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Beilen leaves, causes disruption. After multiple speculation it is Juwan Howard. How does this really impact Valpo basketball? It does not for the most part  BUT I'll say this, he has a pipeline to the CPS and he gets what he wants. Now they recruit at another level, but we have inroads too. To me, I'd rather have a more national brand coaching them as it creates opportunity for our staff to cultivate local guys.

But in the end, Juwan Howard in your backyard is akin to a wolf in the henhouse. He will get the Top local kids.

No one liked him transferring and the reason, whether selfish or not, was he was leaving but he's not HE IS STAYING!!!! In the end this is such a good thing for this program especially with the addition of Donovan Clay. I truly believe his uncle had a strong influence on this decision but more than that this kid brought intensity to the floor, played the passing lanes like a fiddle and averaged double digit points as a freshman. I think we all agree his staying is ultimately a great good/get for this program. At least I would hope so. I for one am ECSTATIC he's staying with the program and coach that ultimately recruited him. To me this speaks volumes on several fronts. To you, Javon, I only wish continued success. You made us proud your first year, you will only make us prouder in the years to come. Good luck and God bless Kid!!!

Guys, I have 2 tickets for tomorrow's exhibition at Wintrust between DePaul and Northwest Indiana U if anyone's interested. Game starts at 3PM. I know it's DePaul so don't shoot me but they are playing a local team and not sure if anyone here has relatives or friends playing on NWIU's team. Plus it's a nice way to see Wintrust's first basketball game as a new host. I know it's the same time Valpo plays CSU in their exhibition but if you wanted to get into the city for a couple hours...

Drawback is arena near McCormick Place so parking is $23 but there are plenty of free spaces around the neighborhood of where Wintrust is and convenient walking distance. Hit me up via IM or reply here if interested. I live near Midway and would be willing to meet anyone within a reasonable distance either today or tomorrow.

Derrick Rose, played for Memphis one year and helped lead them to the title game against Kansas. Scores a 19 or whatever qualifying score he got to get in and be eligible to play. Eventually after 3-4 years or so the NCAA realizes he had someone take his ACT test for him. They vacate the FF4 and assess Memohis a penalty of 1 or 2 lost scholarships for a year or two. The coach who was instrumental in this recruiting had already moved on to Kentucky where he is getting blue chip after chip, more so than his predecessors Tubby Smith, Rick Pitino or the great Adolph Rupp ever got. Nothing, zip, nada in the way any sanctions against him. 3-4 years it took the NCAA. Not to be one to disparage a millionaire with a checkered past but by his interviews as a pro one can see he was not a 19 ACT score taker. His brother Reggie (living vicariously through Derrick because he was limited) insulated him from the press during his HS career. Note Reggie "worked" for FedEx a Memphis based company and supporter of Memphis athletics for a year in a high end paying job. HYPOCRISY!!!

Enter Shane Larkin. Top 50 recruit. Chooses DePaul. Now I know some hate my DePaul references but here me out. Verbals and signs with Oliver Purnell the then coach of said program. Enrolled in summer classes and decides after a few weeks he is suffering "anxiety" attacks and needs to leave. Now Shane is the son of baseball legend and Cincy Red SS Barry Larkin. He decides to go to Miami and leads them to a deep run in the NCAA's his sophomore year that gets him drafted in the 1st round by Milwaukee I believe. Now I cannot blame him as he probably saw the garbage at DePaul he'd be playing with but a commitment is a commitment. Word was Larranga never stopped recruiting him. Ergo he ends up at Miami which is a 3-4 hour drive from his home in Tampa from DePaul which is a 2.5 hour flight into O'Hare. NCAA rules him immediately eligible due to medical hardship. HYPOCRISY!!!

Enter Jubril Adekoya who was accused of cheating on a test...one test!!! By someone who's credibility could be questioned and he sits a year because the NCAA couldn't make a decision or decided not to. HYPOCRISY!!!

I love that the FBI got 5 maybe more of these top level programs for doing what we all knew all along but the NCAA will wait in the wings until things die down and it will be business as usual, promote these programs. The problem with the FBI investigation is it alerted the rest to do a better job of keeping their "house" clean and are now on high alert. Meanwhile schools like Valparaiso University play on a continued unlevel playing field. HYPOCRISY!!!

I love Valpo. I love Valpo hoops no matter what.

Here's the good...My daughter will no longer be dancing for the Valpo team so I can no longer give bad information. A stress fracture in her foot only got worse and we, as a family decided it was in her best interests to no longer continue. She is cool with the decision and it was all hers so I am cool with it.

Now I have to BUY my own season tickets which is good for the University, maybe not my pocketbook but I welcome giving back to something I have enjoyed well before my daughter decided to come here.

The Bad...I love this board too much to leave. Sorry if some are put off by this but I cannot get enough of you guys!!!!

What are your thoughts? All things considered, we knew Bryce was pretty much gone after the run in the NIT. While I and I think many of you didn't want to admit, it was a foregone conclusion considering his past flirtations. He left but many things were undecided in the wake of his departure. Would Alec leave? Who else? Where the program be?

Now we know he left (hurts), took Powell (hurts), Skara goes through the corridor of some unscrupulous behavior (hurts and shocked).

