Grading the 12 Active Players on the Roster

[VU2014]

What grade would you give to each player after the first 13 games of the season?

https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/946047004169392134

Tevonn Walker: A-
My only "critique" is his 3 point shooting could be better.

Joe Burton: B-/C+
He was MIA in some games. He's a talented player but he's not aggressive at times. Who knows if we'll have him for the rest of the season. I'm not optimistic. A C+ might be a little harsh but there was expectations for him this season and when he's been on the court I was expecting more from him.

Bakari Evelyn: B-
This grade may sound harsh but he's the starting point guard and the way he's taken care of the ball the last 4 games has been terrible. Bakari is one of the most talented players on this team and he's played really well some games but I have higher expectations for the PG position compared to every other position. Bakari can really make some flashy plays but some of the turnovers are maddening and when the whole team is struggling to take care of the ball it puts even more emphasis on the PG. His body language is awful. We need him to be a leader and not get on his teammates when they can't make the play. Hold people accountable but he should takes notes from Max Joseph on how to interact with teammates on the court after a play doesn't go our way.

Markus Golder: B+
He's been a pleasant surprise. Love the energy and defense he brings. He's shot the ball really well from 3 also. Markus has a ton of potential to get even better. He definitely needs to work on some things though that will get exposed if he doesn't evolve. Markus is extremely right hand dominant and needs to learn to finish with left. Also opposing teams are picking up that when Markus drives to the hoop he doesn't bail out and they can take the charge against him. Given the expectations Markus has delivered so far.

Derrik Smits: C
The offense has been strong but he makes horrible decisions with the ball in his hands. Way too many turnovers from a big man. He also gets himself into foul trouble which limits his scoring ability. Mental mistakes are his achilles heal right now. 29 turnovers this season. Every 7.5 minutes he commits a TO... and it's even less then that against D1 opponents. He needs to cut them down.

Max Joseph: B+
He does so many things that don't show up on the stat sheet and he's a leader. He's not the guy you want to rely on for offense but he's reliable most of the time and he's a huge presence on the court especially with this young squad. He'd honest get an A if the offense/FT shooting were a little bit better.

Jaume Sorolla: C+
I expected more from him. Another guy who gets himself into foul trouble which hurt his production.

John Kiser: B
Mr. Reliable. He's a nice role player but in a perfect world he should not be a starting forward on a team like Valpo. He's step up because of the lack of reliability and production that the freshman PFs. He's done well for being pressed into the starting lineup and going up against players with more size. He's another guy who does the dirty work that doesn't show up in the stat sheet. I'd like to see him be better from the free throw line. He hasn't provide much offense but I never expect him having to supply offense coming into this season.

Mileek McMillan: C
He's just not reliable right now. He has glimpses of brilliance and potential but he's a risk of getting fouled out every game. I'm excited about his future but right now he so inconsistent. I love his potential but it's frustrating to watch him make some bad foul. He'll get better with time. In hindsight he's a player I wish the coaching staff red-shirted but this team actually needs him because we're so worried about the other big getting into foul trouble also.

Marty Linssen: B-
Extremely raw but he's plays really hard and can grab boards. I love watching this kid hustle. He plays hard every minute he's out there. I'm grading him a B- because the expectations weren't high coming in this season. We won the Kent State game because Linssen stepped up big. Another guy who gets into a lot of foul trouble.

Micah Bradford: D-
I'm not going to sugarcoat it. He's been very bad. His role is a scorer and he's very bad at that. Micah's not a great defender, not a great rebounding guard and he's not a dynamic distributor like Bakari. The only reason he's not getting an F is because he's a warm body out there and supplying minutes. He's shooting .500 from the Free Throw Line!!! Shaq would have shot better from the FT Line!! and Micah is a guard! That is a atrocious. He has a 37.1 FG% and 29.2% from the 3pt line. I'm sorry but he was a net negative to the team during the non-conference. He takes 3 pt shots from 4 feet behind the 3 point line and they are flat out air balls a lot of the time and it kills any offensive flow the team has. Just because you can hit a shot from there doesn't you should take that shot. And when he isn't hot it's border line selfish to chuck up shots the way he does. I am not a fan of Micah's game at all. He's a streaky shooter who doesn't contribute when he's not a hot shooter.

Parker Hazen: D+
It's a been a struggle. I think he's actually a capable defender at times but he simply hasn't played like a D1 player on the offensive end of the ball in his first 13 games. That doesn't mean he's not a D1 player. I definitely think he'll get better but right now its an extremely tough stretch. I'm thinking part of it's mental at this point. I wasn't expecting huge production but expecting much more then what we've seen so far. I'm definitely willing to stay patient with Parker, Mileek and Marty. They'll get better with time and more experience. They are freshman.

