As biased fans who do you have winning the postseason awards?
First Team: Peters (POY - best player on the best team. Doesn't need 15-20 shots a game to get his points), Sykes, Felder, Lewis, Petros
Second Team: Grady, Howard, Hain, Mays, Tiby
Freshman: Bass, TWalker, Hayes, and the rest I don't know!
Defense (don't really know much here): Williams (Co DPOY - eliminates one player each game), Fernandez (Co DPOY - eliminates an entire area of the court), Fouse, Felder, Sykes
COY: Drew
For the tournament I just can't find any upsets until the final game where I think it will be a war between Valpo and Green Bay with Valpo coming out on top.
If Drew doesn't win coach of the year...
player of the year
Sykes (this is what I think will happen)
1st team
Sykes
Felder
Lewis
Peters
Grady
2nd team
Petros
Howard jr.
Fouse
Mayes
T.walker
defensive team
Doy - Williams
Fernandez
Fouse
Sykes
Felder
freshman team
foy- Bass
Hayes
T.walker
Benzinger
Skara
6th man
????
coach of year
slocum howard. Drew
Lewis is a stud, both a first and second teamer! Lol
Quote from: HC on March 01, 2015, 09:29:14 AMLewis is a stud, both a first and second teamer! Lol
dang it....fixed.
As far as I am concerned it is no longer coach Nept. It's coach Bryce Drew. One hell of a job in recruiting scheduling,game management and image.He's my COY. Go Valpo! :thumbsup:
Quote from: setshot on March 01, 2015, 09:41:26 AMAs far as I am concerned it is no longer coach Nept. It's coach Bryce Drew.
:o
I am equally impressed!
Quote from: HC on March 01, 2015, 08:53:28 AMAs biased fans who do you have winning the postseason awards?
High time for this thread! I've been wondering why we didn't have one.
I'd be happy for unbiased predictions as well. Or predictions of others' bias! Who do you think _will_ win? Or _should_ win?
1st Team
Peters (POY)
Sykes
Felder
Lewis
Howard
2nd Team
Grady
Lee
Petros
Tiby
D. Walker
Defensive
Fernandez (D PoY)
Fouse
Williams
McWhorter
Sykes
Freshmen
T. Walker (FoY)
Bass
Skara
Benzinger
Daniels
6th Man
Kaza Keane
CoY
Wardle
JK
Bryce
Looking a bit at the league stats
http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/sports/statfiles/2/stats.pdf?1425107788 (http://hln.s3.amazonaws.com/sports/statfiles/2/stats.pdf?1425107788)
with some notes, below. Looking mostly with POTY in mind.
I trust that Valpo winning the league will give Alec the benefit of the doubt and he'll stay on the first team, despite his numbers falling off pretty sharply in league play. But, I'd be pretty shocked if he wins POTY. Very efficient, leading role on the winning team. But, too much of a _team_ player to garner individual glory?
And, are we going to put anyone else on the first team? T Walker, D Walker, and Vashil could maybe get some looks for second team...
I hope T Walker's a look for the freshman team, and Vashil for the defensive team.
Some assorted notes, looking mostly at overall play, rather than HL play.
Sorting by PPG.
Sykes 18.4 PPG, 4.5 RPG (top 20), 45.8 FG% #12, 4.0 APG #5, #10 FT%, #3 steals PG, #14 3P made (1.4 per game), #5 A/TO (1.8), #8 MPG, the two highest scoring games of anyone in the league (one also tied for max attempts)
Howard 17.8 PPG, 2.5 APG #13, #3 FT%, #8 3P% (#4 3P made), _not_ top 10 MPG, three of the four highest FG attempt games of anyone in league
Felder 17.4 PPG (#2 in HL play), 7.8 APG #1, 4.6 RPG (top 20), #4 FT%, 2.0 steals PG #2, #12 3P%, #4 A/TO (1.9), #1 MPG (38.4); 19 FT's against Valpo was 5 more than any other HL player in any game this season; 24 attempted was 7 more; 14, 13, and 13 assist games; an 8 TO game to tie for the league max; 5 double-doubles (P-A), 6th most
Lewis 16.9 PPG, #12 FT%, #9 A/TO, 35.5 MPG (#4), 2 double-doubles (P-RB)
Peters 16.8PPG (falls to #9 in HL play), 6.8 RPG #6 (#4 in HL play), 49.9 FG% #6 (#15 in league play), #5 FT%, #2 3P% 47.2% (#3 3P made) (#10 43.1% in HL play), #8 ORPG, _not_ top 10 MPG (29.9 MPG - Felder's played 28% more, Sykes 16% more), 6 double-doubles (P-Rb) for 5th most.
D Walker's the next Valpo at #17 scoring, 4.5 RPG (top 20), #11 3P% 37%.
T Walker makes #21 in HL scoring, 2nd highest freshman.
Vashil 6.0 RPG #7, #2 ORPG, 2.9 BPG #1 by a huge margin (next 1.7 BPG) (2.6 BPG in HL play, still first in league, but Mays with 2.3); games with 8, 6, and 6 blocks - for max of anyone in HL league,
I would be fine with anyone winning it as long as it isn't sykes. I think he's so overrated he can only jump.
Here's a thought - E Victor for 6th man of the year.
I don't know if our PG injury situation is well enough known to make it happen. But, it seems like a fitting tribute.
I would be shocked if E is eligible for 6th man, given he started nearly every league game.
Quote from: vusupporter on March 01, 2015, 10:33:10 AM
I would be shocked if E is eligible for 6th man, given he started nearly every league game.
Are there rules about these things? A little unorthodox, admittedly, but it seems very fitting.
For the record this is what I think will might see, not what I actually may want to see.
1st Team:
Sykes (POY)
Felder
Peters
Lewis
Grady
2nd Team:
Howard
Petros
Tiby
Mays
McWhorter
Freshmen:
Bass (FOY)
Tevonn
Hayes
Benzinger
Daniels
Defensive:
Vashil (DOY)
Williams
Fouse
McWhorter
Mays
Coach:
Bryce
I had a really tough time deciding between Grady and Howard for the last 1st team spot. But Grady being the leading rebounder in conference play gave him the edge. Would really like to see Tevonn get on the defensive team because he is an excellent defender but I'm not sure if he'll get that recognition or not. Another tough choice was the fifth freshman spot. I went Daniels because he was one of the top 3 point shooters in the league. That stands out more than anything Skara or Hogan have on their "resume".
If there is no existing award to give E Victor then Valpo should create one and maybe name it after him. Here is a 6' 8" kid who after sitting out a year and undergoing two hip surgeries comes back and is asked to play out of his natural wing position by backing up the point guard. Then has to take over and start when the point gets hurt and can't play for several games in conference. Without E we finish middle of the pack. We don't win the conference and we don't host the tournament. He is my team MVP for this season regardless how it ends. Valpo should find some special way of acknowledging him.
When does the HL announce the awards?
Tomorrow.
Quote from: nkvu on March 01, 2015, 11:22:15 AM
If there is no existing award to give E Victor then Valpo should create one and maybe name it after him. Here is a 6' 8" kid who after sitting out a year and undergoing two hip surgeries comes back and is asked to play out of his natural wing position by backing up the point guard. Then has to take over and start when the point gets hurt and can't play for several games in conference. Without E we finish middle of the pack. We don't win the conference and we don't host the tournament. He is my team MVP for this season regardless how it ends. Valpo should find some special way of acknowledging him.
I wish the Horizon League had an award to acknowledge an accomplishment like that displayed by E. Victor. Perhaps we should establish our own Valpo Fan Zone Awards. If one is permitted to "come back" from a redshirt year on the sideline in crutches, someone who worked hard rehabilitating to complete his journey on the road to recovery and was instrumental in the team winning a season championship, I certainly would recognize Nickerson as the Comeback Player of the Year:
(http://i58.tinypic.com/15y85zp.jpg)
I have 0 confidence in the ability of voters to make the right decision, but I'm not even sure who I would take for some of these awards.
POTY
It's hard to compare a PF with two point guards. I'd look at their effectiveness in relation to the position they play - assist to turnover ratio would be far more important for a PG than a PF, and for Peters, I'd look more at his rebounding stats, etc. I also wouldn't ignore non-conference statistics. For whatever reason, Horizon League media seem to disregard anything that happens outside of the conference. If a team is terrible OOC and finish with a decent conference record, they're praised as a good story. There's little outrage over teams like Oakland that sell out the conference and drag down the league due to their 'scheduled losses'. Instead, everyone fawns over what a success the team is, despite not even being above .500 by the end of the year.
