Messages

Argument 1 - Valpo has a new team

When was the last time Valpo didn't have a new team? and why is that the case?

Argument 2 - Toledo is a good mid-major

Great! why is Valpo NOT a good mid-major?

Argument 3 - Krikke: We were not prepared and we thought it would be easy

Why were you not prepared? and whose fault is that?
Also, you almost lost to Cedarville at home!!! What makes you think that @Toledo would be easy?

Now here is the real question. What makes anyone think that Lottich is a good D1 coach?
When I look at his resume, I see 3 years of coaching under Bryce Drew followed by 6 years of disappointments and finding excuses. Is that the best Valpo can do?

I think that it is fair to assume that Valpo fans have enjoyed a really exciting weekend. Most of the credit justifiably go to the MBB program (coaches, players, managers, etc...)
However, I personally feel that the weekend (starting on Thursday) was much more enjoyable because of the great work by Paul. His stories are always interesting (never written by reading a boxscore). He is always right there in the middle of the action, he asks exactly the right questions that fans want answers for, and most importantly, he creates amazing podcasts with great guests.

I, for one, really appreciate how Paul pours his heart and soul into his craft and I don't take his high-quality work for granted. 

Dear Siggy,

If you are reading this thread, please be aware of the following two points:
1 - The opinions of people who write on this forum have absolutely NO impact on your future with Valpo basketball. The only opinion that counts when it comes to evaluating your talent is that of coach Lottich. And he recruited you, so he obviously wants you here! 
2 - The vast majority of us Valpo fans love and support you and anyone else who puts on a Valpo jersey and give a 100% effort.

So to conclude, good luck with your rehab. I can't wait to see you back on the court.

Sincerely,
Valpofan!   

When you have as many prospective students visiting campus and asking about esports as we do, it is "DUMB" not to add an esports program.

This is huge! This is a game changer!
This can turn the whole season around.
I really think that this team now has a good chance to compete in the MVC.
Great decision Vonno!

I stand corrected. I was too focused on Paul's role as a NWI Times writer, I forgot that he is also a university employee.
I should have been more precise and say that Ickow is an employee of the Athletic Department while Oren is not.

I enjoy the podcast and I really appreciate Paul and all he does for us as fans. One of his best attributes is the ability to say it like it is. No sugarcoating!

Ickow is not in the same boat. He is a university employee and it is his job to market the programs and drum up interest. Therefore, I know what to expect from him. Every recruit we bring is unbelievably awesome and every team we put on the court is amazing!!! I have nothing against the guy...I can't blame him for doing his job. But I don't have to believe what he says.

I am a little surprised to read some of the reactions re: JFL not wanting to leave. So the kid is in an exit interview and he does not want to burn any bridges, so he tells the coaches, AD, and whoever else is there that he really liked Valpo and did not want to leave but he has to. This is like a BF/GF using lines such as: "it is not you, it is me" or "you deserve someone better than me".
If JFL did not want to leave, he doesn't have to leave. He is an adult and has a full ride scholarship with his name on it.

Javon Freeman: 11.5 points per game   -  Under
Micah Bradford: 2:1 assist to turnover ratio  -  Over
Deion Lavender: 3.6 assists per game  -  Under
Daniel Sackey: 18.5 games with more assists than turnovers  -  Under
Bakari Evelyn: 39.5% 3PFG  -  Under
Markus Golder: 50.0% FG   -  Over
Jaume Sorolla: 5.5 rebounds per game  -  Under
Derrik Smits: 25 blocks  -  Over
Mileek McMillan: 20.5 3-pointers  - (assuming 3 pointers made, not attempted) Under
John Kiser: 1.2 offensive rebounds per game  -  Under
Ryan Fazekas: 14.2 points per game  - Over

Wins: 19.5  -  Under
Arch Madness wins: 1.5  - Under
MVC Finish: 5.5 (Over means 1-5, Under means 6-10)  - Under
Postseason Victories: 0.5  - Under
Conference win steak: 2.5  -  Over
Conference loss streak: 2.5  -  Over
Attendance: 2,850  -  Under

Tiebreaker: How many games will Langston Stalling appear in this season?  5

Here you go:

https://twitter.com/skhorbotly/status/1040318191325601793

Your weekly update picture.
You get two of them this week 
https://twitter.com/skhorbotly/status/1025518417997168640

Here is your weekly update picture.
https://twitter.com/skhorbotly/status/1023030560137076737

Here is a photo update of the East campus Project. You can see the quad/oval starting to shape up.
https://twitter.com/skhorbotly/status/1020516191528521730

RIP Dale Kempf and lots of thanks to Dr. Olejniczak for the robotic football shoutout 

I haven't listened to the podcast yet but I can't wait to do so.
Chris Artis is one of THE CLASSIEST people you will ever meet. He is a loyal alum and a great family man with a beautiful basketball mind, and just a wonderful all-around man. I hope to see him on the coaching staff sooner rather than later.

