Portal Watch 2025
 
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Portal Watch 2025

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(@vulb62)
Posts: 435
Junior Varsity
 

@Rez  I’m probably one of the old farts you mention above 👴🏻.  I admire your optimism and positive spin. Old farthood comes with a little experience.  We’ve seen a lot.  Made plenty of mistakes (and usually, but not always, learn something as a result).   That’s why realism (not necessarily negativism) has a sinister way of creeping into old fartiness.

Here’s some hard-to-swallow pills:  

▶️ Home attendance and campus support, even with an exciting bunch of young guns who won double the games of the previous season, hardly moved the needle off the previous two seasons.  

▶️ The Valpo NIL collective needs to be competitive so that we can sign competitive players — i.e, “if you fund it, they will come.” Nickels and dimes that is Valpo’s alumni’s traditional response to athletic funding campaigns won’t cut it. An underfunded collective will only produce enough to sign a few new youngsters who will ultimately leave for greener pastures. If a billionaire should happen by, then we have a chance.  

▶️ We were among the youngest teams in D-I and lost our leading player who was only a sophomore.  If we lose All as well (and that is a lock next year), the program Roger wants so much to build goes back on the build-from-scratch gerbil mill. I think JD24 summed it up best  

Posted by: @jd24
Powell's 90 sec social media post was an ad to high school and prep school seniors that Valpo will build their resume so they can earn future dollars. As a fan of the program he's telling me that this season may be the best it gets. The chances of a high rate of success with a roster full of freshman and sophomore's is pretty low.

 

This post was modified 17 hours ago by VULB62
 
Posted : 03/14/2025 11:24 AM
 jd24
(@jd24)
Posts: 367
Junior Varsity
 

Right now, if Wright returns, the best we can hope for is to recruit a center who'll at least be an effective presence in the middle defensively, maybe a 3 and D at the 4, put Stafford and Wright on opposite sides of the court and play bombs away.

I agree with the comments that losing Wright may not have nearly the same effect on the roster as losing Schwieger. Stafford and Wright are similar players although, frankly, Stafford's a better defender and rebounder.

This post was modified 18 hours ago by jd24
 
Posted : 03/14/2025 12:39 PM
(@valpotx)
Posts: 360
Junior Varsity
 

I still say that recruits with zero or only low mid-major offers, would be happy to sign an NIL contract of a few years, that challenges themselves to improve and get their money elsewhere.  You are saying that you are committed to them as much as Valpo can financially for the duration, but at the same time, let's push you to the next level and get you a great "transfer deal," if you do end up with all-league credentials.  A lot of English soccer players have these types of contracts in the League 2/League 1/Championship divisions (and even some lower Premier League teams), as the "haves/P4" with all of the resources are using the "have nots/the rest" as their training ground, so it is only fair that the "have nots" get compensation for their development academies.  This then builds up our own NIL collective, so that we can hopefully be more competitive for transfers, while still using some scholarships in our investment opportunities to replenish the collective.  

 
Posted : 03/14/2025 2:29 PM
(@cornonthe)
Posts: 12
Freshman
 

OK, I’ll weigh in I suppose. First, nothing is going to change with NCAA basketball. This is the new dynamic, players are coming into the mid and low majors for only two years at most and then transfer. Great players that is.

What we need to do is recruit from majors and lower organizations (Division II and lower) in addition to the two year youth players. We just have to expect them to leave. A JV system of sorts. We become the JV before players like Cooper move up to Varsity.

Coach Powell is embracing this new dynamic, making the best of it. It becomes a part of the process. Player A goes to mid major and leaves after two seasons before making the big bucks at a major. 

On the flip side of that, you have Player B who goes to a major and it doesn’t work out playing time wise. Then after two years goes to a mid major and makes less money but he also gains playing time. I see a bit of a pattern developing here and it’s not so bad. And it seems familiar…

We just have to buy into this new dynamic. Those who know how to work it will thrive. Or at least they’re willing to work within that system will thrive. Can VU do that?!? IDK, at least Coach Powell is willing to work within this new dynamic. 

This post was modified 15 hours ago by Cornonthe
 
Posted : 03/14/2025 4:13 PM
👍
1
(@vusolar)
Posts: 78
Freshman
 

@cornonthe agreed 100%. I believe Powell is leaning into the realistic role of a mid-major basketball program in the new NIL world. Drake pursued this with great success this season (although granted they had an in with their coach). 

 
Posted : 03/14/2025 6:14 PM
👍
1
 jd24
(@jd24)
Posts: 367
Junior Varsity
 

Posted by: @cornonthe

OK, I’ll weigh in I suppose. First, nothing is going to change with NCAA basketball. This is the new dynamic, players are coming into the mid and low majors for only two years at most and then transfer. Great players that is.

What we need to do is recruit from majors and lower organizations (Division II and lower) in addition to the two year youth players. We just have to expect them to leave. A JV system of sorts. We become the JV before players like Cooper move up to Varsity.

Coach Powell is embracing this new dynamic, making the best of it. It becomes a part of the process. Player A goes to mid major and leaves after two seasons before making the big bucks at a major. 

