Game #17 @ SIU Saturday Jan 12th 3pm

[talksalot]

OK, I have my ticket for the SIU game... same as last year... including the 27-hour round trip train ride saga with some other ticket holders who's wives think we're all nuts.  The game ends about 5pm... the train leaves at 3:15am.  Two thoughts:   Quatros  and Insomnia Cookies.

Interesting... the SIU students are still on break.  There is a "High Number" of available seats in their student section and they are actively promoting 1/2 price tickets to the community.  Weather will be iffy rain/snow mix... it's a mid-afternoon game.

as for the game?  Love to have us pull this one out... 63-58

Ahem..  nailed it.  Off to get a cookie

[VUGrad1314]

OK, I have my ticket for the SIU game... same as last year... including the 27-hour round trip train ride saga with some other ticket holders who's wives think we're all nuts.  The game ends about 5pm... the train leaves at 3:15am.  Two thoughts:   Quatros  and Insomnia Cookies. Interesting... the SIU students are still on break.  There is a "High Number" of available seats in their student section and they are actively promoting 1/2 price tickets to the community.  Weather will be iffy rain/snow mix... it's a mid-afternoon game. as for the game?  Love to have us pull this one out... 63-58

Ahem..  nailed it.  Off to get a cookie

You sir have earned it! Enjoy your victory cookie! I'd love to make this Carbondale trip with you guys sometime. It really sounds like a good time! Have fun with the rest of the trip. Get back safe and Go Valpo!

[humbleopinion]

It really sounds like a good time!

Ask again around 2:30 a.m. -- an hour before the train arrives for the return trip.

[bbtds]

Notice the difference between Hinson's sincere compliment of Drake shooting the ball well, and Wardle's backhanded compliment crediting our players for hitting some lucky shots. Class vs. classless.

It's probably all the bitterness built up of Valpo besting him most of his career.

Hinson lost a lot of games at Valpo during our battles with ORU. Although his ORU teams never lost at home to Valpo.

[vu72]

To say the SIU fans are unhappy with Hinson would be the understatement of the year.  Wow!  Check out their fan board.  Some are hoping they don't win another game so he will be canned.   

[bbtds]

It really sounds like a good time!

Ask again around 2:30 a.m. -- an hour before the train arrives for the return trip.

The Illinois Service Amtrak train 391, The Saluki, arrived at Homewood, IL at 9:09 a.m. CST (ONLY 17 minutes late today) Not bad at all for Amtrak!!!!

HOMEWOOD, IL
HMW
Station Building (with waiting room)
18015 Park Avenue

59 City of New OrleansJanuary 12, 2019Arrived10:11 pm CT1 hr 25 min late
58 City of New OrleansJanuary 13, 2019Arrived8:24 am CT42 min late
391 Illinois ServiceJanuary 13, 2019Arrived9:09 am CT17 min late

[VU2014]

Take that: Graduate transfer guard Deion Lavender beats former team as Valparaiso stops Southern Illinois
Michael Osipoff
Post-Tribune
January 12, 2018

https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-spt-mens-basketball-valparaiso-southern-illinois-st-0113-story.html

https://twitter.com/PostTribSports/status/1084476413766393856


Shorthanded Crusaders grab road victory
Paul Oren Times Correspondent
Jan 12, 2019

https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/basketball/college/shorthanded-crusaders-grab-road-victory/article_ada7ec02-6ceb-5055-ac6a-4d3ed4683c34.html

[bbtds]

From P-T story:

(Lottich)  "But we played tough, we played gritty."

[FieldGoodie05]

I counted 3 non-box outs by Bakari in the first half alone.   They were so obvious because SIU either scores immediately or benefited by his standing still.  Bench him to your hearts content coach.  I haven't even gotten into the 2nd half in which 13 additional Offensive Rebounds were registered...

It's hard to enjoy rewatching a single player so I won't attempt it, but SIU's Darius Beane was mostly Bakari's mark and he had 7 offensive Reb in the game.

Another 6 came from the F position with Armon Fletcher (really a big G)....inexcusable to have two players have 13 between the two of them.  They just crashed the boards on misses and made it a game. 

BOX OUT BAKARI (BOB), I'm going to start calling him BOB...

[crusadermoe]

The fans in Carbondale might just hate their lives and find meaning only in SIU games.       That would never apply to people on this board.   

[FieldGoodie05]

I counted 3 non-box outs by Bakari in the first half alone.   They were so obvious because SIU either scores immediately or benefited by his standing still.  Bench him to your hearts content coach.  I haven't even gotten into the 2nd half in which 13 additional Offensive Rebounds were registered...

