Javon opened up the conversation (after I imagine he was asked the question by a reporter) when he announced he is returning next year! Here's where I put my confidence level on guys returning based on absolutely no knowledge.
He's Back: JFL, McMillan, Sackey, Robinson, Gordon, Krikke
50/50: Clay, Morgan, Lorange, Freese-Villien
Clay really played great and I could see where bigger programs may have got in his ear. Morgan didn't have much of a role, maybe that changes maybe it doesn't for next year. Siggurd and Emil never really had much of an opportunity. I don't see that changing much next season either. I could understand them looking elsewhere.
It'll be interesting to see where how the dominoes start falling, not just with Valpo but everywhere. Hopefully there will be a couple more tournament games in our future before things in this thread progress too far.
Yes, Paul asked him kind of a leading question, not directly asking about his thoughts on a transfer, but JFL picked up on it. It's hard to tell if his low key response was an affirmation of returning, but he did talk about getting strong/more tight knit going into next season, right after that affirmation.
i could see Siggy leaving, and maybe Robinson or Morgan. I don't see any others leaving.
Quote from: M on March 08, 2020, 07:33:28 PMJavon opened up the conversation (after I imagine he was asked the question by a reporter) when he announced he is returning next year! Here's where I put my confidence level on guys returning based on absolutely no knowledge. He's Back: JFL, McMillan, Sackey, Robinson, Gordon, Krikke 50/50: Clay, Lorange, Freese-Villien Clay really played great and I could see where bigger programs may have got in his ear. Siggurd and Emil never really had much of an opportunity. I don't see that changing much next season either. I could understand them looking elsewhere. It'll be interesting to see where how the dominoes start falling, not just with Valpo but everywhere. Hopefully there will be a couple more tournament games in our future before things in this thread progress too far.
Why on Earth would Clay go anywhere? He has all the playing time he wants He's looked to as a leader and he can play tons of games near his hometown. Plus he's on a good young ascending team in a good conference. Him leaving would be a big surprise.
From the looks of it, this team was a cohesive unit and enjoyed playing with each other. I'd be surprised if major contributors transferred this off-season.
Siggy and Freese-Villien are probably the highest on the list of possible transfers based on their playing time and the fact that they're so far away from home.
To me, some of those in question depend on whether they'd be eligible as graduate transfers.
1. Zion - no way he leaves unless he graduates and can immediately play elsewhere. Don't see him wanting to sit out again. Though I could definitely see him wanting to get more playing time. And, I think he deserves it.
2. Mileek - idk if he's going to graduate this year. Nonetheless - I don't see him leaving as Valpo has been good to him throughout his... methodical development and despite being arrested.
3. Siggy - I could definitely see him transferring and sitting out a year ... or playing overseas maybe.
4. Clay - I don't see him leaving. Valpo took a chance on him early in the process compared to others. He's an instant star. At least not until he'd be a graduate transfer. Seems like a gym rat - have a hard time believing he'd transfer.
5. Nick - only way he transfers is if can do so as a grad transfer and not bait out. Feels like we haven't seen his full potential.
6. Gordon - I don't feel he's gotten a fair shake thus far. If he could be an immediately eligible grad transfer, I could see him moving closer to his brother. But will likely stay.
7. Freeze - I wouldn't be surprised if he left, especially with the incoming freshmen and Krikke being a star in the making. We didn't get to see enough of him to gauge one way or the other.
8. JFL - it'll be interesting to see what he does in a year assuming he graduates with a year of eligibility remaining. Will likely depend on how this year goes.
9. Krikke - not leaving.
Anyone I'm missing?
I hate it when people just assume there is a 50% of a player transferring because they played well. Let's not speculate for no good reason. It is annoying and will make for a long off season.
As of now we have no reason to believe any major contributors are leaving. IF and when a player gives us reason to speculate, we can talk about it then, otherwise we are just wasting valuable brain energy.
I do agree about Robinson. I think he is REALLY REALLY good and we didn't get to see his full potential because he was never the same after his back injury. I want to see him back next year and healthy because he was definitely one of our 5 best players when he was healthy.
Looking at this from a purely numbers standpoint, on average, 3+ players will transfer from every Div 1 team in the country. I think that we should view it as a positive accomplishment for the program if less than 3 transfer.
Hoping and thinking that the deep run into the MVC tournament helps.
Lorange and Freese-Villen are two that I would almost say are likely to go following this season where they got very little playing time and their path to increased minutes doesn't look good. I would call Freese-Villen more likely to go than Lorange because it is easier to see Siggy's path to minutes. Other than that nobody jumps out except perhaps for Robinson and Gordon who can be grad transfers (I think). I hope they all stay though because I think they all have the potential to be good and valuable contributors.
Question and don't feel like looking it up and maybe Paul or someone has the official rules handy:
Under the proposed new 1 free transfer rule (no sitting out a year), how does this impact players who have previously transferred and sat out a year (hence e.g., Robinson and Gordon). Would they have the ability to freely transfer without having to sit?
Likewise, under the proposed rule, will the grad transfer rule be repealed as not needed, or will players get 2 free transfers?
Thus, speculating on transfers without knowing what system applies yet seems premature.
I'd be pretty surprised if Freese-Vilien leaves unless it's to go back to Europe as he's got a pretty good deal at Valpo with Engineering and D1 basketball
Quote from: Valpofamfan on March 09, 2020, 10:45:32 AMI'd be pretty surprised if Freese-Vilien leaves unless it's to go back to Europe as he's got a pretty good deal at Valpo with Engineering and D1 basketball
Kiser should talk to him about how good the basketball and engineering experience can be if he works hard and sticks it out!
Coach made a point in the press conference after the game to say some nice things about Freese-Villien, about how he wanted to get him some more minutes but went with the hot hand, and how he never disappointed him when he did play. If he did decide to come back and if he improves the way a lot of players do between their first and second years, he could give coach the option of occasionally playing two bigs at the same time, moving Mileek or Krikke to more of a stretch four position. Having more options to your offense and a bit more size around the rim on defense wouldn't be a bad thing, would it?
So is Lorange still hurt? I like Lorange and hope he stays.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 09, 2020, 11:04:50 AM
So is Lorange still hurt? I like Lorange and hope he stays.
Don't know but they are seeking a red-shirt. Northern Iowa, Bradley, Missouri State and Indiana State all have one transfer listed as of today.
Wait who left each program? Can you fill me in?
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 09, 2020, 12:24:55 PM
Wait who left each program? Can you fill me in?
Missouri State: Tyem Freeman, FR 6'5" SF
Josh Hall, RJR 6'7" SF
Bradley: Stephan Gabriel, FR 6'7" SF
Northern Iowa: Shandon Goldman, 6'10" PF Grad transfer
Indiana State: Caleb Matthews, FR 6'4" SG
Drake: Samm Jones, RJR 5'11" PG
Nobody sounds like a major blow. Glad it's not any impact players.
Is there a site where transfers get posted? Excuse my ignorance haha
Honestly, is Lorange a Div 1 player? I don't think so at all. To me a player who should be at a Bethel type school.
Quote from: GoldenCrusader87 on March 09, 2020, 12:53:59 PM
Is there a site where transfers get posted? Excuse my ignorance haha
Verbalcommits.com Then click on "transfers". Right now there are already 179 and that has gone up like 10 just today.
Quote from: vu72 on March 09, 2020, 12:46:41 PM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 09, 2020, 12:24:55 PM
Wait who left each program? Can you fill me in?
Missouri State: Tyem Freeman, FR 6'5" SF
Bradley: Stephan Gabriel, FR 6'7" SF
Northern Iowa: Shandon Goldman, 6'10" PF Grad transfer
Indiana State: Caleb Matthews, FR 6'4" SG
Is any of this fresh news? Gabriel of Bradley was dismissed a good while back.
It wouldn't be the end of the world if any of our bench players transferred. I'd be open to getting a grad transfer to add to what should be a good team. Post player would be nice
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
Quote from: truth219 on March 09, 2020, 03:15:18 PM
It wouldn't be the end of the world if any of our bench players transferred. I'd be open to getting a grad transfer to add to what should be a good team. Post player would be nice
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
Not sure that I'd like to see Sackey or Krikke go.
Quote from: 4throwfan on March 09, 2020, 03:50:03 PM
Quote from: truth219 on March 09, 2020, 03:15:18 PM
It wouldn't be the end of the world if any of our bench players transferred. I'd be open to getting a grad transfer to add to what should be a good team. Post player would be nice
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
Not sure that I'd like to see Sackey or Krikke go.
I was speaking about players that didn't have a role in our success this season.
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Can't we just wait a few days after a fun tournament run before sharing unfounded rumors about possible transfers?
Quote from: M on March 08, 2020, 07:33:28 PMJavon opened up the conversation (after I imagine he was asked the question by a reporter) when he announced he is returning next year! Here's where I put my confidence level on guys returning based on absolutely no knowledge. He's Back: JFL, McMillan, Sackey, Robinson, Gordon, Krikke 50/50: Clay, Morgan, Lorange, Freese-Villien Clay really played great and I could see where bigger programs may have got in his ear. Morgan didn't have much of a role, maybe that changes maybe it doesn't for next year. Siggurd and Emil never really had much of an opportunity. I don't see that changing much next season either. I could understand them looking elsewhere. It'll be interesting to see where how the dominoes start falling, not just with Valpo but everywhere. Hopefully there will be a couple more tournament games in our future before things in this thread progress too far.
Clay is not going anywhere. I have spoken to his parents and they are very happy and impressed with Valpo and say Donovan absolutely loves it here. So unless something major happens, I don't see him leaving.
With Morgan I don't see him leaving unless Robinson goes. He told me at the beginning of the season the reason he came to Valpo was because of Nick. They have been friends for 10+ years and are tied to the hip with each other. They seem to regard friendship/relationships as an important aspect of where they go to school, and are also pretty tight with some of the other players here. However, if one bails I feel the other might also, but I think they stay.
Don't know about Gordon, but I think he's happy at Valpo.
Don't see Emil leaving unless he gets home sick. My thought is he is here for his engineering degree and being at Valpo, he can get a scholarship for it by playing basketball.
Lorange, I have no clue or feel on him transferring so by default he's my leading candidate to leave.
I have no idea what will happen. This is just my 2cents :twocents: , but I would not be surprised if we only had one or none transfer and would actually prefer that
So you prefer stability and continuity then? Yeah me too... Stability is nice... It's been a couple of years since we've had it and I think we would really benefit from some right about now! Go Valpo! I BELIEVE!
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 09, 2020, 11:04:50 AMSo is Lorange still hurt? I like Lorange and hope he stays.
He just had surgery and is currently rehabbing. That's why you didn't see him in St Louis.
I'm ok with Lorange and Freese-Villien if they left. We could upgrade their spots significantly over their current abilities. Add a grad transfer.
Remember, Steve Helm could end up being a factor. Siggy = not needed.
Siggy is my next Vashil and Kiser. I went to bat for both early on. I am going to bat for him against the many folks that don't seem to think he can cut it. If he stays, count on him being a strong contributor in years 3 and 4 :)
Kiser is 6-5. Siggy might be able to grab the net and is slow and cannot guard in the MVC. He's using a scholarship that can go to someone who can contribute.
Dear Siggy,
If you are reading this thread, please be aware of the following two points:
1 - The opinions of people who write on this forum have absolutely NO impact on your future with Valpo basketball. The only opinion that counts when it comes to evaluating your talent is that of coach Lottich. And he recruited you, so he obviously wants you here!
2 - The vast majority of us Valpo fans love and support you and anyone else who puts on a Valpo jersey and give a 100% effort.
So to conclude, good luck with your rehab. I can't wait to see you back on the court.
Sincerely,
Valpofan!
Quote from: Chairback on March 09, 2020, 06:59:34 PM
Kiser is 6-5. Siggy might be able to grab the net and is slow and cannot guard in the MVC. He's using a scholarship that can go to someone who can contribute.
I believe that you were one of the fans that said the same thing about Vashil over his first two years. I hope that Siggy also proves you wrong :)
Quote from: ValpoFan on March 09, 2020, 11:46:52 PM
Dear Siggy,
If you are reading this thread, please be aware of the following two points:
1 - The opinions of people who write on this forum have absolutely NO impact on your future with Valpo basketball. The only opinion that counts when it comes to evaluating your talent is that of coach Lottich. And he recruited you, so he obviously wants you here!
2 - The vast majority of us Valpo fans love and support you and anyone else who puts on a Valpo jersey and give a 100% effort.
So to conclude, good luck with your rehab. I can't wait to see you back on the court.
Sincerely,
Valpofan!
Well said, I also think that we need more depth at the PG. If we lose a player like Siggy to transfer that puts us further behind the curve. He needs time (a full season) to adapt as a healthy contributor before I can comment one way or the other. Despite coach talking about Javon handling PG duties as a (new age PG) we still need to beat the trap and Javon is good but not great at handling these duties. Not to mention, New Age or not . . . the PG exerts a ton of energy on the offense and defense ends of the court. If he were to carry PG duties through a whole season he'd have nothing left in his legs.
We need players like Siggy for next year undoubtedly. As long as he progresses like Mileek and other players have in the last 4-years then I don't see why him bolstering the PG position is a bad thing. I would argue that the middle 50% of this season was missing a PG as much as a seasoned F/C, if not more. Because our offense looked quite stagnate when Daniel was working through things.
Did not start this tread in hopes of seeing any of our guys leave. I'd love to see everyone return. Odds are not everyone will though.
Quote from: M on March 10, 2020, 11:04:53 AMDid not start this tread in hopes of seeing any of our guys leave. I'd love to see everyone return. Odds are not everyone will though.
I agree. I would like to see everyone return. There is not one player I want to leave. My feeling is no one is leaving and that this One Team - family thing is real and solid. I've never seen a group that appears to be so close and that is great. But then again statistically one would expect there to be some movement. I'm hoping. however, this year the stat on transfers evens out for us and we get 0% transfers.
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 10, 2020, 08:31:43 AMQuote from: ValpoFan on March 09, 2020, 11:46:52 PMDear Siggy, If you are reading this thread, please be aware of the following two points: 1 - The opinions of people who write on this forum have absolutely NO impact on your future with Valpo basketball. The only opinion that counts when it comes to evaluating your talent is that of coach Lottich. And he recruited you, so he obviously wants you here! 2 - The vast majority of us Valpo fans love and support you and anyone else who puts on a Valpo jersey and give a 100% effort. So to conclude, good luck with your rehab. I can't wait to see you back on the court. Sincerely, Valpofan!
Well said, I also think that we need more depth at the PG. If we lose a player like Siggy to transfer that puts us further behind the curve. He needs time (a full season) to adapt as a healthy contributor before I can comment one way or the other. Despite coach talking about Javon handling PG duties as a (new age PG) we still need to beat the trap and Javon is good but not great at handling these duties. Not to mention, New Age or not . . . the PG exerts a ton of energy on the offense and defense ends of the court. If he were to carry PG duties through a whole season he'd have nothing left in his legs. We need players like Siggy for next year undoubtedly. As long as he progresses like Mileek and other players have in the last 4-years then I don't see why him bolstering the PG position is a bad thing. I would argue that the middle 50% of this season was missing a PG as much as a seasoned F/C, if not more. Because our offense looked quite stagnate when Daniel was working through things.
Good point guards are hard to come buy. What makes Sackey's defensive abilities work is what makes his ability to play the point lag. That's his frenetic style of play. If he is working with Buggsy, I hope he can learn to run the offense under control instead of at the mad sprint he always seems to be at.
