Post Season Awards and Tourney Predictions

[Kyle321n]

and these are voted on by the COACHES only !!... and Kampe is prohibited from voting for his own guy(s)...

I'd love to see the numbers for each guy. Like if Vashil won 5-4 against Williams or what the breakdown on FOTY was. My guess, Jeter's ballot was all Valpo.

I love how he thinks Hayes deserved FOTY over Bass or Tevonn. Hell he was very clearly the 4th Freshman on the 1st team, and I don't think he was close.

[justducky]

I'd like to see some "great" numbers that put Dante Williams ahead of Vashil's "good" numbers.

In defense of everybody thinking he should not get DPOY, Vashil Fernandez almost requires a separate category. Goalie of the year-- unanimous vote. Can he cover a big with a decent 15' to 22' jump shot? Not very well. Can that very same big (after hitting a few jump shots) then take him to the hole off the dribble? Yes if he is any kind of ball handler. In situations where man to man is required and depending on the matchup Vashil will frequently leave the floor. So is he a great defender? Absolutely or maybe absolutely not!

[a3uge]

and these are voted on by the COACHES only !!... and Kampe is prohibited from voting for his own guy(s)...

I'd love to see the numbers for each guy. Like if Vashil won 5-4 against Williams or what the breakdown on FOTY was. My guess, Jeter's ballot was all Valpo.

I love how he thinks Hayes deserved FOTY over Bass or Tevonn. Hell he was very clearly the 4th Freshman on the 1st team, and I don't think he was close.

I haven't watched every Oakland game this year and I know he hasn't seen every Valpo game - and even if you have, it's much better to look at stats than relying on your emotions as you're more likely to believe what you want to believe. The fact that this guy has a remarkably poor defensive rating, and only the 5th best on his team doesn't sit right with me. Plus he's one of the worst rebounding forwards in the entire conference. Felder actually has over double the rebounding percentage as him.

When I watch Oakland, the last thing I think about is how great defensively they are. When I watch Valpo, I see a good defensive team. The stats prove that - Valpo is 1st in opponents PPG and Oakland is in the bottom half of the league. Vashil is inarguably the best defender on the best defensive team, so seeing him win DPOY is a no brainer. But Vashil actually has numbers to back him up. As a rim protector, he's helped limit defense to under 90 points per 100 possession when he's on the floor. He's blocking shots at an astonishing rate and is one of the best shot blockers in the entire country. His rebounding is also okay, and has the best rebounding numbers on one of the best rebounding teams in the conference.

I actually think the more compelling argument is Vashil vs Grady more than Vashil vs Williams. Grady has awesome defense stats across the board and would be far more deserving than Williams.

[a3uge]

I'd like to see some "great" numbers that put Dante Williams ahead of Vashil's "good" numbers.

In defense of everybody thinking he should not get DPOY, Vashil Fernandez almost requires a separate category. Goalie of the year-- unanimous vote. Can he cover a big with a decent 15' to 22' jump shot? Not very well. Can that very same big (after hitting a few jump shots) then take him to the hole off the dribble? Yes if he is any kind of ball handler. In situations where man to man is required and depending on the matchup Vashil will frequently leave the floor. So is he a great defender? Absolutely or maybe absolutely not!

It's hard to argue that Vashil's goalie status hurt the team from guarding the perimeter; teams shot a horizon league worst 32% from 3 against Valpo.

[wh]

Oakland had 25% of the players named to the combined 1st and 2nd, all defensive, and freshman teams, more than any other team in the league.  I would be counting my lucky stars if we did that well after finishing 3rd or 4th in the league or whatever they are.  Yet, some knucklehead over there acts like there should be a congressional investigation because they didn't get something more.  Maybe there should be a congressional investigation into why they didn't win more games with all that talent. 

We don't have to defend Vashiel or anyone else.  Our record speaks for itself. 

[VU75]

Fernandez is not the best defensive player in the league but he is the most valuable defensive player in the league.

[sliman]

Most observers acknowledge that any of 4-5 teams could win the tournament.  Games among them support that belief.
In six games against CSU, GB and Oakland, Valpo is 4-2 and has scored exactly the same number of points as its opponents, biggest margin was a 14-point loss at Oakland in the HL opener, and that was in overtime.  Widest margin of victory was six points at home against Oakland.  Add the split of two with Detroit and the scoring margin is only plus 5 (8-point win at home, 3-point loss in Detroit) for 8 games.

GB has the poorest record against the other top seeds, 2-4, and a scoring deficit of 5 points in the six games (less than a point a game).  Two of the widest margins among the leaders involve GB, a 14-point loss to CSU and a 20-point win over Oakland.  Add the sweep of Detroit (6 point and 20 point wins) and the scoring margin in plus 21, less than 3 points a game.

