The second cupcake to absorb the Sorolla / Burton sit-em games... With a win in this game, Valpo will have a 10-game home winning streak.
As of Thursday night, the Trolls have played three games: Our Friday night opponent has not played yet.
@ Silver Lake College - 98-59 Win
Calvin College 71-63 Win
Siena Heights 65-74 Loss
They are hosting the "Troll Classic" this weekend; Playing Wilberforce on Friday night and Grace Bible on Saturday night
Roster:
3 Juozas Balciunas SR G 6-2 Downers Grove, IL
10 Terrance Lacey FR G 6-1 Chicago, IL
15 Nate Hurt FR G 5-9 Moline, IL
21 Christian Cantu SR G 5-9 Corpus Christi, TX
22 Caleb Jonkman SR G 6-4 Gary, IN
23 Josh Olson SO G 5-9 Kalamazoo, MI
24 Jalyn Clark FR F 6-3 South Holland, IL
30 Aaron Johnson SR G 6-1 Holland, MI
32 Ben Brinks SR C 6-8 Hudsonville, MI
34 Oleksandr Dolishniy FR G 6-4 Willow Springs, IL
35 Zack Austell SR F 6-7 Manteno, IL
40 Jared Jonkman FR F 6-3 Gary, IN
45 Josh Decker FR F 6-6 Palos Heights, IL
50 Nari Garrett SR C 6-8 Calumet City, IL
season stats
|---TOTAL---| |---3-PTS---| |----REBOUNDS----|
## Player GP-GS Min--Avg FG-FGA Pct 3FG-FGA Pct FT-FTA Pct Off Def Tot Avg PF FO A TO Blk Stl Pts Avg
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
03 Balciunas, Juozas.. 3-3 89 29.7 16-29 .552 4-10 .400 9-12 .750 0 11 11 3.7 5 0 5 9 0 2 45 15.0
10 Lacey, Terrance.... 3-0 61 20.3 6-14 .429 2-5 .400 3-4 .750 2 4 6 2.0 5 0 3 4 0 4 17 5.7
15 Hurt, Nate......... 3-3 92 30.7 7-24 .292 6-12 .500 4-6 .667 1 7 8 2.7 6 0 10 4 0 5 24 8.0
22 Jonkman, Caleb..... 3-3 103 34.3 20-45 .444 10-24 .417 8-8 1.000 1 14 15 5.0 3 0 9 7 1 5 58 19.3
24 Clark, Jalyn....... 3-0 42 14.0 1-4 .250 0-0 .000 1-2 .500 1 4 5 1.7 5 0 1 1 0 2 3 1.0
30 Johnson, Aaron..... 2-0 51 25.5 2-5 .400 2-5 .400 0-0 .000 0 1 1 0.5 5 0 1 1 0 4 6 3.0
32 Brinks, Ben........ 3-3 60 20.0 12-14 .857 1-1 1.000 5-6 .833 7 11 18 6.0 7 0 0 3 4 1 30 10.0
34 Dolishniy, Oleksand 1-0 7 7.0 0-1 .000 0-1 .000 0-1 .000 0 1 1 1.0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0.0
40 Jonkman, Jared..... 2-0 7 3.5 0-1 .000 0-0 .000 1-2 .500 2 2 4 2.0 2 0 0 0 0 0 1 0.5
45 Decker, Josh....... 1-0 14 14.0 0-0 .000 0-0 .000 2-2 1.000 2 5 7 7.0 1 0 2 2 0 0 2 2.0
50 Garrett, Nari...... 3-3 74 24.7 22-34 .647 0-0 .000 4-12 .333 9 13 22 7.3 11 1 8 9 5 1 48 16.0
TEAM............... 4 7 11 3.7 0 1 0
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Total.............. 3 600 86-171 .503 25-58 .431 37-55 .673 29 80 109 36.3 50 1 39 41 10 24 234 78.0
Opponents.......... 3 600 72-181 .398 24-88 .273 28-46 .609 39 66 105 35.0 50 - 45 45 6 24 196 65.3
Their head coach - Brandon Nicol: As a collegiate athlete Nicol played for Iowa State University from 1999-2002. At Iowa State he was a part of two Big 12 Championships and an Elite Eight appearance. He earned the Team Hustle Award in his freshman year, the Brian Pearson Inspiration Award in 2001-02, and scholar-athlete honors for three seasons. He played his final collegiate season (2002-03) at Dakota State University and went on to compete with the Kansas City Knights (ABA) in 2004-05 and the Des Moines Heat (IBL) in 2005. He also participated in a fall and overseas tour with Athletes in Action in 2005.
