Javon Freeman is transferring...(Bakari as well)

[vu72]

Couldn't disagree with you more. Javon is a stud. Valpo blew it.

Perhaps.  Just how could we have done something different?  Given him more playing time?  Nope, led the team in minutes played.  Given him a starting position?  Nope. Started every game in a Valpo uniform. Ha da air-conditioned practice facility?  Nope, have one. Had padded chairbacks for his uncle?  I doubt it. Gotten to the NCAAs?  Maybe, but then his "star" would have blinded all of us and for sure he would have left.

[VUGrad1314]

Either way the best part of this program's future as things stand right now just walked out the door and all we get for being upset that the coach has clearly lost the team and calls for substantive action to address clear issues with the program is accusations that we're trying to sabotage the program. We're not the one who took a shot at JFL on the way out the door. How does that look to recruits: be blindly loyal or we'll take pot shots at you when you leave. So many of you forget that I was actually a SUPPORTER of Lottich until last month. What changed my mind? Facts and evidence. As for our financial/commitment/facility issues it's easy to ignore or overlook them and not let them bother you when you're winning in spite of that but when you're not it just magnifies everything that much more. Winning and culture was all we could sell to recruits We're losing and players are leaving so we don't have a lot to sell them on If you don't think potential recruits notice what's going on here and what a bad look it is for us you're kidding yourself. Sorry I was raised in an era and on a culture of excellence in Valpo athletics and expect--demand--nothing less. Sorry I have expectations. Sorry I'm not an old guard graduate from back when athletics were a punchline and our teams were punching bags. Sorry I'm not willing to see the team go down that path again and smile and be content about it like some of you seem to be.

[bbtds]

Sorry I'm not willing to see the team go down that path again and smile and be content about it like some of you seem to be.

If you really think we are in any way content with Valpo having a record like we did in Homer's early years you are really not paying attention. I don't know if Matt Lottich is a winning coach and he very well could be gone after next season. I believe we all won't be satisfied until Valpo gets to the Big Dance on a regular basis of once in about every 4 to 6 years.

I think Matt deserves a chance to get new players that will buy into his system. These players that are transferring obviously did not buy in and there were key injuries. Boot him after next year if it still doesn't work to make a big improvement on the record. 4 to 6 games better. 18 to 20 wins. 5th place or better in the Valley and 2 wins or better in Arch Madness.

[VUOR63]

So, these guys all committed to Valpo, played basketball and took some classes and then jetted when the institution didn't suit their immediate needs anymore.  Did they spend any time developing relationships at Valpo?  How much of the team's poor culture was due to the departing players and how much was due to the coach?  I have no idea but usually in separations like this the fault you fail to assess is your own.  I will be curious to see how it works out for the transfers.  I hope they are successful (since they are young men with their professional lives ahead of them) but typically when you start chasing success, you end up with something less.  Maybe if these guys weren't fully bought in to the University, they are right to leave and open up spots for guys who want to take advantage of a Christian education while representing the institution on the basketball court.

[Just Sayin]

Couldn't disagree with you more. Javon is a stud. Valpo blew it.

Perhaps.  Just how could we have done something different?  Given him more playing time?  Nope, led the team in minutes played.  Given him a starting position?  Nope. Started every game in a Valpo uniform. Ha da air-conditioned practice facility?  Nope, have one. Had padded chairbacks for his uncle?  I doubt it. Gotten to the NCAAs?  Maybe, but then his "star" would have blinded all of us and for sure he would have left.

Give him a good coach in whom he has confidence to help him develop and become the best player possible.

As Javon said:

"I just wanted to reach my full potential and give myself an opportunity to better myself,"

He obviously did not think Valpo was the place or Lottich was the coach to give him that opportunity.

And when asked about Lottich's response, he said:

I told Coach (Matt) Lottich a couple days ago and he was shocked. It's a chance for me to better myself."

Lottich didn't have a clue Freeman felt this way. Why not? Case closed.

