MBB 2016-17

[VULB#62]

Thought ML's assessment of the freshmen was simple and straight forward when asked about the Ups and Downs exhibited by the three freshmen:  Dealing with a road trip [READ: and its change in the normal routine] and having to play night after night at a level they have never had to before]. That showed itself glaringly in the second game of the WI road trip. Of course, some of that explanation could also be assigned to the whole team for that game.  I think that if we had played UWGB first, then UWM, that we would have come away with 2 wins instead of going 1-1.

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/PostTribSports/status/832411589575864320

http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-mens-basketball-valparaiso-john-kiser-st-0217-20170216-story.html

On a roll: Freshman walk-on John Kiser 'brings a lot of value' to Valparaiso

February 16, 2017, 7:47 PM
By: Michael Osipoff
Post-Tribune

"John Kiser was all set to attend Purdue Northwest.

But in late June, he received a call from Valparaiso associate head coach Luke Gore about participating in a workout.

A week later, Kiser was sitting in a summer school class as a freshman walk-on for the Crusaders.

"I was just excited for the opportunity," Kiser said.

As the regular season winds down, Kiser has emerged as a contributor.

Horizon League-leading Valparaiso (21-5, 11-2) plays at second-place Oakland (19-7, 9-4) at 6 p.m. Friday on ESPN2.

If the Crusaders avenge a 78-66 home loss from Jan. 6, they will all but wrap up the regular-season title, holding a three-game lead with four remaining. A loss would leave them with minimal margin for error.

Going into the game against the Grizzlies, Kiser has played in 10 straight, with a season-high of 17 minutes. The 6-foot-5 guard/forward appeared in just eight of 16 games before Valparaiso coach Matt Lottich made a concerted effort to deepen the bench.

Kiser didn't envision this type of a role.

"I didn't really think I'd be getting this much playing time right now," Kiser said. "I was just told to work as hard as I do every day and it should come around.

........."

[VU2014]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxIu77Ko8rk

[VULB#62]

In various other strings, at various times, this forum discusses the end of the season and what the post-HL tournament picture might be.  As this topic is, in my mind, a comment on the season as a whole, I've posted this here. 

I've come to the conclusion that our team, in its current state, will not be ready to competitively represent Valpo in the post-season.  I was at first heartened by our Alec-less win at WSU and to a certain extent the close loss to NKU.  But even in the NKU game, in retrospect, I thought I saw an eroding of the cohesiveness we had prior to losing AP.  The poor HL quarter-final performance only confirmed that. There is now no doubt in my mind that AP was the glue that held everything together.  Without him actually on the court, the 5 players out there seem lost.  Can a week of practice, prior to the alphabet tourney bids being released, turn this mindset around?  I think not.  All of our weakness were magnified on Saturday night and there isn't much in this short time period that can change that.  While I hope they will decline any post-season bids, I know they probably won't, and, therefore, I worry that getting crushed - again - is a distinct possibility, and I question whether that is good for this program.  Just my 

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/nybuckets/status/839135963934781440

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/839162680548151296

[valpo84]

The NIT should be accepted if a bid is offered because it is an NCAA run tourney and a chance to play some decent teams.  Shane and Tevonn deserve that opportunity and the good crowds will be good for the frosh to continue to improve.  In those game(s), we should work on who will be the alpha dog next year and let them be featured.

Any other tourney this year would not help the program move forward.  Although I am a strong advocate for post-season tourneys because it allows team practices and more experiences for a young team.  This team looks like time away from the gym would be more beneficial.  The wheels have been tottering for the last few games and seemed to have come off versus UWM.  Although Smits, Jay, Micah and the redshirts could benefit from practicing together, on the other hand, they all look beat up mentally and physically.  Too many hills to climb and would rather see them all take some Spring Break, regroup and then hit the weight room and individual workouts. 

[crusader05]

I agree. In so many ways the team has never truly been able to get it's footing. Skara, than Carter, than Jubril, than Alec. One by one senior leadership on the team has been chipped away and instead of a year to learn from the elders the freshman were more and more forced into the spotlight. Good for experience but I can definitely see how mentally it could be unsettling.

I do wonder, if we're being pretty honest with ourselves, if we were told prior to this season that we weren't going to have Jubril for over half of it and Alec for the last 4 games (including conference tournament) what we would have projected their record at?