Trinity Christian Box score from their last game
Total 3-point Rebounds
## Player p fgm-fga fgm-fga ftm-fta off-def tot pf tp a to blk stl min
32 Brinks, Ben c 3-3 1-1 0-0 0-2 2 3 7 0 1 1 0 19
50 Garrett, Nari c 8-10 0-0 1-4 4-5 9 5 17 1 5 2 1 27
03 Balciunas, Juozas g 6-10 3-4 2-2 0-2 2 1 17 1 4 0 1 33
15 Hurt, Nate g 3-6 3-5 0-0 0-4 4 1 9 2 4 0 1 34
22 Jonkman, Caleb g 4-15 2-9 0-0 0-2 2 1 10 4 4 0 0 38
10 Lacey, Terrance - 1-3 0-1 0-0 0-1 1 1 2 1 0 0 0 16
24 Clark, Jalyn - 0-1 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 5
30 Johnson, Aaron - 1-1 1-1 0-0 0-0 0 3 3 0 1 0 1 27
40 Jonkman, Jared - 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1
TM TEAM - - - - 1-1 2 - - - - - - -
Totals.............. - 26-49 10-21 3-6 5-17 22 17 65 9 19 3 4 200
53.1% 47.6% 50.0%
The Trolls suffered their first loss of the season in a game at Siena Heights University (Adrian, Michigan). Trinity struggled in the first half and was down by 16 points, 36-20, at the break. The Trolls made up ground in the second period and closed the gap to as little as four points. However they could not gain the top spot and ended in a 74-65 loss. The team is 2-1 at the start of their season.
Early in the game the Trolls fell behind at 8-4, but that gap soon increased to 17-8. The deficit continued to grow throughout the period and Trinity trailed by as many as 19 points. At the intermission the difference was 16 points as the Trolls had only 20 points on the board.
In the opening minutes of the second half the Trolls fell behind by 24 points. With 15 minutes left in the game they were still behind by 20 points. Over the next four minutes Trinity went on a 12-to-0 run to close the gap.
Siena Heights went back ahead by double digits and with 9:30 left the Trolls were down 61-48. Trinity once again rallied and scored the next nine points to pull to within four with six minutes to play. Siena Heights was able to hold the Trolls off and with two minutes to play the gap was nine at 74-65. Neither team scored in the remaining time as the game ended in at nine-point difference.
The Trolls ended the game with a .531 field goal percentage, but it was the tale of two halves. They more than doubled their score from the first to the second half and went from .333 percent shooting in the first half to .720 percent in the second half. They also made seven of their 10 three-pointers in the second half. Siena Heights was .467 percent from the field and .300 percent from the arc. The Trolls took in 22 rebounds and the Saints had 35.
Nari Garrett led the team with 17 points, behind 8-of-10 from the field, and nine rebounds. Juozas Balciunas had 17 points with a .600 field goal percentage. Caleb Jonkman had 10 points and four assists.
A potential century mark game and maybe a doubling game.
Valpo 96
Trinity 47
If that is the case, I hope Matt will despense hourly doses of "reality serum" to mitigate the possible (and dreaded) inflated head syndrome.
Our guys have proved zero to this point (although they probably would win the D-III NCAA Championsip hands-down). Focus. Focus. Focus.
We better not be down by 9 points at half time.
Valpo 88
Trinity 55
Does this make sense (coming from a BB novice) that this team is built to (1) play in-your-face-defense and (2) relentlessly run at opponents for 40 minutes with incredible depth?
I only played HS basketball and that's my baseline. But if I could assemble a dream team, that is the balance i would strive for. I go back to the Dean Smith NC teams. He would just overwhelm with depth. Could that be our key?
I would love to see the MVC responding to a Valpo team that, no matter what opponents do, Valpo just keeps coming atcha.
Knowing how Matt played at Stanford, I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't do just that.
Rekindling the "Diebler Diving" counter kept in the Student Section...... nice touch...
In the first evening of the Troll Classic Trinity hosted Wilberforce University (Wilberforce, Ohio) in the late game. The Trolls battled with the Bulldogs and had a one point, 37-36, lead at the half. Trinity increased their lead to double digits in the second period before ending in the 84-77 final victory. In the opening game of the tournament, Grace Bible College (Wyoming, Michigan) defeated St. Ambrose University (Davenport, Iowa), 77-74.
