https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/976585753995202560
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/976585756658593793
Clearly just not a good fit. Love that he kept a positive attitude. Wish him well.
I wish him well. I hate to see this if it's just because he struggled this year -- lots of players struggled mightily as a true freshman only to become a key contributor as an upperclassman, and expecting to play a ton as a freshman is not always realistic.
That said, I kinda hated the way our coaching staff seemed to give up on him completely even as our team scuffled their way through the entire season. Yes, he looked completely overmatched early in the year, but man, you're telling me we couldn't find a way for him to give us 3 or 4 productive mins. per game once we were hopelessly out of the conference race to try and get his confidence up?
Don't blame him. Not a did fit? Give me a break. We need a stretch 4 like Skara. Oh, wait. He transferred, too. And is playing in the Sweet 16. Parker deserves better.
It's a bummer to see him transfer but it may be for the best of his colligate career if he thought he wasn't going to get minutes. It sounds like getting benched and all the DNPs in the 2nd half of the season was tough on him. He always kept his head up and was one of the more vocal guys from the bench. He has the physical tools to be a pretty good player but he needs game reps to refine his skills. If he wants to play right away he'd probably have to go the JUCO route. If he wants to stay D1 then also the Red-shirt year to refine his skills might be beneficial.
I wish Parker nothing but the best.
Not sad to see him go, still wish him well though. He had every chance at the beginning of the year to cement his role with the team and didn't get it done versus lesser competition. Idk what practices looked like but something must not have been there that the coaches thought he had. Happy he stuck it out and was a supportive bench guy the whole season. Best of luck. Now go get us a grad transfer 4 with one of these open scholarships who can either start or spell Mileek.
Don't want to say "I told ya so" but I did. There just was no room for him at his position. Many have called for a 4 transfer which would have put him even further down the bench. Matt was playing McMillan and even Kiser a head of him and that wasn't when we tried two big together on the floor. Add Ryan possibly playing the 4 to get another scorer on the floor and there ya go.
Can he play right away at a D2? NAIA? Obviously if so, at least he would continue to get a free ride. I wish him all the best. It just turned out to not be a good fit in the Coaches mind.
Quote from: VU2010 on March 21, 2018, 06:09:48 PM
Don't blame him. Not a did fit? Give me a break. We need a stretch 4 like Skara. Oh, wait. He transferred, too. And is playing in the Sweet 16. Parker deserves better.
He deserved better? ???
To get minutes you need to play well or at the very least be somewhat consistent. He looked pretty overmatched at times. I'm not sure what you mean by "Parker deserved better". I'm pretty sure the Coaches probably sat him down and were telling him why he wasn't earning minutes this season. Also Skara was forced to transfer because Lottich wouldn't hire Maravilla's client. I don't blame Lottich for not hiring his guy and having a backbone.
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/976596673265917953
Quote from: VU2010 on March 21, 2018, 06:09:48 PMDon't blame him. Not a did fit? Give me a break. We need a stretch 4 like Skara. Oh, wait. He transferred, too. And is playing in the Sweet 16. Parker deserves better.
Neither transfer has anything to do with each other. Skara could contribute in a positive fashion right from the start. Hazen didn't look like he belonged playing college ball. He didn't deserve anything more than what he got.
Quote from: VU2010 on March 21, 2018, 06:09:48 PM
Don't blame him. Not a did fit? Give me a break. We need a stretch 4 like Skara. Oh, wait. He transferred, too. And is playing in the Sweet 16. Parker deserves better.
I wanted him to stay ONLY because his high school 3* ranking meant he had upside. Minus that, I see why he departed. He has aspirations to play solid minutes and I would too.
Best of luck Parker, you appeared to be a helluva team mate and that will be missed.
https://twitter.com/PostTribSports/status/976632888451129344
Freshman Parker Hazen leaving Valparaiso in search of more playing time elsewhere
Michael Osipoff
Post-Tribune
March 21, 2018
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/post-tribune/sports/ct-ptb-mens-basketball-valparaiso-parker-hazen-st-0322-20180321-story.html
I wish Parker well in finding a place where he can play and develop. That one of the two freshman 4s is transferring comes as no surprise to me. From the beginning of the season I thought this a likely outcome particularly once Martin came on board as the 4/5 "project".
