2018-19 roster observations

[wh]

With 1 remaining vacancy, the current Crusader roster looks like this:

Seniors
None

Juniors
3★ SF Ryan Fazekas (6-8 215)
3★ PG Bakari Evelyn (6-2 180)
3★ C Derrik Smits (7-2 240)
2.5★ PG Micah Bradford (6-2 150)
2★ SG Markus Golder (6-6 195)
2★ SF John Kiser (6-5 205)
2★ C Jaume Sorolla (6-11 240)
2★ PG Steven Helm (6-2 180) Walk-On

Sophomores
3.7★ SG Eron Gordon (6-3 190) (Red Shirt)
3★ SG Nick Robinson (6-6 195) (Red Shirt)
2★ PF Mileek McMillan (6-8 220)

Freshmen
3★ SG Javon Freeman-Liberty (6-4 170)
2★ PG Daniel Sackey (5-10 170)

Observation: 7 of 12 scholarship players are ranked higher than 2★'s. Valpo has never had a roster this stacked (not even close). Potentially, the upcoming season should be a very good one. The following season could catapult Valpo men's basketball into rarified air.

[vu72]

With 1 remaining vacancy, the current Crusader roster looks like this:

Seniors
None

Juniors
3★ SF Ryan Fazekas (6-8 215)
3★ PG Bakari Evelyn (6-2 180)
3★ C Derrik Smits (7-2 240)
2.5★ PG Micah Bradford (6-2 150)
2★ SG Markus Golder (6-6 195)
2★ SF John Kiser (6-5 205)
2★ C Jaume Sorolla (6-11 240)
2★ PG Steven Helm (6-2 180) Walk-On

Sophomores
3.7★ SG Eron Gordon (6-3 190) (Red Shirt)
3★ SG Nick Robinson (6-6 195) (Red Shirt)
2★ PF Mileek McMillan (6-8 220)

Freshmen
3★ SG Javon Freeman-Liberty (6-4 170)
2★ PG Daniel Sackey (5-10 170)

Observation: 7 of 12 scholarship players are ranked higher than 2★'s. Valpo has never had a roster this stacked (not even close). Potentially, the upcoming season should be a very good one. The following season could catapult Valpo men's basketball into rarified air. 

Actually Ryan Fazekas was ranked a 4 star by ESPN.  totally agree on your assessment.  Clearly this team is being built to play in the Valley with all the big, athletic guard/forward types being recruited and landed. And you missed Langston Stallings who at 6'4" 205# will at a minimum help in practice.  Also the most athletic team we have had.

[VU2014]

I'm expecting some big things from our backcourt this upcoming season, but I have some question marks about our bigs. Smits was really coming into his own offensively during the 2nd half of the season but we really need him to improve on defense so Coach could trust him late into games. Sorolla had a somewhat disappointing sophomore season. Jay may never be a offensive juggernaut but he has the ability to be a strong defender and rebounder. Jay needs to be more aggressive on the glass. Both guys need to improve the subtle fine points of their game like setting good picks for the wings and properly boxing guys out. It's cliche to say but Bigs take longer to develop than wings, so I'm looking for both guys to take another step next season.

I'm hoping Mileek can take that next step as well. Mileek's greatest asset might be being available on the court next season. Limit the fouls. He looked a little green out there last year but when he was able to stay on the court he showed a nice 3pt shot and some natural ability. He doesn't move around like a typical PF. It sounds like he added quite a bit of muscle in the offseason.

I think most of us on this board and expecting some big things from Ryan Fazekas. You can't find 6-8 guys who can shoot like Ryan can very often. It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff uses him. Ryan in pick & rolls and ball-screen scenarios could be a great weapon.

[wh]

No. of players with average rankings >2★ on 2018-19 rosters according to Verbal Commits:

7 Valpo
5 Loyola
5 Illinois State
5 Indiana State
4 Missouri State
3 Bradley
3 Drake
3 Southern Illinois
1 Northern Iowa
1 Evansville
37 Total

[VUGrad1314]

No. of players with average rankings >2★ on 2018-19 rosters according to Verbal Commits: 7 Valpo 5 Loyola 5 Illinois State 5 Indiana State 4 Missouri State 3 Bradley 3 Drake 3 Southern Illinois 1 Northern Iowa 1 Evansville 37 Total

It's a good sign and a strong indication of the talent of the roster, but it doesn't mean anything on the court. If my memory serves, we led the MVC in average recruiting stars last year and still finished last. Recruiting stars\rankings are updated so infrequently that they shouldn't be used as a substitute for actual scouting. Fortunately, I think we've also scouted very well. I fully trust Lottich's eye for talent and I think we're going to be fine this year. Go Valpo!.

