Lottich's Contract

[cornonthe]

I would hate to lose Villien or Lorange.

I want to say that I heard that Helm has completed his mission trip and is at a college out east...do I have that right??? Was that him or someone else???

Why?
If Steve Helm returns from his Mormon trip, I'll take him every day over Siggy.

[cornonthe]

I would hate to lose Villien or Lorange.

I want to say that I heard that Helm has completed his mission trip and is at a college out east...do I have that right??? Was that him or someone else???

Why?
If Steve Helm returns from his Mormon trip, I'll take him every day over Siggy.

Ohhhh...I screwed that up, I was commenting on Helm...

[Valpofamfan]

And what happened to Langston stalling?

[M]

It would appear the walk on walked away? Maybe focusing on baseball? Although I thought I heard he transferred because he wanted to hoop.

[VUGrad1314]

There is a popular NCAA columnist who I forgot his name and I'm sure you guys will know.  He will tweet from time to time. "Furman beats Clemson in a buy game, Clemsons budget is 4 times that of furmans". The epitome of do more with less.

This sounds like a hybrid of Jon Rothstein's Epitome of Brutality Tweets and Mark Adams Do More With Less Tweets.

[VUGrad1314]

take away his first year with peters and 24 of those wins are out. Post-Peters Era: 44 wins & 49 losses...

Which player are you going to take away from Bryce's record?  How about Homer's?  Statistics can be molded to whatever you want them to be.

That's all true and fine but the point on Peters stands regardless. Even with Peters it's not a super flattering record relative to where we were with Bryce. It does make the situation look far less dire than some of the Lottich skeptics (myself included) have painted it to be but it's not great either. It does appear to be a feather in the cap for more time to see what exactly we have and the steady improvement in our overall performance in this conference also would suggest a need to give him more time. I would honestly wait until the height of transfer season is done to make the final determination. If we lose impact pieces we should not extend him. if the team stays and commits to him we extend him for 2-4 years. That seems to be the best fairest and most responsible way to go about this situation to me.

[SanityLost17]

Lets just stop talking about this...  Lottich will be back next year and the year after at minimum.   Not sure he gets a 4 year contract or not but it will be at least 2 years, so just freaking stop talking about it until 2022.   

2020 team --  Finishing with their best win total in an improved MVC.  Improving as season goes on and every returner but Sackey got better and Sackey played REALLY well during the summer trip so not sure what is going on with him. 

2019 team --  Struggled out of the gate but started MVC play hot before injuries COMPLETELY derailed the season.   There were literally games where 4 of our top 6 players were out.   That as a 11-12 win MVC team despite having personalities on the team who didn't get along.

2018 team --  1st year in Valley with increased competition and no Peters.  Give the guy a freaking break.   Hell... Tevonn got mono that year as I recall and was never the same.    happens.  Was a rough year and would have been for any coach in the nation.   I still remember how WELL WE PLAYED THE LAST 8 games of the year.   We were super competitive and were playing our best basketball down the stretch, we just were not ready yet. 

That is enough for a 4 year extension in my opinion.  But I am ok with a 2 year if that's what the people want.     Either way, he is here for a while so settle down and enjoy the fact the team is improving.

[vok22]

I would hate to lose Villien or Lorange.

I want to say that I heard that Helm has completed his mission trip and is at a college out east...do I have that right??? Was that him or someone else???

Why?
If Steve Helm returns from his Mormon trip, I'll take him every day over Siggy.

Is Steve Helm still going to be playing here once he finished his trip? Is that still a thing?  I haven't heard his name in 2 years

[oklahomamick]

To make it clear, if Bryce was getting these results I think the fan base would be disgruntled as well.  As for calling for his job?  No.  Bryce has proved he could win so there would be more patience. 

Lottich took a very difficult job as his first head coach position and one that came immediately after the golden boy.   

[usc4valpo]

2 more years for Lottich but the university needs to commit more to the basketball program - monetarily and socially

[truth219]

Lets just stop talking about this...  Lottich will be back next year and the year after at minimum.   Not sure he gets a 4 year contract or not but it will be at least 2 years, so just freaking stop talking about it until 2022.   

2020 team --  Finishing with their best win total in an improved MVC.  Improving as season goes on and every returner but Sackey got better and Sackey played REALLY well during the summer trip so not sure what is going on with him. 

2019 team --  Struggled out of the gate but started MVC play hot before injuries COMPLETELY derailed the season.   There were literally games where 4 of our top 6 players were out.   That as a 11-12 win MVC team despite having personalities on the team who didn't get along.

2018 team --  1st year in Valley with increased competition and no Peters.  Give the guy a freaking break.   Hell... Tevonn got mono that year as I recall and was never the same.    happens.  Was a rough year and would have been for any coach in the nation.   I still remember how WELL WE PLAYED THE LAST 8 games of the year.   We were super competitive and were playing our best basketball down the stretch, we just were not ready yet. 

