I guess it's time to start talking about reality... the only Exhibition game coming up against the Eagles. They actually start on 11/1 in Peoria against Mr. Wardle and Bradley...
Here is the RMU stuff... but the question for the board... NAME THE STARTERS.
Last Year:
Conf. Pct. Overall Pct Streak Home Away Neutral
18-2 .900 27-7 .794 Lost 1 17-1 10-2 0-4
Their Roster: (Not showing any Freshmen ... this is 1/2 of the number of players on last year's team) They graduated their top 4 scorers (62ppg out of 91)
Othyus Jeffers - Head Coach - 1st season
Othyus Jeffers (born August 5, 1985) is an American professional basketball player who last played for the Barangay Ginebra San Miguel of the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA). Jeffers played college basketball with the University of Illinois at Chicago for two years, before transferring to Robert Morris University for his senior season. He then started his professional career with the Iowa Energy of the NBA D-League, a minor league basketball organization owned and run by the NBA. He has had stints with three prior NBA teams: the Utah Jazz, the San Antonio Spurs, and the Washington Wizards. He has also spent a short stint in Italy with NGC Cantù.
# Name Cl. Pos. Ht. Wt. Hometown Previous School
2 Omarr Gilbert JR G 5-9 Chicago, Ill. Lyons Township HS 5.8ppg, started 5 games
10 Greg Carter SR G 5-10 Berwyn, Ill. Morton HS/Triton College 5.6ppg started 4 games
11 Dallis Flowers SO G 6-3 Oak Park, Ill. Oak Park HS 6.8ppg started 8 games
20 Dorian McCraney JR G 5-10 Homewood, Ill. Homewood-Flossmoor HS .4 ppg no starts
22 Kyle Ward SR G 6-2 Joliet, Ill. Lockport HS/Moraine Valley C.C. 6.5ppg 16 starts
23 Blake McElroy JR G 5-11 Richton Park, Ill. Rich South HS/Rock Valley C.C. 3.4 ppg no starts
32 Drew Hardville SR G 6-0 Racine, Wis. Horlick HS/McHenry C.C. 1.7ppg no starts
33 Brian Young SO F 6-6 Chicago, Ill. Juarez HS 4.6 ppg no starts
42 Kyle Longfield JR F 6-5 Worth, Ill. Shepard HS .4 ppg no starts
44 Tywan Jones JR G 5-10 Chicago, Ill. Kenwood HS/Kenndy-King College 4ppg no starts
More On the head coach...
Community college and Illinois-Chicago[edit]
Jeffers, who did not qualify academically for a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I scholarship, opted to attend Los Angeles Southwest College, a community college near the city of Los Angeles. He starred and averaged 22.3 points and 10.7 rebounds as a freshman. However, after a year, he returned home to Chicago and transferred to the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He reportedly rejected offers from Big East and Big 12 conference schools and chose to attend Illinois-Chicago in order to be close with his family who lived near the school. He started his college career with the UIC Flames in 2005, after sitting out the 2004–05 season while establishing academic eligibility.
In the 2005–06 season, Jeffers played in all 31 games, 30 as a starter. He led the Flames in rebounding (7.6 rebounds per game) and assists (3.0 assists per game) and also ranked second in scoring with 11.6 points per game. He won the Horizon League Newcomer of The Year awards for his debut season with the Flames. He improved his performance in his junior season by averaging 15.4 points, 8.6 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game in 32 games, all as a starter. He recorded a career-high 27 points and 14 rebounds at the University of Pennsylvania on December 21, 2005. He led the team in both scoring and rebounding and was named in the All-Horizon League First Team. However, he had a difficult relationship and frequently clashed with head coach Jimmy Collins. [VALPO Did not play UIC in 2005-06 season]
Shooting incident
A few weeks after his junior season finished, Jeffers was shot in the leg while trying to defend his sister from Andre Childs, his sister's boyfriend. His sister earlier called Jeffers for help in a dispute against Childs. Jeffers came to his sister's defense and confronted Childs. After a fight, Childs allegedly pulled a gun fired several shots. Two bullets hit both Jeffers and his sister. Jeffers was shot in the left thigh and his sister was hit in the left calf. Jeffers and his sister survived and Childs was later arrested and charged with attempted murder.
Jeffers was fortunate that the bullet went through his thigh without hitting any major arteries. He left the hospital that night after getting treatment, even though the doctor wanted him to stay overnight for further observation. Jeffers, who wanted to play basketball as soon as possible, was supposed to use crutches for three weeks but he only used them for three days. He then began to play basketball again in less than a month.
Robert Morris University
After the shooting incident, combined with his conflict with coach Collins, Jeffers transferred schools once again.[1] He transferred to Robert Morris University who played in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). By transferring from an NCAA school to an NAIA school, Jeffers did not have to sit out another season. He also switched his major from psychology/sociology to business major. He concluded his college career there by averaging 24.0 points, 11.2 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game as a senior. He led the RMU Eagles to a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) championship and was named as the CCAC Player of the Year. He then played in the NAIA Basketball Tournament, leading the Eagles to the Final Four, where they were defeated by the Concordia University. Despite failing to win the championship, Jeffers was named as NAIA Player of the Year by The Sporting News and as co-Player of the Year the Basketball Times.