So now we have two scholarships for next year instead of one? I hope one of these is a grad transfer 4 who defends and rebounds so he can show the two M guys how to do it without picking up quick fouls. We need rebounding from the 4 as I don't think either of our 5's will ever be great at it. Absent that I really hope Fazekus has been working to develop his inside game so he can play some 4.
This really doesn't add up. Something had to happen that we will never know. He starts the first 10 games and then never sees the light of day ever again, even when we were struggling. I thought he was going to be really good. Even though he started, I don't remember him getting over 15 mins of PT in a game or if he ever hit a 3 point shot.
He was a solid hard worker. We are from NW Indiana / Southside of Chicago, we love and root for hard workers. I made it to only 3 games this year and he seemed he was out of his element a bit. Not surprising. Would've loved to see him develop but numbers sometimes go against you. We are in the MVC with a conference brother staring at a Sweet 16 bid and more if they can get by Nevada. It's a top 10 conference and a big boy one at that.
I wish him well. He was given every opportunity to show that he could play at this level over the first 15+ games, and he just didn't cut it. He needs a change of scenery, and I think that he will do well at a low mid-major
I wonder how much circumstances played into this. Think about it. The best 4 ever to play for Valpo graduates. The heir apparent (Skara) transfered the year before leaving two freshmen to fill the void this year. Had Skara stayed, he would have gotten the majority of minutes at the 4 thereby lowering the expectations on the two freshmen. Maybe one of the two freshmen transferring was inevitable, but it might have been after next year rather than the end of this year. I don't know which of the two freshman would have been better after their sophomore year. Now as far as Valpo is concerned, it doesn't matter.
He just wasn't good enough. In another smaller pond, he might shine. Everyone has their limits. He needs to accept what his limits are and find a place where the competition level meets his own abilities, a place where he can succeed. Probably JUCO. But don't sugar coat his lack of talent at Div 1 level. Doesn't make him a bad guy to want to play more somewhere else.
Freshmen bigs generally take awhile to adapt to the college game. Judging his potential off of his first 15 games of the season probably isn't a fair assessment. However, the coaches are in a far better spot to make that assessment than any of us fans. Weird how it all played out....wonder if he was promised a starting job or at least significant playing time to get him to valpo in the first place
First off I appreciate his attitude, by all accounts he was a good teammate. He was always engaged on the bench.
My concern falls on the coaching staff and that is what did they see in preseason to make him a starter for 11 games? Obviously he was showing some promise or we are really bad at evaluating talent.
I hope Parker finds the PT he is looking for. Perhaps Indiana Wesleyan or St Francis might be landing spots should his D1 desires not work out.
My theory is he looked like the freshman with the biggest upside and Lottich wanted to a keep a possible red shirt in his pocket for either Marten or Mileek. When he seemed to struggle with the game and we needed to go that deep on our bench my guess is the priority shifted to hurrying along the other two even more.
Not sure why he got no playing time after a certain point but i find it hard to say he didn't get a shot.
I think he started because Matt wants defense first and compared to the other bigs at his position he was the most athletic. He couldn't stay on the floor any better than Mileek and Mileek could hit a 3 from time to time. Parker had 22 fouls and 19 turnovers while scoring 20 points for the season.
Quote from: crusader05 on March 22, 2018, 08:47:03 AM
My theory is he looked like the freshman with the biggest upside and Lottich wanted to a keep a possible red shirt in his pocket for either Marten or Mileek.
I'm confused ... Parker, Marten and Mileek all played in Game #1 vs North Park, so none of them were going to be able to redshirt after that (barring season-ending injury).
Put me on the list wondering what the coaching staff saw that made them think he was a starter in November and not worthy of garbage time minutes in January/February.
Never like to see / hope for an athlete transfer but this was inevitable after last year. He always seemed to have a positive attitude, which given the situation is a testament to him. Hopefully he catches on somewhere else. He had a rough go in the games he played, and I'm sure the coaches wish they had handled it differently to start the season, but hindsight is 20/20 and he didn't earn playing time over others from what we could see.
Hopefully we can use the open spot to find a good transfer that can contribute right away. I think the team next year could be really good, but a solid 4 could really help solidify the team.
Cabot certainly nails it. I don't think I have ever seen a guy start 10 games and be kept on the bench permanently after that. In any sport at any age.
