Transfers

[JD24]

Alec Peters appears to have hidden a lot of warts and that is with more than one coaching regime.

[valpopal]

Remember this from one week ago? I was concerned at the time about the lack of awareness expressed. How quickly things have changed.


[tweet]1105532815586791428[/tweet]

[GoldenCrusader87]

Valpo pal - funny thing is ... I'm sure Matt 100% still believes it. And, I'm just waiting for posters to get roasted again my Paul on USH lol. He'll continue to defend, justify, etc.

I hope I'm wrong. Don't be an enabler to this nonsense.

[FWalum]

What we're seeing is that the Drew family, through force of personality and skill, was able to outcoach a level of complacency and mismanagement in other areas of the athletic dept. and we're paying the price for it now. How many times over the years did you hear some form of "we don't need to spend money on X because we're winning without that" or "we don't need a better facility when we don't sell out every game now" or "the ARC ain't pretty but it's a tough place to play for opponents!"

All those years of letting stuff slide are coming back around now. And spare me the "landscape has changed" stuff. We've known that for several years now. We've known it since P5s spent the entirely of Alec's junior year salivating and openly recruiting him. If Lottich wasn't addressing that reality until the season was over, especially when anyone with a set of eyes could tell you that Freeman would have had much bigger opportunities had he not signed early, then again, that's on our staff, not the "landscape." Players aren't dumb -- they can see when a staff and administration have no plan or commitment.

Rather than asking Valpo fans to swallow another season of certain mediocrity because they are too timid to cut their losses when they should, it'd be nice if they gave us some reason to believe that they get it and will invest in the program like we're in the Valley instead of the old Mid-Con.

Very appropriate criticisms of the general VU atmosphere towards the MBB program.  I can remember having conversations as an Alumni Director with the AD and Homer about moving back down from D1 when Homer was 24-87 after his first 4 years. Then came conversations with Dr. Harre about building the expectations of VU fans in the Mid-Con and his fear that moving to a better conference might be disappointing if the perception was that we were less competitive and did not win the conference and go to the NCAA tournament as often. It appears that this fear has finally been realized with the move to the MVC and the removal of the Drew safety blanket.

To me the blame falls mainly on the Board of Directors and Administrations that have not taken advantage of our successes, and increased visibility, brought mainly to the university by the MBB program. We have been in the MVC for almost 2 years, we knew that upgrades were needed and most likely required, but nothing more than a hint of upgrades has been mentioned by... not a VU admin, but by an MVC staffer.  Commitment must be first shown before it can be received.  My wife and I have been very excited by the new lab on campus, she was a double major in Biology and Chemistry at VU and is currently the head of the Life Sciences department at a local college. Our personal tour shortly after the building was dedicated also showed the excitement the faculty had for the new programs and possibilities brought about by this new academic space.  I agree that academics and student housing are very important, but I also believe that the university needs to invest in its premier brand which has become MBB.

I was extremely happy and proud of the move to the MVC and my expectations were very high for that first year. I felt Matt had held it together very well in his freshman season with all the commotion surrounding Alec, does he stay or go, Keith Carter not getting the expected 5th year, almost all of us agreed with his firm stance in the David Skara, Don Bosco Prep, Ivan Vujic fiasco.  He then had to deal with the Jubril suspension and despite all of that, if Alec remains healthy, he has a very good chance at an NCAA tournament berth and a first season win total similar to Bryce and the previous season. I could go back on the forum and post examples of support for Matt at the start, middle and end of that year. Do I believe he bears responsibility for the current state of the current state of the program? Yes, he bears responsibility for the things he can control.

