Recruiting 2021

[wh]

For those who care about Valpo's inability or unwillingness (personally I think it has more to do with the latter than the former though I think both factors play a role) to recruit players from the region, here's another region kid who has decided to play for an MVC school other than Valpo (not sure if we even offered him). If nothing else this just means there will be better attendance when we play them which is a plus the downside is that there will also be more ISU supporters there when we play them for the duration of his stay in Terre Haute.

https://twitter.com/IndStMBB/status/1382881779250556930/photo/1

In all due respect, you might want to do some basic research before you parrot the "we have a recruiting problem in NWI" narrative. But, since you didn't, I'll fill in the blanks so your false impression doesn't mislead the masses:
• Valpo did offer him
• We had 4 '21 openings. He could have had one had he wanted, but he chose not to.
• He had only 3 other offers - IUPUI, New Orleans and Indiana State. As PO mentioned, he was waiting for other offers that never came.
• Presumably, the only reason the Indiana State was still on the table at this late stage is due to their recent wholesale defections. Other than Valpo early and Indiana State late, he had a grand total of 2 low major offers.
• while it's true we haven't recruited many "region" players, we have successfully recruited 4 NWI Times POY's over the past 25 years:
1996 Bryce Drew
2003 Kenny Harris
2013 Nick Davidson
2015 Ryan Fazekas

[VUGrad1314]

When Paul Said big, he meant Big

So is the Big still on the table?

I have no sources but I think I know who it might be based on that post and if that's the case then I am SUPER EXCITED if we land him! I don't want to float a name because I wouldn't want to jinx it but if it's who I think it is then it will be HUGE for us!

[Pgmado]

When Paul Said big, he meant Big

So is the Big still on the table?

I have no sources but I think I know who it might be based on that post and if that's the case then I am SUPER EXCITED if we land him! I don't want to float a name because I wouldn't want to jinx it but if it's who I think it is then it will be HUGE for us!

I don't know who you're talking about, so if you're reading something into my post, I don't know what it is.

[JD24]

Through the legs - vertical, hang time, athleticism https://www.twitter.com/HeavenlyGifted/status/1382500287261384707

That appears to be Mr. Young's home gym which would indicate he's taking a step back in facilities.

True if he was sitting on one of those seats but fortunately for us he will be on the court.  Basket is still 10 feet.

....and we can have the litany of posts crying about transfers out in about 12 months that gets repeated every year by the same posters. Especially if this guy is any good.

[valpotx]

I heard that David Muoka learned about pgmado's affiliation for the crappy Packers, and didn't want to stomach his Green Bay references in any press conference situation

[wh]

I heard that David Muoka learned about pgmado's affiliation for the crappy Packers, and didn't want to stomach his Green Bay references in any press conference situation

Wisconsin is a beautiful state. I took my family on many summer fishing trips up there back in the day in places like Hayward, Birchwood, Mercer, etc. Best smoked cheese anywhere. That said, as a life long Bears fan I have little positive to say about a WI city called Green Bay. 

[VUGrad1314]

Through the legs - vertical, hang time, athleticism https://www.twitter.com/HeavenlyGifted/status/1382500287261384707

That appears to be Mr. Young's home gym which would indicate he's taking a step back in facilities.

True if he was sitting on one of those seats but fortunately for us he will be on the court.  Basket is still 10 feet.

....and we can have the litany of posts crying about transfers out in about 12 months that gets repeated every year by the same posters. Especially if this guy is any good.

I understand your distaste but it's hard to sit and watch impact players leave the program you love regularly. Even if we accept that it's part of the culture now and there is a lot of evidence to support that it just sucks to have to seemingly pick up the pieces to one degree or another every year. On the whole, Matt and staff did a pretty decent job picking up the pieces after JFL transferred and we finally avoided Thursday which is great even though we'd all like to have seen a better record than 7-11 but let's be honest very few teams laid a glove on the top 3 teams in the Valley for a reason: They were REALLY GOOD. This was probably the best deepest most challenging conference slates we've had to work through since our first few years in the HL and this one was probably better even.


