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I, too, was a season ticket holder. I had (2) tickets and then (4) tickets. When the pandemic hit, it allowed me to reevaluate my priorities. When we could attend games again, I would renew my season tickets but would go back to (2) tickets. Why? Because I had an increasingly difficult time giving the other two tickets away to friends, family, etc. - I even resorted to Facebook open invites for some games. Others ended up not being used. I could not justify wasteful spending any longer.

I have yet to renew since then. And I've only been to a few games. I do pay for ESPN+. So, I watch available games from home. I can only justify investing more money into the program if/when a coaching change is made. I've stopped annual giving as well. These are just my personal feelings & choices. I respect those who can continue supporting the program in the interim.

This seems to be the attitude of many on the board. Basically, I read posts that malign the school for not spending more on the program or not buying out the coach's contract while the poster chooses not to support the program financially. I guess the notion is that there are big donors who will step in to provide any funding necessary. 

I choose to contribute to the program beyond buying my season tickets.  I find it a bit ironic that my donation helps to provide a salary for a coach (any coach) that is multiple times higher than any salary that I have ever earned, but I want to do my part to ensure that the program has resources. I just hope that many other fans choose to do their part to help out and the total of the many more-modest contributions will provide a lift financially.

The Bears have defeated Drake twice but have lost to Illinois State.  At least Ben doesn't have to battle with Prim this year.

We need Green, Max, Conner to connect on their threes for us to match the Redbirds' success.

An opportunity for the Beacons to chalk up a win for the hometown fans.

I certainly wouldn't predict a blowout.  Evansville, coming of a close loss to Belmont, must have this date circled on the schedule to notch a victory.

Illinois State has notched wins over MoSt, Belmont, and Evansville, but lost to UIC.

Valpo has historically played well in Normal. Can the win streak extend to three games?

Valpo has a chance to establish a winning streak in Valley play (I think two wins are the minimum to be considered a 'streak").

I look forward to an entertaining matchup between two 1-7 teams.

Sagarin  has us ranked above Evansville by 41 teams.  This is as good a chance for a victory as we have had in Valley play.  Still, our odds of winning in Evansville has been bad if history is taken into account.

Presuming that Darius is out will Nick be playing all forty minutes?

Did Palm dress?

He was dressed and on the bench. He seems to be in the doghouse.  He made a very ill-advised shot a couple games ago, but I wonder if there is more to it.

As the game starts in a but more than an hour, I figure it's time to start the thread.

I'll be in the stands with somewhat higher expectations than last Saturday.  We will see if the team is ready to gut through the season.  My expectation that they will have the pride to put out a a good effort.

It's hard to be optimistic about a road trip to play one of the top rated teams in the conference.

Changes made for the UNI game yielded positive results, but unless we can put the ball through the hoop, it could be a long afternoon in Peoria. It's good to have Darius available again, and maybe Max will show the prowess from 3 for which he was recruited.

A win would be a nice birthday present for Valpo's oldest fan (I'm presuming), Connie Felton Bretscher, who turns 102 this week.  I expect to see her cheering on the Beacons from her seat in the top row of bleacher seats.

Valpo gets to greet a middle-of-the-pack team this evening.

The Beacons have not done much to inspire confidence, but I have to believe that they won't look as bad as they did on Sunday.  In fact, with no basis in rationality, I'll predict a Valpo win 68-64.

A step down in talent from Drake, and familiar baskets (I'm not counting on a strong showing in the stands). 

I have hopes of a victory.  Valpo 67, InSU 61.

Into the conference slate and taking on one of the toughest teams.

After defeating St. Ambrose by 76 points in their last outing and with MoSt coming to town on Sunday, maybe the Bulldogs will be looking past the Beacons...

I like watching coaches  trying to  develop Ibra.  It's clear that Ibra is still pretty raw.  It was good to have a game when he could get some playing time in which his mistakes would have a minimal impact on the outcome of the game. Even his technical was used as a learning opportunity.  Many direct conversations as well as encouragement (and working on skills) are going to be needed to shape him to reach his potential.

Agree. Someone told me faculty and staff families used to go to games for free in the upper seats until a few years ago.

Has this really stopped?