[bbtds]

In various other strings, at various times, this forum discusses the end of the season and what the post-HL tournament picture might be.  As this topic is, in my mind, a comment on the season as a whole, I've posted this here. 

I've come to the conclusion that our team, in its current state, will not be ready to competitively represent Valpo in the post-season.  I was at first heartened by our Alec-less win at WSU and to a certain extent the close loss to NKU.  But even in the NKU game, in retrospect, I thought I saw an eroding of the cohesiveness we had prior to losing AP.  The poor HL quarter-final performance only confirmed that. There is now no doubt in my mind that AP was the glue that held everything together.  Without him actually on the court, the 5 players out there seem lost.  Can a week of practice, prior to the alphabet tourney bids being released, turn this mindset around?  I think not.  All of our weakness were magnified on Saturday night and there isn't much in this short time period that can change that.  While I hope they will decline any post-season bids, I know they probably won't, and, therefore, I worry that getting crushed - again - is a distinct possibility, and I question whether that is good for this program.  Just my 

Do you still feel this way about the NIT game against Illinois in Champaign Tuesday night?

[bbtds]

The other side of this story is if someone had revealed to Keith Carter that Rick Majerus at Saint Louis wasn't going to be the coach of the Billikens when Keith arrived at the SLU campus his freshman year and would die of a terrible disease, Keith would have chosen another school and most likely gotten a full four years of eligibility instead of getting only 2 1/2 years and being cheated out of 1 1/2 years by the NCAA. Nobody wanted to see Majerus get sick and die but I'm sure Keith's life would be very different today if he had known.

[VULB#62]

In various other strings, at various times, this forum discusses the end of the season and what the post-HL tournament picture might be.  As this topic is, in my mind, a comment on the season as a whole, I've posted this here. 

I've come to the conclusion that our team, in its current state, will not be ready to competitively represent Valpo in the post-season.  I was at first heartened by our Alec-less win at WSU and to a certain extent the close loss to NKU.  But even in the NKU game, in retrospect, I thought I saw an eroding of the cohesiveness we had prior to losing AP.  The poor HL quarter-final performance only confirmed that. There is now no doubt in my mind that AP was the glue that held everything together.  Without him actually on the court, the 5 players out there seem lost.  Can a week of practice, prior to the alphabet tourney bids being released, turn this mindset around?  I think not.  All of our weakness were magnified on Saturday night and there isn't much in this short time period that can change that.  While I hope they will decline any post-season bids, I know they probably won't, and, therefore, I worry that getting crushed - again - is a distinct possibility, and I question whether that is good for this program.  Just my 

Do you still feel this way about the NIT game against Illinois in Champaign Tuesday night?

Nope.  I was thrilled to see Matt's comments about the team's attitude.  My reference was what they exhibited during and immediately after the UWM game.  Seems like a renewed dedication and that can gain  them a lot of traction for this next game.  They are prohibitive underdogs from this point forward (something they haven't experienced since the OOC part of the season) and I'm sure the semi-surprise selection to the NIT is something they will not lose sight of anytime soon.  It's now about getting back respect and proving they belong.  That should help them keep their focus and intensity.  Hoping for the best tomorrow night.

[valpopal]

After the frustration and disappointment of recent weeks, I offer my realistic view of the season.

There are 32 conferences and only 9 received multiple bids to the NCAA tournament. Had Valparaiso and Oakland faced off in the conference finals and Oakland won, I still think Valpo would have been skipped like last year and would have had to settle for the NIT, especially if the selection committee knew Alec was out for the NCAA tournament. The same goes for Oakland if they lost to Valpo. We have to resign ourselves to the fact that the Horizon League is currently a one-bid conference in the midst of 22 other one-bid leagues. In fact, the Horizon League wound up ranked 17th among conferences. You can't get much more middling or mediocre than 17th out of 32. By comparison, the Missouri Valley Conference was 12th, the Mid-American Conference was 14th, and the Summit League was 18th, only .0028 behind the Horizon league in the final Warren Nolan RPI. (Yet, they all received only one bid as well.) In addition, the top 14 conferences had winning non-conference records, while the bottom 18 (including the Horizon League) all had losing non-conference records.