Siggy I don't think we know anything about. When he played he looked lost on the court and mis-spaced a lot of the time. Plus he apparently was hurt a lot. We don't even know if he's a point guard. He may be more of a spot up three point guy...something the team needs even in an off the bench role.
Quote from: JD24 on March 10, 2020, 11:43:46 AMSiggy I don't think we know anything about.
We know he may be the best shot on the team and that includes a 50% shooter.
Is something up with King Kampe at Oakland? 5 kids have announced transfers.
If Siggy really is that good of a 3 point shooter when he is healthy I hope he stays. Over the next 2 years Clay/JFL are going to draw a lot of attention going to the basket so even a guy who is 5'10" (guessing, I know he is short) may get lots of open looks on kickouts. Not sure he will be able to hang defensively or not, but I would like to see him healthy for a year before making decisions on him.
Quote from: M on March 10, 2020, 11:04:53 AM
Did not start this tread in hopes of seeing any of our guys leave. I'd love to see everyone return. Odds are not everyone will though.
For conversation sake, let's say that (2) transfers occur which is still below national average. We cannot control who they "might" be, but we can discuss areas of need after watching this team play . . .
Here is my list in order of need:1) 42%+ three point shooter with quick release
2) Rebounder from the 3 or 4 position
3) Backup PG to Sackey that can play starters minutes when he tries too hard (Zion?)
This turned out to be a difficult exercise because the team (as it stands today) looks pretty complete and ready to grow in experience together. I came into this season thinking we needed big help at the PG and C position and I feel "better" today than at that time. If we can get Zion more minutes as a lock-down defender and strong dribble/driver and develop Freese-Vilein into a 10 mpg player that is not out of his element, we should have a fun 2020/21 season.
Paul Oren laid out a really nice case on the last episode of Union Street Hoops to suggest that Siggy could fill needs 1 and 3 himself. I also think Barrett and Edwards are being recruited because they can shoot and Ognacevic looks like he may have the makings of a great stretch 4.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 10, 2020, 12:34:21 PM
Paul Oren laid out a really nice case on the last episode of Union Street Hoops to suggest that Siggy could fill needs 1 and 3 himself. I also think Barrett and Edwards are being recruited because they can shoot and Ognacevic looks like he may have the makings of a great stretch 4.
I'd agree that Siggy potentially fills #1 and #3, hoping anyways. But can we play him strong minutes if he is a defensive liability? Fazekas ended up being a better defender than I expected and he shot lights out, that is why he got minutes. I don't think Siggy can get strong minutes because we probably cannot play him and Sackey at the same time. Not to mention coach liked Javon at PG at times.
IMO we need starters minutes from a player that shoots 42%+ from deep. Our current roster doesn't have that besides Gordon @ 42%. If we lean on Gordon for starters mpg, how do we think his defense is? He is the 6'2" G that isn't giving up a ton of size or athleticism . . . does he take those minutes and shoot 42%+ with 2x more attempts? Gordon only took 69 attempts and Freeman (178), Donovan (112) and Mileek (110).
Freeman 29%
Donovan 29%
McMllan 36%
Krikke 34%
Sackey 31%
Robinson 27%
Siggy 60%
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 10, 2020, 01:03:59 PM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 10, 2020, 12:34:21 PM
Paul Oren laid out a really nice case on the last episode of Union Street Hoops to suggest that Siggy could fill needs 1 and 3 himself. I also think Barrett and Edwards are being recruited because they can shoot and Ognacevic looks like he may have the makings of a great stretch 4.
I'd agree that Siggy potentially fills #1 and #3, hoping anyways. But can we play him strong minutes if he is a defensive liability? Fazekas ended up being a better defender than I expected and he shot lights out, that is why he got minutes. I don't think Siggy can get strong minutes because we probably cannot play him and Sackey at the same time. Not to mention coach liked Javon at PG at times.
IMO we need starters minutes from a player that shoots 42%+ from deep. Our current roster doesn't have that besides Gordon @ 42%. If we lean on Gordon for starters mpg, how do we think his defense is? He is the 6'2" G that isn't giving up a ton of size or athleticism . . . does he take those minutes and shoot 42%+ with 2x more attempts? Gordon only took 69 attempts and Freeman (178), Donovan (112) and Mileek (110).
Freeman 29%
Donovan 29%
McMllan 36%
Krikke 34%
Sackey 31%
Robinson 27%
Siggy 60%
You MUST take into consideration player improvement.
Freeman 29% <--- Mono played a role in this being low. Started the season in the 34%/35% range before falling off a cliff late.
Donovan 29% <--- No reason to believe this won't bump to the mid 30's with natural player progression
McMllan 36% <--- He finished the season real strong. I think he could get to 40% next year.
Krikke 34% <--- Again, natural player progression from a young kid should bring this up
Sackey 31% <--- shot 22% as a freshman... His shot improved. Gotta think he bumps that up a few ticks higher next year.
Robinson 27% <--- back injury played a role in this being low. He is better than that. Was almost 35% his sophomore season.
Siggy 60% <-- Not sure this # means a whole lot without meaningful minutes against, but it is intriguing enough to want to keep him to see.
**Long story short** Don't absolutely need a 42% guy if the whole team is shooting 36-38% so that on any given night 1 of them can go off for 45%.
Here's the thing: we don't know a lot of things yet. This season just ended. We don't know how our new recruits will perform. We don't know if or to what degree some of the players who struggled from outside will improve their shot. The improvement in team shooting could come from everybody on the roster improving incrementally as much as any one addition. We don't even know what kind of player Lorange is yet. I think Paul said he played exactly 60 minutes. Can\should a player be judged by his performance over a game and a half? Now compound that issue by knowing that he was usually getting bit minutes (8-10 at most.) Do you really think we know what we have in him yet? It seemed like Lottich really wanted to play him more especially as Sackey struggled earlier this year but couldn't mostly because Lorange was hurt most of the year. We've seen what back injuries can do (After all, Robinson was not the same player with his back problems). Let's let Siggy get some run when he's healthy for a few games and assess what we have then if we get the opportunity. And if he was playing through his injury whatever you saw and judged his defense to be should be filtered through that lens and judged accordingly as injuries would understandably hamper a player's defensive abilities.
I am definitely hoping no one transfers but if we do have one slot open up I would love Jeremiah Williams from Simeon. I think he is friends with Javon and would fit in well with the team chemistry.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 10, 2020, 01:18:12 PM
Here's the thing: we don't know a lot of things yet. This season just ended. We don't know how our new recruits will perform. We don't know if or to what degree some of the players who struggled from outside will improve their shot. The improvement in team shooting could come from everybody on the roster improving incrementally as much as any one addition. We don't even know what kind of player Lorange is yet. I think Paul said he played exactly 60 minutes. Can\should a player be judged by his performance over a game and a half? Now compound that issue by knowing that he was usually getting bit minutes (8-10 at most.) Do you really think we know what we have in him yet? It seemed like Lottich really wanted to play him more especially as Sackey struggled earlier this year but couldn't mostly because Lorange was hurt most of the year. We've seen what back injuries can do (After all, Robinson was not the same player with his back problems). Let's let Siggy get some run when he's healthy for a few games and assess what we have then if we get the opportunity. And if he was playing through his injury whatever you saw and judged his defense to be should be filtered through that lens and judged accordingly as injuries would understandably hamper a player's defensive abilities.
We are getting a 5'8" skilled shooter that may or may not get his shot off. I am going to be that guy, the only way he gets his shot off is by us running plays with 2 and 3 screens upon screens. Not even Fazekas was able to get that type of open and he was commonly taller than those defending him. I just don't know, he has a lot to overcome because of his height.
Quote from: tiny707 on March 10, 2020, 02:14:05 PMI am definitely hoping no one transfers but if we do have one slot open up I would love Jeremiah Williams from Simeon. I think he is friends with Javon and would fit in well with the team chemistry.
I like Williams and was hoping he would come to Valpo until all the slots filled up suddenly. I too think their friends. I've seen some twitter interaction between them and I might be reading a little to much into it, but I see the conversations more than just casual chatter between strangers. If it were to make Javon happy having him here, I say let's keep Javon Happy.
Fieldgoodie You are dead on.
If you are a smaller guard you have to have freakish athleticism to compensate for it. Not just a set shooter from 3.
Buggs had phenomenal speed, could pass and distribute and was a unbelievable on ball defender. He could get to the rim and finish.
Daniel is the fastest player I have ever seen and can change a game when he is under control.
Kay Felder same thing. Royce Parran at Chicago State.
I'd take him as a walk on, but not use up a scholarship.
Sackey improved A LOT down the stretch this year and I think he is seen as one of the emotional leaders of this team. I wouldn't give up on him yet. As for Williams, we don't have a scholarship for him so I don't see how we can bring him here even if we want to get him for Javon.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 10, 2020, 07:47:07 PMSackey improved A LOT down the stretch this year and I think he is seen as one of the emotional leaders of this team. I wouldn't give up on him yet. As for Williams, we don't have a scholarship for him so I don't see how we can bring him here even if we want to get him for Javon.
I should have made my self clearer. I like Williams as a player and think he would fit in well at Valpo. Being a supposed friend of Javon it would be a plus in that friends enjoy being together and that makes for a happy environment. However there are no open scholarships available, so I was just wishing it would have worked out. I know it's not going to happen, so I was just doing a wouldn't it have been nice if ....
Quote from: Chairback on March 10, 2020, 07:44:18 PM
Fieldgoodie You are dead on.
If you are a smaller guard you have to have freakish athleticism to compensate for it. Not just a set shooter from 3.
Buggs had phenomenal speed, could pass and distribute and was a unbelievable on ball defender. He could get to the rim and finish.
Daniel is the fastest player I have ever seen and can change a game when he is under control.
Kay Felder same thing. Royce Parran at Chicago State.
I'd take him as a walk on, but not use up a scholarship.
I would like to see what Sigurd could do, honestly. Matt saw something in him and it doesn't necessarily have to be a star point guard. If he brings specific attributes to the game that round out the team, he (or anyone) can help take the team to the next level, assuming they don't come at some grave expense.
I couldn't disagree more that freakish athleticism is required to compensate for size. Intelligence, skill, and being part of a team plan are more than enough. Basketball courts are small, so acceleration can't consistently get you past a defender who anticipates your moves and positions himself well, especially if they don't respect your outside shooting; Sackey is slowly learning that. As for Fieldgoodie's comparison to Fazekas and his moments of difficulty getting off a shot, I'll say this. Preventing a great shooter from getting off his shot NEVER comes without a price. I would wager that if he's not getting his shot, someone else is having an easier time offensively.
Next year we've got no guaranteed sharpshooter. We need one. If he's fundamentally sound on defense, he'll add another tool to the Swiss Army knife that will make us better.
Quote from: Valpower on March 11, 2020, 11:58:14 AM
Quote from: Chairback on March 10, 2020, 07:44:18 PM
Fieldgoodie You are dead on.
If you are a smaller guard you have to have freakish athleticism to compensate for it. Not just a set shooter from 3.
Buggs had phenomenal speed, could pass and distribute and was a unbelievable on ball defender. He could get to the rim and finish.
Daniel is the fastest player I have ever seen and can change a game when he is under control.
Kay Felder same thing. Royce Parran at Chicago State.
I'd take him as a walk on, but not use up a scholarship.
I would like to see what Sigurd could do, honestly. Matt saw something in him and it doesn't necessarily have to be a star point guard. If he brings specific attributes to the game that round out the team, he (or anyone) can help take the team to the next level, assuming they don't come at some grave expense.
I couldn't disagree more that freakish athleticism is required to compensate for size. Intelligence, skill, and being part of a team plan are more than enough. Basketball courts are small, so acceleration can't consistently get you past a defender who anticipates your moves and positions himself well, especially if they don't respect your outside shooting; Sackey is slowly learning that. As for Fieldgoodie's comparison to Fazekas and his moments of difficulty getting off a shot, I'll say this. Preventing a great shooter from getting off his shot NEVER comes without a price. I would wager that if he's not getting his shot, someone else is having an easier time offensively.
Next year we've got no guaranteed sharpshooter. We need one. If he's fundamentally sound on defense, he'll add another tool to the Swiss Army knife that will make us better.
I also carry that hope, but my gut is telling me he has more hurdles to clear in order to even get playing time. And frankly, no playing time = no deep ball threat.
Quote from: Valpower on March 11, 2020, 11:58:14 AMQuote from: Chairback on March 10, 2020, 07:44:18 PMFieldgoodie You are dead on. If you are a smaller guard you have to have freakish athleticism to compensate for it. Not just a set shooter from 3. Buggs had phenomenal speed, could pass and distribute and was a unbelievable on ball defender. He could get to the rim and finish. Daniel is the fastest player I have ever seen and can change a game when he is under control. Kay Felder same thing. Royce Parran at Chicago State. I'd take him as a walk on, but not use up a scholarship.
I would like to see what Sigurd could do, honestly. Matt saw something in him and it doesn't necessarily have to be a star point guard. If he brings specific attributes to the game that round out the team, he (or anyone) can help take the team to the next level, assuming they don't come at some grave expense. I couldn't disagree more that freakish athleticism is required to compensate for size. Intelligence, skill, and being part of a team plan are more than enough. Basketball courts are small, so acceleration can't consistently get you past a defender who anticipates your moves and positions himself well, especially if they don't respect your outside shooting; Sackey is slowly learning that. As for Fieldgoodie's comparison to Fazekas and his moments of difficulty getting off a shot, I'll say this. Preventing a great shooter from getting off his shot NEVER comes without a price. I would wager that if he's not getting his shot, someone else is having an easier time offensively. Next year we've got no guaranteed sharpshooter. We need one. If he's fundamentally sound on defense, he'll add another tool to the Swiss Army knife that will make us better.
Seth C. sounds like this guy. He wasn't all that bad.
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 11, 2020, 12:41:37 PMmy gut is telling me he has more hurdles to clear in order to even get playing time. And frankly, no playing time = no deep ball threat.
Siggy should already know what his potential is for playing and scoring in the Valley. If he decides to go I would not argue with him. If he decides to stay and Matt is good with it then so am I.
Quote from: Just Sayin on March 11, 2020, 02:24:07 PM
Quote from: Valpower on March 11, 2020, 11:58:14 AMQuote from: Chairback on March 10, 2020, 07:44:18 PMFieldgoodie You are dead on. If you are a smaller guard you have to have freakish athleticism to compensate for it. Not just a set shooter from 3. Buggs had phenomenal speed, could pass and distribute and was a unbelievable on ball defender. He could get to the rim and finish. Daniel is the fastest player I have ever seen and can change a game when he is under control. Kay Felder same thing. Royce Parran at Chicago State. I'd take him as a walk on, but not use up a scholarship.
I would like to see what Sigurd could do, honestly. Matt saw something in him and it doesn't necessarily have to be a star point guard. If he brings specific attributes to the game that round out the team, he (or anyone) can help take the team to the next level, assuming they don't come at some grave expense. I couldn't disagree more that freakish athleticism is required to compensate for size. Intelligence, skill, and being part of a team plan are more than enough. Basketball courts are small, so acceleration can't consistently get you past a defender who anticipates your moves and positions himself well, especially if they don't respect your outside shooting; Sackey is slowly learning that. As for Fieldgoodie's comparison to Fazekas and his moments of difficulty getting off a shot, I'll say this. Preventing a great shooter from getting off his shot NEVER comes without a price. I would wager that if he's not getting his shot, someone else is having an easier time offensively. Next year we've got no guaranteed sharpshooter. We need one. If he's fundamentally sound on defense, he'll add another tool to the Swiss Army knife that will make us better.
