Vashil Fernandez

[classof2014]

It's great seeing guys like Vashil and Alec get the national recognition as top-tier talent they rightfully deserve. It's also great seeing Valpo get preseason attention on a national stage this early. Obviously expectations are quite high as they should be and Valpo could turn into that great story of a small mid-major competing with the high-dollar, high-profile schools, come March.

[a3uge]

Bleacher Report named Vashil the eleventh best defensive stopper in the country. Rankings like this are always to be taken lightly, but the inclusion of Vashil in a list of top defenders is certainly warranted and a little spotlight is good, too!

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2546180-ranking-the-top-defensive-stoppers-in-college-basketball-in-2015-16/page/11

Nice!  Even while I'll admit that these pieces would feel somehow more reputable when they come from mainstream outlets, Sportz Bubble and all.  Bleacher Report is effectively crowd sourced?

Not anymore, but many of the writers are unpaid and in high school. It was a completely open source model, but since Yahoo bought it, they've had an interview process for writers. The main gripe is that their articles are just boilerplate clickbait slideshows, and they don't contain actual journalism.

[FWalum]

Nice!  Even while I'll admit that these pieces would feel somehow more reputable when they come from mainstream outlets, Sportz Bubble and all.  Bleacher Report is effectively crowd sourced?

Business model has changed somewhat since being acquired by Turner.  They have paid writers but still take advantage of the often too eager local young writer.  Here is an article from last year as to how they go about sourcing material.  http://deadspin.com/the-top-200-ways-bleacher-report-screwed-me-over-1608499729

[VULB#62]

Great Article on Vashil by Mike Lopresti.

http://www.ncaa.com/news/basketball-men/article/2015-11-04/valparaiso-basketball-vashil-fernandez-man-letters-rejections

[valpo64]

Fantastic reading!

[humbleopinion]

I had a conversation with Vashil last night. Today His family moves to Texas, and, upon his agents advice, he will spend between two weeks and a month at IMG Academy in Florida.  He will be getting some work in prior to the draft.  He still holds out hope that for he NBA draft, but is well aware he could end up in Europe. He is a quality young man.  His plans for life after basketball include using his education to improve the lives of Jamaicans and the economy of the island.

By the way, he assured me that Alec will come back to Valpo if he isn't drafted.

[VU2014]

Well thats positive news if Vashil has a hunch he'll be back if he doesn't declare. Only problem is he has 3-4 more days to withdraw his name from the draft if he thinks its in his best interest (Fingers crossed he decides to comes back) and gets drafted next summer. Nuggets and Celtics have a ton of picks this year and thats who he's been working out for. Hopefully the Nuggets and Celtics coaches/scouts tell him if for sure or not, because it would pretty unprofessional on their part to mislead him.

[valpotx]

I hope that Vashil's hunch is accurate, I really do.  Why is his family moving to TX, if he is going to FL?  He will have a fantastic European career, and I do hope that he improves his offense enough to be given a shot at the NBA.  It would be really cool to have Rowdy, Alec, and Vashil in the NBA!

[humbleopinion]

His wife's family is from Texas, and it would be nice to have their support as he is off pursing his basketball career.

[VULB#62]

Some news of note on the Vashil front......

[tweet]743546032789786624[/tweet]

[tweet]743578360769560576[/tweet]

[valpotx]

Who would have done so in 2005-2006?  Maybe Ron Howard and Ali Berdiel?  We have the potential of having 3 Valpo alums/players getting NBA workouts this year, as I am sure that Rowdy will have a few after the Olympics .