Facilities

[vu72]

The school made a splash over the weekend by hiring former Sheryl Swoopes, a former All-American at Texas Tech and star WNBA player, as its new women's basketball coach.

How'd that "splash" work out for them??     Must have cost them a bunch to hire her.  Glad they have lots of money...

[VU2014]

The school made a splash over the weekend by hiring former Sheryl Swoopes, a former All-American at Texas Tech and star WNBA player, as its new women's basketball coach.

How'd that "splash" work out for them??     Must have cost them a bunch to hire her.  Glad they have lots of money...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-loyola-fires-sheryl-swoopes-spt-0704-20160703-story.html

Loyola fires Sheryl Swoopes after investigating claims of player mistreatment
By: Shannon RyanContact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
July 4, 2016

Loyola's lengthy investigation into allegations of player mistreatment by women's basketball coach Sheryl Swoopes ended Sunday evening with a three-sentence statement announcing Swoopes has been fired.

Swoopes, a Hall of Fame player regarded as one of the greatest to play the sport, had been under the microscope since April, when Loyola announced it had launched a university investigation after a rash of player transfers. The school later hired a law firm to assist with the investigation and interviewing of players.

....

[a3uge]

The school made a splash over the weekend by hiring former Sheryl Swoopes, a former All-American at Texas Tech and star WNBA player, as its new women's basketball coach.

How'd that "splash" work out for them??     Must have cost them a bunch to hire her.  Glad they have lots of money...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/college/ct-loyola-fires-sheryl-swoopes-spt-0704-20160703-story.html

Loyola fires Sheryl Swoopes after investigating claims of player mistreatment
By: Shannon RyanContact Reporter
Chicago Tribune
July 4, 2016

Loyola's lengthy investigation into allegations of player mistreatment by women's basketball coach Sheryl Swoopes ended Sunday evening with a three-sentence statement announcing Swoopes has been fired.

Swoopes, a Hall of Fame player regarded as one of the greatest to play the sport, had been under the microscope since April, when Loyola announced it had launched a university investigation after a rash of player transfers. The school later hired a law firm to assist with the investigation and interviewing of players.

....

If the MVC doesn't realize they made a massive mistake by going with markets, facilities, and women basketball coaches instead of actual success, then we don't want to be in that conference.

Had Valpo been in a better league last year, they would have most likely been an at-large team. Mid major at-large quality teams are hard to come by, and they blew their shot at more ncaa tournament money, and a potential of having THREE bids.

I've always held the belief that facilities at the Mid-Major level are vastly overrated, and don't really correlate with success. I think Valpo proves this point by being at the top of the league consistently with the worst facilities. Coaches and culture are by far the primary driver of recruiting​... NOT facilities. Valpo has the 2nd highest budget in the league and has put their resources into coaching and recruiting, not bathrooms and concessions.

[Vinny]

A number of concerning issues regarding the University/athletic dept lead me to believe the window is slowly closing:

1) an absolutely dull facility; sorry, but I have to believe that plays a significant role in recruiting. Would you rather live in a 600 square foot apartment with no dishwasher, no A/C, and a leaky roof or a 3,000 square foot house with modern amenities? Few choose to work/live like a hobo.

2) the majority of the fan base (STHs) is in their 70's/80's. Considering the discussed apathy of the student population, the ARC could be a library in ten years.

3) lack of institutional support. ML's comments scream that the problem is over his head.

Valpo just graduated that once in a generation player and have nothing to show for it but a 2nd place trophy in a 2nd place tournament, and a loss in the real tournament.

It may be years - if ever - before we see another Bryce or Alec, the type of player who can elevate a program despite their institution yawning in their face.

[bigmosmithfan1]

I think what Vinny gets at is what I've found troubling: I sense an alarming state of complacency among the university (and even some longtime fans) that the basketball program will keep rolling on auto-pilot -- facilities, conference and investment be darned. That is a very, very dangerous mindset for a mid-major program.