Seth C. sounds like this guy. He wasn't all that bad.
I don't want to get caught up on height but I also cannot ignore this. We are being generous by giving him 5'9" -vs- Seth Colclasure was 6'2". I get the athleticism comment
but Seth was not 5+ inches shorter than any and all that guarded him. I emphasize it's not that he cannot excel, just that he is going to really struggle unless he has some well honed sense and high basketball IQ.
Note: I think most of us on this board are between 5'9" and 6'2" . . . we all know the difference when someone 4 to 5" taller is guarding us. We likely never had the intangibles but I can promise you we had a lot of our shots blocked.
Amazing that everyone forgets that Sigurd played in a professional league and was the leading scorer in many if not most games for his team. His stat line reads 20.0 PPG 3.7 RBPG 4.7 APG and he was not playing against midgets, these players were very similar in height to many college basketball teams and I would think potentially higher in talent than most 3A and 4A Indiana high school teams. I don't believe that we have seen him play enough healthy minutes to begin to make judgements as to his capabilities.
Quote from: FWalum on March 11, 2020, 04:08:59 PM
Amazing that everyone forgets that Sigurd played in a professional league and was the leading scorer in many if not most games for his team. His stat line reads 20.0 PPG 3.7 RBPG 4.7 APG and he was not playing against midgets, these players were very similar in height to many college basketball teams and I would think potentially higher in talent than most 3A and 4A Indiana high school teams. I don't believe that we have seen him play enough healthy minutes to begin to make judgements as to his capabilities.
Fair point, I think many of us accept that we have not seen his best or his worst. But it's also fair for us to point out concerns. Otherwise what else do we have to talk about!!!!!????!!!!
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 11, 2020, 03:22:49 PM
Quote from: Just Sayin on March 11, 2020, 02:24:07 PM
Quote from: Valpower on March 11, 2020, 11:58:14 AMQuote from: Chairback on March 10, 2020, 07:44:18 PMFieldgoodie You are dead on. If you are a smaller guard you have to have freakish athleticism to compensate for it. Not just a set shooter from 3. Buggs had phenomenal speed, could pass and distribute and was a unbelievable on ball defender. He could get to the rim and finish. Daniel is the fastest player I have ever seen and can change a game when he is under control. Kay Felder same thing. Royce Parran at Chicago State. I'd take him as a walk on, but not use up a scholarship.
I would like to see what Sigurd could do, honestly. Matt saw something in him and it doesn't necessarily have to be a star point guard. If he brings specific attributes to the game that round out the team, he (or anyone) can help take the team to the next level, assuming they don't come at some grave expense. I couldn't disagree more that freakish athleticism is required to compensate for size. Intelligence, skill, and being part of a team plan are more than enough. Basketball courts are small, so acceleration can't consistently get you past a defender who anticipates your moves and positions himself well, especially if they don't respect your outside shooting; Sackey is slowly learning that. As for Fieldgoodie's comparison to Fazekas and his moments of difficulty getting off a shot, I'll say this. Preventing a great shooter from getting off his shot NEVER comes without a price. I would wager that if he's not getting his shot, someone else is having an easier time offensively. Next year we've got no guaranteed sharpshooter. We need one. If he's fundamentally sound on defense, he'll add another tool to the Swiss Army knife that will make us better.
Seth C. sounds like this guy. He wasn't all that bad.
I don't want to get caught up on height but I also cannot ignore this. We are being generous by giving him 5'9" -vs- Seth Colclasure was 6'2". I get the athleticism comment but Seth was not 5+ inches shorter than any and all that guarded him. I emphasize it's not that he cannot excel, just that he is going to really struggle unless he has some well honed sense and high basketball IQ.
Note: I think most of us on this board are between 5'9" and 6'2" . . . we all know the difference when someone 4 to 5" taller is guarding us. We likely never had the intangibles but I can promise you we had a lot of our shots blocked.
I am 5'10" so this fits with me. One of my all-time favorite memories at Valpo was actually during an open gym session against a few other baseball players, and I blocked one of our 6'7" pitchers at the 3 point line :).
So I just checked the Transfer list and The Valley is still at 6. That's the same number as Oakland and Wichita State! It is early and many teams have transfers but I think it says something about the strength of the league when The Valley has a total of 6 and the Horizon is up to 18! 385 is the new total.
And .... zero from Valpo :)
Brendon Gooch is transferring out of Southern Illinois. That bring the Valley total to seven. The national total is now 422.
That doesn't strike me as a terribly big loss for the Salukis. That said they're still in their building phase so any loss probably hurts.
Harwin Francois from Southern Illinois is transferring. That's two for SIU and a total of 8 for the Valley.
Just curious because I don't know how recruiting and transferring works - but is the transfer network shut down with the rest of the economy. In other words, when things start happening again, will there be a flood of transfers. Seems like the total number of transfers across the country is way, way down, and I assume that this is related to the shutdown. If the country-wide 'timeout' goes too long, do would-be transfers say "too late now, I'll stay where I'm at for now"? I guess I'm just curious as to what the summer transfer list looks like, assuming things start to veer toward 'normal'.
Quote from: 4throwfan on March 26, 2020, 12:48:12 PM
Just curious because I don't know how recruiting and transferring works - but is the transfer network shut down with the rest of the economy. In other words, when things start happening again, will there be a flood of transfers. Seems like the total number of transfers across the country is way, way down, and I assume that this is related to the shutdown. If the country-wide 'timeout' goes too long, do would-be transfers say "too late now, I'll stay where I'm at for now"? I guess I'm just curious as to what the summer transfer list looks like, assuming things start to veer toward 'normal'.
I've been under the assumption that the inability to travel to the prospective landing places (campuses) will put a damper on the number of kids entering their names in the portal. I don't see how a responsible effort to find a new school can be achieved without a campus visit and the key months for that have to be April - June. TBD on when these governors start to open up their states and more importantly when these schools decide to open up their campuses again.
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 26, 2020, 03:43:11 PMSeems like the total number of transfers across the country is way, way down,
Ag
Not sure about way way down! Were at 493 now. Christopher Agbo from Indiana State is transferring. That bring the Valley total to 9.
And zero impact players that I can see. Maybe one of the SIU transfers hurts a bit. Hall too but overall the Valley hasn't lost much that can't be replaced fairly easily.
Quote from: vu72 on March 26, 2020, 04:13:15 PM
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 26, 2020, 03:43:11 PMSeems like the total number of transfers across the country is way, way down,
Ag
Not sure about way way down! Were at 493 now. Christopher Agbo from Indiana State is transferring. That bring the Valley total to 9.
When did I say that? Think you attribute the quote incorrectly.
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 26, 2020, 06:18:03 PM
Quote from: vu72 on March 26, 2020, 04:13:15 PM
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on March 26, 2020, 03:43:11 PMSeems like the total number of transfers across the country is way, way down,
Ag
Not sure about way way down! Were at 493 now. Christopher Agbo from Indiana State is transferring. That bring the Valley total to 9.
When did I say that? Think you attribute the quote incorrectly.
That's from my post. I can't remember the exact numbers, but I thought that last year the total was over 1000 transfers, or at least 3 per school. At 493, it's less than half of last year. Granted it's a little early, but season is over nonetheless.
I can't remember the last time Valpo transitioned from 1 season to the next without any player drama of any sort.
No drama means none of the following:
• transfers out
• off-season injuries
• off-season arrests
• in-house suspensions
• NCAA suspensions
• player dismissals
• academic eligibility issues
• denied redshirt petitions
• incoming freshman decommits
• incoming transfer decommits
We're off to a good start, but October is still a long way off.
Valpo needs to be seeking talent in the transfer market. A strong 4 or 5 could make this team even stronger for next season.
Quote from: vu84v2 on March 27, 2020, 12:12:57 AM
Valpo needs to be seeking talent in the transfer market. A strong 4 or 5 could make this team even stronger for next season.
Since we currently have zero open scholarships I don't know how that would be possible.
Also that is not the kind of player that would suit Lottich's intended scheme of five out motion. That needs bigs like Mileek who can step out and hit threes to work well. That said, it would be nice to have a center to go against the Krutwigs Robbins Phyfes Bars (though he may have graduated) and Boyas of the world that will encounter in conference play. That said I think we will do pretty well with the incoming talent we have plus another year of growth from everyone else. I am VERY excited for next season. Not just as a Valpo fan but as a fan of the MVC in general. I think we could be in for a good year on both counts. Go Valpo! I BELIEVE!
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on March 27, 2020, 01:21:08 AMBars (though he may have graduated)
Koch Bar will graduate from Bradley when/if they finally have a end of semester graduation ceremony.
The Bradley University website shows that a graduation ceremony is scheduled to take place in
May 16 at Carver Arena (the Braves home court).
Quote from: 4throwfan on March 26, 2020, 12:48:12 PMJust curious because I don't know how recruiting and transferring works - but is the transfer network shut down with the rest of the economy. In other words, when things start happening again, will there be a flood of transfers. Seems like the total number of transfers across the country is way, way down, and I assume that this is related to the shutdown. If the country-wide 'timeout' goes too long, do would-be transfers say "too late now, I'll stay where I'm at for now"? I guess I'm just curious as to what the summer transfer list looks like, assuming things start to veer toward 'normal'.
I would assume a lot of the transfers would occur/be discussed at close out meetings with coaches and staff at the end of the season. Since the schools closed abruptly and the season never got a clean end to it, there are probably a lot of athletes waiting on those meetings to discuss/announce/decide on their next steps. I would think the ones that have announced already knew well in advance that they wanted to transfer. Likely to be many more once people are allowed back on campus.
The pace is quickening. Two more from the Valley: Shandon "Biggie" Goldman from Northern Iowa and Karrington Davis from Southern Illinois. Davis was a 3 star who had previously played at Nebraska. The total is at 496 and Wichita State is up to 8!!!!
Goldman transferred awhile ago. No big loss. Davis was sitting out I think. Losing a 3 star isn't good from a talent perspective but it could be from a team perspective. Maybe he just didn't fit Mullns' team culture that well. Let's remember that the last 3 star recruit from Nebraska we had didn't exactly work out so well.
Two more Valley transfers, brings the total to 13. Sean Houpt from Bradley and Ray Idowu from Illinois State. National total seems to be picking up some speed. Total now at 535.
Finally found one that could really be felt. Idowu had a lot of potential and played well for awhile.
Chastain and Bruninga now medically retiring from playing basketball for Illinois State. Always sad to see that.
Art Labinowitz from Evansville is transferring. Part time starter averaged 7.3 ppg. Valley total up to 14, National total to 547.
I wonder how many would-be transfers are waiting for rule change on immediate eligibility. If that rule change is delayed, it may be causing a delay.
Aaron Cook is transferring from Southern Illinois. Their website says he was a senior so either he is a red-shirt senior or verbal commits has it wrong. He was an impact player being their leading scorer. That bring their total up to 4 and the total for the Valley to 15. National total up to 556.
Quote from: FWalum on March 30, 2020, 02:19:24 PM
Quote from: vu72 on March 30, 2020, 01:30:20 PM
Aaron Cook is transferring from Southern Illinois. Their website says he was a senior so either he is a red-shirt senior or verbal commits has it wrong. He was an impact player being their leading scorer. That bring their total up to 4 and the total for the Valley to 15. National total up to 556.
I guess that means they are losing a total of 6 players as senior guard Matt Chastain and junior forward Taylor Bruninga have decided to end their playing careers due to chronic injuries.
Those 2 are Illinois State (medical)
Quote from: vu72 on March 30, 2020, 01:30:20 PM
Aaron Cook is transferring from Southern Illinois. Their website says he was a senior so either he is a red-shirt senior or verbal commits has it wrong. He was an impact player being their leading scorer. That bring their total up to 4 and the total for the Valley to 15. National total up to 556.
He only played in 6 games this season, I am assuming he was injured
Quote from: IndyValpo on March 30, 2020, 03:45:03 PM
Quote from: vu72 on March 30, 2020, 01:30:20 PM
Aaron Cook is transferring from Southern Illinois. Their website says he was a senior so either he is a red-shirt senior or verbal commits has it wrong. He was an impact player being their leading scorer. That bring their total up to 4 and the total for the Valley to 15. National total up to 556.
He only played in 6 games this season, I am assuming he was injured
Yes he was but could have come back next year as a 5th year senior and clearly would have been one of their leaders.
Drake loses Antonio Pilipovic, a grad transfer, who was a rotation player averaged 2.7 ppg. That's number 16 for the Valley. National total now 575.
Assuming that is D-1 only and 340 schhols-ish. So in round terms 1.5 per school across the country and about 1.5 in the MVC. Valpo zero and holding. Glad we dumped 3 years worth last year.
Pace is quickening. Missouri State loses two. Tyrik Dixon, who was a starter but was injured as he only played in 17 games, and Ford Cooper who also started five games. Bring the Valley total to 18 and the National total now at 603.
Still early (knocking on wood, crossing fingers, praying, holding breath, etc) but I would classify having an offseason with 0 or 1 transfer as an even more impressive feat for this coaching staff than the above .500 finish to the season. That is a QUICK cultural turnaround no matter what business or industry you're in.
Quote from: govalpogo on April 01, 2020, 08:18:56 AMStill early (knocking on wood, crossing fingers, praying, holding breath, etc) but I would classify having an offseason with 0 or 1 transfer as an even more impressive feat for this coaching staff than the above .500 finish to the season. That is a QUICK cultural turnaround no matter what business or industry you're in.
More importantly, I really like our core of players. It's not like in some years past where I kind of hoped we would lose a few guys so we could retool to beef up the lineup. There are a few guys that won't contribute much that we could lose and be ok, but overall I like the team we have.
Grad transfer John Hall is leaving Evansville. Brings the Valley to 19 transfers. National total up to 615.
So. Harwin Francois is transferring from Southern Illinois. Made six starts last year. That's five for the Salukis and 20 for the Valley. National total up to 639.
Liam Robbins from Drake looks like the first Valley transfer that really hurts. Some speculation he might head to Iowa.
Looked up the numbers for our Iowa transfer Bakari Evelyn to see how he did.
31 games, 570 minutes (18.4 per game), 48 rebounds, 61 assists, 43 T/O, 11 steals
What is most interesting is his shooting as he hit only 34-100 shots for 34%. Most were 3 pointers 20-67 for .299%. Looking at that we can guess that he was asked to distribute instead of shoot or drive and was usually the shooter or chucker of last resort. Had he stayed at Valpo I doubt if he would have played much more and his role might have been very similar (distribute but don't shoot).
Quote from: justducky on April 04, 2020, 03:26:08 PM
Liam Robbins from Drake looks like the first Valley transfer that really hurts. Some speculation he might head to Iowa.
Looked up the numbers for our Iowa transfer Bakari Evelyn to see how he did.
31 games, 570 minutes (18.4 per game), 48 rebounds, 61 assists, 43 T/O, 11 steals
What is most interesting is his shooting as he hit only 34-100 shots for 34%. Most were 3 pointers 20-67 for .299%. Looking at that we can guess that he was asked to distribute instead of shoot or drive and was usually the shooter of last resort. Had he stayed at Valpo I doubt if he would have played much more and his role might have been very similar (distribute but don't shoot).
Wow! that's a big one (literally!) ::)
I like HH but this tweet caused a $hit storm on twitter with Valley fans. Why be happy when other teams good players transfer? We should be rooting for other teams to be strong because it raises the play and profile of the league over time. Need to think big picture.