"Put me on the list wondering what the coaching staff saw that made them think he was a starter in November and not worthy of garbage time minutes in January/February."
Bingo. And, the Union Street Hoops interview didn't help matters. But, that's another story. How anyone can evaluate his performance from the sample size we saw is absurd.
He averaged a minute per game, people. Please. What was seen in him to start him 12 games and then bench him? And previously when asked about why he finally made it in a game and Coach said oh we were up by 20, that's why. So sad. I give Parker SO much credit for staying positive after that remark. Wish him the best. Hope he uses the shameful words said about him as fuel to prove the haters wrong and deliver on the court. Just wait and see...
I had high hopes for Hazen, so it's disappointing to see him leave.
I guess we'll know in a few years whether Coach Lottich made the right call. I'm guessing they saw something in practice that made them think Hazen wouldn't be able contribute in the MVC.
I think part of the problem was the departure of Joe Burton. He was expected to be our top scorer and was is several games when he was here. After Joe left, Matt needed to find guys who could put it in the basket. Parker just wasn't that guy. Of the 13 (pretty sure) games he started--included the last one against Indiana State, he scored 0 in 7 of those games and 2 in another 2 games. His top production was 8 points against a non D1.
Matt was faced with trying Mileek and then Kiser at his spot. As to why he didn't see the floor later in the year, well how many games in conference were we substantial ahead? Heck, how many games in conference did we even win? There just wasn't an opportunity for the coaches to allow him to develop.
I too hope he lands at a school where there is room for him to mature. He is a very good athlete. Perhaps with a couple of years in the gym and on the weights he will become a good player at the college level.
Quoteshow that he could play at this level over the first 15+ games, and he just didn't cut it.
Ok, this take is utterly ridiculous. A true freshman only has the
first half of their first season to prove themselves? Good luck selling that to recruits.
Quote from: EddieCabot on March 22, 2018, 10:27:58 AMPut me on the list wondering what the coaching staff saw that made them think he was a starter in November and not worthy of garbage time minutes in January/February.
I'm sure what they saw in practice was a strong work ethic and athleticism. These thing put him on the starters list. His performance in games relegated himself to the end of the bench. Just my humble opinion.
I feel like maybe this was a situation of too high of expectations for the kid. He came in after a huge Junior year but even by his senior I think his production dropped (although I think he was played out of position). But, I believe he was recruited as an instant contributor and that might have caused a big struggle in expectations and reality for both us as fans as well as himself and the coaching staff.
He was recruited to be a key player, not a project and so where he fits on the team changes a bit when it doesn't work out.
Also, to correct an assumption I posted earlier, I thought that you could play minimally and still get a red shirt but I forgot that only relates to injuries.
Quote from: bigmosmithfan1 on March 22, 2018, 02:03:58 PMQuoteshow that he could play at this level over the first 15+ games, and he just didn't cut it.
Ok, this take is utterly ridiculous. A true freshman only has the first half of their first season to prove themselves? Good luck selling that to recruits.
Struggling is one thing. Looking completely over matched and showing a lack of confidence on the floor is another. I wish he would have gotten more opportunities to play, but there are other guys that showed more and we were "in" most games throughout the year. Sure there was some garbage time at the end of several games he could have been slotted into (and probably should have been). But at the end of the day, the fact is he had his opportunity and lost it.
Seems like there are some similarities between Chris Halvorsen and Hazen.
Knowing the way this coaching staff operates they won't promise any kids that they will start. They will tell them they will have a strong opportunity to start and earn minutes, but nothing is ever going to be guaranteed to someone. Parker talked publicly about knowing AP and Jubril were graduating and said he wanted to replace them at the 4.
Let's not sugar coat it. Parker did not play well at all. He would probably acknowledge that. He was given a lot of chances throughout the beginning of the season to earn more minutes but he just didn't play well. It's not a surprise that he got buried on the benched at that point. It is curious that he start those string of games in the non-conference. My theory on that is that the coaches realized just how raw Mileek was and they may have realized at some point in the preseason that Marty was not ready to play 4 with one of the two 7-footers. I also think they may have been trying to build his confidence by giving him minutes but it never started clicking. Like covufan said, the coaches may have wanted to reward him for his work ethic in practice. Mileek earned minutes even if it wasn't pretty at times.
