Transfers

[bbtds]

dawgs around here are Butler fans. I'd go with an Egyptian or Saluki theme. Pyramid Saluki or some such.

Welcome aboard and may Giant City be with you!


The starting line-up is a huge guess as it will be for teams with a big turnover.  One guess is that the transfers from the B6 conferences will start along with the center/power forward from Germany. The other two will be very interchangeable with a great deal of bench depth.

[vu72]

Hi--SIU fan. I know you lost Peter, Hammink and Adekoya. I'd like to see who you guys think will start for the Crusaders--will you use a lot of red-shirted players?

Understand that Adekoya was lost to us after 10 games.  He did not play is our win over Missouri State, nor the rest of the season.  As a result our freshman got a bunch of unexpected experience, particularly our to 7 footers.

We will start two transfers who sat out last year.  4 star Joe Burton from Oklahoma State and 3 star Bakari Evelyn, from Nebraska, at the point.  We also will start Tevonn Walker who sign for the draft and has returned.  He was second team all conference last year.  One of the 7' guys will start at the 5 and the last starter will most likely either be a JC transfer of a freshman. 

Obviously we will have a bunch of new guys and only two seniors so it could be messy to start.  Nonetheless, talent and athletically, our team is loaded.  How they mess remains to be seen.

[a3uge]

Hi--SIU fan. I know you lost Peter, Hammink and Adekoya. I'd like to see who you guys think will start for the Crusaders--will you use a lot of red-shirted players?

Valpo hardly ever uses a non-injury redshirt. I'm not sure about starting lineups (Lottich likes to bring higher minute guys off bench), but this is my prediction in terms of minutes:

PG Bakari Evelyn - transfer from Nebraska. Don't know much about him, but he's probably the defacto PG due to the lack of talent at that position.

SF Joe Burton - transfer from Oklahoma State, great shooter, but also super athletic. He'll likely log the most minutes on the team.

SF/G Tevonn Walker - Valpo's best player. Super athletic, and great defender, but struggles with his shooting. Can be streaky and shuts down

SF / G Markus Golder - So many dunks. He's really athletic and was a great JUCO player. Not sure what we're getting beyond that.

C Jaume Sorrola - he slowed down at end of year, but he was Valpo's best big man.

Then you'll probably see these guys get some big minutes:

SF Parker Hazen - highest rated freshman, but had a pretty poor senior season in high school. From what I've seen he's athletic, but not sure he can score at will.

PG Max Joseph - only because​ he's the only other PG. He's the reason Valpo was in the NIT two year ago instead of the tournament... Well, not necessarily his fault because Bryce left the team with only one PG, but Max should really be a bench warmer due to his defensive liability.

And the rest:

C Derrik Smits - He'll get some minutes at the beginning of the year, before the coaches give up on him and realize the kid still has no motor and no interest in boxing out.

PF Mileek McMillan - He'll get some burn at the small ball center position. I think he'll steal Smits minutes by end of year.

PF Marten Linssen - Das Hammer! I said in another thread he was the most athletic fat-guy I've ever seen. He'll find his way into the lineup if Valpo struggles to rebound.

F John Kiser - walk on last year. Not much talent, but plays with heart and attitude. I wouldn't expect many minutes unless it's out of necessity.

G Micah Bradford - had the worst freshman season for a Valpo player with regular minutes in at least ten years. He's too thin, and he can't shoot. I think you'll see him at the end of the bench with the amount of athletic guards Valpo has.



Did I miss anyone? I think you can expect a really athletic team that plays great defense, but will struggle to score. Lottich played with a much faster pace than Bryce ever did to start the year, but once Jubril went out, that became impractical with Smits and Sorrola. The success of the team will ride on a bunch of transfers and some freshman, or some sophomores taking a gigantic leap, so that's probably not a good sign, but the MVC is full of a bunch of .500 teams that are hoping their own players develop a good deal to turn their programs around.