[wh]

No. of players with average rankings >2★ on 2018-19 rosters according to Verbal Commits: 7 Valpo 5 Loyola 5 Illinois State 5 Indiana State 4 Missouri State 3 Bradley 3 Drake 3 Southern Illinois 1 Northern Iowa 1 Evansville 37 Total

It's a good sign and a strong indication of the talent of the roster, but it doesn't mean anything on the court. If my memory serves, we led the MVC in average recruiting stars last year and still finished last. Recruiting stars\rankings are updated so infrequently that they shouldn't be used as a substitute for actual scouting. Fortunately, I think we've also scouted very well. I fully trust Lottich's eye for talent and I think we're going to be fine this year. Go Valpo!.

Your comment is highly misleading. We led the MVC in average recruiting stars - when we had 4-Star Joe Burton. Joe, who was clearly our best all-around player, never played in conference. Who know how many games we would have won, but I would assume several more, given the number of close losses we had.

[FieldGoodie05]

No. of players with average rankings >2★ on 2018-19 rosters according to Verbal Commits: 7 Valpo 5 Loyola 5 Illinois State 5 Indiana State 4 Missouri State 3 Bradley 3 Drake 3 Southern Illinois 1 Northern Iowa 1 Evansville 37 Total

It's a good sign and a strong indication of the talent of the roster, but it doesn't mean anything on the court. If my memory serves, we led the MVC in average recruiting stars last year and still finished last. Recruiting stars\rankings are updated so infrequently that they shouldn't be used as a substitute for actual scouting. Fortunately, I think we've also scouted very well. I fully trust Lottich's eye for talent and I think we're going to be fine this year. Go Valpo!.

I'd say perceived talent is a strong contributor to the overall future ceiling of the team.  However, if there is no team chemistry (young) then you will have troubles until they play together.  This is absurdly apparent in the 11-man sport of soccer.  The World Cup is fun this year because traditional power houses are not littered throughout the Final 8 teams.  So a "team" is far more important than an individual (Messi or Ronaldo the whinny).

I think the more players we have with higher rankings the better for our ceiling / potential.  I count 2018/19 as a growing year and fully expect this year that our on-court chemistry takes a sizable step forward.

[oklahomamick]

I would put the talent of Alec, Carter, Vashil, E. Victor, Skara, Jubril, Lexus, against the current roster.  Those stars look good on paper but those players I mentioned were dominant.  As you know one is in the NBA and another led the country is an overlooked defensive stat.  Has anyone in any sport at Valpo led the nation in a category? 

Believe me, I hope I'm wrong.  Despite those stars next to the names on paper I take the roster I listed above. 

[VU2014]

I would put the talent of Alec, Carter, Vashil, E. Victor, Skara, Jubril, Lexus, against the current roster.  Those stars look good on paper but those players I mentioned were dominant.  As you know one is in the NBA and another led the country is an overlooked defensive stat.  Has anyone in any sport at Valpo led the nation in a category? 

Believe me, I hope I'm wrong.  Despite those stars next to the names on paper I take the roster I listed above. 

I think I'm with you. That team had an NBA player in Alec, an elite rim protector in Vashil, quality 2nd/3rd scoring option in Shane, a great floor general in K Carter, and a roster top to bottom with quality depth guys that knew their roles. That 2015-16 team was a very well oiled machine because they had played together for a while.

Will the next seasons team or the 2019-20 team have a potential NBA caliber player on it? I don't think so. Maybe but I wouldn't bet on it. We clearly have some very nice players that could be impact guys on the college level and I'd bet get the opportunity to play pro in Europe. The 2019-20 team will be more athletic and should be strong. Let's hope they have the same cohesion as the 2015-16 team had. They should be very experienced and most of the team will have played together for at least a 2-3 years.

[VUGrad1314]

I would put the talent of Alec, Carter, Vashil, E. Victor, Skara, Jubril, Lexus, against the current roster.  Those stars look good on paper but those players I mentioned were dominant.  As you know one is in the NBA and another led the country is an overlooked defensive stat.  Has anyone in any sport at Valpo led the nation in a category? Believe me, I hope I'm wrong.  Despite those stars next to the names on paper I take the roster I listed above.

The volleyball team led the nation in digs per set, but that was a team accomplishment, not individual.

[FieldGoodie05]

I would put the talent of Alec, Carter, Vashil, E. Victor, Skara, Jubril, Lexus, against the current roster.  Those stars look good on paper but those players I mentioned were dominant.  As you know one is in the NBA and another led the country is an overlooked defensive stat.  Has anyone in any sport at Valpo led the nation in a category? 

