Game #26 Valpo vs Indiana State 2/13/19 @ ARC 7pm espn3

[VUGrad1314]

Hey at least we finally have an answer the question Paul asked back in December. Is this team good? They are not.

They CAN BE. If only theydt stop failing in crunch time.

[SanityLost17]

Hey at least we finally have an answer the question Paul asked back in December.

Is this team good? They are not.

I will say this.   It has got to be almost impossible to lose a game where you shoot 40 free throws, shoot 50% from the floor, and close to 40% from 3.  At the vary least you can say we are learning to lose in a wide variety of ways.   

[VUGrad1314]

Hey at least we finally have an answer the question Paul asked back in December. Is this team good? They are not.

I will say this.   It has got to be almost impossible to lose a game where you shoot 40 free throws, shoot 50% from the floor, and close to 40% from 3.  At the vary least you can say we are learning to lose in a wide variety of ways.

It's sad and frustrating that this is now what I think as the clock ticks under 8 or under 4. I don't get the feeling or belief that we're going to win anymore. I think "What fun and imaginative new cool innovative way are we going to lose this one?" And it's always new different and surprising except the surprise is starting to wear off.

[VU2010]

Sanity Lost ... we've gotta move past things like the officials and not being able to play in tightly officiated games.

Maybe you're right but we should be focusing on things we can control. If you watch the post-game, you'll once again see a trend. Several have rightly pointed it out with comparisons to Porter, for instance.

Idk if anyone is largely successful in their first head coaching gig. It's rare. Sure, favorable scheduling, inheriting a good roster/recruits, getting 50/50 calls down the stretch of games, and hitting "the shot" like Golder did to close out the first mvc game this year will help in some of these tight games.

Sure - having a healthy roster will help. No doubt.

But, still - it's gotta be tough to learn on the fly and be a head coach for the first time ... at a D-1 school!

But - as others have pointed out - we're ok with taking lumps and such as Lottich grows into his new role. You learn after all by doing. Yes - I think he could immensely grow from this experience if he was under the leadership of a veteran coach for a few years and then get another chance at a D-1 school - including a P5.

But that doesn't happen unless/until he's willing to learn from others, take responsibility, and eat a piece of humble pie.

When a 22 year old player is more mature about responses (again) than the head coach - it's a problem.

He commented on Freeman trying to do too much early ... not knocking down shots .... not hitting free throws ... but never takes personal responsibility.

Do I think he's a fierce competitor and that's what he admires / sees in Kiser? Yes. But does that translate over into being the leader of this team with the ability to make adjustments on the fly? Not yet.

[FieldGoodie05]

I don't know why everyone is blaming the offense.... 

We scored 82 points on 50% shooting and 38% from 3... Yes I know 71 points in regulation but I think we finished regulation at like 52% from the floor and 42% from 3.  Not exactly terrible offensive stats. 

Taking emotion out of it, has anybody stopped to think we are just not built to win games where the refs are blowing the whistle a lot?    Not only are we dependent on playing aggressive defense but we are a bad free throw shooting team.  So when the refs are calling the game tight we are screwed.  We can't be physical to get the stops we need and when they foul us we are screwed because our guys are more likely to hit an off balance layup on a drive to the hoop than a free throw.

In my opinion that is the reality of this team right now.

You make an excellent point about our aggressive Defense and poor FT%.

An additional thought, we were down 10-pts for a healthy portion of the first half.  I think we have too much inconsistency of play and poor mental attitudes such that any adversity gets us into 8-min funks.

The two halves were complete opposites (foul-wise).  It's bigger than FT% and brand of Defense but those are huge contributors.

GRIT type slogans are what coaches have to use on mental midgets to focus them...it's clear ML knew that was a major Achilles heal going into the year and here we are.  I think we are all frustrated, but that's fandom.

[vu72]

I am totally bewildered by this team.  Last night it does boil down to us missing 13 free throws and they missing 3.  That's a net loss of 10 and we lost the game by 5.  But beyond that, what is happening to our players?  Markus hasn't made a field goal is the last two games...not one.  Sure, teams have now seen us play but we have seen them play as well.  Why can't we win these tight games?  I'm back to coaching and that is a serious problem.

[mj]

I have to agree with that he was clearly reacting to the reporter for asking the question not out of frustration at the stat.

His reaction is a huge red flag for me. You've got the the entire world (or the entire Valpo basketball world) watching and you can't control your emotions? If this is what it's like in public, then what's it like in the locker room?

This is the public face of the Valpo basketball program acting this way. It doesn't reflect well on this program at all.

