2022-23 Season

[Pgmado]

Does anybody that was at the game have any comments on it? It doesn't really inspire much confidence in me the Emil started. We are doomed if he is our best option at center. 3 fouls in 11 minutes sounds about right.

I thought you'd never ask.

https://www.thevictorybell.com/p/growing-pains

[VUGrad1314]

Should we be concerned that we barely beat a D2 team on our home floor? I mean at least we won this time so there's that. Not sure I'm feeling terribly confident going into the opener against a solid Toledo team. It would be great to rattle off a few wins to start the year but I can't shake the feeling that this is just going to be another year just like the others in the Lottich era in the MVC. Maddening inconsistency. Some brilliant moments. A lot of head-scratching moments and a trip to the Thursday game. Prove me wrong Beacons. I want to believe.

[JD24]

Toledo is as good as any MVC squad at this point. There's no particular reason there should be a ton of hope in Valpo winning that game which goes beyond any team can beat any other team at some point. I don't see where this particular exhibition game would play into thoughts on the Toledo game at all.

[valpotx]

I actually liked what Emil presented in his early season limited action last season, and look forward to what he can do this season, if he is able to stay healthy enough to play.  I remember a few strong post moves at the time, which had surprised me.

[vu72]

Sure it would have been nice to blow them out of the gym but...we played all 11 guys who dressed and in the regular season Matt will probably go with maybe 8.  As a result it was hard to get into a flow.  Having said that, the statistics look very solid. 17 assists and only 7 turnovers.  Five guys hitting threes etc.  As for the 5 spot, it was a little difficult to get an impression from the kids doing the WVUR broadcast, but if you add up the three guys you end up with 13 points, 11 rebounds and only 2 turnovers.  And Ben!  Can't wait to see what he does this season.

[tjjvalpo]

So we finally have a team photo and two guys are missing.  The women's team picture had one person missing.  What's up with that?? Weird. https://www.valpoathletics.com/mbasketball/roster/

Likely because of injuries, Barrett has a knee injury and Bayu a hernia. Sounds like both will miss significant time.

[humbleopinion]

Does anybody that was at the game have any comments on it? It doesn't really inspire much confidence in me the Emil started. We are doomed if he is our best option at center. 3 fouls in 11 minutes sounds about right.

I thought you'd never ask.

https://www.thevictorybell.com/p/growing-pains

Here's my take:

Ben:  I agree with Paul that it's great to see him at the 4.  His increased confidence shooting the 3 will pay dividends.

Kobe: I felt the same way that I did last year -- he's good, and when he gets back into form he'll be tough to stop.  His shots seemed to be falling short last night, but he scored the big hoop at the end.

Centers:  It was interesting to see Jerome in the game when Cedarville had closed the score.  I think that he has a lot of upside.  Both Joe and Emil seemed more comfortable out there than last year, but they were not challenged by a Div 1 center.

Nick Edwards:  He seems to be really quick.  Like Kobe, some of his shots fell short -- maybe some nerves in his first game at Valpo.

Quinton Green:  He sunk a couple 3s, and generally looked pretty good out on the floor.  I expect he will contribute nicely.

Max:  He seemed competent at the four for his level of experience.  If he is the 3-point threat as advertised, we can look forward to a change of pace when he subs for Ben.

Preston and Darius: I didn't see enough of them to determine if there has been much change since last season

Cam:  It was good to see him on the floor -- see Paul's comments

Ibra and Conner:  I hope we see them in uniform and contributing in the future

[JD24]

Ruedinger and Daverio played 35 minutes between them and took 3 shots. Ruedinger played 21 himself and took 2 shots and had one assist. This happened last year as well with guys on the court who seem to out there simply to move the ball from time which I find inefficient.

Also looks like the 2nd unit let the opponent back in the game after building an 18 point lead which was cut in half within about 90 secs led by Emil.

[justducky]

Preston and Darius: I didn't see enough of them to determine if there has been much change since last season

Ruedinger and Daverio played 35 minutes between them and took 3 shots. Ruedinger played 21 himself and took 2 shots and had one assist. This happened last year as well with guys on the court who seem to out there simply to move the ball from time which I find inefficient.

I am pretty confident that their offensive contributions will broaden soon. Just how soon is soon will soon be sorted out. 

Ben:  I agree with Paul that it's great to see him at the 4.  His increased confidence shooting the 3 will pay dividends.

3 of 6 from 3 is a great start and just a bit better than the 20% he shot last season!

[JD24]

Ruedinger and Daverio played 35 minutes between them and took 3 shots. Ruedinger played 21 himself and took 2 shots and had one assist. This happened last year as well with guys on the court who seem to out there simply to move the ball from time which I find inefficient.

I am pretty confident that their offensive contributions will broaden soon. Just how soon is soon will soon be sorted out. 

Considering it happened last year as well, I'm not sure where the confidence is coming from but hopefully you are correct.

[vuny98]

The Yellow Jackets buzzed the lead down to two in the final minute, but Kobe King (La Crosse, Wis. / La Crosse Central [Wisconsin]) made key plays on both ends by finishing a layup and then swiping a steal. However, Valpo missed the front end of a one-and-one, then the Beacons fouled a Cedarville three-point shooter on the other end. Cedarville made two of the three free throws to reduce the lead to two at 81-79 with 12 seconds left.
Valpo turned it over, and the Yellow Jackets had the ball with a chance to tie or take the lead. Valpo got a stop in the closing seconds, then King went to the free throw line and hit a pair to seal the victory.


This recap from the athletics website is giving my flashbacks from last year.

In the final seconds, with a chance to close it out: Missed free throw, then foul a three point shooter, then turn it over. We blew games late like that last year. Hopefully this is a reminder to the team and not a trend. Better teams than Cedarville may have finished the job.

