MBB 2018-19

[FieldGoodie05]

This guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.

I suppose I don't really follow.  What in particular do you disagree with?  I had a hard time finding fault other than calling Loyola the class of the MVC.  I think they are "amongst" those competing for Top 3.

We just do not have any stars on this team.  No proven coaching at this elite mid major level of competition.  And weren't we the only MVC team to get smoked by all all semi decent OOC competitors last year?

Forget mono boy and no grades, that means nothing to outsiders.  Just like cheater the year before didn't register to outsiders. 

Every team has diversity, I found sometimes these last 3-years that we all forgot that other teams have suspension/academic/injury issues at the same rate or worse than VU.

[VU2014]

This guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.

I suppose I don't really follow.  What in particular do you disagree with?  I had a hard time finding fault other than calling Loyola the class of the MVC.  I think they are "amongst" those competing for Top 3.

We just do not have any stars on this team.  No proven coaching at this elite mid major level of competition.  And weren't we the only MVC team to get smoked by all all semi decent OOC competitors last year?

Forget mono boy and no grades, that means nothing to outsiders.  Just like cheater the year before didn't register to outsiders. 

Every team has diversity, I found sometimes these last 3-years that we all forgot that other teams have suspension/academic/injury issues at the same rate or worse than VU.

Agreed, but we have been hit particularly hard the last 2 years, more than most programs.

-Losing Bryce (common occurrence at the mid-major level)
-A key player (Skara) getting forced into a transfer
-NCAA screwing our anticipated starting PG out of his last year of eligibility
-NCAA screwing over Jubril for more than half the season. (if we were a P5 school it would be a much smaller suspension)
-Lost a NBA player to a season ending injury
-Shane Hammink gets ill going into the Horizon League tournament
-Tevonn Walker gets mono during the non-conference schedule and never fully recovers the rest of the season
-Arguably the most talented player on the roster and the centerpiece of our offense makes himself academically ineligible right before conference play starts

every program faces adversity but let's not act like most programs have dealt with as much as ours has the last few years. It is what it is and we can only look to the future and hope we can benefit from the adversity. Pressure makes diamonds.

[wh]

I really can't see how Golder or Lavender isn't the starter at SG this year. I believe that Freeman will be great but I'd be a bit nervous about giving a freshman starters' minutes. McMillan will likely start and I hope he runs with the opportunity. He's certainly been working hard enough. Ideally, they'd have a capable starting PG that can allow Evelyn to play off ball. I hope and believe that Sackey will emerge as that guy. I'd prefer Sorolla over Smits for defensive reasons. I think they have the makings of a strong offensive second unit which could help protect and extend any leads. This should be an exciting and much better year. Go Valpo!

Starters
Micah Bradford
Bakari Evelyn
Markus Golder
Ryan Fazekas
Derrik Smits

Most Minutes (in order)
PG Bradford / Lavender / Sackey
SG Evelyn / Freeman / Lavender
SF Golder / Fazekas / Kiser
PF McMillan / Fazekas / Golder / Kiser / Sorolla
C Sorolla / Smits / McMillan / Golder

Most productive Offensive
Lavender
Evelyn
Golder
Fazekas
Smits

Most productive Defense
Sackey
Lavender
Golder
McMillan
Sorolla

Most Exciting
Sackey
Evelyn
Freeman
Golder
McMillan

Biggest defensive liability from last year:
Smits (slow to react, easy to back down, terrible position rebounder, half-hearted effort)
McMillan (constantly out of position, easy to back door in zone, committed 3 fouls in the first 5 minutes of every half he started)

How does Mileek go from "biggest defensive liability" to "most productive defense," in 1 off-season, especially since his problems did not stem from lack of effort? 

Matt needs to make Derrik earn his minutes by demanding a much better effort defensively. Countless times last year I watched his teammates giving 110% on defense possession after possession, chasing their man relentlessly, fighting through picks, racing to the 3-pt line, bodying up, blocking out, etc., while Derrik coasted. He's not an overgrown kid anymore. This is his 4th year (3rd year playing). He needs to lead by example at both ends of the court. It's time to man up and play to his potential at both ends of the court. Otherwise, Matt should go with Jay and develop him to his full potential. He may not be as good offensively, but he a far better defender, and I've never seen him coast even one time or take plays off.

