2023-24 Men's Basketball Season - General

[vu72]

VULB,

That's just the extra curriculars which are usually student run/non-credit. They do have a jazz and orchestra if you look under Ensembles

https://www.valpo.edu/music/ensembles/

And a world class Chorale.  https://www.valpo.edu/chorale/

[VULB#62]

Ok. Got it.

Please disregard all my music-related thoughts as being miserably uninformed — I guarantee that was not attempting to forward a conspiracy theory  😀

[tiny707]

I just hope we have a pep band at Arch Madness. That was embarrassing having the UNI band sub for us.

[usc4valpo]

Things are going to get better, we gotta conquer the overall apathy and show why the basketball team has meeting and has importance to the university.

[wh]

I just hope we have a pep band at Arch Madness. That was embarrassing having the UNI band sub for us.

The ARC game day experience has laziness written all over it. No band at Arch Madness is just the cherry on top. The athletic department staff is lazy. Music department leadership is lazy. Rest assured - no one over there goes home tired.

[valpo64]

I would like to think that President Padilla and Dr. Small would be taking notes on this situation also and then do something about it, one way or another.

[wh]

I hope you're right, but both allowed it to go on last year from beginning to end.

[VULB#62]

But it was their first Valpo rodeo. At the close of his first BB season as AD, Smart let ML go (no doubt with JP's agreement).  Since, the ARC got a new paint job, lighting, video boards (and maybe new auxiliary scoreboards?).  The new lighting makes it possible, I believe,  to darken the place for spotlighted player intros. Maybe there is a new intro video in the making.  Who knows, but we are in a much better place opening this season than where we were when last season ended.

Just like the need for patience about Roger and all our new players, we need to be patient with the game night experience evolution as well, don'tcha think?

[vok22]

But it was their first Valpo rodeo. At the close of his first BB season as AD, Smart let ML go (no doubt with JP's agreement).  Since, the ARC got a new paint job, lighting, video boards (and maybe new auxiliary scoreboards?).  The new lighting makes it possible, I believe,  to darken the place for spotlighted player intros. Maybe there is a new intro video in the making.  Who knows, but we are in a much better place opening this season than where we were when last season ended.

Just like the need for patience about Roger and all our new players, we need to be patient with the game night experience evolution as well, don'tcha think?

I agree, I think last year was more of an evaluation year. Regardless of the team's record this season, this offseason has shown more university commitment to mens basketball than I can remember in at least the last 7 years. They went out and got one of the best coaching candidates on the market (a national name at that), announced plans for a new stadium, made upgrades to the ARC in the meantime, and have noticeably boosted their community involvement and fundraising around athletics. All these things happened after the conclusion of last season, there's no reason to think we wont see other upgrades to game day experience, like the band, when we get to the start of the season.

[VULB#62]

Not having watched any games live, has a Pep Band materialized for home FB games?  And might that offer a clue about  what the atmosphere in the ARC might be in November?  Or maybe not.  I'll check it out on ESPN+ today for my first streamed game of the season.

EDIT:  I didn't hear the sounds of a live pep band during the game, but I might just not have caught it right. USC, you were at the game. Was there a live pep band?

[covufan]

Not having watched any games live, has a Pep Band materialized for home FB games?  And might that offer a clue about  what the atmosphere in the ARC might be in November?  Or maybe not.  I'll check it out on ESPN+ today for my first streamed game of the season.

EDIT:  I didn't hear the sounds of a live pep band during the game, but I might just not have caught it right. USC, you were at the game. Was there a live pep band?

I'm not sure there has been any band at Valpo football, either pep or marching, since the '80's. Just a guess on my part


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[VULB#62]

No marching band in a long time. But actually during the Carlson and Cecchini years there was a pep band at home FB games, as I managed to make pilgrimages down from WI for several games during each coach's tenure. I haven't  had the opportunity to see a Fox team in person yet, so have no first hand knowledge.

[vok22]

https://haslametrics.com

I always like looking at the analytics when they come out, even though the preseason baselines end up being shed eventually. Haslametrics released their preseason baselines this morning and, as expected, we are very low. 321/361. Considering there is almost no D1 experience on this team, it had to have been pretty difficult to even put together numbers for us. Despite our youth and uncertainty, I expect we end up finishing higher than 321, but don't blame him for putting us down there for now.