Ask Ball State how easy it is to get the mojo back once you've lost it at this level. They were one of the top mid-major programs in the nation for a good 15 year stretch. One low-ball offer to a winning coach, followed by bad hire and lack of investment in the program, and now they are staring at their 18th straight year without an NCAA bid. They finally seem to be getting back on track, but it's taken years.

Valpo is at a critical juncture for the future success and stability of the program right now. Hope enough people in charge recognize that.

[valpo64]

As for Ball State, it is a real shame to go into their Worthen Arena that seats about 12,000  and see crowds around 1500 to sometimes 4,000.  The facility is great but their poor coaching hires and quality of recruits left much to be desired during their one or two year success and going to the Sweet 16.  I sure wouldn't call their program a successful  mid-major one for a 15 year period or so.  They couldn't even sell out the venue for their games vs. Butler in recent years.  The last two games when we played them had crowds of around 2500 or so.  I have never  checked actual figures but I wouldn't be surprised if we averaged more in attendance than BSU in recent years. 
The Cardinals "tweet tweet" has turned into a "peep peep" recently for BSU.

[jsher3141]

I do recall discussion in the past few years about an expansion on the north side of the ARC (behind the chairbacks) with new bathroom facilities, concessions, and a lobby area that would be accessible for both football AND basketball games.  And then future seating being built above this addition even further down the road. 

They do show the expansion in the campus Master Plan...

I wouldn't exactly call that "no plans", just maybe no immediate construction plans.

[bigmosmithfan1]

I sure wouldn't call their program a successful  mid-major one for a 15 year period or so.

Not recently. But from 1989 to 2002, their program went to 5 NCAA tournaments (including the Sweet 16 and a first-round win another season), 4 NIT tournaments (reaching the quarterfinals in a season where they beat Kansas, UCLA and LSU), and spent parts of four different seasons ranked in the Top 25. In the pre-George Mason/Butler/Wichita era, that was about as good of a mid-major program as you could find. They used to routinely draw 7-8K fans per game prior to their program falling off the map in 2004 or so. (True story - Homer used the game tape of BSU's convincing win over Mississippi in Muncie earlier in the '98 season as a blueprint for the famous VU tourney victory that year).

One of the biggest reasons BSU had such a dramatic fall is that the administration and some old-time fans took the program's success for granted. (Always taking the cheapest option, shortchanging training facilities and amenities in the arena, convincing themselves that a winning coach who was an alum would never leave -- sound familiar?, a group of local season-ticket holders spiking a donor-priority seating plan that would've raised hundreds of thousands per year in additional revenue for the program, and on and on). This was compounded by some other dumb decisions (no advertising allowed in their athletic venues until the mid-2000's, because one of the university executives thought it looked ugly, for example).

It's not a perfect parallel to Valpo, but it is a cautionary tale against the belief (held by too many people in and around Valpo right now) that a program can be successful indefinitely without the proper investment and care.

[vu72]

The most recent addition of Union Street Hoops podcast had a fair amount of discussion concerning facilities.  Mark said that to move forward with major projects, a major donor needs to be found.  He made it clear that the first step is the Rec Center which he noted was a vital need as 85% of students participate in one or more intramural sports.  The cost? 20-22 mil.  There have been alumni who have contributed sizable amounts to athletics and specifically for sports in which they competed.  For example, a football alum paid for the new football weight room. If you haven't seen it you should.  Coach C told me the only difference between our football weight room and Notre Dame's is the size.  Ours is pretty big.  I'm guessing hundreds of thousands to complete.  Then there is the new football locker room.  Again funded by a football alum.  Cost? No idea but many thousands for sure.  And so it goes.  He mentioned that the sport complex is a significant part of the new Master Plan.  It is who will step up.  Football has the advantage of having many more player alums then say, basketball.