[FieldGoodie05]

Hi--SIU fan. I know you lost Peter, Hammink and Adekoya. I'd like to see who you guys think will start for the Crusaders--will you use a lot of red-shirted players?

Valpo hardly ever uses a non-injury redshirt. I'm not sure about starting lineups (Lottich likes to bring higher minute guys off bench), but this is my prediction in terms of minutes:

PG Bakari Evelyn - transfer from Nebraska. Don't know much about him, but he's probably the defacto PG due to the lack of talent at that position.

SF Joe Burton - transfer from Oklahoma State, great shooter, but also super athletic. He'll likely log the most minutes on the team.

SF/G Tevonn Walker - Valpo's best player. Super athletic, and great defender, but struggles with his shooting. Can be streaky and shuts down

SF / G Markus Golder - So many dunks. He's really athletic and was a great JUCO player. Not sure what we're getting beyond that.

C Jaume Sorrola - he slowed down at end of year, but he was Valpo's best big man.

Then you'll probably see these guys get some big minutes:

SF Parker Hazen - highest rated freshman, but had a pretty poor senior season in high school. From what I've seen he's athletic, but not sure he can score at will.

PG Max Joseph - only because​ he's the only other PG. He's the reason Valpo was in the NIT two year ago instead of the tournament... Well, not necessarily his fault because Bryce left the team with only one PG, but Max should really be a bench warmer due to his defensive liability.

And the rest:

C Derrik Smits - He'll get some minutes at the beginning of the year, before the coaches give up on him and realize the kid still has no motor and no interest in boxing out.

PF Mileek McMillan - He'll get some burn at the small ball center position. I think he'll steal Smits minutes by end of year.

PF Marten Linssen - Das Hammer! I said in another thread he was the most athletic fat-guy I've ever seen. He'll find his way into the lineup if Valpo struggles to rebound.

F John Kiser - walk on last year. Not much talent, but plays with heart and attitude. I wouldn't expect many minutes unless it's out of necessity.

G Micah Bradford - had the worst freshman season for a Valpo player with regular minutes in at least ten years. He's too thin, and he can't shoot. I think you'll see him at the end of the bench with the amount of athletic guards Valpo has.



Did I miss anyone? I think you can expect a really athletic team that plays great defense, but will struggle to score. Lottich played with a much faster pace than Bryce ever did to start the year, but once Jubril went out, that became impractical with Smits and Sorrola. The success of the team will ride on a bunch of transfers and some freshman, or some sophomores taking a gigantic leap, so that's probably not a good sign, but the MVC is full of a bunch of .500 teams that are hoping their own players develop a good deal to turn their programs around.

There is substance to most of his picks, but he is overly harsh on 2 freshmen from last year (Bradford and Smits).  Both have shown excellent spurts but need to mature.

[VU2014]

Hi--SIU fan. I know you lost Peter, Hammink and Adekoya. I'd like to see who you guys think will start for the Crusaders--will you use a lot of red-shirted players?

Valpo hardly ever uses a non-injury redshirt. I'm not sure about starting lineups (Lottich likes to bring higher minute guys off bench), but this is my prediction in terms of minutes:

PG Bakari Evelyn - transfer from Nebraska. Don't know much about him, but he's probably the defacto PG due to the lack of talent at that position.

SF Joe Burton - transfer from Oklahoma State, great shooter, but also super athletic. He'll likely log the most minutes on the team.

SF/G Tevonn Walker - Valpo's best player. Super athletic, and great defender, but struggles with his shooting. Can be streaky and shuts down

SF / G Markus Golder - So many dunks. He's really athletic and was a great JUCO player. Not sure what we're getting beyond that.

C Jaume Sorrola - he slowed down at end of year, but he was Valpo's best big man.

Then you'll probably see these guys get some big minutes:

SF Parker Hazen - highest rated freshman, but had a pretty poor senior season in high school. From what I've seen he's athletic, but not sure he can score at will.