Peters finished with the highest PER since Norris Cole in 2011. If POY wasn't weighted towards conference games, he'd win hands down. Best player from the best overall team in the league. But given voters primarily just look at conference stats, it's a tough sell on Peters. The usage % is astronomically high for both Felder and Sykes, so it's tough for Peters to keep up with the counting stats. Carter going down really hurt Peters. Without a decent penetrator and distributor, Peters can't really showcase his bread and butter - his terrific shooting. He's not a player that's ever going to create shots off the dribble.
COTY
Bryce Drew. 'Nuff said.
DPOTY
There's no way Vashil shouldn't win this. Oakland fans are funny. They will bury themselves in stats (only counting stats) for players like Felder, and then shift to anecdotal and emotional evidence for players like Dante Williams. Is that what Williams we're actually talking about? Dante? or Jarod? Let's assume we're talking about Dante. The 'eye test' is for certain players, I guess. In the counting stats, Williams has 2.7 RPG 0.3 BPG 0.8 SPG. It would be another baffling decision by the voters if they gave this guy DPOTY. But wait, if you look at the conference stats, it has to get better, right? Still not good - 2.6 RPG 0.4 BPG 0.9 SPG. Okay, let's account per minute instead of looking at misleading per game numbers.
Conf per 40 numbers
Vashil
8.8 Reb 3.8 Blk 0.5 Stl
Williams
2.7 Reb 0.5 Blk 1.0 Stl
I'm sorry, but a forward only averaging 2.7 rebounds per 40 should not win defensive player of the year over a center averaging 3.8 blocks per 40.
Let's pour salt on the wound and look at some advanced conference stats.
TReb% Blk% Stl% DWS Drtg
Vas 13.0 11.2 0.7 0.9 92.8
Wil 4.2 1.2 1.5 0.3 111.3
So when Vashil is on the court, the team's defense is remarkably better. A 92.8 defensive rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) is crazy good. With all games included, he has a Drtg of 88.1. I think if Williams wins DPOTY it would be a complete joke.
With all the success the team has had - again - I'm surprised there hasn't been a thread regarding Bryce's future.
The vultures will be swarming like never before in an attempt to swoop him away. Will he again resist the lure of a bigger salary, better facilities and a stronger league to remain at home?
It could be an interesting April.
Quote from: Valpo89 on March 01, 2015, 12:59:36 PM
With all the success the team has had - again - I'm surprised there hasn't been a thread regarding Bryce's future.
The vultures will be swarming like never before in an attempt to swoop him away. Will he again resist the lure of a bigger salary, better facilities and a stronger league to remain at home?
It could be an interesting April.
I mostly don't like to think about it! I'd just as soon save it until the games are done.
Quote from: a3uge on March 01, 2015, 12:58:15 PM
I have 0 confidence in the ability of voters to make the right decision...
You mean because Wardle was named COY after his team won the league as predicted, when Bryce was slighted the previous year under identical circumstances?
By the way, does anyone know if the "worst HL announcer ever" from Milw gets to vote?
To me I would definitely put Peters over Sykes for POY. Sykes did have games where he disappeared and they were big games as well. I know he got hurt sometime in the return game to Valpo but he was flat out awful. During the final stretch I don't recall a poor game for Alec, he doesn't take bad shots, and always makes the right play. It's the extra pass that doesn't go in the stat sheet. He seems to make the big shot when need be, he made the shot that clinched the game Friday, very few players can step up like that. He got himself wide open and hit nothing but net in a crucial point of the game and sunk his one FT for the 4 point play.
Guys like Sykes and Felder are more flashy they're always on the court and always handling the board, that's their position. Alec had 4 double doubles in the last 6 games I believe, he's playing his best basketball of the season when it matters most and he doesn't shy away from the big moment. His stats aren't anywhere near as impressive as Sykes and Felder but he's much more complete than either of them.
Will Peters win PoY? I dunno. Teams have been able to shut down Sykes down the final stretch, Peters wasn't. His scoring did go down but his effect on the game certainly didn't.
For those that don't have Grady on first team, consider this: In league games, he's 6th in scoring, 1st in rebounding, 2nd in steals, 3rd in blocks and 5th in FG%.
I think I'm saying this not because I love Valpo and want him to stay forever but because it's how I would look at the situation if I were Coach Drew. Is it worth leaving a place where I can do no wrong, I'm compensated well, I'm close to family, and I will have a job for life in order to go to a place where I can maybe compete for a national title (not a lot of these places exists as it is) but could also be fired in two years?
Assuming my bosses are able to pay me competitively with the other coaches at similar schools and I can get an upgraded ARC with a field house in a reasonable timeframe I see him as a lifer like his dad.
Here is a good article with Oren's votes for the post-season awards and his full reasoning. I agree with almost all his selections, though I couldn't place Jay Harris on the second team. I'd probably add Charlie Lee instead. Also, though I think Alec was clearly the league's most valuable player, and I also would vote for him, I believe the rest of the league's voters will select Sykes because they will stick with their pre-season selection of him, as well as because of all the hype about him during the year as an NBA prospect, and the fact that he is a senior.
http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/valparaiso-university/my-horizon-league-awards-ballot/article_b3d651cc-c051-11e4-ae2b-b7c2fbf346d7.html (http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/valparaiso-university/my-horizon-league-awards-ballot/article_b3d651cc-c051-11e4-ae2b-b7c2fbf346d7.html)
I don't see Bryce as another Andy Enfield. Remember him? He, the coach of Dunk City 2013 NCAA Tournament Participant and Sweet 16 Cinderella Florida Gulf Coast University, left the sun of FGCU's trailer campus to the shiny, money spenders at USC. I just don't see Bryce making such a brash decision as this just because of his record and better money he could get elsewhere. I've never looked at Bryce as the type of head coach to leave after a year that was so far above expectation that he couldn't pass it up. He doesn't look like that kind of financial risk taker, and he also looks like the type that doesn't let money control him, unlike a lot of coaches and schools that keep looking for the next Boeheim, Coach K, Jim Calhoun, Lute Olson, but keep finding the young guy that chases the money, instead of learning the game from the coach's perspective and learning his paces.
Quote from: valpopal on March 01, 2015, 04:51:22 PM
Here is a good article with Oren's votes for the post-season awards and his full reasoning. I agree with almost all his selections, though I couldn't place Jay Harris on the second team. I'd probably add Charlie Lee instead. Also, though I think Alec was clearly the league's most valuable player, and I also would vote for him, I believe the rest of the league's voters will select Sykes because they will stick with their pre-season selection of him, as well as because of all the hype about him during the year as an NBA prospect, and the fact that he is a senior.
http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/valparaiso-university/my-horizon-league-awards-ballot/article_b3d651cc-c051-11e4-ae2b-b7c2fbf346d7.html (http://www.nwitimes.com/blogs/sports/valparaiso-university/my-horizon-league-awards-ballot/article_b3d651cc-c051-11e4-ae2b-b7c2fbf346d7.html)
We are lucky to have such a great sports writer covering this team. He obviously cares about mid-major basketball. I do not agree with all of his picks, but he has a logical/reasonable argument for every selection. Very well done.
Glad Oren doesn't get to vote for DPOY. I'd really like to see some actual data that supports William's impact on defense other than "he's stifling" or "he played well vs these couple of guys." Has a guy ever won DPOY with a defensive rating over 110?
Good list, good logic.
Bryce's name already being tossed around for the possibility of DePaul's job. Chicago. Big East and TV deal. Building brand new arena in downtown loop. Would he pop for DePaul? I'd imagine there'd be "better" opportunities out there but DePaul COULD offer a lot and they did give Purnell about 5 years at it.
I don't think Bryce is going anywhere. DePaul is a mess and has been a joke for the last 15 years. I fully believe Bryce has an opportunity to win a national championship during his tenure at VU. Valpo is on the verge of becoming the next Butler, VCU, Gonzaga, etc... many coaches would consider those great jobs to have, Bryce is currently working on making VU a top-tier program.
As crazy as I think some of your posts are, this one I agree with. When he stays he will turn Valpo into that next tier between mid and high major teams.
Quote from: classof2014 on March 01, 2015, 06:23:39 PM
I don't think Bryce is going anywhere. DePaul is a mess and has been a joke for the last 15 years. I fully believe Bryce has an opportunity to win a national championship during his tenure at VU. Valpo is on the verge of becoming the next Butler, VCU, Gonzaga, etc... many coaches would consider those great jobs to have, Bryce is currently working on making VU a top-tier program.
Honestly I totally I agree I can see Valpo becoming the next VCU Butler Wichita State or Gonzaga. It really looks we are on that path right now. Maybe the next 3 years a elite 8 final four appearance?
Quote from: classof2014 on March 01, 2015, 06:23:39 PM
I don't think Bryce is going anywhere. DePaul is a mess and has been a joke for the last 15 years. I fully believe Bryce has an opportunity to win a national championship during his tenure at VU. Valpo is on the verge of becoming the next Butler, VCU, Gonzaga, etc... many coaches would consider those great jobs to have, Bryce is currently working on making VU a top-tier program.
