Everybody is over here checking and we have nowhere to comment. :'(
Quote from: justducky on January 28, 2021, 06:54:11 PM
Everybody is over here checking and we have nowhere to comment. :'(
I was just too lazy. I was waiting for somebody to do it for me :)
Good finish to the half.
And yes the site has gone from packed game threads to threads thrown up at halftime.
Bi Polar. Feast or famine from three tonight.
Daniel taking late shots and Donovan jawing at players We are such a poorly coached team... We're lucky to be tied right now...
Gave up on 10-1 run over the last 5 min of regulation. Do we have an offense plan? Or does it just consist of dribbling the ball around and jacking up a three late in the shot clock? Sometimes I wonder.
Daniel is so hard to figure out... For every incredibly bad play he makes he makes a pass like that...
The one player we couldn't allow to beat us gets right to the rim in a big moment... Sigh...
PLEASE BEAT WARDLE AND CO. This is wild
Well done Daniel and Connor!
SHELDON EDWARDS!!!! This is some far less than ideal shot selection but it's going so I'll take it!
Quote from: bbtds on January 11, 2021, 11:14:34 PMI truly hope you are wrong though and Valpo puts together about a 500 record in conference this year.
Well, I know the season's not over yet, but we are .500 in conference.
Well that sure was something. Didn't think we'd have enough gas in the tank after Clay and Krikke fouled out, especially the way Bradley was getting whatever they want inside. Glad to say I was wrong. Somehow, we're 3-3 in MVC play!
WOOO! 3 in a row feels good! Gotta love being able to gut out a win in double overtime with your two best players on the bench! In a game where we were getting buried early too! That says a lot about this group! I'm getting excited again!
Man that was a game! Clutch shooting from three and the line to win it. Whew!
Sheldon!!!!!!!
Can we get 12 games in 34 days?
Even Zion looked good! What a team confidence builder!
Watching Emil a bit and never saw him sitting. Does his injury make him prone to stiffening up? I can't even remember what his injury is?
Great win by the team! The guys responded to Coach Lottich and stayed with it even though they fell behind early. Then our 2 big guys foul out and the freshmen step up. Loved the effort.
Sheldon Edwards!!!!
3 game winning streak and moving to the middle of the pack in the MVC.
For old time sake, Hope Wardle slips on some ice in Valpo. He is used to losing in the ARC and hurting himself at the same time.
What a great win. Edwards answered the call when he was needed. Valpo is getting my hopes up again...
So uh... Do we...? Do we actually have shooters now? It certainly appears so!
2 freshman.. 8-18 from three for 44%. We also know that JO can really shoot the ball too. Lottich has recruited shooters. All 3 just need more experience and JO needs to bulk up so he can see more floor time and not be a defensive liability. The future is bright if our stud sophomores (Clay/Krikke) can stick around and the incoming freshman for next year are who we think they are.
We will still have some really bad games, but you can see the potential in lower classes and Sackey/Gordon are finally showing some leadership out there to get everyone in line and focused.
Great game!!! A nail biter to the very end. I went through 2 rolls of Rolaids. Hat goes off to this Crusader team they hung in to the very end and showed the league tonight that Valpo is for real!
Winning feels good guys. The Team and Coaches deserve a lot credit over the last week. Not perfect games but MUCH better. Lot's to work on. Exciting game tonight!
Brain Wardle hasn't won a game at the ARC since 1/23/2011. And a lifetime record of (1-10 at the ARC) ;D ;D
Sheldon Edwards: "I just thought we needed a bucket." I love that mindset and mentality. I think he's going to be very good and am very excited for his future!
Just watched the postgame interviews. The way Eron, Ben and Sheldon handle themselves is impressive. Eron seems like a natural born leader with a very high basketball IQ. He sounds more like a coach than a player. Ben is more reserved but confident and mature. Sheldon is impressive in his own right. He just hit some huge shots at a crucial time in the game, something that freshmen seldom do anywhere, yet he just seemed to take it all in stride. He exudes confidence, but not a hint of cockiness. On top of it, he threw praise Connor's way. I think back to when I was that age. There's no way I had it together like he seems to.
