Transfers

[M]

VU might lose every game and learn they have a severe lack of talent (I don't believe this will happen)...
But if instead of having to see Bakari wasting possessions, Smits crying after every call, Golder not dribbling with his left or making a selfish play on a fast break, or Sorolla be completely inept on offense I get to see these new guys play hard, unselfish, and not complain I guarantee I will enjoy next season more then this past one.

Hopefully this last scholarship (and in reality hopefully it's two open scholarships) go to a big guy who can play and contribute right away.

[VUGrad1314]

I don't know... Maybe we are better...

Gordon replaces Javon

Robinson replaces Golder

Ash replaces Micah (unconfirmed)

Zion replaces Bakari

We have a potential Smits replacement

Then we add in our other signings... Maybe we are better...

No more 4 on 5 on offense with Sorolla. No more 4 on 5 on defense with Smits No more awful shot selection by Bakari. I've said it before and I'll say it again: the only player we will miss and will struggle to replace is Javon and to a lesser extent Golder. As for the rest of them? Deuces.

[FieldGoodie05]

VU might lose every game and learn they have a severe lack of talent (I don't believe this will happen)...
But if instead of having to see Bakari wasting possessions, Smits crying after every call, Golder not dribbling with his left or making a selfish play on a fast break, or Sorolla be completely inept on offense I get to see these new guys play hard, unselfish, and not complain I guarantee I will enjoy next season more then this past one.

Hopefully this last scholarship (and in reality hopefully it's two open scholarships) go to a big guy who can play and contribute right away.

I'm on board with seeing these guys compete without crying, undoubtedly.  That alone is worth no Bakari and Smits.

[bbtds]

I'm hearing Zion Morgan has committed to Valpo.

Confirmed:


[tweet]1121112610559135744[/tweet]

I hope Zion isn't lion this time and follows through.

[humbleopinion]

As I imagine sitting in the stands, it will be interesting watching what amounts to a whole new team on the floor.  I see Mileek, Kiser, and Sackey being role players with the lineup. 

I liked some things that I saw from Mileek this year, but he has to play forward.  It was when he was asked to be a backup center that he immediately got into foul trouble.

[FWalum]

I kinda get why the others left, but Sorrolla is a little confusing to me.  Was there ever an explanation on him?  If he's headed back to Europe, then I understand.
But if he transfers to another D1, that seems odd.  Apologies if I missed some obvious news on this.  That's the one that suggested to me that there was some problem with the program.

Sorrolla is being handled (I don't necessarily mean that in a negative Skara way) by the Spanish national team.  This was made very apparent by his trip back to Spain for treatment when he had the ankle injury early in the season. His allegiance there is very understandable because, lets face it, that is where his future in basketball will be determined.  When Smits left and he would no longer be competing on a daily basis against another 7 footer, I speculate that his Spanish coaches probably said, "Hey he has a degree and can transfer without sitting a year, lets see if we can put him in a more competitive situation". If they don't get what they think is a good fit then I suspect he would go back to Spain and play there.  There really is no pressure to do one thing or the other.

[vu72]

What am I missing here?  There's a lot of talk about the team being re-tooled overnight and seemingly improved.  I just don't see it--I think we have taken huge steps backwards.  I want the team to be great and if we needed a culture change, ok, but what has been done that has you guys thinking positively here?

Let me give it a try.  Last year we ended the year starting Sorolla, Freeman, Lavender, Golder and Kiser.  None of them shot 30% from the 3. Ex-Sorolla, no one was taller than 6'5". This year, (presumably) we are much deeper, bringing back our best shooter in Ryan at 6'7" together with Nick Robinson at 6'5", a proven A-10 player, Eron Gordon, one of the highest ranked players out of high school to even come to Valpo and now add Zion, also at 6'5".  We bring in a very good shooting freshman from Canada at 6'7" a First Team Illinois player also at 6'7" as well as a point who can score and a 6'11" guy with soft hands!  At the same time we bring back, with a year of maturity, the fastest guy in the league and of course, reliable John Kiser and...we still have one (maybe two slots open).

So it looks to me like one of the freshman get a start--(my guess is Krikke or Clay) together with probably McMillan, Gordon, Robinson and Fazekas.  We will be deep--very deep. We will have 12 or 13 scholarship players available.  Last year we started with 11, then lost Micah and then Ryan.  That left us with 9 scholarship players.  We can't help but be better.

How's that? 

[ARCInsider]

Not bad, 72.  I've stepped a couple of inches back off the ledge.