Opportunity to make Valpo into a consistent tournament team that is always a threat to win a few games, yes. National championship contender, no. This post is the definition of fanatic. Time to come down to earth a little.
Quote from: SanityLost17 on March 01, 2015, 06:48:27 PM
Quote from: classof2014 on March 01, 2015, 06:23:39 PM
I don't think Bryce is going anywhere. DePaul is a mess and has been a joke for the last 15 years. I fully believe Bryce has an opportunity to win a national championship during his tenure at VU. Valpo is on the verge of becoming the next Butler, VCU, Gonzaga, etc... many coaches would consider those great jobs to have, Bryce is currently working on making VU a top-tier program.
Opportunity to make Valpo into a consistent tournament team that is always a threat to win a few games, yes. National championship contender, no. This post is the definition of fanatic. Time to come down to earth a little.
Do you think any of those teams listed think they had a chance to make it to the final four? It's March madness crazy stuff happens!
Quote from: setshot on March 01, 2015, 09:41:26 AM
As far as I am concerned it is no longer coach Nept. It's coach Bryce Drew. One hell of a job in recruiting scheduling,game management and image.He's my COY. Go Valpo! :thumbsup:
This is the ultimate compliment to coach Drew. Great to see, Setshot!
Quote from: SanityLost17 on March 01, 2015, 05:07:47 PMWe are lucky to have such a great sports writer covering this team. He obviously cares about mid-major basketball. I do not agree with all of his picks, but he has a logical/reasonable argument for every selection. Very well done.
Several have mentioned his reporting on the Oakland forum. They think he's good too.
Quote from: classof2014 on March 01, 2015, 06:23:39 PMI don't think Bryce is going anywhere. DePaul is a mess and has been a joke for the last 15 years. I fully believe Bryce has an opportunity to win a national championship during his tenure at VU. Valpo is on the verge of becoming the next Butler, VCU, Gonzaga, etc... many coaches would consider those great jobs to have, Bryce is currently working on making VU a top-tier program.
Let's just win the HL tournament and donate to the bball team.
1. The head coaching job at Depaul is like being the CEO of R.I.M. (Blackberry). It'd take a complete idiot to take that job. Bryce isn't stupid.
2. Let's win a tournament game before saying Bryce is going to elevate us to be the next Wichita State, Butler, or VCU. Those teams have won many tournament games and have been national championship contenders.
Quote from: SanityLost17 on March 01, 2015, 06:48:27 PM
Quote from: classof2014 on March 01, 2015, 06:23:39 PM
I don't think Bryce is going anywhere. DePaul is a mess and has been a joke for the last 15 years. I fully believe Bryce has an opportunity to win a national championship during his tenure at VU. Valpo is on the verge of becoming the next Butler, VCU, Gonzaga, etc... many coaches would consider those great jobs to have, Bryce is currently working on making VU a top-tier program.
Opportunity to make Valpo into a consistent tournament team that is always a threat to win a few games, yes. National championship contender, no. This post is the definition of fanatic. Time to come down to earth a little.
Would you say Gonzaga isn't a National Champion contender this season? Wichita St last year? VCU made it to the final 4 a few seasons ago, and Butler made it to two nation title games. Why can't he turn Valpo into a program like these or similar? You have to start somewhere. I agree we need to win a few games in the tournament for them to start contending for titles, who knows maybe this is the year of their break-out run.
You can't deny the potential this core group has. To me this team is a team capable of making a deep run in the tourney, is it this season, I don't no. We need to take care of business first, then we can discuss this team more in depth on whether or not they're capable of making a Cinderella run.
It's a tall order to become a national contender but I do believe Valpo's basketball program can get there. I'm hopeful, I'm a fan, I want to see the team succeed and put Valpo on the national stage.
This year's team is probably not a national championship caliber team. Next couple of years? who knows.
The tall order you speak of just got harder.
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/11321551/ncaa-board-votes-allow-autonomy-five-power-conferences (http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/11321551/ncaa-board-votes-allow-autonomy-five-power-conferences)
I guess ballots were due this evening?
[tweet]572205860719611906[/tweet]
[tweet]572206372928000000[/tweet]
Here's one other ballot
[tweet]572221246928265216[/tweet]
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 01, 2015, 08:03:15 PM
The tall order you speak of just got harder.
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/11321551/ncaa-board-votes-allow-autonomy-five-power-conferences (http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/11321551/ncaa-board-votes-allow-autonomy-five-power-conferences)
Bad thread to post this in. Let's not blow this thread up with this topic please. It is important to know, but not in a place where we are trying to recognize players and coaches achievements from the season.
also it was from seven months ago.
Quote from: valpo4life on March 01, 2015, 09:12:40 PM
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 01, 2015, 08:03:15 PM
The tall order you speak of just got harder.
http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/11321551/ncaa-board-votes-allow-autonomy-five-power-conferences (http://espn.go.com/college-sports/story/_/id/11321551/ncaa-board-votes-allow-autonomy-five-power-conferences)
Bad thread to post this in. Let's not blow this thread up with this topic please. It is important to know, but not in a place where we are trying to recognize players and coaches achievements from the season.
Mick - Good article. If I may, let me suggest that you add it to the following thread so it doesn't get lost in another discussion:
http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=1678.25 (http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?topic=1678.25)
My ballot was very similar to Paul's. I flipped Lewis for Petros on the first team and McWhorter for Harris on the second team. I really think McWhorter is one of the most under appreciated players in the league. Had the same all-freshman team, although I voted Tevonn FOY. I voted Bryce COY. On a side note, I'd have no problem with any of the top four winning POY, but feel Sykes is the least deserving. Playing the same position and nearly the same role, Felder had clearly a better conference season. In fact, Felder's numbers of 19 points and 8 assists per game are as good as any point guard in the country.
One other item, not that Bryce would take it, but DePaul just needs the right coach to be an elite program again. They're building a beautiful state of the art arena right on the Lakefront, they're in the Big East, and they're in the best high school basketball town in the nation.
If I am Valpo and want to keep Bryce, I would seriously consider renovating the ARC sooner than later. If Valpo wants to be a VCU or Gonzaga, they need better facilities to compliment the coaching. I also think the renovation is good not just for basketball but for the students and the university overall.
Even if Bryce wants to move up, I am not sure there will be many opportunities this year.
I'm not worried about Bryce leaving just yet, but we also have a good staff and Powell might look at bigger opportunities and money.
Powell will look for the right opportunity. You cannot blame him for that.
This thread is Post Season Awards and Tourney Predictions
So here is my predictions for the tourney
Round 1:
Youngstown St vs Detroit -- Detroit
Wright St vs UIC -- Wright St
Round 2:
Detroit vs Cleveland St -- Detroit
Wright St vs Oakland -- Oakland
Round 3:
Detroit vs Valpo -- Valpo
Oakland vs Green Bay -- Green Bay
Chapionship:
Green Bay vs Valpo -- Valpo
All tournament team:
Darien Walker (MVP)
Alec Peters
Keifer Sykes
Paris Bass
Corey Petros
There are 3 jobs that would worry me if they came open -- ND, Indiana and Purdue. Those 3 might have the right combination of money, location and prestige that would entice Bryce. Illinois, DePaul and NW are also possibilities, but not sure they're worth the gamble in this new era. Shaka Smart stayed at VCU when other programs (ACC) came calling. It means we need to make Bryce happy, whatever that is -- infrastructure or salaries, recruiting budget or assistant salaries.
BTW, losing Roger Powell would be tough.
[poster steps up on his soapbox]
It seems like every year at this time everyone wants to talk about Bryce leaving VU. It is like you are saying "why would he want to stay here? " ... better throw money at him.
I love that Bryce is the coach and I think it is great for the program but at the end of the day this is a school (with a basketball team) not a basketball team (with a school). Do what is right for the school and for the "student" athletes and what should happen will happen.
[poster steps down from his soap box]
Kyle's All Conference teams
I used KenPom as my only statistical qualifiers for this, so mine's going to look very different.
To qualify for any award you had to play in 13 conference games.
All Defensive Team
To qualify for Defensive awards, you had to have played in 50% of your team's minutes.
DPOY- Anton Grady - 2nd in the league in DReb% and adds in 7.2 Blk% (3rd) and 3.5 Stl% (2nd), easily leading the league when combining all 3 categories. He's actively getting stats in 36.6% of all defensive possessions.
1st Team- Vashil Fernandez - led the league in block % by a wide margin and top 10 in DReb%. Was second to Grady in the combined D categories with 28.1
1st Team- Jordan Fouse - led the league in steal % with 4.1 and threw in 4.0 block % for good measure. Was 4th in the combined D categories with 25.6
1st Team- Matt Tiby - 3rd in overall D categories, he led the league in DReb%
1st Team- Steve McWorter- 5th in Steal %, he finished 2nd among 6'3" players in DReb% and had a Blk% of 1.0. While not very high in the combined D categories, he was the best D Guard.
