Time to start a new thread with this week's billboard:
(http://i44.tinypic.com/2u6zqth.jpg) (http://i44.tinypic.com/2u6zqth.jpg)
This is a really big game for us. We desperately need this win. Wish I could make it to this one but unfortunately I will be out of town. :(
Was hoping to pull one win out of the last three. I think this one will be close, but we hit a few FTs and a 3 towards the end.
Valpo 73
JMU 65
This team lost to Detroit at home and Milwaukee on a neutral court. Their 2 wins are against Northern Illinois and San Jose State, both awful programs. San Jose State lost to New Orleans last year, an independent, and Northern Illinois lost to Milwaukee last year, whom might as well been an independent. They were a tourney team last year, upsetting the top seed Northeastern in their conference tournament. They were a play-in team as a 16 seed and beat LIU-Brooklyn before inevitably losing to 1 seed Indiana.
Before the season, JMU was picked 7th in the colonial (out of 9 teams) with one player on the second team all conference list (Andre Nation).(link) (http://www.caasports.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=43048&SPID=3455&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=8500&ATCLID=209288926)
This is a game the Crusaders should win. They should be favored and a loss at home to a bad team would be concerning. I'm okay with Valpo going 0-3 on their road-trip (I was expecting this), but I'm not okay with losing to a team at home that was beat by Detroit and Milwaukee. I think that's a reasonable expectation.
Wild ass guess: Valpo 76 JMU 66
I really hope we win this one, especially at home. If not, it is a bad sign of things to come.
Valpo 78
JMU 67
This game will be on HLN. Just a reminder that if you click the "Game Day (http://www.valpofanzone.com/forum/index.php?board=13.0)" link on the menu, you can watch the HLN feed and use our chat room.
Sort of related: Georgetown just lost to Northeastern (another Colonial member) in Puerto Rico. Georgtown beat Wright State handily earlier this month. Good win for the CAA, something the Horizon League hasn't been able to do this year. Towson and Drexel are also pretty good this year. The Colonial lost George Mason this year and VCU a couple years ago, so it's good to see them potentially rebounding. The A-10 will be constantly poaching from this league if they continue to lose members.
As for Wright State - their two early losses are brutal to the team - they will now play a slew of horrible teams until conference play begins. If they lose a one of those games, they might be screwed if they happen to sit before the selection committee... I'm certain no Horizon League team wants to see Oklahoma State in the first round. Still really early to talk about this, but the Horizon just doesn't have a strong front-running team the year like they've had in the past.
Looking at the real-time Rippee site...confirmation of the weakness (perceived or real) of JMU:
? 11-08 at Virginia 3-1 (0-0) 142 41-61 L
11-15 at Northern Illinois 1-3 (0-0) 315 60-55 W
?? 11-16 vs Wisc. Milwaukee 4-2 (0-0) 231 66-77 L
11-17 vs San Jose St. 1-4 (0-0) 310 79-66 W
? 11-19 Detroit 1-2 (0-0) 138 67-71 L
11-23 at Valparaiso 1-3 (0-0) 201 62-77 L - Scouting
11-27 at Winthrop 2-1 (0-0) 77 65-71 L - Scouting
11-30 at Richmond 3-1 (0-0) 53 64-78 L - Scouting
12-06 at Stephen F. Austin 1-1 (0-0) 97 53-70 L - Scouting
12-07 at Sam Houston St. 2-0 (0-0) 166 64-73 L - Scouting
12-14 at High Point 1-2 (0-0) 249 65-71 L - Scouting
UDM is their only home game for the first 6 weeks of the season... and they are starting a 6-game road trip in the ARC... and we are 15-pt favorites.
I'll go with VU 85 JMU 68... bit leary of the high point projection... our student section will be lacking since the residence halls close at noon Saturday.