PG Max Joseph - only because​ he's the only other PG. He's the reason Valpo was in the NIT two year ago instead of the tournament... Well, not necessarily his fault because Bryce left the team with only one PG, but Max should really be a bench warmer due to his defensive liability.

And the rest:

C Derrik Smits - He'll get some minutes at the beginning of the year, before the coaches give up on him and realize the kid still has no motor and no interest in boxing out.

PF Mileek McMillan - He'll get some burn at the small ball center position. I think he'll steal Smits minutes by end of year.

PF Marten Linssen - Das Hammer! I said in another thread he was the most athletic fat-guy I've ever seen. He'll find his way into the lineup if Valpo struggles to rebound.

F John Kiser - walk on last year. Not much talent, but plays with heart and attitude. I wouldn't expect many minutes unless it's out of necessity.

G Micah Bradford - had the worst freshman season for a Valpo player with regular minutes in at least ten years. He's too thin, and he can't shoot. I think you'll see him at the end of the bench with the amount of athletic guards Valpo has.

Did I miss anyone? I think you can expect a really athletic team that plays great defense, but will struggle to score. Lottich played with a much faster pace than Bryce ever did to start the year, but once Jubril went out, that became impractical with Smits and Sorrola. The success of the team will ride on a bunch of transfers and some freshman, or some sophomores taking a gigantic leap, so that's probably not a good sign, but the MVC is full of a bunch of .500 teams that are hoping their own players develop a good deal to turn their programs around.

There is substance to most of his picks, but he is overly harsh on 2 freshmen from last year (Bradford and Smits).  Both have shown excellent spurts but need to mature.

Agreed a little too harsh on Micah & Smits.

Micah can definitely shoot even if it didn't show last season. He is definitely rail thin & NEEDS to hit the weights this summer (don't expect him to pack on 20lbs with his frame but he no doubt can get stronger this summer through a good strength training program which I'me sure they will have him on.) Micah didn't have a great freshman year but we can't forget it was a his FRESHMAN year. Its a big year for him and I do hope he does have a better year. I don't think he will ride the bench. I'm sure Coach will give him plenty of opportunities, just not sure he will be the starter.

No two ways about it that Smits had a disappointing season but he also had a couple pretty good games but those were far too few. He'll never be defensive rock in the middle but he can be solid, imo. He's slower and needs to get stronger and learn to play a more physical brand of basketball. He'll learn in time that he's every bit 7'2" can use that length to disrupt shots without fouling players. He has a lot to learn and I'm sure his first fully healthy summer will be a blessing for him to work with Jay and Coach Gore.

[a3uge]

I don't think I'm being overly harsh on Bradford. He had two games where he made over half his shots (min 4 attempts). He had a turnover in 15 consecutive games to end the year. His PER was 3.6 and he averaged 14 mpg!

[oklahomamick]

I don't think I'm being overly harsh on Bradford. He had two games where he made over half his shots (min 4 attempts). He had a turnover in 15 consecutive games to end the year. His PER was 3.6 and he averaged 14 mpg!

I thought he might transfer after the season.  Tough freshman year and I don't know if I see the potential.

[SanityLost17]

I don't think I'm being overly harsh on Bradford. He had two games where he made over half his shots (min 4 attempts). He had a turnover in 15 consecutive games to end the year. His PER was 3.6 and he averaged 14 mpg!

I thought he might transfer after the season.  Tough freshman year and I don't know if I see the potential.

Agreed.  If he is getting big minutes I think we are in for a rough year.  I hope I am wrong.

[Chairback]

G Micah Bradford - had the worst freshman season for a Valpo player with regular minutes in at least ten years. He's too thin, and he can't shoot. I think you'll see him at the end of the bench with the amount of athletic guards Valpo has.

I agree with this completely. 


I question if he is a D1 point guard.  He lacks strength, defensive skills, and is a poor decision maker.  He can shoot but not under pressure and even wide open shots were iffy.  He was given more of an opportunity than any struggling freshman than I can ever remember.  He somehow got a starting spot when his on court play didn't warrant it.

