Game #20, MVC #9, @ Southern Illinois 7pm Wednesday - the payback continues

SanityLost17 · January 25, 2024, 08:59:14 AM

We don't have a backup point guard on this team. Williamson shows offensive potential but he is a pretty terrible point guard right now. The 4 minute stretch he was playing point they outscored us like 16-3. I checked the box score last night and it said he didn't have any turnovers but he should have had several. I'm not going to re-watch the game, but I don't think I have gone crazy.

If he can settle down and learn how to be a leader and control the offense he could be REALLY good, but he doesn't seem to have the natural point guard instincts right now. His offensive upside is tremendous, but at his size he really needs to be a point guard so I he grows into the position between this year and next year.

I would say we played better than SIU for 32 minutes. But the 8 minutes we played bad, it was like high school JV bad. I still had more fun watching last nights game then any game I watched in the last 3 years.

tiny707 · January 25, 2024, 09:43:48 AM

Yeah, having Justus McNair backing up
Darius next year should help.

valpopal · January 25, 2024, 09:47:09 AM

Watching the game, I wondered if we might see Coach Powell receive his first technical foul. He seemed upset with the officials a few times, especially when Stafford was injured by an SIU player running into him. The Rev's occasional glare at officials is pretty intimidating, but I am curious what it would take to make him mad enough or to think it was tactical as a motivational move to get a technical.

VULB#62 · January 25, 2024, 10:36:13 AM

Quote from: valpopal on January 25, 2024, 09:47:09 AM
Watching the game, I wondered if we might see Coach Powell receive his first technical foul. He seemed upset with the officials a few times, especially when Stafford was injured by an SIU player running into him. The Rev's occasional glare at officials is pretty intimidating, but I am curious what it would take to make him mad enough or to think it was tactical as a motivational move to get a technical.

That dynamic had been missing from Valpo basketball for the past several seasons. Just saying that for a friend.

valpotx · January 26, 2024, 01:54:11 AM

That 7-8 minute stretch where we had 4 turnovers in a row and missed shots after that point, leading to a 23-3 run, was a killer. I was surprised that we kept it close after experiencing such a thing, which shows a rare sign of maturity with our young team.

I agree with the worry on Cooper bolting after this season, but if he has the right folks around him, he would stay for at least one more season, before considering such a thing. He would just be placed into a lower impact role at a P5, whereas if he left after his SO or JR seasons, he could make an immediate impact pretty much anywhere. I want him to stay all 4 years, and may get pleasantly surprised if he does so, but he would be wise to stay a minimum of two seasons.

SanityLost17 · January 26, 2024, 08:37:32 AM

Quote from: valpotx on January 26, 2024, 01:54:11 AM
That 7-8 minute stretch where we had 4 turnovers in a row and missed shots after that point, leading to a 23-3 run, was a killer. I was surprised that we kept it close after experiencing such a thing, which shows a rare sign of maturity with our young team.

I agree with the worry on Cooper bolting after this season, but if he has the right folks around him, he would stay for at least one more season, before considering such a thing. He would just be placed into a lower impact role at a P5, whereas if he left after his SO or JR seasons, he could make an immediate impact pretty much anywhere. I want him to stay all 4 years, and may get pleasantly surprised if he does so, but he would be wise to stay a minimum of two seasons.

Just out of curiosity I searched Cooper's brother Carson at Wright State and he hasn't played at all this season....

Did we get the better of the twins or are they redshirting him or what? Powell got here late. Was Carson picked by wright state BEFORE cooper? or were they both late to commit? Just curious how that dynamic turned out.... Who was the more highly regarded recruit and why hasn't Carson played?

valpo64 · January 26, 2024, 09:10:28 AM

I think the brother was signed before Cooper. And I thought I heard Coach say we were the only offer Cooper had. ?? If that is true, hopefully there would be some loyalty there, especially in light of Coach recruitring class kids.

justducky · January 26, 2024, 10:11:14 AM

Quote from: valpo64 on January 26, 2024, 09:10:28 AMI think the brother was signed before Cooper. And I thought I heard Coach say we were the only offer Cooper had. ??

Just visited Raider Nation and all I could find is that he was a late walk on and is redshirting. I'm not sure Carson got any offers. Should we try to steal him before they wake up?