[justducky]

This guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.

I suppose I don't really follow.  What in particular do you disagree with? 

I disagree with the whole system. This sounds like a guy with little or no experience, little or no time, and little or no budget doing little or no research, with few or no answered e-mails or phone calls. The results yield a piece of work with little or no value having little or no interest. In the writers defense he was probably given little or no money for his efforts. I have little or no better answers for my frustration.

[wh]

Valparaiso Basketball: 2018-19 season preview for the Crusaders
by Joey Loose
September 26, 2018

https://bustingbrackets.com/2018/09/26/valparaiso-basketball-2018-19-season-preview-for-the-crusaders/

This guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.      

15 of 35 (43%) of our own posters picked us to finish 5th or below. Heck, our own beat reporter Paul Oren did not include Valpo among the teams he considers to be in the top half of the league. So, although I agree with you, it's important to note that we have other people who are in perfect lock step with this guy.

[VUGrad1314]

I think this guy is a poster on this board...

[VU2014]

I think this guy is a poster on this board...

Yep. Always appreciate JLoose's opinions/thoughts on the board.

https://bustingbrackets.com/author/jloose/

Joey Loose
A Chicago native and Valparaiso University alum, I'm obsessed with all things sports, especially college basketball, with a particular focus on sports statistics and data analysis.

[FieldGoodie05]

I really can't see how Golder or Lavender isn't the starter at SG this year. I believe that Freeman will be great but I'd be a bit nervous about giving a freshman starters' minutes. McMillan will likely start and I hope he runs with the opportunity. He's certainly been working hard enough. Ideally, they'd have a capable starting PG that can allow Evelyn to play off ball. I hope and believe that Sackey will emerge as that guy. I'd prefer Sorolla over Smits for defensive reasons. I think they have the makings of a strong offensive second unit which could help protect and extend any leads. This should be an exciting and much better year. Go Valpo!

Starters
Micah Bradford
Bakari Evelyn
Markus Golder
Ryan Fazekas
Derrik Smits

Most Minutes (in order)
PG Bradford / Lavender / Sackey
SG Evelyn / Freeman / Lavender
SF Golder / Fazekas / Kiser
PF McMillan / Fazekas / Golder / Kiser / Sorolla
C Sorolla / Smits / McMillan / Golder

Most productive Offensive
Lavender
Evelyn
Golder
Fazekas
Smits

Most productive Defense
Sackey
Lavender
Golder
McMillan
Sorolla

Most Exciting
Sackey
Evelyn
Freeman
Golder
McMillan

Biggest defensive liability from last year:
Smits (slow to react, easy to back down, terrible position rebounder, half-hearted effort)
McMillan (constantly out of position, easy to back door in zone, committed 3 fouls in the first 5 minutes of every half he started)

How does Mileek go from "biggest defensive liability" to "most productive defense," in 1 off-season, especially since his problems did not stem from lack of effort? 

Matt needs to make Derrik earn his minutes by demanding a much better effort defensively. Countless times last year I watched his teammates giving 110% on defense possession after possession, chasing their man relentlessly, fighting through picks, racing to the 3-pt line, bodying up, blocking out, etc., while Derrik coasted. He's not an overgrown kid anymore. This is his 4th year (3rd year playing). He needs to lead by example at both ends of the court. It's time to man up and play to his potential at both ends of the court. Otherwise, Matt should go with Jay and develop him to his full potential. He may not be as good offensively, but he a far better defender, and I've never seen him coast even one time or take plays off.

The best I can say regarding McMillan is ....who else plays that position?  Fazekas seems fairly slow for the SF and rail thin did the PF.  So I'm unsure he can do much defensively until he proves us otherwise.

We have a BIG liability at PF defensively so I felt the need to at least put a name on the list.

[FieldGoodie05]

This guy comes across like he is showing us respect by predicting we might be able to finish 5'th. Wow! I immediately concluded that he knows little about the team, the players or the program. Other than that I am sure that he is a fine fellow for a moron.

