Our next head coach

[ValpoDad89]

I know many rue Butler but in this instance we must follow the Butler, Xavier model. 2 smaller, private schools (like Valpo) who proves this model works and hire from within. Small schools like Valpo have developed an identity and have to build on that. Just like Butller and X before them. They continue to breed success as they hold true to that model. Eventually your success on the court will breed a translation into dollars and truly build a program that can compete Nationally. Powell is ready, has a resume worthy of HL coaching job, carries high Christian values and morals, has a professional pedigree and can go into any kid's house and sell himself on the recruit and thier parents.

This is not a job to test a DII successful coach, or a retread who has failed elsewhere in Brian Gregory. We are more worthy than that. Archie Miller has done far more at Dayton than Gregory. It is a job to promote a worthy accolite who paid his dues, the students and players love and will instill and grow on what Bryce did. Typically what a good mid major does, see Butler and X for history, is expediently hire from within as to not let the scavengers get our recruits, possible transfers or graduate transfers. Peters at lead thinks twice before leaving Valpo if Powell is the man. Powell gives us the opportunity to sustain the winning and despite facilities, winning attracts recruits more than anything.

[valpotx]

Hopefully we have a Powell announcement as soon as Bryce bails on Valpo.  My gut tells me that he takes Gore and Lottich with him, and Powell stays to build out his staff.  Everyone comes back and stays committed (Bradford), but Peters bails as some Power 5 coach gets in his ears at any NBA workouts he attends, and then average 8-9 ppg at said school (a la Wood)

[VULB#62]

Hopefully we have a Powell announcement as soon as Bryce bails on Valpo.  My gut tells me that he takes Gore and Lottich with him, and Powell stays to build out his staff.  Everyone comes back and stays committed (Bradford), but Peters bails as some Power 5 coach gets in his ears at any NBA workouts he attends, and then average 8-9 ppg at said school (a la Wood)

Tex, I'm in line with your prediction up to the bold pieces. Alec is a smart kid, and I think he will see through the BS from the Power 5s and recognize that he will, indeed, probably not reach the savior status that most of the Power 5s will portray. He will understand that he will not be the same go-to player at Mega State U. He will be the preseason POY, HL POY, Lead Valpo to the 2017 NCAAT, and finish 2017 as the all-time scoring leader in Valpo history

[chef]

I have no knowledge on what Alec will do next year, but there's not a school in the country where he'd only average 8 or 9 points a game. That's just silly. This kid is 3 times the player of Brandon Wood. He averaged nearly 19 a game this year for the team that finished with the 31st best RPI in the country.

[VULB#62]

A new coach       Alec returns     

And now all we can do is wait.....  and wait.... and wait.

[usc4valpo]

If Alec has a bachelor's degree this spring, he also has to consider the graduate education opportunities other schools like Vanderbilt provide.

[vurich]

In Alec's case, if we look at things logically and objectively, it's probably in his best interest to go elsewhere.  As a fan, I really hate to say that and I'd love for him to stay, but let's look at it from his point of view.  I don't know what his professional aspirations are, but I would imagine his dream/goal is to play professionally, preferably at the highest level (NBA).  Based on that conclusion, consider the following.  If ML stays in the VU family for Bryce's replacement, as we all assume he will, then Alec will be coming back to play for a coach with zero head coaching experience (Powell or Gore) or zero D1 head coaching experience (Tonagel).  All of those guys may indeed have the potential to become very effective and successful D1 head coaches, but they are all going to be learning on the job from day one and unfortunately Alec only has 1 year left.  If I'm Alec, I'm not sure playing for a brand new D1 Head Coach who is feeling his way through his first season in that role puts me in the best position for my professional aspirations.  Now, if he was a freshman or sophomore, then he could afford to be a little more patient.

The other major factor is the current sad state of the Horizon League.  We've all acknowledged that it is in serious decline and while there are some potential signs it may be on a slight road to recovery with all of the coaching turnover, it is definitely not going to be any better next season.  It actually may get a little worse before it gets better as all of these new head coaches settle into their new roles.

