Transfers

[crusader05]

IS it related to the half season he played at Wisconsin?

[EddieCabot]

So why does he have to sit most of the non-con out? Does anybody know?

Someone knows, but I don't.  My guess is he has to serve some sort of suspension because he signed with an agent.  That normally erases any remaining NCAA eligibility, but it sounds like he appealed and was reinstated.  I assume sitting out a few games was his negotiated "penalty".

[Pgmado]

I believe it's because he signed with an agent. Will get official word once he is officially signed.

[valpotx]

My guess is that he plays one season with us, and either goes pro, or uses a graduate transfer.  Smart move on his behalf, to go somewhere where he can be a focal point, since he didn't play last season.

[vu72]

So this is beyond bizarre and how the team messes through all this will be VERY interesting to say the least.

So if I'm not mistaken, up to this season we have had exactly ONE former Mr. Basketball from any state play for us.  That was a guy named Bryce Drew.  This season we will have THREE on the team all at once!  Top four expectation need to be upgraded.

All I know is we now have a Wisconsin Associated Press First Team All State player on our team--as a WALK-ON!!!

[VUGrad1314]

So this is beyond bizarre and how the team messes through all this will be VERY interesting to say the least. So if I'm not mistaken, up to this season we have had exactly ONE former Mr. Basketball from any state play for us.  That was a guy named Bryce Drew.  This season we will have THREE on the team all at once!  Top four expectation need to be upgraded. All I know is we now have a Wisconsin Associated Press First Team All State player on our team--as a WALK-ON!!!

I totally get that optimism but mostly I'm tempering things right now because we haven't seen how they play together and also out of respect for how good some of the rosters are and will be in this league. We could definitely challenge for the top (which means I hope we're trying to schedule better) but right now I'd say it's far from a given. Loyola Drake UNI Missouri State and perhaps SIU are all going to be really good this year. This is going to be a really fun year and we definitely have the talent to compete here.

[Piledriver]

King is buddies with Trevor Anderson, and I think that had a lot to do with him coming to Valpo. He's hugely talented. One of the most talented kids ever to play at the prep level in Wisconsin, for sure. Good kid, just had some emotional struggles at Madison. He looked like a sure-fire NBA guy, maybe even a 1-and-done, and when that doesn't happen sometimes the pressure and disappointment gets to guys.

If he has his head in a good place, watch out. He's skilled and a spectacular athlete.

[bb33]

I expect the beginning of the season to be a little rough as the team works toward cohesiveness.  I am optimistic that come January, the team will have their roles figured out and  will be a force to be reckoned with.  With the team trip to the Bahamas, there should be plenty of time for team bonding, which always helps down the road. It will be exciting for sure.  Just hope the ARC is packed with all the excitement.

[JD24]

I expect the beginning of the season to be a little rough as the team works toward cohesiveness.  I am optimistic that come January, the team will have their roles figured out and  will be a force to be reckoned with.  With the team trip to the Bahamas, there should be plenty of time for team bonding, which always helps down the road. It will be exciting for sure.  Just hope the ARC is packed with all the excitement.

This is likely to an issue across the sport with the number of transfers which have occurred. That said, Valpo has nearly a completely new roster so it could affect the Lottich's more.

[AB]

Only One basketball with many scoring options this year. Taylor, Sheldon, Barrett, Anderson, Palesse, Gordon, now King.
Who's the alpha male of this group. Also Young isn't just a back to the basket player in the post. Will be interesting to see how we share the ball and handle playing time/roles.

[Chairback]

You forgot to add Ben who was the alpha last year.  And I'm sure he has improved again. 

[vu84v2]

I agree that this level of talent creates a lot of potential for the upcoming season. But with Valpo, as well as some other teams that have signed transfers this late in offseason, I wonder about the reactions of existing players whose roles may suddenly be changing. In this case, let's say that a player believes in April that he will be starting and playing 30 minutes per game in the upcoming season. The player was not planning to transfer and that expectation makes his commitment to stay stronger (likely aided by the coach giving him an idea of where he stands). Then, in late June a transfer is signed who will (at a minimum) take half of that playing time - and possibly a lot more. The player is now relegated to maybe 15 minutes per game as a role player off the bench. Does that player try to transfer late in the game? I know that this has always happened to some degree, but it seems like this will happen a lot more with the new transfer rules.

I don't mean to be a downer when Valpo signs a high quality transfer - and I hope that it works out great at Valpo. It just seems on a national level that many more players' roles on their teams are changing than has ever happened before. And with the deadline to drop out of the NBA draft much later this year, there is another shakeout forthcoming.

[vu72]

You forgot to add Ben who was the alpha last year.  And I'm sure he has improved again. 

I just hope that the young guys understand the unique situation for this coming year and that the log jam will subside once the five and six year guys leave and free up some playing time.  The paper did say that King will have two years of eligibility but Eron, Kevion, and Trevor will be one and done.

[bb33]

A lot of kids today expect immediate gratification.  Hopefully, if they are not getting the minutes they expected, that we are at least winning, and they in turn are learning.  This year a lot of freshmen are lucky to get a seat at the table, much less play. This will for most be a learning and adapting year.  For upperclassmen, that could be a harder pill to swallow.  Hopefully Lottich and staff can build a strong sense of team, and no matter how much you play, you feel you are a contributor to something bigger.

[78crusader]

I agree that this level of talent creates a lot of potential for the upcoming season. But with Valpo, as well as some other teams that have signed transfers this late in offseason, I wonder about the reactions of existing players whose roles may suddenly be changing.

