Valpo vs. Loyola Game Thread, Mon., Dec. 30, 2019, 7:00 p.m. CT

[VUGrad1314]

Apparently, no one listened to Todd's postgame interview with Luke Gore, where Todd asked Luke about that last play. They drew up 2 options. The first was designed to set up Eron for a corner 3 (I forget the second), but Loyola blew up the play and Daniel was forced to take the 3. The way he explained it sounded perfectly logical to me, it just didn't go as planned. Just like the play Bryce designed to set up AP to take the final shot against Maryland in the NCAA tournament blew up and KC was forced try to throw up a crazy, off-balance 3 at the buzzer. Decisions are split-second in situations like that, and they fail far more often than they succeed, especially when the other team knows all they have to do is guard the 3-point line, and so they place all 5 defenders at the arc. Judging from some of these hypercritical, over-reactionary comments about our coaching, it appears to me that we've got too many posters that stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

I heard the postgame interview. They said they drew it up for Clay or Eron if I recall correctly. Which means that Siggy (a supposed three point specialist in the game for this purpose) didn't even figure into the play or their plan? Then why even bother putting him in the game if he's not an option to shoot? I believe I commented on this in real time shortly after the interview too. That's bad coaching.) So you really think we're in the right hands going forward despite the galling litany of evidence that show that maybe Matt Lottich is overmatched as a HC? I can pull them up for you again if you'd like but here's a quick rundown (this is  since the 8-0 start that everyone knew was smoke and mirrors)


.350 winning percentage in MVC play


.408 winning percentage overall


Below .500 in non conference play (15-16)


That number drops to 12-16 when you factor out non D1s


And I didn't even get into home\road splits but I can't remember any time under the Drews after Homer got us going where we have lost so much at home. Part of that is competition sure but our consistent inability to defend our home court is ridiculous. Don't blame the fans or crowds. We seem to lose whether there's 2500 or 4500 in the house so it doesn't matter.


Yet despite these numbers that show an obvious problem, you persist in calling people reactionary and overly critical or using that tired "Like you could do any better" argument So just because I've chosen a different line of work\life path I can't have an opinion when I see something obviously wrong with this situation? I'M not the one getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to get this group to show up ready to play every night. It is not MY responsibility to win these basketball games and deliver results. It's Matt's. And so far he is failing miserably at it.


Honestly the struggles wouldn't bother me nearly as much if it wasn't the SAME CRAP OVER AND OVER EVERY GAME EVERY YEAR WITH NO END. A steady drumbeat of fall in a hole\ climb back into it\ Make stupid plays and take stupid shots\ dig another hole\ Fight back into it. Give up another run and go cold for several minutes\ Try to win it at the end with a last minute feverish rally (almost invariably without success.) It's old. It's tired. And more people than just me are reaching the end of their patience as we wait for Matt to figure it out. He's usually mild mannered and optimistic but Ickow sounded as close to pissed frustrated and fed up as I've ever heard him and he's paid to keep things positive. I can only imagine how the university leadership feels about the program behind closed doors knowing it's the university\athletic department's one path to national relevance.


Furthermore, I gave five years to this university and I pay to attend athletic events (even if I missed this one from being out of town) so I think I get to have an opinion on how things are going regardless of where I sleep on any given night.

I urge you to listen to the post game press conference. Compare Matt Lottich's answers to Nick Robinson's and tell me who has a better grasp of the issues facing this program. If your answer isn't Lottich (and it won't be) That's a big problem. When a player has his finger on the pulse of what is needed moreso than the coach then the coach is not providing effective enough leadership because if he was he would diagnose and treat the problem and it wouldn't be a problem anymore. I've even linked it here for you again for your convenience.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_t5T-zaK2g&feature=youtu.be

[VUGrad1314]

In a vacuum, the final play was well defended. But the early game and last minute coaching has been a trend for quite some time. Last night was yet another chapter.

That's the problem. Everything that has happened in the Lottich era as one off rare events you think "Well fine. It was well defended and we lost. Tip your cap to the opponent." It is all perfectly justifiable in a vacuum. But when a series of events perfectly justifiable in a vacuum continuously occur in the same situations. Then the justification goes away because that's no longer a vacuum. That's a trend That's a pattern That's a problem. And Matt needs to recognize that and get better.

[VUBBFan]

5.  Kiser getting called for a foul for boxing out on a play where the ball bounced really high off the rim.   I mean, he just boxed out throughout the duration of the play.  Worst foul calls in the history of foul calls and they did get 2 free throws out of it in a close game, so it mattered.