So given all that, the question is does Alec want to enure all of that in his final season or is it in his best interest to transfer to another school and play for an experienced coach in a better league that can potentially position him better for that next career step.  If Bryce had stayed, I would've advised him that staying at VU was his best move, but now, I don't really think that's the case.  As much as I hate to say this, the only thing that would keep Alec at VU is a sense of loyalty but the major piece that would fuel that loyalty is no longer going to be there. 

Should be very interesting to see what unfolds.

[VULB#62]

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[VULB#62]

Regardless of who they pick -- Powell, Tonagel, or someone else -- the administration MUST do everything in their power to make his first year a success in building on the momentum Bryce has created.  Salary is salary and doesn't come into play.  It will be what it will be.  But in addition to the already publicized initiatives (endowed recruiting budget, practice gym upgrade and locker room upgrade) they need to give Coach ?X? the budget to hire excellent assistants, make at least a token effort to somehow upgrade the ARC (if only just cosmetically) and support whatever else the next HBBC identifies as his immediate needs to keep current players and attract great new talent. Without that surge of support to offset Bryce's departure, I worry that the next coach will not be as successful initially as we all want him to be.  And if we falter, it will be that much more difficult to regain and surpass what we've achieved to this point.

[classof2014]

I really hope our next HC is Powell, I think it would be the best transition. He's proven to be a great recruiter, has that pipeline in Chicago and was a big reason why guys like KC and Alec Peters went to Valpo.

I don't know but I kinda hope Bryce doesn't have anywhere near the success at Vandy that he did at Valpo; especially if guys like Peters and Tevonn leave. This is the most important off-season for the basketball program. If things go well we should be alright for the future and Bryce was simply a stepping stone but if they go South, thanks for nothing Bryce.

[historyman]

I love Tonagel, but it's a large step up from NAIA D-2 to NCAA D-1.  The dude is extremely smart, and I assume that he can recruit at this level as well, but would Peters stay?

It wasn't a big step up for Homer? Give the guy a break.

[Kyle321n]

I love Tonagel, but it's a large step up from NAIA D-2 to NCAA D-1.  The dude is extremely smart, and I assume that he can recruit at this level as well, but would Peters stay?

It wasn't a big step up for Homer? Give the guy a break.

All due respect to Homer's career, but we're not looking to go 36-103 in the next 5 years.

[valpotx]

I love Tonagel, but it's a large step up from NAIA D-2 to NCAA D-1.  The dude is extremely smart, and I assume that he can recruit at this level as well, but would Peters stay?

It wasn't a big step up for Homer? Give the guy a break.

All due respect to Homer's career, but we're not looking to go 36-103 in the next 5 years.

This is also what I had in mind, when I made my comment.  We need someone that can come in year 1 and continue the momentum.  I believe Powell can do that, because most, if not all of the team probably stays.  If Tonagel comes in, as an unknown to everyone on the team, someone ends up leaving.  He can be a solid D-1 coach, but it would be a few year project.

[vu84v2]

Tonagel needs a step between NAIA and Valpo. I think that he will be a great D1 coach in 5 years or so, but he needs to go to a low D1 prior to a move to a place like Valpo. Valpo is one of the top 25 or 30 programs outside of the six power conferences.

[vu84v2]

I have no knowledge on what Alec will do next year, but there's not a school in the country where he'd only average 8 or 9 points a game. That's just silly. This kid is 3 times the player of Brandon Wood. He averaged nearly 19 a game this year for the team that finished with the 31st best RPI in the country.

I agree with Chef. While I strongly prefer that Peters stay at Valpo, one  example is that he would make a great replacement for one year for Perry Ellis at Kansas. With his skill, size at the 4, versatility and maturity, he would average 12 to 14 points per game and play 25 to 30 minutes per game. And the only reason that he would not score more is that he would share scoring with the other good scorers at the three guard spots.

