Our next head coach

[oklahomamick]

  now its time to worry

[VULB#62]

Tonagel now the front runner.  Regardless, let's get 'er done.

[oklahomamick]

I would think being the head coach of Valpo would be a better gig than an assistant at Vandy.  I wonder the salary difference. 

[mj]

I get leaving Valpo for a bigger school. But shouldn't Bryce leave this program in the best possible position for future success? This most recent news makes it seem as though he's pulling the rug out from under us....

[valpo4life]

I would think being the head coach of Valpo would be a better gig than an assistant at Vandy.  I wonder the salary difference. 

I would think head assistant at Vandy makes more than the head coach at Valpo.

[classof2014]

Hopefully all it means is that Valpo already has a guy in mind and it isn't Powell.

[Vale O. Paradise]

The institution's financial/strategic support for the program is one obvious question mark. But I really am starting to wonder if other factors existed that have created a push out the door in addition to the pull of Vandy's bigger program and $.

I hope this gets some serious reporting. I'm not ready to move onto the next chapter. An autopsy is in order first.

[NativeCheesehead]

That's terrible news, and we're about to see how many steps ahead our admin planned. Peters, Bradford, maybe Carter....there's too many moving pieces here to wait 2-3 weeks to get this done. Time to move on to plan B.

[VULB#62]

I would think being the head coach of Valpo would be a better gig than an assistant at Vandy.  I wonder the salary difference. 

I would think head assistant at Vandy makes more than the head coach at Valpo.

It could also mean that Powell sees being a Power 5 Chief Assistant as being a better stepping stone to being the next HBBC at Illinois than staying at Valpo.

[valpotx]

I get leaving Valpo for a bigger school. But shouldn't Bryce leave this program in the best possible position for future success? This most recent news makes it seem as though he's pulling the rug out from under us....

I have been trying not to feel this way as well.  Hopefully it just means that Powell doesn't view himself as ready to be a HC, and not that Bryce actively convinced him to follow him/not try for the Valpo HC job.  If Bryce did such a thing, he is leaving the cupboard bare, and essentially telling Peters to go elsewhere.   

Bryce could really f*&^ over his alma mater here.  He has a solid team returning at Vandy, and should not be actively trying to get Peters to follow him, unless Peters says that he is leaving Valpo regardless.  I would lose a lot of respect for Bryce, if he gets in Peters ear about leaving.

[a3uge]

If Tonagel wasn't a Valpo alum and had no previous connection to the program I think people would be a lot less optimistic or open to the idea of Tonagel being the next head coach and taking over. From everything I've heard Tonagel is a very good X's/O's coach, great character, leader and has a connection to the Valpo community because he played here, but and its a huge BUT. Will he be able to recruit? I've heard people say well he's recruited at Indiana Wesleyan so he could do it here. D1 and D2 are completely different ball games. Recruiting D1 athletes there is more competition and Bryce/Powell have really made a in roads in the inner city of Chicago making Valpo's name known to high school coaches and kids. Can Tonagel sit down and connect with kids and sell them on Valpo? Does Tonagel have assistants who can recruit? Recruiting is my only issue with Tonagel. He's just unproven, but that doesn't eliminate him from job. He'll just have to convince ML he has the recruiting chops and hopefully ML can give him the resources he needs to succeed.

Also, it's not D1 vs D2... It's D1 vs NAIA D2. Indiana Wesleyan has mostly local kids, guys that have no aspirations of playing pro either internationally or in the NBA. Can Tonagel recruit guys that have these aspirations when he hasn't gone through that process? Does he have ties to numerous AAU coaches and teams? Does he have ties internationally to continue getting hidden gems like Kevin Van Wijk or Ryan Broekhoff?

With an NAIA coach, you're starting from scratch, assuming Powell and Gore both leave. With Powell, Valpo can at least maintain a strong Chicago AAU circuit connection, and he can point to past success with international projects that have been alongside him in the program.

[SanityLost17]

Overreact Much? 

