Keep the pedal to the metal. Another record for Alec? Free Throws. One of the oldest records on the books could be toppled.
The NoKy Roster:
http://www.nkunorse.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball
The box from UIC-Noky tonight.
http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/boxscore?gameId=400918558
9-man rotation, 11 steals. decent 3-point percentage. We've got to handle the ball.
Here's the ESPN recap
CHICAGO -- Mason Faulkner scored 19 points to lead five Northern Kentucky players in double figures and the Norse beat Illinois-Chicago 79-62 on Friday night.
Lavone Holland II had 16 points, Cole Murray scored 12, and Drew McDonald and Dantez Walton added 10 points apiece for Northern Kentucky (14-8, 5-4 Horizon League).
Walton scored eight points, including two 3s, during a 12-0 run that gave the Norse a 12-point lead with 2:21 left in the half and they took a 39-30 advantage into the break. The Flames scored six points in a row to trim their deficit to 46-38 with 14:54 to play but Faulkner hit a jumper and then made a layup to spark an 8-0 spurt that pushed the lead back into double figures for good.
Godwin Boahen had 19 points, Tarkus Ferguson scored 13 and K.J. Santos 11 for UIC (11-10, 4-4).
The Flames made seven of their first 10 shots to open a 16-5 lead, but made just 15 of 51 (29 percent) from there.
The Norse scored 26 points off 23 UIC turnovers.
Not to open another can of worms, but are there branding guidelines for Northern Kentucky University? I'm assuming 'NKU' is an acceptable abbreviation. Do they like 'NoKy', or even 'NorKy'? The latter sounds like a Sesame Street character.
Valpo by 9 in this one, 77-68.
I'm thinking we win by 14-18 points. Hopefully no let downs.
Speaking of branding.....was driving home from Chicago a couple of nights ago and right there on the freeway past UIC was what looked like a rec center and/or fieldhouse. In bright white lighting was "University of Illinois-Chicago" So yeah, let's talk to own school before we crab at opposing fans on their message board.
As long as I can remember (nearly 30 years of being familiar with Northern Kentucky), NKU has been NKU. And this is another one, jump out on them early, go up 15-20 and keep getting the frosh playing time. Their offensive game is decent, won't be able to play enough D against us. 82-65.
I don't know anything about Northern Kentucky. But a 17 point win at UIC is impressive. It's not going to be easy Sunday.
The spread: Valpo -10
QuoteI don't know anything about Northern Kentucky. But a 17 point win at UIC is impressive. It's not going to be easy Sunday.
Northern Kentucky has done a really good job of recruiting the last couple years. There is a lot of young talent on that team.
Our assistant coach David Ragland coached at NKU last year and recruit some of those players. Glad he's on our staff. Coach Lottich put together a really good staff. I've been impressed so far.
I'm impressed so far. Now let's see what kind of recruiting class they can bring in. Having better players helps win games (unless your the two Detroit schools). I thought Bryce and Powell were really good recruiters. Maybe better recruiters than coaches....??? Might be a stretch. But point I'm making is once every 3-4 years we graduate a large class and bring in a large class. Rowdy and his class was large, peters and his.class was large. Years between are much smaller. It's going to be big signing class this year and let's see the verdict
oklahomamick, you nailed it. Its a huge year for recruiting. Super important to get some studs this upcoming class.
Coach Sparks was actually the coach that discovered Rowdy. Ironically he was calling the broadcast last night. Sparks was a great recruiter.
So far we have Parker Hazen whose a good recruit maybe not a program changing recruit but could become part of the core with upside. Then we have Mileek McMillan is an interest high upside Forward. I've sort of have been loosely following his season at Merrillville and just from the stats it doesn't tell a great story. Just a little lackluster but still a contributor. But from what I've heard they are using him as exclusively a traditional post player and rebounder which isn't using his skills correctly and will benefit from more professional coaching in college. Mileek sounds like a project.
Sasha is a game changing recruit for a mid-major program. He's going to be a really good player. Fingers crossed he comes to Valpo and see the opportunity here. Taylor Bruninga looks like good player. At the end of the day coaches will decide and hopefully we can put together a great class.
Quote from: VU2014 on January 28, 2017, 05:35:53 PM
oklahomamick, you nailed it. Its a huge year for recruiting. Super important to get some studs this upcoming class.
Coach Sparks was actually the coach that discovered Rowdy. Ironically he was calling the broadcast last night. Sparks was a great recruiter.
So far we have Parker Hazen whose a good recruit maybe not a program changing recruit but could become part of the core with upside. Then we have Mileek McMillan is an interest high upside Forward. I've sort of have been loosely following his season at Merrillville and just from the stats it doesn't tell a great story. Just a little lackluster but still a contributor. But from what I've heard they are using him as exclusively a traditional post player and rebounder which isn't using his skills correctly and will benefit from more professional coaching in college. Mileek sounds like a project.
Sasha is a game changing recruit for a mid-major program. He's going to be a really good player. Fingers crossed he comes to Valpo and see the opportunity here. Taylor Bruninga looks like good player. At the end of the day coaches will decide and hopefully we can put together a great class.
Begs the question, if we don't land a Sasha type player should we not leave a scholarship open for options?
Does anyone know if Bryce made it a habit to leave a spot open in such scenarios?