I believe from experience, that the academic issues with Joe Burton were the first domino starting a cascade that results in where we are today. How did Joe Burton fail academically?  We knew that he was a risk and he still failed? This was a situation were we had a player, as Jubril stated in his USH interview, Burton was a basketball freak, a highly rated player that would rarely commit to a program like Valpo's.  This was the program that Javon committed to, the program that started (yes I know the schedule was suspect) 8-0 with a healthy Tevonn and Joe finding his way, the program that then imploded when he left and Tevonn probably not fully recovered until we made the late season surge.  Burton's departure hung over the program even for this year because (and it really worries me for this year) it is very hard to recruit quality senior players after the first of the year.  There was little time to develop relationships that late in the game for 2018 and especially now for 2019, and coming to a school like VU, as we have heard many times from recruits, requires the building of relationships.  I believe that the team would have been much better this year if we had remained healthy. Do I like the "system" Matt runs?  I don't really know what that means, are we talking offensive and defensive philosophy's... defense is pretty darn good for the most part, I have to admit I am not a huge fan of the 4 out 1 in offense style that IMO can get very stagnant and is an offense that requires good outside shooting or superior 1 on 1 interior play.  We had problems with both.  I also think Matt might have done better with a more consistent starting group, taking into account the problems with injuries and illness.  I am very disappointed with Javon's departure, but not surprised because this is a much different team than the one he committed to and his ceiling has been raised much higher than I think he even expected 18 months ago. Some of that credit goes to Matt, his talent evaluation and his confidence in a freshman player helped give Javon the opportunity for his stellar season. I don't think Matt will be fired, and I am OK with that because program fortunes can change drastically from year to year. I also believe that Sorolla+Clay+Robinson+Gordon > Smits+Freeman+Evelyn, but Matt will have to make it happen next year.  Going beyond the coaching staff, the university needs to step up to the plate as quickly as possible and show support for the future of this program with some announced major facility upgrades showing commitment to the program, especially if it expects commitment from its players and fans.

[may know]

Which USH episode did Paul roast posters on? Need a laugh in these trying times.

[Pgmado]

New episode coming shortly. I can assure you there's no roasting of posters. There's a thoughtful look at the entire situation. Lots of questions, fewer answers. I even give you some of my favorite cooking recipes.

[vuny98]

Maybe I'm the only one that isn't 100% down on Lottich. Do I think he is a particularly good coach, no. I saw the team play well at times and I saw at times where it looked like they had no clue. A lot of that is on the coach. His attitude at times also has to be questioned. But we are a mid-major program, with poor facilities, lack of administration support and playing in the first 2 years of a MUCH better conference. There have been a ton of injuries and issues in his tenure that he has had to deal with. A better coach may not have had much better results. A first time head coach having to deal with all of that, we should expect it to be bumpy.

And players often disagree with a coach. Everyone on this board crushed Bakari for his poor attitude on the court at times and now he has something negative to say about the coach and we act like he is the voice of reason. 

Lottich has brought in some solid recruits. He has yet to have a roster of his guys that is built for the MVC. If he was fired would it be justified, sure. Would I fire him if I were the AD, no, not unless there were something under the surface that we are not aware of. Firing him now could be much much worse than riding it out a bit and hoping he can right the ship. Grass is not always greener.

[crusadermoe]

Amen and well stated, VUNY98.   

On a very bright note today, a close look at our transfer Nick Robinson on paper says that this guy is a potential star in the MVC.  He did not need to leave another D-1 team to get "playing time."  I have not seen him practice.

In the A-10 conference season as a sophomore at St. Joe he averaged 9.5 points and 5.7 rebounds at 6'5."  He was 2nd team All-State in Illinois.  He sounds like a versatile player who can create some plays and guard a lot of positions. 

I don't think the cupboard is bare and as I said on the "Should he lose his job" thread, I don't see the 3 departures as on all on him.  Agreed next year needs to prove he can coach though.  And show some fire (genuinely) so we know he cares!

I

[elephtheria47]

Crusadermoe, my thoughts exactly. Cupboard isnt bare. Things haven't gone as planned and ML gets the brunt of it, as he should being HC, but a lot of it is outside him. If he lands a grad transfer or two things will be back on the fast track. He needs another year before this conversation is in earnest. I know it's more difficult and detailed than what I'm going to say, but if theres 1,000 transfers now days and roughly 350 d1 programs, that's about 3 per team. That's not counting people declaring for NBA drafts. Just a lot of turnover on teams now days and I'd imagine definitely more towards  low/mid major teams, especially ones who have struggled.

I get fan boards are for the diehards and come with wide range of emotions,  usually involving the people actually ponying up $$ to support the program,

[ksValpo01]

Valpo has been lucky in recent years not to have the transfer carousel hit. Now that the rules have changed permitting student-athletes to notify they want to transfer, rather than having to ask for permission, many are seeing it as an easier out with less obstacles. This is not all that different than other schools.