I found a Vu Connection: On April 24, 2014, Jeffers and Ron Howard were named the co-MVPs of the NBA D-League for the 2013–14 season.
He has never coached at any level prior to this assignment.
Does anyone know if this game will be broadcast on ESPN3? It may just be a exhibition against a D2 team but I'm just looking forward to seeing Valpo play again. In my time of being a fan I can't remember any Valpo team being such a mystery going into a season.
So many question marks about this new team:
Top 5 things I'll being watching for:
-How do Bakari Evelyn and Joe Burton look? Are either of them going to turn into the impact guys we think they can be?
-Does Tevonn embrace the role of being "the guy"? Has he improved his 3pt shooting.
-Who plays the 4? How do our freshman forwards look? Will the 4 be the weak link of this team?
-Has Micah taken the next step in his development?
-Have the Sophomore 7 footers evolved their games since last season?
Quote from: VU2014 on October 30, 2017, 11:49:31 AMDoes anyone know if this game will be broadcast on ESPN3? It may just be a exhibition against a D2 team but I'm just looking forward to seeing Valpo play again. In my time of being a fan I can't remember any Valpo team being such a mystery going into a season.
According to the schedule put out on the Crusaders website, the game will be on " The Valley ESPN3 "
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/925426450043371520
Basketball returns to the ARC tomorrow against Robert Morris and RM has an exhibition against fellow MVC member Bradley tonight.
http://www.pjstar.com/sports/20171031/bradley-faces-naia-powerhouse-robert-morris-chicago-in-final-exhibition-game
Bradley faces NAIA powerhouse Robert Morris-Chicago in final exhibition game
By Dave Reynolds
Oct 31, 2017
...
On Thursday, meets NAIA Division II Robert Morris-Chicago at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Braves coach Brian Wardle is looking for consistency and improvement in all areas as well as combinations that play well together as the Braves look toward their season opener Nov. 11.
"They're very aggressive and play very fast," said Wardle about RMU. "It'll be great for us. We'll see a lot of speed and transition defense will be a key. We don't know much about them, but I know they have a lot of talent."
RMU has been a powerhouse at its level the past two decades under coach Al Bruehl, who retired from coaching last spring. He will remain on the school's athletics staff as director of basketball operations.
Bruehl led the Eagles to 14 NAIA D-II national tournaments, including seven final fours. He won 609 games during his 20-year run, winning 14 Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference regular-season championships and 12 CCAC tournament titles.
Bruehl won the league's Coach of the Year award a dozen times.
His associate head coach, former NBA player Othyus Jeffers, has taken over the head coaching reins. The Eagles, who finished last season ranked 10th in the nation, are 12th in the preseason coaches poll.
RMU is a junior-dominated team with eight players from the Chicago metro area.
...
Our starters:
Walker
Evelyn
Joseph (Senior, not many other starts)
Burton
Smits
Exhibition, so all 12(13?) will see minutes.
Valpo 96
RMU 59
Quote from: covufan on November 01, 2017, 11:07:08 AM
Our starters:
Walker
Evelyn
Joseph (Senior, not many other starts)
Burton
Smits
Exhibition, so all 12(13?) will see minutes.
Valpo 96
RMU 59
Who players starter minutes is my interest. It seems that some players "start" for reasons other than merit.
Lock for minutes:
Bakari
Walker
Burton
Sorolla
Insider for starters minutes:
Parker
Joseph
Smits
Bradford
Golder
Linssen
Outside looking in:
Kiser (?)
McMillan
Helm
Not eligible this yr:
Fazekas
Helm is not eligible this year either.
Lineup Prediction:
PG: Joseph (He'll give the nod to the Senior as a sign of respect but Bakari will get heavy minutes)
SG: Walker
SF: Burton
PF: Hazen (Hazen will start but all Mileek and Linssen will all get in the game)
C: Smits
Is Sorolla's suspension counting for the exhibition games or does it begin for the official start of the season against North Park?
I would think a suspension is only applicable for a regular season game. IMO, Exhibitions are like scrimmages. Even if this wasn't true, I'd think that Matt would apply the suspension to a regular season game for the sake of propriety. Suspending him for an exhibition would come off as a sleazy P-5 maneuver. Bad perception.
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 01, 2017, 12:02:24 PM
I would think a suspension is only applicable for a regular season game. IMO, Exhibitions are like scrimmages. Even if this wasn't true, I'd think that Matt would apply the suspension to a regular season game for the sake of propriety. Suspending him for an exhibition would come off as a sleazy P-5 maneuver. Bad perception.
Agreed. I think it would start for the North Park game but I remember other teams "suspending" kids for exhibitions in the past.
Quote from: vusupporter on November 01, 2017, 11:35:21 AM
Helm is not eligible this year either.
I could see that, but he's not on scholarship. How does that come into play?
Also, wasn't he D2 / NAIA....
Quote from: VU2014 on November 01, 2017, 12:13:39 PMQuote from: VULB#62 on November 01, 2017, 12:02:24 PMI would think a suspension is only applicable for a regular season game. IMO, Exhibitions are like scrimmages. Even if this wasn't true, I'd think that Matt would apply the suspension to a regular season game for the sake of propriety. Suspending him for an exhibition would come off as a sleazy P-5 maneuver. Bad perception.
