Messages

I know the Paul has written about the bright future for Scroggins, but, the constant "we are going to bring in some dudes to supports these young guys", would make me want to hit the portal out of disrespect if I was either Scoggins or Manyang.  No mention of these guys as the answer or part of the answer.  Truth?  Perhaps. Then why were they brought in to begin with?

That 12-0 run Palm should have been in for Sepp. Bigger body. Coach is learning too..

Totally agree. Palm played a solid game and should have been in there.  Sepp is just afraid to shoot.  Tough loss.  The learning curve continues...On a bright note, Darius in now 9th all time for a single season for assists!  Passed some guy named Bryce Drew! (and Ali Berdiel!)

They are just too big for Valpo to win. Hope we can keep it close.

The 2023 NACUBO study is out - a full version is available here https://www.nacubo.org/Research/2023/Public-NCSE-Tables.

This is for fiscal year 2023, which runs from July 2022 to June 2023.

It shows that VU is #287, with a total endowment market value of $315M. This is down from $326M in FY2022. This is a decline of 3.4. Note that this is not the investment return; this is the net impact of additions to the endowment, withdrawals from the endowment, and investment gain or losses. (For reference, Harvard had the highest endowment value of 49.5B, a 0.1% increase from 2022).

Compared to some of our similarly-sized private peers, VU had a larger decline. Bradley was up 1.6, Belmont up 6.7, Gustavus Adolphus up 4.8, Butler up 5.6, Drake up 8.8. Of course, if they had large contributions to their endowments, that would be reflected in their increases.

This is significant.  The S and P 500 index advanced roughly 16% during this period, which means there must have been a net withdrawal of some size to equate to the net result stated.

OK, I'm looking for bright spots!  Here are a couple of interesting (at least to me!) comparisons of today's players versus a couple of guys who ended up being pretty good players at Valpo and beyond:

Alec Peters 6'9"  Freshman stats:  12.7ppg and 4.8 rpg in 29.6 mpg

Cooper Schwieger 6'9" Freshman stats: 12.1ppg and 5.4 rpg in 29.2 mpg

Jubril Adekoya 6'7" Freshman stats: 5.76 ppg and 3.44 rpg in 19.1 mpg

Caspar Sepp  6'7"  Freshman stats: 4.4 ppg and 3.8 rpg in 19.5 mpg

Coincidence or a bright future??

I think there is one very big difference between how Lottich and Powell are handling defeat.  Lottich is like "OK, see ya next season"! and Powell is, "we're building a program of winning, this is the lowest we will be"!  Watch the Presser:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4DD5BwZPN4k

Not sure where to put this but The University of New Hampshire closed its Art Museum as part of cost cutting measures.

https://www.seacoastonline.com/story/news/2024/01/23/univefrsity-of-new-hampshire-museum-of-art-closes/72313414007/

Copobianco and Van Wyck were big more mature guys ...the kind we at this point do not have.  You cannot compare those veteran guys with our freshmen...get real!  As stated earlier we are too young and lack strength and experience and as was mentioned these kids have hit a wall.  Give them a break.  Alec Peters got pushed around too when he was a freshman.  Along with Coach Powell, the future is bright.

Truth.  And being a "finely tuned body", as valpopal suggests, will only get you so far.  Belmont out weighted us by (over the top 8 players) by an average of 19# per guy.  After our top five starters, we bring in 6'1", 6'2" and 6'7"(200#).  They bring in 6'4", 6'5" and 6'9" (240#)!  We have been out rebounded over the last two games by 17 and 23!  Our kids are trying but they are getting roughed up.  You don't win street fights by being young and inexperienced.  We have been in a street fight the last two times out and we were more than a little bit bloodied when the final clock went off.

[worry about if Evans is fired is if that makes Leah Earnest leave for her last year of eligibility. I'd hope Earnest stays to mentor the younger players, but I'm not sure about that.]

Disappointing weekend to say the least. Especially considering that there had been signs of progress recently and these two winnable games just flopped. Have to rebound this week or else we'll just be limping to the conference tournament.

As for Evans, it doesn't look good, which is a real shame because she does at least seem to have built a decent culture in the team. Perhaps it's a different story if we have consistent 3 point shooting but this weekend showed we don't. The only thing I worry about if Evans is fired is if that makes Leah Earnest leave for her last year of eligibility. I'd hope Earnest stays to mentor the younger players, but I'm not sure about that.

I think the larger risk, and one I think needs to be taken, is that her departure will lead to several of our promising freshman to hit the portal as well.  The good news here is that women don't seem to hit the portal like the men and, although it was six years ago, prior to all the portal stuff, when Dorrow left she had a simliar situation, with seven players either as red-shirt freshman or true freshman.  Six of those plyers stayed to play for Evans.

