Women's Basketball 2016-2017

[VU2003]

Not sure the university cares if teams other than mens basketball wins or loses
Maybe football but the others i doubt

[usc4valpo]

they should care - just alone for scholarships over $500K is spent annually and it is not a revenue making sport. Thus, a level of success is expected.

As for football, success is not a priority at the university, but revenue is a priority. Hopefully this will change this year with Coach C. As long as players pay their way to play and keeps the enrollment up, Valpo football is a lean mean money raising machine.

[jack]

Not sure the university cares if teams other than mens basketball wins or loses
Maybe football but the others i doubt

That would defy logic. success puts butts in the bleachers which generates revenue and additional concession sales. If success in all sports isn't a goal, then maybe the problem lies with the AD.

[valpo84]

Not sure where the statement that the University doesn't care about winning other sports comes from.  The baseball and softball teams have been to the NCAAs recently, the VB team is an annual challenger to winning the conference and tourney, the soccer teams have had recent success, the bowling team is nationally ranked, tennis was to the NCAAs and t&f has had some great individual contributors.  Womens basketball needs to be examined as to what direction it should go, and those discussions occur.  But a lack of caring about winning is not an issue with this Sports Administration.  Sometimes there are blanket statements on this Board that defy logic and facts. 

[vu72]

Not sure the university cares if teams other than mens basketball wins or loses
Maybe football but the others i doubt

That would defy logic. success puts butts in the bleachers which generates revenue and additional concession sales. If success in all sports isn't a goal, then maybe the problem lies with the AD.

Don't think the record agrees with lack of success in other sports.  Swimming is no doubt a write-off with the existing facilities, but other sports(other then Men's basketball) have faired pretty well over the last five years.  Men's golf, men's tennis, baseball, softball, women's soccer and bowling have all been to the NCAAs in that time frame.  Volleyball has yet to make the tourney but has had 20 win seasons for many years as only a few other schools can say. Even track, now that the facilities have been completed, have shown better Horizon League results.

So the lack of success, in revenue sports (those that charge admission to games), really lies at the office door of Tracy Dorow.  With the recruiting class coming in (including an Indiana AllStar) and the returning players, hopefully respectability will return shortly.

[FWalum]

Rumor has it that Karissa McLaughlin of Homestead High School is reopening her recruitment after Florida fired their head coach.  You could build a program around her so I hope we just aren't thinking that she is too good for us.

[tweet]840001183867625472[/tweet]

[bbtds]

Not sure the university cares if teams other than mens basketball wins or loses
Maybe football but the others i doubt

Sometimes there are blanket statements on this Board that defy logic and facts.

[IndyValpo]

Rumor has it that Karissa McLaughlin of Homestead High School is reopening her recruitment after Florida fired their head coach.  You could build a program around her so I hope we just aren't thinking that she is too good for us.

Agreed, unfortunately we currently sit at zero open spots so unless someone is leaving we are stuck. Any rumors?  Seems likely the coaching staff has survived at this point.

[justducky]

Seems likely the coaching staff has survived at this point.
                     
                  
                  
                     
                     
                     
                        

[IndyValpo]

Anyone know where Finlandia U is located?   The Upper Peninsula of Michigan!!!   It gets freaking COLD up there.

I just looked this up. It is in Hancock, MI which is the the northern most city in the UP. Amazingly they play baseball and softball. The women's basketball had an interesting year, their coach was fired in mid year and 6 players left during the year. They won 8 games.

Interestingly they just joined a new D3 conference with 6 other former independents, located in NY, ME, PA and MA.

[usc4valpo]

As I flip through channels and recover from surgery, I watch the first half of the UConn Oregon game for the final four and observe the normal blowout score. UConn is certainly a phenomenal women's' basketball program - about 110 consecuative wins? That is quite the feat of course. But why is it and is it good for women's basketball? I do not know.

Is it because UConn gets every top  high school All American? Is their talent that much better than the rest? Is the rest of college basketball that far behind from UConn? Is Geno Auriemma that outstanding a coach compared to the rest? Does Auriemma not treat his team as snowflakes compared to other schools?

Also, is UConn's dominance good for women's basketball? Except for UConn who basically played a home game, attendance at the regionals have been around 2500 to 3000. ouch.

[Valpo89]

Here's my theory that I've always put out there.
The answer to all of your questions is yes. The biggest reason there is such a gap because of simple math - there aren't as many girls who play/excel in basketball as there are boys.
If five boys grow up playing in the driveway and going to the Y's and Boys Clubs to play, there's maybe only one girl.
The pool of elite players is just not as large, and he gets whoever he wants. I also think he's an outstanding coach and would love to see if he could do the same thing coaching a men's team.