I don't believe we'd have landed Keith Carter otherwise. How about other years?
Is this a good practice or would we prefer to have a full roster? I'd imagine that walk-ons play a big part in balancing the practice squad in such years like this year. We only have 10 scholarship players that are active.
Do our transfers (Burton and Bakari) get to participate in practice?
Quote from: VU2014 on January 28, 2017, 05:35:53 PM
oklahomamick, you nailed it. Its a huge year for recruiting. Super important to get some studs this upcoming class.
Coach Sparks was actually the coach that discovered Rowdy. Ironically he was calling the broadcast last night. Sparks was a great recruiter.
So far we have Parker Hazen whose a good recruit maybe not a program changing recruit but could become part of the core with upside. Then we have Mileek McMillan is an interest high upside Forward. I've sort of have been loosely following his season at Merrillville and just from the stats it doesn't tell a great story. Just a little lackluster but still a contributor. But from what I've heard they are using him as exclusively a traditional post player and rebounder which isn't using his skills correctly and will benefit from more professional coaching in college. Mileek sounds like a project.
Sasha is a game changing recruit for a mid-major program. He's going to be a really good player. Fingers crossed he comes to Valpo and see the opportunity here. Taylor Bruninga looks like good player. At the end of the day coaches will decide and hopefully we can put together a great class.
Good analysis but you overlooked Joe Burton and Bakari Evelyn. If these two were freshman coming in they would be top 100 players (Joe was) and Bakari, had he stayed in Michigan for his senior year of high school, would have been in the top few for Michigan Mr. Basketball.
http://www.espn.com/college-sports/basketball/recruiting/player/_/id/124505/joe-burton
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on January 28, 2017, 06:13:09 PMDo our transfers (Burton and Bakari) get to participate in practice?
I believe that they do.
Valparaiso's Shane Hammink flourishes in secondary role as 'Robin' to 'Batman'
If Alec Peters has been Valparaiso's Batman, then Shane Hammink has been its Robin.
The senior swingman has flourished as a reliable and consistent second option behind the Crusaders' career scoring and rebounding leader.
"You have to put work into your game, but I'm flying under the radar," Hammink said. "There's not much pressure put on me to do too much. It's all on AP. He takes a lot of pressure away from me."
Still, Valparaiso relies heavily on Hammink, who was a preseason second team all-Horizon League selection. His importance isn't lost on Crusaders coach Matt Lottich.
"We count on him to get easy baskets because he's capable of doing it. ... When he's good, we're a lot better," Lottich said.
Hammink has been overwhelmingly good more often than not.
He has scored at least 22 points six times, including a career-high 24 on Jan. 22 against Illinois-Chicago. He has scored 23 points four times this season. He has reached double figures in 18 of the Crusaders' 21 games.
He also matched his career high with five assists against the Flames, a total he has registered seven times, including four this season.
Hammink is averaging 15.3 points and 3.9 rebounds for Valparaiso (17-4, 7-1), which carries a six-game win streak into a 1:30 p.m. Sunday game (ESPN3) against Northern Kentucky (14-8, 5-4) at the Athletics-Recreation Center. He has a team-high 58 assists, also with a team-high 63 turnovers.
Taking care of the ball has been a point of emphasis for Hammink, who has responded after committing five turnovers in the Crusaders' loss to Oakland.
"He's limiting his turnovers," Lottich said. "When he gets into trouble a little bit, he's turning the ball over at a high clip. We're trying to cut down on that, but we still want him to be aggressive and be a primary playmaker."
Indeed, Hammink's biggest strength is his ability to drive to the basket, using his athleticism and length.
He's shooting 49.5 percent (106-for-214), including 59.1 (88-for-149) on 2-pointers and 82.7 percent (91-for-110) as part of the Crusaders' exceptional free-throw shooting. He's shooting 27.7 percent (18-for-65) on 3-pointers, an area he has focused on improving.
"Shane's been great — he's played well," Lottich said. "He's been able to get to the rim, he's been getting a lot of layups. His outside shot's starting to fall, which opens stuff up for him, and I'm not surprised because he's been working on it.
"The thing that gets overlooked is how well he's defending. He needs to continue to defend at a high rate."
As a junior, Hammink had a solid debut with the Crusaders after sitting out one season following his transfer from LSU. He averaged 8.9 points and 3.1 rebounds. He started 10 of the final 11 games, with the lone exception being senior night.
Hammink has been a fixture in the lineup this season, the only player besides Peters to have started each of the team's games.
"The game's slowed down," Hammink said. "I'm just making better reads, getting more involved with everybody. I'm scoring a few more points than last year, taking a few more shots. It's been good."
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-mens-basketball-valparaiso-shane-hammink-st-0129-20170128-story.html
Good guys by 16.
Just a thought - it would be cool if Valpo had a gothic or retro uniform night!
No Jubril. 13 and counting...
20 to tipoff. 10 students. Very sparse crowd so far.
Quote20 to tipoff. 10 students. Very sparse crowd so far.
One thing to keep in mind is that the last few weeks and still going on is Fraternity and Sorority Rushing/Pledging right now. At least when I was a student a HUGE portion of the die hards in the student section were fraternity and sorority members. Rushing/Pledging takes a huge chunk of students free time and also takes up the free time of the current members.