Agreed. I think it would start for the North Park game but I remember other teams "suspending" kids for exhibitions in the past.
In a similar case with Shane, He played the exhibition game and then was suspended for the cupcake games between R.I. and Oregon. So I think it will be North Park and Trinity Christian. I am assuming it's going to be two games, although I've heard the coach and staff have leeway in determining punishment.
Quote from: VUBBFan on November 01, 2017, 01:51:47 PM
Quote from: VU2014 on November 01, 2017, 12:13:39 PMQuote from: VULB#62 on November 01, 2017, 12:02:24 PMI would think a suspension is only applicable for a regular season game. IMO, Exhibitions are like scrimmages. Even if this wasn't true, I'd think that Matt would apply the suspension to a regular season game for the sake of propriety. Suspending him for an exhibition would come off as a sleazy P-5 maneuver. Bad perception.
Agreed. I think it would start for the North Park game but I remember other teams "suspending" kids for exhibitions in the past.
In a similar case with Shane, He played the exhibition game and then was suspended for the cupcake games between R.I. and Oregon. So I think it will be North Park and Trinity Christian. I am assuming it's going to be two games, although I've heard the coach and staff have leeway in determining punishment.
Am I the only one who thinks it's silly to suspend him now for something that happened 9 months ago? :crazy: I'm sure he's been disciplined in private and has learned his lesson ... why punish the team (and new teammates that weren't even here 9 months ago) by making him sit out games this season?
I agree Eddie. While coaches perhaps should have some latitude in applying the suspension, it still should be as close to the infraction as is practical.
:deadhorse: Going back to Jubril's situation, although I guess it had NCAA ramifications, he was suspended immediately. BTW, shouldn't Valpo have self-reported the Jay infraction to the NCAA, Federal authorities, League of Women Voters, and special prosecutor Mueller ??? Uh, sorry. Lost it there for a second.
We now know the Starters for tomorrow night's game.
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/925850586725212160
Quote from: VU2014 on November 01, 2017, 05:43:36 PM
We now know the Starters for tomorrow night's game.
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/925850586725212160
6-2
6-2
6-6
6-7
7-0
Freshman starter? Is Matt setting Parker up to be the next Alec?
CAN'T WAIT!!!
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 01, 2017, 06:05:21 PM
Quote from: VU2014 on November 01, 2017, 05:43:36 PM
We now know the Starters for tomorrow night's game.
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/925850586725212160
6-2
6-2
6-6
6-7
7-0
Freshman starter? Is Matt setting Parker up to be the next Alec?
CAN'T WAIT!!!
I'm a little surprised by Bakari starting instead of Max. I think it really says something about his talent as he is only a sophomore. I'm sure Max will be first off the bench. Great depth even if some of it is freshman.
Was thinking about the suspension.... If any of you have a dog think about how it would work to yell at your dog today for pissing on the rug 9 months ago.... dumb...
Starters for this exhibition game is not that important to me. I just hope a lot of players see the court. I am a true basketball fan but must admit I don't always see what coaches see in players. I usually get surprised because some player will have an amazing first couple games and then rarely see the court the rest of the season...
I think the only goal for tonight is to see the team work well together....
Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk
Quote from: covufan on November 01, 2017, 11:07:08 AM
Valpo 96
RMU 59
Bradley beat RMU by 30 last night, so this prediction might not be far off.
Quote from: EddieCabot on November 02, 2017, 08:05:59 AM
Quote from: covufan on November 01, 2017, 11:07:08 AM
Valpo 96
RMU 59
Bradley beat RMU by 30 last night, so this prediction might not be far off.
And in another MVC exhibition NIU lost to Wisconsin 38-69 yesterday. I can understand that. What I can't understand is why the Badgers would then next schedule UW-Stout, a D-III team who were 13-13 last season and only managed a 4-10 record in the WIAC. Repay a favor?
Jacobson's thoughts about 31 point exhibition loss to Wisconsin (http://wcfcourier.com/sports/college/uni/mens_basketball/uni-basketball-panthers-fall-flat-in-exhibition-loss-to-wisconsin/article_636e4e7a-bec7-59db-b8ab-abad5a723353.amp.html)
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/926102994910941184
What a great night for the officials at Peoria last night....
we had this crew at the ARC a couple of years ago...
Rick O'Neill, Mike O'Neill, Tom O'Neill Jr.
Scouting the Eagles based on the game last night... they have a LONG roster... played 9... Final Score was 87-57
Starters last night:
#1 Frazier 6-1 Chicago played 35 minutes 10 pts 6 rebs 4 TO 3 assists
#10 Cadzow 6-5 Australia played 31 minutes 9 pts 4 rebs 0 TOs 4 assists
#23 Murphy 6-7 Denver played 22 minutes 8 pts 3 rebs 3 tos 0 assist
#15 Williams 6-6 Louisville played 24 minutes 7 pts 3 rebs 1 TO 1 assists
#5 Tate 6-3 Chicago played 21 minutes 6 pts 7 rebs 2 TOs 0 assist
off the bench
#12 Katumbusi 6-0 Chicago played 22 minutes 9 pts 5 rebs 3 TOs 1 assist
#22 Biggins 6-0 San Francisco played 19 minutes 6 pts 1 reb 3 TOs 2 assists
#24 Holiday 6-1 Chicago played 17 minutes 2 points 3 reb 2 TO 1 Assist
#34 Leddy 6-11 Conway Springs, Kansas played 9 minutes No Points 2 Rebounds 1 TO
=================
They shot 20 of 70 from the field, 11 of 45 from 3pt range 6-11 from the line
They have another Freshman on their team - Kameron Jackson (#40), from Merrillville
With respect to the earlier comment about is Parker
Hazen being set up to be the next Alec P....in a local TV interview with Hazen taped when he announced he was going to Valpo, Parker indicated that the coaching staff was hoping that could be the case with him. Time will tell.
