Transfers 2022/2023

[usc4valpo]

Not sure where you are going. The engineering program at Valpo is solid with excellent professors who want to teach. there is commitment to the program.

The basketball program at Valpo on the other hand is sinking and has a lack of commitment. If Valpo doesn't make changes for the better, Krikke should consider making a move to improve himself and his opportunities. He has been here for 4 years admirably and has played great, if he left for his final year  I would respect that.

[vu72]

John Lithgow, Harvard grad, once said at a Valpo anniversary gathering something like "I am honored to be a graduate from the Valparaiso of New England."

Actually what he said was: "I've read that Valparaiso has been referred to as the Harvard of the Midwest, and I thought to myself, how ironic? As I am a graduate of Harvard and we always thought of ourselves as the Valparaiso of New England!" (almost a direct quote--I was there and I remember it well!)

[usc4valpo]

Fair enough. the engineering and basketball analogy is an interesting topic. I would almost guarantee the college of engineering is in better shape today than the basketball program. Also, the job opportunities for STEM, whether in industry or academic, are bright in an employees market.

[vufan75]

https://twitter.com/theportalreport/status/1634967265971146752?s=46&t=cNk7taMAYtxNl1Q0_O79Gw

Does this tweet mean one of our current 13 scholarship players is leaving? Would seem so reading between the lines.

Sent from my SM-G970U using Tapatalk

[historyman]

John Lithgow, Harvard grad, once said at a Valpo anniversary gathering something like "I am honored to be a graduate from the Valparaiso of New England."

Actually what he said was: "I've read that Valparaiso has been referred to as the Harvard of the Midwest, and I thought to myself, how ironic? As I am a graduate of Harvard and we always thought of ourselves as the Valparaiso of New England!" (almost a direct quote--I was there and I remember it well!)

Thank you, I couldn't find it and was not there but my relative told me about it.

[valpo64]

Ya gotta love the enthusiasm of some of our posters saying a great VU player should leave the program, another potential transfer should not come to VU   I am sure these comments do alot for our program. Welcome to "PR Grade 1".  Sorry, you failed...let's try again. 

[historyman]

Ya gotta love the enthusiasm of some of our posters saying a great VU player should leave the program, another potential transfer should not come to VU   I am sure these comments do alot for our program. Welcome to "PR Grade 1".  Sorry, you failed...let's try again. 

Well, if that's the case Flory Bidunga of Kokomo HS should come to Valpo. It's pretty close to his home. Great school and he can stay in the modern dorm of Beacon Hall. It won't matter what coach he plays for because he will dominate the MVC!!!! And he should stay for 4 years/5 years.


ESPN Basketball Recruiting - Player Rankings - ESPN


4. Flory Bidunga
[/size]CKokomo, IN
Kokomo High School6'9''21093

[usc4valpo]

64 - what should Valpo do so that these conversations do not exist? Or should we practice blind loyalty to the school, take our beatings and  not critiquing  when they are making poor decisions?

This program is a trainwreck. If you have stock in a company and you know it will tank soon, do you keep your stock because of company loyalty?

If Krikke has an opportunity to improve himself somewhere else, shouldn't we wish what's best for him?

[tiny707]

I would rather have Dylan Haper 6'4" PG from Don Bosco than Flory from Kokomo.

[sliman]

There seems to be a lot of discussion about the "Harvard of the Midwest" description.  Without looking up the history of the phrase, my recollection is that the term was used by one of the New York dailies during the days under Brown's leadership.  As I recall, this was the period when enrollment, boosted by a calendar featuring 7-week terms, hit 5,000 and the comment may have related as much to the size of the school as the quality although it probably was a combination of both.  Regardless, the University attracted attention of the New York press. I have seen the newspaper quote but don't recall if it is one of the histories published about Valpo or elsewhere.

[vu72]

There seems to be a lot of discussion about the "Harvard of the Midwest" description.  Without looking up the history of the phrase, my recollection is that the term was used by one of the New York dailies during the days under Brown's leadership.  As I recall, this was the period when enrollment, boosted by a calendar featuring 7-week terms, hit 5,000 and the comment may have related as much to the size of the school as the quality although it probably was a combination of both.  Regardless, the University attracted attention of the New York press. I have seen the newspaper quote but don't recall if it is one of the histories published about Valpo or elsewhere.

may have related as much to the size of the school as the quality although it probably was a combination of both.

I think you are correct.  As I recall, Valpo was second in enrollment at the time to only Harvard.  It was before the state school's existed.

[Valpo89]

I would rather have Dylan Haper 6'4" PG from Don Bosco than Flory from Kokomo.

Don Bosco (Dave Maravilla) will never send one of his guys to Valpo.

[VULB#62]

I would rather have Dylan Haper 6'4" PG from Don Bosco than Flory from Kokomo.

Don Bosco (Dave Maravilla) will never send one of his guys to Valpo.

BINGO!  Johnny, tell him what he's won!

[wh]

Not sure where you are going. The engineering program at Valpo is solid with excellent professors who want to teach. there is commitment to the program.

The basketball program at Valpo on the other hand is sinking and has a lack of commitment. If Valpo doesn't make changes for the better, Krikke should consider making a move to improve himself and his opportunities. He has been here for 4 years admirably and has played great, if he left for his final year  I would respect that.

