And so it begins: Chicago Trib mentions Bryce for Northwestern coach

[vu72]

So, if the new practice facility is the turning point, what would you suggest?  An $11.3 million dollar practice facility?  Would 2 or 3 million make a deference or would he say, "nice try, but 11.2 beat the heck out of 2 or 3?  Thanks for playing though and...good luck!

Valpo will NEVER be able to compete with the Miss. State's of the world, does the name "State" mean anything to you?  There will always be a bigger and better facility insured to make players jump higher and run faster.  I'm waiting for numbers.  How much will be enough for a new or renovated ARC?  How much more for the practice facility we just added a few years ago?  How many more flat screen TVs?  And when we committ millions to this process would it be enough to keep Scott or Bryce?  Scott is making 1.76 million.  Would he have stayed if we put, say 15 million into new facilities and offered say, 1 mil?  The bucks seem to be all that matters.  Sad, but true...

http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/story/2012-03-29/salaries-continue-rise-shaka-smart-vcu/53828414/1

[vu72]

For those who question suggestions that Valpo needs to commit to new facilities, I note that among the enticements Mississippi State has to offer Bryce is a brand new $11.2 million state of the art basketball practice facility:

http://www.hailstate.com/PhotoAlbum.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=16800&PALBID=348253

If I win the $500 Million Mega Millions jackpot on Fri. night, the first thing I will do is fix the facility problem.  Book it!

Thanks!  I'll do the same...wait!  I need to buy a ticket!!   

[valpopal]

So, if the new practice facility is the turning point, what would you suggest? 

Nobody is suggesting the practice facility is a turning point, but it certainly adds another element to the appeal of the position, and it highlights again the poor facilities at Valpo, not just in comparison to schools like Mississippi State, but also when compared to other respectable mid-major programs with which VU must compete.

[MattCarter]

So, if the new practice facility is the turning point, what would you suggest?  An $11.3 million dollar practice facility?  Would 2 or 3 million make a deference or would he say, "nice try, but 11.2 beat the heck out of 2 or 3?  Thanks for playing though and...good luck! Valpo will NEVER be able to compete with the Miss. State's of the world, does the name "State" mean anything to you?  There will always be a bigger and better facility insured to make players jump higher and run faster.  I'm waiting for numbers.  How much will be enough for a new or renovated ARC?  How much more for the practice facility we just added a few years ago?  How many more flat screen TVs?  And when we committ millions to this process would it be enough to keep Scott or Bryce?  Scott is making 1.76 million.  Would he have stayed if we put, say 15 million into new facilities and offered say, 1 mil?  The bucks seem to be all that matters.  Sad, but true... http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/mensbasketball/story/2012-03-29/salaries-continue-rise-shaka-smart-vcu/53828414/1

I would think the gesture of practice facility/ARC and a reasonable salary is what they should offer...if he still leaves at least they made the attempt

[valpotx]

If Bryce leaves, why not go with Tonagel as others have mentioned?  Hopefully he would stick around for a few years, before success causes him to bolt too...

[covufan]

For those who question suggestions that Valpo needs to commit to new facilities, I note that among the enticements Mississippi State has to offer Bryce is a brand new $11.2 million state of the art basketball practice facility:

http://www.hailstate.com/PhotoAlbum.dbml?DB_OEM_ID=16800&PALBID=348253

If I win the $500 Million Mega Millions jackpot on Fri. night, the first thing I will do is fix the facility problem.  Book it!

And if I win it instead - I'll fix it!  Book It!

[covufan]

If Bryce leaves, why not go with Tonagel as others have mentioned?  Hopefully he would stick around for a few years, before success causes him to bolt too...

I'm sure Tonagel would be very high on that initial list. 

[wh]

If Bryce leaves, why not go with Tonagel as others have mentioned?  Hopefully he would stick around for a few years, before success causes him to bolt too...

Without hesitation my first choice would be Roger Powell, Jr.  He's already here.  He is respected by the players.  He knows the system and he's part of the system.  He can open recruiting doors that Greg never could.  He's also a strong Christian with a personal value system that aligns with the university's.  That said I'm almost certain Bryce would try to convince him to go with him to MSU, so it wouldn't necessarily be a given that he would stay at Valpo.  A lot would depend on his personal goals.

[cornonthe]

If Bryce leaves, why not go with Tonagel as others have mentioned?  Hopefully he would stick around for a few years, before success causes him to bolt too...

Without hesitation my first choice would be Roger Powell, Jr.  He's already here.  He is respected by the players.  He knows the system and he's part of the system.  He can open recruiting doors that Greg never could.  He's also a strong Christian with a personal value system that aligns with the university's.  That said I'm almost certain Bryce would try to convince him to go with him to MSU, so it wouldn't necessarily be a given that he would stay at Valpo.  A lot would depend on his personal goals.

Totally agree...

[Valpo_Fred]

Valparaiso head coach Bryce Drew: "I have pulled my name for consideration for Mississippi State."

Tweet from Paul Oren.

[covufan]

Paul Oren ‏ @NWIOren
Reply RetweetedRetweet Delete FavoritedFavorite · Close Open Details
That's all Drew wanted to say this evening. Will go into more details tomorrow, but it appears for the time being that Drew is staying at VU

2m  Paul Oren ‏ @NWIOren
Reply RetweetedRetweet
Delete
FavoritedFavorite · Close Open Details Valparaiso head coach Bryce Drew: "I have pulled my name for consideration for Mississippi State."

https://twitter.com/#!/NWIOren

[crusaderboy]

Bryce tells Oren he's staying
https://twitter.com/#!/NWIOren

[crusaderjoe]

Your move, VU.  Are you now going to give the guy a facility worth a damn to work with so he can build a program here or not?

[vuweathernerd]

espn confirms as well.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7749271/bryce-drew-says-return-coach-valparaiso-crusaders

thank heavens

[covufan]

espn confirms as well.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7749271/bryce-drew-says-return-coach-valparaiso-crusaders

thank heavens

For now.  At some point, another program could come along with the right offer.  I'm sure the SEC was enticing, but maybe not Mississippi State at this time. 

[RS]

Glad Bryce is staying. This whole exercise could be just a case of "Social Media" gone wild. Mississippi State has enough issues with players leaving the program

[vu72]

Your move, VU.  Are you now going to give the guy a facility worth a damn to work with so he can build a program here or not?

No, your move, tell us oh great voice from the south, what should we spend so that we can win a conference championship?  Oh wait...

[webbvufan]

Your move, VU.  Are you now going to give the guy a facility worth a damn to work with so he can build a program here or not?

Agreed.  The time to commit to building a top mid-major program is now.  If the Administration doesn't see it that way, then no one can fault Bryce for looking at other options.

[valpogal]

Well that was a few day ego fest for Bryce.

[okinawatyphoon]

getting some press on ESPN can't hurt, regardless of the reason.  well, most reasons.

[EddieCabot]

Your move, VU.  Are you now going to give the guy a facility worth a damn to work with so he can build a program here or not?

No, your move, tell us oh great voice from the south, what should we spend so that we can win a conference championship?  Oh wait...

When will you guys start listening to vu72?  You've won a conference championship, made an NIT appearance, retained your coach, have excellent facilities and have surpassed Butler in athletics excellence.  Move along ... nothing to see here.

[crusaderjoe]

Your move, VU.  Are you now going to give the guy a facility worth a damn to work with so he can build a program here or not?

Agreed.  The time to commit to building a top mid-major program is now.  If the Administration doesn't see it that way, then no one can fault Bryce for looking at other options.

Exactly.  This is kind of what I was driving at.  You can't fault Bryce for entertaining other options if the University does nothing.

And VU72, since you're so fixated for numbers, how does the figure $0.00 look to you?  In case you were wondering, that's the total amount of dollars that were allocated to major ARC basketball venue improvements or renovations over the course of capital campaigns that began and ended between the years 2002 – 2008. 

5% of $360M, the total of said campaigns, is $18M.  Find a corporate donor to match or substantially contribute to a renovation project a la the Cintas Center and you might just have something. VU instead settled for zero in that regard.  If VU would have treated its flagship athletic program as an integral part of the University instead of seeing it as something ancillary to it simply because its nature is athletic, the question you've presented is most likely moot because something would have already been done to remedy the current situation. 

Keep chest-thumping though!

[wh]

Oren tweet at 10 pm

In a move that surprises no one after events of the day, Bryce Drew agrees to contact extension at Valparaiso. Terms not disclosed.

[valpo84]

To close the loop, looks like Danny Manning will go to Tulsa.

http://espn.go.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/7749070/danny-manning-agrees-coach-tulsa-sources-say

And, crusaderjoe, and I say this in a positive manner, if it was/is so easy to just wave a wand and have a corporate or other alumni sponsor donate $18 million for an athletic facility (especially during 2008-2012 Recession, I think the University would like to know to whom they should be directing that request, or maybe you should drop into Loke Hall and help the Office of Institutional Advancement as I'm guessing there will be another campaign starting soon. And quite frankly, the ARC itself with the new floor and intimate surroundings is fine. The basketball offices are nice, and they have a practice facility. Yes, a spiffy, all encompassing basketball only facility like Wake Forest has would be a nice goal for the men's and women's programs. But have you been in Cameron. It's in general, a dump. The setaing is atrocious, it's hot, it's uncomfortable, and your knees are in your ears if you try to sit in the bleachers directly behind the benches. The upper tier looks like an old Y gym. They have a very nice weight facility that all the Duke athletic programs use, and the offices are very nice but not too dissimilar to the ARC office, except they are upstairs in Cameron. You know what makes the difference at Duke -- it's not the facility -- it's WINNING, the banners in the ceiling, the pictures of championship teams lining the corridors of the too cramped hallways you have to walk down to get to the wash room, the Championship trophies in the front office, and a tremendous coach sitting in his office designing the next championship.  If you build it does not by itself build championships. There's lots of white elephant stadia and conference centers around the country. Valpo has been able to win because of coaching and players. Yes, I don't disagree that we need to enhance the "fan experience" and the practice and workout facilities. I also agree to blow out the wall and add more chairback seating and corporate boxes on the chairback side, but the University also needed to upgrade a lot of campus first. Now the next phase are these other functions. In the end, academics and students, not the 26 basketball players, needed upgrades first, and that also includes a REC facility for them that would also ease congestion in the ARC for basketball and other sports. Sometimes it's about using resources effectively and cost efficiently in smaller bites than blowing a bunch of money on an elephant.

[cmack]

I have mixed feelings on Bryce returning at this point.  I think he did a great job this season  and I think he will get even better.  Here is my fear.  We are loaded going into next year, let's say we dominate in the Horizon and maybe even go so far as win an NCAA tourney game.  Bigger and better offers will start to roll in for Bryce. Then we will lose our coach AND graduate our entire team.  Suddenly our cupboards are bare, we are without a coach and any recruits we do have are thrown back up in the air. 

Seems to me that if Bryce left this year, the new coach could walk into a great situation set up for success.  He can turn this success around in recruiting his own players right away and do the most to maintain the quality of the program.   The fact that Bryce interviewed anywhere says that he will leave either sooner or later and I wish him the best. 

And by the way, signing an extension does nothing to make me think he is committing to Valpo long term.  All coaches try to maintain contracts beyond the graduation years of their recruits so they can wave them around on the home visits.  However, the reality is, they will bounce when the big time offer rolls in.