It took a while for the Trolls to get going as Wilberforce posted a nine point lead after six minutes of play. Trinity controlled the next six minutes and took over the lead at 24-22. The Trolls continued to stay on top of the scoreboard until the final two minutes when Wilberforce converted a three-point play to go ahead 36-34. However Trinity scored the final three points of the period for the lead at the half.
Trinity quickly increased their lead in the second period on a 10-to-2 run to go ahead by nine points. Midway through the period the Trolls were up by double digits and with 8:33 to play they had their largest lead at 65-53. Trinity continued to hold off the Bulldogs who cut the difference to seven with seconds of play.
For the game Trinity shot .544 percent from the field and .440 from the arc. Wilberforce was .500 percent from the floor and .278 from the three-point line. The Trolls had 33 rebounds and Wilberforce had 29. Juozas Balciunas led the scoring with 21 points, six rebounds, and four assists. Caleb Jonkman added 19 points and seven rebounds, and Nari Garrett had 17 points and nine boards. Also in double-figure scoring was Nate Hurt with 14 points.
The Trolls continue action in the Troll Classic on November 11 in the 2pm game against Grace Bible
~~They will have played 5 games before Monday...they are 3-1 now.
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/929510748463693825
So the Trolls will be 3-2 when they enter the ARC on Monday night...
Video Replay: https://portal.stretchinternet.com/tcc/portal.htm?eventId=398744&streamType=video (game starts at the 22 minute mark of this video)
The Trolls played host to the Troll Classic and to Grace Bible College (Wyoming, Michigan) in an afternoon game. The team struggled in the first half and trailed by 15 points at the intermission. They fought back in the second period to pull to within three late in the game, but ended a 66-57 loss. In the first game of the day St. Ambrose University (Davenport, Iowa) defeated Wilberforce University (Wilberforce, Ohio), 86-78.
The Trolls gave up the first basket of the game and trailed throughout the entire 40 minutes. They struggled offensively in the first half and midway through the period were down by double digits. With 7:20 to play the deficit was 15 points and it was that gap that remained at the half at 36-21.
Four minutes into the second period Trinity was down 45-29, but they went on a nine point run to close the gap to seven points. The Tigers went back ahead and once again built a significant lead at 56-43. In the next minute of play the Trolls stormed back on three treys by Juozas Balciunas to make it a four point game. Trinity continued to threaten and on a three-point play by Balciunas they had the gap to three at 58-55. However they could not completely erase the difference and get their shots to fall in the final two minutes as Grace went back ahead by nine.
Trinity had a .411 field goal percentage and Grace shot .359 percent. The Trolls grabbed 33 rebounds, but were beat on the boards with Grace's 47. Balciunas led the team with 23 points. Nari Garrett scored 15 and had eight rebounds and Caleb Jonkman had 10 points and six boards. Nate Hurt ended the game with four assists and four steals.
Quote from: talksalot on November 12, 2017, 10:55:31 AMWilberforce University
That name is actually an answer to a crossword clue that I somehow remember, Mr. Ed's owner's power school.
B Wood is going to be at the game tomorrow! If your going to the game make sure you say hello.
https://twitter.com/BrandonWood30/status/929896075523129345
Prediction for tonights game:
Valpo 92
Trinity 59
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/929900923471777792
Just a reminder:
https://twitter.com/coachgore/status/930095269408051200
Another reminder (from the Game Preview):
This marks the third straight year the Crusaders and Trolls have met in regular season action. Valpo has won both previous meetings, but last year, Trinity Christian led by as many as 16 in the first half and was up nine at the half before the Crusaders rallied for an 89-75 victory. Alec Peters led the way with 36 points and 15 rebounds, while Shane Hammink contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds in the win
Quote from: VULB#62 on November 13, 2017, 11:54:32 AM
Another reminder (from the Game Preview):
This marks the third straight year the Crusaders and Trolls have met in regular season action. Valpo has won both previous meetings, but last year, Trinity Christian led by as many as 16 in the first half and was up nine at the half before the Crusaders rallied for an 89-75 victory. Alec Peters led the way with 36 points and 15 rebounds, while Shane Hammink contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds in the win
These are "hungrier" guys then last years team vs D2 "tune-up" games. Last years veteran team clearly didn't need those tune-up games like this team does. I'm sure the Coaches will remind them that we were down by 9 at the half last year. Last years team did not take that game seriously in the 1st half.