All Freshman Team
To qualify for Freshman awards, you had to have played in 30% of your team's minutes. (This leaves 11 qualified Freshmen)
FOY- Tevonn Walker - Led freshmen in ORTG among players to use 15% of their team's total possessions and all freshmen in Min%.
1st Team- Paris Bass - Led freshmen in Possession% as well as Blk%, ARate, and DReb%.
1st Team- Grant Benzinger - Had a True Shooting % of 60.6 and led freshmen in 3PM by a wide margin.
1st Team- Jalen Hayes - The 4th freshman with a ORtg of 100+ and 10%+ possesions used. 2nd in DReb% and Steal%
1st Team- Jaleel Hogan - While only having a 7.4 Poss % he had a 112 ORtg. He led freshmen in OReb% and was 2nd Blk%. He also led freshmen in FTRate.
All Conference Team
To qualify for All Conference awards, you had to play in 75% of your team's minutes and use 20% of your teams possessions. (This leaves 14 qualified players)
POY- Alec Peters - The only player with a 120+ ORtg. 3rd in True FG%,OReb%, DReb%, TORate, and 4th in the Combined D Stats.
1st Team- Kahlil Felder - 2nd in the league in %poss used and finished 3rd in ORtg. Far and away the highest ARate, 2nd in FTRate and 4th in Stl%.
1st Team- Keifer Sykes - 1st in %poss used and 6th in ORtg. 4th in ARate and 2nd in TORate. 3nd in Stl%.
1st Team- Corey Petros - 2nd in ORtg and was one of the most efficient players in the league. 1st in effective FG%, OReb% and TORate, and 4th in DReb%
1st Team- Anton Grady - 1st in Defensive Stats and the KenPom DPoY. Solid Offensive side with 2nd in OReb%, and 1st in 2PM.
2nd Team- All 5 of the 9 players who had 110+ ORtgs
Greg Mays
Steve McWorter
Trey Lewis
Juwan Howard Jr
Tevonn Walker
The only upsets I see a possibility as is wsu/uic and detroit/CSU. Not really upsets but only because of seedings.
I think greenbay has the easiest road to the finals.
Quote from: classof2014 on March 02, 2015, 08:30:58 AMThis thread is Post Season Awards and Tourney Predictions
with a bit of the anxiety of "Bryce is leaving and the sky is falling" (thanks 89!) that has happened every year since Bryce took the job. And yet Bryce is still here despite all the benefits that are graced on Valpo by the Drew family's presence being taken for granted by the board of directors. One day the board will see that Valpo has benefited from the Drew name more than the board ever thought.
Quote from: classof2014 on March 02, 2015, 08:30:58 AMSo here is my predictions for the tourney Round 1: Youngstown St vs Detroit -- Detroit Wright St vs UIC -- Wright St
You do realize that UIC just pounded a fully stocked WSU team at the Pavillion just this past Saturday, 61-46?
What makes you think WSU can beat UIC in Chicago just a few days later? Oh, the dreaded it's-too-hard-to-beat-a-team-twice-in-four-days logic?
Quote from: historyman on March 02, 2015, 11:34:42 AM
Quote from: classof2014 on March 02, 2015, 08:30:58 AMSo here is my predictions for the tourney Round 1: Youngstown St vs Detroit -- Detroit Wright St vs UIC -- Wright St
You do realize that UIC just pounded a fully stocked WSU team at the Pavillion just this past Saturday, 61-46?
What makes you think WSU can beat UIC in Chicago just a few days later? Oh, the dreaded it's-too-hard-to-beat-a-team-twice-in-four-days logic?
No... I think Wright St will win because they've proven to me that they can win in the tourney. No matter who wins they won't get any further than the next round. Both teams stink.
I'm not good with predictions, but I'll join the fun (--of the Year listed last):
Defense: Sykes, Fouse, Grady, Fouse, Fernandez, Williams
Frosh: Daniels, Hayes, Benzinger, Walker, Bass
2nd Team: McWhorter, Mays, Tiby, Howard, Lewis
1st Team: Petros (barely nudging out Lewis), Grady, Felder, Peters, Sykes
CoY: Drew
Tournament:
Openers: Detroit and UIC
Quarters: Detroit, Oakland
Semis: Valpo, Green Bay
Title: Green Bay - Sykes is out to prove in front of our fans that he's PoY worthy
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 02, 2015, 11:22:28 AMI think greenbay has the easiest road to the finals.
The team that I would least like to play in the championship (if we make it ) would far and away be Oakland. Forget what happened saturday at GB Kampe will be ready for the rematch. I will be in my seat early and I suggest you do the same. Could be a classic.
Quote from: justducky on March 02, 2015, 11:58:28 AM
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 02, 2015, 11:22:28 AMI think greenbay has the easiest road to the finals.
The team that I would least like to play in the championship (if we make it ) would far and away be Oakland. Forget what happened saturday at GB Kampe will be ready for the rematch. I will be in my seat early and I suggest you do the same. Could be a classic.
I agree, I'm not too worried about Green Bay. We matchup well against them, we have EVN and KC that can shut down Sykes and our interior D is outstanding, thus we force a lot of outside shots. GB's 3 point shooting is the worst in the league. Oakland scares me a bit, they matchup well against us, they're a good 3 point shooting team and have multiple offensive threats.
I do think GB should be able to dispatch Oakland, at least that's what I'm hopeful for since there is no way Oakland loses to UIC or WSU.
Speaking of seats, do season ticket holders keep their seats or are all of them available starting tomorrow? I'll be coming up for Friday and Saturday.
Quote from: classof2014 on March 02, 2015, 11:41:29 AMQuote from: historyman on March 02, 2015, 11:34:42 AMQuote from: classof2014 on March 02, 2015, 08:30:58 AMSo here is my predictions for the tourney Round 1: Youngstown St vs Detroit -- Detroit
Wright St vs UIC -- Wright St
You do realize that UIC just pounded a fully stocked WSU team at the Pavillion just this past Saturday, 61-46? What makes you think WSU can beat UIC in Chicago just a few days later? Oh, the dreaded it's-too-hard-to-beat-a-team-twice-in-four-days logic?
No... I think Wright St will win because they've proven to me that they can win in the tourney. No matter who wins they won't get any further than the next round. Both teams stink.
Wright St did well in the HL tourney in the past due to strong defense. The Raiders just haven't been able to establish the tough defense they have in the past.
If you watch the replay of the WSU/UIC game from Saturday I think you'll see that Yoho and Karena have not played together enough to establish that tough defense and it won't get fixed by Tuesday.
Quote from: chef on March 02, 2015, 02:02:18 AMMy ballot was very similar to Paul's. I flipped Lewis for Petros on the first team and McWhorter for Harris on the second team. I really think McWhorter is one of the most under appreciated players in the league. Had the same all-freshman team, although I voted Tevonn FOY. I voted Bryce COY. On a side note, I'd have no problem with any of the top four winning POY, but feel Sykes is the least deserving. Playing the same position and nearly the same role, Felder had clearly a better conference season. In fact, Felder's numbers of 19 points and 8 assists per game are as good as any point guard in the country.
One other item, not that Bryce would take it, but DePaul just needs the right coach to be an elite program again. They're building a beautiful state of the art arena right on the Lakefront, they're in the Big East, and they're in the best high school basketball town in the nation.
what i read of chef's post
Quote from: chef on March 02, 2015, 02:02:18 AMnot that Bryce would take it
all i'll remember
Quote from: vu72 on March 02, 2015, 12:05:26 PM
Speaking of seats, do season ticket holders keep their seats or are all of them available starting tomorrow? I'll be coming up for Friday and Saturday.
Season ticket holders have first dibs on their seats. Ticket holders who are displaced by the media tables get priority in choosing available seats.
http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/2015-mens-basketball-award-winners-announced (http://www.horizonleague.org/blog/2015-mens-basketball-award-winners-announced)
The Results are in!