Agree.  There also was another phantom call against John.  I thought Mileek played very well against the top center in the League.  The bottom line was that Matt was out-coached. 

We had several bad calls and they were made by the same ref. The other two refs were OK, just that one kept calling fouls on us and not Loyola. Still should have won the game regardless, but it makes it tough when you get critical blown calls against you.

[valpopal]

The description by Luke Gore of the final play does not excuse the basic flaw in its implementation. Even if "Loyola blew up the play," that doesn't explain why Sackey has the ball in his hands instead of Siggy, also a point guard but who is shooting 67% from the 3-point line. Siggy never even got a touch. Switch Siggy for Sackey in the positioning on the court and perhaps there is a better chance. Everyone in the stands knew to keep the ball away from Sackey, just as last year everyone knew the final shot of a game should not be left to Evelyn. Yet, here we are again!

[VUGrad1314]

The description by Luke Gore of the final play does not excuse the basic flaw in its implementation. Even if "Loyola blew up the play," that doesn't explain why Sackey has the ball in his hands instead of Siggy, also a point guard but who is shooting 67% from the 3-point line. Siggy never even got a touch. Switch Siggy for Sackey in the positioning on the court and perhaps there is a better chance. Everyone in the stands knew to keep the ball away from Sackey, just as last year everyone knew the final shot of a game should not be left to Evelyn. Yet, here we are again!

Or rather at least A chance.


Well said.

[oklahomamick]

WH going to stand up for Lottich even after we lose a Thursday night game again (although I don't think that will happen this year).  He will also want to extend his contract at the end of the season.  We are better than this.

[FieldGoodie05]

5.  Kiser getting called for a foul for boxing out on a play where the ball bounced really high off the rim.   I mean, he just boxed out throughout the duration of the play.  Worst foul calls in the history of foul calls and they did get 2 free throws out of it in a close game, so it mattered.

Agree.  There also was another phantom call against John.  I thought Mileek played very well against the top center in the League.  The bottom line was that Matt was out-coached. 

We had several bad calls and they were made by the same ref. The other two refs were OK, just that one kept calling fouls on us and not Loyola. Still should have won the game regardless, but it makes it tough when you get critical blown calls against you.

How many minutes did we have the lead?  Felt like a little (us) to a lot (them).

[FieldGoodie05]

WH going to stand up for Lottich even after we lose a Thursday night game again (although I don't think that will happen this year).  He will also want to extend his contract at the end of the season.  We are better than this.

Conversely he'd have to go .750 win percentage for consecutive years for you to want him to stay Mickey!!!  Cuts both ways my friend!

[oklahomamick]

I would be happy with just one of those .750 years.  Two is just crazy talk. 

[VUGrad1314]

Exactly. Just a year that shows us he has it in him to make this team a contender would be enough to get me on board with seeing if he can sustain it (or quickly build it back up in a cycle which is more likely what we'll have to accept in the MVC anyway).

[valpo64]

In case you were wondering about the occupancy rate at the Holiday Inn, "wh"....I think it was full to the brim.  I didn't realize that we had so many basketball coaching experts on this panel.  And now the "Drew Crew" appears again.  One thing I am completely in favor of is finding some way to  keep minutes of playing time away from Kiser and Sackey.  Hopefully injuries and experience will let that happen.  Now let's beat Evansville and hopefully we will see more positive comments on this board.

[Just Sayin]

In case you were wondering about the occupancy rate at the Holiday Inn, "wh"....I think it was full to the brim.  I didn't realize that we had so many basketball coaching experts on this panel.  And now the "Drew Crew" appears again.  One thing I am completely in favor of is finding some way to  keep minutes of playing time away from Kiser and Sackey.  Hopefully injuries and experience will let that happen.  Now let's beat Evansville and hopefully we will see more positive comments on this board.

Thanks for joining the expert panel of coaches. 

[Just Sayin]

The fighting back and not rolling over praise that this team receives is granted and old.

Some may say gritty.

To me I think it's just points in garbage time.  No different then when a football team is down by two scores and they go down the field and score against a prevent defense with little time left.

Stay gritty my friends.

[VUGrad1314]

In case you were wondering about the occupancy rate at the Holiday Inn, "wh"....I think it was full to the brim.  I didn't realize that we had so many basketball coaching experts on this panel.  And now the "Drew Crew" appears again.  One thing I am completely in favor of is finding some way to  keep minutes of playing time away from Kiser and Sackey.  Hopefully injuries and experience will let that happen.  Now let's beat Evansville and hopefully we will see more positive comments on this board.