CSU is 3-3 against the top three seeds but has the best scoring margin, plus 15, largely because of the 14-point win over Green Bay and no loss of more than 3 points.  Add is the split with Detroit and the scoring margin is plus 18.

Oakland is 3-3 against the other three with a minus 10 scoring difference in the six games.  Two games were decided by more than 6 points, the 14-point overtime win over Valpo and the 20-point loss at GB.  Add in the split with Detroit and the deficit becomes 25 points in 8 games largely due to a 20-point loss at Detroit (and a 5-pint win at home), but that's still barely more than 3 points a game.

Detroit is 3-5 against the top 4 with a 19-point deficit in points for the 8 games, less than 3 points a game.

And, something to submit to Ripley's Believe it or Not, in games played by the top four seeds against each other, the winning teams have scored 1,555 points and the losing teams have scored 1,555 points. 
Average winning margin ZERO!

[wh]

I would say it this way.  Vashiel is not the best one-on-one defender in the league because that's not the role of a shot blocker and shot alterer (rim protector).  His role is to protect the entire painted area where the highest percentage shots are taken. A good on-ball defender like Williams can only reduce the effectiveness of a single player.  A premier rim protector like Vashiel can change the effectiveness of the other team's entire offense. 

Obviously, the league's head coaches see it that way as well.

[usc4valpo]

chef - a few things about Chicago basketball:


1.  For such strong high school basketball in the Chicagoland area, it is amazing that [/size]state of college basketball is so poor.  It used to be much better.
[/size]2.  That being said in the first statement, Chicago high school hoop has been good but vastly overrated.  The school and media overhype these players and they tend to underachieve at the college level. LA, New York, Philly and the Ohio cities have better HS basketball than Chicago.
[/size]3. DePaul has a lot of issues. I feel part of it is a stubborn athletic director. Part of it are administrators still living off the Ray Meyer era. Part of it is student apathy where there are better entertainment alternatives than DePaul basketball.  A big part of it is the Allstate Arena which is a generic dump - hopefully the new arena at McCormick place will help.  Purnell is only one part of the problem. 

[oklahomamick]

Didn't know oakland even played defense.  The defensive player of the year being from oakland is an oxymoron. 

[bbtds]

(increased size so usc4valpo's post could be read)

1.  For such strong high school basketball in the Chicagoland area, it is amazing that state of college basketball is so poor.  It used to be much better.

2.  That being said in the first statement, Chicago high school hoop has been good but vastly overrated.  The school and media overhype these players and they tend to underachieve at the college level. LA, New York, Philly and the Ohio cities have better HS basketball than Chicago.

3. DePaul has a lot of issues. I feel part of it is a stubborn athletic director. Part of it are administrators still living off the Ray Meyer era. Part of it is student apathy where there are better entertainment alternatives than DePaul basketball.  A big part of it is the Allstate Arena which is a generic dump - hopefully the new arena at McCormick place will help.  Purnell is only one part of the problem.

[a3uge]

Awesome tournament predictions by The American Sports Network:

http://americansportsnet.com/horizon-league-picks/

Kevin Lehman

Should win conference:  Cleveland State

Dark horse: Valparaiso

Who else might get in:  Green Bay and Oakland

Why I choose Cleveland State: Cleveland State with the outside game of Trey Lewis (.483 from the arc) combined with the inside game of Anton Grady and senior point guard Charlie Lee the Vikings have everything it takes to bring home a tournament championship. CSU's run to the NCAA tournament may depend on the health of defensive ace Kaza Keane, who injured his knee in the loss at Milwaukee. There's not much separation between the top four in the Horizon and Cleveland State, Valparaiso, Oakland or Green Bay could do some damage in the first round of the NCAA tournament. But the Horizon likely will be a one-bid league this year and the edge goes to the tournament host team (CSU).

and

Doug Bell

Should win conference:  Valparaiso

Dark horse: Oakland

Who else might get in:  None

Why I choose Valparaiso: Bryce Drew has been diving on the floor after the buzzer beater against Ole Miss for years now. It's finally time for the young head coach to watch his team create another shining moment with a conference title.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Awesome tournament predictions by The American Sports Network:

congrats to jubril...but...i dunno. 

wh, that's why Petros wasn't the 1st team.  Any team with 2 on the league first team shouldn't be that low. 

