So pretty much we have our team for next year now. The remaining spot most likely will be reserved for a mid-year transfer or some star that falls in our lap. To coach Powell and staff's credit, his most vocal concern last year was our lack of size and that was clearly addressed. We could realistically start 6'10", 6'10", 6'9" and on the backcourt, 6'7" and maybe 6'3". these aren't skinny guys either. As for the team makeup he has one grad transfer, one senior with high major experience, others with years of playing time as well as a apparently very talented freshman class. Chemistry is the coaching staff's job and they seem pretty talented at same. Should be fun!
Carter Hopoi currently playing for New Zealand in the FIBA U19 World Cup. 7 points on 2-8 shooting with 7 rebounds in first game win over Argentina, and better offensive production today with 11 points in just 17 minutes in a rout of Mali. He looks pretty raw still but his talent ceiling is very high, and he can finish around the rim with good athleticism. Don’t know what role he will play at Valpo this year especially since he is missing the first month and a half of practices, but I would anticipate his minutes and production grow as the year and his career go on.
Bonus: New Zealand have already clinched the #1 seed from their pool with a game to spare, and their knockout round draw is set up such that they could realistically get to a semifinal with the USA. They have their last pool play game against Serbia on Tuesday, then round of 16 on Wednesday, and there is livestreaming for Hopoi and co. on YouTube.
Carter Hopoi currently playing for New Zealand in the FIBA U19 World Cup. 7 points on 2-8 shooting with 7 rebounds in first game win over Argentina, and better offensive production today with 11 points in just 17 minutes in a rout of Mali. He looks pretty raw still but his talent ceiling is very high, and he can finish around the rim with good athleticism. Don’t know what role he will play at Valpo this year especially since he is missing the first month and a half of practices, but I would anticipate his minutes and production grow as the year and his career go on.
Bonus: New Zealand have already clinched the #1 seed from their pool with a game to spare, and their knockout round draw is set up such that they could realistically get to a semifinal with the USA. They have their last pool play game against Serbia on Tuesday, then round of 16 on Wednesday, and there is livestreaming for Hopoi and co. on YouTube.
Hopoi and the rest of the NZ Talls will be taking on America at 1pm CST today. Go over to the fiba YouTube channel to watch
Watched the whole game so far , Carter got off the bench for around 4-5 minutes in the 1st quarter , definitely looked a little hesitant against a stacked USA team. Made a couple good passes , took a fairly open 3, looked good but didn’t go in. Got taken in paint by Purdue player and 7’2” unit Daniel Jacobsen, will see how the rest of the game goes.
NZ getting pummeled by the US, not much to take away , but Carter will be a solid asset for Valpo. He was very hot and cold in the highest profile game of his career , couple of really nice plays , 2 handed complete stuff on a very high ranked US player. Couple of hesitant/scared plays. Freshman year will be a learning process , but he’s averaging at least, 7 and 4 by the time we get to conference play. 3rd place game against Slovenia tomorrow at 10am CST I believe.
Agreed on Carter. I've watched a few games now and his strengths are running the floor, ball handling and willingness to screen. His shot looks good from the 3 but isn't hitting at an acceptable level. If he can make that happen, at 6'9-6'10, he will be a valuable team member. Also agreed that freshman year will be learning and adding weight and, working on his 3.
Also agreed that freshman year will be learning and adding weight and, working on his 3.
So that he will be fully ready to transfer to a team in a Power 5 + 1 conference as a sophomore.
We all know that the reality is that anyone showing promise—and even those who don’t—will likely transfer. But, there appears little evidence that that means our team will be worse. To the contrary, at least on paper at this point, it could be argued that we got bigger and deeper this year versus last.
Had Valpo opted in to revenue sharing, my years as a donor would have come to an end. Paying mid-major amateurs 6 figures to play a game they love in addition to a free education while normal students and their families foot the bill is intolerable. If that means we clear the deck every year and start over, so be it. In the mean time, I’ll still buy season tickets and cheer on my team.
Was in contact with Carter. He is heading back to NZ to help his pro team. He expects to be in Valpo by Mid-July.
All in all he had a pretty decent showing in the world cup for a defensive focused fwd. Only thing I see from my vantage point on the couch is that he needs to bulk up a bit and maybe get in the shooting lab. Other than that he will be a solid piece
He appears to be a bit of a project which...if it were not for the current climate of entire rosters being mostly one and done's....would be fine. IOW if it were expected that he'd be around for 3 or 4 years or even 2 years he could help the program. I'm not sure he's ready to step on the court and help right away.