Plus, how would we feel if other fan-bases celebrated when it looked like JFL was going to transfer last off-season? It's bad taste, imo.
The MVC is much more of a community than the Horizon League and we should root for each other outside of the Conference regular season and when we go head to head in recruiting battles with them. As rising tide lifts all boats.
https://twitter.com/TSeghetti11/status/1246532027408691217?s=20
https://twitter.com/happeninghoops/status/1246531466055561223?s=20
Agree with you Valpo Hoops but Nick from Illinois State is still an ass. HH is is a youngster and hopefully learned something.
Quote from: VU2014 on April 04, 2020, 09:41:36 PM
I like HH but this tweet caused a $hit storm on twitter with Valley fans. Why be happy when other teams good players transfer? We should be rooting for other teams to be strong because it raises the play and profile of the league over time. Need to think big picture.
Plus, how would we feel if other fan-bases celebrated when it looked like JFL was going to transfer last off-season? It's bad taste, imo.
The MVC is much more of a community than the Horizon League and we should root for each other outside of the Conference regular season and when we go head to head in recruiting battles with them. As rising tide lifts all boats.
https://twitter.com/TSeghetti11/status/1246532027408691217?s=20
https://twitter.com/happeninghoops/status/1246531466055561223?s=20
Honest question, does Happening Hoops post on this forum? Who is he to us on this forum? I know some of you follow him on twitter and other mediums but is he active here?
This is why the MVC hates us. We have bad facilities and gave the league no immediate plans or timetable for improvement, our fans don't travel very well at all, we have underachieved relative to our talent until this year where we started to play up to its level; and on top of that, we have "Fans" like this who call themselves "leaders" but don't lead or do anything for student engagement and who aren't even from the Midwest, didn't grow up as Valpo or as MVC fans who kick programs when they're down. Drake was one of the nicest fanbases who were the most welcoming when we joined. Wishing them ill is just terrible. I don't know for sure how I am viewed as a poster by conference posters by and large primarily because I can be a bit obsessive about expansion and to a lesser extent scheduling. But that comes from a position of love for the MVC and a desire to see the MVC strong and do well. My goal is the struggle for\procurement of at large bids which should be any fan's goal in a respectable mid major conference. That HH is so short-sighted not to realize that Robbins leaving actually hurts Valpo is disappointing but it isn't surprising. He doesn't understand the finer points of college basketball like schedule strength. He is by his own admission too hung up in wins and losses, which leads him to adopt this simplistic Drake lose player good for Valpo viewpoint without looking at the wider picture and context.
This really sucks. Top players leaving the Valley and transferring like this is bad for Valpo, the MVC and mid-major basketball. Recruits wanting immediate playing time and love will now opt for a mid-major, play for a year or two, then take their enhanced skills and transfer to a Power 5 school. Mid-majors appear to look like a minor league for the Power 5. The Robbins transfer is an example of this. For Valpo, this transferring is certainly not something to celebrate.
As for HH, he needs to see the big picture. You become better by better competition and a weaker conference doe snot enable that. It makes the product weaker. I don't want to see the MVC as a ham-an-egger conference like the Horizon and WAC. Who wants to see a in a race with an a Nissan Altima competing with Ford Pintos?
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on April 05, 2020, 08:05:36 AMHonest question, does Happening Hoops post on this forum? Who is he to us on this forum? I know some of you follow him on twitter and other mediums but is he active here?
Ethan used to post to the forum but stopped because of all the negative flack he got on his posts. Says he occasionally looks in but does not comment. This was his senior year, so I would guess he will not be as active talking about Valpo/MVC next year especially since he lives on the East Coast.
Robbins with about the fastest declaring to transfer to signing with a new school ever.
Quote from: M on April 05, 2020, 06:40:43 PM
Robbins with about the fastest declaring to transfer to signing with a new school ever.
Turns out his uncle is Assoc HC there.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/247sports.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/Liam-Robbins-Minnesota-145735190/Amp/ (https://www.google.com/amp/s/247sports.com/college/basketball/recruiting/Article/Liam-Robbins-Minnesota-145735190/Amp/)
De'Avion Washington is transferring from Indiana State. That brings the Valley total to 22(I think) and the National total to 651. That' three fro Indiana State. So. Illinois leads with 5.
Quote from: vu72 on April 05, 2020, 08:29:21 PM
De'Avion Washington is transferring from Indiana State. That brings the Valley total to 22(I think) and the National total to 651. That' three fro Indiana State. So. Illinois leads with 5.
Former Valpo recruit. I think Valpo was his #2 choice at the time. But he won't be coming to Valpo, because it's highly unlikely we'd ever recruit a kid who just transferred directly from another Valley school. He was a was Coach Rags recruit. Also obviously scholarship limits.
https://twitter.com/tribstartodd/status/1246849231899578368?s=21
And we're already very well covered for his position anyway (unless JFL stays in the draft)...
This transfer thing is getting way out of hand and something needs to be done soon to correct it.
Not a thing is going to be done because it benefits the correct conferences. For the privileged few transfers work whether they're coming or going. Either they lose a player that doesn't fit or they gain a critical piece of their rotation. For us, we tend to be hurt more than we're helped most of the time (the last few years in the MVC have been an exception.)
Marten Linssen is transferring. Also Matt Haarms from Purdue.
Lol Linssen. Is Dave Maravilla his advisor?
I believe there has been a coaching change there so it might be related to that.
Quote from: crusader05 on April 06, 2020, 02:57:50 PM
I believe there has been a coaching change there so it might be related to that.
https://uncwsports.com/news/2020/3/13/mens-basketball-seahawks-name-siddle-new-head-coach.aspx
Quote from: vu72 on April 06, 2020, 01:10:03 PM
Marten Linssen is transferring. Also Matt Haarms from Purdue.
Linssen has some talent, and would have made the 2018-19 and 2019-20 teams better. VU fans might recall that he averaged 2.0 PPG for VU as a freshman in 2017-18, yet 10.5 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 20.5 MPG for UNCW this past season. One might argue that he got out at the right time in his career, though he also had no way of knowing about the large numbers of transfers at the end of the 2019 season. Where he lands is TBD, yet we should hope for the best for him.
That Robbins case seems so sketchy, after finding out that his uncle is an Associate HC, but there is no way to prove that they tampered. No one should be happy about that transfer, regardless.
Quote from: valpotx on April 06, 2020, 11:17:33 PM
That Robbins case seems so sketchy, after finding out that his uncle is an Associate HC, but there is no way to prove that they tampered. No one should be happy about that transfer, regardless.
definitely tampering but Minnesota didn't hire the family member to primarily to land him. He's just a nice side piece to the hire.
It's not WKU level tampering or Zion Williamson's family members getting a house level tampering.
And yet absolutely nothing will be done about any of this... Maybe WKU will get the hammer but that's because they play in a mid major conference the NCAA doesn't care one wit about.
Quote from: valpotx on April 06, 2020, 11:17:33 PM
That Robbins case seems so sketchy, after finding out that his uncle is an Associate HC, but there is no way to prove that they tampered. No one should be happy about that transfer, regardless.
His uncle was an asst coach at Minnesota since 2016-17. His title was changed to Associate Head Coach for the coming season. So I don't think his uncle's change in title was the reason Robbins decided to transfer.
https://gophersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/ed-conroy/1991
Why didn't Robbins sign with the Gophers from the beginning? Obviously Pitino, Conroy, Jeter and the rest of the Minnesota staff felt that they had their center position covered with sophomore Daniel Oturu and freshman Sam Freeman. Oturu has now declared for the draft and has said he will sign with an agent. The Minnesota staff had a hole to fill at center suddenly and it wasn't hard at all for Robbins to see he had a golden opportunity to fill that hole.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28944086/minnesota-forward-center-daniel-oturu-plans-enter-nba-draft
https://www.startribune.com/gophers-land-7-foot-center-liam-robbins-from-drake/569397772/
"I originally started this process because I wanted to challenge myself against tougher competition and see what my options were after putting my name into the portal," Robbins told the Star Tribune on Sunday. "I got contacted by 25 schools, but after talking with Pitino extensively last night and my uncle, this was the best place to challenge myself and also be surrounded by family. With the pandemic going on, to be surrounded by family was very important to me."
Replacing Oturu was the top priority in spring recruiting for the Gophers once the third-team All-America selection declared last month for the NBA draft. The 6-10 sophomore averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks this season.
"Oturu was a fantastic player," Robbins said. "Hopefully, I can replicate that and make Gophers fans proud and help Minnesota win some games."
Amusing side note about family member coaches -- some of you don't go back that far, but watching the 1988 Kansas/Oklahoma game, they kept panning to Ed Manning on the bench for Kansas. Former NBA player for the Cincy Royals and assistant coach for KU while Larry Brown was there. Ed obviously was hired about the time Manning was recruited to KU. It was one of the first father/close relative hirings I remember, but there could have been some before that. Interesting 2d side note, Manning had Randolph Childress (former Wake Forest great) on his staff, and Brandon Childress was a primary player for Wake the past few years.
Quote from: bbtds on April 07, 2020, 07:20:41 AM
Quote from: valpotx on April 06, 2020, 11:17:33 PM
That Robbins case seems so sketchy, after finding out that his uncle is an Associate HC, but there is no way to prove that they tampered. No one should be happy about that transfer, regardless.
His uncle was an asst coach at Minnesota since 2016-17. His title was changed to Associate Head Coach for the coming season. So I don't think his uncle's change in title was the reason Robbins decided to transfer.
https://gophersports.com/sports/mens-basketball/roster/coaches/ed-conroy/1991
Why didn't Robbins sign with the Gophers from the beginning? Obviously Pitino, Conroy, Jeter and the rest of the Minnesota staff felt that they had their center position covered with sophomore Daniel Oturu and freshman Sam Freeman. Oturu has now declared for the draft and has said he will sign with an agent. The Minnesota staff had a hole to fill at center suddenly and it wasn't hard at all for Robbins to see he had a golden opportunity to fill that hole.
https://www.espn.com/nba/story/_/id/28944086/minnesota-forward-center-daniel-oturu-plans-enter-nba-draft
https://www.startribune.com/gophers-land-7-foot-center-liam-robbins-from-drake/569397772/
"I originally started this process because I wanted to challenge myself against tougher competition and see what my options were after putting my name into the portal," Robbins told the Star Tribune on Sunday. "I got contacted by 25 schools, but after talking with Pitino extensively last night and my uncle, this was the best place to challenge myself and also be surrounded by family. With the pandemic going on, to be surrounded by family was very important to me."
Replacing Oturu was the top priority in spring recruiting for the Gophers once the third-team All-America selection declared last month for the NBA draft. The 6-10 sophomore averaged 20 points, 11 rebounds and 2.5 blocks this season.
"Oturu was a fantastic player," Robbins said. "Hopefully, I can replicate that and make Gophers fans proud and help Minnesota win some games."
Gotta add in that pandemic statement to make sure he is eligible to play immediately due to a Covid-19 hardship waiver. :)
Smart kid!
Quote from: valpo95 on April 06, 2020, 07:34:32 PM
Quote from: vu72 on April 06, 2020, 01:10:03 PM
Marten Linssen is transferring. Also Matt Haarms from Purdue.
Linssen has some talent, and would have made the 2018-19 and 2019-20 teams better. VU fans might recall that he averaged 2.0 PPG for VU as a freshman in 2017-18, yet 10.5 PPG and 4.6 RPG in 20.5 MPG for UNCW this past season. One might argue that he got out at the right time in his career, though he also had no way of knowing about the large numbers of transfers at the end of the 2019 season. Where he lands is TBD, yet we should hope for the best for him.
QuoteRedshirt sophomore Marten Linssen put his name in the transfer portal Monday, the school confirmed. Jeff Goodman of Stadium first reported the news. He will have two years of eligibility remaining.
I guess this means he will be a graduate transfer? Certainly he is not going to burn an eligible year sitting out.
It'll be kind've funny if Matt Harms, who has also entered the transfer portal, winds up in Minnesota - saw them on his list.
Robbins better not be given a waiver to play immediately. His statement in leaving had to do with challenging himself more, and nothing to do with family.
Your statement won't pass in an NCAA court of law, valpotx.
I assume that this is a clerical error?
https://247sports.com/Player/Marten-Linssen-46100981/
Marcus Henderson is leaving Evansville. That's three for Evansville and 23 for the Valley. Valpo and Loyola are the only two with none. (knock on wood!) National total up to 696. Total last year was 996.
I thought Paul tweeted about someone from Loyola yesterday but I can't remember the name.
Quote from: crusader05 on April 09, 2020, 08:50:29 AM
I thought Paul tweeted about someone from Loyola yesterday but I can't remember the name.
Jalon Pipkins who is a 6' 4" guard. He played big minutes against us at the ARC but his role shrank when their team got healthy. He wasn't a great shooter either from 3 or from 2 and he should be pretty easily replaceable.
Quote from: justducky on April 09, 2020, 09:21:01 AM
Quote from: crusader05 on April 09, 2020, 08:50:29 AM
I thought Paul tweeted about someone from Loyola yesterday but I can't remember the name.
Jalon Pipkins who is a 6' 4" guard. He played big minutes against us at the ARC but his role shrank when their team got healthy. He wasn't a great shooter either from 3 or from 2 and he should be pretty easily replaceable.
Yep. My bad! That is his second transfer and as we have found out, kids who have transferred twice only seem to be trouble.
Brandon Wood gave us a good 2 years and graduated with a Valpo degree, so I don't think that comment applies to all double transfers.
I don't understand the Marten Linssen post regarding a transfer back to Valpo.
Quote from: valpotx on April 09, 2020, 11:50:57 AM
Brandon Wood gave us a good 2 years and graduated with a Valpo degree, so I don't think that comment applies to all double transfers.
True. I just wish he had stopped at two!
Quote from: valpotx on April 09, 2020, 11:50:57 AM
Brandon Wood gave us a good 2 years and graduated with a Valpo degree, so I don't think that comment applies to all double transfers.
Brandon is a perfect example of how a mid major player chasing a dream to play in the NBA by transferring to a major program is a bridge to nowhere. Ditto Smits. In fact, Smits went from a decent mid center to a P-6 afterthought. This has been and will always be nothing more than a P-6 power grab for their own selfish purpose. The players are merely pawns in a chess game.
Quote from: wh on April 09, 2020, 01:00:07 PMBrandon is a perfect example of how a mid major player chasing a dream to play in the NBA by transferring to a major program is a bridge to nowhere
Althoug Brandon may well have been player of the year in the Horizon, his success at MSU was no small thing. Unlike say, Derrik, who went froma 12ppg part-time starter to a weak, little used bench player, Brandon was a part-starter at MSU. I saw him play at Minnesota and no doubt, he was the best player on the court. He also got to play in the NCAAs and on an air-craft carrier in from of the President. It certainly gave him experiences that he wouldn't have had at Valpo. He has used the added exposure of being able to say he played at MSU to help build his Brandon Wood Foundation. He is a special guy.
Quote from: valpo64 on April 09, 2020, 12:08:46 PM
I don't understand the Marten Linssen post regarding a transfer back to Valpo.
Thus my query on whether that is just a clerical error by that site :). I have to believe so, but thought that I would throw that out there.
Quote from: vu72 on April 09, 2020, 01:53:31 PM
Quote from: wh on April 09, 2020, 01:00:07 PMBrandon is a perfect example of how a mid major player chasing a dream to play in the NBA by transferring to a major program is a bridge to nowhere
Althoug Brandon may well have been player of the year in the Horizon, his success at MSU was no small thing. Unlike say, Derrik, who went froma 12ppg part-time starter to a weak, little used bench player, Brandon was a part-starter at MSU. I saw him play at Minnesota and no doubt, he was the best player on the court. He also got to play in the NCAAs and on an air-craft carrier in from of the President. It certainly gave him experiences that he wouldn't have had at Valpo. He has used the added exposure of being able to say he played at MSU to help build his Brandon Wood Foundation. He is a special guy.