[Dave_2010]

Here's my theory that I've always put out there.
The answer to all of your questions is yes. The biggest reason there is such a gap because of simple math - there aren't as many girls who play/excel in basketball as there are boys.
If five boys grow up playing in the driveway and going to the Y's and Boys Clubs to play, there's maybe only one girl.
The pool of elite players is just not as large, and he gets whoever he wants. I also think he's an outstanding coach and would love to see if he could do the same thing coaching a men's team.

Not just a smaller talent pool, but 15 women's scholarships vs 13 men's. That further concentrates the talent pool at the top. For the sake of argument, imagine how good Valpo would be if we had Connecticut's 2 worst players on our roster.


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[VULB#62]

Here's my theory that I've always put out there.
The answer to all of your questions is yes. The biggest reason there is such a gap because of simple math - there aren't as many girls who play/excel in basketball as there are boys.
If five boys grow up playing in the driveway and going to the Y's and Boys Clubs to play, there's maybe only one girl.
The pool of elite players is just not as large, and he gets whoever he wants. I also think he's an outstanding coach and would love to see if he could do the same thing coaching a men's team.

I'd add that Geno has the state of Connecticut so strongly behind him and that gives him enormous resources compared to other NCAA WBB programs. The campus at Stores is beautiful and despite being D-I in all respects in most sports (remember UCONN won the MBB championsip a couple of times too) it projects an intimate, family-friendly almost D-III atmosphere that appeals to many top female recruits. The people of that state have been incredibly supportive of women's basketball long before it was as popular as it is today and have supported equal funding and equal facilities for a long, long time.  Even the best of the rest (e.g., Stanford, Baylor, UND) are still stuck behind MBB and FB in the pecking order of collegite sports on their campus.  That' not the case at UCONN.   Of course, Geno's great success over time has a lot to do with that.

[usc4valpo]

thus the interest and importance of WBB in Connecticut is significantly higher than anywhere else in the US and in reality the popularity of WBB is not as strong as how the hype the NCAA and ESPN provides.

In you do not consider the UConn - Oregon game which drew 8900 in Bridgeport, CT (a home game), the average WBB regional final attendance was 2900.  On the contrary For MBB, people are buying scalped tickets at least in a the 3 figure dollar range. This is an issue that needs to be addressed.

[valpo64]

FW Homestead Player of the Year, Karissa Mclaughlin, who re-opened her recruitment after the Florida women's coach was fired, may still end up a Gator.  Their new coach, is from FW.  He just left Belmont to take the Florida job.

[crusader05]

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/855415211062431744

[valpopal]

[tweet]855415211062431744[/tweet]

Sat next to her and her family at a couple of games this year, and she appeared even bigger, stronger, and more athletic than Amber. Should be a good addition to the team and with Amber provide a solid inside game. Perhaps the next couple of years we could see Amber-Nicole and Derrik-Jaume develop into great tandems.

[valpotx]

Getting solid bigs in the Women's game is huge.  With Marlous and then Tamra Braun, we dominated the inside.  Hopefully Amber and Nicole can do the same.

[valporun]

Valpotx, don't forget Marlous had Amber Schober to work against in practice, and that trickled down to Tamra going against Jenna in drills.

[IndyValpo]

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/855415211062431744

Since we were at 15 scholarships prior to this someone is leaving or has been "creaned". Any idea who?

[Vinny]

My guess would be Schofield. After a couple seasons she hasn't developed into the pivotal player that the coaching staff made it seem like she would be when she signed. Then again who knows. The fact this staff is still around tells me plenty about how much of a priority WBB is to the school. 

[FWalum]

Found this interesting when looking at the Valpo Life article on the signing of Nicole Johanson.

Johanson Signs with Valpo Women's Basketball
The Valparaiso University women's basketball program has announced its newest addition as 6-foot-5 forward Nicole Johanson has signed to join the team for the 2017-18 season.

Johanson enjoyed a strong senior season at Herscher High School in Herscher, Ill., earning all-tournament recognition for all three of the team's tournaments (Thanksgiving, Christmas and conference) on her way to achieving all-area and all-conference recognition.

"She has a strong desire to use her size to the best of her ability and to her advantage," Valpo head coach Tracey Dorow said. "She recognizes what she can bring to our basketball program as a student and as an athlete. She has good hands and she can score. She sees that the potential is really limitless for her.".......

Example Sports AAU coach Barry Bradford said Johanson epitomizes the word "potential" as a young senior who has the framework to become a quality collegiate basketball player at Valpo.

"Nicole is a skilled kid who can stretch the floor," Bradford said. "She scores at the rim with both hands. She can stretch defenses and catch and shoot the ball. She has a really high basketball IQ. Nicole is a team-first person with an incredible work ethic."