He has the physical tools but his skills just looked so raw. I hope he finds the right fit and get's the opportunity to hone his skills. I do think he has potential. I think the real problem was that we relied up 2 freshman to play the 4 this season. I know they were going to try Burton as a undersized stretch 4 but once he left the team it really left a glaring hole that forced us to rely on freshman.
"Struggling is one thing. Looking completely over matched and showing a lack of confidence on the floor is another. I wish he would have gotten more opportunities to play, but there are other guys that showed more and we were "in" most games throughout the year. Sure there was some garbage time at the end of several games he could have been slotted into (and probably should have been). But at the end of the day, the fact is he had his opportunity and lost it."
I watched every game. Idk where you get this from. What kind of a sample size are you all using to judge how overmatched he was? He averaged 1 minutes per game?!?!?!?
I'd like to see what ANY player can do in 1 minute? Seriously. Excuses... excuses.... excuses 😷
Quote from: VU2010 on March 22, 2018, 08:19:14 PM
"Struggling is one thing. Looking completely over matched and showing a lack of confidence on the floor is another. I wish he would have gotten more opportunities to play, but there are other guys that showed more and we were "in" most games throughout the year. Sure there was some garbage time at the end of several games he could have been slotted into (and probably should have been). But at the end of the day, the fact is he had his opportunity and lost it."
I watched every game. Idk where you get this from. What kind of a sample size are you all using to judge how overmatched he was? He averaged 1 minutes per game?!?!?!?
I'd like to see what ANY player can do in 1 minute? Seriously. Excuses... excuses.... excuses [emoji40]
He played 8 minutes per game, not 1. Total of 175 minutes. Not to pile on him and beat a dead horse, but he had the second worst PER in the entire country among players with at least 175 minutes played. He had the worst offensive rating in the country with at least 175 min played. He had the 5th worst turnover percentage in the country. His defensive rating was the worst on the team. He was the only player on the team with a negative win share.
My gripe with the coaches was that they kept playing him, despite him playing terribly. I was shocked they kept starting him game after game, expecting to get different results.
I wish him well, and hope he wakes up with some confidence once day, but typically you don't go from one of the worst players in the country to role player for a tournament team a few years later. I found one player in the past 5 years that finished with a PER over 10 after a season with a PER under -1. Almost half of these players either transferred or dropped out of D1, and the majority played minimal minutes.
Valpo needs guys that play with confidence and can score. I'm confident they can fill the spot with a transfer that isn't afraid to shoot an open three after getting the ball.
Quote from: VU2010 on March 22, 2018, 08:19:14 PM
"Struggling is one thing. Looking completely over matched and showing a lack of confidence on the floor is another. I wish he would have gotten more opportunities to play, but there are other guys that showed more and we were "in" most games throughout the year. Sure there was some garbage time at the end of several games he could have been slotted into (and probably should have been). But at the end of the day, the fact is he had his opportunity and lost it."
I watched every game. Idk where you get this from. What kind of a sample size are you all using to judge how overmatched he was? He averaged 1 minutes per game?!?!?!?
I'd like to see what ANY player can do in 1 minute? Seriously. Excuses... excuses.... excuses 😷
Guys, he was a total non-factor in all games that he played, except the exhibition game that he did well. The fact is that he was going to play the same amount of minutes next year, so yes, he missed his chance. He had all of the chances in the world over the first half of the season, and he squandered it. He looked lost on the court at all times. I don't doubt his heart or desire, but he didn't demonstrate D-1 talent in those minutes.
Per Michael Osipoff, "He [Parker Hazen] played a total of 23 minutes in their final 20 games."
Y'all should be nba scouts if you can draw all these comments from that sample size down the stretch of
a player's freshman season. I'm not a betting person but I guess you all should be because that's truly amazing. Hats off to all.
Quote from: VU2010 on March 23, 2018, 09:31:38 PM
Per Michael Osipoff, "He [Parker Hazen] played a total of 23 minutes in their final 20 games."
Y'all should be nba scouts if you can draw all these comments from that sample size down the stretch of
a player's freshman season. I'm not a betting person but I guess you all should be because that's truly amazing. Hats off to all.
