HL Previews USA Today

[classof2014]

A couple of thoughts. First, the author says (see Youngstown State summary) that Ray McCallum "ran away with the Player of the Year honors".. I can't imagine that it wasn't a very close contest with Ryan.  Second, I  know, I sound like a broken record, but, still, no mention of the possible impact of a 7' Alabama transfer.

Agreed! Everyone has overlooked the fact that we have the biggest player in the HL. I looked I believe the next closest is Devon Long who is 6' 7" and 260. So the Moose has 5 inches on him. I know height and size mean nothing but he did see ample playing time at Alabama and average about a block every 10 minutes and about a rebound every 4 minutes and that was in the SEC no less. Without a doubt he will be a defensive force in the HL and will cause a nightmare for every team down low since nobody can match his size. I would imagine Alec Brown is quaking in his boots as he knows he has to go up against the Moose!

Another thing is we might have one of the best young players in the HL coming eligible mid-season. How has no-one mentioned that we have SLU transfer Keith Carter, who was runner-up in the Mr. Basketball voting in Illinois!? We also have one of the best freshmen classes in the league.

Am I saying we're the best team? No... I'd like to think that we are but only time will tell. We sure as Hell ain't gonna finish 7th. That's a guarantee.

[Kyle321n]

Here's the full transcript for anyone (and I don't blame if your not) who isn't subscribed to ESPN Insider.

2012-13: 26-8 (13-3)
In-conference offense: 1.14 points per possession (1st)
In-conference defense: 0.99 points allowed per possession (4th)

After taking over a talented young roster from his dad Homer two years ago, Bryce Drew faces the first real rebuilding challenge of his tenure: He's replacing six departed seniors, all of whom played the most minutes for the Crusaders last season and together used about 75 percent of the team's possessions.

Drew does have the good fortune of not leaning on youthful inexperience in his attempt to defend Valpo's conference crown. Senior LaVonte Dority missed the first nine games in order to fulfill his transfer obligation to the NCAA, but he became a key player after becoming eligible, using 26 percent of possessions in his 20 minutes a game. He wasn't terribly efficient with those touches (44 percent effective field goal percentage), but he did demonstrate a knack for drawing fouls. Senior forward Bobby Capobianco is the most efficient returning player. A backup center last season, he's dropped some weight in order to become a stretch 4 and make room for Alabama transfer Moussa Gueye, a senior who is immediately eligible (he's a graduate student). Gueye is big (7-foot, 270 pounds) but offensively challenged -- he made just 37 percent of 2s -- and is prone to committing fouls. Although Capobianco is an excellent rebounder, both he and Gueye will need to step up their offensive games for Valpo to carry on its tradition as the dominant interior team in the Horizon.

Projected starting lineup
Pos.    Name    Year
C   Moussa Gueye   Sr.
F   Bobby Capobianco   Sr.
F   Alec Peters   Fr.
G   Jordan Coleman   Sr.
G   LaVonte Dority   Sr.

Two other newcomers will be heavily counted on. The first is 6-8 freshman Alec Peters, who is likely to start from day one. That's highly unusual at Valpo -- freshmen have played exactly 22 minutes in two years under Drew -- but Peters has a sweet 3-point stroke and is physically ready for the rigors of college ball. The other newcomer is sophomore Saint Louis transfer Keith Carter, who will become eligible at semester's end. More than one practice observer has noted that Carter -- whom Rick Majerus once compared to Andre Miller -- will immediately become the best player on the team. Drew has had some practice over the past two years integrating players midstream, but incorporating a new go-to guy at the beginning of league play is a different kind of challenge.

Carter's eligibility makes Valparaiso a tough team to project. There probably will be some bumps in the road early in league play, preventing Valpo from threatening the top Horizon teams. But it wouldn't be a surprise if nobody wants to face the Crusaders come conference tournament time.

[vu72]

Now that's a decent and well educated write up.

[historyman]

It does sound like a very fair accessment. We could be coming up from the bottom when we get to the middle of the league season. Challenging the top of the conference for a chance at the championship game will be a huge goal and we just might have a team that can get there.