Looking at the team going forward I find myself wishing that we had a Vashile type player who can protect the paint. We have two potentially really good forwards in Krikke and Clay. Krikke at the 4 and Clay at the 3. Krikke at the 5 is overmatched and though he is a tough, tough defender he just hasn't got the body to successfully defend a decent 5 or protect the rim. Clay has great length, can guard multiple positions, and can block shots of the guys he is guarding, but he can't be a rim protector. After watching Bradly make layup after layup it's clear that they had no fear of going to the hoop. Given there are no rim protectors coming in next year, it seems clear to me that the team will be vulnerable to inside players and/or slashers to the rim for the foreseeable future. It seems that we are committed to positionless basketball. We better be able to score because we will be giving up a lot of layups.
That was a fun, and nerve-wracking game to watch.
For those that are/were in the #FireLottich crowd, he made a lot of key decisions in this game, that seemed to turn the tide after that 25-11 start.
I really like how Krikke and Clay have learned to play with each other, and was very impressed with Zion Morgan's defensive showing. I was surprised that he wasn't put in near the end, tied to the offense for defense substitutions.
For as much as Sackey can make you angry with his never finishing at the rim or with any bump/contact, the guy does a lot of good things for us at key times, and he is a Valpo guy. I hate seeing people criticize him, but when it comes to his shooting prowess, that is definitely justified lol. He must have a case of the yips, as I don't remember him missing so badly in his FR and SO years, as he is doing this year. Not just bricking shots, but legitimately missing the rim and getting all backboard on any jump shot.
Kudos to the guys for never giving up, especially when Krikke and Clay fouled out, when it seemed like we would have no chance. As much as every one of us held our heads on those 2 Edwards 3's in OT, it was equally joyous when they went in! It was even better to see the kid getting some confidence back in his game, as he was definitely down earlier in the year.
Childs has been my favorite player to watch in the MVC over the last few years, in addition to AJ Green. He has big-time capability professionally with that soft touch, and nose for putting the ball in the basket in the toughest of positions. Almost like a Caleb Green-type, from the glorious ORU days. You hate to play against those guys, but damn, they are smooth.
All in all, outside of the general happiness of beating a good Bradley team, and beating Wardle, I take the most joy out of seeing these kids play with some big man balls, pick each other up, cheer each other on, and now playing hard on each possession. This is a completely different feel than what we saw just a few weeks back. Onwards and upwards!
Was anybody else confused when Helm was taking Clay's FTs at the end of regulation? How does a guy get fouled and commit his 5th foul on the same play? Has anyone seen that happen before? To me that seemed like a strange call. And we did miss some very important FTs when Gordon missed his 3rd of 3 FTs, Krikke missed the 1st of his 2 FTs & Helm missed his 2nd of 2 FTs. Although there were other critical FTs made at the end of regulation & 1st OT.
Quote from: Valpo89 on January 12, 2021, 01:37:10 PM
I figured you, like me, were too old to have any hope left for this year's squad. :)
Do you have a little more hope for this year's squad now? I knew this team had too much talent to play like they did against UIC, DePaul, MO ST, Loyola etc. Hopefully they won't revert back to the team that lost so many games.
Quote from: justducky on January 28, 2021, 06:54:11 PM
Everybody is over here checking and we have nowhere to comment. :'(
When you start a game thread, even if it is after the game has started, it's a good idea to change the icon to show a "game thread" icon.
The real question on everybody's mind....
How are the parents tweeting now that we are on a winning streak? ::) haha
Quote from: bbtds on January 29, 2021, 06:35:19 AMWas anybody else confused when Helm was taking Clay's FTs at the end of regulation? How does a guy get fouled and commit his 5th foul on the same play? Has anyone seen that happen before? To me that seemed like a strange call.
I don't think the TV announcers followed what happened very clearly. From what I could tell, Clay got fouled, then immediately following that foul, Clay and Childs (I think) were both given technicals for yapping at each other. The technical was Clay's 5th foul, hence he was out of the game and couldn't shoot the free throws. Definitely an unusual situation.
