I complained sometime back that we the die hard fans have been kept in the dark about when Kobe will be eligible to play for no other reason than no one in the know cared enough to tell us. I specifically called out Brandon and Todd, who used to provide inside baseball info like that. Brandon replied that he has to sit out the first 9 games. In a later interview Matt said 9 or 10 games, he couldn't recall which, so let's call it 10. Really? you're a Stanford graduate and you can't recall when your #1 transfer can begin playing?
So, here we are coming down to the wire, and we still don't know. Why does this program always seem to be shrouded in secrecy or uncertainty about things that should be crystal clear? Why doesn't anyone associated with the program (directly or indirectly) feel a sense of responsibility to keep the fan base feeling hopeful in light of the horrendous start to the season? Lots of us try to keep everyone hopeful with glass half full thoughts, but why bother when people associated with the program and have the most to benefit from an engaged fan base could seemingly care less?
His eligibility is progressing nicely.
Quote from: wh on December 03, 2021, 04:17:15 PM
I complained sometime back that we the die hard fans have been kept in the dark about when Kobe will be eligible to play for no other reason than no one in the know cared enough to tell us. I specifically called out Brandon and Todd, who used to provide inside baseball info like that. Brandon replied that he has to sit out the first 9 games. In a later interview Matt said 9 or 10 games, he couldn't recall which, so let's call it 10. Really? you're a Stanford graduate and you can't recall when your #1 transfer can begin playing?
So, here we are coming down to the wire, and we still don't know. Why does this program always seem to be shrouded in secrecy or uncertainty about things that should be crystal clear? Why doesn't anyone associated with the program (directly or indirectly) feel a sense of responsibility to keep the fan base feeling hopeful in light of the horrendous start to the season? Lots of us try to keep everyone hopeful with glass half full thoughts, but why bother when people associated with the program and have the most to benefit from an engaged fan base could seemingly care less?
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1459569266030698505
Players say King is a beast. We need a beast. Terribly.
As long as I'm on a roll, I need to get this out of my system. Based on a history of "strange" explanations about player/team issues in recent years, I take almost nothing that's said about things like this at face value.
Cases in point:
• In Matt's first year, we learn after a stunning upset tournament opening game loss to worst seed Milwaukee that a decision was made by someone to blow off going up to Detroit a day earlier than we did for our scheduled shoot around in a strange arena. As a result we scored something like 12 points in the 1st half and were never really in the game.
• In the aftermath, it also comes out that we did exactly the same stupid thing the year before in Bryce's last year, and also suffered an upset loss. We were the only team that did that either year. Were we ever given a reason why that decision was made, under 2 different coaching staffs, in back-to-back years, with the same disastrous result? Of course not. No one took responsibility for it, and no one from the media pressed them on it.
• Then there's the Jubril fiasco. He's suspended for an isolated cheating incident pending a ruling from the NCAA. A week turns into a month and then multiple months waiting for a ruling that finally came just before the season ended. So, Jubril's entire senior season is destroyed. Suddenly, the question arises - did the NCAA suspend him after 7 games and twiddle their thumbs all season before making a decision, or did Mark L. do that unilaterally to be on the safe side, not realizing the NCAA had no urgency to make a ruling? Did anyone (directly or indirectly) ever bother to explain how that went down? Of course not. Were we victims of a cold-hearted NCAA infractions committee, or was our own athletic department responsible for destroying Jubril's senior season by stupidly "going the extra mile?" Why did Alec Peters (Jubril's best friend) intentionally slight Heckler when he was presented the game ball for setting the career scoring record? Something smelled about that then, and still does.
• So, here we are. "I can't recall if it's 9 games or 10, let's call it 10," says Matt AFTER THE PO TWEET. Really, or is it some confusion by someone in the athletic department about the language in the ruling, so either or both ML's are thinking maybe we'd better just make it 10 to be on the safe side. Sounds kind of ridiculous, or is it?
Our team 3 point shooting is about 32% which is significantly lower than my preseason expectation. No--I am not expecting Kobe to directly help that number but everything else might start trending in a positive direction. There should be more rest for every key contributor. The team 2 point % should rise. The defense should improve and with it our turn overs caused and points off turn overs should jump. Rebounding on both ends could also see improvement. Complete players can magnify the strengths and minimize the weaknesses of everyone that surrounds them. So coming full circle, I'm thinking that King could indirectly improve our team 3 point % as he opens up the inside with his penetrations and isolations.