Paul and Parker graded each player on Union Street Hoops. They did a really good job breaking down each player and it was a great listen. Highly encourage you guys check it out.

http://www.nwitimes.com/digital/audio/union-street-hoops/podcast-union-street-hoops-non-conference-grades/audio_eda70a16-e661-11e7-abce-efc5d42af52c.html

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/943872368723841024

[a3uge]

What grade would you give to each player after the first 13 games of the season?

https://twitter.com/Valpo_Hoops/status/946047004169392134

Tevonn Walker: A-
My only "critique" is his 3 point shooting could be better.

Joe Burton: B-/C+
He was MIA in some games. He's a talented player but he's not aggressive at times. Who knows if we'll have him for the rest of the season. I'm not optimistic. A C+ might be a little harsh but there was expectations for him this season and when he's been on the court I was expecting more from him.

Bakari Evelyn: B-
This grade may sound harsh but he's the starting point guard and the way he's taken care of the ball the last 4 games has been terrible. Bakari is one of the most talented players on this team and he's played really well some games but I have higher expectations for the PG position compared to every other position. Bakari can really make some flashy plays but some of the turnovers are maddening and when the whole team is struggling to take care of the ball it puts even more emphasis on the PG. His body language is awful. We need him to be a leader and not get on his teammates when they can't make the play. Hold people accountable but he should takes notes from Max Joseph on how to interact with teammates on the court after a play doesn't go our way.

Markus Golder: B+
He's been a pleasant surprise. Love the energy and defense he brings. He's shot the ball really well from 3 also. Markus has a ton of potential to get even better. He definitely needs to work on some things though that will get exposed if he doesn't evolve. Markus is extremely right hand dominant and needs to learn to finish with left. Also opposing teams are picking up that when Markus drives to the hoop he doesn't bail out and they can take the charge against him. Given the expectations Markus has delivered so far.

Derrik Smits: C
The offense has been strong but he makes horrible decisions with the ball in his hands. Way too many turnovers from a big man. He also gets himself into foul trouble which limits his scoring ability. Mental mistakes are his achilles heal right now. 29 turnovers this season. Every 7.5 minutes he commits a TO... and it's even less then that against D1 opponents. He needs to cut them down.

Max Joseph: B+
He does so many things that don't show up on the stat sheet and he's a leader. He's not the guy you want to rely on for offense but he's reliable most of the time and he's a huge presence on the court especially with this young squad. He'd honest get an A if the offense/FT shooting were a little bit better.

Jaume Sorolla: C+
I expected more from him. Another guy who gets himself into foul trouble which hurt his production.

John Kiser: B
Mr. Reliable. He's a nice role player but in a perfect world he should not be a starting forward on a team like Valpo. He's step up because of the lack of reliability and production that the freshman PFs. He's done well for being pressed into the starting lineup and going up against players with more size. He's another guy who does the dirty work that doesn't show up in the stat sheet. I'd like to see him be better from the free throw line. He hasn't provide much offense but I never expect him having to supply offense coming into this season.

Mileek McMillan: C
He's just not reliable right now. He has glimpses of brilliance and potential but he's a risk of getting fouled out every game. I'm excited about his future but right now he so inconsistent. I love his potential but it's frustrating to watch him make some bad foul. He'll get better with time. In hindsight he's a player I wish the coaching staff red-shirted but this team actually needs him because we're so worried about the other big getting into foul trouble also.

Marty Linssen: B-
Extremely raw but he's plays really hard and can grab boards. I love watching this kid hustle. He plays hard every minute he's out there. I'm grading him a B- because the expectations weren't high coming in this season. We won the Kent State game because Linssen stepped up big. Another guy who gets into a lot of foul trouble.

Micah Bradford: D-
I'm not going to sugarcoat it. He's been very bad. His role is a scorer and he's very bad at that. Micah's not a great defender, not a great rebounding guard and he's not a dynamic distributor like Bakari. The only reason he's not getting an F is because he's a warm body out there and supplying minutes. He's shooting .500 from the Free Throw Line!!! Shaq would have shot better from the FT Line!! and Micah is a guard! That is a atrocious. He has a 37.1 FG% and 29.2% from the 3pt line. I'm sorry but he was a net negative to the team during the non-conference. He takes 3 pt shots from 4 feet behind the 3 point line and they are flat out air balls a lot of the time and it kills any offensive flow the team has. Just because you can hit a shot from there doesn't you should take that shot. And when he isn't hot it's border line selfish to chuck up shots the way he does. I am not a fan of Micah's game at all. He's a streaky shooter who doesn't contribute when he's not a hot shooter.

Parker Hazen: D+
It's a been a struggle. I think he's actually a capable defender at times but he simply hasn't played like a D1 player on the offensive end of the ball in his first 13 games. That doesn't mean he's not a D1 player. I definitely think he'll get better but right now its an extremely tough stretch. I'm thinking part of it's mental at this point. I wasn't expecting huge production but expecting much more then what we've seen so far. I'm definitely willing to stay patient with Parker, Mileek and Marty. They'll get better with time and more experience. They are freshman.