[valpo64]

Lets wait for the smoke to  clear before passing final judgement.  Lets face it, both D S and B E had attitude problems as was evidenced many times over this past season.  Any surprise those 2 left?  I don't think so.  While the Freeman thing may have come as a surprise, please do not compare his attitude/commitment/coachability/dedication to VU and the program/ and focus to better one's self with those same traits in Bryce and Alec.  While both Javon and Alec had pro careers in mind when they first set their feet on campus, their approaches were very different togofor their goals.  Don't forget that when AP explored the pro draft, he was told to stay at Valpo and not to transfer.  Lets face  it, we were spoiled watching B and A lead and carry our program for the years they were at VU.  They don't get any better than Bryce and Alec.  That comment is not a criticism of Javon but it is made to show the differences in these student athletes.  So let's move on...we lost one very good player in Javon and 2 others who may or may not have had some negative effect on the "team" concept.  Hopefully next season the holes will be filled with quality young men who are good athletes and those who will become eligible next season will also be quality additions to the squad and make significant contributions to our success in 2019-20.

[JD24]

Short answer is nobody has any idea why these guys transferred. It could be all for the same reason or it could be for individual reasons which have nothing to do with each other.

Transferring has become a "thing". It's like high schoolers putting on the hat on signing day. It makes them feel better about themselves while others may have a different opinion about how it looks after the 500th time we see it. Kids transfer because of sometimes minor issues. Kids transfer because other kids are transferring and they don't want to miss out even if they aren't transferring to the same school.

So I wouldn't be jumping to any conclusions about what the why's on what is happening.

[talksalot]

UMKC Athletics 3-17-2019

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Missouri-Kansas City has decided to part ways with men's basketball head coach Kareem Richardson.

Director of Athletics Brandon E. Martin, Ph.D., made the announcement Sunday.

"We have decided to move in a different direction with our men's basketball program consistent with our overall goal of comprehensive excellence," Martin said. "I am thankful for Coach Richardson's service to the UMKC men's basketball program for the past six seasons."

Richardson was hired in March 2013 after serving as an assistant coach on Louisville's national championship team that year. He had previously worked as an assistant coach at Drake, Evansville, Indiana State and Xavier, as well as a previous stint as an assistant at UMKC. He compiled an overall won-lost record of 75-118 as UMKC's head coach.

"We will be expeditious but thorough in our search for the next leader of our men's basketball program," Martin said.

and since that release...UMKC Departures...

3/20/2019 - JUCO SG Rob Whitfield (6-3, 175, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2018 PF Will Mangum (6-7, 195, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2016 SF Brandon Suggs (6-8, 220, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2018 SG Kenny Strawbridge (6-4, 190, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2017 PG Marco Smith (6-2, 165, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - JUCO PF Jamel Allen (6-7, 210, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2017 PG Steve Dulley (6-3, 200, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2016 SF Jordan Giles (6-7, 225, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/19/2019 - 2016 PG Xavier Bishop (5-8, 150, 2★) will be transferring.

[Just Sayin]

https://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=3404.msg113730#msg113730

Two completely different circumstances. Not even close to being comparable.

[mj]

Comparing our program to UMKC isn't the best defense.

[justducky]

Short answer is nobody has any idea why these guys transferred. It could be all for the same reason or it could be for individual reasons which have nothing to do with each other.

I think your later case is highly unlikely. Most kids still have enough group respect, institutional respect and coaching respect that you can mold them towards common goals. Individual thinking that undermines long standing relationships is never an easy decision to make. There is a great chance that a hushed debate has been ongoing for weeks or longer.

Can individual, me-first thinking also be selfish? Absolutely and I don't mind pointing out the obvious.

[wh]

UMKC Athletics 3-17-2019

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The University of Missouri-Kansas City has decided to part ways with men's basketball head coach Kareem Richardson.

Director of Athletics Brandon E. Martin, Ph.D., made the announcement Sunday.

"We have decided to move in a different direction with our men's basketball program consistent with our overall goal of comprehensive excellence," Martin said. "I am thankful for Coach Richardson's service to the UMKC men's basketball program for the past six seasons."

Richardson was hired in March 2013 after serving as an assistant coach on Louisville's national championship team that year. He had previously worked as an assistant coach at Drake, Evansville, Indiana State and Xavier, as well as a previous stint as an assistant at UMKC. He compiled an overall won-lost record of 75-118 as UMKC's head coach.

"We will be expeditious but thorough in our search for the next leader of our men's basketball program," Martin said.

and since that release...UMKC Departures...