[humbleopinion]

funny article http://www.midmajormadness.com/horizon-league/2016/4/5/11369896/coaching-carousel-who-replaces-bryce-drew-at-valparaiso


We lost a mid-major legend this week as Bryce Drew finally left his alma mater for a gig at SEC member Vanderbilt. The Crusaders are now on the hunt for their first head coach since 2011 and for their first head coach without the last name Drew since 1988.

Her is a short list of names to keep an eye on for the Crusaders:

Billy Donlon: Wright State seemed to be the only member of the Horizon League who had Valpo's number this past year but the Raiders dispatched their head coach despite a 22 win season.  Donlon could step in tomorrow and begin his revenge tour in an area and conference he knows well.

Luke Gore: Gore might be the frontrunner right now as Bryce Drew's right-hand man.  Gore has been on the Crusaders staff for the last 14 years.

Greg Tonagel: Tonagel is the had coach at Indiana Wesleyan where he has won two NAIA national titles. He is a Valpo alum and spent time as the team's Director of Basketball Operations way back in the early 2000s.  If Valpo is looking for an outside the box home run then Tonagel may be the guy.

Brian Gregory: If the Crusaders are looking to make a bit of a splash then Brian Gregory might be a guy to look out for.  The former Georgia Tech and Dayton bench boss obviously knows the area well and could be a beast if he lands a gig in the Horizon League.

Rex Walters: Walters recently lost his job at San Francisco and has been a nearly .500 level head coach at the Division I level.  He started his college coaching career at Valpo before heading out to eventually be the head coach at Florida Atlantic.

Powell wasn't on this list.  Perhaps now we know why.

[Just Sayin]

No way Rex Walters.

[valpotx]

Does anyone know how Peters views Gore?  Assuming that Powell is at Vandy as well, we lost the only guy that has shown consistent success in recruiting Chicago/IL at Valpo.

[VULB#62]

All valid points a3uge.  In Tonagle's case, his roster shows regional distribution but no urban kids: 8 IN, 3 OH, 1 KY, 1 IL. 1 TN.  Hopefully, his previous VU experience can get him back quickly to a D-I mindset. Key to ANY new HC will be the recruiting tenacity of the assistants that are brought in.  Roger was not just a good recruiter, he also symbolized Bryce's commitment to diversity in terms of players and coaches. That tells recruits, especially from urban locations, a lot.

[VULB#62]

Now that it is officially official, I would look to MLB to have an immediate release about initiating a nation-wide search blah, blah, blah.  It's important to indicate a proactive stance here.


Officially official:

http://www.vucommodores.com/sports/m-baskbl/spec-rel/040616aab.html

[FWalum]

All of you who are not totally sold on Tonagel are nuts. He would be able to step in right away and build on what Bryce and Homer have done, and maybe even surpass what has been accomplished already. Someone talked earlier about him being tough on his players - isn't that what has been missing (at least in view of the public) under Homer and Bryce? The early key for Greg would be retaining as much of the current roster as possible. I think after getting to know him, the players would love him and have a chip on their shoulders going into next year - with or without Alec.

If Tonagel wasn't a Valpo alum and had no previous connection to the program I think people would be a lot less optimistic or open to the idea of Tonagel being the next head coach and taking over. From everything I've heard Tonagel is a very good X's/O's coach, great character, leader and has a connection to the Valpo community because he played here, but and its a huge BUT. Will he be able to recruit? I've heard people say well he's recruited at Indiana Wesleyan so he could do it here. D1 and D2 are completely different ball games. Recruiting D1 athletes there is more competition and Bryce/Powell have really made a in roads in the inner city of Chicago making Valpo's name known to high school coaches and kids. Can Tonagel sit down and connect with kids and sell them on Valpo? Does Tonagel have assistants who can recruit? Recruiting is my only issue with Tonagel. He's just unproven, but that doesn't eliminate him from job. He'll just have to convince ML he has the recruiting chops and hopefully ML can give him the resources he needs to succeed.

Such an interesting discussion and such diverse views about Tonagel.  Maybe I am crazy.  I don't mean to be disrespectful to Greg or any of the posters on this board that support him, but NAIA D2 is a far cry from a NCAA D1 Top 100 program.  Greg is a great coach, I know that first hand. However, the two levels are members of a completely different fraternity with different recruiting, transfer and scholarship rules. My concerns with Greg have nothing to do with basketball, it has to do with the administration of the program. 

