All Wright and Cooper Schweiger are recruits 1A&1B this summer.
everyone except Darius and Tyler CAN* come back. I think the back few conference games and the conference tournament shows that these two are our high usage players moving forward.
I’m fine with Jeff being #3 heading into the summer and Carson is definitely more suitable than Kaspar moving forward.
itll be interesting. First thing will be retaining the first two players. If we lose either the momentum from this year is stopped.
Fun season and admittedly first one I’ve followed in almost a decade. Looking forward to the Powell era
From what I saw on X, a collection of Loyola fans want a piece of Wright. The feeling that these guys got from this run would be pretty hard to replicate at another institution. I did also see that some bitter Mo State fans are grasping at straws thinking he wants to come to Springfield.
After a post season like that, and a game on TV that was a good watch against a valley blue blood. I see no reason why the NIL collective doesn't see a boost this offseason.
With Valpo football, there’s no scholarship so when a bigger school comes calling that player is almost certainly gone.
I had this school of thought on Wright earlier. With tuition being equal. Does he want to stay in Valparaiso where he will have the keys the next three seasons or risk a smaller role at a larger university.
I think he could be a 3rd guard, high level 6th man on a lot of higher ranking schools tomorrow. But at Valpo he could play 30-33 minutes a night, and have the ultimate green light.
it may not hurt to give Tyler’s roster scholarship. to his brother Always who redshirted at Rhode Island this season.
I do think Wright will get offers. Powell confirmed Cooper got some calls last year and decided to come back. He has his brother here now and with their dynamic being a huge factor in this tournament, I think it will be a difficult decision for him to make. As for Wright. I do think there is weight in your one and only offer being Valpo and going on to becoming a star and get so many eyes on you in the Arch. Dont know how loyal he will be tho without some incentive to keep him in terms of NIL.
Who I think is certainly gone are the guys who didnt play. Ellis, Louth Scroggins. are most likely seeking greener pastures
Keep the core and get a big, an impossible task.
The reality is this: Ben Krikke got 250k to transfer to Iowa. Both Cooper and All have proven themselves to starters at just about anywhere. If they are back it is simply out of loyalty to Coach Powell and their teammates, not out of obvious financial opportunity.
The reality is this: Ben Krikke got 250k to transfer to Iowa.
I thought his deal was 130K.
He got near it, not sure of that exact number but over 200k confirmed to me by a Business school prof
Fantastic fight from this team in Arch Madness. While the second half of conference play felt like a real disappointment, this weekend was a whole lot of fun. As has been mentioned in this thread, I really hope VU is able to hold on to All and Coop. Losing those two would be a real blow, though it would very aptly represent the harsh reality facing mid-majors in today's landscape. If Valpo can bring them back, next year could be something special. We shall see. This was a season of real progress, though. Roger Powell is the right man for the job. Hail Crusaders!
Would the fact that All was overlooked by better programs and Roger found him, gave him an incredible opportunity, recognized his talent and gave him the exposure to showcase his talent factor into at least another year here to solidify his cred?
Next year this very same team (if they play every game like they approached the MVC tourney games) can get a second level post season tourney even without additions ( i.e., a dominant 5) - they are so young and another year of maturity and weights will make a very big difference.
Would Cooper and All want to be a part of that? My bet is yes based on loyalty and a gut sense of wanting to be part of a special thing that Roger is building at Valpo. I just hope both kids can withstand the $$$$ pressures for at least one more season.
I hope this memorable run reengages fans who lost interest. VUGrad1314 is one who used to be really enthusiastic, but I haven’t seen him in forever.
We are all forgetting about Stafford. If he, Cooper, All, Carson, Justus, Jeff, and Sepp come back, that is a solid core with the additions to be made. We'll find out soon enough whether money matters more to our top players, or if they have a chip on their shoulder and want to be the next Alec Peters for Valpo. Personally, if other schools passed me by going into college, I would tell them to F off when they see how good I became, but I appear to be in a small minority of folks in that mentality. Will Coop take the 4th or 5th option at a P4, will All be ok as the 4th or 5th option, similar to what happened to Edwards for the first 2 seasons after leaving Valpo?
I don’t think Coop is going anywhere with Carson around. I could see him doing a Krikke, getting his valpo degree then having a year to prove himself against tougher opposition when he’s fully developed. I just can’t see All staying for 4 years, unless his brother also comes. I think we’ll get next year, then after that he’ll jump.
finally had a fun, competitive game to watch on national tv last night. Drake would have been a very difficult task with 3 games of fatigue in the legs and (hate to say it) but I think it’s almost better for the programme we go out fighting in a tough semi final loss than get blown out in a title game.
If Roger can’t keep players he recruits who already align with his vision of making his Valpo programme distinctive and transformational instead of transactional then no one at a mid major like valpo has any hope
