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QuoteHi All...
As you probably have noticed yourself, our board here is running on an older software, and due to upgrades in the version of PHP that it runs on, it is reaching end of life.
As a result, I have begun planning for how to best transition to a new platform, that will enhance usability, and most importantly, sustainability. I have looked into several options, understanding that none will be perfect.
My goal is simple: To continue to maintain a site that is easy to use, and provides a stable platform for our community, free of charge to users, and also modernizes the usability, features, and functionality as much as possible.
I believe I have found a suitable solution for us for when this platform ultimately meets it's demise. To that point, I have settled on an implementation that works within our existing Wordpress site, that I believe, will work for us.
I have set up the new site as the homepage here: https://www.valpofanzone.com/. Please take some time to register and play around. I am looking for feedback on usability, feature requests, etc.
There is a specific board/thread for feedback here: https://www.valpofanzone.com/community/testing-grounds/
Please note: there are some advanced features that are not implemented by default. These are add-on modules that need to be purchased (PMs, video embeds, etc.) that I will add if we decide to go this route.
Here are some answers to questions I anticipate:
- When do we have to move?
I was hoping to explore options after the current basketball season, but with the latest PHP upgrade, I had to move the timeline up. I'll keep us here as long as I can, hopefully through the basketball season. But we will need to address this as soon as we can, and before the site breaks completely. Expect this forum to go read-only by March 15.
- What happens to our history?
Migrating information from one platform to another is a long, fraught, and messy process. There are tools that help, but with the age and number of customizations implemented in our current platform, I suspect that trying to import all of our history would ultimately be messy, if not outright unsuccessful.
What I will commit to, is keeping this board alive in read-only mode for as long as possible. But ultimately, I will not be able to preserve it forever.
- Can't we just upgrade the current platform?
Yes. That was an option I considered, however, even that is likely to result in errors and issues that simply would be beyond my level of expertise and skill set. Additionally, the upgraded version, in my opinion, is still an outdated interface and as a standalone install, would require a lot more time and energy to maintain.
My current proposed solution is neatly integrated within Wordpress, and is regularly updated, and offers much easier administration tools and options.
- Do I need to create a new login?
Most likely, yes. A long time ago when we first created this site, many folks created a Wordpress login along with their forum login. If you go to register and it says you already exist, let me know and I can get you reset. Otherwise, just create a new login there and you should be good to go.
It should go without saying, but please don't take someone else's name there. If you notice that someone has already registered your account, please send me a message and I'll take care of it.
I know this news will likely upset some of you, and I share your disappointment that we can't continue with our rich history over the past 13 years here. I certainly don't take this lightly, and I wouldn't do it unless absolutely necessary. Ultimately, I do believe it is the right move, and I hope the fresh start, with a slick and updated interface will help soothe some of the pain of moving on. I have no doubt that we can continue, and build a better, more functional community on the new platform.
Thanks for reading, and for understanding.
-04
QuoteNext season, C-USA's men's basketball schedule will look nothing like that of any other Division I conference. Instead of releasing a hard-set regular season conference schedule, C-USA will seed its teams after the opening 14 games of the conference slate. The conference will then face its best teams off against one another over the next four games, with the end goal of placing multiple teams in the NCAA tournament and securing higher seeds for those teams. It's the old "iron sharpens iron" adage, basically, with some added strength-of-schedule boost built in.
Quote"We're going to play 13 games and your travel partner twice, which would be Western Kentucky for us," said D'Antoni. "Then they are going to seed the schools. If you finish in the top five, No. 1 through No. 5 will play each other for the next four games to get 18 games.
"Like, if you're No. 1 you will play No. 4. And you'll play, I think, No. 4 and No. 3 at home and then travel to No. 2. ... There are four games in that five-team slot. No. 1 will play No. 5 and No. 4, I think. And No. 2 and No. 3 will come to No. 1.
"Then, if you're No. 2 you will play No. 4. It just reverses all the way down until you get everybody in that top group playing each other once. That will give you 18 games."
QuoteBy having its best teams essentially play a mini-tournament before the conference tournament, it is identifying and doing away with games that conferences schedule based on meaningless East-West or North-South divisions; in their place will be a system that emphasizes important, head-to-head matches between its best teams. Teams won't have to stake their postseason cases—or, anyway, their RPIs—on their sole mid-season encounter with the one other good team in their conference. Instead, they can look forward to three-to-four games against those teams by the time the conference tournament ends.
