Game #13 - Chicago State Wednesday Dec 28, 7pm (CT) at the ARC

[VUOR63]

I am particularly excited about the game tonight because it is the first chance I get to wear the new Cutter & Buck Valpo Polo I got for Christmas.  I'm wearing it every game day as long as they win.  If they lose, I'm putting it in my closet and not wearing it again until the Montana football game on Labor Day weekend.

I hope I have to wear it so much I have to buy a new one!

[vusupporter]

For posterity, posted earlier today in the Santa Clara thread...

[wh]

Don't see Jay yet. Not warming up.

[wh]

Don't see Jubril anywhere.

[wh]

Saw Jubril. Forgot that Jay isn't playing.

[Smj]

Saw Jubril. Forgot that Jay isn't playing.

Thanks for the update....

Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk

[ValpoFan1000]

Very nice to see the team in person tonight, not too much fun with no student section though.

[EddieCabot]

Nice bounceback win for the Crusaders.  Onto the Horizon.

[valpotx]

It was good for Smits to get some extended playing time, even though he is definitely a step below Jay at this point in their FR seasons.  Are we pretty much assuming that Kiser is going to get a scholarship next season?  They always talk about how much the coaches like his ability and tenaciousness, which you usually don't hear about walk-ons. 

[historyman]

Nonetheless, I expect a 20 point win.

Oooo! So close.

Sloppiest, most terrible win that Valpo will likely ever get in the next 10 years and the 10 years prior.

[historyman]

It was good for Smits to get some extended playing time, even though he is definitely a step below Jay at this point in their FR seasons.  Are we pretty much assuming that Kiser is going to get a scholarship next season?  They always talk about how much the coaches like his ability and tenaciousness, which you usually don't hear about walk-ons. 

Smits was playing half as good as Kiser. Without Derrik's height he would have nothing at all. He did alter some shots and finally after several tries got some shots to fall right under the basket.



If we don't do something about the way we handle the ball (Hammink, Bradford, Joseph, Williams, even to some degree Peters) we'll lose more than half of our conference games. So, so sloppy!

[a3uge]

Nonetheless, I expect a 20 point win.

Oooo! So close.

Sloppiest, most terrible win that Valpo will likely ever get in the next 10 years and the 10 years prior.

Valpo was down to a NAIA team at half time this year.

[historyman]

Nonetheless, I expect a 20 point win.

Oooo! So close.

Sloppiest, most terrible win that Valpo will likely ever get in the next 10 years and the 10 years prior.

Valpo was down to a NAIA team at half time this year.

If Chicago State were anywhere close to as good as Trinity Itnl played that night I would say you were right. But we played much, much better in that Trinity game. CSU's offense was putting me to sleep it was so slow.

[bbtds]

18 turnovers with 5 turnovers going to Alec did not a pretty game make. There is something missing in the force tonight.

[talksalot]

Sorolla missed tonight game after going home to Spain to visit his ailing father.  He WILL be back for Friday's game.  A definitive quote from Coach in the post game interview tonight. 

John Kizer showed some good things tonight.  Earned all 14 minutes he played, 4-4 from the field; and Karys hitting that 3 with 8-seconds left in the game!   Plenty of game film to watch to improve things for Friday's HL opener at the pavilion.

[justducky]

Smits was playing  half as good as Kiser. Without Derrik's height he would have nothing at all. He did alter some shots and finally after several tries got some shots to fall right under the basket.

We are all somewhat disappointed with Derrik's play but his high potential can not be quickly developed without big time minutes on the floor. So I will continue to enjoy witnessing his numerous mistakes and hope that you will learn to enjoy them with me. Yes, he is far more of a project than I had hoped but the payoff on this project could be enormous and might come much sooner than we think.

[hailcrusaders]

Smits was playing  half as good as Kiser. Without Derrik's height he would have nothing at all. He did alter some shots and finally after several tries got some shots to fall right under the basket.

We are all somewhat disappointed with Derrik's play but his high potential can not be quickly developed without big time minutes on the floor. So I will continue to enjoy witnessing his numerous mistakes and hope that you will learn to enjoy them with me. Yes, he is far more of a project than I had hoped but the payoff on this project could be enormous and might come much sooner than we think.

It's easy to compare Derrik to Vashil since they're both "project" centers, but they are completely different players coming from completely different backgrounds. I hope that Smits is able to make adjustments to the college game more quickly than Vashil, despite his injuries, given his experience with the game. Patience is indeed a virtue, and if we are without Jubril for an extended period of time, that may have the silver lining of hastening Derrik's development. In the meantime, I'm glad to see Sorolla come around, and hope he continues on that path.

[valpotx]

I was one of the only (if not THE only) proponents of Vashil during his first 2 seasons, and I will be a proponent for Smits .  He seems to still be growing into his body, so while he has several years more experience with basketball than Vashil had before joining Valpo, I do think that he also has a high ceiling.  If he gets his body healthy, and is able to gain control of his lanky body, he is going to be a solid player for us in years 3 and 4.  As someone on this board always liked to say, BOOK IT .