This was the first game of the season where I fully felt the absence of the home crowd. At various moments of the emotional up-and-down play, I kept imagining the strong reactions from fans that would have taken place.
I think I saw one of our posters in the stands. Somehow I doubt he is a parent of a player! So somehow, some fans are getting into the games. Good for him! Just wondering.
Wonderful effort and great to see Sheldon start to be the player we thought he could be.
Quote from: vu72 on January 29, 2021, 09:58:57 AMI think I saw one of our posters in the stands. Somehow I doubt he is a parent of a player! So somehow, some fans are getting into the games. Good for him! Just wondering.
I didn't really focus in but glimpsed the same thing. :o Maybe his donations are a bit larger than ours? ;)
Quote from: bbtds on January 29, 2021, 06:42:55 AMWhen you start a game thread, even if it is after the game has started, it's a good idea to change the icon to show a basketball icon which shows the thread as a "game thread."
Given my ability to jinx, had I officially opened this game thread we would have lost by 30 in regulation and additionally suffered a couple of season ending injuries.
My day is a little better when I see Valpo 4th in the MVC standings instead of 10th.
It is fun to see this young team progress. I believe they will continue to get better but then there will also be those games when the wheels come off. I don't mean to beat a dead horse but much credit has to go to Coach L and his Staff for keeping the guys together, believing in themselves and working hard to get better. I like what I am seeing.
Agreed. Way too early, but hope they stay together. Seems like we always take one step forward and two steps back when everyone transfers.
Quote from: justducky on January 29, 2021, 10:16:51 AMGiven my ability to jinx, had I officially opened this game thread we would have lost by 30 in regulation and additionally suffered a couple of season ending injuries.
Got it. The old "I'm not really starting the game thread just beginning discussion about some programming on ESPN+" thread. ;)
vu72 I post here very rarely but am able along with my wife to attend the games because we are a host family to one of the international student players who graciously leaves us 2 tickets at the door. Certainly a different experience with lack of atmosphere at the games.
Quote from: vu72 on January 29, 2021, 09:58:57 AM (https://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=3882.msg129523#msg129523)I think I saw one of our posters in the stands. Somehow I doubt he is a parent of a player! So somehow, some fans are getting into the games. Good for him! Just wondering.
I didn't really focus in but glimpsed the same thing. Maybe his donations are a bit larger than ours?
IF I were to venture a guess. I'd say he was recycling a parental ticket that was going to be unused and feels extremely grateful and lucky, being in the right place at the right time. Sometimes having good relationships with people gets you more than you can with dollars. [/size][/font]
Quote from: Valpo2010 on January 29, 2021, 08:56:47 AMQuote from: bbtds on January 29, 2021, 06:35:19 AMWas anybody else confused when Helm was taking Clay's FTs at the end of regulation? How does a guy get fouled and commit his 5th foul on the same play? Has anyone seen that happen before? To me that seemed like a strange call.
I don't think the TV announcers followed what happened very clearly. From what I could tell, Clay got fouled, then immediately following that foul, Clay and Childs (I think) were both given technicals for yapping at each other. The technical was Clay's 5th foul, hence he was out of the game and couldn't shoot the free throws. Definitely an unusual situation.
That is what happened but the TV announcers didn't follow what happened at all. They didn't even recognize the fact that Childs and Clay were t'd up or that Helm was shooting the free throws rather than Clay. I don't think they even acknowledged that it was Clay's 5th foul. I only knew what happened because I saw the double t signaled by the official and saw an official give the "five" signal to the Valpo bench.
As an aside, what a weak job by the official in that case. He should have simply separated the two players. They weren't in any position of being any more aggressive than talking to each other. They weren't really in each others face nor did they appear to be any threat to be approaching each other. The reaction of the other players....essentially no reaction or attempt to separate....tells us all we need to know about what was happening. No reason to make that call and, in particular, in that spot.