Quote from: talksalot on November 21, 2013, 04:23:47 PM
Looking at the real-time Rippee site...confirmation of the weakness (perceived or real) of JMU:
? 11-08 at Virginia 3-1 (0-0) 142 41-61 L
11-15 at Northern Illinois 1-3 (0-0) 315 60-55 W
?? 11-16 vs Wisc. Milwaukee 4-2 (0-0) 231 66-77 L
11-17 vs San Jose St. 1-4 (0-0) 310 79-66 W
? 11-19 Detroit 1-2 (0-0) 138 67-71 L
11-23 at Valparaiso 1-3 (0-0) 201 62-77 L - Scouting
11-27 at Winthrop 2-1 (0-0) 77 65-71 L - Scouting
11-30 at Richmond 3-1 (0-0) 53 64-78 L - Scouting
12-06 at Stephen F. Austin 1-1 (0-0) 97 53-70 L - Scouting
12-07 at Sam Houston St. 2-0 (0-0) 166 64-73 L - Scouting
12-14 at High Point 1-2 (0-0) 249 65-71 L - Scouting
UDM is their only home game for the first 6 weeks of the season... and they are starting a 6-game road trip in the ARC... and we are 15-pt favorites.
I'll go with VU 85 JMU 68... bit leary of the high point projection... our student section will be lacking since the residence halls close at noon Saturday.
RPI sites are a bit misleading because the sample sizes are still extremely small. I wouldn't look at the predictions as gospel until there's a better sample size. I bet Vegas favors Valpo by like 6 or something.
I don't know what the line will be, but it has to be higher than 6. They were beaten by UWM by 11 on a neutral court.
Interesting fact from the pre-game notes:
JMU is one of the few programs nationally taller than the Crusaders, as their players are on average 6'7". Nine are between 6'7" and 6'10", none shorter than 6'4".
I imagine this means our bigs will need to stay out of foul trouble!
3 Things I want to see:
1. #NoDrivesBobby and #Some3sBobby. If he's at the top of the key and tries to drive the ball I'm going to lose my mind, especially against a taller team.
2. How does Peters react to a larger player on him and more focus? He's not going to be a secret weapon anymore after putting up 30 points.
3. Will Dority go after a ball after he dribbles it off his foot?
Quote from: valpotx on November 22, 2013, 02:09:41 PM
Interesting fact from the pre-game notes:
JMU is one of the few programs nationally taller than the Crusaders, as their players are on average 6'7". Nine are between 6'7" and 6'10", none shorter than 6'4".
I imagine this means our bigs will need to stay out of foul trouble!
OR, we go with our smaller lineup and "out quick" them as others have done to us.
I'm not sure what to expect in this game although being back home should be helpful. I think we make a mistake if we feel James Madison is inferior competition. I'll take a win at any margin we can achieve.
Maybe the coaches should be in the starting lineup. (jk) I am hoping to see this during the game ...
Bobby in the 5
more Jubril
Lexus running the point
more set plays "designed" for players
an inside/outside game
a lead early that we keep....
good luck team.
(I am about to get on the road - long drive ahead)
Let's go valpo
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
Quote from: truth219 on November 23, 2013, 12:17:10 PM
Let's go valpo
Sent from my ADR6400L using Tapatalk
It is the time for a win.
How is it that the namesake university of the father of the constitution has a nickname that violates the Constitution's Nobility Clause?
Good overall play by the guys against a team we definitely should have blown out, especially with their injuries. I am assuming that if they get some of their players back, they will be a middle of the pack CAA team. Dority looked much more controlled this game, as did Lexus, who played fantastic. I'll take 6 points/game from our Center position (Moussa/Vashil), if they just play D and get the boards, as they did.
What is up with Chadwick? I know he isn't going to play much, but only Davidson comes in at the 5 minute mark up 30??
I though the starting line up of williams, dority, peters, adekoya, and moussa was fantastic. We started the game with some solid offense. Bobby was not very solid today. Im not going to bash him, however, he got three fouls in three minuets and sat the rest of the first half. He came back in the second half, but the game was already decided at that point. Moussa had a teriffic game in my eyes. He had a few bad passes, but he was much stronger than the man they had guarding him. He owned the boards. Adekoya was terrific. He had a few bad plays, but overall he looked really sharp. Besides bobby and vashil( minus his triple j) who were so so, the rest of the team looked really good and smooth together.
fun game to watch. .. like the changes Bryce made. Strange not seeing Jordan start but I think a change was needed. Anyone know why Chadwick did not play? Love having Lexus start... Makes sense to have a point guard in the starting lineup.