[chef]

Did the knowledgable TD say Chicago players tend to underachieve in college?? So many of the successful midwest teams every year are loaded with Chicago kids...Look at this year, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue, Valpo, UWGB...Chicago kids as starters and key components. Kentucky, West Virginia, Connecticut, Duke and Kansas also have key Chicago kids. The top two players in the country Okafor and Kaminsky are from Chicago. How bout top picks in the draft 2008 Derrick Rose, 2012 Anthony Davis, 2014 (2nd pick) Jabari Parker, 2015 (projected) Jahlil Okafor. Then there's the ultimate underachiever Dwayne Wade, who finished 7th in the Illinois Mr Basketball vote in 2000. That was two spots behind Matt Lottich.

[wh]

Did the knowledgable TD say Chicago players tend to underachieve in college?? So many of the successful midwest teams every year are loaded with Chicago kids...Look at this year, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue, Valpo, UWGB...Chicago kids as starters and key components. Kentucky, West Virginia, Connecticut, Duke and Kansas also have key Chicago kids. The top two players in the country Okafor and Kaminsky are from Chicago. How bout top picks in the draft 2008 Derrick Rose, 2012 Anthony Davis, 2014 (2nd pick) Jabari Parker, 2015 (projected) Jahlil Okafor. Then there's the ultimate underachiever Dwayne Wade, who finished 7th in the Illinois Mr Basketball vote in 2000. That was two spots behind Matt Lottich.

Actually, usc4valpo made that statement, not TD.  There was some sort of a font size problem which rendered usc's comments unreadable.  TD just re-posted usc's comments with a larger font.

chef - a few things about Chicago basketball:


1.  For such strong high school basketball in the Chicagoland area, it is amazing that [/size]state of college basketball is so poor.  It used to be much better.
[/size]2.  That being said in the first statement, Chicago high school hoop has been good but vastly overrated.  The school and media overhype these players and they tend to underachieve at the college level. LA, New York, Philly and the Ohio cities have better HS basketball than Chicago.
[/size]3. DePaul has a lot of issues. I feel part of it is a stubborn athletic director. Part of it are administrators still living off the Ray Meyer era. Part of it is student apathy where there are better entertainment alternatives than DePaul basketball.  A big part of it is the Allstate Arena which is a generic dump - hopefully the new arena at McCormick place will help.  Purnell is only one part of the problem. 

(increased size so usc4valpo's post could be read)

1.  For such strong high school basketball in the Chicagoland area, it is amazing that state of college basketball is so poor.  It used to be much better.

2.  That being said in the first statement, Chicago high school hoop has been good but vastly overrated.  The school and media overhype these players and they tend to underachieve at the college level. LA, New York, Philly and the Ohio cities have better HS basketball than Chicago.

3. DePaul has a lot of issues. I feel part of it is a stubborn athletic director. Part of it are administrators still living off the Ray Meyer era. Part of it is student apathy where there are better entertainment alternatives than DePaul basketball.  A big part of it is the Allstate Arena which is a generic dump - hopefully the new arena at McCormick place will help.  Purnell is only one part of the problem.

[valpotx]

Vashil absolutely deserves DPOY.  He owned the paint in many of our games this season, with teams afraid to drive in the lane.  Only 1-2 teams in conference dared to go right at him, and most often, they missed because he altered their shots so badly.  Outside of his great defensive numbers, there had to be 8-10 shots altered every game.  Dante Williams' impact was not near as much as Vashil's impact.  Oakland should be thankful that their 3rd/4th place finish gave them as many awards as they received.  Grizz is crazy for thinking all awards should head to the 3rd/4th place team...oh yeah, Petros still sucks.

[usc4valpo]

Sorry guys. I had a problem taking the quotes and the font became small.  Thanks bbtds for editing my entry.

chef, I am not saying it is bad, in fact it is great. But the past decades many players get hyped up to mythical standards and then bomb. I may point to King HS in the 90's regarding that. Also, there are great players from all over the country.Also, if the Chicago teams were so great, they would monopolize winning the state tournament, which they have not.

Regarding Chicago HS legends, the 2 best I ever saw were Quinn Buckner and Isiah Thomas, at least when growing up there.

[chef]

My apologizes to the still knowledgable TD. Speaking of Isiah, when he went second in the 1981 draft, Mark Aguirre went first. The two grew up up in the same housing project, and had player together their whole life.

[classof2014]

I'm guessing Valpo was so close at a clean sweep of PoY, FoY, D-PoY, Sixth Man, and CoY. I would imagine Alec and Tevonn were second in the voting in their respective categories.

Sykes can have his trophy it'll be the only one he gets this year!

