Dr Small Video Message

[Chairback]

Just got the email. I think this is great and he hits on all points.  It's clear what expectations are and he recognizes the  impact of our MBB on the university. Sign of strong leadership from him.

I think this is really good. Kudos to Dr Small on sending this.  Not sure I've seen this great of communication from the university in years. 

Sure Ben is leaving and there is uncertainty.  But good things are ahead for us. 

https://youtu.be/EdawtNRcgHc

[covufan]

Thanks for sharing. Time will tell, but I'm not seeing an exodus of players hitting the transfer portal. Small, and the University, needs to hit this out of the park.

Go Valpo!


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[covufan]

Thanks for sharing. Time will tell, but I'm not seeing an exodus of players hitting the transfer portal. Small, and the University, needs to hit this out of the park.

Go Valpo!


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Ben is gone. This didn't age well


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[VULB#62]

Impressive.  Very impressive.

[AlaskaCrusader19]

Thanks for sharing. Time will tell, but I'm not seeing an exodus of players hitting the transfer portal. Small, and the University, needs to hit this out of the park.

Go Valpo!


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Does it matter if there is a mass exodus? Coaching was undoubtedly an issue, but it's not like the roster was out of this world, either.

[Chairback]

Does it matter if there is a mass exodus?

No, it doesn't matter.  That era is over. 

Time for a complete refresh.   

[mp91]

Very encouraging message. I like the transparency throughout the process.

The one interesting thing was that he said he met with Lottich and "we agreed" a change in leadership was needed. Makes it sound like Lottich either (1) saw the writing on the wall and was content moving on/maybe even wanted to move on or (2) the coach and AD had different views on the future of the program and agreed to part ways over these differences.

Of course, there is also the possibility that this was just a kind, PR friendly way to announce the breakup. This may be the most likely option. But still, "we agree" is an interesting choice of words.

Looking forward to the future.

[Dr. T]

The most excited I've been about this program since 2016. Seriously. I've said it before, but season tickets, donations, & my promotion of this program are all back in play. At the same time, that may not mean much in the big scheme of things if many others renew their excitement & commitment to this program - who knows what could transpire after that! It's multiplication 101. Let's do this. "We need a fresh start!" Yes, Dr. Small - yes, we do!!! Head coaches ARE critical to our success.

[David81]

I think this was a classy way to explain the transition and to signal a commitment to reviving this program.

[valpo64]

Dr. Small is a class act.  We ae fortunate to have him as our AD.  I have great confidence in his hiring of our new Coach.

[Dr. T]

When Dr. Small was hired, I was hopeful he could leverage his P5 collegiate basketball experience + coaching experience to help right the ship. Understandably, Mark LaBarbera was the one who made the hire. Lottich's coaching tenure - for better or worse - would be on him. Perceptually - from a fan's perspective, firing Lottich, in turn, would be an indictment on his decision to hire him. He knew his retirement was coming. He wasn't going to make that call.

Now, Dr. Small has an opportunity to truly be a leader & start his legacy here at VU. When he met with Bryce & Homer and went so far as to post on social media about it, there was a glimmer of hope that he recognized what VU MBB once was and how it had lost its luster.

As the past few weeks went by, many of us (myself included) grew weary that we'd be held back by financial restraints and thus be unable to make the decision that needed to be made. Then, a beacon of hope prevailed. Alas, this news.

Without a doubt, Dr. Small - like any AD - will be judged by the decision made here. He knows that the facilities, lack of NIL exposure, & relative salary allotment will limit the scope of his search. No doubt, however, that he's also aware these factors will be considered excuses down the road. There will be folks (myself included) who aspire for better-than-mediocre and don't accept excuses. It's an exciting day for the VU community. Let's go.

[JD24]

Thanks for sharing. Time will tell, but I'm not seeing an exodus of players hitting the transfer portal. Small, and the University, needs to hit this out of the park. Go Valpo! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Ben is gone. This didn't age well Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wish Ben well and I hope he makes a wise choice for his next program as he may not fit into what most of college basketball does these days. We'll see.

As far as the Valpo program is concerned, yeah losing the best player on the roster may hurt but the entire roster needs to be refocused on anyway as, with Ben, it was lacking talent nearly top to bottom. Whoever the next guy in to run the program is, will have a lot of work in front of him.

[David81]

With Krikke in the portal and likely gone, and with the modest talent remaining on the current roster, this means the new HC is likely facing the equivalent of a gut rehab "opportunity." It will be interesting to see what kind of team the new coach cobbles together with returning players, incoming frosh, and later signings off the transfer portal.

[VULB#62]

In a very short time, Dr. Small has demonstrated great skill in communicating with fans.  I am wondering if he would be open to reviving "The Director's Corner" thread at the very top of our BB thread as another way to maintain open dialogue?   The last post to it was 2015. If that is not a possibility, perhaps it should be archived off the main page.

[4throwfan]

MLB posted outside of that thread from time to time.  I recall one time posting on scheduling.  So, I second your request, but note that he can post anywhere on the board.  If nothing else, it once gave us solace that he was listening.

[VULB#62]

Yeah, it would be understandable if a revival were not in the cards based on the caustically critical tone that the forum took on as MBB spiraled downward. But I would be hopeful that the positive interest and excitement that has been generated just in the last few weeks will continue to be upbeat well into the future.  It would be nice to have Dr. Small, Brandon, Aaron, et.al., occasionally part of our dialogue.

[historyman]

MLB posted outside of that thread from time to time.  I recall one time posting on scheduling.  So, I second your request, but note that he can post anywhere on the board.  If nothing else, it once gave us solace that he was listening.

I'm not sure everybody wanted to hear what Mark actually said in his office. He said a lot of the people on this board where just "plain wrong" and made up a lot of their information. Although he never gave additional details that he hadn't posted to this message board already.

[4throwfan]

MLB posted outside of that thread from time to time.  I recall one time posting on scheduling.  So, I second your request, but note that he can post anywhere on the board.  If nothing else, it once gave us solace that he was listening.

I'm not sure everybody wanted to hear what Mark actually said in his office. He said a lot of the people on this board where just "plain wrong" and made up a lot of their information. Although he never gave additional details that he hadn't posted to this message board already.

I'm sure MLB had good reason to be frustrated with us much of the time.  I think many of us, including myself as a prime example, are out-of-the-know fans.  However, we do know and have opinions on what we see.  Little nudges by way of posts on this board or guest spots with Paul can help push us in the right direction and can build connection.  And few things build connection better than communication.  If the University wants our money and fandom, then it has to build connection.  MLB's small posts from time to time helped that in my opinion.  I think that the new leadership should do something similar.  I don't expect much, but little things help.

[VULB#62]

I agree 4throw.  It need not be a constant presence, but occasional observations, a juicy tidbit every so often, perhaps a needed conversation course correction or explanation here or there would do a lot to build a positive connection with the fan base.  Hope our message gets through to the powers that be on Union Street.