources indicated it was for considerably more than $400,000 per year (Detroit, as a private university, doesn't publicly reveal contract figures). Illinois-Chicago is paying its men's coach $375,000 annually. Milwaukee coach Rob Jeter was reportedly making more than $450,000 when dismissed.

Asked about his contract situation last week, the usually candid Kampe was uncharacteristically vague and guarded. "I signed it. Nobody forced me to do it, and I'm going to do, as always, my best for Oakland University," Kampe said.

Kampe is urgently searching the junior college ranks for a point guard to replace Felder, who is widely being projected as a second-round selection in the upcoming NBA Draft.

"I advised Kay I thought he would have been able to improve his position in the NBA Draft if he returned for his senior season," Kampe said. "But he has other advisors, who are also looking out for his best interests. Once he made the final decision, I am all for it. I support him and his decision 1,000 percent."

Konya admits there is imbalance between what Kampe has accomplished compared to expectations given OU's limited resources, which he is leading an effort to build.

"Greg has out-kicked his coverage," Konya said.

He added while Kampe is the lowest-paid Division I men's basketball coach in the state, he is, "still in the bandwidth of the others."

Konya said the negotiations with Kampe were in January, before there were several coaching changes in the Horizon League.

"There is a commitment there," Konya said. "But to be fair, in this latest consideration, we wanted to be consistent with what the parameters were at the time we were having that conversation. And we may have to re-engage in the conversation at the appropriate time because the scales have been altered. And I would welcome that conversation with coach (Kampe) in a year or two with further success."

Here is the bottom line about Kampe at Oakland:

• The school has never had a disastrous season under his helm and he has been academically responsible.

• OU has very limited facilities compared to its suddenly soaring expectations, certainly compared to its foes in the Horizon League, most of which OU has consistently been beating, and definitely in comparison to Butler, Gonzaga and Wichita State.

• Kampe is one constant that has carried and represented OU beyond some difficult, trying, troubling and, frankly, embarrassing times.

• A replacement for Kampe would be far more costly and present no guarantee of improvement, especially when it's considered how limited OU's basketball facilities and budget are compared to other Division I men's programs.

• Kampe has gotten more from less at OU than evidently the powers to be at the university understand, including the governor-appointed board of trustees and president George W. Hynd.

• It's like Kampe is being taken for granted, and that reflects poorly on Oakland University.

[vu72]

But Hillsdale is a top D-2 program, that could beat many lower level D-1 schools.  Maybe we have another Drew Ferry on our hands, but someone who might stay long-term .

Or a Dwayne Toatley.

I always forget that he was a walk-on, because he was a main contributor during my FR/SO years at Valpo. 

He started out as a walk-on, coming from D2 Minnesota Duluth.  Dwayne was a very close friend of Jared Nuness.  Dwayne did earn a scholarship which was, as I recall, for his senior year, but may have been for his final two, the seasons you reference where he was a main contributor.