On the other hand he might turn out to be a complete dud! ;). Either way we will soon know!
Quote from: wh on December 03, 2021, 05:27:57 PM
As long as I'm on a roll, I need to get this out of my system. Based on a history of "strange" explanations about player/team issues in recent years, I take almost nothing that's said about things like this at face value.
Cases in point:
• In Matt's first year, we learn after a stunning upset tournament opening game loss to worst seed Milwaukee that a decision was made by someone to blow off going up to Detroit a day earlier than we did for our scheduled shoot around in a strange arena. As a result we scored something like 12 points in the 1st half and were never really in the game.
• In the aftermath, it also comes out that we did exactly the same stupid thing the year before in Bryce's last year, and also suffered an upset loss. We were the only team that did that either year. Were we ever given a reason why that decision was made, under 2 different coaching staffs, in back-to-back years, with the same disastrous result? Of course not. No one took responsibility for it, and no one from the media pressed them on it.
• Then there's the Jubril fiasco. He's suspended for an isolated cheating incident pending a ruling from the NCAA. A week turns into a month and then multiple months waiting for a ruling that finally came just before the season ended. So, Jubril's entire senior season is destroyed. Suddenly, the question arises - did the NCAA suspend him after 7 games and twiddle their thumbs all season before making a decision, or did Mark L. do that unilaterally to be on the safe side, not realizing the NCAA had no urgency to make a ruling? Did anyone (directly or indirectly) ever bother to explain how that went down? Of course not. Were we victims of a cold-hearted NCAA infractions committee, or was our own athletic department responsible for destroying Jubril's senior season by stupidly "going the extra mile?" Why did Alec Peters (Jubril's best friend) intentionally slight Heckler when he was presented the game ball for setting the career scoring record? Something smelled about that then, and still does.
• So, here we are. "I can't recall if it's 9 games or 10, let's call it 10," says Matt AFTER THE PO TWEET. Really, or is it some confusion by someone in the athletic department about the language in the ruling, so either or both ML's are thinking maybe we'd better just make it 10 to be on the safe side. Sounds kind of ridiculous, or is it?
Keep the roll going wh! Everything is top secret, or so it seems. I get health stuff due to HIPAA. The rest, I don't get the selective secrecy.
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I brought up this exact topic about a month ago and was called an idiot for "not paying attention" because everyone who is paying attention know exactly the status of Kobe King. So stop stirring the pot, you idiot.
Not everyone on this forum is on campus or even remotely involved with Valpo. Many of us are alumni with day jobs and other things to worry about. Coming to the forum with a question about a key player should not be mocked/discarded, by the forum itself and certainly not by the coaching staff.
Quote from: wh on December 03, 2021, 04:17:15 PM
I complained sometime back that we the die hard fans have been kept in the dark about when Kobe will be eligible to play for no other reason than no one in the know cared enough to tell us. I specifically called out Brandon and Todd, who used to provide inside baseball info like that. Brandon replied that he has to sit out the first 9 games. In a later interview Matt said 9 or 10 games, he couldn't recall which, so let's call it 10. Really? you're a Stanford graduate and you can't recall when your #1 transfer can begin playing?
So, here we are coming down to the wire, and we still don't know. Why does this program always seem to be shrouded in secrecy or uncertainty about things that should be crystal clear? Why doesn't anyone associated with the program (directly or indirectly) feel a sense of responsibility to keep the fan base feeling hopeful in light of the horrendous start to the season? Lots of us try to keep everyone hopeful with glass half full thoughts, but why bother when people associated with the program and have the most to benefit from an engaged fan base could seemingly care less?
Sunday at Western Michigan is the ninth game that Kobe has to sit out. He will play on Tuesday vs. East West. It wasn't that Matt couldn't recall, but at the time he said nine or 10, it was still unclear. His answer was completely honest; he wasn't sure if it would be nine or 10 games. Our season had already started by the time we got official word that Kobe would become eligible after nine games. A student-athlete receiving additional eligibility after having signed with an agent is a new and complicated issue with the NCAA, so it took quite awhile for this to be finalized. There will be a national story on ESPN.com on Tuesday about Kobe's journey leading into his debut, and later this weekend I'm going to work on getting Kobe's upcoming Valpo debut on the national radar with other reporters as well. To say that everyone who has seen him practice is excited to see him play would be a major understatement.