Chris Artis is in town every night because he lives in the city of Valparaiso.
Last I heard he was a High School teacher somewhere in the area and he is also an assistant coach at Calumet College of Saint Joseph: http://www.ccsjathletics.com/roster/0/1.php
He is a local guy, he played HS basketball in the area and is a Valpo alumnus who has been an assistant coach for 11 years. Not too bad if you ask me 

With all due respect, that is not accurate. Just like the other gifts, endowment gifts can be established to service a particular program or college or whatever cause you are interested in.

F.
I am not going to get into the results of this year - Last place and one-and-done in the conference tournament kinda speak for themselves.
I am more disappointed with the development phase and "the process". Next year, we will have a team with no returning seniors, none of the 3 freshmen of this year make me look forward to see them next year, and I can't say that the returning sophomores (Smitts and Sorolla) are better today than they were at the end of their freshman season.
I am very disappointed.   

Coach Lottich needs to either man up and start standing for his players or go back to being an assistant coach.
I would love to see what would (Lansing/Simmons/Wardle/etc...) do if that Flagrant 1 BS of a call was called on one of their players.   

Isn't Fazekas a 3 point specialist?

I am not usually a fan of long posts but I feel like I have no choice but to share this experience. So bear with me.
Being on a break and having a slow week, my wife and I decided to make an overnight trip to Terre-Haute to witness the beginning of a new era and visit a town we have never been to. As we pulled into the first parking lot in front of the arena, a gentleman asked us if we had permits, which we didn't, he nicely directed us to the next lot literally across the street. As I was driving there, my wife was getting her purse to pay for parking except for the young man who was directing traffic telling us that parking was free!!! That's right. We parked 100 steps away from the stadium entrance for free.
We went into the stadium (Hulman Center) and what a beautiful facility that is. Not a new facility, opened in 1973 but is extremely well maintained and is a wonderful place to watch a basketball game. We were sitting in the lower bowl, around 10 rows up behind the Valpo bench. But the seats are set up in a way that gave me the feeling that I could tap coach Lottich on the shoulder or participate in the time-out conversation. Needless to say, every single one of the 10k seats in the arena is a real padded seat. No bleachers and no wooden seats. The lighting, the audio system, and the concession stands were all top notch. The halftime show was NOT a group of 6th graders playing basketball. It was a guy doing frisbee tricks with his dog. It was interesting enough for people to actually watch (imagine that).
To summarize, I can't help but think how disappointed other MVC fans will be when they come to Valpo. Heck, I myself will be disappointed parking across campus and skiing through the snow tomorrow to sit on a slab of wood for two hours. I am not sure how, but Valpo is now playing with the big boys and we need to step up our game - both on and off the court. 

The UG entering class is the largest. The low numbers are in the Graduate and law school.

Does anyone have an internet link to catch that show?

If Bryce was still coaching, he might have been interested in one of his ex team mates - Chris Artis.
The guy is an alum, he lives in town, and has been coaching at the NAIA level for a while: http://www.ccsjathletics.com/roster/13/1/1932.php
I don't know if coach Lottich cares about those connections.

Upper administrators have seen a private school in our backyard shut down last fall. They are also aware of other (small private) schools being in very bad financial situations. If you ask them, the top priority is growing the endowment to ensure the future of the institution.

Science professors and administrators were told by inspectors that Neils is no longer an adequate place for their labs because the fumes and gases are making it almost a dangerous place to be in. For them, the top priority is the new science building that serves the majority of students.

Residence life administrators find it idiotic to let students live off campus when you can build a sorority house that will keep students (and their room & board $$$) on campus and pay for itself in a few years. For them, the sorority house is the priority.

Current students talk about their HS friends who went to cheaper universities where they get to enjoy working out in nice gyms and recreational facilities. If you ask them, the priority must be building a student recreational facility.

Alumni want to proudly wear their brown and gold and brag about their Alma Mater. They want winning athletic programs. If you ask them, the top priority should be a new/renovated ARC.       

So what do you do? I can't argue with any of the five. Can you?

Oh...one more thing on the public/private split in the MVC that was brought to light by Todd Aaron Golden - ISUb's beat writer - on twitter yesterday. The private's have contributed NOTHING to the MVC in terms of NCAA bids since 2010. .

I hear your frustration UNIFTW. These numbers are tough to swallow. This argument, however cannot be used against us. You can not generalize to say that since the 4 private MVC schools have not performed well, then all private schools will not. If anything, your argument shows how shortsighted the MVC officers were when they decided to choose the market over the performance.