12/20 Game Thread at Northern Illinois

[covufan]

In looking at the stats from the game at NIU in 2001, we have the same players on the sheet for the next game against YSU, except Ali Berdiel.  Ali comes back the game after that though.

Edited: Meant to say Ali didn't play against NIU, but came back the next game against YSU.

It would be odd that a "notable" player's last game would be on 27 November, which is the beginning of the season.  I think we need VUFan to offer more hints, or go back and check the facts.  This isn't adding up?  If all of the players in the 11/27/2001 game played later in the year, and we can't find another game at NIU, the trivia question may be off a bit?

Or, is it possible that we played in Dekalb, but did not play NIU?  Maybe not men's basketball?

[valpotx]

Any game we have played NIU in the last decade (back to 2001-2002), every player plays in the games that follow.  I think the trivia question is off.

[valpotx]

hello everybody you can watch the game for free on firstrowsports.com. I watch a lot of basketball and othersports on that site here in the Netherlands and definitly the Valpo games

Does it always work, even the ones where they ask us to pay?  I would imagine that the HLN games would still be free, but don't know how the site could get around the fees charged by the MAC network, etc.

[VUfan]

Antonio Falu, he did not start, played a bit and was never seen again.

[VUfan]

Sorry Antonio Falu, did play more games last one KU and was never seen again. A long time ago.

[StlVUFan]

Sorry Antonio Falu, did play more games last one KU and was never seen again. A long time ago.

Actually, his last game was against Chicago State or Western Illinois, which came after Southern Utah, which came after Kansas.

[valporun]

valpotx, the sites like firstrowsports tend to get around it because someone else might have paid the fee, then hooked into showing it on this sight in whatever means they use, or whomever runs firstrowsports might pay the fee himself, and run it thru? Actually, the MAC itself, shows the games from their website, which I linked here earlier, for FREE. Someone else had gone to NIU's website, where they charge a monthly fee for it, but definitely check out the MAC website.

[cmack]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jr.?

[StlVUFan]

Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jr.?

His last game was the Mid-Con championship game in 1996 (or 97 or 98 at best).

[Valpo89]

Jon Kedrowski?

[crusaderjoe]

Vu 72  NIU 60
Eight to ten years ago Vu played in De Kalb and won, it was a noteable Vu players last game who was he?

Probably Antonio Falu.

As a long-time observer, it somewhat warms my heart that Northern Illinois has basically SUCKED for the last 10-plus years - since TJ Lux graduated in 1998. The people at NIU always thought they were too good to be in the Mid-Continent Conference, when they were members from 1990-94. They had a holier-than-thou attitude, and I'm pretty sure they were major instigators in breaking up the old Mid-Con along with Wright State and Cleveland State. I know all of the players now could care less, as they were in diapers back then. I believe NIU has had only two teams make the NCAA Tournament since 1990 or 1991 - maybe three. And Valpo beat them in the Mid-Con tournament in 1993, shortly after NIU had made the NCAA.

Just wanted to get that one out there for discussion. Anyone else with gray hair (or no hair) feel the same way?

Interesting.  I don't recall NIU as being part of that instigator group that led to the break up of the conference back then, but I could be dead wrong on that one. I do recall hearing talk back then about both Ohio and Illinois schools being involved, but for some reason UIC came to mind when I read your post.   

Who other than Western didn't have a holier than thou attitude towards VU during those years  ? 

Ah, 1993.  Those were the days...chest-thumping about a 12-16 season record and feeling pretty good about a 6th place finish in conference.

[lowposter]

Speaking of TJ Lux...there is one that got away from the program.  He was a very good Merrillville HS player and I believe the Drews and Lux's were close friends.  He set several records at NIU and went on to play overseas...and is now the boys basketball coach at Merrillville.

lowposter

[covufan]

Sorry Antonio Falu, did play more games last one KU and was never seen again. A long time ago.

I think most thought about Falu first, but we also knew it was the KU game that was his last.  NIU, KU, it doesn't really matter.

[vuweathernerd]

sloppy game, but we come out on top 59-48. took us about 30 minutes to start playing anything even resembling our game.