I also think we are starting to see the ESPN3 affect. You can see every game your lap top now, so you could be sitting the library doing homework and watching the game from your laptop.
It was also initiation weekend this weekend.
rush? What a lame excuse for lack of attendance. Seriously?
the mighty Norse were launching major at the end of the half! Peters needs to step it up
Quote from: wh on January 29, 2017, 01:13:26 PM20 to tipoff. 10 students. Very sparse crowd so far.
I'm not going to make excuses for the students, but Sunday matinee games have never been good for student crowds. One downside to this Friday/Sunday scheduling format.
One possession game at the half, but I'm betting Norky can't keep shooting like that from 3. We've got to figure out their zone though.
Quote from: usc4valpo on January 29, 2017, 02:17:51 PM
rush? What a lame excuse for lack of attendance. Seriously?
the mighty Norse were launching major at the end of the half! Peters needs to step it up
If he can get the ball. Too much launching of our own. We should have slowed the game down after they started hitting threes. Gave them momentum.
I also think we are starting to see the ESPN3 affect. You can see every game your lap top now, so you could be sitting the library doing homework and watching the game from your laptop.
[/quote]
It's what I do most of the time from NW Chicago. As a student in the early 2000s there was FAR less distraction in variety of live media. I'd still be at these games, but those of us on this forum are clearly die hard fans.
Hope that VU is looking at creative ways to fill the student section. Not sure we needed free sandwiches to attend but it's a start. But when I was there the other athletic teams supported each other. The football and track team had strong contingencies at these games. Heck even the soccer team had 1 or 2 foot fairies....right OKMick?
Hopefully, the team doesn't go over to the 39-person student section after the game for the traditional group high-5, unless it's to say tell your friends thanks for not supporting your 1st place, 17-4, nationally recognized men's bb team. It appears that the students have joined the administration is taking the success men's bb completely for granted.
Quoterush? What a lame excuse for lack of attendance. Seriously?
I'm not sure people realize how much Valpo Greek Life has grown the last 6-7yrs. Not to mention Valpo just added 2-3 new Greek organizations on campus the last few years. It's very popular and very time consuming.
I was apart of Greek Life myself and loved it. I'm about as die hard of Valpo Men's Basketball Fan as anyone out there and I would choose my fraternity events over a mid-season game conference game. It's a really busy and important time for Greek Life to get to know new members and the whole rush/initiation process for the last couple weeks for those students.
A big chunk of the student section is always Greek Life. Not to mention many of the clubs have their recruiting going on the first month - 2 months coming back from Winter Break.
The one thing I will say is that those students that are sitting in the student section should be embarrassed right now. That is unacceptable.
They had a free Jimmy Johns give-away. There's still a ton left on a table next to the student bleachers. That drew 39. Maybe a 7-course dinner?
17:04 left in second and Shane's dunk should be on sports center....
Sent from my SM-G920R4 using Tapatalk
14 - I respect what you are saying, I was Greek too - but this is a top mid major team playing well and the community needs to make a better commitment to support them. I think 2 hours to go to a game where the school as a whole, not just a frat, is represented takes preference.
QuoteHope that VU is looking at creative ways to fill the student section.
The University was notoriously bad at marketing and advertising to student about upcoming games and perks at the game. Not great at communication.
Quote from: VU2014 on January 29, 2017, 02:28:10 PMQuoterush? What a lame excuse for lack of attendance. Seriously?
The one thing I will say is that those students that are sitting in the student section should be embarrassed right now. That is unacceptable.
So the students who did show up are at fault and should be embarrassed? Not the ones who didn't?
If the Greek students are big enough basketball fans, they should schedule their events around games.
I have nothing against Greek orgs and had many friends who joined them. But if it HAS to come down to frats or games, I honestly hope more students start choosing basketball.
GET WILLIAMS OUT
is it me, or is Peters giving snarely looks to the refs?
Quote14 - I respect what you are saying, I was Greek too - but this is a top mid major team playing well and the community needs to make a better commitment to support them. I think 2 hours to go to a game where the school as a whole, not just a frat, is represented takes preference.
Agreed. Definitely need to support the team more. I'd be at every game I could be at if I didn't have a previous commitment.
The Student Section wasn't this bad earlier in the year correct? I could be wrong, but its been particular sparse since students left for christmas break. Christmas break is understandable to you low student turn out, imo.
I really think Greek Life commitments are decent amount of this lower attendance. Overall its still head scratching.
Quote from: usc4valpo on January 29, 2017, 02:37:28 PM
14 - I respect what you are saying, I was Greek too - but this is a top mid major team playing well and the community needs to make a better commitment to support them. I think 2 hours to go to a game where the school as a whole, not just a frat, is represented takes preference.
This is meant as a serious comment, not emotional rant. But if we can get 3,500 consistently (with or without students) is a new stadium a top priority?
Observations: We have had strong success through several 4-year rotations and still lessening student involvement.
Better players need a better stadium, is that our argument (or weight room etc)? I see it but is that "cart before the horse" for this administration? Is this level of success enough?
Can we justify that type of spend with 60% of ARC capacity?
Clearly this type of attendance hurts our argument?
