Transfers

[elephtheria47]

Couple of thoughts the day after:

-I wonder how much not being able to really have a fall practice season or out of conference tourneys had an impact on the high number of transfers. There wasn't really many "bonding" opportunities this season to connect to your fellow teammates and even travel accommodations, hotel arrangements, and food were done with social distancing/limiting the spread in mind.

-Along those lines, how many want to be closer to home. If teams allowed "friends and family " into the games but your family lives 8+ hours away, I can imagine it'd be tough to see other team members getting to see their families while you don't and thinking about transferring closer back home so it could happen.

-im curious to see if the NCAA grants another immediate waiver eligibility or if the first time transfer eligibility happens. Otherwise some of these players could be out of normal/standard basketball for two full seasons. Will teams be willing to have someone use up a scholarship this upcoming season? (Which may make sense  for teams who have a player coming back for their "extra " year)?

[crusader05]

I think two things can be true:

1. Valpo needs to do more to retain its players and it's on the coaching staff and AD to figure it out. There are always going to be individual reasons that make sense for any player to transfer but but where are the reasons to stay and why are they not canceling them out. We can't control for everything but we can control for some things and whether we learn and get better is important and needs to happen.

2. This season really does have a LOT of compounding factors that may make it hard to truly assess what's going on. Two years ago we had a bunch but it also seemed that the coach was aware there were issues and the year after they had the "one team, one boat" mentality that led to better play and a conference run and the transfer of only one, a star player who clearly had people in his ear urging him to leave and the skill set that was always going to make him a transfer risk. Now we have this year with 7. Was last year the fluke or was this year just a lot of stuff that we weren't fully prepared for or aren't ideally suited to weather. There are a lot of factors encouraging transfers this year and I think that actually transferring successfully is going to be a lot harder over the next two years while the caps on scholarships shake out.

[oklahomamick]

One year before the invite, Loyola made a huge facelift on the basketball facility.  I could not find how much it costs but there are significant upgrades.  Loyola has also done something to be able to keep the coach.   

[VALPO LI]

These are all great questions that are being asked by the Valpo fans and enthusiasts but I feel there is a lot of speculation.
Anyone have the means of putting these questions in front of the powers to be that would shed some light on the current situation before the majority of fans loose their minds?

[valpopal]

One year before the invite, Loyola made a huge facelift on the basketball facility.  I could not find how much it costs but there are significant upgrades.  Loyola has also done something to be able to keep the coach.

About 20 years ago I was a faculty senator and I proposed that the university needed to create a longterm plan to elevate and promote men's basketball as its flagship sport that could create national attention. The burst of publicity from Bryce's shot and the Sweet Sixteen run three years earlier had died down, and I was concerned that nothing substantial had been done to capitalize on the event. Gonzaga had just appeared in the Sweet Sixteen two straight years and were on their way to a 29-win season at the time. They also were making the most of their success, recognizing the importance of their basketball program as an asset to the university. They were beginning plans to build a new arena as a down payment toward future investments and to establish stability. I recommended that the university form a committee to examine the success at Gonzaga (a religious institution with roughly the same number of students as Valpo then) and emulate some of their practices. I don't have to detail for you the negative responses to my proposal. Since then, Gonzaga has appeared in the NCAA tournament more than 20 straight years and they are currently ranked number 1. The return on investment for their university has been enormous. On the other hand, we can see what has happened at Valpo. Four years ago, I renewed my call for an examination of the longterm success of the basketball program at Valpo with a hope to exploit publicity surrounding entrance into the MVC. Again, nothing substantial has happened. 

[oklahomamick]

It kills me seeing ORU in the Sweet 16.  We missed our chance to capitalize on our Sweet 16 and then missed the chance when we pulled off 5 of 6 HL championships and an invite to the MVC. 

[mj]

We missed our chance to capitalize on our Sweet 16 and then missed the chance when we pulled off 5 of 6 HL championships and an invite to the MVC.

Hard to realize at the time, when you're living in the glory days. We used our HL success to move into the MVC. Maybe we could have done more, but we didn't completely squander things.

