Best International Player

[valpo84]

In the below Paul Oren article, Paul discusses that Skara has the potential to be the best International player we have had.  He then lists many former international players, omitting I'm sure by accident possibly the best Lubos Barton.  Paul may have been trolling this board or merely setting up an excellent discussion question -- who is the best?  The 3 I would put into the discussion are: Lubos, Raitis and Ryan.  I would probably put them in that order if pressed.  Lubos all-around game from day 1 (the Hoosier Dome Classic vs Seton Hall and South Carolina) showed the potential and the skill sets.  Raitis was maybe the most consistent for four years. And, Ryan made the most progression from very good to potential NBA talent.  As an aside, Tony Falu may have had the most talent and best 8 game stretch of anyone .  Let the discussion begin.

That said, I am pleased to hear it begins a four-year series with Indiana State.

http://m.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/inside-vu-sports/breaking-down-valparaiso-vs-belmont/article_136f01fe-9862-11e5-b42a-cb96923fbbc5.html

[a3uge]

Skara isn't even the best international player on the team, let alone the best international player in program history.

Since I started watching Valpo:
Ryan Broekhoff
Tevonn Walker
Kevin Van Wijk

and a shout out to Sam Haanpaa being the best pure shooter.

[vu72]

Skara isn't even the best international player on the team, let alone the best international player in program history.

Since I started watching Valpo:
Ryan Broekhoff
Tevonn Walker
Kevin Van Wijk





















and a shout out to Sam Haanpaa being the best pure shooter.

Skara isn't even the best international player on the team, let alone the best international player in program history.

Since I started watching Valpo:
Ryan Broekhoff
Tevonn Walker
Kevin Van Wijk

and a shout out to Sam Haanpaa being the best pure shooter.

I would go with Barton followed by Ryan.  It is too early to put either Skara or Tevonn in the mix.  Both could be at or near the top when finished.  Tevonn particularly has made a big jump from last year to this one--so far!

[vusupporter]

Reading comprehension is fun - it says that Chris Artis, who was Skara's prep coach, said Skara could go down as the best international player ever at Valpo, not that Oren thought he would.

[valpo84]

Didn't say Paul said. Said Paul discussed that. But that's what's fun about reading interpretation too!

[IndyValpo]

A quick scan of our historical roster and I came up with 29 international players. I could easily have missed some but here they are.....

Barton, Lubos 1998-2002
Bayne, Paul 1984-1986
Berdiel, Ali* 2001-2006
Broekhoff, Ryan ** 2009-2013
Falu, Tony 2001-2002
Fernandez, Vashil * 2012-pres.
Gomes, Joaquim 2000-2004
Grafs, Raitis 1999-2003
Gueye, Moussa 2013-2014
Haanpää, Samuel 2006-2008
Huff, Shawn ** 2004-2008
Joseph, Max 2014-pres.
Kone, Mohamed 2005-2006
MacLeod, Calum 2006-2008
Mbaye, Moussa * 2003-2007
Milosevic, Milos 2009-2010
Nieves, Roberto 2002-2004
Nikkila, Antti 1999-2003
Ortiz, Stalin 2001-2003
Punda, Marko 1997-2001
Skara, David 2014-pres.
Sylla, Oumar 2003-2004
Van Wijk, Kevin 2010-2013
Vilcinskas, Tony 1995-1998
Viskovic, Zoran 1996-1999
Vucic, Hrvoje 2010-2012
Vujic, Ivan 1998-2000
Walker, Tevonn 2014-pres.
Witt, Cameron 2008-2011

My favorite though certainly not the best, Vilcinskas.

[Pgmado]

Yes, I forgot Lubos. Not sure how I could as he was THE guy when I was in school and started covering the team. As much as Lubos was best from top-to-bottom, his disappearing act in big games was always troubling.

[vu72]

Yes, I forgot Lubos. Not sure how I could as he was THE guy when I was in school and started covering the team. As much as Lubos was best from top-to-bottom, his disappearing act in big games was always troubling.

True, and the same could be said of others on the list. Kevin falls into this category and even Ryan kinda disappeared in the MSU game. This issue came into play more against Big conference opponents then against conference teams. It seems that the international players have been taught a team game while American players are better equipped to step up and "take over a game" when necessary.  Alec Peters comes to mind as does Brandon Wood.

[sliman]

At this point, I'd agree that Lubos ranks as No. 1, but I'd put Ryan at No. 2.  I was a big fan of Raitis starting with his game against Mississippi State (?) in a tournament at St. Charles, Mo.  I thought he had the potential to be an NBA 4, but he didn't seem to show the fire or the consistency to keep improving despite the fact that he usually had a good line in the box score.  My memory is that he dominated Chris Kaman in a head-to-head matchup in the ARC, but he didn't always show that degree of motivation.  He was not a starter, but I'd put Stalin Ortiz on the most exciting list, a list that may include Tevonn if he continues to play with passion.

[vu84v2]

Best international players: (1) Broekhoff,(a close 2) Barton, (3) Viskovic

Several people made interesting comments about Barton and (to some extent) Broekhoff disappearing in big games. I have a different perspective. I think that Valpo has been subject to having its top offensive player taken away by good defensive teams. This leads to long droughts. What is different about this Valpo team (besides the consistently good defense) is that there seem to be multiple good second and third options on the floor at all times. Skara, the Walkers, and (to a lesser degree) Carter and Nickerson provide good options...though not the same options each game.

[chef]

I think Ryan was the most clutch player in the last 25 years. He didn't make every shot, but he made more shots in the final five minutes of close games (free throws as well) than any player in the Drew era. For that reason, I'd rank him a notch ahead of Lubos. Remember Ryan played in a better conference against better players. If you look as his overall play in his Jr and Sr years, I'd rank them 2nd, only to Bryce's final two seasons as the best in Valpo history.

[wh]

Great topic and discussion. Should have paid attention to it sooner.

[valpotx]

1. Lubos Barton - I don't care that he disappeared on a few occasions.  This guy was definitely our best international player with his overall game, and has had a very successful European career post-Valpo in their top leagues.  He has also been a better Czech national team player than Jiri Welsch, who had a cup of tea in the NBA.

2. Raitis Grafs - He did lack the fire to take his natural ability to improve enough to make an NBA roster.  However, you cannot deny his effect on the game both offensively and defensively.  The guy completely owned the paint.  It is unfortunate that his professional career did not pan out as well, since he started in some decent leagues, before settling down over the last 8-10 years in his native Latvia.  He was a fixture on the Latvian national team, but has been an end-of-the-bench guy the last few years for his country, as other posts have passed him by.

3. Ryan Broekhoff - Had terrific JR and SR seasons, but I couldn't place him in the top 2 because his FR and SO seasons were not as impactful as Lubos and Raitis' throughout their entire Valpo careers.  He will have a very successful professional career, and I truly hope that he is given a chance with an NBA team at some point (regular season, not summer league).  It is very impressive that he is a starter on a good Australian national team, and if he does not make the NBA, I hope that he is able to play in the top European league at some point (Spain).