[bbtds]

I agree with 72 that there is no need to feel horrible and think the world of Valpo MBB had gone to h*ll. A feeling that over took this message board for a while when several posters thought the coach should be fired because certain players decided to transfer due to their individual situations and kept posting and posting and posting the same thing. It was evident that some of these players transferring we're not team players and only cared about their individual situation which was on display during games.

OTOH, we know very little about how the players coming in will play as a team and what their individual talent will be on the floor. It might be an even worse team than last year. That is possible. But there is no use throwing our hands up and saying "Woe is us, we are horrible and our coach should be fired." That just is not accurate when Valpo MBB could be a good group of team players that truly excel.

Patience is needed to wait out to see in the end what this VUMBB team ends up being.

[wh]

What am I missing here?  There's a lot of talk about the team being re-tooled overnight and seemingly improved.  I just don't see it--I think we have taken huge steps backwards.  I want the team to be great and if we needed a culture change, ok, but what has been done that has you guys thinking positively here?

Let me give it a try.  Last year we ended the year starting Sorolla, Freeman, Lavender, Golder and Kiser.  None of them shot 30% from the 3. Ex-Sorolla, no one was taller than 6'5". This year, (presumably) we are much deeper, bringing back our best shooter in Ryan at 6'7" together with Nick Robinson at 6'5", a proven A-10 player, Eron Gordon, one of the highest ranked players out of high school to even come to Valpo and now add Zion, also at 6'5".  We bring in a very good shooting freshman from Canada at 6'7" a First Team Illinois player also at 6'7" as well as a point who can score and a 6'11" guy with soft hands!  At the same time we bring back, with a year of maturity, the fastest guy in the league and of course, reliable John Kiser and...we still have one (maybe two slots open).

So it looks to me like one of the freshman get a start--(my guess is Krikke or Clay) together with probably McMillan, Gordon, Robinson and Fazekas.  We will be deep--very deep. We will have 12 or 13 scholarship players available.  Last year we started with 11, then lost Micah and then Ryan.  That left us with 9 scholarship players.  We can't help but be better.

How's that? 

I agree with 72 that there is no need to feel horrible and think the world of Valpo MBB had gone to h*ll. A feeling that over took this message board for a while when several posters thought the coach should be fired because certain players decided to transfer due to their individual situations and kept posting and posting and posting the same thing. It was evident that some of these players transferring we're not team players and only cared about their individual situation which was on display during games.

OTOH, we know very little about how the players coming in will play as a team and what their individual talent will be on the floor. It might be an even worse team than last year. That is possible. But there is no use throwing our hands up and saying "Woe is us, we are horrible and our coach should be fired." That just is not accurate when Valpo MBB could be a good group of team players that truly excel.

Patience is needed to wait out to see in the end what this VUMBB team ends up being.

Excellent posts. Logical, reasonable, hopeful.

[Valpo89]

I must say that I was ready to give up on the program, but Matt Lottich's hustling to restore the roster has to be commended.

Now, we will really see if he's a good coach. I'm not sure if I've ever been qualified enough to judge a coach, but if the team is successful this coming season (top 4 in the league, credible performance in MVC tourney) Lottich will probably be a candidate for conference coach of the year.

On the other hand, if they suck again, we'll be back to where we were all feeling about 3-4 weeks ago.

[crusaderjoe]

If we land a seasoned big as part of this recruiting effort the guy needs to change his name from Matt Lottich to Matt Lazarus with his resurrection of personnel.

[IndyValpo]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26530279/college-basketball-transfer-rankings-2019-20-2020-21

We should be all in on #10 though that would seem unlikely. A more likely choice is #40 he started at Drake.

[bigmosmithfan1]

The landing of Zion is a good and hopeful sign. But let's be clear, there are no excuses left for Lottich. This is now entirely his roster. NCAA tourney or bust next year. Win and win now, or make a change before we are fully dragged into the muck of long-term mediocrity.

[SanityLost17]

I keep going back to the fact that Lavender was a very solid player for us last year after being a relative nobody at every stop along the way before putting on a Valpo uniform.  Seriously, we kept him from going D2 because nobody really wanted him.   

Perhaps he was just a guy that truly bought in to what Lottich was selling while many of the others did not. 

The question is....  Are all the new faces Lavender type guys?   Lavender was not a super athlete, wasn't all that fast, not a great shooter, was an average ball handler, yet he still found ways to make the team better.

Also, we need Lavender type guys that can shoot.  Because yeah, that was our biggest problem last year.  I don't care how hard the team tries, if they can't hit shots it doesn't matter.

In fact, I would say if Golder decided to return to the team he may find he plays better being surrounded by teammates with a common mission all bought into the goals of the team.   Because I like Golder, I think he was negatively influenced by players like Bakari.   