2015 HL Awards
Player of the Year: Keifer Sykes, Green Bay (Sr., G)
Defensive Player of the Year: Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso (Sr., C)
Freshman of the Year: Paris Bass, Detroit (G/F)
Sixth Player of the Year: Jubril Adekoya, Valparaiso (So., F)
Coach of the Year: Bryce Drew, Valparaiso
All-League First Team
Keifer Sykes, Green Bay (Sr., G)
Kahlil Felder, Oakland (So., G)
Alec Peters, Valparaiso (So., F)
Anton Grady, Cleveland State (Jr., F)
Trey Lewis, Cleveland State (Jr., G)
All-League Second Team
Juwan Howard, Jr., Detroit (Sr., F)
Corey Petros, Oakland (Sr., C)
Greg Mays, Green Bay (Sr., F)
Matt Tiby, Milwaukee (Jr., F)
Steve McWhorter, Milwaukee (Sr., G)
All-Freshman Team
Paris Bass, Detroit (G/F)
Tevonn Walker, Valparaiso (G)
Jalen Hayes, Oakland (F)
Grant Benzinger, Wright State (G)
Nick Daniels, Oakland (G)
All-Defensive Team
Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso (Sr., C)
Jordan Fouse, Green Bay (Jr., F)
Dante Williams, Oakland (Sr., F)
Anton Grady, Cleveland State (Jr., F)
Charlie Lee, Cleveland State (Sr., G)
Quote from: valpo4life on March 01, 2015, 11:12:21 AM
For the record this is what I think will might see, not what I actually may want to see.
1st Team:
Sykes (POY)
Felder
Peters
Lewis
Grady
2nd Team:
Howard
Petros
Tiby
Mays
McWhorter
Freshmen:
Bass (FOY)
Tevonn
Hayes
Benzinger
Daniels
Defensive:
Vashil (DOY)
Williams
Fouse
McWhorter
Mays
Coach:
Bryce
I had a really tough time deciding between Grady and Howard for the last 1st team spot. But Grady being the leading rebounder in conference play gave him the edge. Would really like to see Tevonn get on the defensive team because he is an excellent defender but I'm not sure if he'll get that recognition or not. Another tough choice was the fifth freshman spot. I went Daniels because he was one of the top 3 point shooters in the league. That stands out more than anything Skara or Hogan have on their "resume".
Nailed it! Minus two defensive first teamers, which I had no clue on after the first three really. Grady probably deserves to be there after, never really thought of Lee as a defensive stopper though. I certainly think Tevonn is a better defender than him, just my homer opinion though.
Also one thing talksalot left out. Jubril was named Sixth Man of the Year! I love it. We're hard on him most of the year but he gets this honor and more than likely a big confidence boost going into the tournament.
Quote from: valpo4life on March 02, 2015, 02:18:24 PMAlso one thing talksalot left out. Jubril was named Sixth Man of the Year!
I just posted the full link... it's on there....
the 3-minute video of the announcement is on the horizonleague.com site.
Interesting that the only the Coaches voted for the Defensive and 6th player awards...
Ah. I skipped right over that post when I saw the next one where you listed everything out. My mistake.
Congrats to Vashil, Alec, Tevonn, Jubril and Bryce! They deserve the recognition!
Assuming this is the same obnoxious and delusional guy that trolls here...
[tweet]572494000629923841[/tweet]
[tweet]572493379449327616[/tweet]
[tweet]572511929580826624[/tweet]
[tweet]572504448972414976[/tweet]
Wow.
I'd like to see some "great" numbers that put Dante Williams ahead of Vashil's "good" numbers. His 115 defensive rating? His 3.1 rebounds per 40 for a forward? No, let's instead rely on anecdotes and feel-good stats like he shut down player x and y. This guy just set Moneyball back 50 years.
and these are voted on by the COACHES only !!... and Kampe is prohibited from voting for his own guy(s)...
Quote from: talksalot on March 02, 2015, 04:14:51 PM
and these are voted on by the COACHES only !!... and Kampe is prohibited from voting for his own guy(s)...
I'd love to see the numbers for each guy. Like if Vashil won 5-4 against Williams or what the breakdown on FOTY was. My guess, Jeter's ballot was all Valpo.
I love how he thinks Hayes deserved FOTY over Bass or Tevonn. Hell he was very clearly the 4th Freshman on the 1st team, and I don't think he was close.
Quote from: a3uge on March 02, 2015, 04:05:37 PMI'd like to see some "great" numbers that put Dante Williams ahead of Vashil's "good" numbers.
In defense of everybody thinking he should not get DPOY, Vashil Fernandez almost requires a separate category. Goalie of the year-- unanimous vote. Can he cover a big with a decent 15' to 22' jump shot? Not very well. Can that very same big (after hitting a few jump shots) then take him to the hole off the dribble? Yes if he is any kind of ball handler. In situations where man to man is required and depending on the matchup Vashil will frequently leave the floor. So is he a great defender? Absolutely or maybe absolutely not!
Quote from: Kyle321n on March 02, 2015, 04:41:57 PM
Quote from: talksalot on March 02, 2015, 04:14:51 PM
and these are voted on by the COACHES only !!... and Kampe is prohibited from voting for his own guy(s)...
I'd love to see the numbers for each guy. Like if Vashil won 5-4 against Williams or what the breakdown on FOTY was. My guess, Jeter's ballot was all Valpo.
I love how he thinks Hayes deserved FOTY over Bass or Tevonn. Hell he was very clearly the 4th Freshman on the 1st team, and I don't think he was close.
I haven't watched every Oakland game this year and I know he hasn't seen every Valpo game - and even if you have, it's much better to look at stats than relying on your emotions as you're more likely to believe what you want to believe. The fact that this guy has a remarkably poor defensive rating, and only the 5th best on his team doesn't sit right with me. Plus he's one of the worst rebounding forwards in the entire conference. Felder actually has over double the rebounding percentage as him.
When I watch Oakland, the last thing I think about is how great defensively they are. When I watch Valpo, I see a good defensive team. The stats prove that - Valpo is 1st in opponents PPG and Oakland is in the bottom half of the league. Vashil is inarguably the best defender on the best defensive team, so seeing him win DPOY is a no brainer. But Vashil actually has numbers to back him up. As a rim protector, he's helped limit defense to under 90 points per 100 possession when he's on the floor. He's blocking shots at an astonishing rate and is one of the best shot blockers in the entire country. His rebounding is also okay, and has the best rebounding numbers on one of the best rebounding teams in the conference.
I actually think the more compelling argument is Vashil vs Grady more than Vashil vs Williams. Grady has awesome defense stats across the board and would be far more deserving than Williams.
Quote from: justducky on March 02, 2015, 05:09:17 PM
Quote from: a3uge on March 02, 2015, 04:05:37 PMI'd like to see some "great" numbers that put Dante Williams ahead of Vashil's "good" numbers.
In defense of everybody thinking he should not get DPOY, Vashil Fernandez almost requires a separate category. Goalie of the year-- unanimous vote. Can he cover a big with a decent 15' to 22' jump shot? Not very well. Can that very same big (after hitting a few jump shots) then take him to the hole off the dribble? Yes if he is any kind of ball handler. In situations where man to man is required and depending on the matchup Vashil will frequently leave the floor. So is he a great defender? Absolutely or maybe absolutely not!
It's hard to argue that Vashil's goalie status hurt the team from guarding the perimeter; teams shot a horizon league worst 32% from 3 against Valpo.
Oakland had 25% of the players named to the combined 1st and 2nd, all defensive, and freshman teams, more than any other team in the league. I would be counting my lucky stars if we did that well after finishing 3rd or 4th in the league or whatever they are. Yet, some knucklehead over there acts like there should be a congressional investigation because they didn't get something more. Maybe there should be a congressional investigation into why they didn't win more games with all that talent.
We don't have to defend Vashiel or anyone else. Our record speaks for itself.
Fernandez is not the best defensive player in the league but he is the most valuable defensive player in the league.
Most observers acknowledge that any of 4-5 teams could win the tournament. Games among them support that belief.
In six games against CSU, GB and Oakland, Valpo is 4-2 and has scored exactly the same number of points as its opponents, biggest margin was a 14-point loss at Oakland in the HL opener, and that was in overtime. Widest margin of victory was six points at home against Oakland. Add the split of two with Detroit and the scoring margin is only plus 5 (8-point win at home, 3-point loss in Detroit) for 8 games.
GB has the poorest record against the other top seeds, 2-4, and a scoring deficit of 5 points in the six games (less than a point a game). Two of the widest margins among the leaders involve GB, a 14-point loss to CSU and a 20-point win over Oakland. Add the sweep of Detroit (6 point and 20 point wins) and the scoring margin in plus 21, less than 3 points a game.
CSU is 3-3 against the top three seeds but has the best scoring margin, plus 15, largely because of the 14-point win over Green Bay and no loss of more than 3 points. Add is the split with Detroit and the scoring margin is plus 18.
Oakland is 3-3 against the other three with a minus 10 scoring difference in the six games. Two games were decided by more than 6 points, the 14-point overtime win over Valpo and the 20-point loss at GB. Add in the split with Detroit and the deficit becomes 25 points in 8 games largely due to a 20-point loss at Detroit (and a 5-pint win at home), but that's still barely more than 3 points a game.
Detroit is 3-5 against the top 4 with a 19-point deficit in points for the 8 games, less than 3 points a game.