QuoteIn the spirit of ESPN's recently completed review of home court advantage in the nation's top 10 conferences – welcome to the unofficial rankings for the Horizon League. This is not purely a facility review, but a comprehensive, fact-based (but still totally subjective) look at the overall difficulty of winning at each home court. Regardless of how good the home team happens to be, every trip has its own unique challenges. Enjoy this spin around the League. We look forward to comments, disagreements and counter-arguments over on the Forum. Here are venues 10 through 6. The top 5 will be added tomorrow.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Rm_eAiV4dA
[youtube]2Rm_eAiV4dA[/youtube]
QuotePotential 12-seeds worth a pick...
Everyone's favorite upset line (a year ago, 12 seeds went 3-for-4 in the first round).
QuoteValparaiso (25-4, 12-2 Horizon League)
What's to like: How can you not like the Crusaders for an upset, when they're coached by the ultimate Cinderella-moment-maker, Bryce Drew? If that's not enough, Valpo has the sort of singular player who can make March magic happen in Alec Peters. The sophomore averages 17 points and 6.7 boards a night and has failed to reach double figures just four times this season. And, in a wildly competitive Horizon League, the Crusaders have won seven in a row and 12 of their past 13.
QuoteConstruction has begun on Valparaiso University's new track and field facility, as Valpo breaks ground on the eight-lane Warren G. Hoger Track at Brown Field, part of a wholesale reevaluation of the campus' athletics and recreation facilities as outlined in the Campus Master Plan.
QuoteTomorrow night, beginning between the hours of 9 PM - 3 AM CDT, we will be performing a kernel update on your server. We estimate the outage to be approximately 15-30 minutes. During this time, your email, website and account will not be accessible. This updated kernel brings further enhancements and fixes in all aspects of the kernel, the integral part of which the rest of the Operating System relies upon.
We apologize that we cannot give you an exact time-frame between these 8 hours as to when you will experience the downtime due to the number of additional servers we will be performing this update on as well.
QuoteThe Valparaiso men's basketball team's fourth straight postseason appearance will begin at the ARC against Ivy League foe Columbia in the first round of the 2014 CollegeInsider.com Tournament on Tuesday, March 18 at 7:05 p.m.
Valparaiso enters the CIT with an 18-15 record overall this season, including a 9-7 mark in Horizon League play – Valpo's fifth straight season over .500 in one of the nation's top-12 leagues. The Crusaders are led by First Team All-Horizon League selection Lavonte Dority (Chicago, Ill./Foreman [USF]), who averages 16.0 ppg and shoots 43.2% from the 3-point line, while All-Freshman Team choice Alec Peters (Washington, Ill./Washington) paced Valpo with 47 points in its two HL Championship games.
Columbia brings a 19-12 mark into the CIT, including an 8-6 record in Ivy League play. The Lions are led by junior forward Alex Rosenberg, who averages 16.2 ppg and hits at a 43.1% clip from 3-point range. Rosenberg also gets to the free throw line better than eight times a game and is an 82.6% shooter from the stripe, leading the Columbia squad to a top-10 spot nationally in team free throw percentage (77.0%). Sophomore guards Maodo Lo (14.5 ppg, 44.9% 3PT%) and Grant Mullins (11.7 ppg, 89.9% FT%) also average in double figures for the Lions.
The Crusaders and Lions have had no common opponents this season. Valpo and Columbia have met twice previously on the hardwood, with the Lions earning a 66-64 win on Dec. 30, 1957 and the Crusaders winning 71-55 on Dec. 21, 2001 in Laie, Hawaii. The last time Valpo hosted an Ivy League squad was on Dec. 18, 1993, when the Crusaders defeated Dartmouth 100-54.
Tickets are available now for Tuesday night's game by visiting ValpoAthletics.com, calling 877-MY-VU-TIX or 219-464-5233, or by visiting the ticket office, located in the main lobby of the ARC.
QuoteButler coach Brad Stevens is the top target in UCLA's search for a basketball coach, according to sources with knowledge of the situation.