Quote from: VU2014 on November 12, 2017, 09:13:56 PM
B Wood is going to be at the game tomorrow! If your going to the game make sure you say hello.
https://twitter.com/BrandonWood30/status/929896075523129345
I assume you could also ask him to send or give you Windy City Bulls tickets?
Does Brandon have to sit in a section reserved for former Michigan State players?
I really hate to say this but can this please be the last year we play these embarrassing "tune up" games? I get that it's a chance to do something nice for charitable causes but the same goals can be accomplished no matter who you're playing just make the donation worth a $10 concessions voucher instead of a free ticket if you'd be worried about losing gate revenue for a higher profile game. You'd probably make more money and raise more for the charity because people are actually interested in the game/opponent. Our program is beyond fattening up on useless non-D1 programs and going-nowhere-fast schools that consistently populate the sub 250 portion of RPI. WE deserve our fair share of quality nonconference games both home and away. (The away portion is fantastic this year but the home slate is not very good We have five nonconference home games and only three of them matter If we want to become a leading member of the Valley we need to schedule like it every year because you learn much more playing against (and yes sometimes losing to) strong competition than you do by waiting until game three or four or five of the regular season to really get going in earnest. I'm not saying we need to be playing Duke Kansas Kentucky Arizona etc But every effort should be made to ensure that every nonconference game is at least a top 150 RPI game especially at home under this new system. That's the kind of program we are so those are the programs we need to be playing. Opportunities to make an impression as a mid major are few and far between especially with P5 leagues going to 20 game slates and we really need to maximize these nonconference slots to bolster our resume unless we want to put all of our eggs in the Arch Madness basket or pray some other tournament takes us and gives us a favorable setup to do well in it but that as I understand was not the reason we joined the MVC I believe we joined to make sure that what happened in 2015-2016 never happens again and to clutter up the schedule with (especially multiple) useless games is not making the best use of the resources afforded to us and is not to my mind in keeping with our stated goals as a program
Quote from: bbtds on November 13, 2017, 12:57:15 PM
I assume you could also ask him to send or give you Windy City Bulls tickets?
Does Brandon have to sit in a section reserved for former Michigan State players?
The transfer is water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned. Sucked that he didn't stay that last year but oh well. He's still one of our own.
The same starters as the season opener.
https://twitter.com/valpoathletics/status/930223368057614337
Disney store at the mall had a buy one stuffed animal get one for $2 if you need a last minute donation for tonight.
I trust they'll find a way to accept monetary donations as well (not for admission, exactly, but to support the cause).
Quote from: VU2014 on November 13, 2017, 02:22:06 PM
Quote from: bbtds on November 13, 2017, 12:57:15 PM
I assume you could also ask him to send or give you Windy City Bulls tickets?
Does Brandon have to sit in a section reserved for former Michigan State players?
The transfer is water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned. Sucked that he didn't stay that last year but oh well. He's still one of our own.
Yes, as a fellow alum, he is one of your own. He was the star player on 2 excellent Crusader teams and cares enough to come back and watch his former team play. I'd say that speaks pretty well for bwood. No doubt current players will enjoy rubbing elbows with a former Valpo star and current pro. I hope to catch a glimpse myself.
Quote from: wh on November 13, 2017, 02:57:18 PMYes, as a fellow alum, he is one of your own. He was the star player on 2 excellent Crusader teams and cares enough to come back and watch his former team play. I'd say that speaks pretty well for bwood.
I have forgiven and forgotten but that process took me several years.
Is it fair to say that our boys have dis0layed three selarate game stlyes in the two exhibitions and one regular season games ? First, we ran R U out of the 0lace going over 100 points. Then we turn around and decide to 0lay vice-grip defense against CSU. Next, we handle North Park handily but without really putting a big stamp on the package. Before we hit the road to Edwardsville, will we put it altogether for an entire game tonight? Or is the absence of Jay and Joe affecting our real play/style to any degree? Just asking the experts......
So far, sucky attendance.
Observation about both of the non-D-I teams that we have played: (1) They know they are overmatched. (2) Yet, they both have been disciplined enough to stick with their game. They both ran their offense throuhout the games. I have to give a ton of credit to these two teams for how they met the challenge. But: GO VALPO.