And, something to submit to Ripley's Believe it or Not, in games played by the top four seeds against each other, the winning teams have scored 1,555 points and the losing teams have scored 1,555 points.
Average winning margin ZERO!
I would say it this way. Vashiel is not the best one-on-one defender in the league because that's not the role of a shot blocker and shot alterer (rim protector). His role is to protect the entire painted area where the highest percentage shots are taken. A good on-ball defender like Williams can only reduce the effectiveness of a single player. A premier rim protector like Vashiel can change the effectiveness of the other team's entire offense.
Obviously, the league's head coaches see it that way as well.
chef - a few things about Chicago basketball:
1. For such strong high school basketball in the Chicagoland area, it is amazing that [/size]state of college basketball is so poor. It used to be much better.
[/size]2. That being said in the first statement, Chicago high school hoop has been good but vastly overrated. The school and media overhype these players and they tend to underachieve at the college level. LA, New York, Philly and the Ohio cities have better HS basketball than Chicago.
[/size]3. DePaul has a lot of issues. I feel part of it is a stubborn athletic director. Part of it are administrators still living off the Ray Meyer era. Part of it is student apathy where there are better entertainment alternatives than DePaul basketball. A big part of it is the Allstate Arena which is a generic dump - hopefully the new arena at McCormick place will help. Purnell is only one part of the problem.
Didn't know oakland even played defense. The defensive player of the year being from oakland is an oxymoron.
(increased size so usc4valpo's post could be read)
1. For such strong high school basketball in the Chicagoland area, it is amazing that state of college basketball is so poor. It used to be much better.
2. That being said in the first statement, Chicago high school hoop has been good but vastly overrated. The school and media overhype these players and they tend to underachieve at the college level. LA, New York, Philly and the Ohio cities have better HS basketball than Chicago.
3. DePaul has a lot of issues. I feel part of it is a stubborn athletic director. Part of it are administrators still living off the Ray Meyer era. Part of it is student apathy where there are better entertainment alternatives than DePaul basketball. A big part of it is the Allstate Arena which is a generic dump - hopefully the new arena at McCormick place will help. Purnell is only one part of the problem.
Awesome tournament predictions by The American Sports Network:
http://americansportsnet.com/horizon-league-picks/ (http://americansportsnet.com/horizon-league-picks/)
QuoteKevin Lehman
Should win conference: Cleveland State
Dark horse: Valparaiso
Who else might get in: Green Bay and Oakland
Why I choose Cleveland State: Cleveland State with the outside game of Trey Lewis (.483 from the arc) combined with the inside game of Anton Grady and senior point guard Charlie Lee the Vikings have everything it takes to bring home a tournament championship. CSU's run to the NCAA tournament may depend on the health of defensive ace Kaza Keane, who injured his knee in the loss at Milwaukee. There's not much separation between the top four in the Horizon and Cleveland State, Valparaiso, Oakland or Green Bay could do some damage in the first round of the NCAA tournament. But the Horizon likely will be a one-bid league this year and the edge goes to the tournament host team (CSU).
and
QuoteDoug Bell
Should win conference: Valparaiso
Dark horse: Oakland
Who else might get in: None
Why I choose Valparaiso: Bryce Drew has been diving on the floor after the buzzer beater against Ole Miss for years now. It's finally time for the young head coach to watch his team create another shining moment with a conference title.
Quote from: a3uge on March 02, 2015, 09:55:55 PMAwesome tournament predictions by The American Sports Network:
(http://ncfm.org/wp-content/uploads/2012/07/bad-journalism.png)
congrats to jubril...but...i dunno.
wh, that's why Petros wasn't the 1st team. Any team with 2 on the league first team shouldn't be that low.
Did the knowledgable TD say Chicago players tend to underachieve in college?? So many of the successful midwest teams every year are loaded with Chicago kids...Look at this year, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue, Valpo, UWGB...Chicago kids as starters and key components. Kentucky, West Virginia, Connecticut, Duke and Kansas also have key Chicago kids. The top two players in the country Okafor and Kaminsky are from Chicago. How bout top picks in the draft 2008 Derrick Rose, 2012 Anthony Davis, 2014 (2nd pick) Jabari Parker, 2015 (projected) Jahlil Okafor. Then there's the ultimate underachiever Dwayne Wade, who finished 7th in the Illinois Mr Basketball vote in 2000. That was two spots behind Matt Lottich.
Quote from: chef on March 02, 2015, 11:41:23 PM
Did the knowledgable TD say Chicago players tend to underachieve in college?? So many of the successful midwest teams every year are loaded with Chicago kids...Look at this year, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio State, Purdue, Valpo, UWGB...Chicago kids as starters and key components. Kentucky, West Virginia, Connecticut, Duke and Kansas also have key Chicago kids. The top two players in the country Okafor and Kaminsky are from Chicago. How bout top picks in the draft 2008 Derrick Rose, 2012 Anthony Davis, 2014 (2nd pick) Jabari Parker, 2015 (projected) Jahlil Okafor. Then there's the ultimate underachiever Dwayne Wade, who finished 7th in the Illinois Mr Basketball vote in 2000. That was two spots behind Matt Lottich.
Actually, usc4valpo made that statement, not TD. There was some sort of a font size problem which rendered usc's comments unreadable. TD just re-posted usc's comments with a larger font.Quote from: usc4valpo on March 02, 2015, 09:30:55 PM
chef - a few things about Chicago basketball:
1. For such strong high school basketball in the Chicagoland area, it is amazing that [/size]state of college basketball is so poor. It used to be much better.
[/size]2. That being said in the first statement, Chicago high school hoop has been good but vastly overrated. The school and media overhype these players and they tend to underachieve at the college level. LA, New York, Philly and the Ohio cities have better HS basketball than Chicago.
[/size]3. DePaul has a lot of issues. I feel part of it is a stubborn athletic director. Part of it are administrators still living off the Ray Meyer era. Part of it is student apathy where there are better entertainment alternatives than DePaul basketball. A big part of it is the Allstate Arena which is a generic dump - hopefully the new arena at McCormick place will help. Purnell is only one part of the problem.
Quote from: bbtds on March 02, 2015, 09:55:29 PM
(increased size so usc4valpo's post could be read)
1. For such strong high school basketball in the Chicagoland area, it is amazing that state of college basketball is so poor. It used to be much better.
2. That being said in the first statement, Chicago high school hoop has been good but vastly overrated. The school and media overhype these players and they tend to underachieve at the college level. LA, New York, Philly and the Ohio cities have better HS basketball than Chicago.
3. DePaul has a lot of issues. I feel part of it is a stubborn athletic director. Part of it are administrators still living off the Ray Meyer era. Part of it is student apathy where there are better entertainment alternatives than DePaul basketball. A big part of it is the Allstate Arena which is a generic dump - hopefully the new arena at McCormick place will help. Purnell is only one part of the problem.
Vashil absolutely deserves DPOY. He owned the paint in many of our games this season, with teams afraid to drive in the lane. Only 1-2 teams in conference dared to go right at him, and most often, they missed because he altered their shots so badly. Outside of his great defensive numbers, there had to be 8-10 shots altered every game. Dante Williams' impact was not near as much as Vashil's impact. Oakland should be thankful that their 3rd/4th place finish gave them as many awards as they received. Grizz is crazy for thinking all awards should head to the 3rd/4th place team...oh yeah, Petros still sucks.
Sorry guys. I had a problem taking the quotes and the font became small. Thanks bbtds for editing my entry.
chef, I am not saying it is bad, in fact it is great. But the past decades many players get hyped up to mythical standards and then bomb. I may point to King HS in the 90's regarding that. Also, there are great players from all over the country.Also, if the Chicago teams were so great, they would monopolize winning the state tournament, which they have not.
Regarding Chicago HS legends, the 2 best I ever saw were Quinn Buckner and Isiah Thomas, at least when growing up there.
My apologizes to the still knowledgable TD. Speaking of Isiah, when he went second in the 1981 draft, Mark Aguirre went first. The two grew up up in the same housing project, and had player together their whole life.
I'm guessing Valpo was so close at a clean sweep of PoY, FoY, D-PoY, Sixth Man, and CoY. I would imagine Alec and Tevonn were second in the voting in their respective categories.
Sykes can have his trophy it'll be the only one he gets this year!