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on January 29, 2017, 02:50:42 PM
Quote from: usc4valpo on January 29, 2017, 02:37:28 PM
14 - I respect what you are saying, I was Greek too - but this is a top mid major team playing well and the community needs to make a better commitment to support them. I think 2 hours to go to a game where the school as a whole, not just a frat, is represented takes preference.
This is meant as a serious comment, not emotional rant. But if we can get 3,500 consistently (with or without students) is a new stadium a top priority?
Observations: We have had strong success through several 4-year rotations and still lessening student involvement.
Better players need a better stadium, is that our argument (or weight room etc)? I see it but is that "cart before the horse" for this administration? Is this level of success enough?
Can we justify that type of spend with 60% of ARC capacity?
Clearly this type of attendance hurts our argument?
"If you build it, they will come."
Is that something this administration is expected to go for?
I love this team, and even I think an ARC renovation is the best option. Combined with an offsite student Rec Center so this remodel can be done right.
The student life needs a rec Center badly. Maybe Top3 big needs for our campus to remain competitive. Dorms up there.
QuoteSo the students who did show up are at fault and should be embarrassed? Not the ones who didn't?
If the Greek students are big enough basketball fans, they should schedule their events around games.
I have nothing against Greek orgs and had many friends who joined them. But if it HAS to come down to frats or games, I honestly hope more students start choosing basketball.
Students that are there should be standing. The front row at the games are great but student should never be sitting in the student section.
When you make a commitment to an organization like Greek Life, it should always take precedents over a game. Anytime you make a commitment to something you should always be fully committed to that groups events. Regardless if it fraternity, the same applies to clubs, etc.
You are never going to get Greek Life organizations to plan around the Basketball games. The only way that will ever happen is if the Dean of Greek Life, Carrie Whittier makes it a priority and forces that to happen. Not going to happen. All those Greek Organizations see Friday, Saturday, and Sundays as prime days/times for rush events. Makes sense since that when student have no class or have no commitments the next day.
Also something to keep in mind, Greek Organizations have their weekly meetings on Sundays which are mandatory.
Quote from: VU2014 on January 29, 2017, 03:00:04 PMQuoteSo the students who did show up are at fault and should be embarrassed? Not the ones who didn't? If the Greek students are big enough basketball fans, they should schedule their events around games. I have nothing against Greek orgs and had many friends who joined them. But if it HAS to come down to frats or games, I honestly hope more students start choosing basketball.
Students that are there should be standing. The front row at the games are great but student should never be sitting in the student section. When you make a commitment to an organization like Greek Life, it should always take precedents over a game. Anytime you make a commitment to something you should always be fully committed to that groups events. Regardless if it fraternity, the same applies to clubs, etc. You are never going to get Greek Life organizations to plan around the Basketball games. The only way that will ever happen is if the Dean of Greek Life, Carrie Whittier makes it a priority and forces that to happen. Not going to happen. All those Greek Organizations see Friday, Saturday, and Sundays as prime days/times for rush events. Makes sense since that when student have no class or have no commitments the next day. Also something to keep in mind, Greek Organizations have their weekly meetings on Sundays which are mandatory.
It just sounds to me that we're lamenting the lack of student attendance, so you make excuses for the [assumedly Greek] students who aren't there and pointing the finger at the students who did turn out.
The students there right now are the diehards that will come out for every game. I was one of those during my days at VU. We need more students like that. Yes, some are sitting, but if the section was more full, I'd guarantee they'd be standing.
I've said it earlier in the thread, but we didn't have these problems before Christmas break because we didn't have Sunday afternoon home games every week during OOC play. Now, thanks to the HL schedule, we do, and the time must not work for many students.
Oh, by the way. Yay for another win! NKU is definitely on the rise.
Maybe I was a bit rough on the student there that weren't standing. Agreed they almost surely be standing if it was more full.
I wish the University had more control of the scheduling of it home game days and times.
Quote
I've said it earlier in the thread, but we didn't have these problems before Christmas break
I agree. I didn't see the student attendance lacking before Christmas Break.
Hats off to the few that showed up. Sit, stand, lay down I don't care...just show up.
Was this the first time all season that the opponent stayed for the post game prayer? We could use a little more commraderie between foes right now.
Suppose we can smile having won against a solid NKU team where our #1 and #3 scorer struggled most of the game.
It's reassuring knowing we had solid contributions from Jaume, Hammink & Bradford. Tevonn played solid D and 12 boards...what hustle. He and Max are really putting together solid effort game in and game out.
Any thoughts on our end of game management? I'm feeling quite iffy on how we handle 3+ possession leads with 5 minutes to go...we stop ball movement entirely. SHANE in isolation is not a good look, despite his best dunk of the year!!!!
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on January 29, 2017, 04:12:43 PMSuppose we can smile having won against a solid NKU team where our #1 and #3 scorer struggled most of the game. It's reassuring knowing we had solid contributions from Jaume, Hammink & Bradford. Tevonn played solid D and 12 boards...what hustle. He and Max are really putting together solid effort game in and game out. Any thoughts on our end of game management? I'm feeling quite iffy on how we handle 3+ possession leads with 5 minutes to go...we stop ball movement entirely. SHANE in isolation is not a good look, despite his best dunk of the year!!!!
