FIRE LOTTICH IMMEDIATELY!!

[Chairback]

Enough is enough. 

Set the tone that this is not acceptable nor what Valpo Basketball is about.   

You can see it on Lottich's face he's lost and frustrated.  Whatever his plan is it's been broke for years. 

Look at our assistant coaches on the bench, other than Walker and Thomas K, they look like they are at a funeral.

   

[wh]

Lottich has destroyed Valpo bb. He should be fired immediately. Name Gore interim and begin a search for a new head coach immediately. Can't afford it? Figure it out or get out.

[valporun]

They won't fire Lottich because look at how Gore, Bowen, and Townsend are looking like puppets waiting for the strings to be pulled. Gore would be MORE OF THE SAME...might as well ride it out for 8 more weeks. The team quit on themselves.

[tiny707]

The doormat of the MVC..

[valpolaw]

Should've been fired years ago. Now we've become a complete joke and fallen into a dark abyss. The administration is to blame too for allowing this to continue so long 

[wh]

I'm guessing that Valpo and Evansville are considered the 2 biggest mistakes the MVC has ever made. It would be interesting to know what longtime MVC fans from other programs would have to say about that.

[oklahomamick]

Should have been fired years ago.  Saw this coming.

However Lottich probably just needs to ride this lame duck season out.  They're isn't an interim on the bench. 

Also we don't know the contract.  There might be a clause that the buyout is tremendously cheaper if he finishes the year. 

[valpopal]

The men and women basketball teams are now a combined 0-10 in conference play. This is not a one-time aberration. Unfortunately, it is the continuation of a steady downfall, and there is no inkling of things moving in a better direction. Recent post-game conferences and interviews with the head coaches in both sports only support this conclusion. Neither individual instills a sense of confidence or offers fans any real reason for hope of improvement. The new AD should be planning for a clean sweep of the two programs, exploring possibilities of alternative personnel, and be ready to declare a dramatic fresh start under his leadership immediately at the end of the seasons. The administration's relative apathy toward sports development at Valparaiso (more noticeable to outside observers after the move to the MVC), as well as misplaced priorities (such as focusing time, energy, and resources on a name/mascot change that actually divided or diminished the fan base), exhibited during the past half dozen years has finally led to this low point, which a number of folks on this board had been predicting would be the result.

[covufan]

While I don't bother watching these games as much, I don't think Valpo will fire during the season. Most college hoops coaches get fired just after season.

When I look at stats, one of the sites I go to is T-Rank by barttorvik. He gives a score for each game.

https://barttorvik.com/team.php?team=Valparaiso&year=2023

Our game scores since Alec Peters was injured have been less than stellar. Don't look up Grand Canyon, you'll wish for a previous era. I only wish we could see Indiana Wesleyan basketball, to get an idea of how Tonagel and team have performed.

We sorely need someone that can coach, develop, adjust, recruit, and get the most out of the team.

If this were European soccer, we'd be getting ready for the Summit League, with Oral Roberts ready to take our place. Maybe we should get Tom Smith to consult


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[valpofb16]

No need to beat a dead horse. Wouldn't surprise me at all if the University does not have budget to swallow Lottich contract.

These players all will land elsewhere. They had multiple scholarships out of Hs and will land on D2s or small majors. Valpo will need to address several things before it considers getting competitive in athletics again.

[Dr. T]

Thank you for bringing up the post game conference remarks. I was curious to know if others had the same expressed sentiments. Go back and watch the ISU press conference: "We knew coming in they were a really good team." Later on, "...obviously games like that can be a little embarrassing." Oh, and - as has been the case for years, the excuses continued: "...I thought we were exhausted ... we looked tired


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EVQj7e6TxnA


UNI post-game remarks. "...We spotted them 12 points to start the game ... I don't know ... we've gotta come out better and not get down like that." Later on, "...I thought that there were some big improvements today obviously, we still didn't make shots, but I thought we got good shots." He later compared the fact that UNI had 3 days to prepare for Valpo, whereas Valpo only had 2 days to prepare for them ...


