Recruiting 2019

[VU2014]

I don't think we have much to worry about there but you have to wonder what being in on Gordon and Stull says about our commitment/belief in the guys we have/our present class.  I have to wonder whether we've seen our last transfer. I think there's a real chance Bradford could transfer also what would any pursuit of Gordon mean for Sackey and Evelyn? If we add Stull can we still keep Freeman-Liberty happy?  If we add Braun does that impact Golder and Fazekas? It's going to be really interesting and potentially difficult to juggle the minutes properly and keep everybody happy.

Bradford isn't going anywhere this offseason and they seem to be heaping praise on his play in offseason practices/scrimmages. I'm not really buying into the offseason hype yet. I need to see it against live competition. I hope Micah takes that next step in his development. He did look a little better later in the season when he played mainly as a distributor. Micah is a coaches son and he's definitely not a quitter which is what I've always appreciate about him.

I think one thing is obvious about the coaching staffs recruiting. They are going after versatility. Everyone on this roster other then the twin towers are pretty versatile. Even Smits might be a bit more offensively versatile then I think if he's able to develop that mid-range jump shot that we haven't seen too much of yet but I've seen it in shoot arounds. I think the staff wants to "blur" the traditional "positions". They wants PGs that can score and shoot. They want 2Gs that handle the ball a little bit and handle switches. They want 3s like Golder who are adaptable. Mileek has stretch 4 capabilities.

"Fit" and "culture" mean everything. You can't really worry too much about will this guy or that guy not be happy. One thing is pretty clear with Coach Lottich. If you don't play solid team defense, you won't be getting much court time. He really is a defense first type of coach.

[valpo84]

I'll always take the problem of too much talent.  A good coach will find the right mix/minutes for them.  Competition hardens hard work and skills.  You want to play -- earn the minutes.  "...Nothing is Given, Everything is Earned. You work for what you have."  LeBron James  Micah may be improved, but we have seen that you can't be deep enough or talented enough when injuries and transfers and other stuff come around.

[VU2014]

Illinois State offered Brandon Newman.

[valpo4life]

Illinois State offered Brandon Newman.

Add Florida State to the list.

[VU2014]

Illinois State offered Brandon Newman.

Add Florida State to the list.

Valpo > Florida State 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olH4-LQ3I78
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IY5dUISXeY

[M]

That was nice to watch.  Thank you!

[vu72]

Great fun to watch that game against Florida State.  Must have been one of the most electric atmospheres ever at the ARC.  One can only wonder what the FSU players thought when they walked out--something like "what the hell just happened to us?"

Some observations--1. We were REALLY good!  2. We were playing against at least THREE NBA players and probably a fourth--Malik Beasley (Nuggets), Dwayne Bacon (Hornets) and Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Grizzlies) I would think that Terance Mann will also play in the NBA. 3. We held them scoreless for the first 5 minutes!  4.  Alec Peters needs to have his number retired and 5. This game could have been the greatest student recruiting game of all time.  That night was the opening ceremony for the National Lutheran Grade School Tournament and after the ceremony finished the kids and their parents made their way over to the ARC to see most of the game.  So Lutheran kids from all over the nation watched us beat the only ACC team to ever play at the ARC.  I'm sure some parents knew we played basketball but not basketball against a team from the ACC!!!  Think they may have told some folks about the game they saw?  Great stuff.

[bbtds]

Great fun to watch that game against Florida State.  Must have been one of the most electric atmospheres ever at the ARC.  One can only wonder what the FSU players thought when they walked out--something like "what the hell just happened to us?"

Some observations--1. We were REALLY good!  2. We were playing against at least THREE NBA players and probably a fourth--Malik Beasley (Nuggets), Dwayne Bacon (Hornets) and Xavier Rathan-Mayes (Grizzlies) I would think that Terance Mann will also play in the NBA. 3. We held them scoreless for the first 5 minutes!  4.  Alec Peters needs to have his number retired and 5. This game could have been the greatest student recruiting game of all time.  That night was the opening ceremony for the National Lutheran Grade School Tournament and after the ceremony finished the kids and their parents made their way over to the ARC to see most of the game.  So Lutheran kids from all over the nation watched us beat the only ACC team to ever play at the ARC.  I'm sure some parents knew we played basketball but not basketball against a team from the ACC!!!  Think they may have told some folks about the game they saw?  Great stuff.

We're probably a few more years from reaping the majority of the benefits of that win and what became the biggest packed house of that year at the ARC.

[VUGrad1314]

You mean there are benefits to come beyond MVC membership and the wonderful benefits that has brought us? Sweet! Can't wait to see what they are!