I get that coaching D-1 is tough. I get there are bad breaks. And your players might not play the way you want them to. But there are some things you can control, beginning with your attitude.

[SanityLost17]

I have to agree with that he was clearly reacting to the reporter for asking the question not out of frustration at the stat.

His reaction is a huge red flag for me. You've got the the entire world (or the entire Valpo basketball world) watching and you can't control your emotions? If this is what it's like in public, then what's it like in the locker room?

This is the public face of the Valpo basketball program acting this way. It doesn't reflect well on this program at all.

I get that coaching D-1 is tough. I get there are bad breaks. And your players might not play the way you want them to. But there are some things you can control, beginning with your attitude.

I have been fairly consistently critical of Lottich when it is warranted.  Lets keep the analysis of our coach to tangible things and stop speculating on the hidden meaning behind his 1 second show of emotion.  None of us have any idea what was going through his head at that moment and any attempt to do so is ridiculous.  The fan base overanalyzing a moment like that is stupid.

Offense, free throws, failure to close out halves, losing close games, set plays out of timeouts.    These are the the things we are allowed to be critical of.   The above we are not because it involves too much use of our imaginations.   

[Valpo89]

And you guys all thought I was crazy when I said there was no way this team would win 3 games in 3 days in St. Louis.
They've lost the last four in a row at home. How in the world would they be able to put it together to win more than one game in St. Louis when both teams are playing with their season on the line?

[Smj]

Disappointing loss but don't let this distract you from the the fact that in 1966, Al Bundy scored four touchdowns in a single game while playing for the Polk High School Panthers in the 1966 city championship game versus Andrew Johnson High School, including the game-winning touchdown in the final seconds against his old nemesis, Bubba "Spare Tire" Dixon.

Guess I just need to move past all of this and enjoy what I can.    I play Pool and i'm actually pretty good at it.    The one thing I've learned over the years is there are ups and downs.   Now - when I lose I go back to my team and talk about that awesome 3 rail bank shot I made instead of the missed 8-ball...

This season the MVC is the most balanced I've seen in a conference in years...  Hell I don't think i'd be that surprised to see the last place team destroy the first place team...

Go V.U. !!!

[vu72]

C is the most balanced I've seen in a conference in years...  Hell I don't think i'd be that surprised to see the last place team destroy the first place team...

For all our problems, remember that we easily beat a Bradley team essentially without Ryan and then last night that same Bradley team beat Loyola.  It is a  strange year to say the least.

[Smj]

Vu72 wrote:
For all our problems, remember that we easily beat a Bradley team essentially without Ryan and then last night that same Bradley team beat Loyola.  It is a  strange year to say the least.

[emoji106]

Go V.U. !!!

[justducky]

Offense, free throws, failure to close out halves, losing close games, set plays out of timeouts.    These are the the things we are allowed to be critical of. 

Our defense started flat also. Freeman got schooled. 5 fouls in 17 minutes with 4 TOs. Breaking down his errors for him to watch is how the game is taught and learned. Another 8 or 10 lbs of muscle maturity could also have helped.

Having a full spectrum (bench) of options makes coaching easier and more difficult at the same time. You need to maximize defensive and offensive production by distributing 200 minutes of play amongst 400+ potential minutes of high level talent. Matt has much to learn before March 2020 when his bench could be almost endless.

[VU2010]

For those of you who suggest Lottich shouldn't be held accountable for his public comments, I completely disagree. He is the face of the program. The leader. What he says and how he acts in these public pressers matters - at least to those who watch. Idk what things are like in the locker room. All we know is what we see. And what we see is what we get. We don't know what we don't know.

[crusadermoe]

I think "SanityLost" speaks like Sanity Kept this week.

Yes, it is very irritating to miss that many free throws.  That was galling.  And yes the offense stagnates.  And yes Bakari is an odd choice to jack up a 3 at the end of halves. 

Consistency has been a huge issue since early January.   We are seeing parts of this team step up at many times and in many games such as our big road wins at Mo State and Southern Illinois in January before Ryan got hurt.   

At some point the whole MAY become as good as its parts.  This year that WHOLE will be elusive and show up in spurts.  I think we are still exceeding expectations (barely) on balance without Ryan.  Next year we will have newly solid confident Smits and two stud transfers.  With those in place we may find that glue and that key confidence down the stretch.

Yes, three wins in Saint Louis is a 5% chance to me.  Make the top 6 and reach the Semis and I am good.  Beyond that is gravy to me.

[Valpo2013]

I don't know why everyone is blaming the offense.... 