Got to say expectations (including mine) are extremely high for King. I hope he is up for it as if he can live up to expectations we could be a top five or better MVC team. If he doesn't, from what I've seen so far we are just good enough to lose close. Can he be the guy who can knock down the clutch shot when needed? I sure hope so cause that guy hasn't emerged so far. Frankly, I'm tired of seeing the team mostly gag when a close game is on the line.
Quote from: ColdFusion21 on December 03, 2021, 08:37:30 PM
I brought up this exact topic about a month ago and was called an idiot for "not paying attention" because everyone who is paying attention know exactly the status of Kobe King. So stop stirring the pot, you idiot.
Not everyone on this forum is on campus or even remotely involved with Valpo. Many of us are alumni with day jobs and other things to worry about. Coming to the forum with a question about a key player should not be mocked/discarded, by the forum itself and certainly not by the coaching staff.
I don't recall the incident you described, but if I had some part in it, let me extend my sincere apologies to you. That should never have happened. I hope you'll give us another chance!
Quote from: nkvu on December 03, 2021, 11:11:12 PM
Got to say expectations (including mine) are extremely high for King. I hope he is up for it as if he can live up to expectations we could be a top five or better MVC team. If he doesn't, from what I've seen so far we are just good enough to lose close. Can he be the guy who can knock down the clutch shot when needed? I sure hope so cause that guy hasn't emerged so far. Frankly, I'm tired of seeing the team mostly gag when a close game is on the line.
Just a reminder, the last competitive game that Kobe King played in was January 24, 2020 – almost two years ago. I sincerely hope he makes a major contribution at the start and I am sure that he is chomping at the bit to play, but it may take a few games since game speed and play is not the same as they are in practices and scrimmages.
Is he classified as a Jr or Sr?
Quote from: valpo64 on December 04, 2021, 10:24:55 AM
Is he classified as a Jr or Sr?
He'll have two years of eligibility as will Thomas.
Quote from: ColdFusion21 on December 03, 2021, 08:37:30 PMI brought up this exact topic about a month ago and was called an idiot for "not paying attention" because everyone who is paying attention know exactly the status of Kobe King. So stop stirring the pot, you idiot. Not everyone on this forum is on campus or even remotely involved with Valpo. Many of us are alumni with day jobs and other things to worry about. Coming to the forum with a question about a key player should not be mocked/discarded, by the forum itself and certainly not by the coaching staff.
This is what you posted:
QuoteI was going to ask a similar question. Why aren't Hedstrom and Kobe King in the lineup. I was expecting this whole Wisconsin south concept. Where are they?
Its a bit frustrating as a casual observer to not get A) press release stating who is out of the lineup and why, B) a post on this forum explaining why various players are out. I feel like an outsider reading this forum most times, like I'm missing some insider thread that I'm an idiot for not knowing about.
You didn't ask why Hedstrom and King aren't in the lineup and leave it there. You followed it up with a complaint about not getting a press release or posts on this forum not addressing it.
Now, the response to you was a bit aggressive but there are posts within multiple threads as to why King was out for sure and likely Hedstrom as well. The only question with King was how many games he'd be out. So you can't complain that you don't have time to peruse this forum constantly and at the same time criticize the forum for not having information because you chose not to research information very very readily available.
Quote from: JD24 on December 04, 2021, 11:44:28 AMWhy aren't Hedstrom and Kobe King in the lineup
Maybe because he still has three years of eligibility and has a lot to learn or maybe because he isn't as good as Ben or Thomas or maybe because we fans took a poll to determine the starters and Matt of course closely follows our wishes. Or something like that. ::)
Quote from: vu72 on December 04, 2021, 12:27:08 PMQuote from: JD24 on December 04, 2021, 11:44:28 AMWhy aren't Hedstrom and Kobe King in the lineup
Maybe because he still has three years of eligibility and has a lot to learn or maybe because he isn't as good as Ben or Thomas or maybe because we fans took a poll to determine the starters and Matt of course closely follows our wishes. Or something like that. ::)
...or maybe you don't know how to quote properly.
This appears to be a good location to assess our play before Kobe joins in.
Hedstrom is a project. He may have more upside than Smits or Sorolla as sophomores but I don't see him winning us any Valley games unless we get into late play or OT with players fouled out.