[valporun]

It was a very sloppy game. We jumped out to that 4-0 lead, looking good and ready to put up 70 on the youngsters at NIU, then the floodgates of sloppiness opened, and we looked like a "hot bag of garbage" (to quote Waddle and Silvy). The first half was a shear mess, and the officials not calling things didn't help. Bryce was very heated for probably the first time that most of us have ever seen. Luckily, we didn't give in. Buggs saw the game thru to the buzzer, which really helped. Richie had another awful game, so awful that Hrovje saw a few minutes, and got to the FT line. It was definitely an ugly win, and I hope we don't see this ugly game with lack of fundamentals to decide to play at NIU's level, rather than at Valpo's, when we come out to play against IUPUI.

Here's to hoping that Friday brings out the Valpo game, not the "let's play to IUPUI's strengths" style. We should be exploiting the weaknesses of the opponent, not their strengths.

[Valpo89]

Speaking of TJ Lux...there is one that got away from the program.  He was a very good Merrillville HS player and I believe the Drews and Lux's were close friends.  He set several records at NIU and went on to play overseas...and is now the boys basketball coach at Merrillville.

lowposter

They decided to sign Cory Gibson instead.
Love Cory, but ... oops!
One of the biggest "locals" who got away until Zack Novak.

[bbtds]

Sorry Antonio Falu, did play more games last one KU and was never seen again. A long time ago.

Actually, his last game was against Chicago State or Western Illinois, which came after Southern Utah, which came after Kansas.

I especially remember Falu throwing a fit at the game at Chicago State (in the old gym at CSU before they built the new one) and quitting the team right then that night after the team returned by bus to the Valpo campus. He then left school and has not seen the Valparaiso campus again. It was later explained that his girlfriend/wife was unhappy with Antonio being so far away from home and he decided he needed to leave school and take care of family matters. He ended up later at St. Mary's in San Antonio a Div.II school. Antonio Falu played all of 15 games for Valpo in the 2001-02 season but it was a memorable one. Especially his game against Kansas. Falu had come to Valpo from San Jacinto, a junior college near Houston.   


http://www.tspnsports.com/forums/archive/index.php/t-5599.html

Valparaiso loses a key scorer



January 16, 2002

Valparaiso still may be the team to beat in the Mid-Continent Conference men's basketball race, but the "favorite" label isn't quite as big.

Junior college transfer Antonio Falu has left the team "for personal reasons," the school announced.

Falu was third in scoring on a balanced team, averaging 12.4 points per game. The 6-6 guard played in 15 of 18 games, starting 10, and averaged 26 minutes per game.

Falu, a top-50 national recruit out of high school, originally signed with Houston but ended up at San Jacinto (Texas) Junior College. The Puerto Rico native was one of the top Juco shooting guards.

Valpo, with five NCAA tournament appearances in the past six years, was the overwhelming favorite to win the league this season.

The Crusaders (12-6, 2-1 Mid-Con) play for a share of first place Thursday with a home game against Oral Roberts (9-9, 3-0).


If you look at the Valpo schedule from 2001-02 you'll see the Crusaders played Chicago State on Jan.12, 2002. The preceding games were against West Virginia (in Tucson)-12/28/01, Arizona-12/30/01, Kansas-1/2/02, Western Illinois-1/5/02 and Southern Utah-1/10/02.

[StlVUFan]

Actually, I think he missed the Belmont game to tend to family issues.

Ah, the memories from that season:

1.  A quality RPI win at Charlotte.
2.  Shellacking of West Virginia in Tucson, both on the court and in the press conference (right, 89?)
3.  Me leaving my rental car running in the parking lot during the entire Arizona game (and finding out about it through a PA announcement during a first half time out).
4.  Scott Drew yelling in an empty BYU-Hawaii gym, "Antti, Fall down!"
5.  Reggie Witherspoon of Buffalo being a complete tool.
6.  Making noise with a dozen VuCru alumni in Lawrence (listening later to the KU radio play-by-play, complete with references to that tall VU center Ni-KYE-la)
7.  Tyrone Tiggs scoring the winning basket at the Mabee Center via a nifty assist by Lubos Barton (or was that Borges?)
8.  Sitting in Section E for the Purdue game and listening to some idiot Boiler fan calling Grafs a goon.
9.  Crashing and burning at the dome in St. Louis while the women hosted the Cougars in the Elite 8 of the WNIT.
10.  Sarah Judd practically outscoring VU in the title game.
11.  My introduction to the Voy message board.

[chef]

I'm pretty sure the winning shot in the game in which Lubos had the bad turnover came from Markius Barnes. Very sad memories are hard to get out of my head.