Believe me, I hope I'm wrong.  Despite those stars next to the names on paper I take the roster I listed above.

Mickey, come on man.  That was arguably the best team we have ever fielded since our inception in 1859.  We'd all love that every year but that is not realistic.  Don't let your poor sleep rub off on your enthusiasm for this team!  Your kid will eventually sleep through the night, haha.

[SanityLost17]

We should look at our roster in a different way.   Being HONEST with ourselves, please fit our roster into the following categories with the goal in mind that we would like to finish at least 5th in the MVC with this roster. 

Very Confident: (You are absolutely sure these players are going to have a great season)

Somewhat Confident: (You are hopeful that these players are going to have a great season) 

Worried:  (You see potential in these athletes but worried they won't contribute all that much to team success)

Not Confident:  (You just don't see this player contributing much even though you really hope that they do) 

When you look at the roster in this regard I think we become a little bit more suspect.   There is a lot of POTENTIAL and HOPE but very few absolutes.   We were young last year and were in a new conference.   That is a challenge for even a veteran team because there is that much more scouting that needs to be done.   So we should be better, but how much better remains to be seen.

[VUGrad1314]

To be fair, there's a lot to be said for the notion that we simply don't know how well so much talent in terms of the star scale will play together once they've had a chance to jell together simply because we've never had it. There's every chance in the world that this team--especially if it got a rim protector  that's the one missing piece--could not only hang with the 15-16 team but beat them. I see it as a potentially deeper team. It may not have a Peters but it may have even better support pieces, even more players capable of delivering a Peters level impact performance just not as consistently as Peters did. At any given time, the 19-20 team appears to have 3-4 guys on the floor who look as though or at least project as though they could potentially take over a game offensively. Many players (Evelyn Golder McMillan Smits Robinson at St Joe's) have shown flashes of this potential at the college level, and I have confidence that JFL Gordon Fazekas and possibly Sackey can be that kind of player too. If Bradford ever gets his shot on line, you can add him to this list as well.  I hope this team studied and learned a lot from Loyola's run, because even if it lacks a true superstar (and I'm not convinced that it does) we're looking at a team that could be a different hero every night kind of team if they learn that kind of unselfishness. If they can do that, Valpo's offensive attack could be devastating; and if they also defend well, we're looking at a team that could match or exceed 1998. The only thing holding my confidence in check is the lack of a rim protector. Get that, and the sky's the limit for the team in 19-20.

[SanityLost17]

For Me... Remember, this denotes players playing good enough for a top 5 finish in the MVC.

Very Confident:
Bakari / Golder -- Both will have great seasons if injury free

Somewhat Confident:
Smits / Fazekus / JFL --  I think all 3 can be real contributors to a top 5 MVC team.  But perhaps I am overconfident in all 3.  Could easily move 1 or more to worried. 

Worried: 
Sorolla / Bradford / McMillan  Kiser --  Stats on all  4 are very suspect from last year, Hopeful they get better with age but not confident it will happen.

Not Confident:
Sackey / Stalling  --  Will need to see them before making a judgement.   

As for the 2 transfers....   I would put Robinson in my "Very Confident" spot and I would Gordon in my "worried" spot. 

[vu72]

Will the next seasons team or the 2019-20 team have a potential NBA caliber player on it?

As you well know, there are many great teams without an NBA talent on them.  Heck, we have only had seven (including Rowdy) who have ever played in the NBA.  All those great Butler teams now only have one guy playing in the League.  This year and next year's teams will be different from the 15-16 team in  few way. Probably faster and more athletic but without the rim protector.  Whether or not a guy like Ryan can shoot like Alec remains to be seen.  He clearly won't be the rebounder that Alec was.

[EddieCabot]

I think the more players we have with higher rankings the better for our ceiling / potential.  I count 2018/19 as a growing year and fully expect this year that our on-court chemistry takes a sizable step forward.

I somewhat disagree with the idea that 18/19 should be a growing year.  After hearing the "young team" excuse over and over again last season, I think this year's team should be battle tested and ready to compete at the top of the MVC.  The roster has 7 juniors, 4 of those are in their 4th year of college ... the time is now!

[VUGrad1314]

I think the more players we have with higher rankings the better for our ceiling / potential.  I count 2018/19 as a growing year and fully expect this year that our on-court chemistry takes a sizable step forward.

I somewhat disagree with the idea that 18/19 should be a growing year.  After hearing the "young team" excuse over and over again last season, I think this year's team should be battle tested and ready to compete at the top of the MVC.  The roster has 7 juniors, 4 of those are in their 4th year of college ... the time is now!