[FWalum]

Bryce Drew faces the first real rebuilding challenge of his tenure:

This is a much better analysis than some of the others posted on this board.  I still think it is surprising that the pundits discount the job that Bryce did in his first head coaching season. As I outlined in a previous post, we lost 52.6% of the playing minutes from the previous year, lost 63.4% of the previous years scoring, adds in Boggs, Bogan, Edwards and then your only really effective post player is somewhat of a question mark because of the back issues. Losing Woods without much time to recruit a replacement also had us all pretty worried about who the go to player would be. That we won the HL regular season was pretty much of a surprise considering we were picked 5th in the preseason.  I think that first season was a little more intimidating for him than this season will be.

[wh]

Here's the full transcript for anyone (and I don't blame if your not) who isn't subscribed to ESPN Insider.

2012-13: 26-8 (13-3)
In-conference offense: 1.14 points per possession (1st)
In-conference defense: 0.99 points allowed per possession (4th)

After taking over a talented young roster from his dad Homer two years ago, Bryce Drew faces the first real rebuilding challenge of his tenure: He's replacing six departed seniors, all of whom played the most minutes for the Crusaders last season and together used about 75 percent of the team's possessions.

Drew does have the good fortune of not leaning on youthful inexperience in his attempt to defend Valpo's conference crown. Senior LaVonte Dority missed the first nine games in order to fulfill his transfer obligation to the NCAA, but he became a key player after becoming eligible, using 26 percent of possessions in his 20 minutes a game. He wasn't terribly efficient with those touches (44 percent effective field goal percentage), but he did demonstrate a knack for drawing fouls. Senior forward Bobby Capobianco is the most efficient returning player. A backup center last season, he's dropped some weight in order to become a stretch 4 and make room for Alabama transfer Moussa Gueye, a senior who is immediately eligible (he's a graduate student). Gueye is big (7-foot, 270 pounds) but offensively challenged -- he made just 37 percent of 2s -- and is prone to committing fouls. Although Capobianco is an excellent rebounder, both he and Gueye will need to step up their offensive games for Valpo to carry on its tradition as the dominant interior team in the Horizon.

Projected starting lineup
Pos.    Name    Year
C   Moussa Gueye   Sr.
F   Bobby Capobianco   Sr.
F   Alec Peters   Fr.
G   Jordan Coleman   Sr.
G   LaVonte Dority   Sr.

Two other newcomers will be heavily counted on. The first is 6-8 freshman Alec Peters, who is likely to start from day one. That's highly unusual at Valpo -- freshmen have played exactly 22 minutes in two years under Drew -- but Peters has a sweet 3-point stroke and is physically ready for the rigors of college ball. The other newcomer is sophomore Saint Louis transfer Keith Carter, who will become eligible at semester's end. More than one practice observer has noted that Carter -- whom Rick Majerus once compared to Andre Miller -- will immediately become the best player on the team. Drew has had some practice over the past two years integrating players midstream, but incorporating a new go-to guy at the beginning of league play is a different kind of challenge.

Carter's eligibility makes Valparaiso a tough team to project. There probably will be some bumps in the road early in league play, preventing Valpo from threatening the top Horizon teams. But it wouldn't be a surprise if nobody wants to face the Crusaders come conference tournament time.

A little Alec Peters refresher:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Dpb9AucJlU#t=277

[FWalum]

Favorite take is at about the 3:17 mark when the defender #25 is run through a pop out screen and becomes completely dejected after Peters hits another 3.

[FWalum]

Haven't seen this on the board and it is from last high school season, but I really like what I hear in Daniel Poneman's break down of Jubril Adekoya's game and potential.
Daniel Poneman Talks Jubril Adekoya Valpo Signee Class 2014

[vu72]

Haven't seen this on the board and it is from last high school season, but I really like what I hear in Daniel Poneman's break down of Jubril Adekoya's game and potential.
Daniel Poneman Talks Jubril Adekoya Valpo Signee Class 2014

Very interesting.  Thanks for finding it.

