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That's a good and very fair list. Paul if you could make an honorable mention list (with or without your minimums in place) who would be on it? Just curious.

Good list.  The only argument I would make is that Carter does not belong ahead of Tevonn.  Tevonn scored 1,400+ career points (only 200 less than Ryan) and was a great defender (#8 in career steals).  I think he easily belongs in the top five. 

Honorable mention list would be long with so many great players in the decade.  I think Buggs, Bogan, Capobianco, Adekoya, D Walker, Nickerson and Fazekas would be on the list.

Paul will definitely have Wood in there.

As well he should.  I'd also take Cory Johnson over KVW. He averaged 15.6 and 5.8 his senior year. Second only to Mr. Wood.

Agree.  I took a detailed look back and ranking players is really difficult because so many were only with the team for 2 or 3 years.  For example, I would rank Kenney and T Walker ahead of Dority because they were both very solid for 4 years. 

I'll also be interested to see if Paul includes JFL.  His two seasons were better than the two seasons that Hamminck, Dority and Carter provided. 

Peters, Broekhoff, Carter, Vashil, KVW

Carter's already there at 6. Four of those 5 have to be there. Peters and Broekhoff are locks. Vashil and KVW should absolutely be there. Who's the other one? Buggs? Johnson? Wood? This calls to mind how kind the transfer market has been to us as well. We've generally had pretty good luck. Hopefully Goodnews Kpegeol (I hope I'm spelling that right I promise I'll get it down quickly.) is no exception.

Paul will definitely have Wood in there.

"Winning percentage, adjusted winning percentage and scoring margin will no longer be components in the NCAA Evaluation Tool (NET) used to judge Division I basketball teams, the NCAA announced Monday."

"The NET will now use just two factors in its evaluation: team value index (TVI) and adjusted net efficiency rating. Team value index is "a result-based feature that rewards teams for beating quality opponents, particularly away from home," while adjusted net efficiency rating accounts for "strength of opponent and location across all games played."

Of the 5 major NET components it appears that they eliminated the only 3 that don't provide the "bigs" with a built-in advantage - winning percentage, adjusted winning percentage and scoring margin.

So, is there an agenda here, or are we expected to believe this is just about "simplification." Only 2 years ago the NET was promoted as the end-all—be-all statistical formulation devised by the gurus of college basketball ranking systems. Then out of the blue it's gutted. So, are we expected to believe these people weren't smart enough to recognize "needless duplication" in their formula?  I don't think so.

Well stated.  Is it a coincidence the formula is being changed the year after Mark LaBarbera stated on Union Street Hoops that he had figured out the system (with the help of Wofford)?  I don't think so. 

Latest episode with Howard Little is very good.  Provides a bunch of inside details, especially into the 2010-2011 season.  That team had so much talent, with Wood, Johnson, Broekhoff and Van Wijk.  It's shame they faced so much adversity at the end of the season.  They had the talent to make a run in the tourney had they gotten there.

Really impressed by the reaction to Paul's last podcast.  Awesome that everyone loved it as much as I did.

New pod posted today.  Haven't listened yet, but guests are Brandon Wood and Bakari.  As always, lucky that Paul is such great buddies with the players and able to get them back for his podcasts.  #blessed

The latest USH features an interview with Vashil, one of the most popular Valpo players ever.  Great episode, as always.

[Posted On: 05/5/20 6:39 PM]

[tweet]1258165109823807494[/tweet]


Posted On: 05/5/20 6:39 PM

Although we're still in the extended period due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the recruitment of Brookfield Central 2021 wing/forward David Joplin
is starting to heat up. Holding seven scholarship offers, Joplin currently has three sticking out.

"I would say for a top three, Valparaiso, Georgetown, and Butler," Joplin told Prep Hoops Wisconsin.

Butler was the most recent to pull the trigger on Joplin. The Bulldogs, who hosted the 6-foot-7 forward on Feb. 1, came in with an offer earlier this week.

"I was excited for that offer. I've been expecting it for a while now," Joplin said. "They're a  really good team. I'm definitely considering them.  They have a winning culture and I like the way they develop players. Especially at my position, they've had guys that have gone to the NBA and they've always had a good team."

Joplin personally spoke with Butler head coach LaVall Jordan.

"He likes my versatility," Joplin explained. "They're looking for a guy who can do multiple things. They think I'm the perfect guy for that."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hf9cypa6zwA

Georgetown and head coach Patrick Ewing offered Joplin in February.

"The history of the program is exciting," he said. "You get a chance to play

Wisconsin All Access Pass
Subscribe to Prep Hoops Wisconsin to get access to all premium articles and prospect rankings for as little as $2 per week!

Latest episode with Howard Little is very good.  Provides a bunch of inside details, especially into the 2010-2011 season.  That team had so much talent, with Wood, Johnson, Broekhoff and Van Wijk.  It's shame they faced so much adversity at the end of the season.  They had the talent to make a run in the tourney had they gotten there.

Really impressed by the reaction to Paul's last podcast.  Awesome that everyone loved it as much as I did.