I know the term "statistically safe lead" has been thrown around this board somewhat. I don't know how one determines what "statistically safe" is, but I've always thought that the rule of thumb is to multiply the number of minutes left in the game by 3 (5 minutes * 3 = 15 points) and if your lead is less than that product, it's too early to start stalling.
I think my favorite play of the game might have been the Kiser stuff block from the top of the key in the first half, although the Hammink dunk was really something.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FqqnW5BCvYs
Quote from: VU2014 on January 29, 2017, 03:00:04 PM
Quote
You are never going to get Greek Life organizations to plan around the Basketball games. The only way that will ever happen is if the Dean of Greek Life, Carrie Whittier makes it a priority and forces that to happen. Not going to happen. All those Greek Organizations see Friday, Saturday, and Sundays as prime days/times for rush events. Makes sense since that when student have no class or have no commitments the next day.
Also something to keep in mind, Greek Organizations have their weekly meetings on Sundays which are mandatory.
There is a phenomenon known as the "silo mentality," which has pervaded higher education and enterprise level business for decades. It's probably as alive and well at Valpo as anywhere else. It's a difficult culture to change because looking out for self interest is easier and less complicated than interdependent coordination and acquiescing to the needs of others. That said, transitioning away from silos is paramount to maximizing organizational success. It begins with top-down, team-oriented directives replacing silo autonomy while the culture shift is in progress. It's a lot of work and requires a high level of commitment and accountability by leadership at multiple levels. Until that occurs at Valpo, there will always be needless competing interests and time conflicts.
It's pathetic to have less than forty students at a home game. I counted thirty- eight at the start of the game and a third of them were sitting for the traditional stand for the first bucket. It appears VU only has two Dozen die hard fans that really get into the game. I don't remember this much apathy last year and all the excuses because it's a Sunday, it's a school night, test tomorrow, too cold out, watch on TV or there's something else goin on just doesn't cut it. If the team wasn't playing well or sucked I might see it. The student turn out for a team this good is an embarrassment to the School. Have some School pride!
Quote from: VU2014 on January 29, 2017, 03:31:42 PMI didn't see the student attendance lacking before Christmas Break.
I did! So we have gone from a few showing up to even fewer and and this was against one of our best HL opponents giving us a terrific effort!
I hope no recruits were in attendance because the total lack of students would have made a HUGE impression! :o ENORMOUS!
Quote from: M on January 29, 2017, 04:05:25 PMas this the first time all season that the opponent stayed for the post game prayer? We could use a little more commraderie between foes right now.
Trinity Christian, I think? I imagine some state schools feel constrained. NKU may be bible belt enough to be OK with it.
Quote from: VUBBFan on January 29, 2017, 04:51:57 PMIt's pathetic to have less than forty students at a home game.
To be clear, students sit places other than the student section. There are often a good number in DD and some in EE.
AA is often mostly students, with probably some in BB.
Athletes sitting with their teams often seem to prefer. I didn't swing over there today, but saw 25% of the VUVB roster leaving the ARC after the game. I've seeen VUMSO, baseball, and football, at least at games in numbers.
Athletes definitely do support each other (and are probably more likely to be sports fans). At sports other than MBB (dinno about football, I've not been in almost 20 years) student athletes are often a significant fraction of the overall crowd.
And, for all we were lacking in numbers behind the basket, it still made a huge difference. The pep band plus those 20 or 30 other students made a huge difference in terms of activating the rest of the crowd to cheer.
Some opportunity for improvement lies with the team itself. We can't forget how small of a school we are. Boots on the ground can help...I remember Kikas Gomez being all over campus when we were there. Playing in volleyball games outside Brant Hall etc.
Any thoughts on being a bigger part of the student life? Can coach and his kids move around the dorms introducing themselves.
I open myself up to criticism here, but a community feel has to be mutual in that students are involved with the players and coaches. Maybe we consider bon fires and more social webbing.
Are the basketball players in their own housing? All us athletes were in Alumni 2nd and 4th floors...a lot of intermixing.
About the game and our opponent: I get the feeling this NKU team may be a spoiler in the HL tourney. They really like to shoot the 3 and fought back from big deficits in both halfs.
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on January 29, 2017, 05:18:33 PMSome opportunity for improvement lies with the team itself. We can't forget how small of a school we are. Boots on the ground can help...I remember Kikas Gomez being all over campus when we were there. Playing in volleyball games outside Brant Hall etc. Any thoughts on being a bigger part of the student life? Can coach and his kids move around the dorms introducing themselves. I open myself up to criticism here, but a community feel has to be mutual in that students are involved with the players and coaches. Maybe we consider bon fires and more social webbing. Are the basketball players in their own housing? All us athletes were in Alumni 2nd and 4th floors...a lot of intermixing.
At another mid-major school I have attended, players and coaches would roam the student Union handing out tickets to the games. Tickets were free for students anyway, but they found it a worthwhile effort just to increase awareness. That said, it's a much bigger school and basketball is not the flagship sport.
Bryce Drew used to stop by the Union during active meal times to intermingle with students and talk up upcoming games, didn't he? Perhaps that's something Lottich, Peters, and co. can continue to do?
Quote from: VUSL98 on January 29, 2017, 05:19:50 PMI get the feeling this NKU team may be a spoiler in the HL tourney. They really like to shoot the 3 and fought back from big deficits in both halfs.