Last, he again pointed out that "...the valley schedule does make it difficult you just don't get a lot of practice time." I'm sorry, but enough of the constant excuses!!! It's been going on for years and years. It sure sounds like he's just out of his league - some pun intended. Is the objective seriously to get out of the MVC and go back into a lesser mid-major conference as a means of appeasing this woe-is-me sentiment? If so, count me out.

[Dr. T]

I am (and have been) 100% in favor of Tonagel coming back to Valpo *if* he'd entertain the offer after not being given a fair shake at the gig years back (from what I was told, at least). I don't question Matt as a father or husband - that's not my business. I don't know him from Adam. As a fan, I question him as the basketball coach at Valparaiso University. As a basketball coach, I do not see evidence of him moving this program in a better direction. It's just not qualitatively or quantitatively true. It's time to move on.


Waiting until the season comes to a close is fine by me - this season is a wash. But I hope to see change occur ASAP once the season comes close. And I sure hope it's not a matter of hiring from within again. Second, I certainly hope the new President & AD seize the moment and show their commitment to athletics. It does not have to be a matter of academics OR athletics. At one point, I was a big-time advocate for a new arena, etc. - I do not mention such things any longer. As-is, donors do not have a reason to support such a move. We need to change on the court first.

[jtm]

It does appear to be that time.

[usc4valpo]

I doubt Tonegal is the solution, but I undoubted feel Matt would be relieved if the departure occurred. This program is going nowhere, and the cast of characters in the decision process need change.

[vu72]

I'm guessing that Valpo and Evansville are considered the 2 biggest mistakes the MVC has ever made. It would be interesting to know what longtime MVC fans from other programs would have to say about that.

Maybe a stretch here, but not too far off.  Evansville ssw what was happening and cleaned house.  Illinois State had finished worse than Valpo for the last three years and guess what? They fired their coach.  Indiana State has consistently been better than Valpo but, nonetheless, fired their coach and two years in to a new coach, now sit in first place in the Valley.  Athletics are a mess at Valpo, sans, the Soccer team and Volleyball team.  When spring comes and softball and baseball continue failing, it will just further point to the giant mess.  Dr. Small needs our support and, prayers!

[beacons23]

Here is the thing
We have facilities worse than most high schools
No marketing department
What do you expect this staff to do?
If the school and alums would actually put some cash into the program maybe we would have better results.
If a player comes here and does above average he will leave-why would you stay at a place with terrible facilities and game environment
And stop bringing up Rowdy Peters etc
They played in leagues that were awful

[VULB#62]

And stop bringing up Rowdy Peters etc
They played in leagues that were awful

Nope. Not gonna.

Those teams consistently beat MVC teams, were respected enough to get a MVC bid, went to the dance or NIT a number of times and then did not embarrass the university and showed they were nationally competitive. They produced professional players. How many pros has Lottich produced?  Those teams would destroy the last several Lottich-coached teams in 8 of 10 games.

[valpofb16]

Beacons23 is on to something. Valpo is a bad product right now. For athletes - facilities not competitive at D1 level . In terms of marketing exposure etc - not competitive.

According to scholarship.com Valpo has a 65% 4 year graduation rate. That is really bad for its facilities and price tag.

Rowdy and Peters were NBA players and would have played at any school in the country their senior years. Bringing one of them back to the program would not do anything if aforementioned problems are not fixed.

It's time for a reality check.

[usc4valpo]

I like both viewpoints from 23 and 62. Our facilities and game atmosphere absolutely suck in todays D1 basketball. Also, those teams with Peters, Broekoff and others that played in the Horizon would destroy this team.

Lottich may not be dismissed until the end of the season, but it's the wrong, weak, Valpolike decision to make.

[beacons23]

Thanks to our former President and AD we are in a hole I am not sure we can get out of.
My younger sister is on the Track team and suggests that students just have no desire to go to games with morgue like atmosphere and a bad product.