Quote from: a3uge on March 02, 2015, 09:55:55 PM
Awesome tournament predictions by The American Sports Network:
http://americansportsnet.com/horizon-league-picks/ (http://americansportsnet.com/horizon-league-picks/)
QuoteKevin Lehman
Should win conference: Cleveland State
Dark horse: Valparaiso
Who else might get in: Green Bay and Oakland
Why I choose Cleveland State: Cleveland State with the outside game of Trey Lewis (.483 from the arc) combined with the inside game of Anton Grady and senior point guard Charlie Lee the Vikings have everything it takes to bring home a tournament championship. CSU's run to the NCAA tournament may depend on the health of defensive ace Kaza Keane, who injured his knee in the loss at Milwaukee. There's not much separation between the top four in the Horizon and Cleveland State, Valparaiso, Oakland or Green Bay could do some damage in the first round of the NCAA tournament. But the Horizon likely will be a one-bid league this year and the edge goes to the tournament host team (CSU).
and
QuoteDoug Bell
Should win conference: Valparaiso
Dark horse: Oakland
Who else might get in: None
Why I choose Valparaiso: Bryce Drew has been diving on the floor after the buzzer beater against Ole Miss for years now. It's finally time for the young head coach to watch his team create another shining moment with a conference title.
Not to self promote, but I quickly did some googling and shamed the ASN and Doug Bell
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[tweet]572767277067603968[/tweet]
Do we assume they listed these in order of votes received? So Felder passing Peters, and Tevonn finishing second?
It _would_ be fun to see the vote totals. And, for that matter, to know the criteria for 6th man. Very nice for Jubril to get a nod there, particularly if E Vic wasn't eligible.
Quote from: talksalot on March 02, 2015, 02:02:09 PM
2015 HL Awards
Player of the Year: Keifer Sykes, Green Bay (Sr., G)
Defensive Player of the Year: Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso (Sr., C)
Freshman of the Year: Paris Bass, Detroit (G/F)
Sixth Player of the Year: Jubril Adekoya, Valparaiso (So., F)
Coach of the Year: Bryce Drew, Valparaiso
All-League First Team
Keifer Sykes, Green Bay (Sr., G)
Kahlil Felder, Oakland (So., G)
Alec Peters, Valparaiso (So., F)
Anton Grady, Cleveland State (Jr., F)
Trey Lewis, Cleveland State (Jr., G)
All-League Second Team
Juwan Howard, Jr., Detroit (Sr., F)
Corey Petros, Oakland (Sr., C)
Greg Mays, Green Bay (Sr., F)
Matt Tiby, Milwaukee (Jr., F)
Steve McWhorter, Milwaukee (Sr., G)
All-Freshman Team
Paris Bass, Detroit (G/F)
Tevonn Walker, Valparaiso (G)
Jalen Hayes, Oakland (F)
Grant Benzinger, Wright State (G)
Nick Daniels, Oakland (G)
All-Defensive Team
Vashil Fernandez, Valparaiso (Sr., C)
Jordan Fouse, Green Bay (Jr., F)
Dante Williams, Oakland (Sr., F)
Anton Grady, Cleveland State (Jr., F)
Charlie Lee, Cleveland State (Sr., G)
I said Green Bay has the easiest road to the finals because their semi will be easier for them than us. They just beat Oakland in a lopsided game that proved they have way more talent. Green Bay only has one hard game standing in the way of the NCAA and that's only if it's Valpo is in the final. If Valpo loses, Green Bay is at home. I also think Green Bay is playing better now than they were two weeks ago in their loss to CSU. Sykes has stepped it up since then too.
While the Horizon League season awards add interest to this year's tournament, they also emphasize the strength of this league for the upcoming year. Only one of the members on the First Team is a senior (Sykes). Peters, Felder, Grady, and Lewis, as well as Tiby from the Second Team, should all return next year. In addition, the All-Freshman team seems to offer a quality crop who will only be stronger and more mature next season.
Barring any unexpected transfers—with Valparaiso losing only Fernandez and Chadwick, but adding a hopefully healthy Williams, Smits, Relvao, Hammink, and Levingston-Simon, as well as Nickerson and Carter at 100%—the Crusaders should be in position to be favored for next season's championship. However, the competition will be at a very high level.
Since we don't have a thread for our next game, I thought I post this here. Just checked the ticket site (trying to buy tickets!) and found that at the moment there are a total of 18 seats left on the chairback side with two together only in the corners. On the reserved side there are 162 seats left with about 140 of those in the corners. Upper deck seats are moving well. I think we'll just buy upper deck seats and then stand against the rail. Great place view a game. Can't wait!
Tickets flying off the shelf. Chairbacks now sold out middle sections of reserved, sold out. Upper deck moving nicely!
:o Wowsa! Glad I got mine all yesterday
The ARC is such a great atmosphere when it is packed like it is going to be this weekend!
Valpo by far has the best fans in the HL! There's always a large group of Valpo fans at every road game, did the Valpo fans make more noise than CSU fans on Friday? Sure seemed that way, I heard them whenever Valpo made a big play.
When full the ARC is one of the best gameday atmospheres in college basketball.
New Term: ARC-mosphere
Feel free to use it....I have not trademarked it.
Quote from: vu72 on March 03, 2015, 09:58:26 AM
Since we don't have a thread for our next game, I thought I post this here. Just checked the ticket site (trying to buy tickets!) and found that at the moment there are a total of 18 seats left on the chairback side with two together only in the corners. On the reserved side there are 162 seats left with about 140 of those in the corners. Upper deck seats are moving well. I think we'll just buy upper deck seats and then stand against the rail. Great place view a game. Can't wait!
Quote from: vu72 on March 03, 2015, 11:01:41 AM
Tickets flying off the shelf. Chairbacks now sold out middle sections of reserved, sold out. Upper deck moving nicely!
My Tourney Prediction:
We will host three days of HL tourney games with an excited and vocal crowd. We will then host a NCAA Tourney watch party on 15 March!
No, that guy is not me. I really don't care about the awards, but really, what fan base doesn't want their kids to receive awards. If Williams had won there would be the same noise going on over here as there is at Oakland. It's what happens everywhere. Going into the last 48 hours any of 3 teams could have hosted, Valpo, CSU or Oakland so saying that a 4th place team shouldn't get awards is kind of short sited on your part. CSU is the 4th seed and has 2 guys on the first team, so why wouldn't fans that love Petros think he got jobbed. Why would you even worry about it. HC is still mad Drew didn't get the COY one year. What difference is that then allowing Oakland fans the same rose colored glasses. Bottom line, Valpo won, congrats, you had a great season, and your players were very deserving of any and all awards they got. Hayes was freshman of the week 6 of the last 11 weeks of the season. Tell me if T Walker had been 6 of the last 11 you guys wouldn't be up in arms over Bass getting the award. Me, I would have voted for Walker because I don't think you guys would have won the championship if he had gotten injured or couldn't play, as compared to Bass who had some nice games. We all look at it from our own perspective, enjoy your season and let the Grizz fans feel jobbed.
Quote from: a3uge on March 02, 2015, 09:55:55 PM
Awesome tournament predictions by The American Sports Network:
http://americansportsnet.com/horizon-league-picks/ (http://americansportsnet.com/horizon-league-picks/)
QuoteKevin Lehman
Should win conference: Cleveland State
Dark horse: Valparaiso
Who else might get in: Green Bay and Oakland
Why I choose Cleveland State: Cleveland State with the outside game of Trey Lewis (.483 from the arc) combined with the inside game of Anton Grady and senior point guard Charlie Lee the Vikings have everything it takes to bring home a tournament championship. CSU's run to the NCAA tournament may depend on the health of defensive ace Kaza Keane, who injured his knee in the loss at Milwaukee. There's not much separation between the top four in the Horizon and Cleveland State, Valparaiso, Oakland or Green Bay could do some damage in the first round of the NCAA tournament. But the Horizon likely will be a one-bid league this year and the edge goes to the tournament host team (CSU).
and
QuoteDoug Bell
Should win conference: Valparaiso
Dark horse: Oakland
Who else might get in: None
Why I choose Valparaiso: Bryce Drew has been diving on the floor after the buzzer beater against Ole Miss for years now. It's finally time for the young head coach to watch his team create another shining moment with a conference title.
From the link, it looks as though the CSU prediction was made on 26 February, before we beat them for the rights to host the HL Tournament. I think that I would have waited until after Friday's game before making such a prediction.
I don't disagree with anything Grizz said. Did I just say that? ;)
Quote from: Grizz on March 03, 2015, 12:01:37 PM
No, that guy is not me. I really don't care about the awards, but really, what fan base doesn't want their kids to receive awards. If Williams had won there would be the same noise going on over here as there is at Oakland. It's what happens everywhere. Going into the last 48 hours any of 3 teams could have hosted, Valpo, CSU or Oakland so saying that a 4th place team shouldn't get awards is kind of short sited on your part. CSU is the 4th seed and has 2 guys on the first team, so why wouldn't fans that love Petros think he got jobbed. Why would you even worry about it. HC is still mad Drew didn't get the COY one year. What difference is that then allowing Oakland fans the same rose colored glasses. Bottom line, Valpo won, congrats, you had a great season, and your players were very deserving of any and all awards they got. Hayes was freshman of the week 6 of the last 11 weeks of the season. Tell me if T Walker had been 6 of the last 11 you guys wouldn't be up in arms over Bass getting the award. Me, I would have voted for Walker because I don't think you guys would have won the championship if he had gotten injured or couldn't play, as compared to Bass who had some nice games. We all look at it from our own perspective, enjoy your season and let the Grizz fans feel jobbed.