Team chemistry. One of the most important, and also one of the most overlooked, factors in a team's success.

Paul

[justducky]

That puts my count at 13 eligible scholarship players and this might be a great time to stop. OK maybe a whale jumps in our boat but other than that I think we are good. We have gotten by with 11 so why would we ever need 14?

That whale I was talking about just jumped in our boat. Was Matt actually recruiting him hard or did he just want to rejoin his teammates in a comfortable situation? Either way we need a bigger boat! 

Wait! I'd forgotten that we already have an ARC. 

[wh]

So this is beyond bizarre and how the team messes through all this will be VERY interesting to say the least.

So if I'm not mistaken, up to this season we have had exactly ONE former Mr. Basketball from any state play for us.  That was a guy named Bryce Drew.  This season we will have THREE on the team all at once!  Top four expectation need to be upgraded.

All I know is we now have a Wisconsin Associated Press First Team All State player on our team--as a WALK-ON!!!

Adding to your comment, of our 10* players who played HS basketball in the U.S., 5 were 1st team all-state and 1 2nd team all-state:

1st Team All-State
1. Trevor Anderson - Wisconsin, 2016 - Mr. Basketball
2. Kobe King - Wisconsin, 2017 - Mr. Basketball
3. Sheldon Edwards - Florida, 2019
4. Keyondre Young - Oklahoma, 2021 - Mr. Basketball
5. Preston Ruedinger - Wisconsin, 2021

2nd Team
6. Cam Palesse -Wisconsin, 2021

*Tom Kithier did not play bb in his senior year.

[Just Sayin]

So this is beyond bizarre and how the team messes through all this will be VERY interesting to say the least.

So if I'm not mistaken, up to this season we have had exactly ONE former Mr. Basketball from any state play for us.  That was a guy named Bryce Drew.  This season we will have THREE on the team all at once!  Top four expectation need to be upgraded.

All I know is we now have a Wisconsin Associated Press First Team All State player on our team--as a WALK-ON!!!

Adding to your comment, of our 10* players who played HS basketball in the U.S., 5 were 1st team all-state and 1 2nd team all-state:

1st Team All-State
1. Trevor Anderson - Wisconsin, 2016 - Mr. Basketball
2. Kobe King - Wisconsin, 2017 - Mr. Basketball
3. Sheldon Edwards - Florida, 2019
4. Keyondre Young - Oklahoma, 2021 - Mr. Basketball
5. Preston Ruedinger - Wisconsin, 2021

2nd Team
6. Cam Palesse -Wisconsin, 2021

*Tom Kithier did not play bb in his senior year.

Impressive. No excuses for Matt this year. Let's hope he has learned from his past mistakes as head coach and can show us what he's truly made of which so many here think is of the right stuff. I remain skeptical. However, even I am starting to get excited about this year's team.

[valpo64]

Let's not get ahead of ourselves at this stage of the game...this will be  team of MANY new faces that  have not played together and  we need to be patient especially at the beginning of the season as the guys and the coaches get to know each other.  All in all it should be an exciting season watching the team develop and mature together.  It will be as huge challenge for the Staff to get the job done.  GO CRU..or, aah, Knigh... or....GO VALPO!

[Just Sayin]

These are experienced players and not a bunch of freshman. They will work together just fine. We can and should expect good things from jumpstreet. This is Matt's opportunity to prove himself after having such a bad track record. Let's stop making excuses for eight division 1 wins. There is no reason with a roster of three Mr. Basketballs (an all star team) that we shouldn't be at the top of the heap next year.

On a larger scale, Kentucky often has a very talented group of freshman from all over the country and they find ways to be very successful with only Mr. Basketball freshman on their team. It's nonsense to lower expectations for these Valpo players and "give them time to work together" nonsense. If Matt can't get it done with this group, he can't get it done with any group.

[valpo64]

The potential problem is no one knows how these individuals work with in a team setting.  Hopefully they will play well together.  In any event. it wouldn't be the first time a group of top flight players of even National acclaim  didn't work out.  Every year many  top flight programs bomb out with a number of very highly ranked players who just do not pan out in a team setting...example Kentucky, Indiana among others last season.  Let's all hope for the best.

[valpo95]

I'm excited to see how things go, and clearly there will be some work and practice to get everyone on the same page.

The good news is that the transfers were getting substantial minutes for their teams (obviously when not injured or not on the roster). This is not the case of players averaging say 5 minutes per game, never starting and transferring down to see the court. Several of the transfers were getting solid minutes in the Big 10, so their high-level experience should be a big plus. Adding in the current players and the new freshmen, the battles in practice could be epic. Barring injury, this could be the deepest team Valpo has put on the court in a long time. 

[justducky]

These are experienced players and not a bunch of freshman. They will work together just fine. We can and should expect good things from jumpstreet. This is Matt's opportunity to prove himself

As good as Young and Palesse look I'm guessing our freshman group get severely shortchanged on total minutes played. Too many experienced upperclassmen for it to work out any other way. By mid February we should should know pretty well if Matt can coach or motivate BIG talent. As of now I haven't got a clue.

[wh]

2 of the last 6 Wisconsin Mr. Basketballs on next season's roster is crazy in it's own right, but to also have this year's Oklahoma Mr. Basketball is ridiculous. I would be shocked if another mid major has ever had 3 POY's on the same roster (or the vast majority of Majors for that matter).

[humbleopinion]

On a larger scale, Kentucky often has a very talented group of freshman from all over the country and they find ways to be very successful with only Mr. Basketball freshman on their team.

Do you remember Evansville beating Kentucky early in the season a couple years ago?