We scored 82 points on 50% shooting and 38% from 3... Yes I know 71 points in regulation but I think we finished regulation at like 52% from the floor and 42% from 3.  Not exactly terrible offensive stats. 

Taking emotion out of it, has anybody stopped to think we are just not built to win games where the refs are blowing the whistle a lot?    Not only are we dependent on playing aggressive defense but we are a bad free throw shooting team.  So when the refs are calling the game tight we are screwed.  We can't be physical to get the stops we need and when they foul us we are screwed because our guys are more likely to hit an off balance layup on a drive to the hoop than a free throw.

In my opinion that is the reality of this team right now.

You make an excellent point about our aggressive Defense and poor FT%.

An additional thought, we were down 10-pts for a healthy portion of the first half.  I think we have too much inconsistency of play and poor mental attitudes such that any adversity gets us into 8-min funks.

The two halves were complete opposites (foul-wise).  It's bigger than FT% and brand of Defense but those are huge contributors.

GRIT type slogans are what coaches have to use on mental midgets to focus them...it's clear ML knew that was a major Achilles heal going into the year and here we are.  I think we are all frustrated, but that's fandom.

Mental midgets quote is hilarious
Totally correct
That old worn out "grit" or any other nonsense is not going to win games
Save that crap for pop warner football

[wh]

And you guys all thought I was crazy when I said there was no way this team would win 3 games in 3 days in St. Louis.
They've lost the last four in a row at home. How in the world would they be able to put it together to win more than one game in St. Louis when both teams are playing with their season on the line?

You're right, but I still love our players, I still have faith in Matt, and I'm looking forward to next season with great anticipation.

[NativeCheesehead]

True, but as has been my constant thread this whole season....stay out of Thursday. Even a sixth place finish this year and giving the 3 a good game is a massive improvement over last year, and sets the table for next year.

My fear isn't having a disappointing year (or two). It's getting buried in a conference we're barely qualified to be in without a plan to improve. Recent history will tell you it's not uncommon for a team to spend 5+ bottom feeding in the MVC. A program with a dedicated administration, good facilities, and actually being the most rooted for college team in the town in which they reside can wait out a half decade of underperformance. Valpo has none of those.

I know some on this board will point to Loyola and how they were awful for years when they first came over and then got lucky on two transfers and an under recruited big man. There's a little truth to that. But Loyola also invested millions in their facilities, made athletics a priority through their ACTIONS, not just their words. Gentile was a newer ARC when it opened, unremarkable in every way. It's now one of the best mid major facilities in the country, and in laying that infrastructure, they are poised to be at or near the top of this league for  a long time.

When a student athlete walks into the Gentile arena or the (Norris?) athletic building, they know Loyola considers them a priority. There's no way Valpo athletes feel the same way.

Is it any wonder Lottich feels it's part of our culture to make excuses when that's how his bosses have acted toward upgrading the ARC? Loyola with it's history and location has deeper pockets, no doubt. But Loyola is where it is today because at some point, a person or persons in power at that university made a decision to act, and not make excuses as to why something can't be done.

I, as many of my fellow fans do, make some emotional statements about my team during and after games, and I will continue to do so. So let me say two things now as unemotionally as possible.

1. Matt Lottich, regardless of how this year turns out, deserves next year to see this thing through.
2. If by March 2020, the on court product and record has not improved substantially, AND we don't have at least a five year plan on what we're going to do about our crappy arena, we need to change coaches and have a serious conversation about whether or not to make a change at the top of the department.

Sorry for the long post, I don't like to read much in the morning either.

[oklahomamick]

Agree that Lottich deserves next year with this group.  If the group stays together and he cant win, then that tells us everything we need to know. 

[Pgmado]

That is CLEARLY directed at the reporter. FIX THE GLARING ISSUES THAT HAVE BEEN WITH THIS TEAM ALL SEASON AND BEFORE AND MAYBE YOU'LL FIND THE QUESTIONS A BIT MORE TO YOUR LIKING. This is Valparaiso. We have expectations. If you can't or don't want to deal with those there's nothing saying you HAVE to coach the team. Lose the attitude take your lumps and some responsibility or go away. Competitive or not there's no reason for a coach to act like a petulant child when a reporter is just doing his job and bringing up a fair and factual point. Grow up coach. It's sad when a 22 year old takes more responsibility than a grown man.

Couple things here. 1) I wasn't at the press conference as a family situation pulled me away right as the game ended. (Everything is ok, just when you get multiple calls from back home in a short time period, you panic) 2) I watched the press conference this morning before I was on the board and I didn't even think twice about Matt's reaction. 3) I talked to Robbie, who is in belief the reaction was about the stat. He reacted mid-question. He didn't glare at Robbie. I've asked some dumb questions before and gotten glares. There have been other reporters that have asked long rambling questions before and gotten intense glares. I don't think that's what this was.