Also, there are a lot of what if's for a few of those Valpo teams. What if Keith Carter makes that 3 at the buzzer and we beat Maryland in 2015? What if we make the tournament in 2016? How far does that team go? What if the wheels don't fall off in 2017 and we play all year with Jubril? What if Keith Carter plays a 5th year in 2017? 

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/coachmcmurray/status/1374427629109932037?s=21

[Just Sayin]

 

They are finally starting to get it.

[VUGrad1314]

They are finally starting to get it.

What do you mean?

[Just Sayin]

They are finally starting to get it.

What do you mean?

Those who have been in denial about Matt.

[crusadermoe]

I'm proud to be a "denier" and speak for Lottich and LaBarbera.  Krikke is their best player and is staying at Valpo unless I missed something.  Everyone else but Clay had some big holes in their game. 

Someone put their finger on an issue that strikes me as critical. I've never met Lottich, but he is perceived to be very competitive and focused.  Perhaps he is not that relatable or fun. I don't know.  But in either case I think his job is more difficult by poor campus culture.  You have tumbleweeds blowing through a huge overbuilt campus even without COVID, a quiet small town dark winter vibe, and a campus culture that seems very uninterested in sports.  I personally learned from the CoVID games on TV that sports really aren't an exciting concept if there are not a lot of people enjoying a game experience with you. Bouncing a ball around and throwing it in a hoop or across an end zone in an empty building doesn't mean much if you aren't sharing the experience with friends or classmates.  And if no one on campus cares a wit outside the games that can't be much fun either. 

[AB]

It's clear that Lottich and co have done a nice job of recruiting talented enough players to compete in the Valley, (Donovan, JFL, JO, Krike etc..) maybe not consistent title games, but we did get to one last year. Yes their have been some recruiting misses, but what program doesn't. As Horizon league members we were the better team than Loyola, defeated Missouri State four straight times (badly 3 of them) and spanked Drake by like 20 in the Music City challenge  So clearly we had enough talent to go against the MVC teams then (small sample size) and now. Landing the talent hasn't been the issue at Valpo, keeping them is the issue for a variety of reasons. Yes many many teams have transfers, but Valpo has had more than it should of late. Companies have employees leave all the time, but in general low turnover it isn't always about the pay. Job satisfaction etc.. What's clear, Loyola, Drake, Northern Iowa are not having a lot of transfers. Why is that? Is Lottich a better evaluator of talent then Bryce? Did Bryce and staff develop players from start to finish better? Did he have as many transfer?  More importantly, managing player personalities in practice, figuring out how to talk to each player one on one, defining roles on the court, getting players to execute and trust that roll. Since none of us are in practice we have no idea how Lottich's personalty and coaching style mesh with the players on and off the court. Remember how Bryce cleverly worked E Victor Nickerson into a Point guard role. He looked comfortable in that role and the team seemed to trust that decision. No attempts to cast aspersions on the current staff or insinuate Bryce did a better job with different players. Just have more questions than answers.

[JBC1824]

I'm proud to be a "denier" and speak for Lottich and LaBarbera.  Krikke is their best player and is staying at Valpo unless I missed something.  Everyone else but Clay had some big holes in their game. 

Someone put their finger on an issue that strikes me as critical. I've never met Lottich, but he is perceived to be very competitive and focused.  Perhaps he is not that relatable or fun. I don't know.  But in either case I think his job is more difficult by poor campus culture.  You have tumbleweeds blowing through a huge overbuilt campus even without COVID, a quiet small town dark winter vibe, and a campus culture that seems very uninterested in sports.  I personally learned from the CoVID games on TV that sports really aren't an exciting concept if there are not a lot of people enjoying a game experience with you. Bouncing a ball around and throwing it in a hoop or across an end zone in an empty building doesn't mean much if you aren't sharing the experience with friends or classmates.  And if no one on campus cares a wit outside the games that can't be much fun either. 

Honestly, this is just a terrible comment.

