Drake Wednesday, January 10 at 7pm

[78crusader]

I live in DSM.  Drake has been terrible (for the most part) for the last 30 years.  Wouldn't you know it, the same year we join the league, Drake is pretty good. 

Drake 72
VU 69

Best game environment I have ever seen at ANY sporting event was in January 1966 when we beat undefeated and defending national champion Evansville, 83-73.  We were sitting in the second row from the top and the stands were rocking back and forth so much my mom (and others sitting nearby) were afraid the stands were going to collapse.  In the closing seconds the students (who made up at least half the crowd) were waving their arms back and forth and chanting "DING DONG DING DONG" as the clock wound down.  You could not have fit one more person in the gym with a shoehorn.  It took us 15 minutes to find a seat before we could squeeze in on the second row from the top. Unforgettable.

I realize very few on this board were at that game.  VULB62 and Valpo64 perhaps you could add your thoughts.

Paul

[talksalot]

Western Illinois in conference tourney final in 1995.

was an all-time classic game...

I'll add the Northern Illinois "Wake Up Call" for the 7am tip a few years ago... as a "really neat experience"...

I'll add the "Ball State Blizzard" game '92-93 season... like 8" of snow fell during the game...

the "Kenny The Mouse McFadden" game against Cleveland State... that would have been like 1986/87 time frame...

[talksalot]

One more... January 24, 2004.   Valpo 76 Southern Utah 69.  If you remember being at the game... you're probably lying.  I'm told the total attendance at the game was less than 20 people due to blizzard that shut down Valpo.  Both teams and the referees made it.  The BEST part of the game... nobody did Public Address after Bill Rogers introduced the players.   Yes, I was told it was a massive improvement...  I couldn't get out of my driveway!

[bigmosmithfan1]

I'll add the Northern Illinois "Wake Up Call" for the 7am tip a few years ago... as a "really neat experience"...

I'll add the "Ball State Blizzard" game '92-93 season... like 8" of snow fell during the game...

the "Kenny The Mouse McFadden" game against Cleveland State... that would have been like 1986/87 time frame...

That Cleveland State game was right after they had their Sweet 16 run the year before where they upset IU, and I believe the Vikings were ranked for a good chunk of that season. Largest crowd we had ever had for a conference game to that point -- the place was packed. When Mouse McFadden was announced, the student section bombarded the floor with slices of cheese. Harry Bell had a highlight-reel slam to tie the game late, and we missed a big shot that would have won, then lost in OT. We thought that game was a corner-turner for Coach Tom Smith, but alas, no.

That Purdue game in 2001 was pretty electric, too - one too many dribbles by Bierdiel (as always) or we probably win that one, as well.

We've had a bunch of great games and atmospheres in the ARC over the years, but I'm still partial to the Notre Dame win in 1988 as my favorite, simply because it was so gloriously unexpected and was the signpost that proved what the program could become.

As for Homer nearly leaving, I really don't think he was as close to taking the Drake job as everyone else thought he was. It was a step up in money, but a total rebuild job at a program that was under-resourced compared to its conference mates and in the middle of a 20-year run of losing seasons. I honestly believe Homer used that more as leverage to get some additional investments in the program and recruiting budget at VU (and a raise).

Now, the SLU job, that was one I figured he was as good as gone for. Would've nearly tripled his salary, private school in a bigger conference, tourney-ready roster that had been to the round of 32 twice in the previous 5 years (and went to the NCAAs the next year under first-year coach Lorenzo Romar), big-time city and facility and a return to his hometown. Bryce had graduated, so there was nothing to tether him to VU anymore. It was a perfect fit. Turning that down to stay at Mid-Con Valpo was an act of faith and love.

[VULB#62]

I live in DSM.  Drake has been terrible (for the most part) for the last 30 years.  Wouldn't you know it, the same year we join the league, Drake is pretty good. 

Drake 72
VU 69

Best game environment I have ever seen at ANY sporting event was in January 1966 when we beat undefeated and defending national champion Evansville, 83-73.  We were sitting in the second row from the top and the stands were rocking back and forth so much my mom (and others sitting nearby) were afraid the stands were going to collapse.  In the closing seconds the students (who made up at least half the crowd) were waving their arms back and forth and chanting "DING DONG DING DONG" as the clock wound down.  You could not have fit one more person in the gym with a shoehorn.  It took us 15 minutes to find a seat before we could squeeze in on the second row from the top. Unforgettable.