[Kyle321n]

Awesome tournament predictions by The American Sports Network:

http://americansportsnet.com/horizon-league-picks/

Kevin Lehman

Should win conference:  Cleveland State

Dark horse: Valparaiso

Who else might get in:  Green Bay and Oakland

Why I choose Cleveland State: Cleveland State with the outside game of Trey Lewis (.483 from the arc) combined with the inside game of Anton Grady and senior point guard Charlie Lee the Vikings have everything it takes to bring home a tournament championship. CSU's run to the NCAA tournament may depend on the health of defensive ace Kaza Keane, who injured his knee in the loss at Milwaukee. There's not much separation between the top four in the Horizon and Cleveland State, Valparaiso, Oakland or Green Bay could do some damage in the first round of the NCAA tournament. But the Horizon likely will be a one-bid league this year and the edge goes to the tournament host team (CSU).

and

Doug Bell

Should win conference:  Valparaiso

Dark horse: Oakland

Who else might get in:  None

Why I choose Valparaiso: Bryce Drew has been diving on the floor after the buzzer beater against Ole Miss for years now. It's finally time for the young head coach to watch his team create another shining moment with a conference title.

Not to self promote, but I quickly did some googling and shamed the ASN and Doug Bell

[tweet]572766935454072832[/tweet]
[tweet]572767277067603968[/tweet]

[agibson]

Do we assume they listed these in order of votes received?  So Felder passing Peters, and Tevonn finishing second?

It _would_ be fun to see the vote totals.  And, for that matter, to know the criteria for 6th man.  Very nice for Jubril to get a nod there, particularly if E Vic wasn't eligible.

2015 HL Awards
Player of the Year: Keifer Sykes, Green Bay (Sr., G)
Defensive Player of the Year: Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso (Sr., C)
Freshman of the Year: Paris Bass, Detroit (G/F)
Sixth Player of the Year: Jubril Adekoya, Valparaiso (So., F)
Coach of the Year: Bryce Drew, Valparaiso

All-League First Team
Keifer Sykes, Green Bay (Sr., G)
Kahlil Felder, Oakland (So., G)
Alec Peters, Valparaiso (So., F)
Anton Grady, Cleveland State (Jr., F)
Trey Lewis, Cleveland State (Jr., G)

All-League Second Team
Juwan Howard, Jr., Detroit (Sr., F)
Corey Petros, Oakland (Sr., C)
Greg Mays, Green Bay (Sr., F)
Matt Tiby, Milwaukee (Jr., F)
Steve McWhorter, Milwaukee (Sr., G)

All-Freshman Team
Paris Bass, Detroit (G/F)
Tevonn Walker, Valparaiso (G)
Jalen Hayes, Oakland (F)
Grant Benzinger, Wright State (G)
Nick Daniels, Oakland (G)

All-Defensive Team
Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso (Sr., C)
Jordan Fouse, Green Bay (Jr., F)
Dante Williams, Oakland (Sr., F)
Anton Grady, Cleveland State (Jr., F)
Charlie Lee, Cleveland State (Sr., G)

[oklahomamick]

I said Green Bay has the easiest road to the finals because their semi will be easier for them than us.  They just beat Oakland in a lopsided game that proved they have way more talent.  Green Bay only has one hard game standing in the way of the NCAA and that's only if it's Valpo is in the final.  If Valpo loses, Green Bay is at home.  I also think Green Bay is playing better now than they were two weeks ago in their loss to CSU.  Sykes has stepped it up since then too. 

[valpopal]

While the Horizon League season awards add interest to this year's tournament, they also emphasize the strength of this league for the upcoming year. Only one of the members on the First Team is a senior (Sykes). Peters, Felder, Grady, and Lewis, as well as Tiby from the Second Team, should all return next year. In addition, the All-Freshman team seems to offer a quality crop who will only be stronger and more mature next season.


Barring any unexpected transfers—with Valparaiso losing only Fernandez and Chadwick, but adding a hopefully healthy Williams, Smits, Relvao, Hammink, and Levingston-Simon, as well as Nickerson and Carter at 100%—the Crusaders should be in position to be favored for next season's championship. However, the competition will be at a very high level.

[vu72]

Since we don't have a thread for our next game, I thought I post this here.  Just checked the ticket site (trying to buy tickets!) and found that at the moment there are a total of 18 seats left on the chairback side with two together only in the corners.  On the reserved side there are 162 seats left with about 140 of those in the corners.  Upper deck seats are moving well.  I think we'll just buy upper deck seats and then stand against the rail.  Great place view a game.  Can't wait!

[vu72]

Tickets flying off the shelf.  Chairbacks now sold out middle sections of reserved, sold out.  Upper deck moving nicely!