Jeez, we are playing the youngsters so early And they are impressive. So.... are we seeing the future?
Smits really is showing some confidence around the basket. Love it.
Yeah these Non-D1s have been well coached groups. Nothing is coming easy for both teams. This doesn't look like the same team that played RMU. The offense looked to come easier when Burton and Sorolla were active.
Smits is also much more aware defensively. Not to focus on Derrik, but he is 7'2"
PA 19 points at the 3 minute H1 point. Good defense or opponent incompetence?
Sorry, but these kinds of gamnes don't tell me anything because, I guess I am not that sophisticated.
I am embarassed to say in that in only two games I have developed a man-crush on Marcus. He is electric. And he always seems to be happy and just loving basketball. Watch him, he might grow into a real star for us.
I want to go back to some social media that this kid posted before he even took a shot as a Valpo BB player. They were all about (1) feeling underestimated, (2) loving the game, (3) wanting to be better and better (4) provng people wrong and (5) playing well at a D-I level.
Hazen is more athletic than I realized. He is quick on his feet and has some serious hops. Very impressive.
Agree. He just hasn't had the opportunities to showcase that. He is SMOOTH.
This is really difficult to watch.
Hey Paul, in all seriousness...what type of $$ are we looking at to upgrade the game audio for TV?
I'm not talking about the arena sound system, thinking that's separate?
Repeat after me: Our program is beyond these terrible games. Please stop scheduling them.
I feel like I'm watching a long tryout - there's so many different lineups getting rotated in.
Not sure what the rotation will look like come meaningful games. I'm guessing Linssen and Kiser move to the end of the bench, and McMillan sees very limited action. I hope Golder gets a ton of minutes. The team just plays better and more intense when he's on the court. Max shouldn't be getting a ton of minutes... he sticks out on a team full of very athletic dudes.
Some observations: Bakari is the real deal. Markus is the REAL deal. Derrik has come a LONG way. Kiser is still a valuable part of the team. Tevonn is STARTING to feel his role. Lissen is a tough kid. Where are the minutes going to go when Joe and J come back? ???
Encouraging early returns. I think the next six games are going to tell us a lot about what kind of team we may have this year. If it turns out that our early optimism is well placed we could be in for a special year.
I think all we can determine from these two games is that Valpo dominated the teams they should dominate. These opponents were tiny in size and stature and we exploited their weaknesses.
Excited to see some tougher competition from here on out.
Two more takeaways from tonight's game: 1) not only is Golder fun to watch because of his hops, but he also has a good touch making free throws, which will become important when other teams must resort to fouling him out of frustration or simple inability to match his athleticism; 2) Linssen has become a fan favorite for his constant hustle and enthusiasm, and he may rival Diebler's reputation for most times spent falling to the floor per minute played, though Jake's were usually dives for the ball and Marten's are mostly due to energetic but awkward contact.
Quote from: vu72 on November 13, 2017, 09:01:15 PM
Some observations: Bakari is the real deal. Markus is the REAL deal. Derrik has come a LONG way. Kiser is still a valuable part of the team. Tevonn is STARTING to feel his role. Lissen is a tough kid. Where are the minutes going to go when Joe and J come back? ???
I'm sure Joe and J will get sizable portions of the minutes still. Both are guaranteed starters from sound of it. Smits looks like he's improved on a lot of little things that have added up. I still want to see how he looks against bigger and better competition.
The real minutes question for me is how is coach is going to divide up the minutes at the 4. All 3 of them have showed some good qualities but can they be consistent and reliable against better competition. I hope so.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on November 13, 2017, 08:51:35 PMRepeat after me: Our program is beyond these terrible games. Please stop scheduling them.
I not only forgot about this exhibition but also chose not to bother viewing it at home. :snore: That would never have happened with ANY D-1 opponent. The season starts at SIUE and I will be watching.
Quote from: wh on November 13, 2017, 02:57:18 PM
Quote from: VU2014 on November 13, 2017, 02:22:06 PM
Quote from: bbtds on November 13, 2017, 12:57:15 PM
I assume you could also ask him to send or give you Windy City Bulls tickets?
Does Brandon have to sit in a section reserved for former Michigan State players?
The transfer is water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned. Sucked that he didn't stay that last year but oh well. He's still one of our own.