Despite his defense vs WM Eron has been a disappointment. Is the added year of eligibility negatively effecting some of these returning 5'th and 6'th year players? Look at our girls team which is chock full of graduate underperformance. Maybe more of them should have made the Cam Krutwig, Zion Morgan decision and moved on with their lives to the next challenge? The incoming grad transfers (Anderson, Taylor) appear hungry to impress and aren't resting on their laurels. I want that same effort from Eron or show him the end of the bench.
Kithier is good but his tandem play with Krikke is slightly disappointing. They do not seem to combine for as many easy baskets and rebounds as I had hoped. This might improve even without the King addition, but I'm not yet picturing many big and successful minutes when Kithier, King and Krikke are on the floor together. For that combo to work 2 of the 3 or all 3 will need to hit the open 3 point shot.
Kevion Taylor is a reliable contributor but the limits to his game are slowly revealing themselves. I'm hoping King can find him for open 3's because I have a mental picture of those 2 working well together.
The path to playing time for Young and Woodyard will require outstanding defensive efforts. With the depth we now have that should apply to everybody!
I have a feeling that we won't see a lot of equal output with Krike and Kiethier just due to the fact that most people's game play will be to focus on at least one of them. The advantage they have is that if one is having a bad night the other can step up. Or if one is getting guarded to closely the other remains open. They have different strengths and weaknesses but I think they will be kind of a yin and yang vs both of them putting up 14-20 points a game.
https://twitter.com/sheldonnn13/status/1467691299830648833?s=20
https://twitter.com/hoops_mvc/status/1467685530167132161?s=20
Having only watched tape of Kobe, I'm hoping that he is a Brandon Wood type. If he is that good, we are in for a treat. Brandon was a scorer's scorer. He certainly was the "go to" guy as well. Time will tell very shortly!
https://twitter.com/hoops_mvc/status/1467714514670047235?s=20
It's funny how quickly the word spreads. Lots is negative comments out there from Badger fans wishing Kobe their worst. ;)
The higher the 3point % for King is then the more are the minutes that he, Krikke and Kithier can share the floor. Since Matt prefers man defense we are seeing many situations where our bigs are boxing well away from the basket. King should be another ideal candidate (like Edwards and Anderson) to track down defensive rebounds then attack the other basket. Our game from Tuesday on should be noticeably quicker while getting better shots. When it gets to the half court for execution against man to man defense then I'm pretty sure I know who our first option will usually be.
So does he take Eron's minutes?
Quote from: Chairback on December 06, 2021, 04:33:34 PM
So does he take Eron's minutes?
I had thought of Eron as a placeholder in the starting lineup until Kobe was eligible.
Quote from: justducky on December 06, 2021, 01:51:38 PM
The higher the 3point % for King is then the more are the minutes that he, Krikke and Kithier can share the floor.
Honestly interested in why you would make that statement. The 3 is not really King's game, for which I am grateful. He has a very good midrange/slash game and has been under 30% from 3 in his career but is very good getting to the basket and maybe better from 10-17 feet. I really don't want Kobe King shooting threes and I'm interested in knowing why you don't think Krikke, Kithier and King can play together unless King hits a good percentage of 3s. Are you afraid the middle is going to get clogged up because we won't have enough shooters on the floor?
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1468001100104192001?s=20
https://twitter.com/sheldonnn13/status/1468056634979233802?s=20
That is good to see for both Kobe and Sheldon. That might actually be part of the reason that Sheldon is such a good defender this season. If he is going against Kobe daily in practices, it has already paid dividends, even without Kobe touching the floor. Very similar to when Smits wasn't playing much, but had to go up against Vashil daily, except Sheldon is getting to see the results on the court.
Quote from: FWalum on December 06, 2021, 09:31:45 PM
Quote from: justducky on December 06, 2021, 01:51:38 PM
The higher the 3point % for King is then the more are the minutes that he, Krikke and Kithier can share the floor.
Honestly interested in why you would make that statement. The 3 is not really King's game, for which I am grateful. He has a very good midrange/slash game and has been under 30% from 3 in his career but is very good getting to the basket and maybe better from 10-17 feet. I really don't want Kobe King shooting threes and I'm interested in knowing why you don't think Krikke, Kithier and King can play together unless King hits a good percentage of 3s. Are you afraid the middle is going to get clogged up because we won't have enough shooters on the floor?