It's hard to enjoy rewatching a single player so I won't attempt it, but SIU's Darius Beane was mostly Bakari's mark and he had 7 offensive Reb in the game.

Another 6 came from the F position with Armon Fletcher (really a big G)....inexcusable to have two players have 13 between the two of them.  They just crashed the boards on misses and made it a game. 

BOX OUT BAKARI (BOB), I'm going to start calling him BOB...

A fellow alum said it best "It doesn't appear Bakari even knows boxing out is a thing".

[FieldGoodie05]

I counted 3 non-box outs by Bakari in the first half alone.   They were so obvious because SIU either scores immediately or benefited by his standing still.  Bench him to your hearts content coach.  I haven't even gotten into the 2nd half in which 13 additional Offensive Rebounds were registered...

It's hard to enjoy rewatching a single player so I won't attempt it, but SIU's Darius Beane was mostly Bakari's mark and he had 7 offensive Reb in the game.

Another 6 came from the F position with Armon Fletcher (really a big G)....inexcusable to have two players have 13 between the two of them.  They just crashed the boards on misses and made it a game. 

BOX OUT BAKARI (BOB), I'm going to start calling him BOB...

A fellow alum said it best "It doesn't appear Bakari even knows boxing out is a thing".

Perspective, SIU had 22 OREB so Bakari didn't contribute to all but he and Lavender totaled 8 OREB by their guys that I could see...

Reality, BOB contributed 3 in each half for a total of 6 against him.

2nd Half
4th BOB = resulted in jump ball
5th BOB = missed FG
6th BOB = AND1 during their comeback

I'm not any more experienced in coaching or the nuisances of college b-ball but I think coach knows and will continue to tighten it up.

But I'm seeing first hand why Bakari and Lavender are coming off the bench.  Hope they tighten it up.

P.S.  Pippen did a good job of tip OREB assists.  Not positive we can fault Smorolla for that but I was impressed with Pippen all 3x I've seen him.

[VULB#62]

I counted 3 non-box outs by Bakari in the first half alone.   They were so obvious because SIU either scores immediately or benefited by his standing still.  Bench him to your hearts content coach.  I haven't even gotten into the 2nd half in which 13 additional Offensive Rebounds were registered...

It's hard to enjoy rewatching a single player so I won't attempt it, but SIU's Darius Beane was mostly Bakari's mark and he had 7 offensive Reb in the game.

Another 6 came from the F position with Armon Fletcher (really a big G)....inexcusable to have two players have 13 between the two of them.  They just crashed the boards on misses and made it a game. 

BOX OUT BAKARI (BOB), I'm going to start calling him BOB...

A fellow alum said it best "It doesn't appear Bakari even knows boxing out is a thing".

Perspective, SIU had 22 OREB so Bakari didn't contribute to all but he and Lavender totaled 8 OREB by their guys that I could see...

I'm not any more experienced in coaching or the nuisances of college b-ball but I think coach knows and will continue to tighten it up.

I love the tenacious defense we have seen of late and the willingness of players to go to the floor after loose balls.  On offense we are incorporating much more movemnent in the attack.  We are also getting some decent 3 pt looks as a result.  But we continue to not get ORBs and we continue to give up ORBs (in bunches)  Why is that?  Without having attended a single Valpo practice, I think I can envision how certain drills go down. I think I know the reason: practice mindset.   

>> When the first 5 is working on offensive sets and a shot goes up, the other offensive players admire the shot instead of assuming it'll miss and crashing the glass for the put back.... and the coaches blow the whistle and reset.  And in practice I would assume the FG %age is pretty high so the number of misses just aren't there like they are in a game.

>> Then when the first 5 sets up on D against the scout group to defend opponent offensive sets, the scout group goes through the motions, lets shots fly but also does not crash the glass for the ORB (because that is the Valpo practice mindset, nevermind that the scout group should emulate opponents characteristics and most MVC teams crash the glass after a shot), thus not forcing the first 5 to position themselves to anticipate the put back.  Coaches whistles blow and there's a reset.

The simple cure for this is (easy for me to say) to make defensive positioning and offensive glass crashing part of every player's DNA in practice and extend practice scrimmages to incorporate this very critical componet of the game. Just by reducing opponent ORBs through dedication to defensive positioning and increasing our commitment to go after put backs and ORBs when we have teh ball, it could change the dynamic of our games markedly. But it has to start in practice and constantly be reinforced in practice. You play like you practice.