I realize very few on this board were at that game.  VULB62 and Valpo64 perhaps you could add your thoughts.

Paul

Incredible.  Tom Smith dribbling around, under and past All-Americans Jerry Sloan and Larry Hume and they couldn't catch him.  They beat us later in the season down in E'Ville but only by 7.  That team scored 100+ points in 14 of the 28 games they played that season. The first six home games all went over 100 and they hit 120 twice in that stretch.  Lost to Marquette to open the season in MKE by 1 point.  Laid 114 points on Purdiue in a win in Hilltop. Won their first rounder in the NCAA regional but lost the next game to North Dakota (in Grand Forks).

[VU2014]

A pretty article about this Drake Team coming into the ARC tonight.

https://twitter.com/FatherHarry1/status/951132803328077824

The Drake Bulldogs are the Valley's biggest surprise
Niko Medved already has the program trending in the right direction.
By Harry Schroeder@FatherHarry1  Jan 10, 2018

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2018/1/10/16870798/the-drake-bulldogs-are-the-valleys-biggest-surprise-niko-medved-missouri-valley

[agibson]

One more... January 24, 2004.   Valpo 76 Southern Utah 69.  If you remember being at the game... you're probably lying.  I'm told the total attendance at the game was less than 20 people due to blizzard that shut down Valpo.  Both teams and the referees made it.  The BEST part of the game... nobody did Public Address after Bill Rogers introduced the players.   Yes, I was told it was a massive improvement...  I couldn't get out of my driveway!

Fun! I guess I was living in illinois at the time. I don't remember that snow storm in particular... I was a couple of seasons away from getting back in to VU basketball.

(I spent a little time looking for a box score for this game, and didn't come up with much. The closest I've got to an attendance figure is this
http://www.espn.co.uk/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=240242674
which actually seems to list it as 4,516! But, it doesn't have much detail. Web electronic records may still not have been very good, i.e. not well archived to the present, at the time.)

[agibson]

I live in DSM.  Drake has been terrible (for the most part) for the last 30 years.  Wouldn't you know it, the same year we join the league, Drake is pretty good. 

Drake 72
VU 69

Best game environment I have ever seen at ANY sporting event was in January 1966 when we beat undefeated and defending national champion Evansville, 83-73.  We were sitting in the second row from the top and the stands were rocking back and forth so much my mom (and others sitting nearby) were afraid the stands were going to collapse.  In the closing seconds the students (who made up at least half the crowd) were waving their arms back and forth and chanting "DING DONG DING DONG" as the clock wound down.  You could not have fit one more person in the gym with a shoehorn.  It took us 15 minutes to find a seat before we could squeeze in on the second row from the top. Unforgettable.

I realize very few on this board were at that game.  VULB62 and Valpo64 perhaps you could add your thoughts.

Paul

Incredible.  Tom Smith dribbling around, under and past All-Americans Jerry Sloan and Larry Hume and they couldn't catch him.  They beat us later in the season down in E'Ville but only by 7.  That team scored 100+ points in 14 of the 28 games they played that season. The first six home games all went over 100 and they hit 120 twice in that stretch.  Lost to Marquette to open the season in MKE by 1 point.  Laid 114 points on Purdiue in a win in Hilltop. Won their first rounder in the NCAA regional but lost the next game to North Dakota (in Grand Forks).

Remarkable. I had no idea we had teams like this in the 60's.

[agibson]

One more... January 24, 2004.   Valpo 76 Southern Utah 69.  If you remember being at the game... you're probably lying.  I'm told the total attendance at the game was less than 20 people due to blizzard that shut down Valpo.  Both teams and the referees made it.  The BEST part of the game... nobody did Public Address after Bill Rogers introduced the players.   Yes, I was told it was a massive improvement...  I couldn't get out of my driveway!

Fun! I guess I was living in illinois at the time. I don't remember that snow storm in particular... I was a couple of seasons away from getting back in to VU basketball.

(I spent a little time looking for a box score for this game, and didn't come up with much. The closest I've got to an attendance figure is this
http://www.espn.co.uk/mens-college-basketball/game?gameId=240242674
which actually seems to list it as 4,516! But, it doesn't have much detail. Web electronic records may still not have been very good, i.e. not well archived to the present, at the time.)