[wh]

Haven't seen this on the board and it is from last high school season, but I really like what I hear in Daniel Poneman's break down of Jubril Adekoya's game and potential.
Daniel Poneman Talks Jubril Adekoya Valpo Signee Class 2014

Very interesting.  Thanks for finding it.

I saw Jubril at the ARC yesterday.  At 6-7/225 he is chiseled.  Looks like a finely tuned MMA heavyweight more than a basketball player - lean, highly defined muscle from head to toe.  Amazing for a guy his age.     

[wh]

If Yeo is better--not questioning your opinion--then we really have something.  Peters has proven, against big school competition, to do it all and thus received many D1 offers.  If Yeo is the more complete player, GREAT.  Can't wait to see all the freshman!!

Yeo, at 6'4" can replace the smaller 3's we've used last year.  Peters adds height.  I can imagine Peters at the 3 and Yeo at the 2.  So much for wondering where the points will come from...

Good interview with Alec Peters from last December.  Interesting insights into why he chose Valpo over the other 24 programs that offered.  More kudos to Coach Powell, as well.

One On One w/ Alec Peters - One of Illinois Best Scorers

My apologies if this is one we've already seen.  I don't recall seeing it before, but these videos all start to run together after awhile.   

[wh]

Horizon Preview - Youngstown State
by Commissioner » Sat Oct 05, 2013 1:30 pm

This is the 5th preview of Horizon teams: Youngstown State. Earlier previews are:
Green Bay: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1187
Wright State: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1177
Valparaiso: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1179
Oakland: viewtopic.php?f=2&t=1185
They can all be found in this thread: http://udtitanbasketball.freeforums.net ... n-previews


Youngstown State
2013: 7-9 Horizon (T 5th), 18-16 overall, CIT.

Youngstown State is always something of an afterthought in discussions about Horizon league ball. It's a football school first with a grand I-AA football tradition but no history of basketball success, and it's out on the league's easternmost frontier in one of its smaller media markets.

For the last eight years coach Jerry Slocum has struggled to find wins and fans for this nondescript program, with slow and halting progress. Last year YSU completed back-to-back winning seasons for the first time since 1985, and made its first post-season appearance since joining D-I 33 years ago. In the CIT, YSU trounced Oakland before losing to Canisius in OT in the second round. The player who has driven YSU's relative success the last two seasons is senior guard Kendrick Perry, who has excelled as perhaps the best player never heard of outside the Horizon League.

Assuming no injuries, this year Perry should become the Penguins' leading career scorer in D-I. As a two-time 1st team All-Horizon selection, Perry is a pre-season favorite for Horizon Player of the Year. He was the only player last year to finish in the league's top 10 in scoring (2nd, 17.3 pg), rebounding (10th, 5.5 pg), and assists (6th, 4.1 pg). He was also 2nd to Ray McCallum in steals.

But YSU lost two big contributors to its modest 2013 success in center Damian Eargle and guard Blake Allen. Eargle was third in the league in rebounds and 1st in blocked shots. Allen led the league in 3-point field goals and assist/turnover ratio. Both scored in double figures. I think they are especially going to miss Allen, the team's best defensive player. Allen did a bit of everything (12.4 ppg, 4.4 rpg, 3.1 apg), was on the floor 35 minutes a game, and often seemed to hit the key bucket, grab the key rebound, or make the big defensive stop.

While Perry will have to carry more of the load, he is not without support. Although Perry played the point for most of his first two and a half years at YSU, 5-11 junior DJ Cole took over that role in the second half of 2013 and should start there this year.

Up front, look for 6-7 senior Kamren Belin, a big guy who can step out and knock down the three with the best of them. The ability to hit the three, coupled with 235 pounds of bulk for banging down low, means Belin poses major matchup problems for most teams. He'll be joined by 6-10 sophomore Bobby Hain, whose freshman year showed promise, marred by inconsistency (for example, Hain started the year with 19 points, 11 rebounds, and 0 turnovers against George Washington; two nights later he had 0 points, 0 rebounds, and 2 turnovers against Georgia. At the end of the year, it was no different - he played just 3 minutes in the Horizon tournament loss to Wright State; rebounded with 11 points in the CIT win over Oakland, and then was shut out in the season ending CIT loss to Canisius).