Right now, there are over three hundred student-athletes in Division I Basketball who have been added to the NCAA's transfer portal. I can tell you with confidence, that number will sky rocket as teams are knocked out of various post season tournaments. It should not be a shock that Javon has requested to transfer - he has proven to be an incredible player who will more than likely have the chance to play for someplace with more money and better facilities (not to say that that the grass will be greener, but it sure looks it). With each transfer that leaves for greener pastures, others will come Valpo's way after seeing the greenery where they came from isn't all that spectacular.

Give it some time. Doing things above board and within the rules takes time, but I would consider giving Matt and his crew another year. 

[VU2014]

This may be nothing but Markus Golder's Mom just started following the associate head coach of McNeese State (Southland Conference) on twitter and a coach from Utah State (home to former Valpo assistant David Ragland) is her last twitter follower...

Interesting...

[VUBBFan]

I've always had this thought about Golder and Evelyn that if one of them transferred the other would transfer too. They seem to be close friends. Reallllly hope I'm wrong.

[valpo84]

Can we just do a 3-player swap with Northwestern, and they throw in a bag of balls (because based on this Board, they're probably all flat and slick) and a home and home series?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-northwestern-basketball-transfers-20190320-story.html

[vu72]

Can we just do a 3-player swap with Northwestern, and they throw in a bag of balls (because based on this Board, they're probably all flat and slick) and a home and home series?

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-spt-northwestern-basketball-transfers-20190320-story.html

Interesting.  Maybe getting a guy like Chris Collins or Bryce Drew isn't the answer.  Maybe playing in a brand new arena isn't the answer.  Maybe is comes with the territory of dealing with kids who have been told all along that they are stars and should be treated accordingly.  Who knows...

[SanityLost17]

I agree that the cupboard is not bare....    Robinson/Gordon/Golder/Sackey/Sorolla/Fazekas/Clay/McMillan/Micah?/

Robinson can be a star, I expect he can shoot the 3..
Sackey will improve his shot because he is that kind of guy that has the will to do so...
Sorolla at the very least is a solid defensive center...More PT might improve his offense. 
McMillan will get more PT which will give us a 5 man that can shoot the 3...
If Fazekas is healthy he will hit 45%+ from 3....
Golder was doing really well before that ankle injury and can be explosive and at times can shoot the 3.
Gordon was a stud in high school, but is a question mark based on his work at SH...
If Micah stays and his back fully heals I still think the dude can ball.  Might have thought about transferring but might stay now knowing playing time will be available...
Clay seems like a solid recruit...

AND we now have 3 scholarships to help fill the holes.  Get a big guy, and a few 3 point shooters.   Hope at least 2 of them have immediate eligibility. 

I am not saying we are going to be GREAT but I think that team could be pretty good.  Lottich and the staff have things they need to fix.  Each player has things they need to work on...   If everyone does their homework we could be a solid team.

[bbtds]

Some people could poop their pants and find a bright side to it i guess...

If you were constipated, then yes.  :-)

[NativeCheesehead]

Somebody take down the 1 next to "Days without a transfer".

[humbleopinion]

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Valparaiso's Markus Golder tells @NWI that he is "exploring a grad transfer." Golder added he wouldn't be making any additional comments at this time. #MVCHoops

11:49 AM - 21 Mar 2019

[mj]

I checked out the list of transfers this morning and the only other MVC team with transfers is Indiana State. And they have one.

I get that the new transfer rules make life hard for mid-majors, but there doesn't seem to be the same type of exodus at other MVC schools.

[VU2014]

This may be nothing but Markus Golder's Mom just started following the associate head coach of McNeese State (Southland Conference) on twitter and a coach from Utah State (home to former Valpo assistant David Ragland) is her last twitter follower...

Interesting...

Well...

https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1108772660908044288?s=21

You can be fair to Coach Lottich and the staff in certain aspects but this looks awful and reflects poorly on them.

There could be something deeper and at work and the authority figures at the University and Athletics Dept need to evaluate the root cause.

[VUBBFan]

Not looking good.

https://twitter.com/AlBillets/status/1108787827259641859

[AlecPeters101]

Wooowww, and we are what? 1-2 weeks into the off season? Who's next?

[NativeCheesehead]

So we're just going to send Lottich back out on the recruiting trial to get the next wave of guys who will bail.

Hard pass. Time to hit the reset button.

[oklahomamick]

And is Sorolla next?

That is a legit and reasonable question

[NativeCheesehead]

I would think Jay wouldn't transfer, just go back home and go pro.