I suppose I don't really follow.  What in particular do you disagree with?  I had a hard time finding fault other than calling Loyola the class of the MVC.  I think they are "amongst" those competing for Top 3.

We just do not have any stars on this team.  No proven coaching at this elite mid major level of competition.  And weren't we the only MVC team to get smoked by all all semi decent OOC competitors last year?

Forget Tevonn and Burton, that means nothing to outsiders.  Just like Adekoya the year before didn't register to outsiders. 

Every team has diversity, I found sometimes these last 3-years that we all forgot that other teams have suspension/academic/injury issues at the same rate or worse than VU.

I suppose I was a little aggressive in name calling so I adjusted these to their actual names.  My point remains, we are far too whinny about our woes and I am guilty there as well.  As any coach worth his salt would say, Next Up.  There is a reason that you recruit 13 players for a roster and we were guilty of not having a properly balanced team in most of the last 2-years.  We can use all the excuses out there, but the fact remains we were not prepared.

I'd say the coaches learned a valuable lesson.  So much so, that we now have Lavender on our squad to add the much needed grit and experience that our team (even now) lacks to a degree.

[vu72]

If you guys don't think Fazekas will lead the team in scoring, you are wrong.  Ryan was a four star guy ranked in the top 5 coming out of Indiana.  He started 19 games for a Big East team.

[FieldGoodie05]

If you guys don't think Fazekas will lead the team in scoring, you are wrong.  Ryan was a four star guy ranked in the top 5 coming out of Indiana.  He started 19 games for a Big East team.

My question is, where is he going to play his minutes predominantly?  I'd guess Fazekas is our 3rd leading scorer unless he develops his game inside the 3-point line. 

Admittedly I have seen limited game film of his.  At 6'7" and 200 lbs he could get tossed around in the post but he does have the potential for a quicker first step.  If he develops the ability to drive on PF then he can be Top 2 scorer.  If he primarily scores for 3-point land and FT then I don't see leading scorer as a lock.  Either way immediately Top 3 on this team.

Leading Scorers
Markus Golder
Bakari Evelyn
Ryan Fazekas
Smirolla 2-headed monster
........then a bunch of 2-6 ppg

[IrishDawg]

If you guys don't think Fazekas will lead the team in scoring, you are wrong.  Ryan was a four star guy ranked in the top 5 coming out of Indiana.  He started 19 games for a Big East team.

A guy's recruiting ranking coming out of high school doesn't mean much once he's played 2 years in college.  He'll get heavier usage than he did at Providence (he did very little other than shooting 3's there), but I wouldn't be surprised at all to see a balanced scoring attack from the Crusaders this season.  Most of the games where he got heavier minutes were at the start of his freshman and sophomore seasons, and then once conference play started he didn't get nearly as much run.  What I'm most interested in seeing from him is how well he defends.  That was his biggest liability when he got into Big East play.  Now some of that may have been injury or mono impacting him, but we'll see pretty quick out of the gates how healthy he is and whether his game has diversified significantly in his transfer year.

[justducky]

I think this guy is a poster on this board...

Yep. Always appreciate JLoose's opinions/thoughts on the board.

https://bustingbrackets.com/author/jloose/

Joey Loose
A Chicago native and Valparaiso University alum, I'm obsessed with all things sports, especially college basketball, with a particular focus on sports statistics and data analysis.

Sorry kid.

I fully appreciate the difficulty of boiling down important, complex stories into a few hundred words that are easily digestible. I probably would have liked your uncut first draft much more than your final product.     Something generically written for a MVC audience just doesn't have enough meat on the bone for us. Tell us something we don't know!

Also-----You are now in presidential company as I am frequently referring to him as a MORON!!!

[FieldGoodie05]

I think this guy is a poster on this board...

Yep. Always appreciate JLoose's opinions/thoughts on the board.

https://bustingbrackets.com/author/jloose/

Joey Loose
A Chicago native and Valparaiso University alum, I'm obsessed with all things sports, especially college basketball, with a particular focus on sports statistics and data analysis.