With Perry playing a wing, for a 5th starter YSU can then go with 6-4 junior Shawn Amiker. Or Slocum can put Perry at the #2 and go bigger with 6-6 soph Ryan Weber or 6-9 senior Josh Chojnacki in the front line. 6-7 freshman Kyle Steward, one of four Detroit area boys on the roster, could also force his way into the front line rotation that has very little depth.

YSU plays up-tempo, and with Perry and Cole will often have two point guards on the floor. Accordingly, they don't turn it over much (although losing Allen will hurt in that regard). But they're small, and unless Hain is more consistent they could have real problems on the boards (last year they were 8th in the league in rebounding margin, and that was with Eargle). They are also thin – expect Perry to play until he drops, and rotation to go only 7 deep, if that.

A non-conference schedule that includes road games at Eastern Kentucky, Kent State, Massachusetts, Pitt, and St. John's should have the Penguins ready for conference play. I really like Belin as a player, and project him as a probable 2nd team all-conference player. But basically, YSU will go as far as Perry can take them. An injury to Perry would probably be the most devastating injury any team in the league could suffer. With Perry and Belin, they'll never be an easy out, but unless a couple guys get better (or in Hain's case more consistent) fast, they'll likely be no better than a middle of the pack team.

Probable Starters:
PG: D.J. Cole, 5-11 Jr.; 6.9 ppg, 3.4 apg, 2.8 rpg
G: Shawn Amiker, 6-4 Jr.; 5.4 ppg, 2.8 rpg.; .500 fg%
G: Kendrick Perry, 6-0 Sr.; 17.3 ppg, 4.1 apg, 5.5 rpg, 1.9 spg; .357 3P%
F: Kamren Belin, 6-7 Sr.; 11.1 ppg, 5.4 rpg, .407 3P%
F: Bobby Hain, 6-10 Soph; 6.2 ppg, 3.4 rpg, .525 FG%

Other Key Players:
F: Ryan Weber, 6-6 Soph, 1.9 ppg, 1.0 rpg
F: Josh Chojnacki, 6-9 Sr., 0.9 ppg, 0.7 rpg.
PG: Ronnye Beamon, 6-4 RS Fr.

[classof2014]

Paul Oren's HL preview

http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/valparaiso-university/my-preseason-horizon-league-ballot/article_9484ccba-2cb7-11e3-9e92-0019bb2963f4.html

Oren seems to be like most and picking Valpo to finish middle of the pack, don't blame him though. The one issue I have is him being so high on GB but perhaps that's just me. There's the people who believe in GB and the people who don't. Other than that I personally think he did a pretty good job picking the HL, I don't think Oakland is gonna be an elite HL team, they were good in the weak Summit League and making the step up into one of the better mid-major leagues, Oakland will have their struggles much like Valpo did years back. Can't argue with the bottom dwellers, Milwaukee is AWFUL, UIC has Kelsey Barlow and that's it, and Detroit has lost everybody and doesn't return anybody but a B1G Transfer in Brundidge.

I do wish he have some mention of SEC tansfer, Moussa Gueye, he might not light it up on the offensive end but he will cause many issues defensively for many teams and he had no love for Capo.

Overall I think he did a good job with his predictions. I just don't think GB is gonna finish in the top 3, let alone first place. But there seems to be the people who think GB is the team to beat and the one's who think GB is gonna have an up and down season.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

PG: Ronnye Beamon, 6-4 RS Fr.

I'd forgotten he went there!  Athletic kid from Bishop Noll!

[Kyle321n]

Some dickhead wrote a Horizon League top 10 players... Only included 1 Valpo spot...

http://www.midmajormadness.com/2013-14-season-preview/2013/10/8/4815988/mid-major-top-10-players-horizon-league-perry-sykes

[vu72]

Some dickhead wrote a Horizon League top 10 players... Only included 1 Valpo spot...

http://www.midmajormadness.com/2013-14-season-preview/2013/10/8/4815988/mid-major-top-10-players-horizon-league-perry-sykes

Can't really argue except I think Alec Peters will be more of an impact player than Williams or Yeo.  How Bobby and Moussa play together could make or break the whole thing.