Derrik's lack of playing time had more to do with being injured basically the entire year. Doubtful he would have been a starter even if had been healthy, but still injury was a far bigger impact on his playing time than where he ended up at.
Quote from: IrishDawg on April 11, 2020, 08:50:31 AMQuote from: vu72 on April 09, 2020, 01:53:31 PMQuote from: wh on April 09, 2020, 01:00:07 PMBrandon is a perfect example of how a mid major player chasing a dream to play in the NBA by transferring to a major program is a bridge to nowhere
Althoug Brandon may well have been player of the year in the Horizon, his success at MSU was no small thing. Unlike say, Derrik, who went froma 12ppg part-time starter to a weak, little used bench player, Brandon was a part-starter at MSU. I saw him play at Minnesota and no doubt, he was the best player on the court. He also got to play in the NCAAs and on an air-craft carrier in from of the President. It certainly gave him experiences that he wouldn't have had at Valpo. He has used the added exposure of being able to say he played at MSU to help build his Brandon Wood Foundation. He is a special guy.
Derrik's lack of playing time had more to do with being injured basically the entire year. Doubtful he would have been a starter even if had been healthy, but still injury was a far bigger impact on his playing time than where he ended up at.
If you remember, Butler was also playing amazing basketball the first half of the year while Smits was out injured. They played small ball really well and when he came back, inserting him no longer matched what their game plan/strength was. He moved to a team where he thought he'd be the missing peice only to find the team didn't need him like he/they thought they would. That's the risk of transferring. Grass is not always greener.
In reality, I don't understand why people thought Smits was so good. Not to mention his constant whining. Dobbins is better overall.
Quote from: vuny98 on April 11, 2020, 12:03:35 PMQuote from: IrishDawg on April 11, 2020, 08:50:31 AMQuote from: vu72 on April 09, 2020, 01:53:31 PMQuote from: wh on April 09, 2020, 01:00:07 PMBrandon is a perfect example of how a mid major player chasing a dream to play in the NBA by transferring to a major program is a bridge to nowhere
Althoug Brandon may well have been player of the year in the Horizon, his success at MSU was no small thing. Unlike say, Derrik, who went froma 12ppg part-time starter to a weak, little used bench player, Brandon was a part-starter at MSU. I saw him play at Minnesota and no doubt, he was the best player on the court. He also got to play in the NCAAs and on an air-craft carrier in from of the President. It certainly gave him experiences that he wouldn't have had at Valpo. He has used the added exposure of being able to say he played at MSU to help build his Brandon Wood Foundation. He is a special guy.
Derrik's lack of playing time had more to do with being injured basically the entire year. Doubtful he would have been a starter even if had been healthy, but still injury was a far bigger impact on his playing time than where he ended up at.
If you remember, Butler was also playing amazing basketball the first half of the year while Smits was out injured. They played small ball really well and when he came back, inserting him no longer matched what their game plan/strength was. He moved to a team where he thought he'd be the missing peice only to find the team didn't need him like he/they thought they would. That's the risk of transferring. Grass is not always greener.
Stopping the ball for 10 seconds while he figures out what he's going to do with the ball probably didn't play well with the rest of the roster.
Don't look now but Northern Iowa may have just gotten even better. Though he will need to sit a year (unless they change the rule), they just added 3* 6'7" SF, Goanar Mar, who trnsferred in from George Mason.
I wouldn't get too worked up...unless he really improves over his year off I wouldn't sweat that 2.4 ppg. None of his other stats leap off the paper either (except that 3P%, lol). He played a good amount of minutes too.
Recruiting stars are overrated.
Quote from: M on April 15, 2020, 06:54:45 PM
I wouldn't get too worked up...unless he really improves over his year off I wouldn't sweat that 2.4 ppg. None of his other stats leap off the paper either (except that 3P%, lol). He played a good amount of minutes too.
Recruiting stars are overrated.
He started every game as a freshman and put up some good numbers. An injury his sophomore season seemed to have hampered his sophomore year and the season after saw limited minutes and production. If he's healthy he might provide a lift. But yes, recruiting stars are overrated. They tend to overemphasize NBA-type athleticism and undervalue IQ and character.
Another Evansville defection and this time it is a big loss. DeAndre Williams is leaving. He dropped 28 on us in one game. That is 4 for Evansville and brings the league total to 22. National total is now up to 791.
Quote from: vu72 on April 20, 2020, 03:49:34 PMAnother Evansville defection and this time it is a big loss. DeAndre Williams is leaving. He dropped 28 on us in one game. That is 4 for Evansville and brings the league total to 22. National total is now up to 791.
Ouch
That sucks but my understanding is that that was not unexpected. I feel so bad for Evansville though. They've been down for so long and had a glimmer of hope for about a year and now they are in worse shape than ever. I hope their fortunes will improve soon. That program and those fans deserve it. They deserve a long period of sustained success.
Quote from: vu72 on April 20, 2020, 03:49:34 PM
Another Evansville defection and this time it is a big loss. DeAndre Williams is leaving. He dropped 28 on us in one game. That is 4 for Evansville and brings the league total to 22. National total is now up to 791.
This will be an interesting situation to watch. Williams is extremely talented, but he's at least 22 years old already so it seems odd that he'd want to sit out another season.
Does he have an NBA future? He's a really good player but older prospects often get overlooked. He'll probably have a nice career overseas.
When was the Williams defection posted? Interesting that in Harry Schroeder's article in the Valley Hoops Insider from April 17th the thought was the Williams was staying at UE. Harry also had a nice interview with Paul Oren on the podcast. http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/mvc-offseason-update-ue-valpo/ (http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/mvc-offseason-update-ue-valpo/)
Think it was yesterday
Sounds like Harry was a day late and a dollar short.
Quote from: FWalum on April 21, 2020, 05:07:29 PM
When was the Williams defection posted? Interesting that in Harry Schroeder's article in the Valley Hoops Insider from April 17th the thought was the Williams was staying at UE. Harry also had a nice interview with Paul Oren on the podcast. http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/mvc-offseason-update-ue-valpo/ (http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/mvc-offseason-update-ue-valpo/)
It was posted on the 20th.
Someone reporting on Peegs(IU) said both Valpo and Grand Canyon are pursuing IU transfer Damezi Ande He is from So. Bend Riley and if he gets back on track would be a great pickup and certainly would create a lot of interest from fans in Northern Indiana. He is a 6'6''soph wing man but had alot of shooting problems at IU.
Sorry...his name is Damezi Anderson.
How or why are we active on the transfer market? We don't have any open scholarships. Unless we do in which case why haven't we heard anything yet about anybody transferring?
Quote from: valpo64 on April 24, 2020, 11:59:27 AMHe is from So. Bend Riley and if he gets back on track would be a great pickup and certainly would create a lot of interest from fans in Northern Indiana. He is a 6'6''soph wing man but had alot of shooting problems at IU.
Even if we had a scholarship why would he interest us? His freshman 3 point % was 23.3 in 21 games and that fell to 22.9% in 18 games as a sophomore. :o Both seasons his 2 point shooting was only a touch better with an equally unimpressive assist to turnover ratio. No thank you--this guy makes Zion Morgan look like Annie Oakley.
You may be right. However, remember IU wanted him as did many other top programs. I guess some guys pan out and others do not...It is interesting that even many people's golden boy coach Bryce Drew apparently is interested also, so who knows. I am not saying he is answer to our needs , however after sitting out a year he would have 2 years left I think which would fit in well with our needs up front in another year. Whatever.
Quote from: valpo64 on April 24, 2020, 08:20:54 PM
You may be right. However, remember IU wanted him as did many other top programs. I guess some guys pan out and others do not...It is interesting that even many people's golden boy coach Bryce Drew apparently is interested also, so who knows. I am not saying he is answer to our needs , however after sitting out a year he would have 2 years left I think which would fit in well with our needs up front in another year. Whatever.
He's the all-time leading scorer at South Bend Riley, so I wouldn't dismiss him as a potential contributor at Valpo. But, unless JFL stays in the draft there are no scholarships available. I think Valpo is not in play as they'll hold the spot for JFL.
If its true that Valpo has an interest, it could just be a case of recruiting "just in case". As far back as Lubos Barton, I remember talking to Homer about a recruit that was just in case Lubos went pro. I suspect that in today's world, with all the transfer stuff, that coaches have their radar up all the time--"just in case".
I think also sources, they're close to the recruit, can beef up what's occurring. Pursuing can mean a couple of texts from a Valpo coach that recruited him earlier. Not that we are in a full court press to get him.
Interestingly enough, all the transfer stuff does not carry over to the Women's side of things. With Nicole transferring from Valpo, the league total now stands at 7 with 3 of those coming from Loyola, including their leading scorer, Abby O'Connor
Good for Nicole in transferring, as minutes would be hard to come by next season, given how well we played without her in the lineup, and the bulk of the team coming back. We've rarely lost good talent on the women's side. I believe that Tabitha Gerardot went to IU for her graduate transfer year, Jasmyn Walker left for WMU to play with her younger sister, and before that, Mallory Ladd left us for Evansville after a standout first 6 games of her FR season. Any others in the last decade?
Quote from: valpotx on April 28, 2020, 12:26:31 AM
Good for Nicole in transferring, as minutes would be hard to come by next season, given how well we played without her in the lineup, and the bulk of the team coming back. We've rarely lost good talent on the women's side. I believe that Tabitha Gerardot went to IU for her graduate transfer year, Jasmyn Walker left for WMU to play with her younger sister, and before that, Mallory Ladd left us for Evansville after a standout first 6 games of her FR season. Any others in the last decade?
It will be interesting to see her playing time at SFA. They have been a perennial 20 win team.
The only D1 transfer I could think of was Betsy Adams.
Paul just tweeted that JFL is gonna transfer....
Always felt like JFL had one foot out the door since the day he arrived.
Honestly, whatever. He never sounded like he was gonna stay four years anyway so mine as well just get past him now. It wasn't a month and a half ago he told the press he wasn't transferring, so I'm done with his transfer games. Wants to be here, wants to transfer, actually not, goes to MVC title, says he's excited for the next few years at valpo, decides to transfer again. We have a REALLY promising roster despite the loss.
Doing this once and coming back I think all is forgiven and water under the bridge...pulling this twice - I don't even think I'd be interested in having him back. Good luck elsewhere. I'm not sure where he can go where he'll have as much opportunity to put his entire skill set on display as he did here.
Combination of.....
1. No school all spring = Not around the team and coaching staff but plenty of other people in his ear to push him elsewhere.
2. They are gonna allow immediate eligibility for all transfers next year I guarantee it and the people in his ear know this. Won't have to sit out a year.
If both of those things don't happen in combination, I actually don't think he would have left, because he was improving and the team culture was finally to his liking.
This is somewhat just bad luck. Without the coronavirus/pending transfer rule, I think we would have had him for 1 more year then he would have went to the NBA or transferred to a high major as a grad transfer. Oh well... Clay is gonna take on his role next year and be really good. Definitely will need 2 of the freshman to be legit and Robinson to be healthy, but I think we are a middle of the road 5th or 6th best team in the valley next year without him. Shouldn't be a Thursday team even with the loss.
Will be interesting to see how others could follow suit. Particularly Clay. Building a team around JFL provides a lot of buzz. Not a reassuring thing for Coach L to say he was surprised by the news? Shouldn't be the case. He should know and be in communication with these guys. Plain and simple. And for those being dismissive of JFL as he transfers, that's shameful. He poured his blood, sweat, and tears into that court in a Valpo uniform. We should be thankful for the 2 years. JFL provided the best March madness we got this year playing through what he played through. Wish him the best. Will support him wherever he goes.
He doesn't owe us anything and has more than paid his dues.
Disappointing to say the least. But the bottom line is this: When coaches show little loyalty toward schools, why should we expect any different from players? Javon is doing what he thinks is best for his career. No different than Scott going to Baylor and Bryce going to Vandy. And every year we hear stories of new coaches not renewing the scholarships of players who have given everything to their programs.
And whatever side of the debate you're on regarding compensation for players, put yourself in the shoes of a kid who will watch his coach get an apparel contract, be able to appear in TV ads, run paid camps in the summer, and yet if someone buys the kid a cheeseburger he could lose his eligibility.
Coaches act in their best interest. So do players. The only parties consistently screwed are the fans.
Wow. Honestly this hurts. I honestly didn't think he'd transfer after saying he was staying.
coaches May have saw this coming.
Very disappointing when he said he was coming back--BUT, this isn't the end of the world, though we might think so right now. Remember our 89-74 win late in the season over Missouri State? No JFL. Lot's of talent on this team.
I see he's already laying the groundwork for immediate eligibility on Twitter. Looks like Dildy came through a year later.
I think a guy should stand by his word.
Paul
Quote from: SanityLost17 on April 28, 2020, 09:48:08 AM
2. They are gonna allow immediate eligibility for all transfers next year I guarantee it and the people in his ear know this. Won't have to sit out a year.
Agree with a lot of what you posted, and I think this is the biggest reason for his transfer. JFL stated that he came back to Valpo because he didn't want to sit out a year and didn't exactly give a ringing endorsement to the school or program when he was interviewed about why he came back.
Him saying what he said immediately after the MVC title game was a heat of the moment reaction. Not great that he's gone back on that, but it happens.
Also agree Valpo should still have a lot of promise next season regardless if JFL is on the roster or not.
*sigh* It sucks...no question about it. I'm not going to be bitter or wish ill of the young man (not that it even matters what I feel). I hope he finds what he is looking for. If the rest of the group stays together, I do feel like all is not lost, but it's undeniable that at least a few W's last season were on the back of JFL taking over games. Hopefully, the end of the year cohesion with everyone else is what shines through next year.
He's on Twitter saying something about needing to be nearer his grandmother. I think he could get from Valpo to Chicago faster than going across town! Looking for a family waiver--clearly.
I take it as more of a family matter than him really wanting to go some place other than Valpo. Seems personal since he's also forgoing the NBA evaluation, other wise I think he would have kept his name in the draft portal
I allowed myself 15 minutes of the doldrums, and now I'm ready to move forward. First, unlike my feelings about certain players who left last year, I have no animosity whatsoever toward Javon. Thank you for your contributions and best wishes in the future. Going forward, we still have a roster full of quality veterans, plus an excellent recruiting class. The future of Valpo basketball still shines brightly.
A bunch of the need to create in the offense will now fall on the shoulders of Clay, Daniel, Nick, Eron, Jacob and to a lesser extent Siggy. Much of the success of the offense will depend on how the remaining members of the team jell together. Valpo has never had to be a one man team but if they play like they are missing Javon then the offense will stall greatly.
I think it again will be a season of adjusting to the new norm with many less fans in certain situations, players learning to avoid contaminating each other with virus, new ways of travel, wearing masks, eating in enclosed environments and not as much in public, much less interacting with fans, etc.
Does this mean that Damezi Anderson IS in the picture for next year?
Sometimes you wonder if recruiting a high profile player is worth the risk in today's climate of transferring to another school. Especially if the new prospective NCAA rule is passed about not having to sit out a year. I wonder if VU could block him from going to Loyola if he wanted to? Not sure what MVC rules are concerning that. Well he could always go to UIC, DePaul or Northwestern. Yes we will miss him but i think we will be fine especially with new recruits coming in. Can't say i will miss his 3 point shooting though. Want to wish him best of luck though.