[VULB#62]

I don't think I'm being overly harsh on Bradford. He had two games where he made over half his shots (min 4 attempts). He had a turnover in 15 consecutive games to end the year. His PER was 3.6 and he averaged 14 mpg!

I thought he might transfer after the season.  Tough freshman year and I don't know if I see the potential.

Agreed.  If he is getting big minutes I think we are in for a rough year.  I hope I am wrong.

One of the pillars of our recruiting and reputation is that Valpo DEVELOPS players.  Vashil?  Buggs? Peters?  to name 3 who have flouished at Valpo and improved greatly each season.  Please give Micah his sophmore year before being too hard on him.  And also consider that he didn't have a great apprenticeship year cuz Keith was denied that last year.  He should get good mentoring this season from Bakari.

[vu72]

G Micah Bradford - had the worst freshman season for a Valpo player with regular minutes in at least ten years. He's too thin, and he can't shoot. I think you'll see him at the end of the bench with the amount of athletic guards Valpo has.

[/b]

Not sure where all these guards are.  Bakari? Check. Lexus? Oh yeah, he's gone.  Tevonn?  Check, but he's a 2.  Max?  Check but he isn't the most athletic guy we've had.  Uh, who else am I missing? All the guys we've added via new freshman are all 2's 3's 4's or 5's or a combo of those spots.

Last year we had Lexus, Max and Micah playing the point with Shane helping.  Shane's gone.  If we have any injuries or foul trouble we will be playing guys out of position.  We need Micah to step it up.

[oklahomamick]

We could use Lexus next year....

[VU2014]

We could use Lexus next year....

I think this team will miss his leadership more then his play. Thats not a knock on his play on the court when he's healthy but really a testament to his leadership abilities. A really great guy and a guy who can 'rally the troops' when times are tough, pretty much the mentality you'd love from any Point Guard.

There is definitely going to be an opening for new team leaders to emerge, because losing AP, Lexus, Jubril and Shane (even Nick) leaves a void in that intangibles category.

Hopefully someone emerges are steps up. Tevonn has always been a soft spoken guy but pretty firry on the court. Maybe he embraces a more vocal role? Maybe Max? (you don't need to be the best player to become a leader). Chandler won't get much playing time on the court but maybe he embraces a role as a leader off the court?

We really didn't get to know Joe or Bakari at all least season during their Red Shirt year. Maybe one of them is a natural leader and we don't know that yet. We certainly think they have the potential to be a few of the best players on the court along with Tevonn.

It will be interesting to see who steps up.

[FieldGoodie05]

G Micah Bradford - had the worst freshman season for a Valpo player with regular minutes in at least ten years. He's too thin, and he can't shoot. I think you'll see him at the end of the bench with the amount of athletic guards Valpo has.

[/b]

Not sure where all these guards are.  Bakari? Check. Lexus? Oh yeah, he's gone.  Tevonn?  Check, but he's a 2.  Max?  Check but he isn't the most athletic guy we've had.  Uh, who else am I missing? All the guys we've added via new freshman are all 2's 3's 4's or 5's or a combo of those spots.

Last year we had Lexus, Max and Micah playing the point with Shane helping.  Shane's gone.  If we have any injuries or foul trouble we will be playing guys out of position.  We need Micah to step it up.

Coach obviously agrees and has plans for Micah.  He recruited NO point guards this year and next year thus far is only SG.

[oklahomamick]

We could use Lexus next year....