I understand people wanting to point blame and I'm sure there's plenty to go around, but I just don't think there was anything to Matt's reaction in that question...and trust me, I'd be the first to be critical of someone slamming a reporter or having a beef in that situation. It's a jarring stat and Matt was jarred in that situation. Nothing more, nothing less, IMO.

[EddieCabot]

Twice in overtime, Keys was able to draw a foul by acting, he pulled his head back or torso as if there had been significant contact. I was disappointed that the referee fell for it -- especially in that situation.

I totally agree.  Players constantly flailing and throwing their head back at the slightest contact is one of my pet peeves.  Key has certainly mastered the move, but he's hardly the only one doing it.  Evelyn and Lavender are also pretty good, although clearly weren't as effective as Key was last night.

Unrelated to the above, I will note that I expressed concern about Fazekas's recovery being sufficient for him to play good defense.  Washington's two threes in overtime were both over Ryan.

For some reason, I'm reminded of this story.

Patient:  When my broken finger heals, will I be able to play the piano?
Doctor:  I don't see why not.
Patient:  That's funny, because I wasn't able to play it before.

[justducky]

Agree that Lottich deserves next year with this group.  If the group stays together and he cant win, then that tells us everything we need to know. 

I'll take it a step further. I want us to have an impossible 2019 OOC schedule to test his metal. Think- Oakland like, SWAC-like, because the at large chances for mid-majors is gone. G O N E----Vanished      No fluff! No easy path to a contract extension! Sink or swim! Learn as you go.

[bigmosmithfan1]

I've harped on this, but again, why our coaching staff doesn't look across town to VHS and implement the Virgil Sweet FT method is beyond maddening. Watching Smits and Sackey clang FT after FT last night was ridiculous. And easily diagnosed. On their misses last night, both of them were just flinging the ball at the hoop quickly without in any focus or aim. The "Valpo free throw" teaches you to pause, set, and not have any wasted motion as you repeat your mechanics and body positioning on every FT, regardless of situation. Our guys are not setting themselves and try to shoot a FT in a fluid motion while picking up the dribble. That will ALWAYS result in inconsistent FT shooting.

[bbtds]

Lottich should consider himself lucky. This would be a "fire everyone" loss at any school that's serious about basketball.

And there you go. This school, Valpo, is not investing in it's marquee sport, MBB, and therefore will allow this head coach to run this program at a lower standard and not terminate him for these poor performances. This is not coming from the AD, who is doing his best in the situation, but the president and board of directors that is letting the university down by not letting the MBB program excell and promote the university to the general public where increased enrollment can be earned. Through increased enrollment the university can thrive in the academic areas.

[FWalum]

If players earn a diploma and are eligible to transfer with the ability to immediately play, good for them. They're young men with futures. Many of whom will not play at the next level. Those who do will likely play overseas. Point being - Valpo doesn't have that many graduate programs. They deserve to get a degree they are interested in and that will help them with their lives post-basketball. Kiser will be an engineer in a couple years. Making good money living a happy life. Will be a hard worker and a team player. His lack of d-1 shooting skills will have nothing to do with his future success off the court. Seems like a really good guy.

Point being: the others need to put themselves into a position where they'll be able to pursue careers that are of interest to them. If that means they could pursue a masters in an area they're really interested in that a) Valpo doesn't offer, or b) provides them with new opportunities/networking - then go for it!!!

If Smits has that opportunity and can play in a P5 and earn a degree he's interested in, good for him! And same for the others. Lottich is in his career. He's been handed the keys to a Cadillac. Maybe not a Ferrari like Calipari in Kentucky. But a good reliable car. Take care of it. Take ownership of it.

If Freeman can play elsewhere and give himself a better shot at the big stage, release him. It's his life. His only shot at playing college b-ball. He doesn't owe us anything.

As a fan, I'd love for Lottich to win, win, win and for everyone to stay, get good degrees, and be prepared for what's next. But who are we to stop these guys from pursuing their dreams?

Just a couple snarky things thrown in but a super good post.  As a college coach you try to do what you think is best for the kids, but ultimately it is there decision, they are adults.  I know the grad transfer rule is perceived as not being great for mid-majors, but when you have good smart kids who work hard at academics I think that a rule actually rewarding them for being a STUDENT athlete is a good thing.  Great post, I applaud you.