[mj]

I get that Valpo is a trendy pick for last place because of the question marks surrounding this team.

But two things to keep in mind. 1) we've seen freshmen have success in the MVC. It's not guaranteed but it's also not impossible. 2) Coach Powell has put together a terrific staff that has a record of success, including in the MVC. The idea that he would suddenly whiff on every recruit seems unlikely. Plus even if their skill level is lacking, I would expect the coaching would allow them to play above their skill.

I'm optimistic about this season. Betting against Coach Powell and the new staff seems foolish. But we shall see.

[covufan]

https://haslametrics.com

I always like looking at the analytics when they come out, even though the preseason baselines end up being shed eventually. Haslametrics released their preseason baselines this morning and, as expected, we are very low. 321/361. Considering there is almost no D1 experience on this team, it had to have been pretty difficult to even put together numbers for us. Despite our youth and uncertainty, I expect we end up finishing higher than 321, but don't blame him for putting us down there for now.

Here is another. Has us at 346 (ouch!)

https://barttorvik.com/team.php?team=Valparaiso


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[tiny707]

If we win three conference games we would triple the March to Arch podcast prediction...

[crusadermoe]

Eek.  We are a home "dog" against Chicago State on December 16.   I have pretty high confidence Roger won't let that happen.

[vok22]

Preface: my prediction means nothing, but neither do the experts' so I'm gonna say it anyway.

We will not be a great team by any stretch of the means. That being said, my belief in the experience, knowledge, ability, and focus of this coaching staff has me believing we will win a handful of games solely because of the coaching staff. If those are our only wins, I still think they'll drag us close to our win total from last year. This is a multi year process but, (on paper) our coaching staff for a mid major school is elite.

[valpopal]

Eek.  We are a home "dog" against Chicago State on December 16.   I have pretty high confidence Roger won't let that happen.

By December 16, Valpo will be entering its 12th game, even having already played two very tough conference matchups, and I am hoping the team will be more developed at that time. Therefore, though I am wary about the season record as a whole, I am a bit optimistic for this home date. However, I remind myself that Roger Powell has been associate head coach on a staff that went to the NCAA finals with a 31-0 record as well as on a staff at Vanderbilt that went 0-18 in the SEC. Those extremes are evidence that anything is possible. Powell likes to say "Beacon up!": I say buckle up!

[wh]

I'm looking for the following immediate differences:
• players in game shape from game 1, not game 10.
• a team that plays with an edge and wears its opponents down, such that it closes out close games instead of runs out of gas
• coaches who know how to assess talent - no more favoring slow walk-on point guards from WI that can't shoot, can't create their own shot, can't defend. Mind blowing to think about.

[VULB#62]

I'd add, to me, one very important thing:  Greatly improved in-game tactical decisions in the flow of play.

ML seemed to frequently be out coached — especially as the clock wound down.  I hope Roger's previous experience working under good head coaches has taught him to do a much better job of managing the flow of the game to Valpo's advantage.

[vu72]

you were at the game. Was there a live pep band?

I was at the game and there wasn't any pep-band nor has there been one for several years.  It was LaBarbera who told me that it was hard on the instruments or some sort of lame excuse and that was several ( as in 10 years or so) years ago.

[crusadermoe]

                  

[Valpo14]

Just received my season ticket holder email regarding open practice next Sat.
Looking forward to a new look all around.

[covufan]

Still early October.  Knowns: we have Roger Powell, three returning players, nine new scholarship players.  Unknowns: how this team will gel with new coaching staff, nine new players, season expectations. 

Massey has us at 236 and expected record of 13-18 (7-13 MVC); T-Rank has us at 346 and 8-23 (3-17); TeamRankings has us at 273 and 11-20 (5-15).

I hope that we play up tempo, are defensively challenging to our opponents, improve throughout the year, and are competitive in last 10 minutes of home games.  I'd like to see a 15% improvement of attendance over last year.  I'd really like to surprise MVC people with at least 8 wins and more than one game at Arch Madness.  I can see us flirting with being a top 200 team by Arch Madness.  Sign an impact HS recruit for 2025.