For those of us who post a lot crying over the spilled milk that is players transferring let me say that it's just disheartening to watch a player who can make the impact of Clay especially on the defensive end and then a kid we all had high hopes for in JO decide to pack up and go elsewhere after dealing with the gut punch that was JFL the year before. Even if transfers of good players can and should be expected at our level, I think it's reasonable to have some debate on the degree and extent the program itself contributes to these transfers and what can and should be done to stem the tide to the greatest degree possible. This is after all a message board and fans with opinions of all sorts can and should be welcomed to post here and share and debate ideas for how to navigate these uncharted and choppy waters. Where it crosses the line (and I have been as guilty of this as anyone and have been rightly called out by you and others for it) is when the criticisms get personal and even vitriolic. Without knowing much specific about the situation to post something--as I have in the past--like "I wonder what Lottich did to screw this up " or something along those lines in response to JO's transfer is an unnecessary cheap shot that crosses the lines of civil discussion. I readily own that. I do however think that it is right to have concerns about whether Young will enjoy playing his home games in the ARC when his high school's gym is arguably better. It's fair to ask questions about whether facilities play a role or whether the program culture is off or whether it simply is  a different time.
[/size]
[/size]One piece that helped me see that side of the argument more readily is when I saw the names of programs like East Tennessee State on the list of schools with a comparable number of transfers. That is a good mid major program for which I have a lot of respect in a strong basketball conference for which I have a lot of respect so if they're struggling with it too then it's easier to understand why we are struggling ourselves. ETSU wasn't the only name that stood out to me on that list but it's the one that came most readily to my mind. What can be done about that as a small private school in the midst of a pandemic and all of the endemic challenges thereof that is currently (rightly) focusing most of its attention on growing its endowment and on student amenities with a donor base that isn't exactly full of athletics-crazy billionaires (and what non-P5 school does have that luxury? That list has to be really small) is another matter entirely. There's a Chinese saying that reads 力不从心（Li bu cong xin) which translates to "My power or ability does not match with accord with or follow the intention of my heart and mind." It's maddening to see the same issues in facilities and the seemingly glacially slow pace it has taken to improve them. It's maddening to hear the financial realities explained to us when we have built these castles in the sky in our own minds that are what we would like to do for our beloved university if we were in charge. But to suggest (as I have many times) that the school is turning a blind eye and a deaf ear to it suggests that the people who are in those positions don't have the same intentions. That is unfair and the people in those positions deserve better than to read over and over again that they don't care when every (normal) year there have been a few smaller scale than we'd all like but nonetheless needed improvements to  our athletic facilities. It may not be the changes we want to see and that in itself can rile us but they are nonetheless needed and there are other sports than basketball that deserve and rightfully demand their due attention and who often have it worse than the basketball program does due to those ever present realities.

Complaining too much about these aforementioned realities (and again I deserve to be called out here because I am one of this board's worst offenders) doesn't solve anything and may be cathartic for us individually but has no real impact. These things will be fixed in time because we do have an AD who wants to do it as he has shown in the past but this process is going to require patience and time that we have to measure in decades not years unless one of us becomes sustainably a billionaire and has the heart to give a sizable portion of that wealth to the university for athletics-focused projects. We can lament the fiscal conservatism of some past (pre-Heckler) administrations for missing prime periods to take on debt to build things to keep up with the times when times were better, we can be concerned about the current financial situation of the university, but the reality is it's very unlikely much meaningful work will get done on facilities until those issues get sorted out. Anything we can do for our facilities in this time is something of an unexpected blessing and a bonus rather than the expectation many (including me) have been framing it as).

[JD24]

Good lord. 

[M]

Nobody reading all that 😂

[wh]

Keyondre high jumped 6'8" in an invitational yesterday. This is the first time he has ever competed in high jump! How good is 6-8? In Indiana, 6-8 is the 2nd best jump in the state this year!