I'm predicting Valpo wins by 20
I like the names on the backs.
Tevonn in his own low key way so far has made a statement - his team.
Couple thoughts:
-Tevonn looks like a man on a mission. Already 4 steal and his long range jump shot looks much improved early on in this game.
-Did anyone see that Smits post move? He didn't make it but the footwork looked really impressive.
-Bakari can really drive it to the basket
-Joe Burton was shooting it from 3 really well.
-Micah looks more confident out there
-Free throw shooting hasn't been great, but got better as the half went on
https://twitter.com/ValpoBasketball/status/926251800298229760
Wow! First game? Athletic, we can really shoot it and obvious improvement from the bigs. Bakari is the REAL deal. He is Eric Buggs who can score from all over. This could be better than we thought. :clap: :dance:
19-8 personal fouls, they will come unglued in the second half.
At 10:00 of the second our top rebounders are Hazen (Frosh) and WALKER at 7. Holy cow! This is kinda crazy.
So we are up by over 40 with less than 4 minutes. The stats really show some unexpected numbers (IMO). Wow. On face value, what does this mean?
Golder 15 pts in 19 minutes?
Now Hiring: Valparaiso Men's Basketball Dunk Reel Editor
Full time with benefits. Expect long nights on game days.
Hope we never schedule that team again. We're super athletic and can get down the court well. I was hoping to see more half court sets, but the opponent pressed the whole game. Defensively, we didn't get to see anything either, since RM just jacked wild threes right after getting down court. It was certainly fun seeing Golder dunk all over Porter County, and Bradford's incredible improvement, but I think the team we didn't get to see the team work against a typical offense or defense.
This is a really fun team to watch. Very athletic and excels in transition.
This team's offensive philosophy is completely different from past Valpo Teams. This team isn't slowly bringing the ball up the court and running offensive sets like we did under Bryce and last year team. Coach Lottich is really letting them press the ball and shoot threes. This team sort of actually reminds me of how Kampe's teams play offensively.
We held RMU to under 70 points but I didn't think we play all that well defensively. Definitely room for improvement.
This really is a whole new era of Valpo Basketball. You can see the potential with this team!
Markus Golder!
DISCLAIMER: RMU played another game last night. Yet........
Will our exhibition with Chicago State give us a better understanding of this team's capability?
Lets throw this out and start over against something we actually wil be seeing.
Now, after 1 meaningless exhibition, to me (who does not know squat about post play) we are loaded in the other 4 spots. But so far, our 7 footers have not yet developed into the monster factor. We need another Vashil from these two kids.
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 02, 2017, 09:55:25 PM
Now, after 1 meaningless exhibition, to me (who does not know squat about post play) we are loaded in the other 4 spots. But so far, our 7 footers have not yet developed into the monster factor. We need another Vashil from these two kids.
I thought Linssen looked pretty legitimate. High motor, and sneaky athletic for a big dude.
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 02, 2017, 09:24:42 PM
DISCLAIMER: RMU played another game last night. Yet........
Will our exhibition with Chicago State give us a better understanding of this team's capability?
Chicago State isn't great but their still a D1 team. CSU should be a better team offensively then RMU. Fred Sims, Jr. is a good player.
Rested vs. rested is much better than what we saw tonight.
Interesting to look at the fact we played Robert Morris last in exhibition play four years ago in November 2013, at the start of another season with low expectations (Alec's freshman year). RMU came into that game ranked sixth in NAIA D-II, versus tonight's team, which is ranked 12th in NAIA D-II. In 2013, we win 90-82; this year, 117-69.
Does this mean anything? Probably not. But an interesting comparison.
Quote from: a3uge on November 02, 2017, 10:01:26 PM
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 02, 2017, 09:55:25 PM
Now, after 1 meaningless exhibition, to me (who does not know squat about post play) we are loaded in the other 4 spots. But so far, our 7 footers have not yet developed into the monster factor. We need another Vashil from these two kids.
I thought Linssen looked pretty legitimate. High motor, and sneaky athletic for a big dude.
I actually liked what I saw from Smits tonight. I liked his footwork around the basket. He had 2 blocks (granted it was a against shorter and D2 opponents).
He looked more confident AND at least for tonight he kept his frustrations in check. That was an issue at times last year. He looked like he was having fun out there.
https://twitter.com/twitter/statuses/926280043571089410
I hope they keep up this run and gun. It's entertaining for the fans. The most surprising thing for me was the play of Smits. I know this was only against an NAIA team, but he wasn't falling over his feet and made some nice moves. It was a big improvement over last year. Let's see if it's real.