Yes, as a fellow alum, he is one of your own. He was the star player on 2 excellent Crusader teams and cares enough to come back and watch his former team play. I'd say that speaks pretty well for bwood. No doubt current players will enjoy rubbing elbows with a former Valpo star and current pro. I hope to catch a glimpse myself.
Any bwood sightings?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c2jtUIz8fvw
Crusaders blow out another non-D-I opponent to improve to 2-0
Paul Oren Times Correspondent
Nov 13, 2017
VALPARAISO — Now the real games begin.
The Valparaiso men's basketball team dominated another non-Division I program on Monday night, routing Trinity Christian 83-46 at the Athletics-Recreation Center as the Crusaders ended the tune-up portion of their schedule.
Valparaiso will travel to Southern Illinois-Edwardsville on Wednesday night and will play nothing but Division I programs for the rest of the season.
............ http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/crusaders-blow-out-another-non-d-i-opponent-to-improve/article_3d6456a7-448e-52ac-a471-0334ec992df9.html
Derrik Smits steps up as starter as Valparaiso rolls past Trinity Christian
Michael Osipoff Post-Tribune
Nov 13, 2017
Derrik Smits has taken advantage of his opportunity to start Valparaiso's first two games.
The 7-foot-2 sophomore center had a career-high eight rebounds in Monday night's 83-46 win over Trinity Christian at the Athletics-Recreation Center. He also had 10 points, making all five of his shots.
.......... http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-mens-basketball-trinity-christian-valparaiso-st-1114-20171113-story.html
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on November 13, 2017, 08:51:35 PMRepeat after me: Our program is beyond these terrible games. Please stop scheduling them.
I feel you 1314 but here's the rub, you have x amount of home games that you need to schedule. Given Valpo has been a post season team much of the past few seasons with a deep NIT run coupled with being a tough out when they made the tourney a few years ago, you are not going to get many higher quality D1 schools wanting to play us at the ARC, then you take the lower level D1 schools 250-350 RPI and they can take games against higher paying P5 / high mid major schools. I'm sure Valpo would've rather scheduled someone better or more competitive as its in their best interest.
In the end it's about pay days for the lower schools and bigger schools do not want to come to Valpo. See FSU amd St. Mary's from the NIT run. Valpo's recent and historic success actually hurts them in this regard.
The positive I take from this is it allows Valpo a couple extra games to work on rotations especially considering all the new pieces this year. This can end up being s blessing in disguise when all is said and done as chemistry and confidence is being developed. SIUe will be another good step in the progression of this team especially considering it is a road game as well. Time will tell....
Quote from: bbtds on November 13, 2017, 09:55:24 PM
Quote from: wh on November 13, 2017, 02:57:18 PM
Quote from: VU2014 on November 13, 2017, 02:22:06 PM
Quote from: bbtds on November 13, 2017, 12:57:15 PM
I assume you could also ask him to send or give you Windy City Bulls tickets?
Does Brandon have to sit in a section reserved for former Michigan State players?
The transfer is water under the bridge as far as I'm concerned. Sucked that he didn't stay that last year but oh well. He's still one of our own.
Yes, as a fellow alum, he is one of your own. He was the star player on 2 excellent Crusader teams and cares enough to come back and watch his former team play. I'd say that speaks pretty well for bwood. No doubt current players will enjoy rubbing elbows with a former Valpo star and current pro. I hope to catch a glimpse myself.
Any bwood sightings?
Hard to miss him since he was sitting in the front row center of the chairbacks. Good to see him back! However, it did seem appropriate that he left the game early with about one-fourth of the way yet to go. ::)
Quote from: VU2014 on November 13, 2017, 11:01:06 PMHard to miss him since he was sitting in the front row center of the chairbacks. Good to see him back! However, it did seem appropriate that he left the game early with about one-fourth of the way yet to go.
As he left, I wished that I had a good excuse to walk out with him. Three games like this one is too many.
I did appreciate the fact that Derrick demonstrated the ability to shoot bunnies quickly after the pass. So often big men grab the ball make a fake and then power the ball to the basket. Last night he caught it high and released a shot before the defense could react.
Quote from: humbleopinion on November 14, 2017, 05:43:17 AMI did appreciate the fact that Derrik demonstrated the ability to shoot bunnies quickly after the pass. So often big men grab the ball make a fake and then power the ball to the basket. Last night he caught it high and released a shot before the defense could react.
