At Bradley Jan 3 7:00 PM CST Wardle we do now?

[FieldGoodie05]

The quantity of Derrick "claps" is directly correlated to our success as a team.

2 or fewer = victory
3 or more = oh ______, here we go again!!!

https://giphy.com/gifs/applause-joker-the-dark-knight-TbRXNJJJbgIkE

[M]

I didn't think any of our bigs defended (I did think that Mileek and friends defended well vs Missouri states NBa guy) rebounded or played offense well.

Edit: maybe it was more the lack of rebounding that's making me think the defense was bad

[JBC1824]

I think Sorolla might need to be tested for low T.

[valpospartan]

The game was lost on the boards: 45-30 in favor of Bradley. The centers need to be taught toughness. Smits and Sorolla combined for a total of 4 rebounds, while guards Walker and Joseph grabbed 12. How did they play all last year with Peters and not learn how to rebound? Also, why can't the 7-footers dunk the ball? I'm tired of watching the centers miss layups. If I were an outsider watching this team for the first time, my evaluation would be that overall they are a soft bunch. I wish the whole team had the grit of Walker and the hustle of Linssen. 

I agree with you Pal.  Obviously height doesn't make a good player.  I wonder if it is just too late to teach our bigs how to dunk?  Or for that matter, how to rebound, or at least look like they want to rebound, rather than being a spectator.

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/PostTribSports/status/948769342719750145

[VU2014]

How does this happen??  I thought we showed improvement tonight but we got obliterated on the glass. I could have out rebounded Smits and Sorolla tonight. There is absolutely zero pitbull in those 2 lately. They are giant 7 ft towers, start establishing yourselves and start boxing out guys. It wasn't just them, it was the wings also that let the other guys into positions to grab boards also. Tevonn & Max were the only ones that I saw properly boxing out tonight.
https://twitter.com/bradleyumbb/status/948773689998397440

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/bradleyhoops/status/948799675137589248

[Valpo89]

That column should be required reading for all the Crusaders.
Compete. Defend. Rebound.
This team consistently fails miserably in two of those categories.
As someone else mentioned, Tevonn and Max are the only two you can depend on for 40 minutes.

Someone needs to light a fire under Smits and Sorolla. Geez.

[usc4valpo]

This team is currently in a state of disarray.

[VU2014]

This team is currently in a state of disarray.

No it's not. It's in a state of youth and inexperience. These guys are learning.

We need a little perspective. We lost our 2nd leading scorer (3rd most experienced player in terms of minutes/who only had bench minutes at his previous stop) and best shooter on team, mid-season right before Conference play started. Our best player is coming off a bout of mono and its pretty clear he's not 100% healthy yet. On top of all that the other team we're play against is more experienced and probably has more raw talent then us without Joe. And we're on the road.

Some may look at that say excuses but it's just a reality check. I'm not saying everything is rosy but last night was better all things considered. The guys really fought there tails off against a good Bradley team.

[VU2014]

Valparaiso can't overcome Bradley's hot shooting in road defeat
Paul Oren Times Correspondent
Jan 3, 2018 Updated 10 hrs ago 


PEORIA — Life in The Valley continued to be a bumpy road for the Valparaiso men's basketball team on Wednesday night.

The Crusaders lost their third straight conference game, this time falling 80-71 at Bradley to drop to 0-3 in their inaugural season in the Missouri Valley Conference. Wednesday's loss marked the first time since the 1999-2000 season that Valparaiso lost its first three conference games of the season.

Valparaiso has now lost seven of its last eight games since starting the season 8-0.

.......... http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/valparaiso-can-t-overcome-bradley-s-hot-shooting-in-road/article_78c489eb-5405-54e5-a10d-3589d1f41e77.html

[valpolaw]

No it's not. It's in a state of youth and inexperience. These guys are learning.

With all due respect, I think the youth and inexperience excuse is getting old.  It sounds like the excuse of a loser to me.  We need to be realistic and someone needs to put a spark under this team and quick or we're going to turn into the laughing stock of the MVC in our first year. 