I can see this line of reasoning, but I think a couple things may hold us back this year:


1. The top of the MVC will be good--really good--and the middle will be strong. The battle among the top 8 or so teamsof which I believe Valpo is one is going to be intense. Some observers are even talking about the multibid MVC again.


2. Unless Smits and Sorolla have finally learned how to get it done on the boards, the same rebounding issues that plagued us last year will continue to be a problem and may cause us to drop a game or two we shouldn't.


If we finish any higher than 5th I'd be thrilled with this season.

[VU2014]

Very Confident:
-Bakari --  I think he's proven he's one of the better guards in the Conference and he has chance to be even better next season.

-Golder  -- He's poised for a breakout season. We all know he's talented but I think the rest of the MVC fans will recognize that after this season. Golder could be special, but my one critique of his game is that he's not a great ball handler. He never used his left hand last season and it was predictable to the other teams. He needs to learn to finish at the rim with his left hand.

Somewhat Confident:
-Fazekas  --  I think Fazekas has had some bad luck at Providence with his health. If he's healthy I think he's going to have the chance to be a impact player here. His shooting is a weapon.

-Kiser  --  I don't think he's going to light the world on fire but I know what I'm getting from him. I hope he's practicing his 3pt shot and free throw shooting.

Could go either way:
-Sorolla -- Jay had a disappointing sophomore season and it almost felt like he took a step back at some points last year. I just don't know what to expect. Hopefully he could develop into a reliable defensive big man. I can't get too down on him because he was only a sophomore. Bigs take longer to develop.

-JFL  --  I know everyone is very high on Javon and I am as well but he's still a freshman. I expect some good and some bad next season. His jump shot was his weakness in High School so if he could develop that over the course of next season than sky's the limit. We've heard he's playing well in open gyms. He's a winner and competitor. I just can't saying confident in a freshman at this point. I'm really excited for JFL's careers at Valpo.

Worried: 
-Bradford  --  I'm confident he could play the role of a solid distributor but other than that I'm not very confident. He has been abysmal at times over the last 2 seasons. The 2nd half of the season he quit heaving up ill-advised 3 pointers from 5 feet behind the 3pt line and became more disciplined, but he was still a big offensive liability, because defenders could cheat on him and didn't respect his jump shot. His free throw shooting was terrible last season as well, but I'll give him credit because towards the end of the season you could see signs of improvement. He NEEDS to improve offensively. I wouldn't say Micah is a terrible defender but he isn't good either. He has quick hands and could get steals from time to time. We heard some hype from the coaches about offseason improvements but we heard that last offseason as well. I won't be a believer till I see him prove it on the court.

-McMillan --  Maybe worried is the wrong description for Mileek because I'm somewhat confident he'll be a nice player by the time he's a Junior or Senior but Mileek needs the game to slow down for him. He needs to process his defensive assignment on the court more quickly. He was just step slow last season on defense, which is to be expected from a freshman. I think if he could be a reliable defender next season and trusted to stay on the court his offense will be serviceable. He has nice 3pt shot for a big guy and can actually handle ball pretty (helps that he's a former guard). He's a bit of question mark right now. I'm high on his future.

Not Confident:
-Sackey --  Super athletic and appears to have the characteristics of a future leader but he hasn't proven anything in College yet and Bakari/Micah are ahead of him on the PG depth chart (maybe even a potential grad-transfer). His minutes will depend on how quickly he will adjust to the college game.

-Stalling  --  I literally don't expect anything next season. I'm happy he chose to attend Valpo but I don't expect him to play a significant role next season. If does play significant minutes next season it means something really good or bad (about the team).

[vuny98]

To me it all comes down to Fazekus.

I expect Bakari and Golder to continue to grow and play at a high level. Smits should be serviceable as he was last year, hopefully he grows as well and becomes a true play maker. But Fazekus, if he plays to his advertised potential and stays injury free, could be a difference maker. A tall body that can shot the three and get in the paint when needed is something we missed last year.

JFL, Hope for the best, but as a freshman we can't expect him to lead the team
Mileek/Sorella, are good body's to get in the game and give us some minutes, but I don't have team changing expectations for either.
Bradford/Kiser, hopefully we won't have to rely on either like we did at times last year. Still potential with Bradford, but after two disappointing years the expectations are lower.
Stakey/Stalling, we will see.

My starting five
PG - Bakari
SG - Goulder
SF - Fazekus
C - Smitts
#5 - JFL at SG if he earns it or Mileek at PF

[FieldGoodie05]

I think the more players we have with higher rankings the better for our ceiling / potential.  I count 2018/19 as a growing year and fully expect this year that our on-court chemistry takes a sizable step forward.

