HL 14/15 season champs

oklahomamick · February 28, 2015, 10:24:04 AM

We all know the individual and team records set this season. A special season that we thought would be next year not this year.

3 out of last 4 years hosting the HL tournament.

12 out of 21 years winning a conference championship. It's fun to be a valpo fan and we are really lucky to be part of a winning tradition and good character.

FWalum · February 28, 2015, 10:43:20 AM

Quote from: oklahomamick on February 28, 2015, 10:24:04 AM
We all know the individual and team records set this season. A special season that we thought would be next year not this year.

3 out of last 4 years hosting the HL tournament.

12 out of 21 years winning a conference championship. It's fun to be a valpo fan and we are really lucky.

Couldn't agree more, but I would amend this to say that we are lucky not only because this team has won, but because they have won the right way. I am proud of everyone that represents VU sports, they comport themselves with integrity and truly represent our Lutheran university extremely well (especially basketball

).

wh · February 28, 2015, 03:24:05 PM

Somehow I missed this thread till now. Great posts! I completely agree!

valpopal · February 28, 2015, 03:29:40 PM

The team got back home to the ARC just before 3 pm. There were wide smiles on the faces of all the players, coaches, and administrators. Each individual seemed proud of having brought the season championship and the tournament back to Valpo.

wh · February 28, 2015, 03:50:38 PM

I don't suppose you happened to get any pictures of those smiling faces, did you?

historyman · February 28, 2015, 09:00:03 PM

Quote from: wh on February 28, 2015, 03:50:38 PMI don't suppose you happened to get any pictures of those smiling faces, did you?

When Barack heard about it he was smiling wide. He said the VU message board was his favorite for it's great support of his administration.

(just couldn't help it)

oklahomamick · March 01, 2015, 09:39:53 AM

I created a thread on the HL forum. There is a poll for HL tournament champ. It would nice to see more Valpo fans particpate.

http://horizonleaguefans.freeforums.net/thread/751/hl-tournament

okinawatyphoon · March 01, 2015, 10:48:53 AM

It's nice to see the university feature the Horizon League regular season champions on the homepage as well.

www.valpo.edu

GoPanthers33 · March 01, 2015, 11:22:36 AM

Congrats on the title guys!

Good luck in the Horizon League tournament. Unfortunately you don't have to worry about us this year

Looking forward to next season!

BrownTown · March 01, 2015, 12:05:49 PM

Going into this season, I don't think anybody would've predicted where we finished (unless you had that blindness so prevalent in Bears and Cubs fans); most people would've laughed at the prediction we'd win the league this year. Here are some of my key intangibles for the season (that won't show up on a stat sheet):

1. The Kids Can Play!

From the opening game, the Crusaders rode the talent and poise unexpected in its youth. Alec Peters is playing like an upperclassman, and has since he put on a Valpo uniform. With his performance at CSU Friday night, culminating in his corner-3/FT to put us up 8 with 1:11 to go, he's secured himself Horizon League Player-of-the-Year honors.

Add Tevonn Walker to that mix: an exciting player who has showtime capability. I think you'd have to go back to Bryce Drew to see any freshman play with the wherewithal T. Walker displayed this season. He should be a lock for Freshman POY, and we finally have that dribble-drive finisher we've so desperately longed for, lo these many years.

All in all, it's a crazy-young team; one that can only grow and improve on what they've done this season. If Drew and Company can keep this core together, visions of future at-large bids are finally worth discussing!