Just because you won PoW doesn't mean you are the best or most deserving. Ryan Broekhoff, won POY in 11/12 and wasn't PoW once that whole season.
Quote from: Grizz on March 03, 2015, 12:01:37 PMHC is still mad Drew didn't get the COY one year.
I think you have me confused with someone else. I actually agree with most of what you say here.
Quote from: covufan on March 03, 2015, 11:48:49 AM
We will host three days of HL tourney games with an excited and vocal crowd. We will then host a NCAA Tourney watch party on 15 March!
I don't know how excited the crowd's going to be on Friday... Well, maybe some of them excited, but presumably a pretty small crowd.
I think I did take in one of the early games last time Valpo hosted. YSU and somebody? The only time, if memory serves, I've ever sat in the chairbacks. Not much of a crowd.
Quote from: HC on March 03, 2015, 11:04:13 AMWowsa! Glad I got mine all yesterday
I wonder who gets the gate? Probably the league? I wonder if Valpo gets a cut? Presumably the league covers expenses, but I wonder who keeps the profits. I'd hate to suggest raising concessions prices, but the thought does cross my mind...
Looks like I'll be skating in to town around the start of the second half of the final. Could be at the ARC maybe mid-way through the second half. I'll have to decide what, if anything to do about ticketing...
the HL receives tickets. That's why they want each member gym to seat at least 5,000?
Quote from: vu72 on March 03, 2015, 09:58:26 AMSince we don't have a thread for our next game, I thought I post this here.
Someone should totally get on that!
Hey 2014 again you just don't read very well. Where did I say that pow had anything to do with it. PERCEPTION. I said..... he won 6 of the last 11. If your kid had done that you guys would be up in arms. I'm sure you will fire back some sort of "you know better, or your so smart. You are like my wife, you have to be right and you need the last word. With her I choose to be happy rather then right, with you.....nevermind
Quote from: Grizz on March 03, 2015, 01:26:42 PM
Hey 2014 again you just don't read very well. Where did I say that pow had anything to do with it. PERCEPTION. I said..... he won 6 of the last 11. If your kid had done that you guys would be up in arms. I'm sure you will fire back some sort of "you know better, or your so smart. You are like my wife, you have to be right and you need the last word. With her I choose to be happy rather then right, with you.....nevermind
Does your wife know you spend your time arguing with strangers on a message board devoted to Valparaiso University athletics?
Quote from: a3uge on March 03, 2015, 01:53:48 PM
Quote from: Grizz on March 03, 2015, 01:26:42 PM
Hey 2014 again you just don't read very well. Where did I say that pow had anything to do with it. PERCEPTION. I said..... he won 6 of the last 11. If your kid had done that you guys would be up in arms. I'm sure you will fire back some sort of "you know better, or your so smart. You are like my wife, you have to be right and you need the last word. With her I choose to be happy rather then right, with you.....nevermind
Does your wife know you spend your time arguing with strangers on a message board devoted to Valparaiso University athletics?
a3uge, I'm pretty sure he was talking about -your- wife!
Grizz is correct, we would all be upset if we had a kid who won that many FOW awards and not win FOTY. All fans have a bias towards their own team. Nothing wrong with that.
Can't we just all agree and enjoy the fact that over the next couple of years Valpo and Oakland are going to be at the top of the league. Other HL schools are going to start to wonder why they invited the two of us into the league in the 1st place. :)
Quote from: agibson on March 03, 2015, 02:00:09 PM
Quote from: a3uge on March 03, 2015, 01:53:48 PM
Quote from: Grizz on March 03, 2015, 01:26:42 PM
Hey 2014 again you just don't read very well. Where did I say that pow had anything to do with it. PERCEPTION. I said..... he won 6 of the last 11. If your kid had done that you guys would be up in arms. I'm sure you will fire back some sort of "you know better, or your so smart. You are like my wife, you have to be right and you need the last word. With her I choose to be happy rather then right, with you.....nevermind
Does your wife know you spend your time arguing with strangers on a message board devoted to Valparaiso University athletics?
a3uge, I'm pretty sure he was talking about -your- wife!
Debbie, is that you?
Quote from: SanityLost17 on March 03, 2015, 02:05:03 PMGrizz is correct, we would all be upset if we had a kid who won that many FOW awards and not win FOTY. All fans have a bias towards their own team. Nothing wrong with that. Can't we just all agree and enjoy the fact that over the next couple of years Valpo and Oakland are going to be at the top of the league. Other HL schools are going to start to wonder why they invited the two of us into the league in the 1st place. :)
Heck, Oakland may take our back to back HL season championship next year. With the studs they have transfering in and the two freshman this year and Felder. They will be tough.
Quote from: oklahomamick on March 03, 2015, 02:26:25 PM
Quote from: SanityLost17 on March 03, 2015, 02:05:03 PMGrizz is correct, we would all be upset if we had a kid who won that many FOW awards and not win FOTY. All fans have a bias towards their own team. Nothing wrong with that. Can't we just all agree and enjoy the fact that over the next couple of years Valpo and Oakland are going to be at the top of the league. Other HL schools are going to start to wonder why they invited the two of us into the league in the 1st place. :)
Heck, Oakland may take it away our back to back HL season championship next year. With the studs they have transfering in and the two freshman this year and Felder. They will be tough.
Hopefully, at least above .500.
Vashil was top-10 in the nation in both blocks/game and block percentage. The Crusaders were top-15 nationally in 2-point percentage, thanks mainly to Vashil's presence. To say that Dante Williams had an argument is OK, to say he got robbed is a joke.
Vashil was the reason we were so good, my guess is next season our defense will be nowhere near as strong, it'll still be good but not one of the best in the nation.
Vashil is having possibly the best defensive season in Valpo history as well as Horizon League history. Most of the times great defenders take away a single player, Vashil takes away a whole aspect of offense.
His offensive number are perhaps a bit subpar but what he does for us on the defensive end is nothing short of spectacular. Hard to believe that he is still new to the sport.
Anyone else wonder how the DPOY missed the 2nd team? He's actually shooting 57% from the floor (4th in league) and grabs a ridiculous amount of offensive rebounds (1st in percentage). His offensive rating is actually the 2nd highest on the team and he has the 2nd highest PER.
Actually looking at the other guys though, they all have decent numbers. I think it speaks to Valpo's depth and teamwork on how they can win the league and have only one guy on the 1st and 2nd team. Milwaukee has two 2nd teamers because outside of those two guys, they're pretty thin. Our entire starting 5 has PERs above 16 while the two 2nd teamers on MKE are the only two above 15. Their 6th guy has a PER of 11.
It also shows that Valpo plays at a relatively slow pace (2nd to last in possessions per game, 1st is CSU) and tries to limit opponents possessions (2nd, 1st is again CSU). Defensively the team is solid all-around and that doesn't really translate to 1st and 2nd teamers. Offensively, its hard to accumulate counting stats when you don't have as many possessions.
Anyways these rankings don't really matter and will be easily forgotten in a couple years. At least they're actually given out to players that have actually done something, unlike the pointless preseason "awards".
If KC would've stayed healthy I think you could've made a reasonable argument that Valpo could've had 7 players received awards for their play.
Alec -- 1st team
Vashil -- D
Tevonn -- Freshmen
Jubril -- 6th
KC -- 2nd or defense
Darien -- 2nd
David -- Freshmen
If KC would've remained healthy I wonder if EVN would've contended with Jubril for 6th man.
What separated us from the pack this season was our depth. Basically, we have 8 starters and anyone of them can be the star of the game.
Quote from: classof2014 on March 02, 2015, 11:41:29 AM
Quote from: historyman on March 02, 2015, 11:34:42 AM
Quote from: classof2014 on March 02, 2015, 08:30:58 AMSo here is my predictions for the tourney Round 1: Youngstown St vs Detroit -- Detroit Wright St vs UIC -- Wright St
You do realize that UIC just pounded a fully stocked WSU team at the Pavillion just this past Saturday, 61-46?
What makes you think WSU can beat UIC in Chicago just a few days later? Oh, the dreaded it's-too-hard-to-beat-a-team-twice-in-four-days logic?
No... I think Wright St will win because they've proven to me that they can win in the tourney. No matter who wins they won't get any further than the next round. Both teams stink.
Interesting that both UIC and Detroit were the higher seeds and hosts of the first round HL tourney games and both had to come back from deficits that covered most of the games. Yet both UIC and Detroit came back and won on their home courts.