Quote from: JD24 on January 30, 2021, 09:14:40 AM
Quote from: Valpo2010 on January 29, 2021, 08:56:47 AMQuote from: bbtds on January 29, 2021, 06:35:19 AMWas anybody else confused when Helm was taking Clay's FTs at the end of regulation? How does a guy get fouled and commit his 5th foul on the same play? Has anyone seen that happen before? To me that seemed like a strange call.
I don't think the TV announcers followed what happened very clearly. From what I could tell, Clay got fouled, then immediately following that foul, Clay and Childs (I think) were both given technicals for yapping at each other. The technical was Clay's 5th foul, hence he was out of the game and couldn't shoot the free throws. Definitely an unusual situation.
That is what happened but the TV announcers didn't follow what happened at all. They didn't even recognize the fact that Childs and Clay were t'd up or that Helm was shooting the free throws rather than Clay. I don't think they even acknowledged that it was Clay's 5th foul. I only knew what happened because I saw the double t signaled by the official and saw an official give the "five" signal to the Valpo bench.
As an aside, what a weak job by the official in that case. He should have simply separated the two players. They weren't in any position of being any more aggressive than talking to each other. They weren't really in each others face nor did they appear to be any threat to be approaching each other. The reaction of the other players....essentially no reaction or attempt to separate....tells us all we need to know about what was happening. No reason to make that call and, in particular, in that spot.
I had not stopped to consider the official's contribution to that whole strange sequence of events. He did clearly seem to overreact to a seemingly minor player exchange. Good observation.
Quote from: vu84v2 on January 29, 2021, 12:50:18 PM
My day is a little better when I see Valpo 4th in the MVC standings instead of 10th.
The best part is that we are tied for 3rd in the loss column and we've played half of our games against the three teams with 3 or fewer losses. Right now, a top-half finish is ours to lose.
My hope is that Lottich's system causes early-season difficulties that pay late-season dividends (like last season's tourney run). I suspect that our perimeter shooting and defense will improve with more play and and a stabilized rotation.
Quote from: Valpower on January 30, 2021, 01:27:52 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on January 29, 2021, 12:50:18 PM
My day is a little better when I see Valpo 4th in the MVC standings instead of 10th.
The best part is that we are tied for 3rd in the loss column and we've played half of our games against the three teams with 3 or fewer losses. Right now, a top-half finish is ours to lose.
My hope is that Lottich's system causes early-season difficulties that pay late-season dividends (like last season's tourney run). I suspect that our perimeter shooting and defense will improve with more play and and a stabilized rotation.
Biggest problem is still depth. We are gonna play A LOT of games in the next 30 days. Tired legs gonna be an issue unless the bench steps up on some of these back to back games.
Quote from: SanityLost17 on January 30, 2021, 07:08:26 PM
Quote from: Valpower on January 30, 2021, 01:27:52 PM
Quote from: vu84v2 on January 29, 2021, 12:50:18 PM
My day is a little better when I see Valpo 4th in the MVC standings instead of 10th.
The best part is that we are tied for 3rd in the loss column and we've played half of our games against the three teams with 3 or fewer losses. Right now, a top-half finish is ours to lose.
My hope is that Lottich's system causes early-season difficulties that pay late-season dividends (like last season's tourney run). I suspect that our perimeter shooting and defense will improve with more play and and a stabilized rotation.
Biggest problem is still depth. We are gonna play A LOT of games in the next 30 days. Tired legs gonna be an issue unless the bench steps up on some of these back to back games.
The OOC season was so foreshortened that I don't think they'll have the usual wear and tear to deal with, though I'm not sure whether there'll be conditioning issues. I suspect that early-season bench-production issues can be rooted in unclear roles, selfish or uncharacteristic play related to the battle for playing time, and developing new players, so I hope the bench production will improve as the rotation is resolved.
I've recycled the previous Bradley game thread because it worked once in double overtime and if it ain't broke don't fix it. :thumbsup: In the first contest JO only played a few minutes and Childs had 27. They may be deeper but I think we can sweep.
As long as Childs does not have another team member go off, we should win again. Bradley scared me earlier in the year, but I really didn't see any secondary scorers past Childs.