Krikke and Clay don't have holes in their games? Krikke is a big man, who cannot rebound. Clay is primarily a perimeter player, who cannot shoot. There are very obviously glaring holes in both of Krikke and Clay's games. A simple look at their stats bears that out nicely.

And suggesting as long as a program doesn't lose its best player to transfer, then everything is hunky-dory, is completely asinine. How will a team develop its best players of the future if it consistently loses good, young players, like JO, to transfer. This is simply unsustainable if winning is the eventual goal. Furthermore, Valpo did lose its best player to transfer just a year ago. Or did you already forget?

Lottich is perceived as being competitive and focused? Says who? Anyway, such qualities should be an absolute baseline for any collegiate coach, of any sport, at any level -- let alone the D1 coach of a mens basketball program having NCAA tournament aspirations. It is not enough if Lottich is competitive and focused. He has proven to be a loser, which is the only thing that really matters.

His job is made more difficult by an unenthused campus culture, a quiet small town dark vibe? You have got to be kidding me. Well, given these evidently insurmountable obstacles perhaps Valpo should just give up, scrap the mens bball program completely. In fact, lets do away with athletics all together. Clearly athletes cannot compete in such an environment...

[valpo64]

If I didn't know better I would have thought that this was the same blog like the old IU fans had talking about Bob Knight after he left Indiana.  It is over,  Bryce is gone.  Get a life folks...I am tired of hearing about Bryce Drew.   

[valpotx]

I see 11 transfers in the portal that are 7'0" or greater.  I am sure that there is no competition for their services...

[vok22]

We finally get a transfer into Valpo...6'5 G/F grad transfer from Winona State. Averaged 20.5 ppg and shot 34% from three. Per Paul Orens twitter. Interesting to see what his role would be. 21 ppg is no joke no matter what level.

[crusader05]

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1375121660098002951

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1375122244846899205

[oklahomamick]

http://www.oudaily.com/sports/ou-football-sooner-guard-trey-phipps-enters-ncaa-transfer-portal/article_f4a6beb2-8d78-11eb-988d-a73d4855ddc3.html

Valpo needs shooters.  Trey can hit the 3 ball, its in his name.  He was a former student of mine and played with All-American Bryce Thompson who is at KU'.  As a kid, Trey has been to the ARC many times.  His father was on staff at ORU and Trey would accompany him to Valpo most years.  He has a lot of respect for Valpo (prior to ML years).

[elephtheria47]

Well that's a start.

6'5" 220. Good size. 35/104 on 3s over 13 games for about 3 a game. Had 12 steals on the season (1/game) but noticed he also had 35 turnovers.

Always a spot on the team for someone who can bomb away.

[crusader05]

and a grad transfer using his extra year with us so we won't have to worry about him taking a scholarship cap.

[JD24]

We finally get a transfer into Valpo...6'5 G/F grad transfer from Winona State. Averaged 20.5 ppg and shot 34% from three. Per Paul Orens twitter. Interesting to see what his role would be. 21 ppg is no joke no matter what level.

35% and 39% behind the arc the last two years and over 85% from the free throw line the last two years. Verbal which I hope sticks.

[valpotx]

Much needed veteran presence for 1 season, which was a dire need.  We've seen other schools have great success with top D2 players transferring up.  I will hope for the same here!

[AlecPeters101]

Honestly wouldn't be that frustrated with this off-season if it wasn't for what I heard about lottich and Jacob transferring. Even what I head about Matt could be passed over if it wasn't for Jacob. Everyone transferring besides Jacob and Donavon were role players so it's whatever. Donavon could be an anomaly. Losing a talented freshman fuckkk1ng hurts though.

[valpotx]

Honestly wouldn't be that frustrated with this off-season if it wasn't for what I heard about lottich and Jacob transferring. Even what I head about Matt could be passed over if it wasn't for Jacob. Everyone transferring besides Jacob and Donavon were role players so it's whatever. Donavon could be an anomaly. Losing a talented freshman fuckkk1ng hurts though.

We should wait to hear what the reason is for JO transferring, before we cast judgment on Lottich.