Sorry kid.

I fully appreciate the difficulty of boiling down important, complex stories into a few hundred words that are easily digestible. I probably would have liked your uncut first draft much more than your final product.     Something generically written for a MVC audience just doesn't have enough meat on the bone for us. Tell us something we don't know!

Also-----You are now in presidential company as I am frequently referring to him as a MORON!!!

contrite might not start with Sorry Kid! haha

[EddieCabot]

If you guys don't think Fazekas will lead the team in scoring, you are wrong.  Ryan was a four star guy ranked in the top 5 coming out of Indiana.  He started 19 games for a Big East team.

I think Fazekas will make an impact, but I could see either Golder or Evelyn leading the team in scoring.  I'm not sold that being a role player in the Big East somehow guarantees he'll be a star in the MVC ... both are top 8 conferences, so there's not a huge difference in the level of play between them.  Now ... if Fazekas used his year off to get healthy and expand his game, you could very well be right.

[vu72]

If you guys don't think Fazekas will lead the team in scoring, you are wrong.  Ryan was a four star guy ranked in the top 5 coming out of Indiana.  He started 19 games for a Big East team.

I think Fazekas will make an impact, but I could see either Golder or Evelyn leading the team in scoring.  I'm not sold that being a role player in the Big East somehow guarantees he'll be a star in the MVC ... both are top 8 conferences, so there's not a huge difference in the level of play between them.  Now ... if Fazekas used his year off to get healthy and expand his game, you could very well be right.

For those who think he doesn't have a quick first step or has defensive liabilities, watch this from the state title game and yes, I undrstand it was against high school kids. Watch how quick his release is and how well he runs the floor.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JxqX7TBIT1A

[FieldGoodie05]

For those who think he doesn't have a quick first step or has defensive liabilities, watch this from the state title game and yes, I undrstand it was against high school kids. Watch how quick his release is and how well he runs the floor.

Hope you are right, he was a great pickup even if he is the 3rd leading scorer this year.  There is depth (offensively) that we simply could not depend on last year with this squads current makeup.  It's sure nice knowing that we don't require immediate production from our first year players (transfers or true freshmen).

We were so atrocious on offense last year through long stretches that I think our defense suffered some let downs.  So I would expect cohesion alone will improve our defense from day one.

I remain concerned about rebounding, even with Fazekas being added to the equation I am not sure of his rebounding prowess . . .

[IrishDawg]

For those who think he doesn't have a quick first step or has defensive liabilities, watch this from the state title game and yes, I undrstand it was against high school kids. Watch how quick his release is and how well he runs the floor.

Not only is it against high school kids, it's the 1A state title game, so it's the lowest level of Indiana high school basketball, so as a 6'7/8 D1 recruit, he should be dominating in that setting.  I don't think anyone doubts his shooting prowess, but that's all he's really been able to show so far in his college career.  Doesn't mean he doesn't have the other aspects to his game, but I watched him play for Providence for a couple of years, and during that time, he did have his shortcomings.

He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

[FieldGoodie05]

For those who think he doesn't have a quick first step or has defensive liabilities, watch this from the state title game and yes, I undrstand it was against high school kids. Watch how quick his release is and how well he runs the floor.

Not only is it against high school kids, it's the 1A state title game, so it's the lowest level of Indiana high school basketball, so as a 6'7/8 D1 recruit, he should be dominating in that setting.  I don't think anyone doubts his shooting prowess, but that's all he's really been able to show so far in his college career.  Doesn't mean he doesn't have the other aspects to his game, but I watched him play for Providence for a couple of years, and during that time, he did have his shortcomings.

He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

What level did Parker Hazen play (1A)??  I am from Michigan so I don't know the Indiana classes well.

[EddieCabot]

For those who think he doesn't have a quick first step or has defensive liabilities, watch this from the state title game and yes, I undrstand it was against high school kids. Watch how quick his release is and how well he runs the floor.