I think this team will miss his leadership more then his play. Thats not a knock on his play on the court when he's healthy but really a testament to his leadership abilities. A really great guy and a guy who can 'rally the troops' when times are tough, pretty much the mentality you'd love from any Point Guard. There is definitely going to be an opening for new team leaders to emerge, because losing AP, Lexus, Jubril and Shane (even Nick) leaves a void in that intangibles category. Hopefully someone emerges are steps up. Tevonn has always been a soft spoken guy but pretty firry on the court. Maybe he embraces a more vocal role? Maybe Max? (you don't need to be the best player to become a leader). Chandler won't get much playing time on the court but maybe he embraces a role as a leader off the court? We really didn't get to know Joe or Bakari at all least season during their Red Shirt year. Maybe one of them is a natural leader and we don't know that yet. We certainly think they have the potential to be a few of the best players on the court along with Tevonn. It will be interesting to see who steps up.

It was his play that won us the game against BYU last year.  His ability decreased over the course of the year.  Could be attributed to his injuries or that he wasn't starting....I don't know. 

He obvisously made the right decision for him and I don't blame him.  All his friends that he came in with are leaving.  I hope he doesn't turn 30 and look back and regret his Valpo decision.  Not the transfer decision but the committing to Valpo. 

[a3uge]

G Micah Bradford - had the worst freshman season for a Valpo player with regular minutes in at least ten years. He's too thin, and he can't shoot. I think you'll see him at the end of the bench with the amount of athletic guards Valpo has.

[/b]

Not sure where all these guards are.  Bakari? Check. Lexus? Oh yeah, he's gone.  Tevonn?  Check, but he's a 2.  Max?  Check but he isn't the most athletic guy we've had.  Uh, who else am I missing? All the guys we've added via new freshman are all 2's 3's 4's or 5's or a combo of those spots.

Last year we had Lexus, Max and Micah playing the point with Shane helping.  Shane's gone.  If we have any injuries or foul trouble we will be playing guys out of position.  We need Micah to step it up.

Micah isn't a PG. He doesn't have the vision or ball skills. He's a shooting guard. I was counting Bakari, Burton, Tevonn and possibly Hazen as capable of filling in at the 2. Max will be subbing for PG.

[VU2014]

Just give the kid a chance before labeling him a bust. No doubt it was a little rough his freshman year but I am willing to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. Want to see one more year before we start labeling kids with, "they can't play".

May have been dealing with a confidence issue last year. He looked a little more confident as the season went on. I'm taking a wait & see approach. Needs to work on his game this summer and hit the weights a little. We'll see how he looks next season.

[VUOR63]

Count me in the "hold your horses" category on Bradford.  Lets see what he looks like after a summer of training and getting better.

[covufan]

Just give the kid a chance before labeling him a bust. No doubt it was a little rough his freshman year but I am willing to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. Want to see one more year before we start labeling kids with, "they can't play".

May have been dealing with a confidence issue last year. He looked a little more confident as the season went on. I'm taking a wait & see approach. Needs to work on his game this summer and hit the weights a little. We'll see how he looks next season.

I seem to recall some people complaining about Vashil after his first year as well.  He really developed. 

We have to remember that these are kids/young men when they first get to Valpo, not NBA veterans.  Getting a Bryce or Alec that starts and contributes from day 1 is rare for our program, as well as many other mid-major programs.  The coaching staff knows that, and is constantly trying new things in practice, and giving them opportunities in games to show their improvement - or lack thereof. 

Consistency is a problem when a player transitions from HS to College.  The coaching staff and players are always working this aspect.  I remember when Bob Knight was discussing the inconsistency of Damon Bailey - Knight had a place for players that were consistently good or bad, but just didn't know what to do with players that were inconsistent. 

I'm really looking forward to see how our two transfers and JUCO player work with this team.  I firmly believe that we'll be in the hunt for the MVC championship, both regular season and tournament. 

[FieldGoodie05]

Just give the kid a chance before labeling him a bust. No doubt it was a little rough his freshman year but I am willing to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. Want to see one more year before we start labeling kids with, "they can't play".

May have been dealing with a confidence issue last year. He looked a little more confident as the season went on. I'm taking a wait & see approach. Needs to work on his game this summer and hit the weights a little. We'll see how he looks next season.