Quote from: valpotx on February 09, 2021, 11:51:14 PM
As long as Childs does not have another team member go off, we should win again. Bradley scared me earlier in the year, but I really didn't see any secondary scorers past Childs.
I watched the Illinois State/Bradley game earlier (they are travel partners and only played one game at Normal so far) and the Redbirds were able to shut down Childs in that game and Wardle could find no one else for Bradley to pull the game out. ISUr also shot very well from the three in that game.
The key will be to get Childs away from the hoop. That will require JO and McMillan to hit some 3's.
I wonder what will happen to JO tonight. His minutes pattern has been so strange. Gets double digit minutes against Purdue, Drake (x2), and Missouri State, but barley gets in the game (or not at all) versus Evansville, Bradley, and Illinois State. Had 3 minutes last time we played Bradley. Does his play over the weekend translate to more minutes or is it all a matchup thing? Coming into the Drake series he hadn't played more than 5 minutes in 6 straight games, and then all the sudden he gets 25 in 2 games. He really showed some disciplined basketball this weekend, taking what the defense is giving him and not forcing anything. If he has a big man on him he's on the three point line knocking in over 50% of the threes he takes. If they try to guard that with a smaller man, he goes inside and lays in some and-ones. It won't be that easy every game, but he's clearly effective when he plays. He has played 10+ minutes in 9 games this year. He has scored double figures in 6 of those nine games. When you take out D2 games, he's played 10+ minutes 7 times, and scored in double figures 4 of those. 56 points in 96 minutes between those 7 D1 Games that he played 10+ minutes in. And it's not like those are low level D1 games. He's scored double figures against top 25 Drake (x2), now top 25 Purdue, and Missouri State. I just can't figure out why he then played a combined 5 minutes against Evansville when we couldn't score for 2 games.
JO does seem to be getting quicker, which might have more to do with understanding defensive and offensive assignments better, versus raw speed. Based on everything that I have heard him mention, or be mentioned about him, he was just able to camp the lane on defense in HS ball, and was able to shoot over everyone, so he didn't have to worry much about a defender affecting his shot.
Are we missing someone? Why are we getting 3.5 points at home to a team we beat? Also after the weekend we had.
I don't know if there's a recruiting class good enough to fix this team. We have had the same problems on offense ever since Alec Peters left and it hasn't improved one bit. Every game, except for a few outliers, we have a stagnant offense with absolutely no hope of scoring. At some point it has to fall on Lottich. What is going on? 90% of this game has been some of the worst offense I've ever seen. If it wasn't for Clay, a terrible 3 pt shooter, getting hot early it would look even worse. I'm starting to get the feeling Lottich could make Gonzaga's lineup average 70 its per game if he were coaching them.
To be fair, blowing out a top 25 team and then getting blown out by a sub .500 team is really the most Lottich thing ever.
Nothing to do with Lottich when your players miss easy layups, still think that defenders will magically remain still while you throw a pass to the player they are guarding, and can't make a shot within 8 feet of the basket. So incredibly frustrating when this lazy team shows up. Back to telling the guys that they need to find their balls, and man up.
Absolute. Embarrassment.
Basket had a lid on it for the team in the second half tonight. Two for everything from three in the second half won't get you much. That and getting killed on the offensive boards again gives you the result we got tonight. Serves as a reminder to the team that they have to bring it every night or they can get blown out by anyone.
Does this mean we are playing in the Thursday game again?
Has everything to do with Lottich. Where have you been for the last 4 years.
No, there are a ton of games left. However, it does mean that the team forgot how to shoot today.
Chairback, coaches can't make wide open shots.
I knew there would be let downs after that great set of weekend games, but this is beyond what I could imagine in even my gloomiest of expectations. How can a team coming off such a great team weekend come out so ill-prepared. This is beyond just a bad night. This is what we see most games, disguised by a few nice performances. It's been the story of the Lottich era. Yea, the players have a role in it. But who chose the players to offer those players scholarships? Now, it looks like he might be constructing a pretty good roster. What took so long though? Why did it take 5+ years to START constructing a promising roster (we don't even know if it will be good yet). If Lottich doesn't find success in the next 2 years, it won't only spell the end of the Lottich era, it might sink any chance this program has of returning to sustained success.