Valpofamfan · January 26, 2024, 11:31:28 AM

well according to both college's websites, their stats from the prep year are:
Carson: 12.3 ppg, 6.5 rpg, 2.3 apg
Cooper: 11.2 ppg, 7.4 rpg, 3.3 apg

valpo64 · January 26, 2024, 02:03:56 PM

Interesting...wouldn't it be great to "steal" 2 brothers that turn out to be top notch players? Maybe?

valpotx · January 26, 2024, 07:58:29 PM

Wow, if I only had one offer out of HS, my personal loyalties would keep me at that program for 4 years. Think of Alec Peters getting offers, but the biggest programs shying away from him in HS and saying he wasn't ready, and him carrying that chip with him over his entire time at Valpo. I would think it pretty weak of someone to bolt for NIL money, after being spurned in such a way during HS.

VULB#62 · January 26, 2024, 08:16:25 PM

You would think. But....................

mj · January 26, 2024, 08:33:14 PM

Why are we talking about whether one of our best players will leave? I'm going to trust that Roger will build a winning program, regardless who suits up for the Beacons.

valpotx · January 27, 2024, 12:29:37 AM

Since it is a fan board, we see how good he is and can be over time, and are worried that this new age of NIL won't ever let us keep someone like him

JD24 · January 27, 2024, 02:35:23 PM

Quote from: valpotx on January 26, 2024, 07:58:29 PMWow, if I only had one offer out of HS, my personal loyalties would keep me at that program for 4 years. Think of Alec Peters getting offers, but the biggest programs shying away from him in HS and saying he wasn't ready, and him carrying that chip with him over his entire time at Valpo. I would think it pretty weak of someone to bolt for NIL money, after being spurned in such a way during HS.

I'm around a lot of HS kids including a few major athletes in football and basketball. Based on conversations with the kids directly and some of their surrounding people, NIL is a big deal and they all think they are worthy of it.

So in terms of Schweiger, thinking that he wouldn't leave due to the potential presence of NIL for him is setting up a situation to be very disappointed.

In addition to the player(s) potentially leaving, the concern is that the coach doesn't want to deal with a situation in which every decent player he brings in is a one and done may have that coach move on.

Based on the overall circumstances at Valpo, this should be a worry for all fans of the program.

valpotx · January 27, 2024, 03:12:53 PM

The generational view has definitely changed, I will acknowledge that aspect. The NIL stuff first surfaced when I was on campus, even though the actual case would not come until 10-11 years later. We would talk about it in the baseball clubhouse quite often, and being at Valpo, didn't see how it was relevant to any of us, but we could see how someone would make the case that schools in the SEC/Big 12/Big 10/etc, could look around and see their universities making millions of dollars off their players and just continuing the cycle of facility upgrade > make more money > more upgrades. However, we viewed the scholarship equivalent as the payoff, as every other student was unlikely to have substantial scholarship money to pay off their degrees. Gen Z and after are much more about immediate gratification, and it really isn't their fault, as much as the times that they have grown up, as you can go 'viral' with a simple tweet and are immediately recognizable. There are a lot of folks that have a goal to become YouTube/TikTok famous or a famous gamer, versus aspiring to be successful in a trade or business.

tiny707 · January 27, 2024, 03:23:25 PM

Who is to say we can't come up
with NIL money? Trust the Rev.

Also, Cooper's step Mom went to
Valpo. They know the school.

historyman · January 27, 2024, 08:44:01 PM

Quote from: valpo64 on January 26, 2024, 09:10:28 AM
I think the brother was signed before Cooper. And I thought I heard Coach say we were the only offer Cooper had. ?? If that is true, hopefully there would be some loyalty there, especially in light of Coach recruitring class kids.

....and how much loyalty have Valpo players showed in the past? I don't think Cooper or any player in his position would stay for 4 years.

JD24 · January 28, 2024, 08:58:14 AM

Coach Powell is not an idiot and I'm sure he could foresee NIL issues at Valpo that he'd need to deal with along with other potential transfer issues. However if the first player, who appears to be a hidden gem, that he recruits leaves immediately for a better program and more NIL...Wisconsin anyone?....Coach Powell may begin to have second thoughts about his decision before it is too late. Right now there's no "NIL" guys other than Cooper on the roster unless they are in a state of delusion....which ALWAYS exists with young adults these days....but it could develop into an ongoing issue which dormants the program completely unless things change.

"Have faith in Coach Rev" I guess is maintaining a positive attitude but it is also very naive.

tiny707 · January 28, 2024, 05:43:25 PM

Cooper not going anywhere.

Powell is not Lottich.