Calls us out when we make legitimate points but then hopes for injuries to underperforming players... Stay classy... We may not be experts but we are more than qualified to point out that the man who has been hired to be our "coaching expert" looks completely overmatched and out of his depth. That doesn't take much to see if you take your blinders off and your check your "My school and team can do no wrong" attitude at the door. Once again, WATCH THE POST GAME PRESSER. Robinson's answers outclass Lottich's by so much it's embarrassing. If you didn't know Valpo basketball and couldn't see the suit Matt was wearing because you were blindfolded you could be forgiven for thinking that Robinson is actually the coach because he actually said the things you would expect the coach to say. Once again Lottich ducked responsibility when he didn't have this team ready again...

For the record I'm not part of the "Drew Crew" per se. I was downright excited when we had a chance to move on and make our mark independent of the Drew family but it seems as though we may not be able to do that (at least not with this coach) so while it remains at least a semi legitimate possibility to bring back one of if not the best coach we've ever had in our history why wouldn't you advocate for it even if its a return to the training wheels and the bottle so to speak? It might just give us the time we need to grow into the program we need to be.

[PlumStreetBum]

There seems to be some divided opinion on John Kiser (note the lack of an 'a' in his name, for crying out loud). It seems some see him as an experienced floor general who works hard at the little things and plays very good defense for his size at the 5, and there are others who can't seem to get over the fact that he doesn't look athletic, is an engineering major and started as a walk-on. You can probably tell which camp I'm in.

I've grown tired enough of the Kiser-bashing that it's time for lies damned lies statistics. First number is PER, then player name, with overall rank in the Valley in parentheses. No one else on the team qualifies for ranking (minimum 6 mpg so far this season, including non-conference).

26.57   Javon Freeman   (4)
17.22   Nick Robinson   (24)
16.04   Ben Krikke     (27)
15.96   Mileek McMillan  (28)
13.19   Eron Gordon   (46)
12.61   John Kiser   (51)
11.93   Donovan Clay   (58)
  8.07   Daniel Sackey   (74)

Given that Kiser plays decent defense at a position he's undersized at, and it's generally agreed that hard work, leadership and Grit^TM are intangibles he possesses but are not measured in box scores (and thus in PER), I'd say he's a good 6th man and serviceable 5th. Since Mileek fouls out like crazy, he and Kiser are the de facto 5a and 5b on this team, although Robinson played 31 minutes last night off the bench, and Gordon would have played ~20 if not for the first half injury.

I'm now willing to admit that Kiser is a fringe starter and, if we had another option, that would be preferable. It's a long way from Javon down to Robinson/Krikke/McMillan. If Ryan Fazekas wasn't a glass cannon, he'd be a good alternative. But on the team we have - and frankly, on a lot of other bottom-half teams in this league - Kiser has to play a lot of minutes, and deserves less than half of the abuse he gets on this board.

I'm not gonna defend Sackey though, he's lost his game and I hope he finds it soon. In the meantime, I agree that we have to give Lorange a shot.

[vu72]

Since Mileek fouls out like crazy

Mileek had fouled out four times in 19 games.

[PlumStreetBum]

Since Mileek fouls out like crazy

Mileek had fouled out four times in 19 games.

Fouling out of 21% of games seems like a lot to me, especially when you play 17mpg.

[EddieCabot]

In case you were wondering about the occupancy rate at the Holiday Inn, "wh"....I think it was full to the brim.  I didn't realize that we had so many basketball coaching experts on this panel.  And now the "Drew Crew" appears again.  One thing I am completely in favor of is finding some way to  keep minutes of playing time away from Kiser and Sackey.  Hopefully injuries and experience will let that happen.  Now let's beat Evansville and hopefully we will see more positive comments on this board.

Calls us out when we make legitimate points but then hopes for injuries to underperforming players... Stay classy... We may not be experts but we are more than qualified to point out that the man who has been hired to be our "coaching expert" looks completely overmatched and out of his depth. That doesn't take much to see if you take your blinders off and your check your "My school and team can do no wrong" attitude at the door. Once again, WATCH THE POST GAME PRESSER. Robinson's answers outclass Lottich's by so much it's embarrassing. If you didn't know Valpo basketball and couldn't see the suit Matt was wearing because you were blindfolded you could be forgiven for thinking that Robinson is actually the coach because he actually said the things you would expect the coach to say. Once again Lottich ducked responsibility when he didn't have this team ready again...