[Valpo89]

2.  Shellacking of West Virginia in Tucson, both on the court and in the press conference (right, 89?)

Holy Crap, St.Louie! How would you know what went on in the press conference?
I must have told you.
I went out to Arizona because my grandma lived in Tucson, and my parents went with me to visit.
After VU basically dismantled W. Virginia - which had either beaten or lost a close game to Tennessee within the last week or two - I asked the W. Virginia coach (some old man and I don't even remember his name) how VU compared to Tennessee. He ripped me for even asking the question. I guess all I was looking for was confirmation that VU was as good as a "big-time" team such as Tennessee. The guy looked at me like a rookie (by then, I was a 12-year veteran) and said something along the lines of "what kind of a question is that?" I had West Virginia and Arizona people telling me afterwards that my question was fine, that this guy was a tool. Not long after, he retired. Didn't Dakich take the job out there, temporarily, but realized how bad it was and bailed?

[covufan]

Didn't Dakich take the job out there, temporarily, but realized how bad it was and bailed?

Yes, Dakich took the job, found some recruiting or other violations, and called back to Bowling Green to see if he could get his job back.  I think Belein (sp?, now coach at Michigan) took the WVU job, and Pittsnogled a few teams in the NCAA tournament.

[IndyValpo]

Didn't Dakich take the job out there, temporarily, but realized how bad it was and bailed?

Yes, Dakich took the job, found some recruiting or other violations, and called back to Bowling Green to see if he could get his job back.  I think Belein (sp?, now coach at Michigan) took the WVU job, and Pittsnogled a few teams in the NCAA tournament.

Dakich is on the radio here in Indy and has many times said that giving up the WVU job was his biggest mistake in coaching.  I think he heard some bad things and got cold feet. 

[StlVUFan]

I'm pretty sure the winning shot in the game in which Lubos had the bad turnover came from Markius Barnes. Very sad memories are hard to get out of my head.

I might have been thinking of the guy who suffered the horrendous injury in Fort Wayne during the Semis.  You're probably right.  I forgot about Barnes.

[StlVUFan]

2.  Shellacking of West Virginia in Tucson, both on the court and in the press conference (right, 89?)

Holy Crap, St.Louie! How would you know what went on in the press conference?
I must have told you.
I went out to Arizona because my grandma lived in Tucson, and my parents went with me to visit.
After VU basically dismantled W. Virginia - which had either beaten or lost a close game to Tennessee within the last week or two - I asked the W. Virginia coach (some old man and I don't even remember his name) how VU compared to Tennessee. He ripped me for even asking the question. I guess all I was looking for was confirmation that VU was as good as a "big-time" team such as Tennessee. The guy looked at me like a rookie (by then, I was a 12-year veteran) and said something along the lines of "what kind of a question is that?" I had West Virginia and Arizona people telling me afterwards that my question was fine, that this guy was a tool. Not long after, he retired. Didn't Dakich take the job out there, temporarily, but realized how bad it was and bailed?

Yep, you did   I remember bringing it up on the Voy board and you basically confirmed it was you.

I'm trying to remember the guy's name too.  Didn't his son play point guard for them?

What I remember is that the Arizona Republic guy who wrote the story thought you were a student journalist

[Pgmado]

I was at the West Virginia game and in that press conference. The West VA coach at the time was something Catlett and he was hysterical. He held court for a good 25 minutes in the practice press conferences the day before the games. The Mountaineers had a freshman point guard named Jonathan Hargett that year who was supposed to be this big stud. I can't remember how many turnovers he had in that game, but Valpo made him look foolish. Hargett left the team shortly thereafter.

My favorite story coming out of that tourney is one I don't tell often. Todd didn't broadcast the games in Tucson, so it was Tim Harwood and I on the call that weekend. In preparation for our trip, I looked up the student radio station on campus and found that the sports director was a female named Jodie Ohler. Never missing an opportunity to try to get a local girl to show me around her campus, I e-mailed Jodie, introduced myself and she e-mailed back, saying she'd love to meet up during the first game of the tournament. There I am doing color for the game and we are just entering the final media timeout when this red-haired, very strange looking guy comes up to Tim (who was wise to my plan) and I and says "Are you Paul, I'm Jodie. Want to do lunch?" Shell-shocked, I say "we're in the middle of a broadcast" and I turned around. I never once thought that Jodie would be a male and this was well before the days of Facebook and Google. I'm not sure I said more than two words the rest of the broadcast. Thankfully it was Valpo89's question to Catlett that put a smile back on my face.