[mj]

The good news is that Valpo basketball is back.

The bad news is Valpo basketball is back


The season is going to be rough. But at least Todd is still calling the games. So I'll be tuning in.

[Generic]

Looking to offload a bunch of Valpo gear for free rather than throw it away. Former VU employee with polos, sweaters, pullovers, coats, and some rain gear that are all size XL. Don't believe I have the ability to post pictures to the board yet, but can send them if you're interested.

[ValpoHoops]

Looking to offload a bunch of Valpo gear for free rather than throw it away. Former VU employee with polos, sweaters, pullovers, coats, and some rain gear that are all size XL. Don't believe I have the ability to post pictures to the board yet, but can send them if you're interested.

Check your DM

[VULB#62]

Ok.  I'm befuddled.

This is post from 30,000 feet cuz it is not a reentry to the forum for me — just as neutral an observation as I can muster before I go back to lurking. 

Since I bailed on the forum (close now to two years), because of my disgust at the cut of MSO and MT — two solid but purposefully underfunded programs that epitomized the great strengths, values and ethos of this university, I have watched this vibrant, energetic, and fun fan board practically disintegrate.  Case in point:  there are zero posts today despite FB, MBB, WBB going into their next games and the fact that MG (already a very competitive player at the MVC level) signed two great recruits with GPAs over 3.98 and golf credentials that blow your socks off. This would not have been the case two years ago. This forum should be bouncing about now.

I know why I left, and I am pretty sure I understand why WH backed off for other reasons. But in my case it was not about the forum. I chose to leave the forum in response to an action by the university (I also suspended any gifts, if that is what you might be wondering and I told MLB that). But that's just me.  It was purely personal.

But what's happened to those of you who are still active?  Have you stopped caring? 

FWIW, I still care - that's why I lurk, but I choose to remain silent until Padilla and Small demonstrate that there is substance behind their words.

Lamaste/Peace/Out

[vu84v2]

VULB#62 - There are quite a few posts on the first game against Toledo, though (of course) lots of concerns due to how poorly the team played. Lots of posts on the football program, which has been competitive. There were some posted on women's volleyball, but they declined as performance declined during conference play. There have been some posts on Men's Golf - but it is generally the offseason for golf (as I have said before, Coach Gring has done an amazing job!). Plus a lot of posts on various issues with Valpo's strategy.

I care...quite a bit.

[VUSWIM08-12]

Random college basketball finals from this year>Maine just beat Boston College at BC as 20.5 point underdogs and one of the worst teams in the country the last few years. Also Colorado lost at Grambling then went to #11 Tennessee and won.

[vok22]

Too bad we didn't schedule Louisville this year. They are now 0-3, with 3 losses to mid majors at home. Bellarmine, Wright State, and Appalachian State have all gone into the KFC Yum center and won by exactly 1 point each.

[usc4valpo]

Valpo really needs to improve their non conference schedule, it is as exciting as a ham sandwich on Wonder bread without the cheese and mustard. c'mon Valpo, surely you can do better than this!

[vu72]

Didn't want to start a whole new thread for this but I think it is very good news for the basketball atmosphere.  Valpo is now offering to pay students for playing in the pep band.  $500 for the season.  Hope it works.

[VALPO LI]

Finally!!!
This is a good "start" in the right direction.  Hopefully the $500 turns into offering scholarships, which turns into more competition to get out and play, which turns into a better sounding atmosphere at home games.

[vufan75]

Finally!!!
This is a good "start" in the right direction.  Hopefully the $500 turns into offering scholarships, which turns into more competition to get out and play, which turns into a better sounding atmosphere at home games. [emoji106]

[emoji122]

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[VUGrad1314]

Valpo really needs to improve their non conference schedule, it is as exciting as a ham sandwich on Wonder bread without the cheese and mustard. c'mon Valpo, surely you can do better than this!

Valpo needs to consistently BEAT the opponents on the non conference (and conference) schedule regardless of who they are.,,,

[covufan]

Valpo really needs to improve their non conference schedule, it is as exciting as a ham sandwich on Wonder bread without the cheese and mustard. c'mon Valpo, surely you can do better than this!

No need to improve schedule until we win the games we are supposed to win. We've had too much difficulty winning games against the lower half of Division 1.


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[David81]

Since the first 20-win season (Redmon/Schmidt team) in 1993-94, VU has had back-to-back losing records only three times. This season-to-season listing of MBB W-L records tells the tale:
https://www.sports-reference.com/cbb/schools/valparaiso/

The first time was under Homer Drew (2008-09, 2009-10), followed by a final 23-12 season before Bryce took over. The second and third times have been under the current head coach. And 2022-23 could mark the first time a VU MBB team posts a losing record in three successive seasons since joining the ranks of successful mid-majors.

I'll defer to closer students of college basketball on this point, but the transfer portal seems to have changed the game to the point where consistent runs like that under the Drews are now unlikely for mid-majors like Valpo. Guys like Alec Peters, Ryan Broekhoff, and Bryce Drew -- legit, program-building stars who stay for four years -- are increasingly rare. Indeed, perhaps we're not even having this conversation had Javon Freeman-Liberty stayed.

So...it's probably unfair to put all of this on Coach Lottich. But even with the changed environment for mid-majors, VU is losing games it should be winning with its current roster. And the HC bears a lot of responsibility for recruiting that roster. (At the risk of sounding snarky, recruiting a point guard who can score a few points isn't asking for too much.)

The program's current trajectory is towards a return to the early 90s, when VU was on the outside, looking into a world where mid-majors were relevant to the college basketball conversation. I think the situation is reversible, even with current realities such as the transfer portal, but it will take real, 150% commitment and the right people to do so.