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We need to make a push to getting Nana Akenten. If we don't, he will be out of our reaches pretty soon.

Since no one here has talked about the 3 Valparaiso High School commits, here's my input:
Chris Orlich: 6'0-6'1 WR, good hands, decent route runner, lacks breakaway speed.
Dylan Johnson: 6'1 OLB, great speed, covers lots of ground well, needs to work on wrapping up guys, was a Track All State in 2015 4x100 (8th place), 2016 200m State Qualifier.
Bryce Crook: 5'11 RB/DB, good breakaway speed, nice vision, sheds defenders well, also played baseball at VHS. Probably will be a KR/PR as well. Lower body strength is a question mark.

According to his Twitter, Akenten has not committed to any school, while he just received an offer from Bradley.

Valpo HC Matt Lottich & Buffalo AC Jim Whitesell will be in to see 6'6 2017 WF Nana Akenten tomorrow per @brookhoops.

Nana Akenten is originally from Gary, moved to Merrillville as a youngster, then moved to Valparaiso, where he attended Thomas Jefferson Elementary (where I attended as Nana was in the grade below me) in kindergarten before moving to Bolingbrook. Nana is an athletic 6'6 wing who has several offers already, including Nebraska. Would love to see this kid come back to the 219.

What about Greg Paulus of Ohio State?

Paulus would be a good hire IMO. Him or Jon Scheyer would be fine with me.

Here's somebody no one has brought up: Billy Gillespie. Former A&M, Kentucky, & Texas Tech coach now at Ranger JC. I know he left under pretty bad terms at Tech, but I'd love for LaBarbera to pursue Gillespie since he has the head coaching experience and is somebody we potentially could get.

If UCF has fired Donnie Jones, does Brachen Hazen open up his recruiting?

http://verbalcommits.com/players/brachen-hazen

Per the Indy Star, Hazen has opened up his recruiting.

Would love to get both of the Hazens. Saw both of them play this year in a tourney at Columbia City (I know Coach Benedict), both were impressive, but both need to get stronger. Parker was at a game this year and hopefully is one of our top 2017 targets. Getting Brachen would get Parker to commit to us.

[Well, that explains it. If my FTs were like that, I'd be driven to drink too.But, in all honesty, if the NCAA jerked me around, I'd probably drink all season too :/ All dressed up and no place to play.]

Well, that explains it.  If my FTs were like that, I'd be driven to drink too.

But, in all honesty, if the NCAA jerked me around, I'd probably drink all season too :/  All dressed up and no place to play.

I posted this question on Twitter.

If a party of 100 VU students was busted for underage drinking and a party of 100 VHS students was busted for underage drinking, which would result in more arrests?

Easy.  VHS students.  After all, it's already been proven that even Jeff Samardzija (w/o looking spelling up) couldn't outrun the cops...

I'm guessing though that Jubril will sit the next few or several games.

OVER or UNDER?

1)  Keith Carter:  5.0 apg     Under               

2)  Jordan Coleman:  9.5 ppg Over

3)  LaVonte Dority:  80% FTs  Under

4)  Bobby Capobianco:  75 3PT att Under

5)  Moussa Gueye:  2.0 bpg  Under

6)  Clay Yeo:  20 mpg  Over

7)  Vashil Fernandez:  6.5 rpg Under

8)  Lexus Williams:  0.8 spg  Over

9)  Nick Davidson:  redshirt?  yes or no  No

10)  Jubril Adekoya:  22 games played   Over

11)  Alec Peters:  45% FG%  Over

12)  David Chadwick:  35% 3FG%  Under (barely)

13)  Team:  20 wins  Under (I'll go with 16.)

14)  Tie-breaker--team points per game, to 3 sig figs  72.3

If the arena is built, it's gonna most likely go in the once prominently and nationally recognized Coffee Creek Center on the outskirts of Chesterton in Liberty Township, which has been pretty stagnant in development since it got an article in Time Magazine in the 1990s, though Coffee Creek just got Urschel Labratories (food processing equipment) to relocate there. This location makes the most sense cause it's near I80-90 and I94. I bet we would use the Duneland arena for big non-conference home games. Another sleeper for an area that VU could develop on its own is the old "eyesore" 3D store on the northeast corner of Roosevelt and Licolnway. I bet that will become a sports/campus use facility, but not a 9,000 seat arena. The old hospital is an area that VU will use for athletic facilities most likely use, but they gotta first do the chemical/asbestos check/cleanup before VU takes full control of the 12 acre site. We could use this for a bigger arena. Both the 3D and the old hospital are within walking distance and are possible areas for a new ARC.

