We are bringing back the VUFB Alumni Golf Outing for the 2026 season! This year's outing is set for Friday, October 9th at Forest Park Golf Course, and it is open to alumni, parents, friends, and sponsors of the VU Football Program. Currently, foursomes are available with sponsorship packages, and basic foursome packages will become available in the coming weeks. Dinner and drinks will be provided with the foursome packages as well.

Additionally, we will be hosting raffles and a silent auction after golfing is complete. We are looking for donations for raffle/auction items. Contact information is included on the website if you are interested in donating.

The link for the website is included below. Please feel free to share with anyone that may be interested!

Valpo Football Golf Outing - 2026

Both did a pretty good job. The tennis team finished with their most wins in 20 years.

These openings may allow others who might have been replaced to survive another season.

Commencement will take place on Saturday, May 16 at the Athletics-Recreation Center. 

Carter Hopoi End‑of‑Season Evaluation: Defensive Tools Are Real — The Offense Is the Swing Skill

Carter Hopoi’s freshman season is a classic example of a player whose value can’t be judged strictly by box score production. He logged real minutes (36% of available playing time), started a couple games, and was regularly trusted in defensive situations—but the numbers also show why his role fluctuated.

What’s clear is this: the defensive foundation is legitimate. The question going forward is how much offensive reliability he can add to support it.

Defensive Impact Comes First

The defensive markers jump off the page immediately:

• Block Rate: 5.8%
• Defensive Rebounding Rate: 11.6%
• Strong physical frame for a freshman big (6’11”, 220)

That block rate isn’t accidental. Carter has good timing, understands verticality, and doesn’t hunt blocks recklessly. When he’s on the floor, he alters shots simply by being present, which changes how guards attack the paint.

For a freshman big, especially one still filling out physically, that’s an excellent place to start.

Offensive Efficiency: Two Very Different Stories

From a shooting perspective, Carter’s season splits highlight both promise and limitation:

• 2PT%: 52.2%
• 3PT%: 20.0%
• TS%: 46.7
• ORtg: 95.2

Inside the arc, he was serviceable. He runs the floor reasonably well, can finish when balanced, and shows touch on straight-line attempts. The issue isn’t finishing ability—it’s consistency and conversion at the line, which drags down everything else.

Free Throws: The Biggest Limiter (Right Now)

Carter attempted a meaningful number of free throws and made just 45.6% (26–57).

That single number explains a lot:

• It suppresses his overall efficiency (TS%).
• It limits trust in late-game or high-contact minutes.
• It neutralizes one of his positives—his ability to draw fouls (FTRate: 60.6).

If he were converting free throws at even a modest clip (say mid‑60s), his offensive profile would already look very different.

The encouraging piece? Free throws are one of the most improvable skills with repetition and mechanical consistency.

Offensive Role Clarity Matters

Where Carter sometimes looked uncomfortable offensively was when he did more than he needed to.

His best minutes came when his role was simple:

• screen
• roll hard
• dunk or finish quickly
• keep the ball high
• move it immediately if help arrives

When he tried to:

• create with his back to the basket
• face up into traffic
• force shot attempts after offensive rebounds

…the efficiency suffered.

That’s normal for a freshman big—but role discipline is crucial if he’s going to stay on the floor next season.

Ball Security & Decision-Making

Carter’s turnover rate (16.1%) is manageable given the role, but it’s an area where improvement will come naturally with experience.

Most of his turnovers stem from:

• traffic catches
• bringing the ball down
• slow reads when help collapses

As his processing speed improves and he continues to develop the connection with our guards who deliver clean entries, this should trend positively.

Comparison Within the Frontcourt

When viewed alongside others in the rotation:

• Carter offers more rim protection upside than most.
• He lacks some offensive polish 
• Unlike some physical bigs, his fouling rate is manageable, which is encouraging.

That combination makes him a developmental investment, not a situational stopgap.

The Development Path Is Very Clear

Carter’s progression doesn’t require a reinvention—just refinement.

1. Free throw shooting
   This is the swing skill. A jump from ~46% to ~65% changes everything.
2. Strength & base
   Adding lower-body strength will improve balance on finishes and rebounding position.
3. Role discipline
   Screen → roll → finish or pass. No extra moves needed.
4. Hands & catches
   More secure catches reduce turnovers and unlock easy points.

If those improve, his efficiency and trust level will rise quickly—because the defensive tools already work.

Big Picture Takeaway

Carter Hopoi’s freshman season showed exactly what you want from a young big:

• Legitimate rim protection
• Willingness to play physically
• Ability to draw contact
• Defensive habits that translate

What he lacks is offensive reliability, not offensive potential. I think this offseason Carter takes a decent jump with his offensive improvement. 

