The announcers from last night deserve a shout out. They were excellent.
Paul
I wanted to chime in here about use of “miracle,” at least from my perspective.
There were two schools of thought coming out of interviews with players last night and I even mentioned this to Brandon on our drive to Dayton. The first was the players almost expected this win because of the trials they went through last year. At the same time, the manner in which they won was nothing short of a miracle and they certainly seemed to embrace that after the game.
Chaney’s shot. Pettigrew’s return. McNair’s game winner, all a miracle. Winning the game? Not a miracle. Maybe it’s just splitting hairs.
I’ll end with this. If the arena was Assembly Hall instead of Mackey, and someone that didn’t have a M as first letter of last name, I’m probably not using “Miracle.”
Should not have used miracle. Miracle is a full-court heave. Valpo beat them and was the better team last night
@thevictorybell, just to clarify my thoughts, there definitely were miraculous portions. Two buzzer beaters in one game and coming from 15 points behind in an away gym in front of 15K fans could all be deemed to comprise a 'miracle' win, regardless of who the two teams were. My point was that I don't think that VU's own marketing folks should call it that. They should be setting the culture narrative - don't send the message to the players that they got lucky to win at all.
Obviously besides rakim I think the player that exceeded expectations most was scroggins. Just a great performance especially considering the circumstances, not many guys can say their first career points were in overtime at Mackey. He’s gonna play a much bigger role in the future especially if jt is gone. Also any more details about kobe’s injury? Severity, when it happened
I’ve been thinking about the impact this win has had coming early in the season.
The guys bought into the vision of Coach Powell and returned to Valpo. JT acknowledged that this decision was the opposite of what many other players are doing in college basketball. And then they were immediately rewarded for their choice.
They now have a memories that will last their entire lives. Valpo fans will remember them forever. Can you put a price on that? The players are getting NIL money and the memories at Valpo. That seems like a win-win situation.
The miracle is how Valpo is suddenly all over the college hoops media and social media right now, especially ESPN. And the presence of social media compared to 1998 means that the visibility is even greater than after Bryce beat the buzzer.
It means that the ARC is going to have a lot more seats filled, so long as this team remains in legit contention for a NCAA tourney slot. Current VU students who follow college hoops but didn't necessarily regard Valpo as the center of their sporting attention have suddenly come to realize that the real excitement might be a short walk away from their classrooms and residences. Area hoops fans who faded away in the post-Drew Family years will be snagging tickets again.
It means that recruits will be watching the Beacons more closely this season. Ironically, the possibility of losing players to the portal next spring may be an added attraction to keep a close eye on Valpo and its ability to develop young players.
It means that Coach Powell may be around for a longer haul. Because talk about right matches: He said a prayer at the Victory Bell celebration on Friday night -- not a quickie, superficial "sports prayer," but a deeper one about the team and the win. Frankly, there aren't many serious D1 hoops program where that sincere, unapologetic devotion would be regarded as a natural fit for the university.
It also means that high school juniors and seniors looking for a college might be quicker to recognize Valpo and take a look. There's something about a positive bit of national attention that can help that way.
Yes, this team has now set everyone's expectations a big step higher, but I'm sure the program is happy to accept that responsibility
Justus McNair's game performance stood as a testament to sticking with, and growing in, a good program that can lead to opportunities one might not get elsewhere, with possibly amazing results. He'll carry memories of this game for the rest of his life.