I hope it works out for him. Here is an interesting article about mid major transfers.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/watchstadium.com/transferring-up-proves-to-be-a-challenge-for-most-mid-major-hoopers-04-13-2020/amp/
Best of luck to JFL! He was a really entertaining player and was great for the University. He gave Valpo some national exposure and some recruiting credibility in the Chicago basketball scene... Surprised some of you guys are criticizing him so harshly for wanting to move closer to his (presumably sick) grandmother. He will certainly be missed and I'm sure he will be in the NBA in 16 months.
He is already getting praise, Sam Vecenie said he is the best transfer available in all of college basketball.
Additionally, someone mentioned the transfer rule changes – – that might not happen this year after all. The NCAA has recommended delaying the vote until next year, but has not ruled out voting. So, it is possible that the universal one-time transfer without sitting change may not happen this season, in which case he will have to apply for immediate eligibility waiver (which he most likely will be granted based on what we have heard about his situation).
Sorry I don't feel the same re: JFL's transfer. All of a sudden it is because of his grandmother's health? My belief is that this is another classic case of tampering - big time, especially after his recent comments about returning and comments about the VU team. Too much pressure from "big city boys" and "big time programs in my opinion.
Has anything been signed yet? Is this official official?
This is a great opportunity for Sheldon Edwards to step right in. I like his potential and he is a scorer with tremendous hops. Good luck Javon and thoughts/prayers for your Grandmother. This is the nature of college hoops today. Enjoy players while there, but they're going to look to their self-interest. With the changing rules, it will not be like the 80s or 90s or 2000s.
Interesting rumours flying out of Wake Forest media today, maybe Collins going to Wake (and maybe not even as a HC but an Amaker assistant). Ah, the crazy season has finally begun.....
Had to hit the unfollow button on twitter when I saw his mom compare him to Jesus 🤦♂️😂
Hopefully the info is not true and official. But if it is correct, I stand by my earlier comment about his transfer. I hope the info is not true and correct.
Quote from: M on April 28, 2020, 07:27:25 PM
Had to hit the unfollow button on twitter when I saw his mom compare him to Jesus 🤦♂️😂
Yes, it was a bit much. Haven't seen too much negativity towards Javon, just definite disappointment from the fan-base which is fair.
It would suck so much, if JFL didn't commit his word publicly and I'm sure he told the coaches he planned to come back, but being at home on twitter, outside influences get in your ear. Just so disappointing.
Quote from: VUBBFan on April 28, 2020, 12:43:26 PM
I take it as more of a family matter than him really wanting to go some place other than Valpo. Seems personal since he's also forgoing the NBA evaluation, other wise I think he would have kept his name in the draft portal
Not sure I believe it's the full story. He's laying the groundwork for hardship waiver, which they are giving to anyone transferring to high majors these days. There will be no NBA eval workouts. The NBA can't even get teams to open practice facilities right now due to health concerns.
I actually thought that we still had a pretty good flow during the games that he missed. If JFL is all that we lose this offseason, I think that we still have a top 4 MVC team. I predicted that if he is immediately eligible, that he would be gone, but if that did not exist, he would stay. I would hope that he is not making anything up about family, so I will assume that is legit, and wish him/his family well. If it is just a play to get an immediate waiver based on some counsel he has received, that would be too bad. Either way, I wish him well.
Just curious, if someone claims a family illness, does the NCAA actually go to the point in their evaluation, where they require documentation?
Quote from: M on April 28, 2020, 07:27:25 PMHad to hit the unfollow button on twitter when I saw his mom compare him to Jesus 🤦♂️😂
I noticed a little while back that Javon retweets a "prosperity gospel" preacher. Think Joel Osteen, but based in Baltimore iirc. Really made me question the advice and influences he listens to, but I hope he succeeds if he ends up transferring.
Osteen is just a con man. But I honestly believe Kenneth Copeland is literally possessed. Dude scares the crap out of me.
This saddens me! JFL was a lot of fun to watch and the kid is a very good basketball player. He has a high basketball IQ and he demanded a lot of respect from other players and teams when he was on the court! But then again towards the end of the season when he was sick his teammates stepped up and stepped up big. We saw a lot of Valpo players stand out and play great basketball but unfortunately not on a consistent basis. I'm excited to see who will rise to the challenge, step up and lead this team to another MVC Championship game next season.
So the mid major world we will be living in, particularly if the one free transfer rule comes to pass, is (worst case) if you develop a player who excels they will transfer to a P 5 school ASAP. Expect to lose your best player every year. Mid majors reduced to farm teams for the big boys. The fact, as another post pointed out, that few transfers from mid's to P 5 find success there won't matter since every player thinks they will be the exception. On the other hand (best case) lots of good players at P 5 schools who don't get a chance to play right away may be more willing to transfer to a mid major to get playing time if they don't have to sit out a year. So it may be a wash. In any case it's going to be different.
As for jfl, enjoyed watching him play and wish him well. I think he could have been one of Valpo's all time best if he had stayed, maybe leading us back to competing at the top level of the conference. Maybe he will be one of the few mid transfers to excel at a P 5 program. At the same time I remember when Wood left it created room for Rowdy to step in and show what he could do as the go to guy. I think we have several kids that could step up this time as well.
I want to take him at his word and wish him the best but the closer to home argument doesn't really wash. Valpo is already super close to Chicago. It's not like he was playing in Alaska. I don't want to believe that this is totally an attempt to get a hardship waiver (which he may not even need depending upon how the upcoming vote shakes out and it probably will pass because that's what the powerful schools want). It's hard for me to get past the idea that he lied directly to PO's face and to the Valpo fanbase. Maybe this is sour grapes and I'm not looking at this the right way but I feel like we're getting screwed over pretty hard here for no good reason.
I have a feeling he is getting some bad advice. Javon is really good, but not at a great level.
IMO I don't like the new transfer rule, but Based on what coaches are making and their opportunities, it is only fair. I have a bad feeling college basketball is going to go on a downswing.
It will be interesting to see how the players react to this. Does this spark additional players to transfer because the main core has left.
Hopefully this does not play out like last year.
There are just so many unusual circumstances right now. One is that it seems likely that the NCAA is substantially more likely to allow transfers due to COVID-19. A second is that the usual NBA draft evaluation process has been short-circuited, again for the same reason.
So, maybe in a usual year, a player like JFL (who is one of the best in the MVC) goes through the draft evaluation process and gets some feedback. He returns to lead his team to the conference title and a Sweet 16 run, after which he gets drafted in the first round. Or, he returns to his team, and they have an above average season but he makes second team all conference due to some other injuries.
However, this year, the draft evaluations are far less certain, but one message is clear: "We watched the tape. You did well as a sophomore, yet this wasn't against ACC or Big 10 competition. You won't get drafted this year." Then, because transferring won't require sitting out, JFL *might* have a chance to star for a team. It *might* give him more exposure.
Maybe after exploring transfer options, he'll still be back at VU, or maybe he will move on. Either way, he has been one of the best players in VU history over two years, and could cement his legacy if he stayed. I wish the best for JFL, wherever he goes.
Quote from: valpo95 on April 29, 2020, 09:43:36 AMway, he has been one of the best players in VU history over two years, and could cement his legacy if he stayed.
True enough. My thinking is that all record holders won't lose them to future players. The idea that a player like Bryce, Lubos, Rowdy, Alec or...Javon, playing four years at Valpo is most likely a thing of the past.
I think that there is another factor here regarding transfers, and that is the near to mid term impact of COVID-19 on university budgets and how this will relate to college basketball.
Many here have talked about how mid-majors are disadvantaged because most major conference schools have much better perks (fancier practice facilities, fancier stadiums, great living accommodations, travel on private jets, etc.). However, you can make a good argument that these perks have been acceptable for mid-majors. My thinking is that the disparity between mid-majors and majors is going to become much greater in the next several years. Assume that the basketball budget at a school like Valpo has been X and assume that the basketball budget at a major conference school has been 2X (and the prior disparity has probably been more than that). A school like Valpo, to survive as a private university, has to cut its basketball budget by 50%...and the major conference school (also facing major budget issues at the university level) has to cut by the same dollar amount (thus, they cut to 1.5X). The disparity becomes much greater, but more importantly the perks that were once acceptable at the mid-major are no longer acceptable. Flying becomes long bus rides, no Thanksgiving tournaments, etc. for mid-majors, but the major conference teams are still way above acceptable. My guess is that some players will see this and prioritize going to schools that commit to have sufficient funding so that there is minimal tangible impact on their overall lifestyle.
I sort of doubt that this weighed into Javon's decision, but I do think that this much larger disparity - coupled with potentially allowing immediate transfers - will really increase the number of good players that transfer from mid-major schools.
I don't actually think we should do this, but...
Lottich could just start marketing to 2-3 year guys. Say.... "hey, come here for 2 years and declare for a transfer and see what you're options are. If you think you can get into a top half Big10 school or top half ACC school, go for it. If not stay one more year and then try again after your 3rd year. If they still don't want you screw them and we will beat them in the NCAA tournament and tell them to go $)@#$*)# themselves."
If I was a player that wasn't getting love from the big guys out of high school but thought I could play, I would love that kinda talk.
IF his transfer is correct and in motion, the thing still stinks. I do not like being jacked around, saying one thing then doing another. IF he is listening to some of the "big city boys" and the trolls of the major conferences, it is a character flaw on his part. This transfer thing is getting waaaaay out of hand and now if the NCAA allows the big boys to raid the mid-majors without the player even sitting out a year, shame on all of them. While there may be a rare exception now and then, it is time for the mid-major conferences to band together and tell the NCAA they want to go out on their own and tell the big boys to " shove it"! Enough is enough! And the NCAA will tell us that they are for the student athlete, building character and all that "malarkey". They are contributing to the negative aspects of the student athlete's thinking and the year in and year out shady side of the big schools/conferences. You do not build character in these kids by implementing these type of policies/programs. If you want to hear how bad the big schools(like IU) and the other big time programs are, just ask M &M Copabianco(spell?) about what they and their son Bobby experienced before he transferred to Valpo.
Moving along, Illinois State loses Ellijah Donnelly to transfer. A 1 or 2 ppg guy. Cnaference total up to 24, national total up to 835.
So a couple of relative locals who are eligible to go now:
Jalen Coleman-Lands transferred from DePaul, from Indy. 4* SG
Lorenzo Edwards transferred from St. Joes, 6'8" PF. from Lake Forest, IL
If the mid majors tell the NCAA to "shove it" the NCAA will tell them to shove their share of the multi billion dollar pile of CBS money.
Quote from: SanityLost17 on April 29, 2020, 12:28:59 PMI don't actually think we should do this, but... Lottich could just start marketing to 2-3 year guys. Say.... "hey, come here for 2 years and declare for a transfer and see what you're options are. If you think you can get into a top half Big10 school or top half ACC school, go for it. If not stay one more year and then try again after your 3rd year. If they still don't want you screw them and we will beat them in the NCAA tournament and tell them to go $)@#$*)# themselves." If I was a player that wasn't getting love from the big guys out of high school but thought I could play, I would love that kinda talk.
Frankly I think a lot of mid majors, especially in conferences with strong competition year in and year out, will take this approach. Instead of an Alec or Javon being a once-in-a-decade find, each team will have one or two of these guys on the roster every year - because now they can play 32min a game for a few years instead of taking a chance at earning a rotation spot at a high major, knowing they can transfer without penalty.
Think of it like the 1or 2 and done kids who go to Kentucky etc then bail for the draft, but for mid-majors.
If Todd Ickow is retweeting this tweet, then it's ALL you need to know about the back channel influence in this decision...
https://twitter.com/evanwalls6/status/1255186745190240256?s=21
I am so sick of this notion that players can't find their way to productive NBA careers through the MVC I'm going to give you guys a decades long list of players from the MVC who made the MVC who really really sucked in the NBA and wish they could have a do over in college so that they could transfer to a higher profile school in a better conference:
Larry Bird
Walt "Clyde" Frazier
Hersey Hawkins
Paul Silas
Benoit Benjamin
Xavier McDaniel
Doug Collins
Antoine Carr
Danny Granger (Started Career at Bradley before transfering to MWC New Mexico)
Anthony Parker
Kyle Korver
Landry Shamet
Fred Van Vliet
Anthony Tolliver
Troy Hudson (ended career at SIU)
Doug McDermott
Walt Lemon
Thinking about it: Javon's transferring is just karma for one of our most vocal twitter presences making an absolute posterior of himself when Robbins left Drake. Surprised the entire Valley isn't cheering this news because of him. It would totally be fair.
Quote from: VU2014 on April 29, 2020, 07:41:46 PM
If Todd Ickow is retweeting this tweet, then it's ALL you need to know about the back channel influence in this decision...
https://twitter.com/evanwalls6/status/1255186745190240256?s=21
Later tweets - same account:
https://twitter.com/colinwalls23/status/1255190566670909441?s=21
https://twitter.com/maxbehrend7/status/1255191285218058243?s=21
I was a big fan but not so sure anymore. Like a lot of his game but turning on your word less than 2 months after saying the opposite is not a good look and neither is transferring out of the same school 2 years in a row. Was excited upon his change of heart last year and thought he saw the true value of Valpo but this is high school stuff. High schoolers pull this commit / decommital stuff all the time and an occasional colllege kid too (more than 1 transfer). Usually the college kid never pans out at either of the latter schools. Maybe this speaks to his level of maturity to some degree.
Despite his track record of "truth" I'll trust that his decision is "family" based. It appears that 5 schools have already reached out already, Oregon, BYU, Arkansas, Marquette and DePaul. Three are miles away from Chicago. Another is equidistant or maybe farther than Valpo and the last school is in Chicago but playing on a perennial last place team in the Big East and for a scrub coach like Leitao is a better situation? Good luck in whatever he decides. I did appreciate the 2:years he played here.
Quote from: VU2014 on April 29, 2020, 07:41:46 PMIf Todd Ickow is retweeting this tweet, then it's ALL you need to know about the back channel influence in this decision... https://twitter.com/evanwalls6/status/1255186745190240256?s=21
I
Interesting that Todd retweeted the Evan Walls tweet. Marcus transferred from Crane to King High School when Landon Cox ran the show. Landon recruited public league players and would use every option available. Coaches started boycotting playing him and they eventually changed the transfer rules for the Chicago Public League in 1996.
I recall someone thinking that Northwestern wouldn't work because of academics, though if he isn't getting good grades in sport management I would be surprised. If he ends up at a place like Oregon, then the whole family thing is really a joke. Let's move on. We may leave the scholarship open as we did last year. For all the concern about mid-major players moving up, there are plenty of high-major players moving down and we have had plenty of guys do that who worked out very well for Valpo.
Quote from: wh on April 29, 2020, 10:23:43 PM
Quote from: VU2014 on April 29, 2020, 07:41:46 PM
If Todd Ickow is retweeting this tweet, then it's ALL you need to know about the back channel influence in this decision...
https://twitter.com/evanwalls6/status/1255186745190240256?s=21
Later tweets - same account:
https://twitter.com/colinwalls23/status/1255190566670909441?s=21
https://twitter.com/maxbehrend7/status/1255191285218058243?s=21
I mean, he could have transferred at any point and you're not finding a replacement for him. MVC POTY candidates are really hard to replace no matter when they leave.
I also think it's a bad look to say that the people around JFL don't have his best interests at heart, and that Crusader fans know what's best for him.