On the flip side of that, you have Player B who goes to a major and it doesn’t work out playing time wise. Then after two years goes to a mid major and makes less money but he also gains playing time. I see a bit of a pattern developing here and it’s not so bad. And it seems familiar…

We just have to buy into this new dynamic. Those who know how to work it will thrive. Or at least they’re willing to work within that system will thrive. Can VU do that?!? IDK, at least Coach Powell is willing to work within this new dynamic. 

You want Valpo basketball fans to buy into the new dynamic of being at the bottom of the MVC?

 

 
Posted : 03/14/2025 11:15 PM
(@cmack)
Posts: 24
Freshman
 

I know there is no apparent opening available.    But have I convinced anyone yet that a drop down to the Horizon would be a better fit in the current environment? Sure our talent level would likely decline.   But it would undoubtedly be easier to compete year in and year out there.  

I feel like the Cooper transfer opened some eyes that were solidly shut when some of us were shouting about exactly this situation just a few weeks ago.   

This post was modified 8 hours ago by cmack
 
Posted : 03/14/2025 11:25 PM
(@ballsvu)
Posts: 6
Freshman
 

Posted by: @cornonthe

OK, I’ll weigh in I suppose. First, nothing is going to change with NCAA basketball. This is the new dynamic, players are coming into the mid and low majors for only two years at most and then transfer. Great players that is.

What we need to do is recruit from majors and lower organizations (Division II and lower) in addition to the two year youth players. We just have to expect them to leave. A JV system of sorts. We become the JV before players like Cooper move up to Varsity.

Coach Powell is embracing this new dynamic, making the best of it. It becomes a part of the process. Player A goes to mid major and leaves after two seasons before making the big bucks at a major. 

On the flip side of that, you have Player B who goes to a major and it doesn’t work out playing time wise. Then after two years goes to a mid major and makes less money but he also gains playing time. I see a bit of a pattern developing here and it’s not so bad. And it seems familiar…

We just have to buy into this new dynamic. Those who know how to work it will thrive. Or at least they’re willing to work within that system will thrive. Can VU do that?!? IDK, at least Coach Powell is willing to work within this new dynamic. 

 

 
Posted : 03/15/2025 12:36 AM
(@ballsvu)
Posts: 6
Freshman
 

Finally someone gets it. Also, there is no way Valpo will switch out of division 1 ever. I don’t think being 207/350+ means you need to switch entire divisions. That would honestly be an embarrassment and the school knows that. Plus Valpo won’t switch out of the MVC. The MVC brings in way more revenue than the horizon and Valpo gets a small piece of that pie.

It seems like Powell is doing something to get everyone feeling one way or the other lol. It’s refreshing seeing someone be authentic rather than being a follower. 

A good question is would we rather see a large improvement of facilities or of the NIL fund?

I’d love to see some people step up to try and help the cause rather than complain. It’s harder to bring excitement and fun to a team if everyone is being negative. Valpo took a big step this year. I think next year is the real test. But, it is important to set realistic expectations and we shouldn’t settle. Can’t go anywhere without a real goal. Patience is a virtue, but its important to know when things need to change.

 
Posted : 03/15/2025 12:49 AM
(@ballsvu)
Posts: 6
Freshman
 

If this is a thread about the transfer portal… then I have a few names that I’ve seen interest in or Valpo is somehow linked to online so far.

 

1. Donovan Brown - D2 Transfer from Florida Tech - 6’2 guard - avg. almost 21 ppg - almost everyone and their mom is interested 

2. Zach Stone - D2 transfer from Simon Fraser - 7’0 center - avg. almost 10 ppg - absolute CLIP from 3 - Valpo might be in the best conference of the interested schools?? - was returning from injury

3. Cam Palesse - D1 transfer from Buffalo - 6’5 guard - avg. almost 7 ppg - was literally at Valpo before - Maybe he would want to come back???? - Was a starter at Canisius

I’ll do my best for more hunting… wish me luck 

 

 

 
Posted : 03/15/2025 1:10 AM
(@cornonthe)
Posts: 12
Freshman
 

Posted by: @jd24

Posted by: @cornonthe

OK, I’ll weigh in I suppose. First, nothing is going to change with NCAA basketball. This is the new dynamic, players are coming into the mid and low majors for only two years at most and then transfer. Great players that is.

What we need to do is recruit from majors and lower organizations (Division II and lower) in addition to the two year youth players. We just have to expect them to leave. A JV system of sorts. We become the JV before players like Cooper move up to Varsity.

Coach Powell is embracing this new dynamic, making the best of it. It becomes a part of the process. Player A goes to mid major and leaves after two seasons before making the big bucks at a major. 

On the flip side of that, you have Player B who goes to a major and it doesn’t work out playing time wise. Then after two years goes to a mid major and makes less money but he also gains playing time. I see a bit of a pattern developing here and it’s not so bad. And it seems familiar…

We just have to buy into this new dynamic. Those who know how to work it will thrive. Or at least they’re willing to work within that system will thrive. Can VU do that?!? IDK, at least Coach Powell is willing to work within this new dynamic. 

You want Valpo basketball fans to buy into the new dynamic of being at the bottom of the MVC?

 

Sure…if that’s all you got out of what I said, then yes…

 

 
Posted : 03/15/2025 2:41 AM
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