Long time lurker here but my name should give you some idea of my Valpo connection. For the most part I liked what I saw but there was some concerns that I had, admittedly these were typical start of the season concerns that should easily be fixable when our guys are able to hit the film room and also my basketball IQ isn't the greatest.
First of all our defense was inconsistent for a few stretches where the opposing players were wide open on the perimeter. I noticed this especially when RM players were able to penetrate into the lane and we would have 3-4 guys collapse hard on them leaving the 3 wide open. I understand that you are supposed to collapse the lane but I feel that we collapsed harder than we should have because our guys were over hustling (not necessarily a bad issue to have). I feel that this issue will resolve itself when we learn to trust each other on defense more. Secondly I realize RM is a good team but we should not be giving up 70 points to them. Lastly, the emotions of the first game got to our guys early and sloppy turnovers and missed free throws ensued, but these issues were minimized as the game went on. As stated before these concerns should go away as the season wears on and the guys become more engaged.
Given the circumstances it's really hard to determine anything about the team right now but my biggest takeaway is that all the guys seemed to know their place in the offense and they seemed to know what the other players roles were too. The chemistry is way ahead of where I thought it would be and I think the beginning of the season will better than most of us think
Quote from: VUCPB alum on November 02, 2017, 11:13:14 PM
Long time lurker here but my name should give you some idea of my Valpo connection. For the most part I liked what I saw but there was some concerns that I had, admittedly these were typical start of the season concerns that should easily be fixable when our guys are able to hit the film room and also my basketball IQ isn't the greatest.
First of all our defense was inconsistent for a few stretches where the opposing players were wide open on the perimeter. I noticed this especially when RM players were able to penetrate into the lane and we would have 3-4 guys collapse hard on them leaving the 3 wide open. I understand that you are supposed to collapse the lane but I feel that we collapsed harder than we should have because our guys were over hustling (not necessarily a bad issue to have). I feel that this issue will resolve itself when we learn to trust each other on defense more. Secondly I realize RM is a good team but we should not be giving up 70 points to them. Lastly, the emotions of the first game got to our guys early and sloppy turnovers and missed free throws ensued, but these issues were minimized as the game went on. As stated before these concerns should go away as the season wears on and the guys become more engaged.
Given the circumstances it's really hard to determine anything about the team right now but my biggest takeaway is that all the guys seemed to know their place in the offense and they seemed to know what the other players roles were too. The chemistry is way ahead of where I thought it would be and I think the beginning of the season will better than most of us think
Giving up 69 when the other team took 75 shots is perfectly reasonable. Their higher pace of play lead to more possessions by both teams.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leZnPoZBTB4
Quote from: VU2014 on November 02, 2017, 09:19:38 PMThis is a really fun team to watch. Very athletic and excels in transition. This team's offensive philosophy is completely different from past Valpo Teams. This team isn't slowly bringing the ball up the court and running offensive sets like we did under Bryce and last year team. Coach Lottich is really letting them press the ball and shoot threes. This team sort of actually reminds me of how Kampe's teams play offensively. We held RMU to under 70 points but I didn't think we play all that well defensively. Definitely room for improvement. This really is a whole new era of Valpo Basketball. You can see the potential with this team!
Was the tempo increase just a factor of the opponent's press? Or do we think we'll actually see some up and down play this season?
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 02, 2017, 09:38:46 AMAnd in another MVC exhibition NIU lost to Wisconsin 38-69 yesterday.
FYI, Northern Iowa is UNI. NIU is Northern Illinois.
Quote from: VU2014 on November 02, 2017, 10:40:35 PMI actually liked what I saw from Smits tonight. I liked his footwork around the basket. He had 2 blocks (granted it was a against shorter and D2 opponents).
He looked more confident AND at least for tonight he kept his frustrations in check. That was an issue at times last year. He looked like he was having fun out there.
I'd like to see Smits and other Valpo players finish better at the rim. Derrik made some good moves to the basket but early on he wasn't scoring (except from the FT line) because he was weak putting the ball in the basket.
Quote from: VU2014 on November 02, 2017, 07:58:52 PMDid anyone see that Smits post move? He didn't make it but the footwork looked really impressive.
This was true of other Valpo players in general too. If that happens against MVC teams Valpo is not going to dominate the rebounding as much and will not get all the second chance points that we did against Robert Morris.
Quote from: VU2014 on November 02, 2017, 11:50:18 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leZnPoZBTB4
Where do they hold these postgame press conferences - in the furnace room? It always sounds like industrial fans or motors humming in the background. Could someone do something about this - please?
Talk about lack of self awareness. Good grief.
Quote from: VU2014 on October 30, 2017, 11:49:31 AMTop 5 things I'll being watching for:
-How do Bakari Evelyn and Joe Burton look? Are either of them going to turn into the impact guys we think they can be?
-Does Tevonn embrace the role of being "the guy"? Has he improved his 3pt shooting.
-Who plays the 4? How do our freshman forwards look? Will the 4 be the weak link of this team?
-Has Micah taken the next step in his development?
-Have the Sophomore 7 footers evolved their games since last season?
How about we evaluate how Valpo did in these areas in the exhibition game against Robert Morris?