USC - I probably seem like I'm picking on you. I don't mean it that way, but I have to take issue with this. Like you, I would respect Ben's decision to move on. Who wouldn't? He has been a great representative of Valparaiso University on and off the court for his entire collegiate career. Where I differ is in automatically assuming that his best interest would be served by moving on. How do we know that? He has 1 year of eligibility remaining, Unlike some student athletes, I think Ben is student first and athlete second. He may well love his student experience at Valpo. He may be looking forward to continuing his academic climb right where he is.  Maybe he loves Matt and staff and wants to help the program turn the corner. Maybe he has his sights on some day coaching at Valpo. Maybe he would like to help a new coach turn the corner. Then consider that transferring to another university for 1 year is almost like starting the college experience all over again - unfamiliar surroundings, no established relationships, new bb program, new system, new players, new coach, new playbook, possible new role, unknown standing, etc., etc. Someone said he has a girlfriend at Valpo. Maybe he doesn't want to be separated from her for a year. Last, but not least, Matt (and Valpo in general), has professional bb connections in Europe and Australia. Maybe it's in Ben's best interest to stay and see where that leads. IMO these are all considerations that could favor staying right where he is. Again, who knows? I think we need to allow for that possibility and even permit ourselves to selfishly hope as fanatical Valpo fans that it turns out that way. wh

[elephtheria47]

Valpo has reached out to G Myles Tate, transferring from Butler

[usc4valpo]

Ok I can respect that - I am just blown away Lottich is keeping his job. Almost every D1 school would make change. I would love to hear the spin on this.

I will say that change is good for a person and makes one grow.

[crusader05]

There's also a lot of moving parts. You have professors on sabbatical, doing visiting fellowships elsewhere, working on grant funded research or just moving into the private sector/changing jobs for a myriad of reasons. Also, universities are not immune from the recent turmoil in job changing and as a non PHD/mostly teaching university, there are also going to be young professors who want to move on to places that provide them the full research opportunities and time off from teaching loads that you're not going to get a place like Valpo. Churn is going to happen when things are in flux but not every person living is proof of something bad or wrong.  You will always hopefully get the "lifers" those that settle in and love Valpo and what they do and don't leave. But you're also gong to get a lot of post doc people at the beginning of their career who leave after a few years.

[David81]

There seems to be a lot of discussion about the "Harvard of the Midwest" description.  Without looking up the history of the phrase, my recollection is that the term was used by one of the New York dailies during the days under Brown's leadership.  As I recall, this was the period when enrollment, boosted by a calendar featuring 7-week terms, hit 5,000 and the comment may have related as much to the size of the school as the quality although it probably was a combination of both.  Regardless, the University attracted attention of the New York press. I have seen the newspaper quote but don't recall if it is one of the histories published about Valpo or elsewhere.

may have related as much to the size of the school as the quality although it probably was a combination of both.

I think you are correct.  As I recall, Valpo was second in enrollment at the time to only Harvard.  It was before the state school's existed.

On the "Harvard of the Midwest" tagline: Indeed, it comes from pre-Lutheran VU of the Brown & Kinsey era, during the first two decades of the last century. The school was run on a penny-pinching (in a good way, as I'll explain), proprietary business model, with few bells & whistles permitted. Interestingly, some of the Old Campus buildings constructed during that time would remain in active use until well into the century.

Students came from across the country and even from around the world to study at VU. Part of the attraction was the price. The no-frills approach to running a college allowed them to cap tuition. They also had an extensive work-study program for kids of modest means. Among the work options was tending to the school's farm & gardens, where food was grown to serve at the residence halls. The reputation of the school for delivering so much for so little even prompted some leading newspapers and "muckraking" magazines to send reporters to Valpo to see if this miracle of an inexpensive, quality education was too good to be true. The reporters would come away with much respect for VU's ability to pull it off.

For those interested in a closer look at VU's history, including its fascinating pre-Lutheran incarnation, I highly recommend the late Dr. Richard Baepler's history of VU, running up to the beginning of the new century, Flame of Faith, Lamp of Learning (2002). (I just checked -- affordable copies are available on Amazon.) Dr. Baepler was deeply devoted to Valparaiso, but this is not an uncritical hagiography of an institution, as he addresses real challenges that VU has faced over the years. He also spends a lot of time on the student experience, which many university histories strangely do not.

[VU2014]

UNI lands a former Valpo recruit. Transferring from Loyola

https://twitter.com/jacobhutsonn/status/1635652626179149828?s=46&t=cNk7taMAYtxNl1Q0_O79Gw

[humbleopinion]

Cam is in the portal.

[AlaskaCrusader19]

https://twitter.com/TVBOren/status/1635707343584231443?s=20

[historyman]

hagiography

You are indeed a scholar, David.

I had to look up this word.

hag·i·og·ra·phy
/ˌhaɡēˈäɡrəfē/
noun
the writing of the lives of saints.
biography that idealizes its subject.
plural noun: hagiographies
"a hagiography which is designed to serve a political agenda"

[historyman]

Cam is in the portal.

Good luck to Cameron. I truly hope he grows in his maturity and learns what it takes to be a Div. I college basketball player.

[wh]

https://twitter.com/TVBOren/status/1635707343584231443?s=20

An announcement of our newest D-3 acquisition with 1 year of eligibility remaining to follow shortly. 

[vu72]

Didn't want to start a whole new thread for this but our signee, 6'9" Zane Doughty is getting some great recognition!

Just named Marion County Player of the Year.  His Ben Davis team remains undefeated and is playing in the Big School Semi-State Saturday.