New pod posted today.  Haven't listened yet, but guests are Brandon Wood and Bakari.  As always, lucky that Paul is such great buddies with the players and able to get them back for his podcasts.  #blessed

You may be right.  However, remember IU wanted him as did many other top programs.  I guess some guys pan out and others do not...It is interesting that even many people's golden boy coach Bryce Drew apparently is interested also,  so who knows.  I am not saying he is answer to our needs , however after sitting out a year he would have 2 years left I think which would fit in well with our needs up front in another year.  Whatever.

He's the all-time leading scorer at South Bend Riley, so I wouldn't dismiss him as a potential contributor at Valpo.  But, unless JFL stays in the draft there are no scholarships available.  I think Valpo is not in play as they'll hold the spot for JFL.

Latest episode with Howard Little is very good.  Provides a bunch of inside details, especially into the 2010-2011 season.  That team had so much talent, with Wood, Johnson, Broekhoff and Van Wijk.  It's shame they faced so much adversity at the end of the season.  They had the talent to make a run in the tourney had they gotten there.

If it makes you happy, I spend more hours working now than I did prior to the crisis. And I did not start the discussion on immigration (you did) - I just feel that I do not want to let your one-sided (and sometimes deranged) views go unabated.

I'm also among those working from home that is putting in 12 hour days to do everything I can to keep my company afloat.  I'm also tired of people asking me if I'm doing home improvement projects or binge-watching Netflix with my "time off".  I'm not taking time off, I'm just working (more) from home.

With that said, I fully respect the concerns of those who can't work from home.  My hope is that when the economy opens that it is done in a responsible manner.  If socially distancing and other precautions aren't followed, I fear we'll be back to another lockdown.  I hope we can get businesses reopened, but I don't think everything will be back to "normal" anytime soon.

Another Evansville defection and this time it is a big loss. DeAndre Williams is leaving.  He dropped 28 on us in one game.  That is 4 for Evansville and brings the league total to 22.  National total is now up to 791.

This will be an interesting situation to watch.  Williams is extremely talented, but he's at least 22 years old already so it seems odd that he'd want to sit out another season.

This is actually a positive for leagues like ours because we might be able to win a handful of these. I've been an advocate for taking more buy games and punching P5 teams in the mouth on their home floor if they don't have the courage to play a road game. Take the fight to them and beat them on their turf. I hope we take several of these this year because I really think we can win.

https://twitter.com/JonRothstein/status/1250565230301773828

This is interesting.  I heard Mike Brey say a few weeks back that he expected ND to have fewer home buy games next season due to lost revenue from cancellation of the 2020 NCAA tourney.  We'll see what happens (if ANYTHING happens). 

Brandon Wood gave us a good 2 years and graduated with a Valpo degree, so I don't think that comment applies to all double transfers.

True.  I just wish he had stopped at two!

Idk if he's already picked them out (not do I really care) but maybe he gives Alec's brother a spot.

I was also thinking this.  I've heard from people around the program (Ickow and Oren) that he's a great basketball mind.  Currently an assistant at Division III Shenadoah.

Man I hate losing to Loyola. Something about them just grates on me. I miss their days as a doormat in the Horizon.

Really hope we have another big comeback in us.

They've been dominating us in the MVC the way we dominated them in the Horizon.  Things need to change.

And for all of us celebrating the transfers last season, Bakari and Smits (if healthy) will be playing in the tourney this year, and Jay will soon be getting a paycheck. And here we are again on Thursday night.

Bakari isn't putting up big numbers, but he's playing almost 20 mpg for an Iowa team that's currently a 5 seed per bracketmatrix.com.  He either wasn't healthy last year or just needed a change of scenery. 

Wonder what those who - in my opinion overreacted after winning a couple games -  advocated for ML as coach of the year still (in the name of overreacting after a loss) feel different.

This game shouldn't change anyone's perception of the team or the coach.  Playing on the road down 2 starters (including your best player) is a challenge, to say the least.  Move on.

[do not take winning into account]

Incorrect. Kenpom's rankings are soley by Adjusted Efficiency Margin and do not take winning into account.

Thanks for pointing this out.  There are multiple rating/ranking systems that measure different things (ie. achievement vs predictive).  Before criticizing a given metric, it would be nice if you had even an elementary understanding of the metric you were criticizing. #TheMoreYouKnow

Uh oh... We're in trouble aren't we?

As for missing JFL we played extremely well without him. Maybe, because of his hype and great athletic ability, we depend too much on him to carry the game for us.

It would be silly to say the team is better without JFL, but it was clear that from the tip last night that the ball movement was much better than normal and several players were much more confident in looking to score.  If they could keep those positives in effect when JFL returns, the team could be really dangerous in Arch Madness.

I saw a tweet before last night's game that Sigurd was out for the rest of the season.  Then I saw this tweet from Osipoff.