Paul and Parker graded each player on Union Street Hoops. They did a really good job breaking down each player and it was a great listen. Highly encourage you guys check it out.

http://www.nwitimes.com/digital/audio/union-street-hoops/podcast-union-street-hoops-non-conference-grades/audio_eda70a16-e661-11e7-abce-efc5d42af52c.html

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/943872368723841024

Hazen has the 5th worst PER in the entire country among players with 150 minutes played. So yes, his offense is abysmal, but his defense is actually pretty terrible too. He has 1 block and 1 steal in 155 minutes. He also has the worst defensive rating on the team. How much more inefficient and ineffective would a player have to be to warrant an F?

[VU2014]

Hazen has the 5th worst PER in the entire country among players with 150 minutes played. So yes, his offense is abysmal, but his defense is actually pretty terrible too. He has 1 block and 1 steal in 155 minutes. He also has the worst defensive rating on the team. How much more inefficient and ineffective would a player have to be to warrant an F?

I'm grading partially on expectations. If he played this way at the end of the season I'd probably give him a D- or F. It's been flat out bad but I try and give freshman the benefit of the doubt. Honestly you could give him an F. You can see the physical gifts in the kid, but he rushes everything. He hasn't adjusted to the speed of the college game well.

I wonder if the coaching staff regrets not going after a PF transfer this offseason just to be a bridge guy to get Parker and Mileek more time to sit and learn without relying on them. 4 is a glaring positional weakness of this team. These guys are extremely raw.

[bbtds]

I'm grading partially on expectations. If he played this way at the end of the season I'd probably give him a D- or F. It's been flat out bad but I try and give freshman the benefit of the doubt.

Seems to me when you grade on expectations that you are just confirming that the expectations were wrong and the player should only be graded on how they are playing at the time of the evaluation and on nothing else. The team as a whole, for that matter any team, should be graded on how they perform and never on expectations.

[VU2014]

I'm grading partially on expectations. If he played this way at the end of the season I'd probably give him a D- or F. It's been flat out bad but I try and give freshman the benefit of the doubt.

Seems to me when you grade on expectations that you are just confirming that the expectations were wrong and the player should only be graded on how they are playing at the time of the evaluation and on nothing else. The team as a whole, for that matter any team, should be graded on how they perform and never on expectations.

Oh well. My grades. My opinion. Would love to see other peoples grades on the roster.

[VU2014]

Is it just me or does it feel like Sorolla has regressed this season? He had 1 big game this season which was against Utah State where he had 16 point and 8 REB. He also had 8 REB against and 8 pts against UNCW. These guys seem to be getting into more foul trouble this season.

Bigs take longer to develop but the twin towers haven't been producing and in Smits case he's actually a liability because of all the turnovers. Linssen got big minutes in the Indiana State game.

SEASON   TEAM   MIN   FGM-FGA   FG%   3PM-3PA   3P%   FTM-FTA   FT%   REB   AST   BLK   STL   PF   TO   PTS
2017-18   VALP          16.4   2.2-4.1   .531   0.0-0.1   .000   0.7-0.8   .800   3.8   0.3   0.8   0.3   2.1   0.9   5.0
2016-17   VALP          19.1   2.0-4.2   .481   0.0-0.0   .000   1.1-1.6   .700   4.4   0.7   0.9   0.2   2.0   0.8   5.2

[valpotx]

Sorolla looked like such a beast for the first half of his FR year, and has been extremely inconsistent since that time.  It is really sad, as he showed such promise.

[bbtds]

It just seems as if everyone has a point that really fires them up to play extremely hard or the situation becomes easier to see in their head and things fall into place. It did last year for J but this year something seems to be confusing him. It could be a situation with coaches or teammates but Coach Lottich has to get it figured out soon and quit calling this team young or they will use that excuse all season long.

[VU2014]

It just seems as if everyone has a point that really fires them up to play extremely hard or the situation becomes easier to see in their head and things fall into place. It did last year for J but this year something seems to be confusing him. It could be a situation with coaches or teammates but Coach Lottich has to get it figured out soon and quit calling this team young or they will use that excuse all season long.

I always wonder how much the players listen to outside noise. It gets annoying as an excuse but this team really is young and particularly without Joe who never played starter minutes till this season even.

https://twitter.com/bradleyumbb/status/946108488866058243

We had to be close to the bottom when we didn't have Joe or Tevonn for that UCR game. This stat includes both Tevonn and Joe I'm imagining.

[FieldGoodie05]

Sorolla looked like such a beast for the first half of his FR year, and has been extremely inconsistent since that time.  It is really sad, as he showed such promise.

Even last years team wasn't a big threat from deep other than Peters.  How do we expect to give our centers ANY room to work if the defense is collapsing and crowding the key.

Sorolla and Smits become threats again when their giant bodies have room to work.

Even if they make solid passes to the three point line....who is going to NOT airball it?

[valpotx]

If nothing else, the young conference bodes really well for continued success next year by the MVC.  Every time I wake up, regardless of how annoying this year's team is, I am very thankful that my school has a long-term home that has consistent quality across all sports. I never could have imagined such a thing when I was playing.