[valpo tundra]

When even vu72 uses the words "mess" and "failing" to describe Valpo Athletics, there probably is a great challenge ahead. Let the current staff ride out the season while putting feelers out now, then move quickly after the season ends to clean house. Would we want someone who wants to come here right now? What does that say about their character that they would bail on their season somewhere else? That type of person would not be a good fit long-term for Valpo. The quality and quantity of applicants will grow substantially once the middle of March comes. To put somebody in charge now from in house defeats the purpose of what most everyone here is saying - that a 100% reset from outside needs to occur. And finally, no matter how hard you want to be in the big time, we do not have the money.  We just sold a parcel on Old Campus for some desperately needed cash. We don't have the money to pay more than one person to do one job.

[valpotx]

Here is the thing
We have facilities worse than most high schools
No marketing department
What do you expect this staff to do?
If the school and alums would actually put some cash into the program maybe we would have better results.
If a player comes here and does above average he will leave-why would you stay at a place with terrible facilities and game environment
And stop bringing up Rowdy Peters etc
They played in leagues that were awful

Definitely a statement from an ignorant/unaware individual.  You are saying that NBA/top European league players, couldn't cut it in the MVC?  When they were playing, the Horizon League was at the same conference RPI level that the MVC now sits.  We were routinely in the 12-16 range, but the MVC during those years was closer to 7-10.  We would beat MVC teams, which were better than the current MVC teams.  Peters put up 30+ during his FR year at Evansville, which was a better team than they have been the last few years.  Rowdy played in a league that had back-to-back National Championship appearances by Butler.  Hell, even our Mid-Con teams were in the same situation, in often beating the same quality of teams that we have struggled to beat in the last few years.  I will give you a pass here, in probably being a recent graduate, and not knowing the history. 

[vu72]

I doubt Tonegal is the solution, but I undoubted feel Matt would be relieved if the departure occurred. This program is going nowhere, and the cast of characters in the decision process need change.

He might not be but he also might be.  Think about it.  We brought in a guy named Homer Drew from a D2 or some such level and that worked out. Greg has won 3 National NAIA Championships and was named National coach of the Year also three times.  He has a 79.5% winning record.  Check out the D2 record of Indiana States coach.  They currently sit in first place.  It doesn't have to be a Big name D1 coach.  Greg is about 40 years old so still can easily relate to his players and fits the mold of the kind of people we want at Valpo.

[beacons23]

Here is the thing
We have facilities worse than most high schools
No marketing department
What do you expect this staff to do?
If the school and alums would actually put some cash into the program maybe we would have better results.
If a player comes here and does above average he will leave-why would you stay at a place with terrible facilities and game environment
And stop bringing up Rowdy Peters etc
They played in leagues that were awful

Definitely a statement from an ignorant/unaware individual.  You are saying that NBA/top European league players, couldn't cut it in the MVC?  When they were playing, the Horizon League was at the same conference RPI level that the MVC now sits.  We were routinely in the 12-16 range, but the MVC during those years was closer to 7-10.  We would beat MVC teams, which were better than the current MVC teams.  Peters put up 30+ during his FR year at Evansville, which was a better team than they have been the last few years.  Rowdy played in a league that had back-to-back National Championship appearances by Butler.  Hell, even our Mid-Con teams were in the same situation, in often beating the same quality of teams that we have struggled to beat in the last few years.  I will give you a pass here, in probably being a recent graduate, and not knowing the history.

You know how someone is from Texas?
Stick around thhey will let you know...
First big mouth...never said they could not play in this league
Just stating that dudes like you are re living the glory days that are gone and not coming back

[vu72]

You know how someone is from Texas?
Stick around thhey will let you know...
First big mouth...never said they could not play in this league
Just stating that dudes like you are re living the glory days that are gone and not coming back

That's what the said when Homer Drew went 4-24, 5-22 and 5-22 three year in a row, just before you were born!  It is just nonsense to say stuff like the glory days that are gone and not coming back