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It would be a shame if he doesn't get the redshirt because he played 9 minutes against ISU (19th game of season, so in second half of schedule).  Also, I'm sure the Valpo staff knows the medical redshirt rules, so they knew (or should have known) the possible consequences when they played him.  I assume they thought he was healthy and would be able to play the remainder of the season.

We should have a solid team this season, after watching several of the games to this point.  We took 1 of 3 at Western Kentucky, and have dropped the first two at #3 Louisville.  Anyone else watching?  If so, what are our guys wearing in their belt buckle area?  It looks like a reflective screen with some paper behind it, so maybe some situational plays?

Actually heard a mention during the UNC-Louisville basketball broadcast.  They mentioned that Valpo batters struck out 40 times in the first two games against Louisville.  Seems that's the way the game is heading ... home run or strikeout.

sycamores beat uni after pulling a drake... giving up 17 of a 20point lead.  ouch

ISU led by 21 with just over 10:00 remaining ... UNI cut the lead to 1 on 3 different times 2 minutes.  Very entertaining game.

[but it's hard to not to be a little disappointed after insiders like you, Oren, wh and the radio guy hyped the team so much.]

I'm not close to being aboard the "sky is falling" train, but it's hard to not to be a little disappointed after insiders like you, Oren, wh and the radio guy hyped the team so much. 

Yes, and I will continue to hype the team.  Sometime back I said we're running a 2-year marathon.  The finish line is the end of next season.  What I observed yesterday is a young team that took a top-3 MVC team to the wire at their place.  That would not have happened even a few games ago.  We're getting there.  For those who insist on bursting a blood vessel because they're tired of near misses, have at it.

Here's some food for thought that might bring the temperature in the room down a little.  Loyola's best conference record in its first 4 years in the MVC was 8-10.  Their worst was 4-14.  They finished 10th, 6th, 8th and 5th, before a 15-3 1st place finish in their 5th year. This was all under the great Porter Moser.  I wonder if Loyola fans were calling for his head every time they lost a game in those first 4 years?  Were they constantly slamming his coaching ability? Were they claiming he was out coached every time they lost a game? Were they saying he was yelling at the refs too much and alienating them - that he needed to tone it down? Was his offense stagnant and lacked creativity? Were his players playing out of position and his substitution patterns sucked? How many times had he "lost the team" in those days? Were they asking why he still couldn't win after the university spent millions of dollars on Gentile Center renovations?     

I'm AOK with that.  Like I said, there's reason for concern, but no need to jump off the ledge.  My only point of contention might be that the "huge step up in conference" excuse might be a bit overstated.  IMO, Valpo had several teams in the HL (2013,2016) that would have been at the top of this year's MVC.  I realize Valpo won't dominate the MVC like it did the MidCon or Horizon, but I'd like to see them back to being "as good" as those teams were in metrics like KenPom.

This program is a joke. No other way to put it. The Lottich-apologists will be the only ones left on the boat when it's all said and done... alongside the eternal optimists ... and us long-time Valpo faithful. But, make no mistake about it - the boat has been taking on water for some time now with no real signs of stopping. We need a change. We've almost entirely turned over our roster. What's the only remaining variable? The coaching staff. A 4-year extension at this point would be celebrating what? Another below-average season? Blown opportunities? Declining attendance? More excuses? Give me a break. Many folks have said THIS IS THE YEAR!!! Well, we're now 5-7 in the conference.

In conference, we beat:

1. Evansville (x2). They are now 9-16
2. Drake. They are now 16-9
3. Indiana State. They are now 14-9
4. Illinois State. They are now 8-16

What good non-conference wins do we have .. apart from being 5-7 in the conference?

1. Toledo (back on 11/5). They're now 11-13.
2. SIUE? (back on 11/12). They're now 6-19
3. Grand Canyon (back on 11/22). They're now 10-13
4. Trinity Christian (back on 11/27). They're not even D-1...
5. Central Michigan (back on 12/8). They're 13-9 (So, I guess that's a good one...)
6. High Point (back on 12/18). They're 7-17

Hey Golden. have another drink.

I guarantee he's not drinking what you are.  I know there are extremists on both sides, but the facts are that after 25 games, Valpo has 12 wins with 8 of those against 200+ KenPom teams or non-DIs and only 1 against a KenPom top 100 (Ind St at 98  ).

I'm not close to being aboard the "sky is falling" train, but it's hard to not to be a little disappointed after insiders like you, Oren, wh and the radio guy hyped the team so much. 

I'll have to go back and see if I "hyped" the team. I remember saying that I didn't know if this team would be any better than last year, but that they'd be a lot more fun to watch. I think that has held true.

I revisited your pre-season over/under picks and you were very balanced in your selections.  Please accept my apologies!

Perhaps it was part of the agreement, long-range, when we joined the MVC.  Who knows for sure.  BTW, Loyola's Gentile Center's capacity is less than the ARC and  I believe we may average more in attendance than they do.

Yes, per Wikipedia, the Gentile Center capacity is only 4,963 vs 5,000 at the ARC.  Your belief on attendance comparisons is wrong according to the MVC website.