It sucks for sure, but Valpo has done a great job at finding those diamonds who are under recruited, and I think will be just fine going forward.
FYI, doesn't look like the one time transfer change may be in the cards after all
https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/1255890388424015872
Quote from: IrishDawg on April 30, 2020, 12:21:27 PM
FYI, doesn't look like the one time transfer change may be in the cards after all
https://twitter.com/GoodmanHoops/status/1255890388424015872
Gunning for a hardship waiver...
I wonder if JFL would have transferred sooner or at least had the courtesy/honor to tell the coaching staff this was a possibility, maybe we'd be in on a kid like Jeremiah Williams more. He has the right to transfer and leave but it's the way it went down that shows no respect to his teammates and coaches...
JFL's actions speak louder than his words. Wanting to transfer is one thing, but handling it like he has is very disappointing and I guess shows a character flaw that we hadn't seen before. Let's move on and perhaps get one of the still remaining quality prospects for next year. Isn't it interesting that he requests respect after the way he showed none to Coach Lottich and the Valpo team.
Quote from: valpo64 on April 30, 2020, 12:55:48 PM
JFL's actions speak louder than his words. Wanting to transfer is one thing, but handling it like he has is very disappointing and I guess shows a character flaw that we hadn't seen before. Let's move on and perhaps get one of the still remaining quality prospects for next year. Isn't it interesting that he requests respect after the way he showed none to Coach Lottich and the Valpo team.
Okay guys, let's calm down here. You know nothing about his situation. You are just randomly speculating. JFL said he was transferring because of family issues and you call this a character flaw? You are just assuming he is lying. This is a large reason why so many student-athletes are fed up with the system because everyone always expects the worst out of them with no evidence to back it up. Sure, if he ends up going to Texas, then go ahead and say what you want. But to attack someone without any evidence is kind of ridiculous.
Furthermore, a lot of people are saying he is transferring because he doesn't think he can get drafted. I am friends with a great deal of college basketball players and this generally is not the thinking. It's either: 1) they want to play higher quality competition to challenge themselves and learn to prepare them for the next level or 2) even more so, it's that Valpo and other small school environments just aren't built for everyone.... Even having love for the University, let's be fair – there isn't much to do on or off campus beyond sports, the demographics of the University are basically homogeneous with very little diversity, and a lot of players are coming from cities/urban environments and aren't necessarily built for the semi-rural, townie environment. It's more of a fit issuer than people often bring up.
As others have noted, short of living with his grandmother, Valpo is as about as close as he's going to get --- if she lives in Chicago. Does someone actually know, or are we just assuming. Both of my late grandmothers lived in other states. Both of my wife's late grandmothers lived in other states.
Quote from: wh on April 30, 2020, 03:45:51 PM
As others have noted, short of living with his grandmother, Valpo is as about as close as he's going to get --- if she lives in Chicago. Does someone actually know, or are we just assuming. Both of my late grandmothers lived in other states. Both of my wife's late grandmothers lived in other states.
Exactly. We don't know where she lives. People on here are just hating on him without the facts. I will disagree with you on one point tho, if she is in Chicago, there are definitely closer schools. Sure, Valpo isn't "far" but say she lives around the corner from UIC or a quick bus ride away from DePaul. A 15 minute commute instead of one hour of traveling can make a big difference, especially for a busy student.
Correction: I am not saying he is lying. IF he actually is transferring, IF... declaration of his intent now shows a flaw, especially after his recent comments about VU. Things as important as this do not develop overnight. The turning pro somewhere along the line holds no water with me. Alec Peters pursued the draft and was told he should stay at Valpo and it would not effect his situation as far as a professional career was concerned. If a college player is good enough for the pros, he will be identified as such no matter at what level he is playing in college. There are many examples to prove that. Let's face it...some young men do make mistakes and execute poor judgement at times, sometimes listening to the "wrong" people for advice. Sorry...at this point I am not buying the narrative. I am sure that somewhere along the line the facts will come out and perhaps prove my thinking was incorrect. Time will tell. Wouldn't it be great if he decided to return to VU? In any event, I am looking forward to a fun and good upcoming season of VU hoops!
Why so we can do this all over again next summer?
Quote from: valpo64 on April 30, 2020, 04:43:37 PM
Correction: I am not saying he is lying. IF he actually is transferring, IF... declaration of his intent now shows a flaw, especially after his recent comments about VU. Things as important as this do not develop overnight. The turning pro somewhere along the line holds no water with me. Alec Peters pursued the draft and was told he should stay at Valpo and it would not effect his situation as far as a professional career was concerned. If a college player is good enough for the pros, he will be identified as such no matter at what level he is playing in college. There are many examples to prove that. Let's face it...some young men do make mistakes and execute poor judgement at times, sometimes listening to the "wrong" people for advice. Sorry...at this point I am not buying the narrative. I am sure that somewhere along the line the facts will come out and perhaps prove my thinking was incorrect. Time will tell. Wouldn't it be great if he decided to return to VU? In any event, I am looking forward to a fun and good upcoming season of VU hoops!
Javon is a special player, he would have continued to have the green light to shoot whenever he wanted at VU. But if his shooting percentage stayed relative low it would have looked very bad at a mid-major school where he had the green light? Maybe he was given a perspective that said if you can improve your efficiency from deep in a more serious league to boot . . . . well maybe that is the path to NBA. I truly don't know, but it is safe to say he didn't have a ton to prove to himself at VU after this last season. I wish him well and hope that this team has the offensive chops to replace his volume with more efficiency (and more consistent defense at times).
He is an outstanding player and young man (from what has been reported). Good luck Javon.
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1255947110920400897?s=21
Quote from: FieldGoodie05 on April 30, 2020, 05:46:29 PMhe didn't have a ton to prove to himself at VU after this last season.
And the Player of the Year, A.J. Green does? He WILL be a pro. Javon, I don't know, is he athletic? Absolutely. Are anybody in the NBA AS athletic? All of them. This is about self-promotion or promotion as guided by others. Witness the picture of him with the question mark on his chest. Tacky for a guy who is suppose to be transferring for the benefit of his grandmother. Please.
Quote from: M on April 30, 2020, 05:08:16 PM
Why so we can do this all over again next summer?
I'm easy. Yes, I would be willing to do this all over again next summer. ;)
We lose another one to Loyola...
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1256023869707694082?s=20
Is this the "could be good news today" of which Paul speaks?
so much for good news...
Ryan medical waiver *a guess
Quote from: Chairback on April 30, 2020, 09:04:47 PM
Ryan medical waiver
What!? Is this true? If so, this is HUGE news! Absolutely huge! Ryan takes Javon's scholarship and we are right back in next year's hunt.
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1256023869707694082?s=20
https://twitter.com/kentnelson17/status/1256025114384072704?s=20
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1256036594429067264?s=21
I guessing that this good news is that they filled the roster spot and not that Ryan got a wavier.
I would love it if Fazekas was able to come back, but not sure what that does for him. Regardless, that dude seems like someone that lives and breathes Valpo, similar to Kiser, and would be a welcome sight versus those that seek greener pastures.
Quote from: wh on April 30, 2020, 09:39:15 PM
https://twitter.com/NWIOren/status/1256023869707694082?s=20
https://twitter.com/kentnelson17/status/1256025114384072704?s=20
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1256036594429067264?s=21
I could use some good news...
Still waiting.
If JFL goes to the DePaul mess, then he is a moron. The HH buffoon suggested he should transfer there.
After seeing Damezi both play and practice multiple times in high school, he is not a player I would want on our roster. Sure he has some talent, but he will be a liability for Loyola more than he is an asset.
If Ryan does get a waiver (and yes that would absolutely be huge news) I REALLY hope he stays healthy. He deserves a healthy full season more than pretty much anyone else in college basketball.
Or is the good news that Javon is apparently a big fan of The Clash and has reconsidered his decision to transfer?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BN1WwnEDWAM
Quote from: usc4valpo on May 01, 2020, 06:06:06 AMIf JFL goes to the DePaul mess, then he is a moron. The HH buffoon suggested he should transfer there.
If you look at his Instagram, he's doing a lot of teasing/answering questions and says no to DePaul and hinting the school's colors he is considering is Purple. A Chicago school with the color purple is Northwestern. Says transferring was family personal reasons.
Quote from: Chairback on April 30, 2020, 09:04:47 PM
Ryan medical waiver *a guess
Well played Chairback with the edit ;)
For me the big news would be that we are putting the (pep) band back together!
https://youtu.be/24hB9Phwnnw
Javon says he going to a purple school.
Im going to hype the Ryan thing for all it's worth until it's no longer a thing. ;)
Did you know?
Ryan was the top 3-pt. shooter in college basketball this year at 49.5% (47-95). He needed to play in 75% of his team's games to officially qualify, which he didn't reach (played in 18; needed 25). The official winner shot 47-something. That still doesn't change the fact that he's the best in D-1 among 4000+ players.
Quote from: wh on May 01, 2020, 12:54:11 PM
Im going to hype the Ryan thing for all it's worth until it's no longer a thing. ;)
Did you know?
Ryan was the top 3-pt. shooter in college basketball this year at 49.5% (47-95). He needed to play in 75% of his team's games to officially qualify, which he didn't reach (played in 18; needed 25). The official winner shot 47-something. That still doesn't change the fact that he's the best in D-1 among 4000+ players.
I assume you checked on the other non-qualifiers from each of the other 350-ish teams, too?
Paul Oren
@NWIOren
·
43s
Former Kansas State shooting guard Goodnews Kpegeol commits to Valparaiso. #MVCHoops
So the "good news" is that Goodnews Kpegeol is coming to VU? I like that! I'll take a guy who wants to be here over someone with one foot out the door any day.
Also, if Javon is leaving to go to Northwestern, that seems pretty mind blowing and not very smart. Northwestern is terrible. They were 8-23 last year and 3-17 in conference
2020 truly is a strange time to be alive.
Perhaps I missed it somewhere along the line but I never heard of this guy. Somebody please fill us in.
Quote from: vusupporter on May 01, 2020, 01:04:51 PM
Quote from: wh on May 01, 2020, 12:54:11 PM
Im going to hype the Ryan thing for all it's worth until it's no longer a thing. ;)
Did you know?
Ryan was the top 3-pt. shooter in college basketball this year at 49.5% (47-95). He needed to play in 75% of his team's games to officially qualify, which he didn't reach (played in 18; needed 25). The official winner shot 47-something. That still doesn't change the fact that he's the best in D-1 among 4000+ players.
I assume you checked on the other non-qualifiers from each of the other 350-ish teams, too?
I never thought of that. Not that it matters now, but I just painstakingly went through the individual stats for 330+ D-1 programs and found 457 players who shot 50% or better from 3 but didn't qualify. I guess Ryan's accomplishment is no big deal after all.
Paul Oren
@NWIOren
·
6m
Kpegeol was rated as the No. 71 shooting guard in his class by @247recruiting
·
7m
Kpegeol hails from Minnesota. Went to prep school in Florida for a semester, signed with Kansas State in fall of '18, transferred to JUCO in Mississippi in spring of 19. Transfers to Valparaiso and will have three years of immediate eligibility. #MVCHoops
Well...looks like the transition and dunk game will not suffer much with JFL's departure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=64&v=YvxJjZ1frVk&feature=emb_logo (https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=64&v=YvxJjZ1frVk&feature=emb_logo)
Welcome Goodnews!
Also, that spot did not take long to fill! Less than a week!
Followed K a bit in high school. Exciting player!
Based on Oren's Twitter feed Goodnews high school coach played with Lottich in Japan.
Also looks like he had other mid-majors interested in him including Grand Canyon :)
Quote from: valpo64 on May 01, 2020, 01:20:07 PM
Perhaps I missed it somewhere along the line but I never heard of this guy. Somebody please fill us in.
I happen to know probably the best prep evaluator and AAU guy in Minnesota. I just sent him a message. We'll see what he says.
JFL to DePaul...
Javon to DePaul!
Goodnews is 6'6"? I like the added height
Top 100 shooting guard with three years of IMMEDIATE eligibility? SCORE! If we were forced to replace Javon this is the kind of player that I would imagine might be able to do it! This is very VERY promising news! Go Valpo! I BELIEVE!
Does Valpo signing Kpegeol preclude them from also having Ryan get another year?
By the way, ESPN lists JFL as the tenth best transfer in the country who will need to sit out a year.
Glad he truly stuck to his word and it wasn't a ploy just to get a hardship waiver. I wish him nothing but the best. Hopefully he's just the player the Blue Demons need to change their toxic culture. That team is a mess and needs all the help it can get.
So this whole transfer thing and the worries around mid-major basketball may prove to be a non-factor after all. Consider we lost Javon, who moved "up" (though it could be argued not by much!--though clearly the new league is better) And we get Goodnews, who transferred down a notch, from K-State to Valpo. Not trying to hard to compare the talents (that is to be seen at a later date), but rather to say that for every mid who pans out perhaps better than expected and moves "up", there will be a player who didn't pan out as expected and moves "down" to gain playing time. Valpo has had a bunch of talented guys who came here after starting out at a higher level.
Quote from: vu84v2 on May 01, 2020, 02:59:12 PMDoes Valpo signing Kpegeol preclude them from also having Ryan get another year? By the way, ESPN lists JFL as the tenth best transfer in the country who will need to sit out a year.
Yes it does. Unless Ryan walks on or we make someone else a walk on like Dan Muller did a few years ago at ISU when he recruited a bunch of transfers. (This has to be done with the player's consent though). But I don't see Ryan getting another year or if that's even in the works to be done. Does Ryan even want another year? Remember how he said that he was done after he got hurt if he couldn't have come back?
This is a good signing for Valpo and Goodnews appears to be the kind of person who will fit the Valpo program. A lot of positive things being said about him by his former coaches. I like it.
Quote from: VU2014 on April 30, 2020, 06:41:45 PM
https://twitter.com/nwioren/status/1255947110920400897?s=21
A great teaser tweet by Paul Oren.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on May 01, 2020, 03:28:17 PMQuote from: vu84v2 on May 01, 2020, 02:59:12 PMDoes Valpo signing Kpegeol preclude them from also having Ryan get another year? By the way, ESPN lists JFL as the tenth best transfer in the country who will need to sit out a year.
Yes it does. Unless Ryan walks on or we make someone else a walk on like Dan Muller did a few years ago at ISU when he recruited a bunch of transfers. (This has to be done with the player's consent though). But I don't see Ryan getting another year or if that's even in the works to be done. Does Ryan even want another year? Remember how he said that he was done after he got hurt if he couldn't have come back?
Ryan has used up all of his college eligibility. Sure he was injured or sat out parts of the seasons he played, but saw enough action each year to make each of those seasons a "full" season. So no matter what, he can not qualify for anymore College basketball.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on May 01, 2020, 03:22:12 PM
Glad he truly stuck to his word and it wasn't a ploy just to get a hardship waiver. I wish him nothing but the best. Hopefully he's just the player the Blue Demons need to change their toxic culture. That team is a mess and needs all the help it can get.
He won't sit a year. He will get a hardship waiver whatever it takes. All my speculation.....
1. Valpo was going to be better than Depaul next year FOR SURE with JFL. If JFL sits for them next year I still think we will be better than Depaul.
2. He clearly wanted to get into the Big East but he could have done better than Depaul. No way several Big East schools wouldn't want JFL. If Butler had a spot and he called them, they would take him. That means he chose Depaul knowing there was a good chance for a hardship waiver. He gets the Big East and doesn't have to sit out a year. Maybe didn't want Depaul, but that's just how it was gonna work.