Not only is it against high school kids, it's the 1A state title game, so it's the lowest level of Indiana high school basketball, so as a 6'7/8 D1 recruit, he should be dominating in that setting.  I don't think anyone doubts his shooting prowess, but that's all he's really been able to show so far in his college career.  Doesn't mean he doesn't have the other aspects to his game, but I watched him play for Providence for a couple of years, and during that time, he did have his shortcomings.

He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

What level did Parker Hazen play (1A)??  I am from Michigan so I don't know the Indiana classes well.

Parker played at Columbia City, which at 1,050 enrollment, is the smallest school in 4A (the largest for basketball).  They were 3A when Parker played there.

For comparison, the school Fazekas was playing against in the 1A finals (Barr Reeve) had an enrollment of 200, or about 50 per grade.

[VU2014]

What level did Parker Hazen play (1A)??  I am from Michigan so I don't know the Indiana classes well.

I don't know how we made that recruiting mistake. Parker physically has the tools and the work ethic but the skills were incredibly raw. The coaches probably knew they made a mistake after the first practice. He very well could make himself a decent D1 player, but he needs to get playing time at a lower level to develop his skills and he wasn't going to get that here. I'll always get a chuckle out of PO's AP comp lol. Prep school may have been the best route so he doesn't burn eligibility. I wish him well. Does anyone know where he ended up transferring? Is he taking a year off? Juco?

[EddieCabot]

He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

In looking at returning minutes by position, the biggest void is clearly at the 4.  I consider Golder a 3, but he played most of his minutes last year at the 4 because Valpo normally played 3 true guards.  With the addition of Lavender (20 mpg for his career) and the 2 freshmen guards, minutes at the 1/2/3 will be scarce again. 

Because of the depth in the backcourt, Fazekas/Golder/Kiser will all see plenty of minutes at the 4 spot.   Those guys are all undersized at the 4, however, I'm not concerned because Valpo a). covers them by playing zone, or b). double teams immediately when the ball is passed into the post.   

[vu72]

He will likely be a better rebounder at Valpo than he was at Providence simply because he'll likely be asked to do it more.  I don't consider that to be a hole in his game.  I also think if he plays the 4 rather than the 3 he will be fine defensively.

In looking at returning minutes by position, the biggest void is clearly at the 4.  I consider Golder a 3, but he played most of his minutes last year at the 4 because Valpo normally played 3 true guards.  With the addition of Lavender (20 mpg for his career) and the 2 freshmen guards, minutes at the 1/2/3 will be scarce again. 

Because of the depth in the backcourt, Fazekas/Golder/Kiser will all see plenty of minutes at the 4 spot.   Those guys are all undersized at the 4, however, I'm not concerned because Valpo a). covers them by playing zone, or b). double teams immediately when the ball is passed into the post.   

McMillan is only going to play the 4, and he is not undersized for a 4.

[VUBBFan]

What level did Parker Hazen play (1A)??  I am from Michigan so I don't know the Indiana classes well.

I don't know how we made that recruiting mistake. Parker physically has the tools and the work ethic but the skills were incredibly raw. The coaches probably knew they made a mistake after the first practice. He very well could make himself a decent D1 player, but he needs to get playing time at a lower level to develop his skills and he wasn't going to get that here. I'll always get a chuckle out of PO's AP comp lol. Prep school may have been the best route so he doesn't burn eligibility. I wish him well. Does anyone know where he ended up transferring? Is he taking a year off? Juco?

He transfered to Daytona State College

[FieldGoodie05]

What level did Parker Hazen play (1A)??  I am from Michigan so I don't know the Indiana classes well.

I don't know how we made that recruiting mistake. Parker physically has the tools and the work ethic but the skills were incredibly raw. The coaches probably knew they made a mistake after the first practice. He very well could make himself a decent D1 player, but he needs to get playing time at a lower level to develop his skills and he wasn't going to get that here. I'll always get a chuckle out of PO's AP comp lol. Prep school may have been the best route so he doesn't burn eligibility. I wish him well. Does anyone know where he ended up transferring? Is he taking a year off? Juco?

He transfered to Daytona State College

I was asking what high school class he played in prior to coming to VU.  Sorry for the confusion, but also good to know.