Wait, why aren't we allowed to evaluate him on the preceding 152 minutes?
You don't need to be an NBA scout to see what several of us are saying. Don't get me wrong, I hope that he transfers somewhere and lights it up. However, he had plenty of opportunities to show what he was capable of doing, and he turned down each opportunity. He didn't want to shoot wide open shots, he didn't play inside, etc. It has nothing to do with being a FR. Plenty of FR have been given limited minutes at Valpo, but at least showed SOMETHING in those minutes. Hardly any of those past players were given the starting nod that Parker was given, and did nothing with it.
Per Valpo's stats page he averaged 8.3 minutes overall, 2.5 minutes in conference play. He wasn't going to play here, best of luck to him wherever he lands.
Quote from: M on March 23, 2018, 10:37:27 PMHe wasn't going to play here, best of luck to him wherever he lands.
I still think he has D-1 potential and might catch on somewhere as a future contributor. That said the limits of his upside are now known and he would not have found major minutes in 18-19.
I also wish him well and hope we follow him closely enough to witness his progress.
I think Parker has potential and is going to be a D1 player but the coaches were honest with him about what they thought his role would be next season and he chose to go somewhere else where he could have a bigger role. Hopefully he finds the right fit somewhere and takes advantage of his opportunity.
Hopefully when this kid was recruited he wasn't made any promises that he could start. Some coaches do that. Not saying Matt did that but it could be the reason he kept him as starter for so long when it was obvious he had no business being one. Good coaches don't make promises like that.
Quote from: Just Sayin on March 24, 2018, 04:11:57 PM
Hopefully when this kid was recruited he wasn't made any promises that he could start. Some coaches do that. Not saying Matt did that but it could be the reason he kept him as starter for so long when it was obvious he had no business being one. Good coaches don't make promises like that.
I believe the only player that Valparaiso has made that promise to in the last 20 years was Ali Berdiel. After that disaster Homer said he'd never guarantee that to a player again.
Quote from: Just Sayin on March 24, 2018, 04:11:57 PM
Hopefully when this kid was recruited he wasn't made any promises that he could start. Some coaches do that. Not saying Matt did that but it could be the reason he kept him as starter for so long when it was obvious he had no business being one. Good coaches don't make promises like that.
He wasn't promised anything other then the opportunity to earn a significant role. Parker read the tea leaves of AP & JA graduating and thought he'd be able to play a significant role. He was given opportunities early on and it just didn't work out.
Quote from: VU2014 on March 24, 2018, 04:31:04 PM
Quote from: Just Sayin on March 24, 2018, 04:11:57 PM
Hopefully when this kid was recruited he wasn't made any promises that he could start. Some coaches do that. Not saying Matt did that but it could be the reason he kept him as starter for so long when it was obvious he had no business being one. Good coaches don't make promises like that.
He wasn't promised anything other then the opportunity to earn a significant role. Parker read the tea leaves of AP & JA graduating and thought he'd be able to play a significant role. He was given opportunities early on and it just didn't work out.
Certain of that? Love the passion but be realistic unless you know for certain please.
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 24, 2018, 07:09:00 PM
Certain of that? Love the passion but be realistic unless you know for certain please.
I haven't directly asked about the Parker situation but I've talked to Coach Gore about guaranteeing recruits starting jobs in the past and he said they didn't do that. It was when Bryce was still coaching here but I'd imagine they still have that policy.
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 24, 2018, 07:09:00 PMQuote from: VU2014 on March 24, 2018, 04:31:04 PMQuote from: Just Sayin on March 24, 2018, 04:11:57 PMHopefully when this kid was recruited he wasn't made any promises that he could start. Some coaches do that. Not saying Matt did that but it could be the reason he kept him as starter for so long when it was obvious he had no business being one. Good coaches don't make promises like that.
He wasn't promised anything other then the opportunity to earn a significant role. Parker read the tea leaves of AP & JA graduating and thought he'd be able to play a significant role. He was given opportunities early on and it just didn't work out.
Certain of that? Love the passion but be realistic unless you know for certain please.
Be realistic? Come on man.
Posters are speculating all over the place and you're the protector of the absolute certainty? So it's ok to speculate and imply that Lottich isn't a good coach in the post because of the speculation above the one you responded to yet when another poster offers another opinion he has to be absolutely correct....oh yeah...please.