I seem to recall some people complaining about Vashil after his first year as well.  He really developed. 

We have to remember that these are kids/young men when they first get to Valpo, not NBA veterans.  Getting a Bryce or Alec that starts and contributes from day 1 is rare for our program, as well as many other mid-major programs.  The coaching staff knows that, and is constantly trying new things in practice, and giving them opportunities in games to show their improvement - or lack thereof. 

Consistency is a problem when a player transitions from HS to College.  The coaching staff and players are always working this aspect.  I remember when Bob Knight was discussing the inconsistency of Damon Bailey - Knight had a place for players that were consistently good or bad, but just didn't know what to do with players that were inconsistent. 

I'm really looking forward to see how our two transfers and JUCO player work with this team.  I firmly believe that we'll be in the hunt for the MVC championship, both regular season and tournament.

Contention means:
A) Tevonn is averaging 18ppg and 6 rbg
B) Bakari and Joe hit their full capacity in out of conference and carry over into conference
C) Smits and Sorolla bring in 15-18 ppg and 13 rpg as a duo that shore up their defense
D) Maybe overlooked, but a REAL PF shooting threat develops and isn't a defensive liability

Tall order but would be amazing way to kickoff a new conference.  Hard to believe it happens consistently.

[a3uge]

Just give the kid a chance before labeling him a bust. No doubt it was a little rough his freshman year but I am willing to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. Want to see one more year before we start labeling kids with, "they can't play".

May have been dealing with a confidence issue last year. He looked a little more confident as the season went on. I'm taking a wait & see approach. Needs to work on his game this summer and hit the weights a little. We'll see how he looks next season.

I seem to recall some people complaining about Vashil after his first year as well.  He really developed. 

We have to remember that these are kids/young men when they first get to Valpo, not NBA veterans.  Getting a Bryce or Alec that starts and contributes from day 1 is rare for our program, as well as many other mid-major programs.  The coaching staff knows that, and is constantly trying new things in practice, and giving them opportunities in games to show their improvement - or lack thereof. 

Consistency is a problem when a player transitions from HS to College.  The coaching staff and players are always working this aspect.  I remember when Bob Knight was discussing the inconsistency of Damon Bailey - Knight had a place for players that were consistently good or bad, but just didn't know what to do with players that were inconsistent. 

I'm really looking forward to see how our two transfers and JUCO player work with this team.  I firmly believe that we'll be in the hunt for the MVC championship, both regular season and tournament.

Saying some of us were expecting him to be a "NBA veteran" is a big strawman. At some point you should be able to evaluate a player's ceiling and development tract. It was evident early on that Jay Harris would never play like a 4 star guard. It was evident that Alec Peters would turn into one of the best players in the league. There has to be some point where a player plays so bad, you question his ability to develop into even a rotation player.

True, Vashil was the one player Valpo turned from a liability into a highly productive starter,  but I think there's a difference between big men and guards. Vashil had never dribbled a basketball before signing with Valpo, so there was always a ton of room to grow.

Valpo has been great at getting guys like Dority, Broekhoff, and Peters to really turn the corner, but I can't really recall such an unproductive freshman (other than Vashil) being turned into a productive player.

[vuny98]

Just give the kid a chance before labeling him a bust. No doubt it was a little rough his freshman year but I am willing to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. Want to see one more year before we start labeling kids with, "they can't play". May have been dealing with a confidence issue last year. He looked a little more confident as the season went on. I'm taking a wait & see approach. Needs to work on his game this summer and hit the weights a little. We'll see how he looks next season.