[VU2014]

http://www.nwitimes.com/digital/photos/college-sports/who-replaces-bryce-drew/collection_64cadf58-bff7-597a-9da6-a166ee83e87f.html#1

[VULB#62]

http://www.nwitimes.com/digital/photos/college-sports/who-replaces-bryce-drew/collection_64cadf58-bff7-597a-9da6-a166ee83e87f.html#1

Nice set of bios and commentary on possibilities. Interesting speculation that Diebler will wind up in Nashville along with Gore.  Powell seems to be favored, but the Tonagel speculation seems to put him right behind Roger if I read this correctly.

In the meantime NO NEWS    So we continue to wait.... and wait

[VULB#62]

So far UDM and UWM have been taking their time filling the slots of their fired head coaches.  In that time players and recruits are left hanging -- not a good feeling.  I'm hoping for the continuity of the VU program that Mark 1) stays in the Valpo family and 2) has his replacement in the wings all ready to go once the Vandy announcement is official and Bryce is introduced as the next Vandy coach.

[oklahomamick]

So it's not official yet..... 

[VU2014]

When do you guys think we'll know who the new coach is? Clearly after Bryce's press conference announcing him as the new Vandy coach. In a couple days? A week? 2 weeks?

If Powell does get the job, I'm curious as to who his assistants would be. My guess is Lottich and Gore follow Bryce. Would Powell bring in someone from his UofI connections? Bring in a primary assistant who could recruit the inner city? I would bring back Chris Sparks who was Valpo's old assistant who was their main scout for finding international players. He's the assistant who recruited Broekhoff who wasn't even a starter on his team in Australia on the Australian Institute of Sport team. He was the assistant at Utah Valley State and now is the North American Director of the Australia Basketball Travelers.

[VU2014]

I'd have to think the AD Mark LaBarbera has had a short list of candidates that were qualified replacement targets for when Bryce left. We all knew the last 2-3years this was coming in the near future and I sure hope he's done his due diligence.

[covufan]

I love Tonagel, but it's a large step up from NAIA D-2 to NCAA D-1.  The dude is extremely smart, and I assume that he can recruit at this level as well, but would Peters stay?

It wasn't a big step up for Homer? Give the guy a break.

Having HC experience at any level is a plus. Homer was at Bethel for many years, and one year at IUSB, both less than NCAA division 1. He did okay. I think with some assistance in recruiting, Greg would do fine

[a3uge]

http://www.nwitimes.com/digital/photos/college-sports/who-replaces-bryce-drew/collection_64cadf58-bff7-597a-9da6-a166ee83e87f.html#1

A Big Ten assistant like Dane Fife is much more plausible than Jake Diebler... I think they'll at least interview some outside guys.

[VU2014]

I wouldn't be opposed to a Dane Fife interview. It seems like everyone of the forums are really pushing an in house candidate. To be honest the only two in house guys that I would consider is Powell and Tonagel who is an alumn and had success at the D2 level (i know a lot people have concerns with the transition). Everyone wants to follow the Butler and Xavier model. Following that model of passing the torch doesn't guarantee any success at all. It would maintain "stability" and give comfort and hope possibly for hold onto guys like Peters, etc. but we need to look at whats for the programs best interest for the next 5-10 years not just the next 2 years. I really like powell and he's a good coach and I trust LaBarbera to look at everything from X's/O's, quality of recruiter, to leadership for candidates. I just hope that the AD and Administration give a every tool possible in expanding the recruiting budget/salary for assistants to help the next coach hit the ground running. The AD will probably have to grow the resources and give more financial help for whoever the next candidate is.

[valpo84]

http://www.nwitimes.com/digital/photos/college-sports/who-replaces-bryce-drew/collection_64cadf58-bff7-597a-9da6-a166ee83e87f.html#1

A Big Ten assistant like Dane Fife is much more plausible than Jake Diebler... I think they'll at least interview some outside guys.

Not sure where Dane Fife comes in.  He had his shot at IPFW.  If you want outside guys, another to look at is Pat Kelsey at Winthrop.  He has many of the same qualities as Tonagel and is  D1 coach, had experience as a Wake Forest and X assistant.  Shoot, if you want a Big 5 Conference assistant, look at Hubert Davis at UNC or Jon Scheyer, Duke (who is from Chicago area).  Roger Powell and Greg are the best candidates to start.