OK - here's the box score.

https://web.archive.org/web/20040628232558/http://www.valpo.edu:80/athletics/assets/stats/gr-stat-0000000662.html

I'm not sure if the 4516 was some kind of joke (near capacity?!), or if you might be thinking of a different game.

[vu84v2]

If Ali Berdiel goes for a double-double and nobody sees it, did it actually happen?

[Valpo89]

Did anyone else know this? Homer almost took the Drake job in 1996? Wow could you imagine how different this programs history would be? No Homer, no Bryce, No Scott. No Sweet 16 tourney run. Thank goodness Homer didn't take that job. I don't even want to think about where we'd be right now. We'd probably still be kicking around the Summit League.

https://twitter.com/pjankValpo/status/951165391623147520

Here's what I wrote in April, 1996. Thanks to the Times archives:

Steinbrecher and Harre did the right thing
Paul Jankowski Apr 9, 1996

All that was needed was a nine-year-old girl with curly red hair, and you
would have sworn you were at some intellectual, private stage version of the
movie "Annie."

"When we were struggling, I can still remember his words: The sun will come
up the next day," said Homer Drew, the current and future Valparaiso University
men's basketball coach.
The key word here is future, not the fact
Drew just missed reciting the famous line from the goofy 1970s flick while
praising VU athletic director Bill Steinbrecher.
The sun has indeed risen at VU. Steinbrecher should be praised, along with
president Alan Harre, for making it worthwhile for Drew to remain as the
Crusaders' head coach.
And a lot of that happened during Monday night's "press conference" in the
McGill Room at the Athletics-Recreation Center, an event that included not only
the media but just about every coach in the VU athletic department and several
other dignitaries from around town.
If you hand out free pizza, they will come. And I'm not ashamed to say I was
among the first in line.
Keeping their man
One must wonder whether VU would have staged this event if word hadn't
leaked last week that Drew was offered the head coaching position at Drake.
When that happened, Steinbrecher and Harre had to act, and they did.
Monday's announcement was simply the public culmination of more than a month
of worrying (by Steinbrecher) and negotiating among the Big Three, and this
time we're not talking about Anthony Allison, Chris Ensminger and Bryce Drew.
Homer, Steinbrecher and Harre were the main characters in this drama.
Steinbrecher and Harre should be credited with giving Drew an offer he couldn't
refuse, although in the future we may learn other forces may have been at work
here.
Regardless, Drew is here to stay. And he has the added title of assistant
athletic director to add to his resume.
That can translate into more control over the basketball program. And it may
also one day lead to Drew taking over for Steinbrecher, nearing retirement age,
as athletic director.
"That wasn't part of it," Drew said. "But (being assistant AD) will
help me for my future. It does give me the qualification in administration that might be an option for the future."
Quality control
Retaining Drew was critical for VU to continue its recent basketball
success. But, as Harre pointed out in a written statement, that's not the only
reason for making an effort to keep him.
"The primary reason that I am pleased that Coach Drew will continue service
at Valparaiso University is not that he has achieved a good win-loss record
these past three years," Harre said. "Rather, I am pleased that Coach Drew will
remain at Valparaiso University because I believe Coach Drew is a consummate
educator with his athletes, in the context of the university, and in the larger
arena of the community of Northwest Indiana."
Certainly Drew has never been accused of being anything less than a winner
on and off the basketball court. That is why Steinbrecher and Harre supported
him even during the lean years, a period from 1989 to 1992 when his teams went
4-24, 5-22 and 5-22.
That's the period Drew was referring to when he talked about the sun coming
up the next day, when Steinbrecher's support was crucial. A less patient man
may have said goodbye, but Steinbrecher never wavered in his support of Drew.
"There was many nights when I did not get enough sleep," Drew said. "His
motivation, his inspiration that it could be done was there, and I've always
appreciated Dr. Steinbrecher for that."
"Homer's a good fit for VU in many ways," Steinbrecher said. "It's a
comfortable place for him at this point in his career, and I'm sure he'd like
for his son Bryce to get back to the NCAA Tournament again in the next two
years.
"We'd like that, too."
In the past, VU may have had a reputation - at least in athletics - for
accepting mediocrity. By keeping Drew from going to Drake, from turning down a
deal that could have been worth up to $150,000 per year, Steinbrecher and
Harre have put that reputation to rest.
"These two gentlemen have given our basketball program the opportunity to be
successful," Drew said. "I can not say how much I appreciate them - their
fairness, their integrity, their character has been something that I have
learned a great deal from."
We all have. Now we can breathe a sigh of relief, and start making plans for
next year's NCAA Tournament.