3/20/2019 - JUCO SG Rob Whitfield (6-3, 175, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2018 PF Will Mangum (6-7, 195, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2016 SF Brandon Suggs (6-8, 220, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2018 SG Kenny Strawbridge (6-4, 190, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2017 PG Marco Smith (6-2, 165, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - JUCO PF Jamel Allen (6-7, 210, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2017 PG Steve Dulley (6-3, 200, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/20/2019 - 2016 SF Jordan Giles (6-7, 225, 2★) will be transferring. - Per Jeff Goodman, Stadium
3/19/2019 - 2016 PG Xavier Bishop (5-8, 150, 2★) will be transferring.

UMKC is like a store manager who makes a bunch of hiring mistakes. The store performs badly, the manager gets fired, and for whatever reason the slugs he hired decide to take their services elsewhere.

[crusader05]

UNCW is up to 5 transfers at this point as well I just saw.

[GoldenCrusader87]

Why are we comparing our situation in which all these players are leaving BEFORE OR WITHOUT the coach being fired

Vs

Their situation where the coach WAS FIRED and THEN the players transferred??

[FieldGoodie05]

Why are we comparing our situation in which all these players are leaving BEFORE OR WITHOUT the coach being fired

Vs

Their situation where the coach WAS FIRED and THEN the players transferred??

This is an outstanding point if UMKC transfer-gate was from a firing.  My concern lies with why Golder and Freeman left despite no coach turnover.

Lottich has two whopping black eyes if this number stays at 4 or grows.  Drake and Evansville recruited (reloaded) with recruits who bought into a new HC vision, they didn't have to defend 1/3 of their team transferring out from their established tenure.  This is a minor concern of mine as it pertains to attracting immediate talent for the next two years only.

As long as the media cycle has time to pack google news on Valpo MBB with other positive stories in that time, most prospective recruits won't click on page 17 of Valpo MBB news.

[JD24]

Short answer is nobody has any idea why these guys transferred. It could be all for the same reason or it could be for individual reasons which have nothing to do with each other.

I think your later case is highly unlikely. Most kids still have enough group respect, institutional respect and coaching respect that you can mold them towards common goals. Individual thinking that undermines long standing relationships is never an easy decision to make. There is a great chance that a hushed debate has been ongoing for weeks or longer. Can individual, me-first thinking also be selfish? Absolutely and I don't mind pointing out the obvious.

It's not at all far fetched, to me at least, that Smits is leaving because he feels he can get more exposure at a bigger program on what he feels is a path to the NBA, Freeman leaving because he doesn't feel the program is providing him the proper path to his NBA career and I suspect he has an overinflated opinion of his abilities. Bakari is leaving because of the coach and Golder is leaving because Bakari is leaving and if he's tranferrin' I'm transferrin'.

[vu72]

This is going to read like sour grapes, but here it goes.  Javon was a fine player.  I don't think he was a program changer as some on here think.  I just looked at Tevonn's freshman year and found similar results.

Javon:  Minutes played 31.2  FG %: 45.2  3 pt %: 28.9  FT%: 69.3  Rebounds: 4.3  Scoring: 11.0  66 assts, 53 tos and 60 steals

Tevonn: Minutes played 27.1 FG%: 44.4  3 pt %: 34.2  FT%: 71.8  Rebounds: 3.4   Scoring: 10.3  60 assts, 56 tos and 26 steals.

Very similar.  The difference?  Tevonn played on a team loaded with good players.  Javon was relied on to make thing happen so he had the ball in his hands much more.  Will we miss him?  Certainly.  Can he be replaced?  Yes.

[a3uge]

This is going to read like sour grapes, but here it goes.  Javon was a fine player.  I don't think he was a program changer as some on here think.  I just looked at Tevonn's freshman year and found similar results.

Javon:  Minutes played 31.2  FG %: 45.2  3 pt %: 28.9  FT%: 69.3  Rebounds: 4.3  Scoring: 11.0  66 assts, 53 tos and 60 steals

Tevonn: Minutes played 27.1 FG%: 44.4  3 pt %: 34.2  FT%: 71.8  Rebounds: 3.4   Scoring: 10.3  60 assts, 56 tos and 26 steals.

