Messages

http://www.midmajormadness.com/horizon-league/2016/4/5/11369896/coaching-carousel-who-replaces-bryce-drew-at-valparaiso

If Tonagel wasn't a Valpo alum and had no previous connection to the program I think people would be a lot less optimistic or open to the idea of Tonagel being the next head coach and taking over. From everything I've heard Tonagel is a very good X's/O's coach, great character, leader and has a connection to the Valpo community because he played here, but and its a huge BUT. Will he be able to recruit? I've heard people say well he's recruited at Indiana Wesleyan so he could do it here. D1 and D2 are completely different ball games. Recruiting D1 athletes there is more competition and Bryce/Powell have really made a in roads in the inner city of Chicago making Valpo's name known to high school coaches and kids. Can Tonagel sit down and connect with kids and sell them on Valpo? Does Tonagel have assistants who can recruit? Recruiting is my only issue with Tonagel. He's just unproven, but that doesn't eliminate him from job. He'll just have to convince ML he has the recruiting chops and hopefully ML can give him the resources he needs to succeed.

I don't really want to get into the whole, "Should schools pay players and consider them employees?" discussion. If they start considering the student athletes to be employees then they should strip away the student part all together. It would be an a really bad thing for non-Power5 conference schools like Valpo because we wouldn't have the resources to pay the kids. Plus at that point why would young athletes even be connected to schools? Why wouldn't the NBA just form a minor league at that point and they could sign kids right out of high school rather then with a collegiate school?

It's a very tricky topic and clearly student athletes get taken advantage of all the time but its a free education for playing a kids game and platform for an athlete to get noticed by the pros. Although I am for students getting a very small stipends for food, travel expenses, misc expense, etc. But no matter what there will still be corruption, back door deals, and under the table $ always with boosters at many of these big schools.

I think I found my top candidate for who I would want replace Bryce. Tennessee-Chattanooga HC Matt McCall. He's only been HC for one year but is young, refreshing, up and comer who was assistant under coach under Billy Donovan at Florida. Good recruiter. Apparently a pretty good Xs/Os guy. He could move to a better conference and maybe get a bit bigger pay raise. What you guys think? Long shot I guess but I think he'd be a great hire

Paul Oren just tweeted he has some news coming.... https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/717422342859833344

It really blows my mind how much Vashil was able to develop his game in his time at Valpo. Him and coaching staff really deserve a lot of credit. I remember his first season he looked like 7 foot bambi on the court. It just goes to show hard work ethic, positive attitude and a 7-foot-5 wingspan can do haha. Vashil will definitely be missed on the court and on campus. A really good guy.

I wouldn't be opposed to a Dane Fife interview. It seems like everyone of the forums are really pushing an in house candidate. To be honest the only two in house guys that I would consider is Powell and Tonagel who is an alumn and had success at the D2 level (i know a lot people have concerns with the transition). Everyone wants to follow the Butler and Xavier model. Following that model of passing the torch doesn't guarantee any success at all. It would maintain "stability" and give comfort and hope possibly for hold onto guys like Peters, etc. but we need to look at whats for the programs best interest for the next 5-10 years not just the next 2 years. I really like powell and he's a good coach and I trust LaBarbera to look at everything from X's/O's, quality of recruiter, to leadership for candidates. I just hope that the AD and Administration give a every tool possible in expanding the recruiting budget/salary for assistants to help the next coach hit the ground running. The AD will probably have to grow the resources and give more financial help for whoever the next candidate is.

Max Joesph seems like a sort of a combo guard to me. We really have never got see him play too much but from what I've seen he's pretty athletic but sort of plays out of control sometimes. It should be interesting to see how roster will be used next season with the guards since we'll be graduating D. Walker, K Carter, and E. Victor. There are definitely going to opportunities for guys to grab a job. I'm hoping T. Walker can work on his jump shot this summer. He always seemed pretty hesitant shooting the ball from the perimeter and we'll miss Darien Walker playing that role. D. Walker was a pretty streaky shooter but he was never afraid to take the shot and made the defender play solid man to man.

Agreed. I think if we can maintain our roster without any transfers it will help put us on solid footing for competing for the HL title next season, and give a spring board for recruiting to show recruits next year that Valpo is still one of the better mid-major programs.

As for your point on Lexus. I've been extremely curious as to why he hardly got any playing time this year. I know he had the ACL injury, but is the athleticism gone? Or was it that we had Keith as our starter playing big minutes, but even when we took keith out this season Bryce would put Hammink or even E. Victor at point sometimes and it was sort of maddening to me. Hammink is not a good ball handler. He just isn't, but his main game is using superior athleticism to drive to the rim which I get he needs to ball in his hands to do that, because he doesn't have a great jump shot or at least didn't this season. But going back to Lexus, he was a very affective PG his freshman year playing big minutes and was a very good on the ball defender his freshman year and we just didn't see him enough to evaluate him.