Attendance was 1057, lowest of the year. Does the crowd number dip below 1000 for the Stonehill game on Wednesday or does the Community Game promo save the day?

On the positive side, there were no lines at the concession stands or the bathrooms at halftime.

Even though I had a ticket, I opted to stay home to watch Bears-Packers. I think it was more entertaining, and I took a nap.
I saw some of the game. Dead crowd even though it went to overtime. No one cares any more. I think the chairback people who still buy tickets just do it out of habit.
The program, and the game experience, is but a shell of what it once was. Who knows if it can ever be revived.

I checked the score of Bears/Packers game from my seat in the chairbacks and watched the second half of the football game on tape delay to see Rodgers demonstrate once again that he owns the Bears.

I go to games and contribute to  the program because I want it to get better. I know that if I discourage others from going to games, it will do nothing for the team. I'll do what I can do to improve the atmosphere.

Prior to the game, posts on this board predicted that the team wouldn't be in the game.  The Beacons were in the game and showed me that they can be competitive with "top-tier" teams. They have grown this year, and I anticipate further growth.  Jerome pleased me particularly yesterday.  I was surprised by his hands -- at one point there was a fast pass to Kobe, but Jerome snatched it midway thinking it was for him (it was unfortunate as Kobe would have been more likely to score but still an impressive display of his ability to grab a ball). 

On the way out of the game there was a fan who was loudly complaining about the coach -- the coach that has worked with this team to grow over the season and who drew up a play that got a clean look for Q at the end of OT that just didn't fall. I chose not to confront him, but his outburst did nothing to improve the overall experience of attending the game.

I wish there had been a band for the game.  It seems that there has been a break in trust between the athletic department and musicians.  I don't know how much this has been acknowledged, much less addressed. Merely dangling some cash is evidently insufficient to recruit musicians. As money is invested in athletics, the music department has been an afterthought. I remember seeing Vashil at concerts and cultural events on campus.  I didn't see any team members at Christmas Vespers on Friday night.  In my view, outreach at a personal level would be more likely to pay dividends.

The first conference home game of the season, and the first time we host Murray St in conference play. After the transfer portal,  the Racers are a whole new team for the season.

Given the fact that I start this thread four hours before the tip-off, it seems that enthusiasm is muted. I hope attendance tops 2500.

Jerome plays well to finish the game. Contribution from lots of guys.  A fun game to listen to.

Does anybody that was at the game have any comments on it? It doesn't really inspire much confidence in me the Emil started. We are doomed if he is our best option at center. 3 fouls in 11 minutes sounds about right.

I thought you'd never ask.

https://www.thevictorybell.com/p/growing-pains

Here's my take:

Ben:  I agree with Paul that it's great to see him at the 4.  His increased confidence shooting the 3 will pay dividends.

Kobe: I felt the same way that I did last year -- he's good, and when he gets back into form he'll be tough to stop.  His shots seemed to be falling short last night, but he scored the big hoop at the end.

Centers:  It was interesting to see Jerome in the game when Cedarville had closed the score.  I think that he has a lot of upside.  Both Joe and Emil seemed more comfortable out there than last year, but they were not challenged by a Div 1 center.

Nick Edwards:  He seems to be really quick.  Like Kobe, some of his shots fell short -- maybe some nerves in his first game at Valpo.

Quinton Green:  He sunk a couple 3s, and generally looked pretty good out on the floor.  I expect he will contribute nicely.

Max:  He seemed competent at the four for his level of experience.  If he is the 3-point threat as advertised, we can look forward to a change of pace when he subs for Ben.

Preston and Darius: I didn't see enough of them to determine if there has been much change since last season

Cam:  It was good to see him on the floor -- see Paul's comments

Ibra and Conner:  I hope we see them in uniform and contributing in the future

Bad luck??


I think they have a new S&C coach ... someone correct me if i am wrong.

My understanding is that there is now a S&C coach hired assigned exclusively to men's basketball

Stuff coming down the horizon. Starting tomorrow.

Or maybe "coming down the valley."

Thanks for the fix.

Presuming that we'll see this thread all year, could someone please fix its title?

It certainly included Kobe (I asked), and, given the mention of Jerome, it clearly indicated that every other team member would be on campus.  It never occurred to me to ask specifically about Kithier's availability.