But we get Lottich (so far totally impressed and was my 1B behind Powell) and AP is staying!!! I got to say, I'm very happy in the end with where we are at given all the things that were under consideration. As bad as this could've went, I think we are in great shape to continue on.

Whatever I post relative to my kid, who is a Freshmen mind ALL of you is this. She's just that and digs gossip.

I was on Campus yesterday for the Kappa Deltsa Dad's Day event. We were talking about football and basketball and she said they a building a new ARC just north of the stadium / arena which is where a lot of speculation went and makes the most sense. She said they are going to break groud as soon as the new Engineering facility was at least near complete but it was the next big project on their advancement of the Campus. How true, I don't know as that is a multi multi million dollar investment but it seems to hold true to what others have said.

Jean Lenti Ponsetto, the AD of DePaul and one person who single handedly threw a once proud program in the garbage die to her own ineptitude had the audacity to say that thanks to Villanova winning the national championship, it put an extra couple million into the coffers of the Big Eat schools. As if she single handedly gained that money. I've been around both programs on the fringes, Valpo and DePaul and what really irks me is we lack in facilities but have a far better coached and talented team than DePaul. Yet we languish in a conference ill suited for our potential. I've been around DePaul for a long time as a student and season ticket holder and can say this, Valpo's team did far better than any DePaul teams some 1987 when they made it to the Sweet 16'. Heck, Homer's 1998 team (almost 20 years in the making) did far better than any DePaul team in recent history.

It really irks me that a University like that can benefit while the one, we adore , has to struggle to get what we get. I can say this, they wouldn't do it, but if we played them a Home and Home for 10 games, 5 games each, Valpo wins 8 of those Gsme easy. Just putting things into perspective but in today's college basketball world, perceptions our reality. That's why I've been saying for Valpi to promote themselves as Chicagos team. If we aspire to get better conference affiliation. It starts there. If people come or don't who cares. Why? We keep winning and identify ourself as that, bigger conferences will come calling. Agsin, perception is the reality. Tell me the A10 wouldn't want a foothold into Chicago. The competition is us, DePaul and Loyola. Tell me who has the better recent history and is on the upside?

For better or worse Matt is our coach like it or not. Let's assess his shortcomings but more than that what we see as positives.

Positives in my book. Played in a major conference under a heralded coach in Mike Montgomery
Played professionally and more so overseas where he developed good contacts. Valpo basketball has always had some sort of international flavor.
Coached under Bryce Drew, played for Mike Montgomery so he has a good idea of what a good coach is made of.
Loves Valpo and for which it stands!!!
Wanted the job and will keep continuity within the program.
Grew up in Chicago and was a prep star back in his day and still has good connections to the city which should help him.
Is keeping Luke Gore who obviously wants to coach along side him. Luke helped majorly in Vashil's development and will do the same with Derrick Smits I'm sure.
Seems like a righteous dude.

Negatives:
Has only been an Assistant for 3 years in major college basketball.
Is only 33 which makes him one of the youngest if not youngest D1 Head Coaches in basketball but it also means he can relate to today's millenials and will probably be passed over for other jobs due to age, check that, out that in the positive category!!!

All in all, I think we just made an outstanding hire all things considered.

Matt Lottich is the coach and Luke will be riding shotgun. Last year it was Bryce and Roger. We couldn't expect Bryce to leave and not take one or all of his assistants with him. He did not. For all we know, Powell may have preferred being the well paid sidekick of a P5 coach to open up doors later. What we do know is Matt and Luke want to be here. That is good enough for me. I think the keys to the Cadillac have been passed to 2 guys who will know how to drive it and continue the success of the past 5 years.

For all Bryce could've done to hurt us, he did not and left us in good standing. #ValpoProud #ValpoStrong

I bring this up as we all know, we should've been an NCAA Tournament team. But with these high seeds killing it, we would've won one maybe two games in the tourney, maybe surprised with an Elite 8 bid but here we are going to NYC for the NIT Finals, is it better for us to continue playing and get exposure or would've it been better to play in the Tournament and possibly been an afterthought when we are still relevant?

I think anything less than a Sweet 16 would've made us irrelevant, to a degree, from a National landscape but by running like we did gives the NCAA organizers and recruits some pause as to what Valpo is capable of. It is all about perceptions becoming a reality. Here is hoping we can make that reality something we can capitalize on.

  I know we all shudder the thought but I was so happy to see bigger jobs getting filled, I was like BD is staying!!! But then I realized the dominoes of college hoop jobs only start and when the dominoes fall a job attractive to your coach may open up. Vandy is that job for Bryce. It fits him if he is a normal college coach and none of us could fault him. I only say "normal" because unlike Jamie Dixon who went to TCU, he went to Valpo and grew up there. he knows how much this team means to the area, he made a shot that CBSSPORTS is still talking about. He is a guy with the humility that Jesus Christ taught us. He is not different but I think his convictions may have been tested and agreed to somewhere else. Pure speculation on one man's part but when Roger Powell introduced to the crowd and student body (after the NIT win), I can only see him as the man. If Bryce is taking another job and if there was anyone ready and willing to take this job it would be Roger Powell.

Let the comments commence but I think this either's Matt's or Roger's hiring would have to be done. WE have an awesome team and these guys recruited them. There is no one out there that can coach us without being here. This is a special place and needs to be given to someone that knows the specialness of this program.