They played smart defense. They boxed out and went to the glass. They took away our drives. They made reversing the ball difficult. They packed it in and still got out to our shooters! Had they shot just a little bit better we could be lamenting a defeat. Next year this is one of the teams we may be chasing.
Just noticed that Cole Murray is from Delphi. Did it look like NKU drew much of a fan base?
A few years ago there were Videos being made by Audio Visual students that seemed to get the students excited about the sports programs. I remember seeing Bobby C. doing Christmas Carols, Rowdy in gangum style parody, Harlem Shake and other skits that got people going and enthused about sports and the campus. Somewhere that creativity and excitement left. It seems the void created has been filled with indifference and a lack of passion. The school needs someone with some artistic talent to bring back that energetic feeling.
So we win, and win ugly, but still win. Alec's worst shooting game of the year and others step up.
Was glad to see Micah hit some shots and play a solid game. That left Lexus as the odd man out with Max continuing to play well. .I wonder what will happen next year when you bring in a very talented Bacari Evelyn, but will worry about that next year.
Derrik continues to play incredibly soft with 1 point and 1 rebound in 12 minutes. Lots of work to do.
First place baby!! GO VALPO!! Oh, and one more thing: CONGRATS TO ALEC for breaking the career free throw record of Ed Eckart which was held more a mere 53 YEARS!!! :clap: :dance: :clap:
Quote from: vu72 on January 29, 2017, 06:07:53 PM
So we win, and win ugly, but still win. Alec's worst shooting game of the year and others step up.
Was glad to see Micah hit some shots and play a solid game. That left Lexus as the odd man out with Max continuing to play well. .I wonder what will happen next year when you bring in a very talented Bacari Evelyn, but will worry about that next year.
Derrik continues to play incredibly soft with 1 point and 1 rebound in 12 minutes. Lots of work to do.
First place baby!! GO VALPO!! Oh, and one more thing: CONGRATS TO ALEC for breaking the career free throw record of Ed Eckart which was held more a mere 53 YEARS!!! :clap: :dance: :clap:
I think you determined a few weeks back that Bradford would transfer. I hope not, because he's been playing well lately.
Walker's stats may not show it, but he was definitely the Budweiser player of the game
We have seen the student attendance get progressively worse over 10 years. Contrast the school spirit with Dayton or Butler sometime. It's not close!
Maybe greek life is picking up, and maybe that will draw more of the "team player" students who used to come out strong in the 90s and early 00s. They could balance out the musicians, poets, philosophers, internationals, and 24-hour video gamers we see at VU now. The pile of excuses will only grow when we get to mid-terms and fortunately we go on the road then. During this time without mid-terms, some will cite conflicts with Groundhog Day plans, extensive President's Day preparations, violin recitals, poetry readings, and "stare at your smartphone" nights.
Forget the fieldhouse since the crowds, especially students, just don't warrant it. If the students don't get pumped up to watch a future NBA player, they won't be showing up next year either. What a shame. Sorry to rant, but I agree with the other folks.
If attendance is dropping because of the Greek system, then this school has a problem
Frankly, I'm also tired of all the lame excuses for lack of student support. In years past the team would eagerly rush into the student section to be swarmed and celebrate a victory together at the close of the game. Now, it seems the team sometimes looks toward the empty student section with embarrassment at the end of a game.
While we're on the subject, even the band looks like it's going through the motions. Bands in the past really got into it with swaying motions, etc. while they played. Now they just sit there like statues. And, it's a smaller group than I've seen in the past. There was one full timeout today where neither the band played nor was any piped in music playing for the entire timeout. The only noise was 3000 people chatting. Embarrassing. It used to be that anytime we got on a run that forced the opposing coach to call a timeout, the entire crowd would jump to its feet, music would blare, and everyone would clap in unison for the duration of the song. Now when we jump up and start to applaud, half the time it's cut off by a lame Family Express commercial or a lame announcement. That was always To be expected for scheduled media timeouts, but not for optional team timeouts. There's just way too much rigid, atmosphere-killing structure built into the script these days.
The bottom line is the entire ARC game atmosphere this season is a mere shadow of its former self. The whole presentation just seems flat, scripted and tired.
Quote from: wh on January 29, 2017, 10:20:19 PMhalf the time it's cut off by a lame Family Express commercial
Those audio ads are lame indeed. Hopefully they're being reconsidered. Annoying, and take time from the pep band or perhaps other worthwhile activities.
It all starts with that terrible (especially compared to years past which were excellent) hype video.
Quote from: M on January 29, 2017, 10:52:30 PM
It all starts with that terrible (especially compared to years past which were excellent) hype video.
Was the video under new authorship? With the previous guy having moved on to Notre Dame.
Again have to admit Bradford played well tonight. He's really starting to contribute and be more consistent. at the beginning of the year he was a huge liability.
From the game recap:
The win moves Valpo's record to 18-4 through 22 games for the third consecutive year. Prior to the 2014-15 season, the Crusaders had not won at least 18 of their first 22 games since the 1944-45 campaign.