[M]

I'm willing to give Marty, Mileek, Parker, and even Markus (although to a lesser extent) a pass for inexperience. That pass terminated at the end of the MVC tournament though. Sorolla, Smits and Bradford receive no passes (and hopefully they don't want a pass). Those three need to be better at what they were each brought here to do.

[VU2014]

No it's not. It's in a state of youth and inexperience. These guys are learning.

With all due respect, I think the youth and inexperience excuse is getting old.  It sounds like the excuse of a loser to me.  We need to be realistic and someone needs to put a spark under this team and quick or we're going to turn into the laughing stock of the MVC in our first year. 

How is being young an excuse when it's a reality? That is the main issue with this team, imo but I'm not saying it's the only reason.

I just don't think this is a talented (there is actually quite a bit of raw talent but none of it is developed other then Tevonn) team right now, tbh. There has been some recruiting & roster construction issues that is fair game to criticize the coaching staff for but we're young and we are making young/dumb mistakes. At the end of the day there were positives to take away from yesterdays game. It's not all doom & gloom.

Yes there is plenty of room for improvement but there is also room for some understanding from the fan-base.

[SanityLost17]

Didn't get a chance to see the game, but if we shot 33% to their 51% and were out rebounded by 15 I would have expected a 20-25 point loss.   So we must have been doing something right to keep it under 10 points shooting such such a low percentage from the field.  I mean seriously, 33% is REALLY low.  That doesn't happen very often even with a team of poor shooters. 

11 turnovers is an improvement.   If we shoot 43% from the field  (still not a great percentage) and are only out rebounded by 10 we might have had a chance to win.   

I am not ready to give up just yet.  However, I am just not sure we have anybody who can consistently shoot the ball.  So I am not overly optimistic either.   

[VU2014]

I am not ready to give up just yet.  However, I am just not sure we have anybody who can consistently shoot the ball.  So I am not overly optimistic either.   

We don't have any good shooters on this roster now that Joe is gone. Bakari and Tevonn are capable shooter but aren't consistent threats. Golder isn't consistent at this point either.

The guy that should be a capable shooter that has been truly awful this season is Micah Bradford. He really just isn't a very good player and is not a MVC caliber guard but we are forced to play him out of need because we have nobody else. 2-11 FG-FA, 2-6 3PT, 2-4FT. That is horrendous and that has been every game this season. What a terrible recruiting mistake. I'd swap other teams walk-ons for him.

[talksalot]

for anyone who was there... how was the "Chirping"?   Did we finally get THAT out of our system?

[oklahomamick]

I said last year Bradford was not a good fit on the court for the expectations the basketball program has.  I was outnumbered.  I appreciate you guys coming around and seeing it my way. 

The question is.......This time next year, will we be saying the same about several of the current freshman?  Or even the coach and his staff. 

These questions will be answered in time.

We will have good evidence on the coach question after we play our conference foes second time around.

[crusadermoe]

Definite improvement.   

The Next two home games are really key vs. lower half MVC teams. 

They need a W or two to stop the bleeding before we go out on road vs NIU and MoSU.  Those could be blowouts and devastating killers of confidence and momentum if we lose the next two at home.

[Just Sayin]

I couldn't care less about the announcers who have nothing to do with the outcome of the game. Turn the volume down and just watch the game.

[Just Sayin]

The game was lost on the boards: 45-30 in favor of Bradley. The centers need to be taught toughness. Smits and Sorolla combined for a total of 4 rebounds, while guards Walker and Joseph grabbed 12. How did they play all last year with Peters and not learn how to rebound? Also, why can't the 7-footers dunk the ball? I'm tired of watching the centers miss layups. If I were an outsider watching this team for the first time, my evaluation would be that overall they are a soft bunch. I wish the whole team had the grit of Walker and the hustle of Linssen. 