Of course he was also able to stand flat footed without #50 for Trinity Christian in the game and get a put back. He probably won't get that advantage in most of the remaining games.
1. I would bet that Brandon Wood has more to do with Valpo than Michigan St. What I mean is despite his constant moving around, I would guess Brandon would consider Valpo more home than the other destinations.
2. Yes, we are beyond the naia and Diii games. Yes, its difficult to get Di schools for home games. Yes, we need more home games.
Answer is get Chicago St and IUPUI instead of North Park and Trinity.
Quote from: oklahomamick on November 14, 2017, 09:35:29 AM
2. Yes, we are beyond the naia and Diii games. Yes, its difficult to get Di schools for home games. Yes, we need more home games.
Answer is get Chicago St and IUPUI instead of North Park and Trinity.
However, the Chicago States of the world end up being an RPI drag, but as far as I know the non-DI opponents do not count for the RPI.
What we all want is 50-150 RPI teams that would do a home and home, but there are only so many of those teams out there to fill in a schedule.
Quote from: valpo95 on November 14, 2017, 10:07:46 AM
Quote from: oklahomamick on November 14, 2017, 09:35:29 AM
2. Yes, we are beyond the naia and Diii games. Yes, its difficult to get Di schools for home games. Yes, we need more home games.
Answer is get Chicago St and IUPUI instead of North Park and Trinity.
However, the Chicago States of the world end up being an RPI drag, but as far as I know the non-DI opponents do not count for the RPI.
What we all want is 50-150 RPI teams that would do a home and home, but there are only so many of those teams out there to fill in a schedule.
Ideally I'd love all teams we played to be Top 150 & up, which is a tall task to find willing opponents because all programs have different motives and sometimes geographically & timing wise you can't get schedules to workout. I just want to see us not schedule bottom feeding D1s during the Non-Conference. The schedule really isn't that bad this season but the home non-conference schedule can of sucks other then Samford, SELA & USU. It is what it is but hopefully we have a better home OOC schedule next season.
Random attendance note:
2017 (Trinity-Christian): 2,545 Monday night game
2016 (Trinity-Christian): 2,588 Saturday game
So much for bad attendance And they said the fan excitement around this team isn't real We could push 3000-3500 for SELA and Samford and 4000 for Utah State especially if we're rolling at the time which is a possibility
Let's be honest...who wants to spend money watching us play Trinity Christian and North Park? I didn't. That is about like watching an intra-squad game at best.
It's not just the money it's a serious question as to whether or not the entertainment value is even worth the time you invest in going to the game For most D1s this isn't a question but for non-D1s it's another matter entirely
Amen, Brother!
Quote from: valpo95 on November 14, 2017, 10:07:46 AMHowever, the Chicago States of the world end up being an RPI drag, but as far as I know the non-DI opponents do not count for the RPI.
In a year when we are projected to be a 140-150 RPI team with 0% chance for an at-large who cares? A few extra RPI points for a rebuilding year doesn't mean a pinch of :censored:. And the HL taking us to court should not have stood in the way of an attempt for a home and away with several of their members. Yes because of our slim 18-19 at-large hopes we would have needed to host this year and played the return game away next year but did we even try for such an arrangement?
Quote from: justducky on November 14, 2017, 02:31:20 PM
In a year when we are projected to be a 140-150 RPI team with 0% chance for an at-large who cares? A few extra RPI points for a rebuilding year doesn't mean a pinch of :censored:. And the HL taking us to court should not have stood in the way of an attempt for a home and away with several of their members. Yes because of our slim 18-19 at-large hopes we would have needed to host this year and played the return game away next year but did we even try for such an arrangement?
Most of these Home-&-Home series are scheduled well ahead of time. It would logistically be tough to schedule potential H-&-Hs with with Horizon League schools that likely had their Non-Conf schedules set well ahead of time just like we did. Probably a lot of the dates didn't work out even if the there were HL schools that wanted to play us. I'm sure Kampe called and wanted to schedule us because this is the best team he's ever had and we were are still probably a top 140-160 team in a rebuild year.
I could see us scheduling a HL team for next season, hopefully not one of their bottom feeding teams. Playing Oakland on a similar series as Ball State would make sense H-&-H every year. I would love to get a similar series going with Belmont because both programs would be guaranteed strong RPI opponents most years.