It seems to me that our guys are just beat up and tired.  It has been a long season of playing skinny kids against five year men.  Coach Powell has made it known that if you don't play hard you won't be back.  Clearly Connor, Jerome and Anthony are gone so there's three openings if everyone else returns. Probably one other will see the handwriting on the wall and be gone.

Another loss, at home, that was in reach. Clearly better than the folding of our tent at their place. Nonetheless, it was a matter of make threes or lose, and, we lost.

Call me the eternal optimist but, ISU beat Evansville by 14 and UIC by 6.  They haven't played Ill St yet so the teams we match up well with did not get blown out.  As for their top 6 players, time wise, they play 2 sophomores, 3 juniors and a fifth year senior.  I think we can keep it within 12 or 13.  Take the points!

This from Footballscoop:

Valparaiso University (FCS): Valparaiso University is seeking a game for the 2024 season, a home game preferred. This could have the potential for a home and home series. We have the following dates open, September 21, 28 or November 2. Please email at landon.fox@valpo.edu.

He is one of the most influential African Americans who has had an influence in sports and was a great representative at Valparaiso. He was a student coach for 2 years and made a tremendous impact to many players. No Valpo HOF is complete without Eugene Parker.

You didn't really answer my questions about what sport he played/coached, or what years he did that.

Try this:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eugene_Parker_%28sports_agent%29

Ok first half. If we can get our shooters going we should have a chance and yes, the student section looks better than in years!

It will be interesting to see how we look after adding Manyang (6'10")and Scroggins (6'9") to the active group.  Manyang is a shot blocker who is a mess health wise and Scroggins is a kid they have very high hopes for but aren't playing, as he is healthy but they think he will be more valuable after another year in the gym.  PO's writeup on him a while ago said he had already put on like 20 pounds.

Add a mature 250# guy to these two and our team looks entirely different.

Combined record of both teams is an astounding 5-33. The bottom feeders of the MVC are brutally awful. With the investment spent on scholarships and the like, I would hope the athletic program is taking a hard look at this program. It is unacceptable.

The reality is Dr. Small came into a real athletic mess.  It's not just the basketball teams but baseball and softball and women's golf have all been bottom feeders. We've got a respectable volleyball team and very good soccer and men's golf team as well as bowling.  But, that's about it.

New Commit: Johnathan Bauzon 6'0 240 DT Center Grove HS, IN

Other Offers: Defiance, Anderson, Wabash, Trine , Capital, Rose Hulman , DePauw

Let's hope this kid can play the edge or linebacker. At 6' 240 he would be pushed all over the place!

New Commit: Kyle Patenaude 6'1 195 DB/ RB Ramona HS California

Other Offers: McPherson, Grinnell, Benedictine

Don't have any idea if these guys can play but on paper is is good to see some size in the DB's.  We've had to many 5'8" 165# DBs who can't defend wideouts who are 6'3" etc.

https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/college-cliffs-reveals-its-list-of-the-20-most-beautiful-chapels-and-cathedrals-on-college-campuses-302040816.html

I just looked at our record versus experience this year versus last.  Giving a freshman a 1 and a fifth year a 5, our top eight minute players average 1.75 years of experience with a 6-13 record through 19 games. Last year our top eight averaged 3.38 years of experience and had a 7-12 record.  Could the change in coaching have had an impact?? 

Well folks, what we saw was the maturing of a basketball team.  I couldn't watch it live but just finished watching it on tape plus the presser.  What I saw was a team that could have easily folded as the much more experienced team kept hitting 3 after 3 but NOOOOO, to my surprise they kept fighting and fighting and...  WE WON!!!!!!!  A fantastic never say die effort!  We are on the right track! GO BEACONS!!

Wow!  Those last two look really good if they have offers from schools like Wittenberg, Kenyon, Capital etc, all very good D3 teams!

Hopefully, the barrage of stupidity in terms of ubiquitous DEI, virtue signaling, and contradictory DEI treatment of Asians and Jews will all implode on higher education soon as it comes home to roost.   The U. of Michigan had over DEI employees last year with 2/3 earning over $100,000.   

The common sense public is catching on fast this year to this idiocy in the manner as the progressive idiocy of self identification of gender. Which hat will I wear today in terms of my restroom choice? Woe to the democrats outside the rich clueless liberal areas.

moe, give it a rest, your right wing agenda is all over your posts.  How about sticking to the subject matter?

The development of Darius into one of the leagues best point guards is nothing short of amazing.  Last year no one bothered to guard him and now he is scoring from the 3 as well as in the lane,  shooting 33% from the 3, over 80% from the line while having better than a 2 to 1 assist to turnover ratio and currently on pace to have the third most assists in a season in Valpo history!