2. 2014-15 Coach of the Year

I will admit, I was lukewarm about the news Valpo hired Bryce as their head coach when Homer retired. Sure, Valpo has recruited on the Drew name, and they're a valuable asset in that they play the game the right way and are a group of the nicest, most down-to-earth people you'd ever hope to help enrich your kid's basketball knowledge. But, although he was the greatest player to wear the uniform in his playing days, I was not confident he would transition well from player to coach. One thing I always said about Homer (and Scott) was that they had the necessary charisma to be a head coach at Valpo; not only the cheerleader mentality Homer so aptly created back in 1988, but poise and calmness under pressure. Bryce always struck me as a more brash, less charismatic figure who--don't get me wrong--brought all the x's and o's to the table, but someone I thought might not deliver in relating his knowledge effectively to student athletes the way his father and brother seemed to be able to do. He and his coaching staff, no doubt, never had me guessing their recruiting abilities. But, as we all know, it's a team that wins in college hoops; rarely can one player lead a team to a conference championship.

Obviously, by the middle of his first season at the helm, I had been proven completely wrong about his effectiveness as a coach. His demeanor IS different than his Drew predecessors, but his style as a coach has been as effective as it can be, not to mention his basketball resume and accomplishments instill an immediate respect in his players. He's surrounded himself with great assistants, and the way he's handled the team this year and "chess-matched" through adversity--with the lack of 2-for-1s strategy aside--has been nothing short of masterful. His staff's recruiting is great, and we continue to score really big commitments for our future, which, let's face it, looks very bright!

3. It's the Chemistry, Stupid!

It doesn't show up on a stat sheet, but it's almost more important than numbers. You cannot win at the college level without it. This team gelled better than anyone would have expected, and the necessity to mature quickly certainly helped to build this group's unity. Lexus: out, Tevonn: in. Carter: out, Nickerson: in. Injuries facilitated a bench quick to prove (and improve) themselves. Necessity is the mother of invention, and this team invented an unexpected, young, unified juggernaut that will be an absolute force in the league for years to come. And, character? This team is full of it. How else could we go from an uninspired loss at Calihan to such a poised, winner-take-all clincher against a pumped CSU team yet to lose at Wolstein?

Number 1 seed? Wow. Just wow. What a season. What a team. Whether we take the tournament title or not, you can bet we won't be picked to finish fourth next season. Bryce and Company are leading Valpo Basketball forward. So desperate, we are, to finally match 1998. That time very well may be on the "Horizon". Let's just have fun and watch these guys play for another shot at another dance! Go Valpo!

wh · March 01, 2015, 12:07:03 PM

Quote from: GoPanthers33 on March 01, 2015, 11:22:36 AM
Congrats on the title guys!

Good luck in the Horizon League tournament. Unfortunately you don't have to worry about us this year

Looking forward to next season!

Great finish - 6-2 in the 2nd half of conference play and a 4-game winning streak. I'm sure a lot of teams are relieved they won't have to face you this week, not just us.

With the guys you have coming back next year and Arians returning, Valpo and Milwaukee should have some epic battles!

To the future!

wh · March 01, 2015, 12:16:12 PM

Quote from: BrownTown on March 01, 2015, 12:05:49 PM
Going into this season, I don't think anybody would've predicted where we finished (unless you had that blindness so prevalent in Bears and Cubs fans); most people would've laughed at the prediction we'd win the league this year. Here are some of my key intangibles for the season (that won't show up on a stat sheet):

1. The Kids Can Play!

From the opening game, the Crusaders rode the talent and poise unexpected in its youth. Alec Peters is playing like an upperclassman, and has since he put on a Valpo uniform. With his performance at CSU Friday night, culminating in his corner-3/FT to put us up 8 with 1:11 to go, he's secured himself Horizon League Player-of-the-Year honors.

Add Tevonn Walker to that mix: an exciting player who has showtime capability. I think you'd have to go back to Bryce Drew to see any freshman play with the wherewithal T. Walker displayed this season. He should be a lock for Freshman POY, and we finally have that dribble-drive finisher we've so desperately longed for, lo these many years.

All in all, it's a crazy-young team; one that can only grow and improve on what they've done this season. If Drew and Company can keep this core together, visions of future at-large bids are finally worth discussing!