This Freshman class appears to be the real deal. Obviously Peters is a big time offensive player and also is showing more on the defensive side than I thought he would at this stage. Williams has shown some very good point skills, other than the Ohio game, where he looked a little shaky against really aggressive ball pressure and hedging, but I think that will come with experience and physical maturity. Adekoya is really starting to get me excited. He appears to be a really hard nosed, energetic and athletic kid that can be the difference maker. I think we have played better in the last two games when he is in the rotation. Yeo is also a nice player who has a high BB IQ and will only improve with some additional strength and maturity. We have talked about the promise of classes and individual players before, but I think this one is on a different level.
Is it safe to say Jordan is this year's Kenny? Or should he be a starter? You can't base a season on a single game, but the prospects are promising. I really like the way he plays.
Pulling for Alec for HL POW (FOW should be a given):
- points 30 and 15 (22.5 ppg)
- 14-25 FG (56%)
- 9-16 3PT FG (56%)
- 8-8 FT (100%)
- 0 TO's in 58 min.
I wonder when was the last time a HL true freshman scored 30 or more?
I'm sure it's happened, but haven't found it. Gordon Hayward's top scoring game as a freshman was 27 points. Here's another question, when was the last time the Crusaders have had a freshman exceed his expectations any more than Lexus Williams.
Quote from: chef on November 23, 2013, 08:33:22 PM
I'm sure it's happened, but haven't found it. Gordon Hayward's top scoring game as a freshman was 27 points. Here's another question, when was the last time the Crusaders have had a freshman exceed his expectations any more than Lexus Williams.
You aren't kidding. We would be singing Lexus' praises even more than we have been, if not for Alec's amazing start. How about this - Alec POW and Lexus FOW?
Lexus' numbers:
- 10 PPG (8+12)
- 9-14 FG (64%)
- 2-4 3PT FG (50%)
- 3 APG
- 2.5 SPG
- 28 MPG (2nd only to Alec with 29)
Amazing level of efficiency for a (beginning) freshman point guard!
Quote from: chef on November 23, 2013, 08:33:22 PMHere's another question, when was the last time the Crusaders have had a freshman exceed his expectations any more than Lexus Williams.
Lubos? Of course in the mid August before his first game, we really had no expectations for Lubos.
Did you guys have any expectations of Raitis? I wasn't following this board while I was in school. I knew nothing about basketball recruiting ratings FR/SO years, so I have no idea if he might have been rated anything at all, coming from Latvia. There definitely wasn't as much information available back then, as there is now
Quote from: chef on November 23, 2013, 08:33:22 PMwhen was the last time the Crusaders have had a freshman exceed his expectations any more than Lexus Williams.
By my count we have 2 freshmen who are far exceeding expectations (Yeo and Adekoya), one who is greatly exceeding expectations (Peters), and one who is phenomenally exceeding expectations in Lexus Williams. Poor Nick Davidson by only meeting expectations is clearly trailing the field and choking on their dust.
I can't wait for next year and this time I will define next year to include Jan, Feb, and March of 2014. :thumbsup:
The team shot very well against James Madison, and the rebounding was strong, especially Moussa's 11 rebounds, though surprisingly there were no blocks registered by either team. There were a few too many turnovers in the first half, but the team seemed for the most part to be comfortable with the various combinations with which Bryce experimented. There also were many fine performances and good plays, and special notice should be given to Jubril, who stepped up when given the chance. However, Jordan provided the most highlights, and he stunned everyone with the slam seen below, which I present step by step for enjoyment.
(http://i42.tinypic.com/j7svmw.jpg)
(http://i42.tinypic.com/24o0l90.jpg)
(http://i39.tinypic.com/k50vv4.jpg)
(http://i43.tinypic.com/20b1moy.jpg)
Quote from: VU75 on November 23, 2013, 02:28:28 PMHow is it that the namesake university of the father of the constitution has a nickname that violates the Constitution's Nobility Clause?
In all likelihood, James Madison University is the only college or university in the country whose athletic teams draw their nickname from the name of the school's president.