That is enough for a 4 year extension in my opinion.  But I am ok with a 2 year if that's what the people want.     Either way, he is here for a while so settle down and enjoy the fact the team is improving.

How is this an improved MVC? 2018 didn't the MVC have a team in the final four

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

[VUGrad1314]

Lets just stop talking about this...  Lottich will be back next year and the year after at minimum.   Not sure he gets a 4 year contract or not but it will be at least 2 years, so just freaking stop talking about it until 2022. 2020 team --  Finishing with their best win total in an improved MVC.  Improving as season goes on and every returner but Sackey got better and Sackey played REALLY well during the summer trip so not sure what is going on with him. 2019 team --  Struggled out of the gate but started MVC play hot before injuries COMPLETELY derailed the season.   There were literally games where 4 of our top 6 players were out.   That as a 11-12 win MVC team despite having personalities on the team who didn't get along. 2018 team --  1st year in Valley with increased competition and no Peters.  Give the guy a freaking break.   Hell... Tevonn got mono that year as I recall and was never the same.    happens.  Was a rough year and would have been for any coach in the nation.   I still remember how WELL WE PLAYED THE LAST 8 games of the year.   We were super competitive and were playing our best basketball down the stretch, we just were not ready yet. That is enough for a 4 year extension in my opinion.  But I am ok with a 2 year if that's what the people want.     Either way, he is here for a while so settle down and enjoy the fact the team is improving.

How is this an improved MVC? 2018 didn't the MVC have a team in the final four Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk

1. We don't know how deep the tournament representative (representatives?) might go


2. Tournament results are important but you can't judge the quality of a conference solely on them Believe it or not based on non conference results this year's UNI team was arguably better than that Loyola team. They actually look pretty similar in terms of how their seasons have gone although they are very different teams on the court.


3. Your post completely ignores last year as though it didn't happen when our conference was like 15th in NET and our tournament representative was a 15 seed (and they STILL almost beat Michigan State by the way). Yes I think this conference is improved and is improving. Look at the freshman and sophomore talent on this conference. (Green JFL Domask Robbins LaRavia Clay just to name a few). The future is great.

4. This is a tough highly competitive conference with a lot of parity. it is HARD (and has often been HARD) to win on the road here. Somebody has to finish in the middle of the pack and at the bottom but it will not always be us. We lament the lack of road wins but consider this.

https://twitter.com/TSeghetti11/status/1230567607662764033?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1230567607662764033&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.valpofanzone.com%2Fforum%2Findex.php%3Ftopic%3D3679.50

We are getting better and trending upward. Our time at the top is coming. It almost certainly will not last the same duration as our time at the top of the Mid Con or the Horizon but our time is coming. Of that I am sure and you can be sure.

[usc4valpo]

We will trend upward if the university commits to it. If you look at the current ecosystem - financially, socially - there is certainly room for improvement

[vu84v2]

We will trend upward if the university commits to it. If you look at the current ecosystem - financially, socially - there is certainly room for improvement

I get the socially part - but that is easier said than done. Winning, a perception of being a winning team, and good opponents drive that. Marketing helps, but good marketing cannot overcome those three key drivers of interest. Indeed, people aren't going to come and support a team in a gleaming new or renovated building without driving interest from those three aspects. I have been very critical of the home non-conference schedule, but I will say the quality of games in the MVC has helped address the third point.

Regarding the financial argument part, I always come back to the question: what would you not spend money on? If you are going to prioritize money towards the facility, you naturally have to choose not to fund something else. You could take out more debt, but is that a good idea?

Here is what I believe that university will do with athletic facilities. They will make incremental spends to update/upgrade all athletic facilities and will fund this over time based on the university's financial position from year-to-year. For the ARC, you'll see a vision of a renovated ARC that takes many years to reach and is reached in many incremental steps.

So back to the point - you need a coach that can thrive in that environment. There are two ways to accomplish this: 1. be very loyal to someone whose ideals as a coach resonate closely with the university - thus you can retain that coach for a longer period when things go well (I believe this is what Valpo attempts to do), or 2. plan for continued succession, knowing that other universities with more money will seek your coach when things go well (I believe that this is the Butler model). Note that neither model is inherently right or wrong.

[usc4valpo]

Vu84v2 - the basketball experience at the ARC needs to be enhanced. Gen X and millennials need entertainment in a continuous manner. We need goofy promotions during timeouts, an truly engaging, fun  pep band, and decent halftime entertainment. Get some dance company squads or some music. Student and fan participation needs a boost.

Regarding Valpo, my concern is that the university is spreading itself too thin. Focus on programs that are good and have a vision or value, and not have programs just for the sake of having them. As difficult as it was, and it was sad to see, the decision to close the law school in a financial sense was likely the right one. What other programs and activities does Valpo provide that is of cost and low return?