To be honest I think Micah Bradford is going to play big time minutes next season, sort of how Lexus did his freshman year. I'm not sure how his defensive game game is but I know he's a pretty good at finishing at the hoop and he has a sweet jump shot from long range that could draw out defenders to keep them honest. I'm really excited about Micah Bradford and hoping he'll stay with us.   

I'd have to think the AD Mark LaBarbera has had a short list of candidates that were qualified replacement targets for when Bryce left. We all knew the last 2-3years this was coming in the near future and I sure hope he's done his due diligence.

When do you guys think we'll know who the new coach is? Clearly after Bryce's press conference announcing him as the new Vandy coach. In a couple days? A week? 2 weeks?

If Powell does get the job, I'm curious as to who his assistants would be. My guess is Lottich and Gore follow Bryce. Would Powell bring in someone from his UofI connections? Bring in a primary assistant who could recruit the inner city? I would bring back Chris Sparks who was Valpo's old assistant who was their main scout for finding international players. He's the assistant who recruited Broekhoff who wasn't even a starter on his team in Australia on the Australian Institute of Sport team. He was the assistant at Utah Valley State and now is the North American Director of the Australia Basketball Travelers.

http://www.nwitimes.com/digital/photos/college-sports/who-replaces-bryce-drew/collection_64cadf58-bff7-597a-9da6-a166ee83e87f.html#1

How about the athletic department stock that buy out $ away and start saving for a new arena... long-term investment

"There also remains the question of Alec Peters. The star junior is set to graduate this spring and will likely have a long line of suitors vying for his services. Graduate students can transfer and have immediate eligibility." -Paul Oren

I didn't know he was already graduating this Fall.... makes me a little more nervous about a grad transfer.

http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/basketball/college/sources-valpo-men-s-coach-bryce-drew-to-leave-for/article_467c2328-ab49-5dd4-8b94-634d4739f49c.html

Dan Dakich would be a lot of fun as a HC but I don't see it. He's said multiple times he's done with coaching because its too much work. He has a sweet gig with ESPN. I know he's from Indiana but I think probably makes slightly less then what Bryce was getting paid to just talk about basketball instead of having to do all the coaching and grind of recruiting. 

Billy Donlon is a great x's and o's coach but just didn't get the job done recruiting. And I don't think see Powell or Lottisch staying unless Powell gets the job. Plus Lottich took a salary cut just to be a coach under Bryce and learn, so see him following Bryce to Vandy and getting a nice pay raise and for Powell, I don't think he'll stay unless he gets the HC job. Plus Donlon would want his own assistants. I don't think they have any connection. I don't see Donlon getting the job. But you never know.

Haha maybe down the road. If Powell or one of his assistant's gets the job I could see Bryce being a friend and scheduling Valpo to a 2 @home-1 away deal with Vandy sometime in the next 5 years. He'll probably wait till Peters graduates.

Paul Oren's latest article: http://www.nwitimes.com/sports/basketball/college/sources-valpo-men-s-coach-bryce-drew-to-leave-for/article_467c2328-ab49-5dd4-8b94-634d4739f49c.html

If few years means 10-15-20years? maybe. You never know. If he has success at Vandy (I think he will), I could see him pulling a Scott Drew (Baylor) type of run at that program. Vandy seems to be pretty loyal to their basketball coaches if they have some success. Kevin Stallings was the head coach there for 17 years! (1999-2016) But you never know how things shake out.

Seems like everyone is limiting the coaching search to Powell, Tonagel, and Gore, for obvious reasons.

Any outside the box candidates without program ties if AD Mark LaBarbera decides to go that route that people would like to get interviews?

Just out of curiosity, has anyone seen Indiana Wesleyan play? Greg Tonagel has had a ton of success there. Just curious as to what a Greg Tonagel offense and defense system and style looks like. I confess I've never watched them play but I've heard he's a pretty good coach. My friend went there IWU and he said Tonagel would be a great hire for VU and that its sort of VU situation with Bryce Drew. They've know for the last 3 years that he's going to start getting D1 offers and that its only a matter of time before someone snatches him away from the program.

My reaction to the thought of Homer moving to Nashville...

but it's definitely possible...

I don't see a situation where Homer becomes the Head Coach again. He and his wife battled cancer recently and for health among other reason I don't see it. I could see him still remaining part of the VU program, mentoring the next coach and helping with the coaching search, and serving in an advisory role but thats about it. I think Homer will remain in retirement but continue to be a fixture at games.

valpolaw:
Just curious as to what your specific beef with the administration is? Athletic Department administration? VU Law Administration (assuming you are/were Law Grad)?


I am an alum myself and there were something that were completely maddening about the administration. I'm a huge fan of President Heckler's upbeat message and positivity and I think he's a great face of the school, but I think some of the initiatives, spending and some other things aren't managed well, but overall I really enjoyed my college experience. Being that this a VU Sports thread, I will say that VU has completely underfunded and underinvested in their Basketball program and it is a miracle the success the Drew family has brought to the program. I kid you not that a many high school programs in the state of illinois and indiana that have nicer athletic facilities then VU. The Administration NEEDS to start investing more in the facilities.

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