Men first enrolled at Madison College as regular session students following World War II as a result of a request to the college from the Veterans Administration. Thirty-nine men enrolled in 1946 and 101 during the 1947-48 session.[/size][/font]
The first men's basketball team was formed in 1947 and the players chose the nickname "The Dukes," in honor of Madison President Samuel P. Duke. The players told President Duke they would name their team for him if he'd provide them with towels and equipment.
[/size]About the same time, the women's teams began calling themselves the "Duchesses." Women's teams in earlier years had gone by a variety of names. The name "Duchesses" was dropped in 1982 when all JMU teams became the "Dukes."[/size]
[/font][/size]
http://www.jmu.edu/centennialcelebration/dukedog.shtml (http://www.jmu.edu/centennialcelebration/dukedog.shtml)
Lubos and Raitis came in with huge expectations. Lubos was the second highest ranked player on the Czech junior national team. Raitis might have been ranked even higher. I believe it was Blue Ribbon magazine that made this statement "Valpo has a recruit in Raitis Grafs that could start at North Carolina".
Quote from: wh on November 23, 2013, 08:16:14 PM
Pulling for Alec for HL POW (FOW should be a given):
- points 30 and 15 (22.5 ppg)
- 14-25 FG (56%)
- 9-16 3PT FG (56%)
- 8-8 FT (100%)
- 0 TO's in 58 min.
I wonder when was the last time a HL true freshman scored 30 or more?
After a lot of searching it appears that the last HL player to score 30 or more as a freshman was Ray McCallum, who scored 31 points in a 3-pt. win over E. Michigan on December 11, 2010. He had 10-19 FG (all 2's)
and 11-22 FT.No one on a current HL roster scored 30 or more as a freshman. The closest was Sykes at 27.
Quote from: wh on November 24, 2013, 08:39:26 AM
Quote from: wh on November 23, 2013, 08:16:14 PM
Pulling for Alec for HL POW (FOW should be a given):
- points 30 and 15 (22.5 ppg)
- 14-25 FG (56%)
- 9-16 3PT FG (56%)
- 8-8 FT (100%)
- 0 TO's in 58 min.
I wonder when was the last time a HL true freshman scored 30 or more?
After a lot of searching it appears that the last HL player to score 30 or more as a freshman was Ray McCallum, who scored 31 points in a 3-pt. win over E. Michigan on December 11, 2010. He had 10-19 FG (all 2's) and 11-22 FT.
No one on a current HL roster scored 30 or more as a freshman. The closest was Sykes at 27.
Speaking of McCallum, the Detroit board is reporting that he got moved down to the D League. He has not played any minutes in the regular season for the Kings, so it's probably better for his long term development. The Timberwolves did something similar to Robbie Hummel. He played last year in Spain and made the Timberwolves roster this year. There is one difference. Robbie was a 2nd round draft choice; Ray was a 1st. I would guess it's probably more uncommon for a 1st round draft choice to get moved down for seasoning, although I don't follow the NBA closely enough to know for sure.
Kings' NBADL Assignee Ray McCallum Has Promising Debut Despite Losshttp://www.ridiculousupside.com/2013/11/23/5136780/bighorns-fall-short-of-comeback-despite-28-points-from-ray-mccallum (http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2013/11/23/5136780/bighorns-fall-short-of-comeback-despite-28-points-from-ray-mccallum)
Quote from: wh on November 24, 2013, 09:06:43 AM
Quote from: wh on November 24, 2013, 08:39:26 AM
Quote from: wh on November 23, 2013, 08:16:14 PM
Pulling for Alec for HL POW (FOW should be a given):
- points 30 and 15 (22.5 ppg)
- 14-25 FG (56%)
- 9-16 3PT FG (56%)
- 8-8 FT (100%)
- 0 TO's in 58 min.
I wonder when was the last time a HL true freshman scored 30 or more?
After a lot of searching it appears that the last HL player to score 30 or more as a freshman was Ray McCallum, who scored 31 points in a 3-pt. win over E. Michigan on December 11, 2010. He had 10-19 FG (all 2's) and 11-22 FT.
No one on a current HL roster scored 30 or more as a freshman. The closest was Sykes at 27.