This was not a poor shooting night because we missed open shots. We missed bad shots because thats all we could get because our offense looked completely disoriented and confused, just like nearly every game the past 4 years.
We were moving well in the first half, but the off-the-ball movement in the second half was as if they were ready to head to the retirement home. Missed opportunities at home this year, so hopefully the home court advantage also does not help our opponents over the next 5 games. If we don't come away with a winning record on this trip, this might be our worst performing team of the last 25 seasons, outside of the 2008-2009 season, which was 9-22 (5-13). For any of the players or family of the players that visit this forum, is that what you want to be known for?
Vok, yes, we missed plenty of wide open shots. Several just inside the FT line that were barely contested, a few layups, and several wide open 3s.
Just as it has been since Alec Peters left, a step forward was met with a subsequent step backward... This program has no identity right now, and that's a very concerning reality. While I'm very glad Valpo decided to make the jump from the Horizon to the Missouri Valley, I don't know that Lottich is the right coach to lead us in this endeavor. Lots of questions going forward.
TX, players don't come up with an offense where they have no movement and have to take forced shots with 2 secs left on the shot clock. Over and over each game.
This is like Groundhog Day the movie.
I have a flight this Saturday at 630 pm. I was going to pay the 8 dollars to get in flight wifi to watch the game live and give me something to do. After this, I'd rather sit and twiddle my thumbs.
There is a designed movement, but the guys are not busting their arse to try and beat their guy to the open spot. This is a consistent occurrence when we lose. When they are moving with passion, and running after loose boards/balls, we win. Even if your shot is off, you can at least play with some passion and as if you actually have some testosterone running through your body.
Quote from: valpotx on February 10, 2021, 08:22:10 PM
There is a designed movement, but the guys are not busting their arse to try and beat their guy to the open spot. This is a consistent occurrence when we lose. When they are moving with passion, and running after loose boards/balls, we win. Even if your shot is off, you can at least play with some passion and as if you actually have some testosterone running through your body.
I won't completely disagree with you on that. But why is that happening? How could it be that they are so uninspired before almost every start and are constantly having to dig a hole to find any inspiration.
Quote from: valpotx on February 10, 2021, 08:22:10 PMThere is a designed movement, but the guys are not busting their arse to try and beat their guy to the open spot. This is a consistent occurrence when we lose. When they are moving with passion, and running after loose boards/balls, we win. Even if your shot is off, you can at least play with some passion and as if you actually have some testosterone running through your body.
There is definitely designed movement, but I'd love to see more off-ball action. It seems as if there is very little off-ball action that allows Valparaiso to reverse the ball. The offense is mainly coming from a ball screen at the top of the key. It works with NBA talent, but this isn't Duke.
We looked almost as bad as Drake did Sunday. Every day a different Valpo team will show up.
Watched JO closely on his offensive assignments. Looks slow getting to and setting picks and screens. Too much thinking timing his cuts---not instinctual? The ball movement did seem to bog down with him on the floor. Not severely criticizing him because he obviously didn't have to work hard and fast to get other people open in HS. On the bright side he rarely gets called for a moving screen and that took Mileek 2 1/2 seasons to learn. ;)
I guess we know which team showed up today. Wish the coaching staff would figure this out. Preferably this year.
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Our coaching staff knows Bradley well. They know their strengths, weaknesses, and tendencies, individually and collectively. There's no reason to think we didn't have a winning game plan. Presumably, the players were confident and motivated. Not every loss, especially with the youngest team in the MVC, is an indictment on the entire program or on ML for settling for an "inexperienced 3rd choice assistant coach" instead of doing a national search.
Matt is building this program the right way. He is recruiting talented, coachable players of character. They are tight knit and squared away. Matt, Luke and Rob are men of Godly character. They exemplify the qualities they're working to develop in the young men they lead. In the grand scheme of life, our coaching staff is right at the top. They were great hires doing everything the right way. They're going to get us there. Keep building. Trust the plan.
WH - How long does the plan take? How do you measure success?