For the record I'm not part of the "Drew Crew" per se. I was downright excited when we had a chance to move on and make our mark independent of the Drew family but it seems as though we may not be able to do that (at least not with this coach) so while it remains at least a semi legitimate possibility to bring back one of if not the best coach we've ever had in our history why wouldn't you advocate for it even if its a return to the training wheels and the bottle so to speak? It might just give us the time we need to grow into the program we need to be.

I believe (or hope) that 64 is  hoping that Sackey and Kiser play fewer minutes when Fazekas returns from injury and the freshmen get experience.   

[usc4valpo]

I would not say that Mileek is the second coming of Jim Stueve, however.

[oklahomamick]

There are still some who believe in Lottich, (that camp is decreasing) and that's fine.  This is a forum and everyone has their opinion. 

In regards to Lottich, the only opinion that matters is the AD. 

My opinion is we could get a new president, athletic director and coach all at the same time. 

Could be great or could be a disaster.  Roll the dice. 

[wh]

One thing hopefully we can all agree on is that the conference season will turn out to be successful, and those calling for Matt's head with 17 of 18 games yet to be played will be proven wrong.

[VUGrad1314]

I look forward to being proven wrong That means  Valpo is successful and we all get what we want. It's not personal with Lottich. He wins and succeeds we have no problem. I've said it repeatedly please prove me wrong. However what does success look like? .500? Avoiding Thursday? 5th place? 3rd? 11-7? 12-6? I feel like I'll know we're progressing when I see it. Right now I darn sure don't feel it and I'm not confident. However I'm open minded. He needs to step up and deliver though but 17 games is plenty of time. It's just up to him.

[VUSWIM08-12]

These kids deserve better coaching.

1000% agree, Lottich is avg AT BEST, I was at the game and watched him like a hawk, very little emotion from him on those bad calls, two in particular that drove me nuts. Javon got his 1st offensive charge call, defender was moving/in the cylinder, clear as day to me(I'm an expert ya know), and the 2nd was the foul on the 3 by Kiser. nothing there. Matt is weak, speak the   up and fight for your players, its not like the tech shot would have hurt us. Lottich just stands there with his lips pursed and might talk to the official if he works up the courage. Porter Moser out coached him by a mile. If Porter coached us and Matt them we win by 10+. Ughhhhhh. I thought Javon did ok, he was trapped and doubled most of the game, he would pass it out quickly(he did force a few plays) but the next guy couldn't make a play or pass to the open man. Great sign that we have a freshman go 4-4 from 3. We need a better coach folks, its that simple, you cant expect young men to figure it out. The grown ass coaches need too. Loyola is as bad or worse than EMU, ughhhhh this was frustrating, not the end of the world though, hopefully we can take down the up and down Evansville team Saturday. This team could bounce back and rattle off 4 in a row!!!

[wh]

Apparently, no one listened to Todd's postgame interview with Luke Gore, where Todd asked Luke about that last play. They drew up 2 options. The first was designed to set up Eron for a corner 3 (I forget the second), but Loyola blew up the play and Daniel was forced to take the 3. The way he explained it sounded perfectly logical to me, it just didn't go as planned. Just like the play Bryce designed to set up AP to take the final shot against Maryland in the NCAA tournament blew up and KC was forced try to throw up a crazy, off-balance 3 at the buzzer. Decisions are split-second in situations like that, and they fail far more often than they succeed, especially when the other team knows all they have to do is guard the 3-point line, and so they place all 5 defenders at the arc. Judging from some of these hypercritical, over-reactionary comments about our coaching, it appears to me that we've got too many posters that stayed at a Holiday Inn Express last night.

Fair enough point made on last play. I did not listen to Todd's postgame interview.

Edit Not having listened to Todd's postgame interview with Luke Gore, I  was unaware of the their game plan. Coach Lottich did draw up a 2-option play so the ball could get into the hands of our good 3-pt. shooters but Loyola blew up the play and Sackey was forced to take the 3. My apologies to the coaching staff.

Just Sayin - If I take issue with someone's comment, rest assured it isn't yours I'm taking issue with. Never is. Never will be.

[wh]

On a lighter note, the atmosphere at the ARC was better than it's been in a very long time. Chesterton High School brought a nearly 50-member pep band and 2 choral groups. One sang America the Beautiful and the other did the National Anthem. The Crusader mascot was on hand after serving an extended sentence in PC prison.  A cute group of elem. boys played a game at halftime. I think they were from Chesterton too. Maybe the best was a guy (adult not student) I've never seen before that handled the on-floor activities during timeouts. He got the entire crowd involved in everything he did. Gave lots of Hungry Howie Pizza certificates away. He was a real pro, as good as you'll find anywhere. And, he was loud and you could understand his every word.