Who will be assistant coaches? Does Greg bring his part time IWU assistants (guys who make a minimal BB salary while working for the school in some other capacity) with him to VU or do any of our current assistants stay on a staff with an unknown coach with out any D1 connections or credibility? That kind of defeats that whole reason to be a D1 assistant. If they leave can Greg attract similar caliber assistants?

What happens with salaries?  Typically program salaries are tied somewhat to the head coach salary. Will Greg be paid the same or more than Bryce therefore keeping salaries comparable to current levels.

We think Bryce had trouble getting good games and teams on the schedule?  What connections does Greg have to even hold the schedule at the current level much less improve on it.  I fear more NAIA type games at the ARC for the OOC games.

Just managing something 10 times bigger than what you are familiar with is huge.  Suddenly you become your own business with employees that rely on you for their families income, if you don't succeed then they don't make as much money or are fired.  Lots of personal changes.

Recruiting is perhaps the biggest issue if we can not hold onto or attract high level assistants.  Recruiting at the NAIA D2 level completely different than what goes on even at the mid-major level.  Been there done that, sure we got to meet and casually talk to some of the big boys but we didn't share much of anything or talk to many of the same people. There will be a learning curve and this really concerns me.  We know why players would come and play for Bryce, ask yourself what would motivate a player to play for Greg?

I think that Greg could become a D1 head coach but this jump is just too big, there may be someone, but I don't remember anyone making the leap from NAIA D2 to our level.

If Powell is gone we need to make a really bold move to retain what little momentum we can under the current circumstance. VU probably just lost millions of dollars in free advertising and actual donations.

[ProudValpoAlum705]

I thought Bryce was building something special. He assembled a solid staff and proved to be a great X's & O's guy since the beginning. His shift in philosophy post Homer was evident from the start, leading a quasi-talented team (compared to now) to back to back Regular season titles.

I am a bit heartbroken (Ok way more than a bit). I really want more details (solid reporting) before I make judgments. On one hand, you could tell after Valpo did not get an at large while having potentially the best team in the History of the program, fear took over. A lot of work went into getting Valpo to this point, but it still was not enough. With obvious obstacles of difficulty of non-conference, and playing in a conference not committed to aggressive schedule practices, there seemed no end in site to the problem he faced. On the other hand, there is still a pretty talented team left if he would have stayed: Jubril, Peters (under an assumption he would return to Bryce), Smits, Bradford, Tavon, Skara, Hammink, and the possibility to fill perceived weaknesses with 3 available roster slots.

Now that Bryce is officially gone, I feel angry. I feel he left at a critical juncture of a Butler like development. Maybe I held him at too high of regard their, but it is impossible to deny the change in culture. Leaving now while leaving 3 scholarships open, while opening the door for players wanting the leave seems like a disrespectful move for a person I believed held his Alma Matter to a higher regard. Additionally, if Roger Powell has been convinced to go along, this hurts Valpo's recruiting to the highest degree, as he opened the door to the Chicago market.

I need facts to deter me from the rollercoaster of emotions I feel at this moment. Until their is some clarity, it is hard not to feel terrified for what is to come.

[VULB#62]

I thought Bryce was building something special. He assembled a solid staff and proved to be a great X's & O's guy since the beginning. His shift in philosophy post Homer was evident from the start, leading a quasi-talented team (compared to now) to back to back Regular season titles.

I am a bit heartbroken (Ok way more than a bit). I really want more details (solid reporting) before I make judgments. On one hand, you could tell after Valpo did not get an at large while having potentially the best team in the History of the program, fear took over. A lot of work went into getting Valpo to this point, but it still was not enough. With obvious obstacles of difficulty of non-conference, and playing in a conference not committed to aggressive schedule practices, there seemed no end in site to the problem he faced. On the other hand, there is still a pretty talented team left if he would have stayed: Jubril, Peters (under an assumption he would return to Bryce), Smits, Bradford, Tavon, Skara, Hammink, and the possibility to fill perceived weaknesses with 3 available roster slots.