[VU2014]

Apparently there was one kid at the Lutheran basketball tournament that really stood out. I'm not even sure it's worth mentioning because he's so far away from College but I hope our coaches stay in contact with him. His name is Adam Stewart and he's 6-10 as 14 year old and was dominating.

https://twitter.com/adamstew22/status/993960087571091457

[VU2014]

No mention of Valpo in this article about Brandon Newman's recruitment. He said he'd give Loyola a great chance. I wouldn't expect him to say anyone has a bad chance, but man would it be a kick to the gut to lose a hometown kid to a Conference rival.

https://twitter.com/KP_Rivals/status/997183053033299968

Rivals150 junior Brandon Newman is a shooting star
Eric Bossi • BasketballRecruiting.Rivals.com
@ebosshoops

.....

Newman has offers from Creighton, Loyola (Chicago), Xavier, Florida State and others, to go along with interest from Indiana, Kansas, Ohio State, Purdue and more. When asked the secret to his success this spring, though, he was all about team.

.....

Given the way Newman shoots the ball, his size and his potential as a defensive stopper, it's a bit surprising that he doesn't have any Big Ten offers. But he's not tripping out about it.

"They want to take their time," said Newman of Big Ten programs. "They want to have all three of their assistant coaches and the head coach watch me and have me down on visits."

Newman took some time to break down the interest from Loyola, Xavier, Creighton, Indiana and Ohio State. Loyola's Final Four run certainly made an impact on him.

"I think it gives (Loyola) a great chance," Newman said. "They want to win, they know how to win and they recruit players that want to win and commit to their program. Their guys aren't one-and-done guys. They are four-year guys and they are seniors, and I think that's what you need to win basketball games."

Xavier offered earlier this spring and helps Newman work on his game, even if the Musketeers can only do so much over the phone.

"What I like the most is how much they are in contact with me," said Newman. "They are texting me, calling me every week, a couple of times a week. They are coaching me up. I ask them what I need to work on, what do they see and things like that."

Creighton offered over the weekend.

"Coach (Paul) Lusk came before our first weekend in April and came to watch open gym," he said. "It was early, it was like a 6 a.m. workout, and he came to watch and talk. He showed me some things about the school and we kept continuing to talk and then they finally offered."

Indiana hasn't offered, but wants Newman on campus as soon as possible for a visit.

"Coach (Bruiser) Flint and (Tom) Ostrom, I've been talking to them," Newman said. "They say to keep staying in touch and that they want to have me for an unofficial sometime soon."

Newman said he plans to start setting up some unofficial visits soon and other than that he's focused on July. He's hoping that his jump shot and other parts of his game will win over high-level coaches, resulting in more opportunity.

......

https://basketballrecruiting.rivals.com/news/rivals150-junior-brandon-newman-s-recruitment-takes-off

[FieldGoodie05]

Why would it be so bad if he went to better programs?  He appears to be destined for bigger things.

Hate to say it but Loyola has better national awareness and that's all that matters to many kids.  If Loyola doesn't make their run, then we carry the edge. 

Fact of the matter is we haven't done a darn thing to make guys like Newman want to come to Valpo.  We haven't won a post season game (outside of NIT runner-up) since the late 1990's.  These kids weren't even born...

My personal belief is the only want Newman cones to Valpo is if he transfers back home.

[M]

I was just going to type the same thing. He will start somewhere else, but who knows. He may get homesick or not get the PT he was wanting and make a return home in the future.

[VU2014]

Why would it be so bad if he went to better programs?  He appears to be destined for bigger things.

Hate to say it but Loyola has better national awareness and that's all that matters to many kids.  If Loyola doesn't make their run, then we carry the edge. 

Fact of the matter is we haven't done a darn thing to make guys like Newman want to come to Valpo.  We haven't won a post season game (outside of NIT runner-up) since the late 1990's.  These kids weren't even born...

My personal belief is the only want Newman cones to Valpo is if he transfers back home.

I hope he finds great success wherever he goes. His recruitment has blown up so much that I don't expect him to land here. If he doesn't choose us I just hope he doesn't land at another Missouri Valley Conference school. Imagine playing Brandon twice a year. It would just suck.

[vu72]

We have always gotten guys who have had high major offers including guys like Burton, Evelyn and now, Gordon.  We have had a bunch of guys transfer after starting at Power 5's.  Eron won't be the last one.  All that glitters is not gold my friends.

[VU2014]

Interesting to hear Brandon Newman is exploring the option of attending prep school. Prep schools are recruiting him. It's just my but I don't think he needs to go that route to get noticed by bigger programs.

https://twitter.com/PostTribSports/status/1002713650455511046

Valparaiso's Brandon Newman weighing prep school options while getting ready to play for Indiana Junior All-Stars
By: Mike Hutton
Post-Tribune
June 1, 2018

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ct-ptb-spt-boys-basketball-valparaiso-brandon-newman-st-0602-story.html

[VU2014]

One of Valpo's three 2019 offers, Alex Hemenway is going to take a official visit to Belmont this weekend. Maybe we could expect a official visit at some point this summer? He's still long-shot to land, imo but you never know.