Evelyn & Burton both looked very good and will both greatly impact this team but I also saw quite a bit from our returning players, Walker, Bradford, Joseph, Sorolla and Smits all looked impressive in this game against a lesser opponent. It will difficult for Matt to decide how to divide up the playing time. With the depth we have we won't have the problem with foul trouble except if Sorolla, Smits and Linssen all get in foul trouble but then we can use Hazen and McMillan.
I think Tevonn embraced his leadership role. He will be the go to guy like Alec was last season. If anyone is going to take over Alec's role on this team I believe it will be Tevonn.
As for the 4 I think Hazen did a good job battling for rebounds and involving himself in the play. He seems to really like playing on this team rather than being the 5 on his high school team. He is one of the players that I hope learns to finish better at the rim and scores more than he did in this game.
I would say Micah game has improved but I still think we need to see him play against guards in the MVC to truly evaluate his progress.
I would say of our two 7 foot sophomores Smits has improved the most. Sorolla made some good improvements at the end of last season which was the reason he played more often at the end of last season. J is starting right where he left off. I would like to see both of our 7 footers finish better at the rim although both improved on that as the game went on.
Quote from: Jordan on November 03, 2017, 01:50:49 AM
Quote from: VU2014 on November 02, 2017, 09:19:38 PMThis is a really fun team to watch. Very athletic and excels in transition. This team's offensive philosophy is completely different from past Valpo Teams. This team isn't slowly bringing the ball up the court and running offensive sets like we did under Bryce and last year team. Coach Lottich is really letting them press the ball and shoot threes. This team sort of actually reminds me of how Kampe's teams play offensively. We held RMU to under 70 points but I didn't think we play all that well defensively. Definitely room for improvement. This really is a whole new era of Valpo Basketball. You can see the potential with this team!
Was the tempo increase just a factor of the opponent's press? Or do we think we'll actually see some up and down play this season?
[/b]
Part of it was their press while other parts of our offense was what you should see this season. Clearly we are much more athletic from top to bottom than last year. Micah looked like he ate a turbo charger for dinner. Think of the guys who graduated or are no longer with the team. Then look at who replaced them. That was so much fun to watch on TV and can only imagine what it was like in person!
A couple quick thoughts (although I didn't see the first 15 mins of first half so didn't see much of Burton).
1. Bakari showed very good court vision, made some nifty passes in transition and has a little flare (which is nice).
2. Golder is the new "microwave." He can score quickly, in bunches and from various places on court. He and Joseph off the bench will keep offensive continuity. He also reminded me a bit of Shane in his ability to separate from the defender in the open court and ability to get to the rim in traffic. Burstability.
3. Hazen has that 6th-sense Indiana trained basketball IQ. I love that! Finds the space to rebound, anticipates, near the ball. Lots of potential there.
4. McMillen has that Orlando Woolridge body and potential. Again, good potential but definitely bench is deeper and better with him and Linssen and Kizer bringing toughness.
5.Finishing at the rim. Problems with exhibition games, guys try to do a little more and a little faster. Had Parker, Smits and others slowed down a bit they finish a lot of those. There will be power guys from MVC teams at the rim. We still need to be stronger, tougher at the rim, but overall improvement down low. Tough game for bigs with the press and pace of game.
6. I still worry about 3 shooting, but we'll see. If we hit enough of them, the middle will open and this will be a fun team. Our TV guys talked about how Matt likes more possessions a game, and this team will be better up tempo, but some good post passes and sets mixed in here and there despite tempo. They also did a nice job on their last poss, horrible on giving up 3 at end of half. Matt discussed that during halftime interview (btw, sideline guy, relax, slow down (understand first game), you had the right thoughts on the questions, keep them simple and quick, Matt wants to get in the locker room).
Bradford looked much more comfortable out there.
Evelyn and Burton are going to be very good. Really like how they could finish through contact.
Golder is the best leaper we've ever had.
Hazen did a nice job rebounding and should be enough of a threat to require his man to stay near him.
Smits and Corolla looked a little better.
McMillan has all the tools to be a star once he gets polished up (that dunk he had was real impressive).
Tevonn looked healthy and ready to shine.
Linssen I don't think will see a lot of time, but his big body should come in handy. The way he runs up and down the court makes me smile. I think he might get on some ankle breaker highlights if he gets switched off on a ball handler.
I think this is the most athletic team we've ever had at Valpo, will that result in a bunch of wins.....I hope so
Quote from: vu72 on November 03, 2017, 07:13:21 AM
Part of it was their press while other parts of our offense was what you should see this season. Clearly we are much more athletic from top to bottom than last year. Micah looked like he ate a turbo charger for dinner. Think of the guys who graduated or are no longer with the team. Then look at who replaced them. That was so much fun to watch on TV and can only imagine what it was like in person!
Very impressive! Any concerns about Lottich's ability to recruit were put to rest after last night. The new guys are clearly more athletic then last years.
Did anyone count the dunks from last night? If might be fun for the students to have a dunk-counter during the games ... just make sure it goes higher then 9!
Quote from: EddieCabot on November 03, 2017, 09:54:35 AM
Quote from: vu72 on November 03, 2017, 07:13:21 AM
Part of it was their press while other parts of our offense was what you should see this season. Clearly we are much more athletic from top to bottom than last year. Micah looked like he ate a turbo charger for dinner. Think of the guys who graduated or are no longer with the team. Then look at who replaced them. That was so much fun to watch on TV and can only imagine what it was like in person!