[bbtds]

Some dickhead wrote a Horizon League top 10 players... Only included 1 Valpo spot...

http://www.midmajormadness.com/2013-14-season-preview/2013/10/8/4815988/mid-major-top-10-players-horizon-league-perry-sykes

I thought Richard Head had given up writing top 10 player lists of college basketball conferences. He used to call it the "Dick Head top 10." Some people thought his opinions were really crazy because he would leave out certain players from certain teams. It turned out the ones who objected the loudest were fans of the team who's players were not included in his list of top 10. Simply amazing that it would turn out that way but it always did.   

[wh]

Horizon Preview: Milwaukee
by Commissioner » Wed Oct 09, 2013 5:27 pm

This is the 6th of my Horizon analyses.

Milwaukee:
2013: Horizon 3-13 (9th); Overall 8-24.

Here's the easy one – Milwaukee will finish last in the Horizon. It may not be the correct pick (as was the case for anyone picking Wright State to finish last a year ago) but at least one will be in good company – so far, the 9 national rankings I have see have all picked Milwaukee to fill the Horizon cellar in 2014.

It's not long ago, of course, that Milwaukee was one of the league's top programs. From 2003-2006, the Panthers made the NCAAs 3 times, reaching the Sweet 16 in 2005 and winning another game in 2006. The year they missed – 2004 – they were the league's regular season champs and played in the NIT. In 2011, Butler's second final 4 year, Milwaukee tied the Bulldogs (and Cleveland State) for the league regular season title and played in the NIT. In 2012, they were still good for 20 wins and a CBI berth. Just two years ago, Coach Rob Jeter was being courted by programs such as Miami (Fla.).

Last year the Panthers were expected to be down a bit, but were generally predicted for the middle of the Horizon with an outside chance of winning. (They were projected 6th in the pre-season media poll). And when they started the year with an overtime loss at South Carolina and a solid win over Davidson, few foresaw the disaster about to strike. After beating Davidson, Milwaukee lost 9 of their next 10, saved only by an overtime home victory against lowly Northern Illinois. The Panthers finished 3-13 in conference and 8-24 overall, their worst season since 1998.

How bad were the Panthers, really? Well, 17 of their losses were by double-digits. They were last in the league in field goal percentage, 3-point percentage, and free throw percentage; last in rebounding margin; last in turnover margin and last in turnover/assist ratio. They were 8th in scoring, 8th in points allowed.

From that sad-sack team, the Panthers lose their leading scorer, Paris Gulley, and their leading rebounder, Demetrious Harris (who was also their #3 scorer). The main returnees are senior guard Jordan Aaron, who averaged 14.4 points, 4 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game playing the point, but also averaged an alarming 3.8 turnovers per game and shot just 37% from the floor, and a trio of forwards: 6-9 senior Kyle Kelm (5.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg), 6-10 soph JJ Panoski (5.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg) and 6-6 soph Austin Arians (6.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg). Of the forwards, Only Kelm (41.0%) shot 40% from the floor. Thierno Niang, a guard from Senegal, saw regular action until sidelined by injuries, but he shot just 28% from the floor and had nearly 50% more turnovers than assists. Back-up guard Evan Richard averaged 9 ineffective minutes per game last year.

The Panthers have a raft of new players coming in to help out. 6-7 Malcolm Moore is a 5th year Senior transfer from UTEP, where he spent two injury plagued seasons. 6-2 junior guard Steve McWhorter, from Indiana State, is probably a more valuable addition. McWhorter has to replace Paris Gulley, the best player on last year's squad, but the added benefit is that McWhorter can play the point, allowing Aaron to move to his more natural #2 guard slot, where he should be more effective. There are also a trio of JC transfers, 6-8 Matt Tiby, 6-5 wing Trinson White, and 6-3 guard JeVon Lyle. White comes from a top JC program at Indian Hills, but averaged just 6.2 ppg last season and was injured late in the year. Lyle averaged 10 points a game at Iowa Western CC but missed the last two-thirds of the season with a broken wrist. The most promising, Tiby, was honorable mention all-region at Kirkwood CC. Two freshmen, 6-9 Brett Prahl and 6-5 Cody Wichmann, could also see time.