[vu72]

http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/26530279/college-basketball-transfer-rankings-2019-20-2020-21

We should be all in on #10 though that would seem unlikely. A more likely choice is #40 he started at Drake.

I'd be thrilled if we could get the big from Northwestern, a Chicago kid.

[VUBBFan]

If we would land a decent BIG, I could see us having a very interesting season. On paper we're pretty solid except at center.

Hopefully with our last spot we can get someone like the transfer from Northwestern (Benson), Skogman from Milwaukee that we have an offer on the table for, or the kid Prosper who is visiting us.


If we could get anyone of those, I would be very happy and excited for the upcoming season.

[VU2014]

I keep going back to the fact that Lavender was a very solid player for us last year after being a relative nobody at every stop along the way before putting on a Valpo uniform.  Seriously, we kept him from going D2 because nobody really wanted him.   

Perhaps he was just a guy that truly bought in to what Lottich was selling while many of the others did not. 

The question is....  Are all the new faces Lavender type guys?   Lavender was not a super athlete, wasn't all that fast, not a great shooter, was an average ball handler, yet he still found ways to make the team better.

Also, we need Lavender type guys that can shoot.  Because yeah, that was our biggest problem last year.  I don't care how hard the team tries, if they can't hit shots it doesn't matter.

In fact, I would say if Golder decided to return to the team he may find he plays better being surrounded by teammates with a common mission all bought into the goals of the team.   Because I like Golder, I think he was negatively influenced by players like Bakari.   

Golder isn't coming back from what I hear. He also deleted Valpo basketball from his twitter profile

[VU2014]

If we would land a decent BIG, I could see us having a very interesting season. On paper we're pretty solid except at center.

Hopefully with our last spot we can get someone like the transfer from Northwestern (Benson), Skogman from Milwaukee that we have an offer on the table for, or the kid Prosper who is visiting us.


If we could get anyone of those, I would be very happy and excited for the upcoming season.

Are we actually linked to benson by a credible source? The only person I've heard say Benson's name was that one MVC Hoops twitter account.

[bbtds]

I keep going back to the fact that Lavender was a very solid player for us last year after being a relative nobody at every stop along the way before putting on a Valpo uniform.  Seriously, we kept him from going D2 because nobody really wanted him.   

Perhaps he was just a guy that truly bought in to what Lottich was selling while many of the others did not. 

The question is....  Are all the new faces Lavender type guys?   Lavender was not a super athlete, wasn't all that fast, not a great shooter, was an average ball handler, yet he still found ways to make the team better.

Also, we need Lavender type guys that can shoot.  Because yeah, that was our biggest problem last year.  I don't care how hard the team tries, if they can't hit shots it doesn't matter.

In fact, I would say if Golder decided to return to the team he may find he plays better being surrounded by teammates with a common mission all bought into the goals of the team.   Because I like Golder, I think he was negatively influenced by players like Bakari.   

Golder isn't coming back from what I hear. He also deleted Valpo basketball from his twitter profile

I heard Golder was at the softball double header with Indiana State. He didn't last long on a cold windy day, most of the crowd was wearing polar vortex gear, but he did show for a while.

[wh]

I keep going back to the fact that Lavender was a very solid player for us last year after being a relative nobody at every stop along the way before putting on a Valpo uniform.  Seriously, we kept him from going D2 because nobody really wanted him.   

Perhaps he was just a guy that truly bought in to what Lottich was selling while many of the others did not. 

The question is....  Are all the new faces Lavender type guys?   Lavender was not a super athlete, wasn't all that fast, not a great shooter, was an average ball handler, yet he still found ways to make the team better.

Also, we need Lavender type guys that can shoot.  Because yeah, that was our biggest problem last year.  I don't care how hard the team tries, if they can't hit shots it doesn't matter.

In fact, I would say if Golder decided to return to the team he may find he plays better being surrounded by teammates with a common mission all bought into the goals of the team.   Because I like Golder, I think he was negatively influenced by players like Bakari.   

Golder isn't coming back from what I hear. He also deleted Valpo basketball from his twitter profile

I heard Golder was at the softball double header with Indiana State. He didn't last long on a cold windy day, most of the crowd was wearing polar vortex gear, but he did show for a while.

It's hard to even guess what he thinks he's going to get with another program that he didn't already have at Valpo. He's an average shooter, at best. His penetration moves are predictable and easy to stop. I can't imagine many D-1 programs are beating down his door. The more we're learning about how long the coaching staff has been pursuing new recruits for openings "that didn't exist," the more I'm thinking that Golder leaving was a mutual decision. It happens all the time at higher level programs and no one gives it a second thought.