Speaking of McCallum, the Detroit board is reporting that he got moved down to the D League. He has not played any minutes in the regular season for the Kings, so it's probably better for his long term development. The Timberwolves did something similar to Robbie Hummel. He played last year in Spain and made the Timberwolves roster this year. There is one difference. Robbie was a 2nd round draft choice; Ray was a 1st. I would guess it's probably more uncommon for a 1st round draft choice to get moved down for seasoning, although I don't follow the NBA closely enough to know for sure.
Kings' NBADL Assignee Ray McCallum Has Promising Debut Despite Loss
http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2013/11/23/5136780/bighorns-fall-short-of-comeback-despite-28-points-from-ray-mccallum (http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2013/11/23/5136780/bighorns-fall-short-of-comeback-despite-28-points-from-ray-mccallum)
I'm pretty sure Ray was taken in the second round.
Was unable to watch the game but I was glad to see them win big and dominate the game. Heard Adekoya as well as Williams got the start which was nice to hear. Overall this freshmen class has more than exceeded expectation. We have got some great players and this group can definitely do something special during their 4 years here.
Decided to look at every player and see if they have met or exceeded expectations for this year.
LVD -- I would say he has met expectations so far. He's played well and has looked good but and will have a very good year.
Jordan -- He has exceeded expectations. He's made some great strides from last season and has looked really good in every game and is averaging about 15 ppg.
Bobby -- He has not met expectations. He's been subpar this year and hasn't seemed comfortable at his position. I'm glad to see his 3-point shot has been on the mark but other than that he hasn't played too well.
Moussa -- He has not met expectations. He's just a defensive shot blocker. I think we were hoping he'd bring a little bit more offense but all he is, is a defensive specialist.
Vashil -- Exceeding expectations. He seems to be more aggressive and has worked on a lot of things with his game. He still isn't a powerhouse but based on last season he has looked pretty good.
Chadwick -- Hasn't met expectations. He's barely played, need I say more?
Keith -- ??????
Davidson -- He's met the expectation of a freshman. He's on the back of the bench and looks like a true freshman.
Jubril -- Exceeding, I wasn't expecting him to be a contributing factor this year but based on the past 2 games he shows he can play and be a big part of this team.
Clay -- Exceeding. He is incredibly smart and has a pretty good shot. He doesn't turn the ball over and makes smart decisions. He hasn't been a big scoring threat but he has made everyone around him better. He plays good D and has great vision
Alec -- Well exceeding. People expected him to be the best freshman but I don't people expected him to be this good. He's averaging close to 15 PPG, hasn't turned the ball over, and plays great D as well. Hope he gets PoW honors because he deserves it. This kid is gonna be great. If we thought Rowdy was great, just wait to see what Alec does during his 4 years in the brown & gold. The only place for him to go is up.
Lexus -- He's been absolutely fantastic in my opinion. I thought early in the season we'd have issues with the PG but I think Lexus has proved he can play the point and play it well. He's had one game where he didn't look very good but everyone has bad games. He reminds a lot of Buggs except for the fact that Lexus can shoot. Wouldn't be surprised to see him start until Keith becomes eligible. Nobody expected much from him and he looks to be the 2nd best freshman on the team with 4 really good freshmen.
Quote from: vu72 on November 24, 2013, 09:23:06 AM
Quote from: wh on November 24, 2013, 09:06:43 AM
Quote from: wh on November 24, 2013, 08:39:26 AM
Quote from: wh on November 23, 2013, 08:16:14 PM
Pulling for Alec for HL POW (FOW should be a given):
- points 30 and 15 (22.5 ppg)
- 14-25 FG (56%)
- 9-16 3PT FG (56%)
- 8-8 FT (100%)
- 0 TO's in 58 min.
I wonder when was the last time a HL true freshman scored 30 or more?
After a lot of searching it appears that the last HL player to score 30 or more as a freshman was Ray McCallum, who scored 31 points in a 3-pt. win over E. Michigan on December 11, 2010. He had 10-19 FG (all 2's) and 11-22 FT.
No one on a current HL roster scored 30 or more as a freshman. The closest was Sykes at 27.