[vu72]

I live in DSM.  Drake has been terrible (for the most part) for the last 30 years.  Wouldn't you know it, the same year we join the league, Drake is pretty good. 

Drake 72
VU 69

Best game environment I have ever seen at ANY sporting event was in January 1966 when we beat undefeated and defending national champion Evansville, 83-73.  We were sitting in the second row from the top and the stands were rocking back and forth so much my mom (and others sitting nearby) were afraid the stands were going to collapse.  In the closing seconds the students (who made up at least half the crowd) were waving their arms back and forth and chanting "DING DONG DING DONG" as the clock wound down.  You could not have fit one more person in the gym with a shoehorn.  It took us 15 minutes to find a seat before we could squeeze in on the second row from the top. Unforgettable.

I realize very few on this board were at that game.  VULB62 and Valpo64 perhaps you could add your thoughts.

Paul

Incredible.  Tom Smith dribbling around, under and past All-Americans Jerry Sloan and Larry Hume and they couldn't catch him.  They beat us later in the season down in E'Ville but only by 7.  That team scored 100+ points in 14 of the 28 games they played that season. The first six home games all went over 100 and they hit 120 twice in that stretch.  Lost to Marquette to open the season in MKE by 1 point.  Laid 114 points on Purdiue in a win in Hilltop. Won their first rounder in the NCAA regional but lost the next game to North Dakota (in Grand Forks).

[/b]

And, all that scoring was BEFORE the 3 point basket.  What a team.

[VU2014]

They just showed a zoomed out shot of the ARC and it looks sparse in the 2nd deck. Maybe it was a shot from earlier in the night. Sounds like there is a good amount of students there.

[VU2014]

A great start to this game for Valpo's offense. Both Tevonn and Bakari have each made a pair of 3s. Smits was very strong to start the game. Reed Timmer is a stud. We need to slow him down. He's keeping them in this 1st half

[FieldGoodie05]

For all that Smits does well, he makes some extremely boneheaded TO and fouls.

[VUCPB alum]

Does anyone want to go in and contribute to keeping Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Joseph in Valpo? I feel like they are our good luck charms

[FieldGoodie05]

For all that Smits does well, he makes some extremely boneheaded TO and fouls.

In tight games Derrik's going to have to tighten up his loose ball handling (turnovers).

But man he has improved offensively and not fouling.

[FieldGoodie05]

Does anyone want to go in and contribute to keeping Mrs. Walker and Mrs. Joseph in Valpo? I feel like they are our good luck charms

No kidding!!!

[bigmosmithfan1]

We are a different team when we can score in the post. Man, just opens everything up.

(Separately, what a job defensively tonight. Held Drake nearly 20 pts under their season average and had someone on Timmer like wallpaper all night).

[nkvu]

Wow!! 

Great from the fast start to pulling away at the finish.

Keep it up team!

[VUfan]

Solid D , Good Rebounding, Offence is Easy 

[valpo64]

Another good night for our "bigs" really makes a difference at both ends of the court.  Also a great defensive effort, especially on Timmer.  Those items along with some very good shooting and low number of turnovers , plus our maturing as a team has mede us a pretty good ballclub.  Keep up the good work, guys!  If we can keep up our confidence level we will be a very competitive team form here on out.

[a3uge]

Reed Timmer for Drake is playing very well. The Crusaders must limit the turnovers.

Drake 75, Valpo 62

Nope.

[usc4valpo]

Valpo played great tonight and Drake was flat as can be. And yes, I am an idiot.

[vu72]

We are witnessing a totally new team.  Check out the stats:

http://stats.statbroadcast.com/broadcast/?id=194912

Check out the assists from Micah and Max. Look at our 3 point percentage,  25 assts versus 17 turnovers.  My guess is the Valley is noticing! 

Credit to the coaching staff.  They have figured out that Micah is much more effective at the point versus chucking up 3's at  the 2.  That  Bakari is much more effective at the 2 without the pressure of being the 1.  That we need to play small in the Valley to match these teams.  etc, etc, etc,  Fantastic adjustments.