I seem to recall some people complaining about Vashil after his first year as well.  He really developed. We have to remember that these are kids/young men when they first get to Valpo, not NBA veterans.  Getting a Bryce or Alec that starts and contributes from day 1 is rare for our program, as well as many other mid-major programs.  The coaching staff knows that, and is constantly trying new things in practice, and giving them opportunities in games to show their improvement - or lack thereof. Consistency is a problem when a player transitions from HS to College.  The coaching staff and players are always working this aspect.  I remember when Bob Knight was discussing the inconsistency of Damon Bailey - Knight had a place for players that were consistently good or bad, but just didn't know what to do with players that were inconsistent. I'm really looking forward to see how our two transfers and JUCO player work with this team.  I firmly believe that we'll be in the hunt for the MVC championship, both regular season and tournament.

Saying some of us were expecting him to be a "NBA veteran" is a big strawman. At some point you should be able to evaluate a player's ceiling and development tract. It was evident early on that Jay Harris would never play like a 4 star guard. It was evident that Alec Peters would turn into one of the best players in the league. There has to be some point where a player plays so bad, you question his ability to develop into even a rotation player. True, Vashil was the one player Valpo turned from a liability into a highly productive starter,  but I think there's a difference between big men and guards. Vashil had never dribbled a basketball before signing with Valpo, so there was always a ton of room to grow. Valpo has been great at getting guys like Dority, Broekhoff, and Peters to really turn the corner, but I can't really recall such an unproductive freshman (other than Vashil) being turned into a productive player.

Coaches have to see something in Micah at practice to have warranted the amount of playing time and the expected continued strong role in the team. He flashed some signs of it last year. My gut tells me the coaches believe the talent is there, he just couldn't put it together during the game. I'd give a kid a flyer on a bad year if I felt the skill was there.

[bbtds]

I hope I am wrong.

I believe some other poster has the patent for this message board on that phrase. I don't remember who.

[vu72]

Micah and Derrik aside, most of the kids coming out of high school have played so much AAU ball at a high level for such a long time, that the jump to college isn't that big a deal.  Think Tevonn Walker and Alec Peters.  As a result, I would expect both Micah and Derrik to make the jump (it took them a year to adjust) and to see some significant contributions from guys like Marten (big international experience) and Parker.

[IndyValpo]

Just give the kid a chance before labeling him a bust. No doubt it was a little rough his freshman year but I am willing to give the kid the benefit of the doubt. Want to see one more year before we start labeling kids with, "they can't play".

May have been dealing with a confidence issue last year. He looked a little more confident as the season went on. I'm taking a wait & see approach. Needs to work on his game this summer and hit the weights a little. We'll see how he looks next season.

I seem to recall some people complaining about Vashil after his first year as well.  He really developed. 

We have to remember that these are kids/young men when they first get to Valpo, not NBA veterans.  Getting a Bryce or Alec that starts and contributes from day 1 is rare for our program, as well as many other mid-major programs.  The coaching staff knows that, and is constantly trying new things in practice, and giving them opportunities in games to show their improvement - or lack thereof. 

Consistency is a problem when a player transitions from HS to College.  The coaching staff and players are always working this aspect.  I remember when Bob Knight was discussing the inconsistency of Damon Bailey - Knight had a place for players that were consistently good or bad, but just didn't know what to do with players that were inconsistent. 

I'm really looking forward to see how our two transfers and JUCO player work with this team.  I firmly believe that we'll be in the hunt for the MVC championship, both regular season and tournament.

Saying some of us were expecting him to be a "NBA veteran" is a big strawman. At some point you should be able to evaluate a player's ceiling and development tract. It was evident early on that Jay Harris would never play like a 4 star guard. It was evident that Alec Peters would turn into one of the best players in the league. There has to be some point where a player plays so bad, you question his ability to develop into even a rotation player.

True, Vashil was the one player Valpo turned from a liability into a highly productive starter,  but I think there's a difference between big men and guards. Vashil had never dribbled a basketball before signing with Valpo, so there was always a ton of room to grow.

Valpo has been great at getting guys like Dority, Broekhoff, and Peters to really turn the corner, but I can't really recall such an unproductive freshman (other than Vashil) being turned into a productive player.

Seth Colclasure, Brandon McPherson, Jake Diebler