I like where this is going and getting some structure. I think Powell is getting stuff in order. Good stuff.
With the addition of Cooper’s brother. We have added some significant playable size
Ellis is 6 foot six
Shaw 6 foot eight
Carson is 6 foot 8
both Cooper and Lucas are 6 foot nine
how about Roger going and getting Shaw! Kid is a stud and will get the Drew family back involved with Valpo basketball! This can only help our program! The more Homer is involved the better! We are very close on Dilling! I have a feeling he will commit on Monday!
PO did mention. Yesterday there was still another signing to take place. Gues Carson was it
Whatever keeps Cooper and his family happy I am all game for! Carson had a year to redshirt and work on his body and his game! Rog will have him physically ready to come in for toughness moments in the valley! Will he get a lot of minutes? Probably not! However, he could come in and kick some ass on the boards
Carson may have transferred simply with the goal of moving up in conference level. The MVC is a step up and where his brother plays.
It took a few weeks, but this seemed like a strong possibility all along.
Until I know what Isaiah Shaw can give us in 24-25 I have little idea who Roger Powell should be recruiting. When did Shaw growth spurt from 6' 5" to 6' 8" and does anybody still consider him a guard with above average hall handling and basket attacking skills? His assist to turnover numbers looked bad but can he pass and rebound? More importantly is he a good perimeter defender for MVC quickness? Most importantly can his interior defense help neutralize the MVC inside advantages that totally dominated Palm and Schwieger all season?
With the addition of Cooper’s brother. We have added some significant playable size
Ellis is 6 foot six
Shaw 6 foot eight
Carson is 6 foot 8
both Cooper and Lucas are 6 foot nine
Height wasn't the problem. We had that with Palm at 6'10" and yet he averaged only 3.8 rebounds. As Powell acknowledged, strength and toughness inside were the issues.
@justducky Shaw has the opportunity to be an all valley player. Getting Homer back interested should be exciting enough but the kid is a stud. Reports from the open gym on his visit said he was the best player on the court.
roger getting DUDES!!
Hi Guys: I used to read here a decade ago when Bryce and the guys were on staff. When they vanished, so did I. I read this forum regularly and don’t plan to post often. You can take my posts with a grain of salt if you want as I have no established credibility here. Regardless, I did want to chime in after reading PO and Chef’s posts. They are right! Here are some things to keep in mind regarding expectations.
Our NIL budget is not competitive and relatively nonexistent. Even the days of getting a Kobe King and Thomas Kithier are tough to repeat as high major transfers of any kind cost significant dollars (think 6 figures). So we need to be measured in our expectations.
As Chef mentioned, GCU is a high major team in a midmajor conference. The conference player of the year and possible first round NBA draft pick played Shaw’s position. Also the starting PF on GCU was also first team all league. GCU has a high major budget and larger NIL than any midmajor period. They will reload. Shaw wants to play. He is transferring to a better league with the hopes of getting significant playing time.Also note that when these kids visit, as PO mentioned, they workout with the staff and guys. Shaw was good!
We had many glaring weaknesses last year, primarily that we couldn’t shoot. Our offense ranked right around 300 in the country. Shaw can shoot. Ellis is very solid from what I understand. We have several other possible transfers that can really shoot as well. Hopefully we land several. Again, don’t worry about huge names. They are very hard to get and quite frankly often are just eh players. Look at Jndiana State last year, there was not one guy on that roster that anyone here would have been overly excited about when they committed to Indiana state.
we need to have 8-10 guys that can play basketball. Coop and Stafford are all league caliber guys. If the staff sees guys workout and wants them, and if they want Valpo, we need to take them.
With some good news over the next 2 weeks, I think we will have some very nice pieces added to our existing roster. We aren’t close to done yet.
Great redux post. Welcome back!
Please correct me if I missed it, but I believe this has not yet been mentioned and adds to the drama.
His younger brother Caleb (6’5” G, born in Valparaiso, IN) xferred from Colorado State after one season with the 5th highest minutes played on the roster as a freshman into GCU and was on the 23-24 roster as well. I find this yet another “interesting” aspect of this signing.
BTW, judging from Isaiah’s Instagram pics, he carries his 205# very well in his chest and arms - he’s got a real good BMI. 👍🏻👍🏻
Unless we witness additional players entering the portal, here is where the active roster changes apparently stand thus far regarding scholarship positions:
Out In
Sciarroni McNair
Barrett Ellis
Ajiboye Shaw
Palm Ca. Schwieger
Scroggins (redshirt) Scroggins (active)
Manyang (redshirt) ???
Please make any corrections. The obvious goal is to significantly improve the team, especially considering most other MVC programs are scrambling to replace starters and veterans who have transferred or graduated (not to mention some departing coaches) while Valpo has been fortunate to keep key players from last season as well as others who will benefit from no longer being freshmen.
I'm going to think positively on Shaw, though I was also thinking a different direction. His mother and father were extremely good basketball players, and he has been able to go against D-1 competition for a season and a quarter now. If he can be our Ryan Fazekas poacher on the outside, it opens so much for other folks, as it is no longer Stafford-reliant to come up with a shot when a set breaks down. Ellis seems to bring a lot of slashing and athleticism for kick outs and baskets around the hoop, and the coaching staff can try to develop Carson further, so that there isn't a big man drop-off when Cooper goes out. It also buys some loyalty from the family, though there is always the possibility that both transfer in the future. Scroggins has routinely been called out as a beast of a big man on defense, which is what we need, even if only 6'9". It's been proven that you can have solid Centers at 6'8" and Scroggins' size, so I am not as concerned about that part, but it would help to have another big to help with that rotation.
I'm not nearly as knowledgeable about this recruiting scene as many folks here, but pure logic tells me there's no way a talent savvy guy like Powell is recruiting players who are merely equal to, or slightly better than, the bulk of those on last year's roster. Looking at the new players so far, I'm surmising that no more than 4-5 currently returning players will get meaningful minutes next season.
This off-season's nuclear disintegration of MVC rosters signals that the transfer portal has now become one of total free agency. I'm giving Coach Powell a chance to show that his contrarian approach to roster building will work in this insane market for DI talent.