ARC atmosphere has been very down this year. This topic alone should give us plenty of fodder for the off season. My company just added a guy who has about 20 years game management exp on the college level. We've talked a few times in the past week. I invited him to a game and think we'll be able to swing it for one of the next two. It will be interesting to see Valpo game day through the eyes of someone who's never been to one. WH would like this guy. He told me "Don't ask my opinion on this unless you want an honest answer." So we'll see.
Game overall was meh. Offense needs a little work against that trapping 1-3-1. But if not for a couple of quick stretches of 3s NKU is never in this game.
While we are on the subject of production values for the ARC experience, lets talk about the ESPN3 feed. This year they have had all kinds of problems with the Audio portion of the broadcast. Low mic levels, uneven mic levels, no audio, and not exclusive to yesterday but yesterday was perhaps the worst, static making it distracting and annoying to listen to the feed. Has anyone else experienced this or is it just me? Made the broadcast sound very amateurish.
I noticed the static on the ESPN 3 video yesterday. I guess I can live with that so long as the audio and video are working.
Yep the ESPN3 audio has been rough this season. There was one time that there was no audio for a good 5-10min of game play. I think that was on the road that game.
NativeCheesehead, its always good to hear honest opinions with a fresh set of eyes. Let us know what he thinks.
Quote from: FWalum on January 30, 2017, 08:29:09 AM
While we are on the subject of production values for the ARC experience, lets talk about the ESPN3 feed. This year they have had all kinds of problems with the Audio portion of the broadcast. Low mic levels, uneven mic levels, no audio, and not exclusive to yesterday but yesterday was perhaps the worst, static making it distracting and annoying to listen to the feed. Has anyone else experienced this or is it just me? Made the broadcast sound very amateurish.
Is this a problem of the broadcast doing double duty as radio and video feed? Audio levels have never been consistent and the quality has always left something to be desired, though I'll say that the amateur feel for me relates more to the fact that we've got radio-style play-by-play for a video broadcast.
No one is talking about Davidson's reaction/celebration to the Hammick Hammer. It's the best one yet.
Smits has got the I'm 7' and anytime I move my arms I get a foul thing going right now. Picks up too many silly, irrelevant fouls. He needed to be in there against the 1-3-1 because he can hit the 10-12'er from the baseline (the best place to attack the 1-3-1 btw) or make the pass over the top of a collapse. Can't do that when you're on the bench with 2 early fouls and then more in 2d half. I would really also like to see Derrick play angrier, He's too nice right now. Not mean, just more intensity, own the paint. Jay is doing a much better job of keeping arms high, straight and not moving to affect shots and to rebound. We are suffering from our height in conference because no one can match it and they are still freshmen who need to learn how to play big without fouling. let us all remember how long it took Kikas and Vashil to learn this. There has been much improvement out of the center position since the holidays. I'll continue to say though, Jay has a soft touch inside 8' and needs to speed up the delivery of the shot, and not dribble once, but a consistent left and right hook and learning a drop step like AP's, and he will be unstoppable inside. And Derrick can shoot when confident, also with soft touch and they both make FTs!
I've always felt the audio from Ickow and Co came through distorted. I've been hearing complaints about the audio quality since we were still on the HL network. Are they using really old microphones or something?
It's really frustrating listening to the game on TuneIn sometimes because I'll have to crank up the volume and then quickly remember to turn it down before a commercial starts blaring. Also when Todd gets loud, the audio gets super distorted.
Quote from: valpo84 on January 30, 2017, 09:22:42 AM
Smits has got the I'm 7' and anytime I move my arms I get a foul thing going right now. Picks up too many silly, irrelevant fouls. He needed to be in there against the 1-3-1 because he can hit the 10-12'er from the baseline (the best place to attack the 1-3-1 btw) or make the pass over the top of a collapse. Can't do that when you're on the bench with 2 early fouls and then more in 2d half. I would really also like to see Derrick play angrier, He's too nice right now. Not mean, just more intensity, own the paint. Jay is doing a much better job of keeping arms high, straight and not moving to affect shots and to rebound. We are suffering from our height in conference because no one can match it and they are still freshmen who need to learn how to play big without fouling. let us all remember how long it took Kikas and Vashil to learn this. There has been much improvement out of the center position since the holidays. I'll continue to say though, Jay has a soft touch inside 8' and needs to speed up the delivery of the shot, and not dribble once, but a consistent left and right hook and learning a drop step like AP's, and he will be unstoppable inside. And Derrick can shoot when confident, also with soft touch and they both make FTs!
Smits stat line the past three games combined:
39MP - 5pts - 2R - 2A - 1S - 4B - 9PF
I don't really understand how someone that tall can only have 2 rebounds in 39 minutes. It's remarkable that he still has a higher usage % than Sorrola, inside and outside of conference.
It seems like the reason his usage is higher is because Smits has a much higher free throw rate. Smits has 18 free throws vs 36 fga in conference while Sorolla has 9 FTA to 55 fga. The difference? Sorolla hasn't missed a free throw in conference. Derrik is 8-18.
There's probably some recency bias going on, but this past homestand, Sorrola has been active:
14-22, 32pts, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks.
While Smits hasn't:
5-12, 11pts, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 blocks.
And if you were watching football like me, you didn't see Smits shoot 10 times and grab 6 boards.