Looking at all this and seeing little evidence that the status of the Horizon League will change, I conclude Valparaiso has only one chance to make the NCAA, this year or any year, and that is to win the conference tournament. Very little else matters. With Alec's injury this year, that goal slipped away. Sure, winning the conference regular season feels good, brings a banner to the ARC, obtains first seed in the conference tournament, and guarantees an NIT berth. However, Valpo was edged out by Oakland in the conference tie-breaker after Alec's injury; yet, Valpo shares the conference title, gets a banner, had a second seed that is just as good as a first seed in the conference tournament, plus both Oakland and Valpo are #7 seeds in the NIT, and we will get a second banner for the ARC, just like last year.


Therefore, despite initial disappointment, I believe the 2016-2017 team may have achieved less than hoped but as much as could be expected given the circumstances: presence in a league that offers no help in getting a higher rpi, no Carter eligibility, no Adekoya in conference play, no Peters at the end of the season, a new head coach, and apparently a sick Shane in the conference tournament. The team enters the NIT at 24-8, a 75% winning record, though they are not as highly seeded this time and they are without Peters. Putting it all in perspective and being realistic, I think the team did fairly well against numerous obstacles and challenges. Now, I have no expectations for the NIT, and I will just enjoy watching and hope for the best, and then wish Alec well in his pursuit of an NBA career.

[valpo64]

Good assessment.

[talksalot]

Looking for the last time VU lost 3 in a row...

back to 2010-11

Lost to Milwaukee in the HL Tournament Final 70-63 at Milwaukee
Lost to Iona at home in the CIT tournament game 86-77
and we opened the 2011-12 year
Loss at Arizona 73-64 in Bryce's first game


for the same-season...

2005-06
Lost at Chicago State 90-76
Lost at Southern Utah 73-61
Lost at Oakland 95-89 ... in Homer's 500'th VU game
and that became a 4-game losing streak...
Lost at home in OT to IUPUI 87-72


Also had a 3-game skid at the end of 2004-05
Lost at ORU 79-65
Lost at UMKC 80-79
Loss to Chicago State in Tulsa in the MidCon Tournament 72-67

we had two 3-game skids in 2003-04
...opened with a win over Arkansas-Monticello...and then
Lost at Marquette 75-70
Lost to South Florida 64-62
Lost to Cincinnati 68-49
.... we beat Indiana State...and then...
lost to Milwaukee 86-82
lost to Loyola 76-69
lost to Louisiana-Lafayette 95-71
starting the season 2-6... and going 16-7 the rest of the year, ending in the NCAA loss to Gonzaga

[covufan]

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/842041468415954944

nerve-wracking

[wh]

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/842041468415954944

nerve-wracking

bizarre

[valpo64]

disappointing

[rustnvrsleeps@yahoo.com]

Unfortunate


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wh]

Unfortunate : bizarre :: sad : pathetic

[VU2014]

https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847998569021833216
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/847998803466649601

[VU2014]

This is a flawed ring. *Co-Champs*
https://twitter.com/chrisp_15/status/882687278757408769

[VULB#62]

Regular season at that.

[VUGrad1314]

This is a flawed ring. *Co-Champs* https://twitter.com/chrisp_15/status/882687278757408769

Is it common practice to  give out conference championship rings; or is Oakland  showing us that it's a small-time  school again?

[VULB#62]

Nice for their players, I guess, but analygous to teams who raise banners for just making a playoff.   Admittedly we will probably raise an HL regular season co-champs banner in November, but rings? Come on.

And not to belabor a point but they backed into it when, without AP, we lost in the final away game of the season to allow them to tie.

[VU2014]

Nice for their players, I guess, but analygous to teams who raise banners for just making a playoff.   Admittedly we will probably raise an HL regular season co-champs banner in November, but rings? Come on.

And not to belabor a point but they backed into it when, without AP, we lost in the final away game of the season to allow them to tie.

Yeah banner I could see but rings was a bit much...

I actually think this is more for recruiting then anything else. Oakland hasn't won much in recent history so they may be trying to puff their chest a little bit. They are blasting the "Champion" (*Co-Champ*) rings all over social media and they want recruits/fans to see them. Kampe needs impact recruits after these seniors expire their eligibility or get some more transfer. I'm pretty cynical on these things. I don't think its just about doing something nice for the team.