[VULB#62]

That still side-steps the biggest obstacle to athletic facilities (and by extension athletiic program) improvement -- MLB is not authorized, at this point in time, by the VU higher ups to put together a publicized fund raising campaign specifically for athletics that identifies a detailed plan going forward and the associated costs. Sure, the rec center has a ballpark cost ($22 million) but where is the schematic that illustrates what it actually will be?  They haven't even authorized designs for that much less rennovation of the ARC. All it needs is a forceful president to face the board and say, " we need to grow NOW and the immediate vehicle is our athletic program. We need to ride that pony until it is proven not to be effective."  Essentially, our president has to pull the heads of our board out of the sand and expose them to the realities of 2017. The longer this come-to-reality is postponed or ignored places the entire university at considerable risk of becoming irrelevant and joining St. Joes as a memory.

[VU2014]

Was just listening to Union Street Hoops and Mark LaBarbera's explanation/realities of a renovated facility and I was a little surprise that it sounded like it was completely up to AD to raise ALL the $ for the Renovation/New Rec Center!

Big time donations usually don't happen with out the President throwing weight to it and making it happen. I don't see this happening unless President Heckler decides he wants to take Basketball seriously and take the next step for his charter sport for his school.

[VULB#62]

We bought into D-I awhile back. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Drop back to D-III.  BUT WAIT! Most D-III schools have better athletic facilities than Valpo because they realize their importance in todays competitive collegiate world.

[a3uge]

We bought into D-I awhile back. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Drop back to D-III.  BUT WAIT! Most D-III schools have better athletic facilities than Valpo because they realize their importance in todays competitive collegiate world.

Yeah, it sucks our basketball program is so terrible because of facilities and teams like Drake with new rec centers are consistently out recruiting us because they take athletics seriously.

[FieldGoodie05]

Was just listening to Union Street Hoops and Mark LaBarbera's explanation/realities of a renovated facility and I was a little surprise that it sounded like it was completely up to AD to raise ALL the $ for the Renovation/New Rec Center!

Big time donations usually don't happen with out the President throwing weight to it and making it happen. I don't see this happening unless President Heckler decides he wants to take Basketball seriously and take the next step for his charter sport for his school.

How isn't Heckler taking basketball seriously?  Not spending $30,000,000 at a regional Lutheran university makes it not serious?

I love the passion, I too have it.  But when it comes to facilities I don't follow y'all.  New floor, new locker room, new floor upstairs in the practice gym...these are positive steps for a President who doesn't take basketball seriously.  Butler captured lightning in a bottle AND is in a city far far larger than our beloved Valparaiso.  Same with Gonzaga.

I think it's time to recognize it ain't going to be done without the Drews or similar ppl ponying up large sums of money.  I'm tapped, no more cents left in my couch ....you guys,

I agree with ML, a rec-center is FAR AND AWAY more important to a strong campus lifestyle.  Best $24,000,000 VU could spend now that other sizable upgrades are complete  (sports or otherwise).

Keep up the GREAT WORK ML and Coach, sustained relevance is a real thing too.  How many years 20+ wins since the year 2000?  (16)?

[VU2014]

Nice Facilities are not a direct correlation to winning but I'd imagine they sure do help when it comes recruiting and become a selling point to Recruits, Coaches, Other Conferences and Fans.

Heckler and the Board should start taking the Basketball Team more seriously. We are pretty well funded in terms of annual budget per year but its time to step and make big commitment with the facilities. The Rec Center isn't just for Athletics, its for the whole student body and the students experience. Administration just seems to be kicking the can down road.

[FieldGoodie05]

Nice Facilities are not a direct correlation to winning but I'd imagine they sure do help when it comes recruiting and become a selling point to Recruits, Coaches, Other Conferences and Fans.

Heckler and the Board should start taking the Basketball Team more seriously. We are pretty well funded in terms of annual budget per year but its time to step and make big commitment with the facilities. The Rec Center isn't just for Athletics, its for the whole student body and the students experience. Administration just seems to be kicking the can down road.

btw VU2014, I enjoy your contributions so don't take my disagreement the wrong way.