2. 2014-15 Coach of the Year

I will admit, I was lukewarm about the news Valpo hired Bryce as their head coach when Homer retired. Sure, Valpo has recruited on the Drew name, and they're a valuable asset in that they play the game the right way and are a group of the nicest, most down-to-earth people you'd ever hope to help enrich your kid's basketball knowledge. But, although he was the greatest player to wear the uniform in his playing days, I was not confident he would transition well from player to coach. One thing I always said about Homer (and Scott) was that they had the necessary charisma to be a head coach at Valpo; not only the cheerleader mentality Homer so aptly created back in 1988, but poise and calmness under pressure. Bryce always struck me as a more brash, less charismatic figure who--don't get me wrong--brought all the x's and o's to the table, but someone I thought might not deliver in relating his knowledge effectively to student athletes the way his father and brother seemed to be able to do. He and his coaching staff, no doubt, never had me guessing their recruiting abilities. But, as we all know, it's a team that wins in college hoops; rarely can one player lead a team to a conference championship.

Obviously, by the middle of his first season at the helm, I had been proven completely wrong about his effectiveness as a coach. His demeanor IS different than his Drew predecessors, but his style as a coach has been as effective as it can be, not to mention his basketball resume and accomplishments instill an immediate respect in his players. He's surrounded himself with great assistants, and the way he's handled the team this year and "chess-matched" through adversity--with the lack of 2-for-1s strategy aside--has been nothing short of masterful. His staff's recruiting is great, and we continue to score really big commitments for our future, which, let's face it, looks very bright!

3. It's the Chemistry, Stupid!

It doesn't show up on a stat sheet, but it's almost more important than numbers. You cannot win at the college level without it. This team gelled better than anyone would have expected, and the necessity to mature quickly certainly helped to build this group's unity. Lexus: out, Tevonn: in. Carter: out, Nickerson: in. Injuries facilitated a bench quick to prove (and improve) themselves. Necessity is the mother of invention, and this team invented an unexpected, young, unified juggernaut that will be an absolute force in the league for years to come. And, character? This team is full of it. How else could we go from an uninspired loss at Calihan to such a poised, winner-take-all clincher against a pumped CSU team yet to lose at Wolstein?

Number 1 seed? Wow. Just wow. What a season. What a team. Whether we take the tournament title or not, you can bet we won't be picked to finish fourth next season. Bryce and Company are leading Valpo Basketball forward. So desperate, we are, to finally match 1998. That time very well may be on the "Horizon". Let's just have fun and watch these guys play for another shot at another dance! Go Valpo!

Wow! Great post! Where have you been?

grad66 · March 01, 2015, 02:29:35 PM

Outstanding Post.

wh · March 01, 2015, 06:14:25 PM

Bryce on Yahoo Sports Radio right now:

http://www.yahoosportsradio.com/listen/

zvillehaze · March 01, 2015, 08:12:21 PM

Congrats on winning the HL regular season. This team has been fun to watch. Good luck in the HL tourney!

oklahomamick · March 01, 2015, 08:13:21 PM

Where are the HL champion T-shirts?

wh · March 02, 2015, 12:07:34 PM

Picked up my tourney tickets this morning. What a great, almost surreal feeling. The ticket office is busy. Workers inside and out are already busy readying the ARC. Still kind of hard to believe that this is actually happening in such a short time. It was only October that we learned how to pronounce Tevonn and Skara.

valpopal · March 02, 2015, 02:00:30 PM

I stopped by the ARC to watch the team practice this afternoon. It looked to be a very good and intense session. I know it is disappointing that the university has an early Spring Break, and student attendance at tournament games will be diminished as a result. However, while watching the spirited and energetic practice on an otherwise empty campus, I realized the early two-week Spring Break means VU players have no classes or homework, nor any other distractions from other students, and can completely focus on their preparation this week.

valpo4life · March 02, 2015, 02:30:31 PM

If I remember right, the last time we hosted the students filled up the temporary seating that was brought in specifically for our students. Sure it's not going to be as many as we could have, but given that is it spring break I think they'll do a good job of traveling back to support the team

talksalot · March 02, 2015, 02:36:03 PM

Quote from: oklahomamick on March 01, 2015, 08:13:21 PMWhere are the HL champion T-shirts?

at the bookstore...9-2pm M-F this week...