[VUGrad1314]

While I agree with this on principle, are we really in position to cut a bunch of programs that do bring in students and tuition dollars in light of our enrollment issues? While I want to see the university run more efficiently so that it can grow going too far with the pruning shears can throw the baby out with the bathwater so to speak and only enhance our issues. What programs do you want to see cut bearing in mind that we need something like 14 sports offerings in order to stay D1 and the Title IX implications of not doing this in a balanced manner?

[vu72]

I believe the new Admissions VP is having a very positive effect on enrollment and that the slide in numbers will be reversed this year.  I was told that the recent visit weekend for accepted students had kids from 27 different states.  As the number of students from the midwest is declining in general, Valpo has instituted a new effort to attract students from the south and elsewhere.  In that regard, an admissions counselor is now employed and living full time in Texas.  Valpo is NOT just standing around waiting for something to happen.  They are very proactive.

[VUGrad1314]

I believe the new Admissions VP is having a very positive effect on enrollment and that the slide in numbers will be reversed this year.  I was told that the recent visit weekend for accepted students had kids from 27 different states.  As the number of students from the midwest is declining in general, Valpo has instituted a new effort to attract students from the south and elsewhere.  In that regard, an admissions counselor is now employed and living full time in Texas.  Valpo is NOT just standing around waiting for something to happen.  They are very proactive.

Next proactive step: Commit to athletics and give the basketball program what it needs to make a deep run and stoke national interest in the university!

[78crusader]

I have spoken with the Admissions VP and he is a go-getter.  Very impressed with him.  Agree with vu72's take on this. 

Paul

[Valpo89]

I would hate to lose Villien or Lorange.

I want to say that I heard that Helm has completed his mission trip and is at a college out east...do I have that right??? Was that him or someone else???

Why?
If Steve Helm returns from his Mormon trip, I'll take him every day over Siggy.

Is Steve Helm still going to be playing here once he finished his trip? Is that still a thing?  I haven't heard his name in 2 years

I confirmed yesterday with Helm's former high school teammate that yes, Helm intends to return to the VU program. He would be a senior age-wise, but probably only a freshman eligibility. He was an excellent leader on some very good teams at VHS. I'm sure with his maturity he would fit in well with this team. I would just wonder how much he has actually touched a basketball while he's been away.

[VUGrad1314]

Doesn't matter. He can be our new Kiser bringing the toughness and leadership in the locker room.

[vu84v2]

I believe the new Admissions VP is having a very positive effect on enrollment and that the slide in numbers will be reversed this year.  I was told that the recent visit weekend for accepted students had kids from 27 different states.  As the number of students from the midwest is declining in general, Valpo has instituted a new effort to attract students from the south and elsewhere.  In that regard, an admissions counselor is now employed and living full time in Texas.  Valpo is NOT just standing around waiting for something to happen.  They are very proactive.

I have heard the same things about the new Admissions VP and some potential positive outcomes from the efforts of him and his team. I will wait to see the results, but there are some encouraging signs.

[cornonthe]

I would hate to lose Villien or Lorange.

I want to say that I heard that Helm has completed his mission trip and is at a college out east...do I have that right??? Was that him or someone else???

Why?
If Steve Helm returns from his Mormon trip, I'll take him every day over Siggy.

Is Steve Helm still going to be playing here once he finished his trip? Is that still a thing?  I haven't heard his name in 2 years

I confirmed yesterday with Helm's former high school teammate that yes, Helm intends to return to the VU program. He would be a senior age-wise, but probably only a freshman eligibility. He was an excellent leader on some very good teams at VHS. I'm sure with his maturity he would fit in well with this team. I would just wonder how much he has actually touched a basketball while he's been away.

Yes, sorry about this, for some reason, I became technologically challenged for a minute or so. As for the walk on who moved on to an east coast school, it was Langston Stalling and not Helm.

[GoldenCrusader87]

No way I'm a fan of a 4 year extension. Would I love to see a new coach next year ? 100%. Do I understand the logic behind giving him 2 years? Yes. Do I think MLB will give him a raise and 4 years? 100%. Do I expect vast improvements on the court and in the arena? Sadly, no.

I feel more confident (sadly) in on the court improvement even under ML than arena improvements. Why? Because we still have talent and the MVC is not the Big 10. Every game is winnable and every game is losable.

Vs Bradley is the best shooting night from 3 we've had in like 20 years. Umm that'll win you a game no matter the arena or the coach or the opponent in more times than not. 

[oklahomamick]

I wish I could have liked more than once.  Well said. 

Most Likely we finish MVC in 8th place. 

2019 - 9th place
2018 - 10th place

So we can expect in 8 more years we will finish 1st.