Bradford is the father of Valpo men's basketball player Micah Bradford.

"I think the environment is right for Nicole," Bradford said. "When she asked me about it, I told her we love Valpo. The Bradford family loves the opportunity that it has given our son to grow in more ways than just as a basketball player. We were able to tell her that without a doubt Valpo is a great place."

Johanson was named the Most Valuable Player of an intense alumni game that her AAU program played against college players who have gone through the program.

"Judging by the level of talent that she played against that are already experienced Division I players, being the MVP of that game shows she can really compete at that level," Bradford said.

Really great to hear this statement coming from a player's parent; "The Bradford family loves the opportunity that it has given our son to grow in more ways than just as a basketball player"  echoing the words of O.P. Kretzman.

"We have something to offer you which you can find nowhere else. Others may try to make men scientific; we must do that-and make them wise. Others may give men knowledge; we must give them that-and understanding. Others may try to make men useful; we must do that-and we must make them noble. We are not asking you to come to an ivory tower to escape from the realities of life or to a market-place where the voices and minds of men are confused by the immediate and material things of life. We are able to give you the fellowship of men and women whose respect for Truth is not vitiated by doubts concerning its reality and permanence. We are able to offer you a school which recognizes the supreme dignity and worth of the individual human being. We are committed to the principle that the destiny of a Christian University lies in the quality of the men and women who are graduated from its halls rather than in quantitative production. Our future lies in the development of men and women, perhaps relatively few in number, whose quality will be so high that they will exert an influence on society which cannot be measured in terms of numbers."

[IndyValpo]

Found this interesting when looking at the Valpo Life article on the signing of Nicole Johanson.

Johanson Signs with Valpo Women's Basketball
The Valparaiso University women's basketball program has announced its newest addition as 6-foot-5 forward Nicole Johanson has signed to join the team for the 2017-18 season.

Johanson enjoyed a strong senior season at Herscher High School in Herscher, Ill., earning all-tournament recognition for all three of the team's tournaments (Thanksgiving, Christmas and conference) on her way to achieving all-area and all-conference recognition.

"She has a strong desire to use her size to the best of her ability and to her advantage," Valpo head coach Tracey Dorow said. "She recognizes what she can bring to our basketball program as a student and as an athlete. She has good hands and she can score. She sees that the potential is really limitless for her.".......

Example Sports AAU coach Barry Bradford said Johanson epitomizes the word "potential" as a young senior who has the framework to become a quality collegiate basketball player at Valpo.

"Nicole is a skilled kid who can stretch the floor," Bradford said. "She scores at the rim with both hands. She can stretch defenses and catch and shoot the ball. She has a really high basketball IQ. Nicole is a team-first person with an incredible work ethic."

Bradford is the father of Valpo men's basketball player Micah Bradford.

"I think the environment is right for Nicole," Bradford said. "When she asked me about it, I told her we love Valpo. The Bradford family loves the opportunity that it has given our son to grow in more ways than just as a basketball player. We were able to tell her that without a doubt Valpo is a great place."

Johanson was named the Most Valuable Player of an intense alumni game that her AAU program played against college players who have gone through the program.

"Judging by the level of talent that she played against that are already experienced Division I players, being the MVP of that game shows she can really compete at that level," Bradford said.

Really great to hear this statement coming from a player's parent; "The Bradford family loves the opportunity that it has given our son to grow in more ways than just as a basketball player"  echoing the words of O.P. Kretzman.

"We have something to offer you which you can find nowhere else. Others may try to make men scientific; we must do that-and make them wise. Others may give men knowledge; we must give them that-and understanding. Others may try to make men useful; we must do that-and we must make them noble. We are not asking you to come to an ivory tower to escape from the realities of life or to a market-place where the voices and minds of men are confused by the immediate and material things of life. We are able to give you the fellowship of men and women whose respect for Truth is not vitiated by doubts concerning its reality and permanence. We are able to offer you a school which recognizes the supreme dignity and worth of the individual human being. We are committed to the principle that the destiny of a Christian University lies in the quality of the men and women who are graduated from its halls rather than in quantitative production. Our future lies in the development of men and women, perhaps relatively few in number, whose quality will be so high that they will exert an influence on society which cannot be measured in terms of numbers."

A simple question, why do we use quotes from Dorow? Reread her quote. She has a strong desire to use her height...wow.

I will also ask again why does WBB never gives us what a signee averaged? This girl sounds great...what did she average last year, points/rebounds

[valpotx]

I was surprised to see that Amber Lindfors is transferring to SLU.  She did have a ways to go in the coordination department, but she was decent.  Anyone know why?