Speaking of McCallum, the Detroit board is reporting that he got moved down to the D League. He has not played any minutes in the regular season for the Kings, so it's probably better for his long term development. The Timberwolves did something similar to Robbie Hummel. He played last year in Spain and made the Timberwolves roster this year. There is one difference. Robbie was a 2nd round draft choice; Ray was a 1st. I would guess it's probably more uncommon for a 1st round draft choice to get moved down for seasoning, although I don't follow the NBA closely enough to know for sure.
Kings' NBADL Assignee Ray McCallum Has Promising Debut Despite Loss
http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2013/11/23/5136780/bighorns-fall-short-of-comeback-despite-28-points-from-ray-mccallum (http://www.ridiculousupside.com/2013/11/23/5136780/bighorns-fall-short-of-comeback-despite-28-points-from-ray-mccallum)
I'm pretty sure Ray was taken in the second round.
Well, I said I don't follow the NBA very closely. ;)
I have now posted a set of 26 photos from last night's game, including the three below of our freshmen starters, for everyone to check out. The three I include here represent what I see as the personalities developed thus far by the three players: Alec is beginning to look like a future star who has taken over Rowdy's position as a potential face of the Crusader team; Lexus has displayed a special ability to twist and turn through the lane with his quickness; and Jubril brings an enthusiasm and energy to the front court that is enjoyable to watch. Both Williams and Adekoya appeared thrilled to have their initial starts yesterday, and you can see that Jubril had fun answering questions at his first post-game press conference. I hope you like all the photos, which can be viewed at the following:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157637996091396/ (http://www.flickr.com/photos/96208998@N05/sets/72157637996091396/)
(http://i42.tinypic.com/25jkpvo.jpg)
(http://i41.tinypic.com/2agsr2p.jgp)
(http://i41.tinypic.com/2ah5u1i.jpg)
Thanks so much for posting the pictures. Really appreciate that you share these. ..
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5523/11023941394_0599d32ede.jpg)
Is this the one where Alec lost control of the ball going up for a possible dunk or lay-in?
It sure looked good until he lost control of the ball.
Quote from: bbtds on November 24, 2013, 12:34:54 PM
(http://farm6.staticflickr.com/5523/11023941394_0599d32ede.jpg)
Is this the one where Alec lost control of the ball going up for a possible dunk or lay-in?
It sure looked good until he lost control of the ball.
Yes, this was at 4:32 left in the first half during the stretch of 4 minutes when neither team scored and both missed shots or committed turnovers. The good news was that Peters ended the drought with 50 seconds left in the half by driving to the basket for a score and drawing a foul, which he converted for the old-fashioned 3-point play.
Quote from: historyman on November 23, 2013, 11:23:01 PM
QuoteIn all likelihood, James Madison University is the only college or university in the country whose athletic teams draw their nickname from the name of the school's president.
It's not such a bad idea, as far as naming schemes go. Maybe when we finally ditch the Crusader we could become the Kretzmanns, or the OP's (Opie? I suppose we don't _really_ want to play up the Mayberry connection...), or some such.
Quote from: agibson on November 24, 2013, 03:46:53 PM
Quote from: historyman on November 23, 2013, 11:23:01 PM
QuoteIn all likelihood, James Madison University is the only college or university in the country whose athletic teams draw their nickname from the name of the school's president.
It's not such a bad idea, as far as naming schemes go. Maybe when we finally ditch the Crusader we could become the Kretzmanns, or the OP's (Opie? I suppose we don't _really_ want to play up the Mayberry connection...), or some such.
You forget the obvious................why not the Hecklers? ;D
we would have not one but TWO great mascots, then:
(http://mickeysmagicaltriptips.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/MuppetsStatlerWaldorf.jpg)
speaking of:
Statler and waldorf (excellent) (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14njUwJUg1I#)
Quote from: valpopal on November 24, 2013, 10:19:15 AM
you can see that Jubril had fun answering questions at his first post-game press conference. I hope you like all the photos, which can be viewed at the following:
(http://i41.tinypic.com/2ah5u1i.jpg)
Jubril also seemed very polished and articulate in the press conference.