If Heckler isn't behind a rec-center I strongly disagree with his logic.  ML made a strong point that > 80% of the student body uses our intramurals / physical education facilities in their 4-years.

This is exaggerated because it includes physical education which I felt was required for many majors to take a unit of this as a general education requirement.  Still, intramurals were big back in the early 2000s.

[VULB#62]

We bought into D-I awhile back. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Drop back to D-III.  BUT WAIT! Most D-III schools have better athletic facilities than Valpo because they realize their importance in todays competitive collegiate world.

Yeah, it sucks our basketball program is so terrible because of facilities and teams like Drake with new rec centers are consistently out recruiting us because they take athletics seriously.

Its not that our MBB sucks.  We've been pretty damn good as reflected by how difficult it is to get people to play us. It's that we are stuck, we are plateaued.  We need something to get us over the hump.  What else, other than improved facilities, can help us make that jump?  We spend  competitively on MBB operations. We have a pretty good winning tradition in mid major MBB. But we still lose out on some players who would help to get us over the hump (Alec excluded, but he was kind of a surprise based on the recruiting experts, right?). Why? We get great kids to pay for us, no question.  We've improved on many fronts. Yet, we are stuck. IMO, we are a small time program that has overachieved year after year. We are the poster child for the little engine that could. I love it, but that can only carry you so far. In that respect, I like the Ball State comparison.  That could be us despite Matt's great effort in the next couple of years. I know we are close to losing it in MSO, as we nearly lost Avery to an Ivy last year. We are gambling on loyalty and luck, but that only goes so far. The university has to commit to being D-I (2017 version) or not. Simple as that.

[M]

I would think it's the AD's job to identify and recruit the lead donor. Maybe this person or these people just doesn't exist right now. I'd imagine that athletes are the toughest to get donations from.

[valpo64]

I'm not sure about the BSU and VU comparison.  BSU , a State school, has an enrollment of close to 20,000.

[bbtds]

Past and current administrations at Valpo have clearly sent a message: When something is a priority we get it done.

The ARC is not a priority. End of story.

I agree with this but I still hold out hope that the attitude of the board can be changed to that at least a successful MBB program can help bring about the "real" goals of the board.

[bbtds]

We bought into D-I awhile back. If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. Drop back to D-III.  BUT WAIT! Most D-III schools have better athletic facilities than Valpo because they realize their importance in todays competitive collegiate world.

If you want to honor setshot/JJ you would have included nepotism.....but that element moved on to Vandy :-)

[usc4valpo]

Drake's athletic facility is nice but nothing really special. But the size and practicality of the facility is ideal for Valpo.

Noe the track stadium there is awesome...

[a3uge]

Drake's athletic facility is nice but nothing really special. But the size and practicality of the facility is ideal for Valpo.

Noe the track stadium there is awesome...

How on earth is this "nothing special" for a mid major: http://www.invisionarch.com/project/drake-university-basketball-practice-facility/ (click view photos).

[FieldGoodie05]

Drake's athletic facility is nice but nothing really special. But the size and practicality of the facility is ideal for Valpo.

Noe the track stadium there is awesome...

How on earth is this "nothing special" for a mid major: http://www.invisionarch.com/project/drake-university-basketball-practice-facility/ (click view photos).

Drake same student body as VU.  Des Moines IA population 210,000 ppl.  Metro area 600,000+.

No professional sports in IA.

[a3uge]

Drake's athletic facility is nice but nothing really special. But the size and practicality of the facility is ideal for Valpo.

Noe the track stadium there is awesome...

How on earth is this "nothing special" for a mid major: http://www.invisionarch.com/project/drake-university-basketball-practice-facility/ (click view photos).

Drake same student body as VU.  Des Moines IA population 210,000 ppl.  Metro area 600,000+.

No professional sports in IA.

What's your point?