If free throws come around and his role stays simple, Carter looks like a future rotation big who quietly changes the geometry of the floor defensively.

I hope you'll consider making a gift, at any amount that works for you. And if you're excited and hopeful about President Konkol's presidency of the University, and recognizing the financial challenges facing VU, then I ask you to consider digging deep if you can.

FWIW, I sense that Rev. Konkol is energizing the VU community in ways reminiscent of how O.P. Kretzmann breathed life into a very struggling VU in 1940. If you wish to support Valpo, now is the time to step up, instead of holding back to see if somehow the ship will right itself. I think it's up to us to be part of the turnaround.

David

Sader Servilus End‑of‑Season Evaluation: Physical Tools, Disruption, and a Clear Breakout Path

Sader Servilus’ freshman season didn’t come with headline usage or eye-popping raw totals, but if you dig into how he impacted the game in limited minutes, it’s hard not to come away encouraged. His profile is one of those that quietly signals upside—especially once you separate production from polish.

Sader played just under 19% of team possessions and 18.9% of minutes, yet his influence showed up consistently in the margins: rebounds from the wing, forced fouls, deflections, and energy plays. Much of his play was down the stretch of the season, indicating he will likely play a larger role in next year's lineups. 

Efficiency vs. Role

On the surface, his offensive numbers are solid:

• ORtg: 112.0
• eFG%: 52.3
• TS%: 54.5

Those are strong efficiency returns for a freshman wing who wasn’t living off specific or designed looks. More importantly, his touches weren’t empty ones—when he got involved, he tended to finish plays rather than stall them.

This wasn’t a high-usage experiment; it was a low-maintenance impact role, and he handled it well.

The Calling Card: Physicality That Translates

If there’s one thing that defines Sader’s game already, it’s physical engagement.

Two numbers jump out immediately:

• FTRate: 70.5
• OR%: 11.2

Those are outstanding for a guard/wing. Sader consistently:

• attacked closeouts aggressively
• cut with purpose
• fought for interior position on rebounds
• absorbed contact without shying away

He plays like someone who understands that effort-based advantages still matter—especially when the offense stalls or shots aren’t falling.

Rebounding & Defensive Activity

Rebounding is where Sader separates himself from a lot of young perimeter/wing players.

• OR%: 11.2
• DR%: 16.4

He’s around the ball, anticipates misses, and puts himself in rebounding angles early. For a team looking for multiple possession creators, that skill is extremely valuable—especially from a non-big.

Defensively, the activity pops:

• Stl%: 3.4
• Blk%: 1.9

He’s disruptive without being reckless. He jumps passing lanes, recovers well, and uses his body to bother handlers. As his defensive reads refine, there’s potential for him to become a real connector defender who blows up actions before they fully develop.

Where the Numbers Hold Him Back (Right Now)

The efficiency ceiling is being capped by one glaring swing skill: free throws.

Despite drawing fouls at an elite rate, Sader shot just 58.1% at the line. When your best offensive trait is creating contact, you must cash those points in. Until that improves, a significant portion of the value he creates gets neutralized.

Shooting-wise:

• 2PT%: 58.3% (small sample but encouraging)
• 3PT%: 30.0% (on limited attempts)

The jumper isn’t broken, but it’s not yet respected. Defenses are willing to help off him and dare him to make perimeter shots—which affects spacing even when he’s not shooting.

Ball Security & Offensive Feel

Sader’s turnover rate (16.7%) is reasonable given how often he plays through contact and traffic. Most of his turnovers come from effort plays—driving into crowds or forcing rebounds loose—not poor awareness but he was still a freshman making mistakes at times.

That said, as minutes scale up, tightening those decisions becomes important. Turning physical drives into paint touches + kickouts instead of forced finishes will raise his assist numbers and offensive value simultaneously.

What His Best Role Looks Like (Short Term)

Right now, Sader fits best as:

• an energy wing
• a rebounder from the perimeter
• a physical defender who disrupts flow
• a cutter and closeout attacker

He doesn’t need plays run for him to impact the game. When surrounded by shooters and a primary creator, his strengths scale up naturally.

The Clear Breakout Formula

Sader’s path to a bigger role is straightforward—and attainable:

1. Free throws
   Even a jump from 58% to ~70% changes his efficiency profile dramatically.
2. Corner three consistency
   He doesn’t need to be a volume shooter—just enough accuracy to punish help.
3. Decision speed
   One clean move than finish or kick. Less time in traffic.

If those three things improve, his profile flips from “useful energy piece” to “rotation staple/borderline starter.

What he lacks isn’t feel or effort—it’s polish, and polish is teachable.

If the jump shot and free throws catch up to the rest of his game, Sader looks like the kind of under-the-radar player who suddenly becomes critical once minutes increase.