Edit: 6-8 is the best high jump in Oklahoma high school track this season to date.

https://twitter.com/SuaveFrancisco_/status/1383540856544579593?s=20

[RS]

VU just received a commitment from a 6'2 PG from Oshkosh WI. Preston Ruedinger was offered as a preferred walk-on. Was selected !st team all state by the AP. !2th all time time leading scorer in Wisconsin at 2349 points.  Made 407 3 pointers in career at 45% and averaged 26 Pts per game and 7 rebounds per game as his team Lourdes Academy won state championship in class 4. VU recruited him for his 3 point shooting ability.

[vok22]

If I were a betting man I'd say he is redshirting this season with the expectation he will be given a scholarship next offseason once we flush out some of the extra scholarships we are carrying cause of the covid rules.

[crusader05]

Per Paul's Twitter that does seem to be the expectation that he will redshirt this year and use this year to work to earn the scholarship.

Question is does this mean they're not filling the last one to have some more room to work next year? Right now there are only two on the team that have one year left of eligibility.

[RS]

Good to see VU recruiting Wisconsin after some negative feedback from JO in newspaper. Seems like another Matt Bowen connection with VU stressing to him his 3 point shooting ability

[valpopal]

Looks like Preston Ruedinger can play wide receiver if needed as well:

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/nwisports/status/1384319183832367104?s=21

[wh]

Interesting that Preston was 1st Team All-State; Cam was 2nd Team.

https://fox11online.com/amp/sports/high-school-gametime/ruedinger-paveletzke-dorn-receive-all-state-honors?__twitter_impression=true

Interview with Preston:

https://www.postcrescent.com/videos/sports/high-school/2021/01/22/prep-boys-basketball-parker-ruedinger-lourdes-academy/6678357002/

[VUGrad1314]

Interesting that Preston was 1st Team All-State; Cam was 2nd Team. https://fox11online.com/amp/sports/high-school-gametime/ruedinger-paveletzke-dorn-receive-all-state-honors?__twitter_impression=true Interview with Preston: https://www.postcrescent.com/videos/sports/high-school/2021/01/22/prep-boys-basketball-parker-ruedinger-lourdes-academy/6678357002/

That's really interesting. Not sure why a first team all stater in any state would accept a PWO role but we'll gladly take it! That seems to indicate that he can play a bit! I find myself starting to get excited again. Sounds like the competition for minutes at the guard positions is going to be fierce. I'd love to see VU add another big or a 3\4 type player. Something to fill out the front court just a bit more. But if Matt has finally figured out his formula and what works in the MVC and these kids deliver we could have a very good team in very short order!

[FWalum]

Seems to be able to hit the 3 pointer

https://twitter.com/Som_Slight/status/1278045623334375424

I don't know, only 9 of 11...

This sequence will allow fwalum to get a good look at his mechanics.

Ok, I guess I will take the bait.  I am not going to critique this too much other than to say a few things. I like that he pushes the ball toward the basket with an arc that appears to be close to 45 degrees, the best angle, rather than using the elbow to flick the ball toward the basket. He has a tendency to line the ball up offset to the right and typically the ball enters the basket a little off to the right. In college his is probably going to have to shoot the ball with a quicker release, he is bringing the ball down too far when initiating the shooting motion delaying the release. Despite some minor issues and some inconsistences, he seems to have good hand eye coordination and that is half the battle.

What I am going to talk about is how lackadaisically this shooting drill is being run and performed. This is not Keyondre's fault but rather the coach or whoever is running this drill with him. There is no intensity of purpose and every shot has significant differences. This is just poor training and the coach ought to be ashamed to run such a loose drill. You wonder why kids have trouble adjusting to the college pace of game... well you are looking at it. He will rarely shoot a shot in a college game like he is doing in this video so what good is it to train like this. The drill doesn't have to be fast, but it should be crisp with an emphasis on exacting movements like proper hand and foot positions and repeatable actions. Watching this just bugs the living daylights out of me! 