SanityLost17 · March 02, 2015, 09:37:49 PM

Quote from: talksalot on March 02, 2015, 02:36:03 PM
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 01, 2015, 08:13:21 PMWhere are the HL champion T-shirts?

at the bookstore...9-2pm M-F this week...

Book Store... Really... Yeah.... Once again... C'mon....

The university needs to look into opening an online team store for events such as these. I work at a high school and our 3A bball unexpectedly made it to semi-state. Opened up an online team store to the public for 48 hours and sold over 800 shirts. Shirts could be picked up at the athletic office a few days later. I am sure in the case of VU, they could let you pick up the shirts. It is 2015, get with the times people!!!! Nobody under the age of 30 wants to do anything that isn't online. I am 31, but I am going to lump myself in with this group. We don't want to call for tickets, we don't want to have to go to the book store to buy shirts. We want to log-in and buy with a credit card!

Here is the online team store I use for my teams. http://www.bsnsports.com/my-team-shop/

This is more for high school sports teams. I am sure there are businesses out there that are more tailored toward special event clothing sales, but systems such as this would increase t-shirt sales, which are the cheapest form of advertising.

SanityLost17 · March 02, 2015, 10:00:54 PM

Hey look. You can find shirts online... I have not seen them promoted anywhere, they certainly are priced to move, and I am sure the bookstore website is a well trafficked webpage for most of the general public!

http://www.bkstr.com/valparaisostore/product/apparel-and-accessories/mens/t-shirts-and-tanks/valparaiso-crusaders-basketball-2015-horizon-league-champions-t-shirt-058155-tv1001-vde2267

Kyle321n · March 03, 2015, 08:08:10 AM

Quote from: SanityLost17 on March 02, 2015, 10:00:54 PM
Hey look. You can find shirts online... I have not seen them promoted anywhere, they certainly are priced to move, and I am sure the bookstore website is a well trafficked webpage for most of the general public!

http://www.bkstr.com/valparaisostore/product/apparel-and-accessories/mens/t-shirts-and-tanks/valparaiso-crusaders-basketball-2015-horizon-league-champions-t-shirt-058155-tv1001-vde2267

No where does that shirt say "Regular Season". I'm not sure if they lose that I'd want to be walking around in a shirt that can misconstrued as one that was tagged to go to Ethiopia.

a3uge · March 03, 2015, 08:19:35 AM

Valpo bookstore: 50 Shades of Gold

agibson · March 03, 2015, 09:10:58 AM

Quote from: Kyle321n on March 03, 2015, 08:08:10 AM
Quote from: SanityLost17 on March 02, 2015, 10:00:54 PM
Hey look. You can find shirts online... I have not seen them promoted anywhere, they certainly are priced to move, and I am sure the bookstore website is a well trafficked webpage for most of the general public!

http://www.bkstr.com/valparaisostore/product/apparel-and-accessories/mens/t-shirts-and-tanks/valparaiso-crusaders-basketball-2015-horizon-league-champions-t-shirt-058155-tv1001-vde2267

No where does that shirt say "Regular Season". I'm not sure if they lose that I'd want to be walking around in a shirt that can misconstrued as one that was tagged to go to Ethiopia.

I think I'd still wear it with pride. Maybe I can pick one up at a discount in the unfortunate event that we lose one of the next two games

Good that the shirts are available online! Now if they can be brought out of the third line of merchandise on the t-shirt section... They do have that lovely display on the front page of the book center page. (Out of curiosity, I had checked the book center page a day or two ago - but only the front page.)