Very similar.  The difference?  Tevonn played on a team loaded with good players.  Javon was relied on to make thing happen so he had the ball in his hands much more.  Will we miss him?  Certainly.  Can he be replaced?  Yes.

Javon's defense is outstanding, but I don't think he has the ability to take over a game on offense in the half court. Valpo was bad in conference because nobody on the team could shoot. Javon was part of this problem. His defense and transition offense will be missed, but like I've said all year, he was never going to be a program altering player.

Will the coaching staff be able to replace him with a similar caliber recruit with the empty scholarships? That's the big question.

[Just Sayin]

This is going to read like sour grapes, but here it goes.  Javon was a fine player.  I don't think he was a program changer as some on here think.  I just looked at Tevonn's freshman year and found similar results.

Javon:  Minutes played 31.2  FG %: 45.2  3 pt %: 28.9  FT%: 69.3  Rebounds: 4.3  Scoring: 11.0  66 assts, 53 tos and 60 steals

Tevonn: Minutes played 27.1 FG%: 44.4  3 pt %: 34.2  FT%: 71.8  Rebounds: 3.4   Scoring: 10.3  60 assts, 56 tos and 26 steals.

Very similar.  The difference?  Tevonn played on a team loaded with good players.  Javon was relied on to make thing happen so he had the ball in his hands much more.  Will we miss him?  Certainly.  Can he be replaced?  Yes.

Keep comparing Tevonn to Javon. Get back to us in about six years. Compare their career paths. I suspect that it is Tevonn who "has an overinflated  (sic) opinion of his abilities."

[mj]

if he's tranferrin' I'm transferrin'.

This doesn't come across well.

[vu72]

Will the coaching staff be able to replace him with a similar caliber recruit with the empty scholarships? That's the big question.

Let's hope that Donovan Clay keeps his verbal.  My guess is he will make us all (except Just Sayin  ) forget Javon.  The kid is a great defender, can shoot it, play several spots and is 4 or 5 inches taller.  Just sayin...

[wh]

Will the coaching staff be able to replace him with a similar caliber recruit with the empty scholarships? That's the big question.

Let's hope that Donovan Clay keeps his verbal.  My guess is he will make us all (except Just Sayin  ) forget Javon.  The kid is a great defender, can shoot it, play several spots and is 4 or 5 inches taller.  Just sayin...

This doesn't come across well 

[a3uge]

Will the coaching staff be able to replace him with a similar caliber recruit with the empty scholarships? That's the big question.

Let's hope that Donovan Clay keeps his verbal.  My guess is he will make us all (except Just Sayin  ) forget Javon.  The kid is a great defender, can shoot it, play several spots and is 4 or 5 inches taller.  Just sayin...

Hopefully Lottich is watching the tournament and starts prioritizing offense. Belmont, Wofford, and Murray State are top 10 in fg% and all shoot the 3 really well. Buffalo is also a top 5 offense.

It's really difficult to win tournament games without shooting well. It also makes for a more exciting product. The team last year was incredibly boring.

[JD24]

This is going to read like sour grapes, but here it goes.  Javon was a fine player.  I don't think he was a program changer as some on here think.  I just looked at Tevonn's freshman year and found similar results. Javon:  Minutes played 31.2  FG %: 45.2  3 pt %: 28.9  FT%: 69.3  Rebounds: 4.3  Scoring: 11.0  66 assts, 53 tos and 60 steals Tevonn: Minutes played 27.1 FG%: 44.4  3 pt %: 34.2  FT%: 71.8  Rebounds: 3.4   Scoring: 10.3  60 assts, 56 tos and 26 steals. Very similar.  The difference?  Tevonn played on a team loaded with good players.  Javon was relied on to make thing happen so he had the ball in his hands much more.  Will we miss him?  Certainly.  Can he be replaced?  Yes.

Keep comparing Tevonn to Javon. Get back to us in about six years. Compare their career paths. I suspect that it is Tevonn who "has an overinflated  (sic) opinion of his abilities."

Come on man. Give credit where it is due. VU72 laid out his opinion with statistics. I fired off the quote you used.

Freeman's a good player. Long way to go offensively. Above average defensively. He'll have to improve his shot in a major way to be what he and you believe he is.

[JD24]

if he's tranferrin' I'm transferrin'.

This doesn't come across well.

In what way?