Maybe the kid was a practice player who's play didn't translate to games. He wouldn't be the first. Who knows?
Heard last night that Parker Hazen has made a decision on his new team and it should be announced publicly in the near future.
Quote from: FWalum on April 10, 2018, 12:36:55 PM
Heard last night that Parker Hazen has made a decision on his new team and it should be announced publicly in the near future.
I hope it all works out for Parker. If I had to take a guess he'll land with a JUCO or D2 school where he'll get the opportunity to play right away and get some valuable in game reps/experience. If it all works out I could see him moving back up to D1 after a season season. Parker has the physical tools and size to be a D1 player.
Quote from: FWalum on April 10, 2018, 12:36:55 PM
Heard last night that Parker Hazen has made a decision on his new team and it should be announced publicly in the near future.
Wondering if there is a chance it could be Ball St.
Even though his brother is there, I would be surprised by that. Despite recent reports, BSU will only have one scholarship free for next year (Josh Thompson, son of BSU great Chandler Thompson, almost certainly will earn a scholarship after playing the John Kiser role as a walk-on this season for the Cards).
BSU is thin up front, so I'd expect them to use that open scholarship on a juco or grad transfer big.
Quote from: VU2014 on April 10, 2018, 12:50:19 PM
Quote from: FWalum on April 10, 2018, 12:36:55 PM
Heard last night that Parker Hazen has made a decision on his new team and it should be announced publicly in the near future.
I hope it all works out for Parker. If I had to take a guess he'll land with a JUCO or D2 school where he'll get the opportunity to play right away and get some valuable in game reps/experience. If it all works out I could see him moving back up to D1 after a season season. Parker has the physical tools and size to be a D1 player.
FWIW, he would be immediately eligible if transferring down to a DII school, but would have to sit a year if he subsequently transfer back up to DI.
Quote from: EddieCabot on April 10, 2018, 04:39:25 PM
Quote from: VU2014 on April 10, 2018, 12:50:19 PM
Quote from: FWalum on April 10, 2018, 12:36:55 PM
Heard last night that Parker Hazen has made a decision on his new team and it should be announced publicly in the near future.
I hope it all works out for Parker. If I had to take a guess he'll land with a JUCO or D2 school where he'll get the opportunity to play right away and get some valuable in game reps/experience. If it all works out I could see him moving back up to D1 after a season season. Parker has the physical tools and size to be a D1 player.
FWIW, he would be immediately eligible if transferring down to a DII school, but would have to sit a year if he subsequently transfer back up to DI.
IWU?
https://twitter.com/MichaelOsipoff/status/984438600052994049
Random Question: Has anyone heard where Parker Hazen is going to be playing next season? He mentioned he hoped to stay D1 but last I heard JUCO or D2 was a possibility.
Quote from: VU2014 on June 13, 2018, 04:23:58 PM
Random Question: Has anyone heard where Parker Hazen is going to be playing next season? He mentioned he hoped to stay D1 but last I heard JUCO or D2 was a possibility.
http://www.goreivers.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/bios/hazen_parker_bspj (http://www.goreivers.com/sports/mbkb/2018-19/bios/hazen_parker_bspj)
The Reivers of Iowa Western are a junior college team in Council Bluffs, IA which is across the state line/Missouri River from Omaha, Nebraska.
Parker is averaging 10 points/game in the first 9 games.
Iowa Western is a community college with an enrollment of about 5,500.
The evaluation of Parker as a D1 basketball player must rank right up there with Chris Halvorsen. :(
This wasn't Valpo's fault. Many universities were in on him and multiple recruiting services misevaluated him. That said I wish him the best and hope he rebounds and makes it back to D1.
No, it was Valpo's fault. Luckily they remedied the mistake quickly. Best of luck to him and good for him using his talent to get an education!
Good enough D-1 talent for Lipscomb to pick him up.....? Which is in a much better place than we are right now ...
Quote from: GoldenCrusader87 on March 19, 2019, 07:52:52 PM
Good enough D-1 talent for Lipscomb to pick him up.....? Which is in a much better place than we are right now ...
I like Parker but I don't think Valpo will be kicking themselves about him leaving. I'm happy for him that he found a new home and hopefully he has a successful D1 career.