Quote from: a3uge on January 30, 2017, 10:14:10 AMQuote from: valpo84 on January 30, 2017, 09:22:42 AMSmits has got the I'm 7' and anytime I move my arms I get a foul thing going right now. Picks up too many silly, irrelevant fouls. He needed to be in there against the 1-3-1 because he can hit the 10-12'er from the baseline (the best place to attack the 1-3-1 btw) or make the pass over the top of a collapse. Can't do that when you're on the bench with 2 early fouls and then more in 2d half. I would really also like to see Derrick play angrier, He's too nice right now. Not mean, just more intensity, own the paint. Jay is doing a much better job of keeping arms high, straight and not moving to affect shots and to rebound. We are suffering from our height in conference because no one can match it and they are still freshmen who need to learn how to play big without fouling. let us all remember how long it took Kikas and Vashil to learn this. There has been much improvement out of the center position since the holidays. I'll continue to say though, Jay has a soft touch inside 8' and needs to speed up the delivery of the shot, and not dribble once, but a consistent left and right hook and learning a drop step like AP's, and he will be unstoppable inside. And Derrick can shoot when confident, also with soft touch and they both make FTs!
Smits stat line the past three games combined: 39MP - 5pts - 2R - 2A - 1S - 4B - 9PF I don't really understand how someone that tall can only have 2 rebounds in 39 minutes. It's remarkable that he still has a higher usage % than Sorrola, inside and outside of conference. It seems like the reason his usage is higher is because Smits has a much higher free throw rate. Smits has 18 free throws vs 36 fga in conference while Sorolla has 9 FTA to 55 fga. The difference? Sorolla hasn't missed a free throw in conference. Derrik is 8-18. There's probably some recency bias going on, but this past homestand, Sorrola has been active: 14-22, 32pts, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, 4 blocks. While Smits hasn't: 5-12, 11pts, 8 rebounds, 2 assists, 6 blocks. And if you were watching football like me, you didn't see Smits shoot 10 times and grab 6 boards.
I think he won a tip ball at the start of the game once. ;D
QuoteWe are suffering from our height in conference because no one can match it and they are still freshmen who need to learn how to play big without fouling. let us all remember how long it took Kikas and Vashil to learn this.
The Coaching staff particularly Coach Gore don't get enough credit for developing Vashil. Oh man I remember Vashil's Freshman and Sophomore year were so brutal. He would make so many silly fouls. He looked like a 7ft. bambi on the court. Vashil's Red-shirt Freshman yr was just brutal. Red-Shirt Sophomore yr you saw glimmers of potential with some blocks and nice plays, but still fouled a ton. Thank God we had Moussa as an addition center that year because I remember Vashil wasn't fully developed and would foul out if he logged huge minutes.
Then Vashil's Junior he added on muscle and came back and was a big surprise. That was the year Vashil became Vashil and turned into a defensive stud. Then that Senior year he was even better and refined. Credit to Vashil for putting in the work, staying with it and also the coaching staff.
Vashil will probably be one of favorite players of all-time. Had class with him and he was such a nice/friendly guy.
Give the bigs time. Jay has been really good for a freshman and Smits has his moments, has run into foul trouble. Some of those fouls have been very ticki-tack, and a few of those are poor calls by the officiating, imo. But Smits will learn body positioning in time.
^^^agree^^^
big guys take longer, in my opinion, to adjust every time they move up a level. The fact that Smits can catch a pass means he is light years ahead of where Vashil was his first year!
Sorolla is going to be a great talent for the next three years.
Quote from: hailcrusaders on January 29, 2017, 04:30:16 PMI know the term "statistically safe lead" has been thrown around this board somewhat. I don't know how one determines what "statistically safe" is, but I've always thought that the rule of thumb is to multiply the number of minutes left in the game by 3 (5 minutes * 3 = 15 points) and if your lead is less than that product, it's too early to start stalling.
Not quite ;)
Team A is leading Team B by X points with Y seconds remaining:
1. Subtract 3 from X
2. If Team A has the ball, add 0.5; if Team B has the ball, subtract 0.5
3. Square the result of (1 and 2)
4. If the result in (3) is > Y, then the lead is statistically safe.
Valpo never had a statistically safe lead on Sunday, if I remember right.
Quote from: NativeCheesehead on January 28, 2017, 09:39:10 AM
Speaking of branding.....was driving home from Chicago a couple of nights ago and right there on the freeway past UIC was what looked like a rec center and/or fieldhouse. In bright white lighting was "University of Illinois-Chicago" So yeah, let's talk to own school before we crab at opposing fans on their message board.
The building you were referring to is the SRF or Student Recreational Facility. It faces I-94 and says both "UIC" in larger letters and "The University of Illinois-Chicago."
http://maps.uic.edu/?bl=630 (http://maps.uic.edu/?bl=630)
https://www.google.com/maps/place/I-94+Express,+Chicago,+IL/@41.8726285,-87.6459217,3a,75y,272.97h,132.7t/data=!3m5!1e1!3m3!1sNNtmksgLAXClNy_vxJtsEQ!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo0.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DNNtmksgLAXClNy_vxJtsEQ%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D92.574646%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!4m5!3m4!1s0x880e2ea565173d23:0xf0f259f78fb613e5!8m2!3d41.8097614!4d-87.6315749