Very impressive! Any concerns about Lottich's ability to recruit were put to rest after last night. The new guys are clearly more athletic then last years.
Did anyone count the dunks from last night? If might be fun for the students to have a dunk-counter during the games ... just make sure it goes higher then 9!
From the Valpo web site:
Valpo did well in the open floor, finishing the night with 34 fast-break points. The Crusaders gave the fans plenty to cheer about as well with eight dunks from four different players, led by four jams from Golder.
I wonder if there's some kind of charitable angle we could work with that celebrates this team's athleticism while helping contribute to worthy causes either nationally or locally Call it something like Jams for Jimmy V or Jerry Lewis or Juvenile diabetes Flushes to Find a Cure or Family House Slamma Jammas for St Jude Monster Dunks for Muscular Dystrophy Dunks for Diabetes Or something that rewards the elite court vision of our guards for each assist like March of Dimes Dropping Dimes against Domestic Violence etc. Or for hitting threes Splash Down for the Salvation Army or something I think this fits a lot with what Valpo and being a Crusader is about while encouraging exciting and winning basketball
I'm sure a lot of folks will remember the "Nothing but Net" 3 point baskets where a number of sponsors kicked in $20 for every 3-pointer made...for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Porter county... now, they are Centier Bank 3 Pointers and have been for a number of years.... but I like the idea of a sponsored Dunk... (I'm thinking Donuts here !)
Impressed with our players cohesiveness, TBD if it sticks. I was impressed with the overall offensive skill set of our YOUNG team.
My few take aways have more to do with improvements, so forgive the lack of more positive notes:
1) Bakari was quite expressive on mishaps, arguing with team mates vocally and with hand expression. He was Smits-esque in arguing calls against him...
2) Burton seemed in control of emotions and was quite impressive with body control. Thought we might see him crash the boards more? As a SF, I might expect he would be tasked with offensive rebounding. The guards get back on D, no?
3) Golder was impressive, impressive, impressive. I liked how he contended shots defensively, as that was my top concern with a guy of his ilk. Anyone see him occasionally forget to get back on defense quick enough? Sometimes he was star gazing after his shots or others...
4) I'm not as concerned with our bigs in a game against smaller opponents, we knew this wasn't going to be a big test of their improvements. The foul trouble on RMU bigs was to be expected, Smits and Sorolla are more athletic than D2 bigs.
5) Tevon = Tevon, Best all around player we'be had since he put on a VU Jersey. Hope he stays healthy. Considering he won't be driving to the basket as much as in years past, I expect less brutality against him. Bakari, Burton, Golder being added take away that demand that existed last year.
6) Defense is a huge IF. Getting back after a miss is my top take away. Combine that with the overhelp when we all collapse on the driver, and we have two areas of emphasis that are easier to adjust.
Optimism has grown in this pessimists' eyes!!! Now onto a road game at CSU.
Quote from: Jordan on November 03, 2017, 01:50:49 AM
Was the tempo increase just a factor of the opponent's press? Or do we think we'll actually see some up and down play this season?
From what I've heard the offensive philosophy will be different with this team. The coaches want the guys to press more then in years past. The roster construction is different then Bryce's teams. Obviously we won't be scoring over 100+ every night and this was byproduct of playing a much less talented D2 team and RMU was just quickly taking shots and not running sets. I'm high on the potential of this team. Last night was fun to watch but I want to see us against better opponents. RMU was simply overwhelmed by Valpo's size and athleticism.
I'm still in wait and see mode with how good this team can be this year. Last night felt more like a showcase of potential and gave us a first impression. I want to see how the guys look against a capable D1 defense/offense on the other-side.
Chicago State - Not a good team but they a strong offensive player in Sims Jr.
North Park - It should be another blowout
Trinity - Shouldn't be a close game
SIUE (Nov 15) - Not a great team but it will be the most talented team we've seen till this point in the schedule and will be on the road.
Southeastern Louisiana (Nov 19) - This is the first game that I think will give Valpo a test. We'll see how good defensively this team is because SELA has a super athletic little PG name Marlain Veal who should be able to collapse the defense and penetrate the paint. It will be the first real test, imo. We'll get a better idea of this team after this game.
Samford (Nov 21) - Samford's a Top 100-150 team in the nation. Another good game to gauge how good we are at least early on in the season.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on November 03, 2017, 11:26:04 AM
I wonder if there's some kind of charitable angle we could work with that celebrates this team's athleticism while helping contribute to worthy causes either nationally or locally Call it something like Jams for Jimmy V or Jerry Lewis or Juvenile diabetes Flushes to Find a Cure or Family House Slamma Jammas for St Jude Monster Dunks for Muscular Dystrophy Dunks for Diabetes Or something that rewards the elite court vision of our guards for each assist like March of Dimes Dropping Dimes against Domestic Violence etc. Or for hitting threes Splash Down for the Salvation Army or something I think this fits a lot with what Valpo and being a Crusader is about while encouraging exciting and winning basketball
How 'bout partnering with Al-Anon; dunks for drunks and flushes for lushes? :cheers:
Anyone know if the Chicago State exhibition game is streaming? How are we to catch the action?