I agree with you Pal.  Obviously height doesn't make a good player.  I wonder if it is just too late to teach our bigs how to dunk?  Or for that matter, how to rebound, or at least look like they want to rebound, rather than being a spectator.

The bigs are weak, tentative, and need a lesson in toughness, hustle, nose for the ball, and overall aggressiveness. They play like pussies. They need to get mean. Perhaps Tony V. could come and consult and demonstrate division 1 big behavior at practices.

[EddieCabot]

No it's not. It's in a state of youth and inexperience. These guys are learning.

With all due respect, I think the youth and inexperience excuse is getting old.  It sounds like the excuse of a loser to me.  We need to be realistic and someone needs to put a spark under this team and quick or we're going to turn into the laughing stock of the MVC in our first year. 

How is being young an excuse when it's a reality? That is the main issue with this team, imo but I'm not saying it's the only reason.

I just don't think this is a talented (there is actually quite a bit of raw talent but none of it is developed other then Tevonn) team right now, tbh. There has been some recruiting & roster construction issues that is fair game to criticize the coaching staff for but we're young and we are making young/dumb mistakes. At the end of the day there were positives to take away from yesterdays game. It's not all doom & gloom.

Yes there is plenty of room for improvement but there is also room for some understanding from the fan-base.

Well stated.  I also hope fans don't turn on the coaching staff.  When Lottich took over, he inherited a talented and experienced roster, but it also had poor class balance.  That led to the young roster the program is dealing with this year.

[wh]

Good teams have the ability to get on a run and turn a 6-8 point 2nd half deficit into a 6-8 point lead, as Crusader teams have done repeatedly in past seasons.  This team makes an 8-point 2nd half deficit feel like 15. To take control of any game - short of the opponent just going flat out cold - we would need to do several things well at the same time and sustain it. That means stop missing FT's at crucial times, picking up the intensity on the defensive end, stop committing endless reach-in fouls while the other team is running its sets, boxing out, stop climbing over people's backs, hitting more wide open 3's, and actually finishing a layup without getting your shot blocked.  It even means getting players like Smits and Golder, who live in denial with every foul they commit, to wipe that smirky smile of disbelief off their faces with every out-of-position foul they commit.  By the way, do we even huddle up any more between after a foul is called and before the players line up? If we do, I'm missing it. And, I saw Tevonn hit a free throw last night in the 2nd half and hold his had out for someone to slap it - in front of him or behind him - but no one moved.  Finally, Evelyn jogged up and held out his hand. How embarrassing. Oh, how I wish Lexus Williams was still here, so Valpo would actually have 1 high intensity, vocal leader to wake up the dead.

It its present form, this team will have to rely on luck to win another game.  That said, it will probably get lucky and win a game or 3 where the other team has a completely off night or collapses down the stretch.  Even a broken clock is right twice a day.  Finally, for those who say they saw definite improvement last night, I only wish I could feel the same.  Unfortunately, I don't have a clue where you're coming from.       

[FieldGoodie05]

I'm willing to give Marty, Mileek, Parker, and even Markus (although to a lesser extent) a pass for inexperience. That pass terminated at the end of the MVC tournament though. Sorolla, Smits and Bradford receive no passes (and hopefully they don't want a pass). Those three need to be better at what they were each brought here to do.

Couldn't agree more.  Smits, especially, has been in college for (approaching) 3-years.  He has been around a solid college b-ball team all those years.  He's just not dependable in 50% of games.  He is a bench player from here on out.  I play Linssen over him at this juncture.

Sorolla needs some huevos and once found, he's our man.  He should be our started imo.  Until Linssen shows us he can foul less.

Bradford is growing on me for ball handling.  But good lord. DO NOT SHOOT OR GET FOULED.  So......is that really someone we want taking minutes?  More likely we are forced to give him minutes.

Fazekas and Freeman need to be game ready (next year) or we continue with tough times.

[M]

Didn't they take an 11 point deficit and erase that?