Let it be known right now, I think Yeo will be much more successful than Davidson. Yes, you can say Yeo played weaker competition, but Yeo showed his dominant capabilities that I've not seen from Davidson. Yeo can dunk consistently, Davidson can't. I would've loved to have Mike Schlotman rather than Nick Davidson. Davidson played absolutely horrible in the 3A semi state game vs Concordia and he cost his team a chance at winning a state title. Schlotman was flashy and looked more like a college player and Davidson did not seem as comfortable playing at PG.

I thought it was funny when one of the tennis players in the chairbacks was calling Cougill, "Cowgirl". Haha

Think about it--if Anderson wasn't such a hotdog and just layed the ball in, or, heaven forbid, just simply stuffed it in, then--Detroit has one more point (he made one of two on the foul shots) and, we go to OT and then, who knows...

I don't care if Anderson is a hotdog, he's the most athletic and exciting player in college basketball and you all can't just hate on him because you think he showboats or he's a thug. I don't think he is, he just does what he needs to do and that is throw it down in your face and get the arena pumped up. His dunks are sick, Bobby deserved to get ejected, stupid foul in my opinion. Let him go instead of endangering the safety of an opposing player. It was a cheapshot, and all the websites are correct by saying it was a cheapshot.

Great comeback by the Crusaders!!! Though we didn't play great  , we still won ! Can someone give me a video link of Kevin's putback or just the highlights of the game? I wasn't able to watch the game today.

I'm in Valpo vacationing and seeing a friend.

I saw Vashil Fernandez at the ARC working with some kids at a basketball camp (along with other VU players including Rowdy). His footwork looks much improved but his outside shot still needs lots of improvement. Although I do realize that most only expect him to rebound, block shots and make occasional put backs, it would be nice if he could hit the jumper.

I was at the VU camp this past week and Ryan Fazekas from Michigan City Marquette who is a 6'6 sophomore was at the ARC talking to Diebler, Gore, and Drew. Fazekas is a very good player who has more good things ahead of him at MCM. Fazekas also confirmed he is staying at MCM, and not returning to Chesterton, which had been spread through some rumors. Fazekas has only one offer so far and that is from VU.

Where did the VU vs. SLU game info come from? This game, whether at Chaifetz Arena or at the ARC would be awesome because SLU returns most of their players and it would be a game between the A-10 conference favorite vs. the HL conference favorite. (SLU has a great campus by the way.)

I would really like to see us play a yearly alternating site series with the Illinois State Rebirds. ISU is in the MVC, nearly beat Creighton in the Arch Madness Championship, beat Ole Miss on the road in the NIT first round, and have great talent like Warsaw product Nic Moore. I really would have liked to see Moore in a VU jersey though. Another two series that VU should get on the schedule are A-10 teams Saint Louis and Temple. Both have made the NCAA tournament recently and would really make VU better. We never play many A-10 or MVC teans(besides playing Missouri St.), which I think we should try to get some games with those conference teams on our schedule.

 A big guy that we can't get now is Leke Solanke from MC Marquette who just signed with Stetson apparently.

Did someone forget UDM's Doug Anderson? I know he doesn't play defense, but he can JUMP TO THE MOON! We should be good next year with the guys we return.

Would the kid from Wake Forest be very explosive though?

Leaves us I think one extra scholarship, Leke Solanke from MC Marquette is raw, explosive, and big, but I think if we picked him up, we would and should redshirt him a year so he could bulk up a little.

If Valpo wants to go local for the one scholarship for next year, 6'9 Josh James from Andrean who can shoot and play inside, and averaged around 13-15 ppg, or 6'3 Nick Bollenbacher from Hanover Central who averaged 25 ppg and drives to the bucket a lot.

Jeez, why are Loyola announcers announcing at VALPO?!!
Lakeshore is just horrible.

John Eckert who is 6"7 from North Judson is someone you wouldn't think of, but he is a beast. If Eckert could shoot more, we could replace Dino with Eckert.

Hey, I saw who I think was Griffyn Carpenter dressed for us. Is he really walking on for VU. If he is, he will play against IU-Kokomo when we kill them.