[VUBBFan]

If we would land a decent BIG, I could see us having a very interesting season. On paper we're pretty solid except at center. Hopefully with our last spot we can get someone like the transfer from Northwestern (Benson), Skogman from Milwaukee that we have an offer on the table for, or the kid Prosper who is visiting us. If we could get anyone of those, I would be very happy and excited for the upcoming season.

Are we actually linked to benson by a credible source? The only person I've heard say Benson's name was that one MVC Hoops twitter account.

That's the source I'm relying on. It is usually very reliable. Think its a long shot that I won't hold my breath on it happening, but I think it would be a good get for us


https://twitter.com/hoops_mvc/status/1120908855456800768

[SanityLost17]

I keep going back to the fact that Lavender was a very solid player for us last year after being a relative nobody at every stop along the way before putting on a Valpo uniform.  Seriously, we kept him from going D2 because nobody really wanted him.   

Perhaps he was just a guy that truly bought in to what Lottich was selling while many of the others did not. 

The question is....  Are all the new faces Lavender type guys?   Lavender was not a super athlete, wasn't all that fast, not a great shooter, was an average ball handler, yet he still found ways to make the team better.

Also, we need Lavender type guys that can shoot.  Because yeah, that was our biggest problem last year.  I don't care how hard the team tries, if they can't hit shots it doesn't matter.

In fact, I would say if Golder decided to return to the team he may find he plays better being surrounded by teammates with a common mission all bought into the goals of the team.   Because I like Golder, I think he was negatively influenced by players like Bakari.   

Golder isn't coming back from what I hear. He also deleted Valpo basketball from his twitter profile

I heard Golder was at the softball double header with Indiana State. He didn't last long on a cold windy day, most of the crowd was wearing polar vortex gear, but he did show for a while.

It's hard to even guess what he thinks he's going to get with another program that he didn't already have at Valpo. He's an average shooter, at best. His penetration moves are predictable and easy to stop. I can't imagine many D-1 programs are beating down his door. The more we're learning about how long the coaching staff has been pursuing new recruits for openings "that didn't exist," the more I'm thinking that Golder leaving was a mutual decision. It happens all the time at higher level programs and no one gives it a second thought.

I wouldn't go as far as to say it was mutual, since Lottich made Golder the face of the program at media day for the MVC prior to the start of the season.   But I have a feeling Lottich knew a lot of players were unhappy and as the season went on that unhappiness grew and spread, much like the average fan unhappiness did.

I do agree that several players who have transferred may find themselves at a lower level D1 program as the game of musical chairs does not end in their favor.   I think Smits/Freeman will find good homes and will have good success.    Golder is a toss up.   No way Bakari finds what he is looking for.  Same with Sorolla.  Both would do well to land at the best team in lower level league so that they can have a chance to make the NCAA tourney.   

[EddieCabot]

I keep going back to the fact that Lavender was a very solid player for us last year after being a relative nobody at every stop along the way before putting on a Valpo uniform.  Seriously, we kept him from going D2 because nobody really wanted him.   

Perhaps he was just a guy that truly bought in to what Lottich was selling while many of the others did not. 

The question is....  Are all the new faces Lavender type guys?   Lavender was not a super athlete, wasn't all that fast, not a great shooter, was an average ball handler, yet he still found ways to make the team better.

Also, we need Lavender type guys that can shoot.  Because yeah, that was our biggest problem last year.  I don't care how hard the team tries, if they can't hit shots it doesn't matter.

In fact, I would say if Golder decided to return to the team he may find he plays better being surrounded by teammates with a common mission all bought into the goals of the team.   Because I like Golder, I think he was negatively influenced by players like Bakari.   

Golder isn't coming back from what I hear. He also deleted Valpo basketball from his twitter profile

I heard Golder was at the softball double header with Indiana State. He didn't last long on a cold windy day, most of the crowd was wearing polar vortex gear, but he did show for a while.

It's hard to even guess what he thinks he's going to get with another program that he didn't already have at Valpo. He's an average shooter, at best. His penetration moves are predictable and easy to stop. I can't imagine many D-1 programs are beating down his door. The more we're learning about how long the coaching staff has been pursuing new recruits for openings "that didn't exist," the more I'm thinking that Golder leaving was a mutual decision. It happens all the time at higher level programs and no one gives it a second thought.

Seeing how quickly open spots have been filled, its fairly obvious that Lottich was planning to clean house at the end of the season.  Out with the malcontents and guys recruited for the Horizon League and in with some MVC level talent.

[GoldenCrusader87]

I'd love to see Jayce Johnson