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on November 03, 2017, 05:13:48 PMAnyone know if the Chicago State exhibition game is streaming? How are we to catch the action?
It appears there will be no coverage, other than the live stats charts
Quote from: VUBBFan on November 03, 2017, 07:04:43 PM
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on November 03, 2017, 05:13:48 PMAnyone know if the Chicago State exhibition game is streaming? How are we to catch the action?
It appears there will be no coverage, other than the live stats charts
I'll be there and will be tweeting away. Twitter.com/NWIOren
Quote from: Pgmado on November 03, 2017, 07:25:36 PM
Quote from: VUBBFan on November 03, 2017, 07:04:43 PM
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on November 03, 2017, 05:13:48 PMAnyone know if the Chicago State exhibition game is streaming? How are we to catch the action?
It appears there will be no coverage, other than the live stats charts
I'll be there and will be tweeting away. Twitter.com/NWIOren
Is CSU campus safe after dark? Also, is there a parking garage or do we have to park on the street?
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on November 03, 2017, 08:28:54 PM
Is CSU campus safe after dark? Also, is there a parking garage or do we have to park on the street?
The game's at 3 pm. If you leave at halftime, you should be safe.
Saw much of the basketball team at tonight's volleyball match, and noticed Micah was limping a bit with a boot on his right foot. From what I could tell, there didn't seem to be much concern about it. Could be just a sprain (he says with fingers crossed).
Quote from: EddieCabot on November 03, 2017, 08:34:59 PM
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on November 03, 2017, 08:28:54 PM
Is CSU campus safe after dark? Also, is there a parking garage or do we have to park on the street?
The game's at 3 pm. If you leave at halftime, you should be safe.
CSU has perimeter fencing and security personnel at the entrance. Once on campus, you will drive directly to the bb venue and park adjacent to the entrance. There is a strong campus security presence inside and out - completely safe and secure. A modern venue with good sight lines and some of the best snacks and junk food (nachos are excellent) of anywhere we've been. Enjoy!
Quote from: valpopal on November 03, 2017, 09:02:54 PM
Saw much of the basketball team at tonight's volleyball match, and noticed Micah was limping a bit with a boot on his right foot. From what I could tell, there didn't seem to be much concern about it. Could be just a sprain (he says with fingers crossed).
That doesn't sound good. Hopefully its just precautionary and not a anything too serious like a stress fracture or a broken bone. Thanks for the update.
https://twitter.com/ChiStateCougars/status/926562224935665664
Don't know how to post this but it's about Saturday's game. It says there will be radio coverage on Chicago state radio network. Don't know the frequency is or if it can be received in Valpo.
We should be able to listen online at: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/csucougars/
Quote from: wh on November 03, 2017, 07:08:39 AM
Quote from: VU2014 on November 02, 2017, 11:50:18 PM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leZnPoZBTB4
Where do they hold these postgame press conferences - in the furnace room? It always sounds like industrial fans or motors humming in the background. Could someone do something about this - please?
Talk about lack of self awareness. Good grief.
The sound system is equally as bad as is the ARC's .
That's quite a load to lay on the young man. Although Alec wasn't nearly the athlete as a freshman that he was as a junior/senior he was clearly a lights out shooter as a freshman.
Quote from: crusadermoe on November 04, 2017, 12:13:46 PM
That's quite a load to lay on the young man. Although Alec wasn't nearly the athlete as a freshman that he was as a junior/senior he was clearly a lights out shooter as a freshman.
I think they're just 2 different types of players. Parker is clearly quicker and more athletic but Alec always had that elite shooting touch coming in his freshman year. I'm not sure you can teach Alec's special shooting abilities. It's unfair to Parker to compare the two. Parker had a few freshman moments in the RMU game but he didn't look bad and had knack for bring down rebounds which was nice to see from a such a young player.
QuoteLinssen I don't think will see a lot of time, but his big body should come in handy. The way he runs up and down the court makes me smile. I think he might get on some ankle breaker highlights if he gets switched off on a ball handler.
Yeah Linssen is a big kid. It'll be interesting to see how he fits into the mix this season and beyond. I think Linssen will get some playing time against Loyola. Loyola has a BIG bodied 6-9 freshman Center name Cameron Krutwig who will have some epic battles against Linssen the next 4 years. I have a buddy who is a Loyola alum and he saw one of their exhibitions and he said he's a bulldozer down in the paint. The kid is listed at 260 lbs. I think we'll see them matched up when each is on the court at some point. One advantage Linssen may have is that he apparent has nice mid-range game which could be a factor in the future.
Quote from: talksalot on November 02, 2017, 11:05:35 AMWhat a great night for the officials at Peoria last night....
we had this crew at the ARC a couple of years ago...
Rick O'Neill, Mike O'Neill, Tom O'Neill Jr.
They could pull off this sequence at the scorers table.
Official Scorer: Who was that foul on?
RO: I'm not sure let's ask Mr. O'Neill.
RO to TO: Who was that foul on?
TO: I don't know. Mr. O'Neill called it.
TO to MO: Who was that foul on?
MO: I don't know. Mr. O'Neill made the call.
RO: That's right.
RO to Official Scorer: The foul was on #24 according to Mr. O'Neill.