[humbleopinion]

Saw Jubril. Forgot that Jay isn't playing.

Before the game, Jubril was sitting in the student section (he sat on the bench during the game).  He did not say that he was out for the season; he was just as evasive as all of the official reports.  It feels as if the honor council has not yet made a decision -- I can think of no other explanation for the delay in certainty.

[a3uge]

My problem with Smits is that he doesn't play with any intensity... and that's something that isn't easily taught. There were a couple plays in particular that summed up his season so far: one in the first half where he tried to draw a charge at the top of the arc (he should have been called for a block), and the other was when he tried to flip the ball in with his left hand under the basket instead of going up strong and drawing contact.

[VU2624]

Saw Jubril. Forgot that Jay isn't playing.

Before the game, Jubril was sitting in the student section (he sat on the bench during the game).  He did not say that he was out for the season; he was just as evasive as all of the official reports.  It feels as if the honor council has not yet made a decision -- I can think of no other explanation for the delay in certainty.

If the Honor Council is involved there's an excellent chance the hearing has not even been held and may not be until everyone is back on campus.

[VU2014]

My problem with Smits is that he doesn't play with any intensity... and that's something that isn't easily taught. There were a couple plays in particular that summed up his season so far: one in the first half where he tried to draw a charge at the top of the arc (he should have been called for a block), and the other was when he tried to flip the ball in with his left hand under the basket instead of going up strong and drawing contact.

I'm not totally down on Smits. He is a player who definitely needs playing time to get experience and make mistakes. I'm more high on what he can be as an offensive player then his potential on the defensive abilities.

He showed a decent jump hook last night. He has some decent touch on the ball when I see him on shoot around before the games. But in the games he just rushes things sometimes.

Derrik looks skinnier this year then he did last season, before the ankle injury. I think he lost some time in the weight room when he was rehabbing his ankle last year. He's also still growing apparently which is probably hurting his agility. Derrik has decent vertical speed for a center but his reaction time when he's defending in the paint isn't great. Good technique, anticipation, experience and physical maturity will allow him to improve his game defend in paint with time.

One thing that drives me nuts with Derrik though is that he needs to learn off to gain positioning for rebounds. That's where the intensity on rebounding I can agree with. I don't want to sound like a broken record but he will learn to improve his game boxing out the other player to put himself in a better position to grab rebounds. I don't want to sound to critical of Derrik but experience and a long summer working with Coach Gore and battling with Jay will help him. Big men take longer to develop then guard and forwards. I made the mistake of being down on Vashil his first couple years because he looked like like a 7 foot 'bambi' on the court but with playing time, hard work and great coaching he turned out to be one of the best defensive players in school history. Vashil and Derrik are very different players but the moral of the story is work ethic, playing time, and good coaching will help improve their game.

[FWalum]

My problem with Smits is that he doesn't play with any intensity... and that's something that isn't easily taught. There were a couple plays in particular that summed up his season so far: one in the first half where he tried to draw a charge at the top of the arc (he should have been called for a block), and the other was when he tried to flip the ball in with his left hand under the basket instead of going up strong and drawing contact.

Timidity often presents it's self as lack of intensity.  I agree that he looks very tentative in almost everything that he does.  He seems uncertain as to where he fits in the scheme of things as opposed to Jay who seems to understand his role better than Derrik.

[a3uge]

My problem with Smits is that he doesn't play with any intensity... and that's something that isn't easily taught. There were a couple plays in particular that summed up his season so far: one in the first half where he tried to draw a charge at the top of the arc (he should have been called for a block), and the other was when he tried to flip the ball in with his left hand under the basket instead of going up strong and drawing contact.

Timidity often presents it's self as lack of intensity.  I agree that he looks very tentative in almost everything that he does.  He seems uncertain as to where he fits in the scheme of things as opposed to Jay who seems to understand his role better than Derrik.

I don't think it's just being timid though. Take last year - Tevonn Walker lost confidence and became timid shooting the ball. I don't think he ever lacked intensity - he was still battling for rebounds, hustling down court, diving for balls, etc. I get there's a lack of confidence right now with Smits down low that's preventing him from instinctively throwing it down once grabbing the ball (something Vashil developed). It just pains me seeing a 7ft center try to draw a charge at the top of the key instead of using his size down low. It pains me watching a 7ft center try to judge a ball bouncing off the rim instead of boxing out a smaller opponent. He just seems to be lacking the motor that guys like Vashil, KVW, and Urule had.

[wh]

Chicago State's 16 1st half points are the fewest they have scored in 30 halves this season.

Chicago State's 45 2nd half points are the most they have scored in 30 halves this season.

An interesting dichotomy.