Now that Bryce is officially gone, I feel angry. I feel he left at a critical juncture of a Butler like development. Maybe I held him at too high of regard their, but it is impossible to deny the change in culture. Leaving now while leaving 3 scholarships open, while opening the door for players wanting the leave seems like a disrespectful move for a person I believed held his Alma Matter to a higher regard. Additionally, if Roger Powell has been convinced to go along, this hurts Valpo's recruiting to the highest degree, as he opened the door to the Chicago market.

I need facts to deter me from the rollercoaster of emotions I feel at this moment. Until their is some clarity, it is hard not to feel terrified for what is to come.

VU is at a crossroads at this point. 

For 28 years it has relied on the Drew family to shore up its basketball program via their loyalty and sacrifice.  Despite MBB being the featured vehicle for publicity and public exposure, the university, it would seem, hoped that this would continue without the needed investment necessary to grow the program and keep apace with leading mid-majors.  Going back to Homer's plea for ARC improvements and the obstacles that Bryce had to overcome, it is understandable why Bryce might have said to himself, "enough is enough."  Vanderbilt's environment will allow him to recruit and coach without the handicaps he dealt with at Valpo. 

The next steps are going to be illuminating.  Do we go the cheap route and maintain the status quo OR does the university wake up and realize that if we want to play in D-I we must BE D-I?   

[NativeCheesehead]

Very interesting points. I think we all knew Bryce would leave at some point but to me there's more to this than money. Sure that's a HUGE part of it, but the timing on this just feels a little funny. There was a lot of rumbling in the chairbacks this year that Bryce was pushing the admin very hard on ARC improvements behind the scenes. Don't know if that's true, and if so don't know what that means. But this is going to be a critical juncture for this program. I truly believe that in ten years from now we'll be in a much better conference or we'll be beginning our move to D2 or D3. Complacently and consistent 4-6 place finishes in this conference would kill the program.

[elephtheria47]

I was hoping Powell stayed. The moment Bryce signed the contract with Vanderbilt, he is focused on himself and building the best staff for him to succeed And win big time at his new job. Bringing along as much of your staff as possible makes sense. Your new success > your old teams success. Hopefully he schedules us once his recruits are out of the program.

If Bryce is 2.5+ mil a year, his top asst will be making more money than whoever the new mbb coach is here.

Its important not to rush this. While the NIT run pushed everything back and some names are off the table now, we can still get it done. If wsu can hire who they did, we should more than able to hire a quality replacement for the HC.

[agibson]

There was a lot of rumbling in the chairbacks this year that Bryce was pushing the admin very hard on ARC improvements behind the scenes. Don't know if that's true, and if so don't know what that means.

Interesting. First I've heard of that.

I'd love for Bryce to explain his though process, but it doesn't seem his style to do it publicly.

I'm very curious what kind of proposal Valpo might have made to Bryce (maybe not significantly more $$, but maybe something about facilities, or conference aspirations, or....). But, I don't know if we'll ever get that kind of detail.

It'll be very interesting to see if we get more on the Valpo coaching situation in the next days, or if this becomes a long wait...

[Vinny]

Again, what the Drews accomplished/were accomplishing didn't matter enough to the university admins. Guessing they'll figure it out once the $$$ stops flowing in. Frustrating and embarrassing. 

I'm seriously concerned for the future of both VU basketball and athletics. The commitment simply isn't there. I'm not so naive to think that we could've kept Bryce forever, but the university could've done more to keep him here longer and at least give him the chance to build VU into a Butler.

[a3uge]

Again, what the Drews accomplished/were accomplishing didn't matter enough to the university admins. Guessing they'll figure it out once the $$$ stops flowing in. Frustrating and embarrassing. 

I'm seriously concerned for the future of both VU basketball and athletics. The commitment simply isn't there. I'm not so naive to think that we could've kept Bryce forever, but the university could've done more to keep him here longer and at least give him the chance to build VU into a Butler.

So I take it you don't have a spare $16 million hanging around for a coach or $40 million for a new facility?