Frankly, it's pretty tough to figure out how coach Rob Jeter plans to use this roster, so there's not much point in trying to break down the Panthers. The Panthers aren't helpless - there is some talent here. They could surprise, if Panoske and Arians develop from good enough freshman seasons, Aaron plays better, some of the transfers break through, and freshman Prahl steps right in. Kyle Kelm has played through a lot of injuries the last 2 seasons – maybe he feels well and has a breakout senior year. They're not going to be an automatic "W". But it's not hard to see why just about everyone has the Panthers pegged for last.

Last year, of course, Wright State was picked for last and won 23 games. Perhaps Milwaukee will gel in the same way. But it seems more likely that the Panthers' rallying cry this year will be a line from an old and often mocked commercial: "Help! I've fallen and I can't get up."

Probable Starters:
SG: Jordan Aaron, 5-10 Sr., 14.4 ppg, 4.0 apg.
PG: Steve McWhorter, 6-2 Jr., (2012 Indiana State) 4.0 ppg, 1.6 apg.
SF: Austin Arians, 6-6 Soph., 6.6 ppg, 2.9 rpg
F: J.J. Panoski, 6-10 Soph, 5.0 ppg, 3.7 rpg.
F: Matt Tiby, 6-8 Soph (Kirkwood CC) 11.3 ppg, 6.2 rpg.

Other Key Players:
G: Thierno Niang, 6-1 Sr., 3.6 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.1 apg.
G: Evan Richard, 6-2 Jr., 2.0 ppg.
G: JeVon Lyle, 6-2 Soph, (Iowa Western CC) 10.0 ppg.
F: Kyle Kelm, 6-9 Sr., 5.1 ppg, 3.6 rpg.
F: Malcolm Moore, 6-7 Sr. (UTEP), 1.8 ppg.
SF: Trinson White. 6-5 Jr., (Indian Hills CC) 6.2 ppg.
C: Brett Prahl, 6-9 Fr.; Averaged 19.7 ppg. in HS.

Read more: http://udtitanbasketball.freeforums.net ... z2hGKEnElz

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Of the forwards, Only Kelm (41.0%) shot 40% from the floor.

This Only guy sounds pretty good.  If only.

[classof2014]

Milwaukee's so bad that they can finish 10th in a 9 team league...

[vu72]

Milwaukee's so bad that they can finish 10th in a 9 team league...

What's up with Jeter??  Why can't he recruit? They were a very competitive program until recently.

[a3uge]

What's up with Jeter??  Why can't he recruit? They were a very competitive program until recently.

.

...although thank god they're out of there now. Unfortunately they've dug themselves a huge hole with the moronic decision of hiring Andy Geiger. I think even the UWM fans would agree with me there.

I mean seriously they went from an arena where Lew Alcindor and Oscar Robertson won an NBA championship to a gym probably smaller than half of their recruits' home gym. If you've never been in the Klotsche Center: it's horrible. It makes the ARC look like Cowboys Stadium.

[wh]

Unfortunately, I think their entire roster was recruited while they were still playing at the Cell. 

[classof2014]

It's gonna be real tough for UWM to recover... They went from a reputable team that could beat you any day and always finish in the top-half of the HL to the laughing stock of the HL all in the span of one season. They've dug themselves a whole that is gonna take years to dig out of. Sad for a team that was among the HL elite just a few short seasons ago.

[LaPorteAveApostle]

Unfortunately, I think their entire roster was recruited while they were still playing at the Cell. 

For the first time, I have to disagree with my man a3uge.  UWM could be playing in the Palace of Auburn Hills ca. 1990 and they'd still stink.