D1 recruits get ONLY 5 official visits five and he just spent one of them on Belmont. He has offers from the likes of Nebraska, Xavier, Butler, Clemson, and Creighton. Will he give another one of those valuable official visits to another Mid-Major? I'm not so sure. Last I heard Clemson was recruiting him hard and the interest from Xavier and Nebraska was very real.

https://twitter.com/EngGordon/status/1006568242431881216

To be honest, I think all of our 2019 offers are a bit of a long shot at this point: Brandon Newman, Alex Hemenway and Quincy Guerrier. We have 2 scholarships left for 2018 and it's very plausible we could roll at least one into the 2019 class.

[IrishDawg]

One of Valpo's three 2019 offers, Alex Hemenway is going to take a official visit to Belmont this weekend. Maybe we could expect a official visit at some point this summer? He's still long-shot to land, imo but you never know.

D1 recruits get ONLY 5 official visits five and he just spent one of them on Belmont. He has offers from the likes of Nebraska, Xavier, Butler, Clemson, and Creighton. Will he give another one of those valuable official visits to another Mid-Major? I'm not so sure. Last I heard Clemson was recruiting him hard and the interest from Xavier and Nebraska was very real.

https://twitter.com/EngGordon/status/1006568242431881216

To be honest, I think all of our 2019 offers are a bit of a long shot at this point: Brandon Newman, Alex Hemenway and Quincy Guerrier. We have 2 scholarships left for 2018 and it's very plausible we could role at least one into the 2019 class.

Butler's scholarships are currently filled for 2019, so they aren't currently recruiting him (and haven't been for quite awhile).  Xavier's got Paul Scruggs, Keonte Kennedy and Elias King, so I would be surprised if there was interest anymore.  Clemson was watching him as recently as late April, not sure about Nebraska.

Having said that, Belmont's a good school in a really fun city.  Hemenway seems like the type of player that Belmont does well with.

[VUGrad1314]

I'm still not optimistic about landing him but I'm more optimistic than I was before knowing that Butler and X are likely out. "So you're telling me there's a chance."

[wh]

With 3-star JFL and now 3.7-star Eron Gordon firmly committed, Valpo is stacked at SG. I would guess the coaching staff has moved on to more pressing needs.

[VU2014]

With 3-star JFL and now 3.7-star Eron Gordon firmly committed, Valpo is stacked at SG. I would guess the coaching staff has moved on to more pressing needs.

I'm pretty interested in seeing the roster construction of the program the next few years. It seems like the staff is recruiting a lot of guard and trying to bring in players with added versatility.

All of the 2019 offers happen to be Shooting Guards. I'm curious what kind of bigs they bring in after Sorolla and Smits near graduation. Both are somewhat prototypical big men. Smits is a little different because he has a mid-range jump shot but we have hardly seen him try it within the flow of the offense the last 2 seasons. I'm imagining the future of our bigs will need to be a bit more athletic in the MVC. Both the seven footers struggled against more athletic competition by teams like Illinois State and smaller/quicker guys like Krutwig at Loyola.

I'd love to see us add a freshman sharp shooting SF with some size. By the time Fazekas graduates in 2 years he'd be groomed to take over the position.

The recruiting front has been quiet lately.

[M]

Isn't June a slow month? AAU is on break and the guys are back with their high school teams.

[VUGrad1314]

With 3-star JFL and now 3.7-star Eron Gordon firmly committed, Valpo is stacked at SG. I would guess the coaching staff has moved on to more pressing needs.

I'm pretty interested in seeing the roster construction of the program the next few years. It seems like the staff is recruiting a lot of guard and trying to bring in players with added versatility. All of the 2019 offers happen to be Shooting Guards.

This shift toward a more athletic more versatile roster will serve us well as the college game continues to evolve toward the free-flowing positionless style of the NBA. Guard play will continue to be important but so will quick athletic bigs that can switch step out and guard multiple positions. Think Alize Johnson or Milik Yarbrough  as examples. We're doing a great job of making our roster reflect these changes and building it up to face the rigors of the MVC. I'm excited for the future  and hope the positive trend continues. Go Valpo!

[valpopal]

I'm hearing Valpo has offered Chris Payton, a 6'7" SF 2019 recruit from Bloomington, IL.

[vufan75]

Couple tweets confirming valpopal's info regarding offer to Chris Payton.

Tweeted by@THEchrispayton
Had a great time at elite camp today. Blessed to have receive an offer from Valparaiso University! https://t.co/4kGPblS35Z

Tweeted by@Dwilliams1515
Driving back from @ValpoBasketball  ELITE camp with my guy @THEchrispayton who picked up an offer from @CoachLottich ..#greattrip #adamsguys




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