I somewhat disagree with the idea that 18/19 should be a growing year.  After hearing the "young team" excuse over and over again last season, I think this year's team should be battle tested and ready to compete at the top of the MVC.  The roster has 7 juniors, 4 of those are in their 4th year of college ... the time is now!

That was a typo on my part as you can tell by my phrasing . . . "and fully expect this year that our on-court chemistry takes a sizable step forward".  My apologies.

The year should have read 2017/18 (meaning year previous without Burton).

[VUGrad1314]

For Me... Remember, this denotes players playing good enough for a top 5 finish in the MVC. Very Confident: Bakari / Golder -- Both will have great seasons if injury free Somewhat Confident: Smits / Fazekus / JFL --  I think all 3 can be real contributors to a top 5 MVC team.  But perhaps I am overconfident in all 3.  Could easily move 1 or more to worried. Worried: Sorolla / Bradford / McMillan  Kiser --  Stats on all  4 are very suspect from last year, Hopeful they get better with age but not confident it will happen. Not Confident: Sackey / Stalling  --  Will need to see them before making a judgement. As for the 2 transfers....   I would put Robinson in my "Very Confident" spot and I would Gordon in my "worried" spot.

If you're worried about Gordon I invite you to take a look at this link. It's Clayton Custer's game log at Iowa State. I'd say he turned out all right as an MVC player.


http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/3133597/year/2015/clayton-custer


Here are his composite numbers:


http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3133597/clayton-custer


And here are the numbers for Eron Gordon:


Game log: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/4065815/eron-gordon


Stats: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4065815/eron-gordon


RPI Ranking: Big 12 (14-15): 1    Big East (17-18): 2 

[IrishDawg]

If you're worried about Gordon I invite you to take a look at this link. It's Clayton Custer's game log at Iowa State. I'd say he turned out all right as an MVC player.


http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/3133597/year/2015/clayton-custer


Here are his composite numbers:


http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3133597/clayton-custer


And here are the numbers for Eron Gordon:


Game log: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/4065815/eron-gordon


Stats: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4065815/eron-gordon


RPI Ranking: Big 12 (14-15): 1    Big East (17-18): 2

This isn't to say that you're wrong - but this doesn't mean he'll be Clayton Custer either.  There's really no way to project out how a player will fare going from one school to another when there isn't a track record at their previous school.  Some it works out well almost immediately, some it takes a year, and sometimes it just doesn't work as well as they hoped.

[VUGrad1314]

If you're worried about Gordon I invite you to take a look at this link. It's Clayton Custer's game log at Iowa State. I'd say he turned out all right as an MVC player.


http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/3133597/year/2015/clayton-custer


Here are his composite numbers:


http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/3133597/clayton-custer


And here are the numbers for Eron Gordon:


Game log: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/gamelog/_/id/4065815/eron-gordon


Stats: http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/player/_/id/4065815/eron-gordon


RPI Ranking: Big 12 (14-15): 1    Big East (17-18): 2

This isn't to say that you're wrong - but this doesn't mean he'll be Clayton Custer either.  There's really no way to project out how a player will fare going from one school to another when there isn't a track record at their previous school.  Some it works out well almost immediately, some it takes a year, and sometimes it just doesn't work as well as they hoped.

You have a point, but let me say that I'm not saying he is nor am I expecting Clayton Custer, I am expecting an impact contributor on the MVC level which I think the Custer comparison  supports.

[vu72]

I'm trying to think of a player who transferred in from a bigger program who didn't work out (other than Burton--who worked out well on the court while he was here)

let's go back 10 years:

Evelyn
Hammink
Nickerson
Carter
Gueye
Capobianco
Dority
Bogan
Boggs
Johnson
Wood

The only one I could find would be Rossi and that was a health issue.

So we will wait and see and the current guys but history tells us that our coaches have had a pretty good eye on these transfers.

[EddieCabot]

I think the more players we have with higher rankings the better for our ceiling / potential.  I count 2018/19 as a growing year and fully expect this year that our on-court chemistry takes a sizable step forward.

I somewhat disagree with the idea that 18/19 should be a growing year.  After hearing the "young team" excuse over and over again last season, I think this year's team should be battle tested and ready to compete at the top of the MVC.  The roster has 7 juniors, 4 of those are in their 4th year of college ... the time is now!

That was a typo on my part as you can tell by my phrasing . . . "and fully expect this year that our on-court chemistry takes a sizable step forward".  My apologies.

The year should have read 2017/18 (meaning year previous without Burton).

Gotcha ... I'm on board with you now!