Projections should be used as a guide and a suggestion nothing more You don't turn down quality opponents just because you're not projected to do well and I wouldn't exactly call our at Large hopes slim next year I think we're going to be deep Experienced talented and dangerous I think we have a great chance at an at Large if we just schedule well I like the idea of series with Oakland and Belmont (of course there's another way we could play the Bruins quite frequently but it would require a certain private school in the South to ante up for the first time in it's history and act like the quality mid major they are)
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on November 14, 2017, 03:07:14 PM
Projections should be used as a guide and a suggestion nothing more You don't turn down quality opponents just because you're not projected to do well and I wouldn't exactly call our at Large hopes slim next year I think we're going to be deep Experienced talented and dangerous I think we have a great chance at an at Large if we just schedule well.
I'm in agreement. I think if we can get the right matchups next season and we win the right games and have a very strong conference record without any glaringly bad losses we can be an at-large next year. I'm obviously projecting that this team grows into the team we all hope they can be. With the addition Fazekas and hopefully Javon Freeman-Liberty can be a reliable SG his freshman year and maybe Golder plays more G next year and can be a strong defender at that position.
Keep in mind Valpo has to compete with power conference teams when scheduling lower tier opponents in the first few weeks. Valpo is never going to outbid Iowa and Purdue for a buy game against Chicago State. Power conference teams will rarely come, and decent mid majors are also looking for only home games. Scheduling is tough, but I agree, two consecutive non D1s isn't good.
Doesn't anybody remember that the move to the MVC caused us to lose a D1 non-conference game with Indiana State? Maybe some of us should go back again and listen to the Union Street Hoops episode where Coach Gore explained this years scheduling situation.
I've asked this question before but never received an answer.
Are the Purdue and northwestern games buy games?
Are they paying us to come and play?
Quote from: FWalum on November 14, 2017, 11:21:56 PM
Doesn't anybody remember that the move to the MVC caused us to lose a D1 non-conference game with Indiana State? Maybe some of us should go back again and listen to the Union Street Hoops episode where Coach Gore explained this years scheduling situation.
To be honest does it really matter what the excuse is? The result is the same. Valpo fans are disappointed in the home non-conf schedule. I'm really hoping the close contested conf games make up the difference.
I don't want to ever play non-D1 schools or schools like Chicago State or SIU-E. RPI is part of it, but the bigger reason is that playing these games adds zero value to the program. People here talk about wanting greater attendance, but the main things that drive attendance are excitement about the program and quality opponents.
However, while this year's non-conference schedule is awful and is unlikely to build as much enthusiasm as it needed to for Valpo's first MVC season, Valpo has done a good job of scheduling in recent years. My hope is that this year's schedule is just an isolated case. I would recommend not providing a return home game for UC-Riverside or SIU-E if better games can be found. And I would never ever schedule Chicago State.
If all of these coaches ADs and fans that I've heard over the years constantly complaining about how hard it is to schedule spent less time whining and more time talking to each other to schedule games they would solve so many of their own problems. There's enough quality among the mid major conferences to offer ample opportunities for any legitimate at large contender to build a tournament worthy resume with the few P5 opportunities everyone gets mixed into their schedule. It's a matter of how badly you really want it. Yes the climate is against us and the climb is getting steeper but we at this level still have a choice and some say in how this goes. We can either be afraid of losing to a fellow mid major with tournament aspirations and instead choose to fatten up on games that do nothing; thereby hurting ourselves in the process by weakening our schedules and working against our best interest or we can all man up and play each other and show the Power 5 that we're not going away without a fight no matter what they do. I for one choose to keep fighting in spite of the tough climate and I sincerely hope everyone at Valpo and every Valpo fan is with me on this. Those who aren't and support the status quo (and there are a few on here and a few more that I've talked to in my day to day life) need to really take a look at your mindset because that's a defeatist low-major mindset. And that mindset isn't Valpo. That's not what I was taught being a Crusader was about. I'm not asking Valpo to constantly play unwinnable games against top 10-20 teams and get beaten up on a nightly basis but a few tough tests then some games against quality mid majors so that the schedule is made up of consistent top 150 or above games and no more non-D1s or Sub-250 RPI drags isn't an unreasonable thing to ask, or at least it shouldn't be. A challenging at-large caliber schedule should be the goal every year regardless of where Valpo is projected to finish and we as fans should expect nothing less.
https://twitter.com/CherylBGore/status/931956035732074496