Valpo is playing DePaul tomorrow on FS1

[VU2014]

Seriously this is a garbage performance on national television...

You watching this Mark LaBarbera?

I retract what I said last week regarding Lottich. This is a National embarrassment and if I'm MLB, I'm leaving Lottich in Chicago tonight.

I understand this team hasn't been able to practice much but it shouldn't be this bad...

[Chairback]

What is the excuse today?

Covid?
Youth?
Players out?

I literally have received 10 texts from buddies who maybe watch Valpo once a year and they are laughing. All of them are texting the coach has no plan.

[vok22]

This might be the worst game I've watched as a Valpo fan. The one difference from this and other bad losses since I've been watching is that I don't care anymore. Some people may say it took me too long to get to this conclusion, but I can't support Lottich at coach anymore. His teams lack any flow on offense, they always come out unprepared, and the roster he's assembled is pathetic. No reliable three point shooting besides maybe a freshmen, and a terrible point guard (with no back up point guard). No discipline it appears either cause it's the same mistakes every week with no improvement.

[Chairback]

If Lottich pulls a Bryce and loses all conf games is he gone?

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/1350559575972466694?s=21

[VU2014]

If Lottich pulls a Bryce and loses all conf games is he gone?

Absolutely not. Valpo doesn't have the Cash to pay him to go away. And won't take that PR hit while in this economic environment.

Part of the rational side of my brain says we shouldn't put too much stock into this season with all the quarantines but Lottich hasn't built good will to earn the benefit of the doubt with his 4 years of tenure. He just hasn't earned it.

He deserves to be on the hot seat but being a small private institution makes it almost impossible for us to take action of firing him and paying for a new coach and staff. I want to say give him until the end of next season but I know in my heart the University and LaBarbera won't do a damn thing other than trot out excuses and talk about the Coaches character and give the same lip service.

Fans and Alumni deserve to be angry with the product we've seen the last few years. LaBarbera nailed the Women's hire but may have set his flagship athletic program back with the Lottich hire...

[justducky]

Maybe we are just as bad as we look? Is that even possible?

Could some of you steer me towards the panic button then stand back and allow me to push it? 

[bbtds]

I have a feeling there could be a lot of frustration for us with this game.

Valpo  52
DePaul  68

Jamal Freedom Libertas scores 22.

I wasn't expecting this much frustration. I wonder if Valpo can get to 52. Now Mileek & Donovan fight over a rebound when no DePaul player is around.

[mj]

At this point I'm not even upset at Lottich. He is what he is: a bad coach. I'm more upset with Valpo leadership. They took the one thing that gave us national exposure, the thing that could raise enthusiasm among alumni and they pissed it away. What makes it worse is that it came after they saw how a success basketball program could change a school. See Butler.

Just a complete dereliction of duty at all levels.

[valpolaw]

If I'm not mistaken, it is the same leadership that ran the law school into the ground so I guess it's not surprising.

Turning this game off, can't stomach more embarrassment

[valpotx]

The only positive from this game, is that JFL played like crap against his former school.  Our team needs to learn how to make a shot around the basket, and not throw so many passes where they just expect the defender to remain stationary.  Again, I can take bad shooting, but poor fundamentals are so annoying to watch game-in and game-out.

[mj]

To follow up on my last comment. It's salt in the wound to think of what could have been. When Bryce left, the program was set up for a long run of success. There are a lot of good college coaches who would have loved taking over the program.

We could have ran a national search, which would have generated publicity and news in and of itself. And then wound up with a better coach!

[NativeCheesehead]

Can we just let Mary Evans coach the men?

[valpotx]

We don't have the shooters to play position-less basketball, like our women do

[VU2014]

Seriously how the hell did LaBarbera double down with an extension for this mess?

[valporun]

We can make all the excuses we want for how bad this game looked, and who should be at fault, but when the players don't move, don't show any kind of anything, and take horrible shot selection 101 like its a 3-credit course every semester, it's the players not putting in the time or effort to do their job on the court to be competitive. A coach can only do so much to flip the switch in game, but when the players aren't looking like they belong in D-I arenas, that's not the coaching staff's fault, since they aren't the ones taking the shots themselves.

[valpolaw]

The coaches aren't taking the shots but they are recruiting the players and they are responsible for assembling a roster that should be competitive

[valpotx]

Fully agree on the players needing to own up to this mess, just as much as the coaches.  By the time that you reach the D-1 level, you should be able to know when you are trying to out-rebound your teammate, with no opponent around...you should also know how to finish at the rim, when no one is contesting your shot.

[valporun]

The coaches aren't taking the shots but they are recruiting the players and they are responsible for assembling a roster that should be competitive

Yes, the coaches are recruiting these guys, but that's how the Russian Roulette of Recruiting is played...you get the right players or you don't, but the only ones who make the coaches look like they did their job are the players who have to step on the court, and do their job. Sadly, you can't fire players like you can coaches. You can only bench players, and hope they improve from the demotion, or they'll leave on their own?

[covufan]

Well, it was good being able to watch Valpo on a nationally televised game.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VU2014]

Lol. I'm wondering what Padilla was thinking about sitting there watching the train wreck live.

-how much are we paying this guy?
-wait, how many more years?!?
-do our guys know the ball is suppose to go in the hoop?

https://twitter.com/valpou/status/1350573669370769409?s=21

[justducky]

We don't have the shooters to play position-less basketball, like our women do

Good observation. For the most part our freshmen played like freshmen and many of our upperclassmen decided to follow suit. Am trying to remember the last time we stank up a gym that badly! At Texas A&M springs to mind from 2 years back and I think that game broke me from opening game threads.

If I find any positive takeaways I'll get back with you but don't stay up waiting on me. 

[vu72]

OK, this is your typical "there has to be a pony in there somewhere" post.

I actually saw some decent (almost said good) things today.

1. Without Sackey handling the ball we would have lost by 50. Decent line--9 point, 3 assists and 0 turnovers.
2. I really like Goodnew's game.  We haven't seen very much of him but he has size and athleticism--8 points, 3 steals.
3. I really like what I saw from Edwards.  The kid took JFL to the hoop!
4. Jake and Connor went 2 of 3 from deep. The rest of the team:1 of 12.
5. JFL is NOT ready for the League. Against VALPO, he goes for 7 points, 1 rebounds, 3 steals 3 turnovers and 1 steal--in 25 minutes.

I guess we need layup drills.  I can't believe how many point blank shots we blew.  It was ugly.  The "good news" if there is any, is that other than Eron, everybody else  is coming back. Hope springs eternal...

[oklahomamick]

I needed valpo plus 19......

[Chairback]

The players need to execute the game plan, but it's clear they don't know it or it has not been communicated well.