[96]

I can see at least one freshman starting next year

[JD24]

Seems to be able to hit the 3 pointer https://twitter.com/Som_Slight/status/1278045623334375424

I don't know, only 9 of 11... This sequence will allow fwalum to get a good look at his mechanics.

Ok, I guess I will take the bait.  I am not going to critique this too much other than to say a few things. I like that he pushes the toward the basket with an arc that appears to be close to 45 degrees, the best angle, rather than using the elbow to flick the ball toward the basket. He has a tendency to line the ball up offset to the right and typically the ball enters the basket a little off to the right. In college his is probably going to have to shoot the ball with a quicker release, he is bringing the ball down too far when initiating the shooting motion delaying the release. Despite some minor issues and some inconsistences, he seems to have good hand eye coordination and that is half the battle. What I am going to talk about is how lackadaisically this shooting drill is being run and performed. This is not Keyondre's fault but rather the coach or whoever is running this drill with him. There is no intensity of purpose and every shot has significant differences. This is just poor training and the coach ought to be ashamed to run such a loose drill. You wonder why kids have trouble adjusting to the college pace of game... well you are looking at it. He will rarely shoot a shot in a college game like he is doing in this video so what good is it to train like this. The drill doesn't have to be fast, but it should be crisp with an emphasis on exacting movements like proper hand and foot positions and repeatable actions. Watching this just bugs the living daylights out of me! 

I agree that the drill appears to be run in slow motion but the question is is the video merely to show him shooting or the actual running of a drill.

[FWalum]

Seems to be able to hit the 3 pointer https://twitter.com/Som_Slight/status/1278045623334375424

I don't know, only 9 of 11... This sequence will allow fwalum to get a good look at his mechanics.

Ok, I guess I will take the bait.  I am not going to critique this too much other than to say a few things. I like that he pushes the toward the basket with an arc that appears to be close to 45 degrees, the best angle, rather than using the elbow to flick the ball toward the basket. He has a tendency to line the ball up offset to the right and typically the ball enters the basket a little off to the right. In college his is probably going to have to shoot the ball with a quicker release, he is bringing the ball down too far when initiating the shooting motion delaying the release. Despite some minor issues and some inconsistences, he seems to have good hand eye coordination and that is half the battle. What I am going to talk about is how lackadaisically this shooting drill is being run and performed. This is not Keyondre's fault but rather the coach or whoever is running this drill with him. There is no intensity of purpose and every shot has significant differences. This is just poor training and the coach ought to be ashamed to run such a loose drill. You wonder why kids have trouble adjusting to the college pace of game... well you are looking at it. He will rarely shoot a shot in a college game like he is doing in this video so what good is it to train like this. The drill doesn't have to be fast, but it should be crisp with an emphasis on exacting movements like proper hand and foot positions and repeatable actions. Watching this just bugs the living daylights out of me! 

I agree that the drill appears to be run in slow motion but the question is is the video merely to show him shooting or the actual running of a drill.

Now that I look at it again, you are probably right. I must have been having a bad day. 

[wh]

I can see at least one freshman starting next year

Being a HUGE fan of this recruiting class, I hope you're right. Welcome to the board!

[vu72]

Keyondre Young named Oklahoma 5A Player of the Year!

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/high-school/basketball/2021/04/28/del-city-oklahoma-keyondre-young-led-team-back-top/7387556002/

[wh]

Keyondre Young named Oklahoma 5A Player of the Year!

https://www.oklahoman.com/story/sports/high-school/basketball/2021/04/28/del-city-oklahoma-keyondre-young-led-team-back-top/7387556002/

Correction: Keyondre is the Super 5 POY. The Super 5 are the top 5 players in the entire state, regardless of the division. In other words Keyondre Young is Oklahoma's equivalent to Indiana's Mr. Basketball!

Congratulations, Keyondre!