Obviously the 3 is not his game which is obviously the reason I said it! I do not expect King to take many 3's but there will be late clock situations where he may need to take them. At best I am hoping he can hit maybe hit 31% of them. If he is a 26% outside shooter on the floor with Kithier and Krikke who are also really questionable from distance then inside play could clog up with only 2 outside options on the floor. All 3 of these guys have backdown or inside maneuvering games where in a spread floor they capitalize on man on man advantages and mismatches. Those situations will rarely appear if these three are all crap from the 3 point line. Having only 2 three point shooters on the floor with a short shot clock is not great. Maybe Matt could engineer some kind of 2 point option bailout action or maybe you could do it for him?
It is also obvious that it would be great if these 3 can share some floor time but from a coaching standpoint I think automatically going zone against this 3 man combo would be a great option.
If we were talking about Daniel Sackey at 11% from 3, your concern about a traffic jam in the paint would be right on point. Kobe at 33% freshman, 31% sophomore, and 25% in a partial 3rd year is a different scenario. That's not far from the 33% respectability threshold. Any guard who hopes to make money at the next level knows they have to have an outside shot to keep defenses honest. I'm pretty confident he's put up a gazillion 3's over the last 24 months. I guess I would be surprised if his numbers don't show improvement.
Quote from: wh on December 07, 2021, 08:55:18 AM
If we were talking about Daniel Sackey at 11% from 3, your concern about a traffic jam in the paint would be right on point. Kobe at 33% freshman, 31% sophomore, and 25% in a partial 3rd year is a different scenario. That's not far from the 33% respectability threshold. Any guard who hopes to make money at the next level knows they have to have an outside shot to keep defenses honest. I'm pretty confident he's put up a gazillion 3's over the last 24 months. I guess I would be surprised if his numbers don't show improvement.
Good points! Some similarities between what Freeman gave us and King might give us. Both clearly favor or favored the very high % 2 point basket. If King is now a confident 33%+ 3 point shooter then lets just start our season long tailgating party now! :thumbsup:
With Kithier, Krikke and King on the floor, the defense will be stretched - hopefully leaving one open shooter for a three when these three aren't pounding or slashing it down
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Quote from: covufan on December 07, 2021, 03:12:57 PM
With Kithier, Krikke and King on the floor, the defense will be stretched - hopefully leaving one open shooter for a three when these three aren't pounding or slashing it down
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Precisely, most people think it is outside shooting that kills a zone when it is the exact opposite, getting the ball into the interior of the zone is the key. A good passing zone offense will get bunnies at the basket.
ESPN article on Kobe King.
https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/32820497/kobe-king-returns-college-basketball-valpo-nearly-two-years-leaving-wisconsin-badgers
Really interesting story that goes through his journey from leaving Wisconsin to joining Valpo. Moving frozen mattresses to an attic in sub-zero temperatures can give you some perspective. I hope that he continues to find the joy that he seems to have found at Valparaiso.
Quote from: vu84v2 on December 08, 2021, 10:38:42 AMESPN article on Kobe King. https://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/story/_/id/32820497/kobe-king-returns-college-basketball-valpo-nearly-two-years-leaving-wisconsin-badgers Really interesting story that goes through his journey from leaving Wisconsin to joining Valpo. Moving frozen mattresses to an attic in sub-zero temperatures can give you some perspective. I hope that he continues to find the joy that he seems to have found at Valparaiso.
The quote under the picture on the website.. "Kobe King scored a team-high 19 points in 23 minutes off the bench in his Valpo debut on Tuesday."
Don't tell Ben Krikke that....
Will be very interesting to see how Kobe and team work together against Charlotte tomorrow. I expect a win and they damn well better pull it off AFAIC.
It's time. There should be no excuses for losing the next four games+. We should be ready for a run in the MVC.
I expect Matt's going to show us why he makes the big bucks. It's all on you now. You are not a rookie anymore and you get paid big bucks. You own this team. This team represents your ability to recruit talent and now you need to prove to everyone your coaching skills and why you deserve to be head coach. I'm seriously hoping that you can put to rest the skepticism I have and I'm guessing many other fans have, and frankly the big wigs should have. It's time to put up or shut up. The brass ring only comes around once. Grab it. Valpo fans have high expectations and rightly so. We were spoiled with success and hate it when our team seems to be headed in the wrong direction. Turn it around or leave. Here's to wishing you can pull it off. :cheers: