It’s time to fire Lottich

[mj]

It's not a question of "if" but "when." And after that performance tonight, he should be let go immediately. Valpo needs to show that we're serious about athletics.

Valpo has a week before two games against Elon and Stonehill. Those are winnable games and might give an interim coach some confidence before heading into the meat grinder of conference play.

Lottich, by all accounts, is a decent person. But he's lost control of this program. We deserve better.

[usc4valpo]

I have a feeling this thread will go nowhere

[truth219]

I support this thread. If there is anyone on this board that has faith in Matt as our head coach I would love to hear your reasoning.

[usc4valpo]

Just concerned about the passive Valpo response

[oklahomamick]

I wonder if those who were making excuses for him 2-3 years ago will speak up.  Surely they finally see what many of us saw a long time ago. 

Can I or we say "I told you so".

Really wish we didn't have to wait and continue to lose season after season in order to prove you guys wrong. 

[SlimJimJZ]

I 100% agree that it's time to move on, but Valpo will not fire him mid-season. That's just not how the school operates, unless the new President and AD wish to change the status quo.

[usc4valpo]

Valpo has never been aggressive in making these type of decisions. Valpo also tends to be penny wise and dollar foolish in these decisions.

[VULB#62]

There was a time when Valpo was in the Horizon and lost to top 10 Kentucky by under 20 at  UK. Where is Ole Miss ranked? Wait, isn't Samford at approximately the same latitude?  Maybe, it's just a case of latitudinal (aka, I-22) dysplasia?

BTW, if anyone is looking for support for change, please go to the JM game string and the 2022-2023 string to read the posts by Valpopal, David81 and me. There is some, I belive, good rationale going on there.

[VUSERF]

Agreed. The performance of this season o date is the final straw. I disliked the hire from the start. Did not trust his experience.

Hope he grows into a solid coach. Just don't see it happening here.

[David81]

It would be the classy thing for Coach Lottich to step down, with a fair buyout that covers his next season.

By all accounts a good man, it would be great if he retooled, someday got another chance as HC, and enjoyed greater success. From a character standpoint, he's the kind of person we want coaching young student-athletes.

[VULB#62]

The final quote from Matt in the Victory Bell coverage of the Ole Miss game:

"We have to get to a point where we're learning from this," Lottich said. "This is a hard game. We just have to be better. We're not going to burn this tape, we're going to learn from it."

Isn't this quote on a loop reel? 

And who is the "we" he is addressing? The players?  OR ........... was it really the coach who has had 6 years to learn?

[historyman]

The final quote from Matt in the Victory Bell coverage of the Ole Miss game:

"We have to get to a point where we're learning from this," Lottich said. "This is a hard game. We just have to be better. We're not going to burn this tape, we're going to learn from it."

Isn't this quote on a loop reel? 

And who is the "we" he is addressing? The players?  OR ........... was it really the coach who has had 6 years to learn?

[elephtheria47]

Not only does ML not have it, our staff doesnt change either. Most coaches know to bring in new/fresh ideas and guys when things arent going well. A look at our coaches bios, we've been ho-humming along for 4/5 years at this point. We're not even trying to do anything different at this point.

[usc4valpo]

A lot of higher on the Valpo leadership chain don't care about basketball. Some open serious debates from the higher ups is required. 

[VULB#62]

The date was Sunday, November 10, 2013.

The previous afternoon the Valpo Crusader football team was thoroughly embarrassed by the team down south 72-12.

With one more game left that season, MLB announced that Dale Carlson was relieved of his HFBC duties.

While this was Carlson's final contract year, that act, nevertheless, was strongly symbolic.  It showed that Valpo was not content with coaching incompetence, mediocrity and losing.

[David81]

A lot of higher on the Valpo leadership chain don't care about basketball. Some open serious debates from the higher ups is required. 

Your comment reflects an institutional ambivalence towards intercollegiate sports that goes way back. VU's elevation to Division I during the 70s was not met with universal enthusiasm, with doubts directed primarily at the MBB program as teams continually posted mediocre records. (In fairness to the early coaches, they didn't receive the resources helpful toward succeeding, either.)

And we should keep in mind that VU's campus culture, going back to the pre-Lutheran days when the university was the "Poor Man's Harvard" providing a basic, super-affordable, but door-opening classroom education, was always very frugal. And when the Lutherans entered the picture, they inherited a bare bones campus that would frame a modern version of the institution where aspirations always exceeded scarce resources. That reality would apply to athletics, as well.

It's remarkable how Bryce Drew's shot changed perceptions of how sports might shape the University.

The last five seasons, mixed in with VU's financial challenges and the pandemic, may have fueled a return to that ambivalence.

[JD24]

The date was Sunday, November 10, 2013. The previous afternoon the Valpo Crusader football team was thoroughly embarrassed by the team down south 72-12. With one more game left that season, MLB announced that Dale Carlson was relieved of his HFBC duties. While this was Carlson's final contract year, that act, nevertheless, was strongly symbolic.  It showed that Valpo was not content with coaching incompetence, mediocrity and losing.

This instance was brought up earlier but there are some significant differences. It was the last year of the contract, final game of the season...the interim coach was so for a week of game preparation and then for the exit of seniors until the new hire came in and you could also say, in Valpo's case, in a sport lower down the food chain.

While those who remain fans will be out for blood until the inevitable happens at the end of the season, that is when it's going to happen, likely...at the end of the season.

[vu72]

I distinctly remember sending a letter (yes, it was still in the dark ages of 1988) to then AD Bill Steinbrecher, complaining about the 'embarrassing' situation concerning our basketball team.  Shortly thereafter, Tom Smith was replaced by a guy named Drew.  Now, to be sure, Dr. Steinbrecher's decision had nothing to do with my complaint, but apparently, there had been enough failure to make a change.  I just looked back at Tom's last year at Valpo, and the results included two wins over Butler, a win against San Francisco, a five point loss to Texas A & M and a "humiliating" loss by 39 to Notre Dame, and an overall record of 12-16 and a last place conference standing.(Can you imagine losing by 39 to anybody?? Oh, wait, we only lost to Ole Miss by 37 thanks to a last second 3 by Connor!)

I would argue that Tom Smith's record was as good or better than Matt's particularly given the early state of Valpo's basketball experience at the D1 level.  No doubt, Dr. Small and President Padilla are fully aware of the demise of our basketball program(s). I would expect changes, but not until the end of the season.

[Valpo89]

I'm not going to disagree. How many of you were like me yesterday? Instead of watching what should have been a great game against Ole Miss, I flipped back to World Cup Soccer.

[usc4valpo]

62 - firing Carlson with one game left on his contract really wasn't a bold move. He should have been canned a year before after his robust 2-31 record and an embarrassing blowout loss to Morehead St.

Vu72 - Smith wasn't fired, in fact they gave him tenure and a lower salary in exchange for job security. He left on his own knowing that the program had apathy and insufficient support from the university.

Lottich has to know his days are numbered - this program is a complete mess. Nice person, perhaps he needs to learn, be an assistant under a competent coach and fine tune his skills.

[crusader05]

David81,


I'd argue the frugal, bare-bones, do more with less idea has never left and is part of why Valpo is in the position it is. An over reliance on old methods that "worked" even if they weren't efficient or effective, a believe staff and faculty and students would "accept less" for the "mission". Someone once told me that many departments were still working in paper when our peers had long long ago moved onto a digital platform.


They mythos of Valpo that we have created around ourselves is partly why we are in the position. This idea that we will always "punch above our weight" or that it's just about finding the elusive "right people" to come and work or attend classes. This idea that we are special has held us in a place where issues were ignored. We ignored the endowment, we ignored facilities, we ignored basic standards of our peers. I'd argue even on this forum, this idea that we need to bring back someone from the drew years or an alum like Tonagel is part of it. There is no savior waiting int he wings, even good coaches are going to struggle when our peers are outmatching us, not just in coaches salaries or arenas but things like resources for athletes and training facilities

[valpopal]

A lot of higher on the Valpo leadership chain don't care about basketball. Some open serious debates from the higher ups is required.

I m hoping the presence of Padilla, a vocal supporter of D-1 sports, and Small, a former D-1 basketball player, would guide the attitude of others toward athletics, which I acknowledge is sometimes lacking. Additionally, I would suggest apathy toward the basketball program among faculty and administrators has not always been the case. As I mentioned in a previous post, I used to have season tickets near Pres. Harre and his wife, who often attended and she always kept a scorecard. Heckler's presence at games admittedly was much more infrequent. From the 1980s until recently, chairback section G was noted for all the faculty with season tickets, including department chairs, deans and other staff, who filled it. Additional faculty regularly attended in section EE, which is always reserved for them. Unfortunately, speaking from experience, almost all of those individuals who were loyal fans since the 1980s have now retired, a few have passed away, and some have lost fervor during the past few years. My personal observation is that the recent arrivals of younger faculty and newer administrators seem to include many who have little or no interest in college sports, including basketball. This is where the influence of Padilla and Small is needed.   

[David81]

David81,


I'd argue the frugal, bare-bones, do more with less idea has never left and is part of why Valpo is in the position it is. An over reliance on old methods that "worked" even if they weren't efficient or effective, a believe staff and faculty and students would "accept less" for the "mission". Someone once told me that many departments were still working in paper when our peers had long long ago moved onto a digital platform.


They mythos of Valpo that we have created around ourselves is partly why we are in the position. This idea that we will always "punch above our weight" or that it's just about finding the elusive "right people" to come and work or attend classes. This idea that we are special has held us in a place where issues were ignored. We ignored the endowment, we ignored facilities, we ignored basic standards of our peers. I'd argue even on this forum, this idea that we need to bring back someone from the drew years or an alum like Tonagel is part of it. There is no savior waiting int he wings, even good coaches are going to struggle when our peers are outmatching us, not just in coaches salaries or arenas but things like resources for athletes and training facilities

Crusader05, I'd agree that overall, VU has continued to lean on its core mission and the people committed to it as a way of trying to overcome its financial shortcomings. However, I think the harsh degree of that lean is much less than during its earlier chapters.

Indeed, from the mid-to-late 80s onward, I don't think it's true that the school has neglected its endowment, facilities, and comparative standards vis a vis its peers. The ARC (mid-80s), for example, was a huge upgrade over the Old Hilltop gymnasium. The new Wesemann Hall (late 80s) basically helped to save the Law School from losing its accreditation and was followed by a strong run, at least until the Great Recession and its harsh aftermath for legal education. Each of the past three VU presidents -- Schnabel, Harre, and Heckler -- led successful major fundraising campaigns at levels unthinkable under their predecessors (including the iconic O.P. Kretzmann). As a result, VU's endowment, though far from ideal, is comparable to that of many peer institutions. And although salaries have continued to lag, they've reached a point where the University has been able compete for faculty in a national market.

What does this mean for the MBB program? FWIW, I don't think that it has sunk back to where it was before the ARC and the Drews appeared on the scene. But the trajectory is heading that way. As this conversation on this board continues to add valuable thoughts and reflections, I'm starting to ask two questions:

First, can the program attract a really good HC who will stay and (re)build something here? (Or, will VU become yet another "starter school" for ambitious coaches who dream of NCAA glory at bigger places?)

Second, can the program, in the current competitive environment for mid-majors, attract and keep at least one star player around whom a tournament-quality team can be built, such as a Drew, Peters, or Broekhoff? (Or, is the Freeman-Liberty story merely a prelude to a new reality?)

[VULB#62]

This instance was brought up earlier but there are some significant differences. It was the last year of the contract, final game of the season...the interim coach was so for a week of game preparation and then for the exit of seniors until the new hire came in and you could also say, in Valpo's case, in a sport lower down the food chain.

While those who remain fans will be out for blood until the inevitable happens at the end of the season, that is when it's going to happen, likely...at the end of the season.

Yes, I acknowledged it was the final year of his contract and that only one game remained. My point was the symbolism of firing him, despite the fact it would soon be over anyway, was a statement regardless of its dynamics. I have been following Valpo athletics for decades and to my memory I cannot recall any coach of any sport ever being fired in season for poor coaching. That is totally out of Valpo's character, but sets a precedent. 

[mj]

First, can the program attract a really good HC who will stay and (re)build something here? (Or, will VU become yet another "starter school" for ambitious coaches who dream of NCAA glory at bigger places?)

As I mentioned in another thread, Valpo should look to hire a coach with previous success at the end of their career. Like Saint Louis University did with Rick Majerus. Have them put out the fire and get the program back on the right track. You're also getting their coaching tree for their eventual successor.

Valpo is always going to be a stepping stone for most coaches. But that can be ok, if we set up a system to replace them.