3. All this to say, his Grandmother might really have some issues but Valpo/Depaul isn't a far enough difference for that to really matter, not in the days of ZOOM meetings. So this was about playing up a conference and not having to sit out.
I just don't know. I think he will be there best player, but man.... I just don't know. Depaul is.... man... They are just sooo bad.
Well Javon spoke the "truth" as DePaul plays 15 minutes away on the Dan Ryan from his home. Good for him and good for DePaul (I am an alum and former season ticket holder) but I think he would've been better served staying at Valpo...oh well.
The GOOD NEWS is we get Goodnews who fills a desperate need in the ever evolving college landscape and that's a shooter. We will have enough athleticism on the roster to the rim which will negate JFL to some extent.
What I will miss most of all is JFL's ability to anticipate the passing lanes on defense. He was one of the best I ever saw at that and why he was always considered one of the best defenders in the MVC. Plus he was pretty damn good on ball as well.
At the end of the day we are an MVC top tier team, 'nuff said!!!
I hope that Javon does well and furthers his career interests in this move, but wish nothing but the worst for the rest of the Depaul program :)
Quote from: wh on May 01, 2020, 01:22:18 PMGoodnews Kpegeol
Quote from: wh on May 01, 2020, 01:22:18 PM
Quote from: vusupporter on May 01, 2020, 01:04:51 PM
Quote from: wh on May 01, 2020, 12:54:11 PM
Im going to hype the Ryan thing for all it's worth until it's no longer a thing. ;)
Did you know?
Ryan was the top 3-pt. shooter in college basketball this year at 49.5% (47-95). He needed to play in 75% of his team's games to officially qualify, which he didn't reach (played in 18; needed 25). The official winner shot 47-something. That still doesn't change the fact that he's the best in D-1 among 4000+ players.
I assume you checked on the other non-qualifiers from each of the other 350-ish teams, too?
I never thought of that. Not that it matters now, but I just painstakingly went through the individual stats for 330+ D-1 programs and found 457 players who shot 50% or better from 3 but didn't qualify. I guess Ryan's accomplishment is no big deal after all.
How many of those took over 5 3's per game??? I think this would be a much better stat if it was measured by the number of shots taken either by the whole season or on a per game basis. How many of those 457 players took 95 threes over the season or shot over 5.25 3's per game
Numbers and stats are interesting things. You can spin them and make them suit whatever narrative you're trying to convey. (Not that I'm accusing you of being beholden to any sort of narrative) but I need to say the context of those stats matters. I'm with FWAlum on this one. When evaluating shooters and shooting statistics volume matters a great deal. I have no doubt that most of those shooters are not high volume and even if they are they still probably don't come close to approaching Ryan's volume. That Fazekas was able to shoot that well on that kind of volume is very impressive and truly an accomplishment to be celebrated and acknowledged.
Quote from: humbleopinion on May 01, 2020, 01:24:45 PMPaul Oren
@NWIOren
·
6m
Kpegeol was rated as the No. 71 shooting guard in his class by @247recruiting
I'm just dying for Pgmado to ask him how to pronounce his name. I'm starting to really feel sorry for talksalot and chef.
"Kpegeol to Ognacevic for the basket!" Yes!
I feel worst for Coach Lottich in all of this. He finally has the team trending in the right direction playing inspired basketball and primed to contend in the MVC with an amazing young core that is set to do well for multiple years. In short, it feels like he finally has his program built and out of the blue (demon) his best player transfers. Just more adversity for Coach Lottich. It looks as though he's recovered beautifully but I really hope we have a few terrific seasons in a row ahead of us. If anyone deserves that anywhere in the country it's Matt Lottich. He's been through so much that would probably have broken a lot of coaches and still he (and his team and coaching staff) fights like the dickens every single day on the court and on the recruiting trail. That is a testament to his character and to the character of the players. It is a testament to the program that he is building. I really respect him and feel that we are lucky to have a man like him in charge of our program.
Well said!
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on May 01, 2020, 07:04:33 PM
I feel worst for Coach Lottich in all of this. He finally has the team trending in the right direction playing inspired basketball and primed to contend in the MVC with an amazing young core that is set to do well for multiple years. In short, it feels like he finally has his program built and out of the blue (demon) his best player transfers. Just more adversity for Coach Lottich. It looks as though he's recovered beautifully but I really hope we have a few terrific seasons in a row ahead of us. If anyone deserves that anywhere in the country it's Matt Lottich. He's been through so much that would probably have broken a lot of coaches and still he (and his team and coaching staff) fights like the dickens every single day on the court and on the recruiting trail. That is a testament to his character and to the character of the players. It is a testament to the program that he is building. I really respect him and feel that we are lucky to have a man like him in charge of our program.
A home run tribute!
Agreed and well said VUgrad, I also thought JLF excelled in our system. Less half court offence, no 7 footer clogging up the lane, more fast pace and get the ball down the court. Suited JLF well this year.
I also think JLF would have left last year but didn't feel good about sitting out. He is probably pretty confident he will get a hardship otherwise he would stay?
We need to get DePaul on the schedule next year.
Oren on USH: "Goodnews on Instagram yesterday," 'What number should I wear in college next year, 0 or 00?'" Love it!
Quote from: FWalum on May 01, 2020, 05:46:15 PM
Quote from: wh on May 01, 2020, 01:22:18 PMGoodnews Kpegeol
Quote from: wh on May 01, 2020, 01:22:18 PM
Quote from: vusupporter on May 01, 2020, 01:04:51 PM
Quote from: wh on May 01, 2020, 12:54:11 PM
Im going to hype the Ryan thing for all it's worth until it's no longer a thing. ;)
Did you know?
Ryan was the top 3-pt. shooter in college basketball this year at 49.5% (47-95). He needed to play in 75% of his team's games to officially qualify, which he didn't reach (played in 18; needed 25). The official winner shot 47-something. That still doesn't change the fact that he's the best in D-1 among 4000+ players.
I assume you checked on the other non-qualifiers from each of the other 350-ish teams, too?
I never thought of that. Not that it matters now, but I just painstakingly went through the individual stats for 330+ D-1 programs and found 457 players who shot 50% or better from 3 but didn't qualify. I guess Ryan's accomplishment is no big deal after all.
How many of those took over 5 3's per game??? I think this would be a much better stat if it was measured by the number of shots taken either by the whole season or on a per game basis. How many of those 457 players took 95 threes over the season or shot over 5.25 3's per game
Apparently, I should have put a "wink" emoji at the end of my post lol. I was amused that vusupporter was concerned that I might have missed someone who shot 1-1 or 3-4 or 6-10 for the year. That prompted my less-than-serious reply about having painstakingly checked every roster in college basketball to make sure that didn't happen. Just poking a little fun.
DePaul WILL be on one MVC team's schedule. They've agreed to a home and home with Loyola. Say what you will about DePaul's recent performance but the Ramblers' ability to get a Big East team (even one in the same city) to come to Gentile is a huge get for them and is huge for the conference. Let's hope they can win that game and take advantage of whatever success the Blue Demons may have!
Loyola gets DePaul for a Home and Home and Valpo gets UIC.
That's what going to the final 4 gets you.
Was this contact\interest from when we were trying to figure out how to replace JFL or...? Is there more coming Paul?
https://twitter.com/jakelieberman2/status/1256015398199164929
Tyler Johnson is a 2021 grad.
Fail on my part. My bad. Thank you for clearing that up. :-[ :lol:
I wish JFL all the best, and my father is a DePaul alum, but that athletic department needs a root rooter enema. We are fortunate to have MLB as Valpo AD over the crapola DePaul has. 40 years ago DePaul basketball was one of top athletic draw and now no one cares.
I think even up until a few years into the Jordan era the Blue Demons were more popular in Chicago than the Bulls. Is that true?
Maybe ya'll are being a little to hard on DePaul. True, they finished last in the Big East, but...They had wins over Iowa, Minnesota, Texas Tech, Northwestern, Butler, Georgetown and Xavier. This with a roster with 5 freshman and 4 sophomores. They bring back four of their top 5 scorers and add Javon?? Hmmm.
Liberman is a high school freshman in the Bay Area who is aggressively reaching out to recruits all over the country. His first round of Valpo-related intel checked out (Palesse is very much on the radar), so I decided to retweet the next one about Valpo.
Possibly. But DePaul has been so bad for so long I have no choice but to take an I'll believe it when I see it stance with them. Everyone crowed about how good they were in the non conference and that DePaul basketball was back. Yeah, back in the cellar of the Big East as it turned out. They have to show me that they truly are back before I believe that they are. But a young team with that resume adding a player of Javon's caliber is certainly interesting to say the least. Since they're on their schedule, for Loyola's sake (and therefore the MVC's sake) I hope they truly are back so that if Loyola beats them that win will matter in the committee room.
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on May 02, 2020, 08:54:35 AM
I think even up until a few years into the Jordan era the Blue Demons were more popular in Chicago than the Bulls. Is that true?
During the late 70s and early 80s, DePaul was an NCAA championship contender, and head coach Ray Meyer was the toast of the town, while the Bulls were truly stinking up the joint.
As a VU undergrad back then, I was there when -- believe it or not -- DePaul traveled to play VU at Hilltop gymnasium. They had two future NBA stars in forwards Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings, and an excellent point guard in Clyde Bradshaw. Valpo played them pretty close in 1st half, but the 2nd half DePaul ran away with it and won easily. Still, it was a great thrill to have what was the No. 1 ranked team at the time in our modest little home court.
Quote from: David81 on May 02, 2020, 05:17:42 PM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on May 02, 2020, 08:54:35 AM
I think even up until a few years into the Jordan era the Blue Demons were more popular in Chicago than the Bulls. Is that true?
During the late 70s and early 80s, DePaul was an NCAA championship contender, and head coach Ray Meyer was the toast of the town, while the Bulls were truly stinking up the joint.
As a VU undergrad back then, I was there when -- believe it or not -- DePaul traveled to play VU at Hilltop gymnasium. They had two future NBA stars in forwards Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings, and an excellent point guard in Clyde Bradshaw. Valpo played them pretty close in 1st half, but the 2nd half DePaul ran away with it and won easily. Still, it was a great thrill to have what was the No. 1 ranked team at the time in our modest little home court.
I remember walking off the court at Hilltop one time behind Dave Corzine and Ray Meyer. I believe that would have been about the same time.
Quote from: David81 on May 02, 2020, 05:17:42 PM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on May 02, 2020, 08:54:35 AM
I think even up until a few years into the Jordan era the Blue Demons were more popular in Chicago than the Bulls. Is that true?
During the late 70s and early 80s, DePaul was an NCAA championship contender, and head coach Ray Meyer was the toast of the town, while the Bulls were truly stinking up the joint.
As a VU undergrad back then, I was there when -- believe it or not -- DePaul traveled to play VU at Hilltop gymnasium. They had two future NBA stars in forwards Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings, and an excellent point guard in Clyde Bradshaw. Valpo played them pretty close in 1st half, but the 2nd half DePaul ran away with it and won easily. Still, it was a great thrill to have what was the No. 1 ranked team at the time in our modest little home court.
My wife and I also were at that game. Thanks for kindling the memory.
I know some people were knocking Javon on his timing of transfer announcement but I am thinking Matt knew well before the formal announcement as we sign Goodnews a day or two later and Freeman signs with DePaul after being in the portal for, I don't know, 24 hours? These moving parts came together fast. Makes one wonder if things were spinning behind the scenes.
As far as DePaul, like usc4valpo alluded to, they are a chocolate mess. You have an AD who basically is having her employer (the university) sued by a former contractor who alleges her brother, the former softball coach, both mentally and physically abused female coaches and players. The allegations are ugly. They are on top of other transgressions over the years. And then you have a basketball coach that has recruited some talent the last couple years and had a fringe NBA talent in Max Strus coupled with a legit NBA talent Paul Reed and only made the CBI and then last year tanked in the BE after an impressive non con season with said legit NBA talent and a Top 25 recruiting class (Romeo Weems and Markese Jacobs). Not the environment I'd want to be in right now...
And for Ray Meyer, what a fine person. If you met him you'd know how infectious his goodness was. He believed in the little guy and while I was a fan since 1978, I didn't realize or remember they played Valpo at Hilltop. But that's what he did. He helped the little guy either with a big pay day at home or would go tho their place to help legitimize the program. They would play at Pepperdine, Old Dominion, St. Mary's before they we big, same for Gonzaga. He always had an affection for the Catholic / religious private institutions. Back then they would annually play Loyola, Northwestern, Notre Dame, UCLA, Georgetown and St. John's as well. Ahhhh the days of being an independent.
Quote from: vu72 on May 02, 2020, 09:22:52 AM
Maybe ya'll are being a little to hard on DePaul. True, they finished last in the Big East, but...They had wins over Iowa, Minnesota, Texas Tech, Northwestern, Butler, Georgetown and Xavier. This with a roster with 5 freshman and 4 sophomores. They bring back four of their top 5 scorers and add Javon?? Hmmm.
If I remember correctly, 2 of their top 3 scorers are actually leaving. Reed to the draft and Coleman-Lands transferred.
Quote from: bbtds on May 02, 2020, 09:45:56 PM
Quote from: David81 on May 02, 2020, 05:17:42 PM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on May 02, 2020, 08:54:35 AM
I think even up until a few years into the Jordan era the Blue Demons were more popular in Chicago than the Bulls. Is that true?
During the late 70s and early 80s, DePaul was an NCAA championship contender, and head coach Ray Meyer was the toast of the town, while the Bulls were truly stinking up the joint.
As a VU undergrad back then, I was there when -- believe it or not -- DePaul traveled to play VU at Hilltop gymnasium. They had two future NBA stars in forwards Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings, and an excellent point guard in Clyde Bradshaw. Valpo played them pretty close in 1st half, but the 2nd half DePaul ran away with it and won easily. Still, it was a great thrill to have what was the No. 1 ranked team at the time in our modest little home court.
I remember walking off the court at Hilltop one time behind Dave Corzine and Ray Meyer. I believe that would have been about the same time.
Had to be March 1, 1978 only time Dave Corzine, Ray Meyer, Mark Aguirre & Clyde Bradshaw all played together for the Blue Demons at Hilltop Gym.
EDIT: probably 2 different games. DePaul played at Hilltop also on February 13, 1980 against Aguirre & Bradshaw and Ray Meyer, losing 95-71. The Blue Demons were 20-0 going into the game at Hilltop and finished 26-2, losing to Notre Dame in 2 OTs at the Joyce Center, 76-74 and UCLA in the NCAA tournament in the 2nd round, 77-71 at Tempe, AZ.
No, Corzine graduated from DePaul in 1978, and Aguirre started in the DePaul in the 1978-79 season. Corzine and Bradshaw played together in the 77-78 season.
DePaul will not play Valpo because they have an unjustified superiority which does not accommodate their "elite status." DePaul basketball and athletics is a mess caused by nepotism and keeping "the family together."
Not for nothing but I think a little more tournament success on our part and a nicer facility would probably go a long way toward attracting better opponents. Compared to other MVC venues Gentile isn't THAT much nicer than our ARC yet thanks to their recent success they are able to get DePaul to play them there. If Valpo can make a tournament run or two and upgrade the ARC I have no doubt we'll get some good opponents coming into Valpo.
Quote from: usc4valpo on May 04, 2020, 12:05:26 PM
No, Corzine graduated from DePaul in 1978, and Aguirre started in the DePaul in the 1978-79 season. Corzine and Bradshaw played together in the 77-78 season.
DePaul will not play Valpo because they have an unjustified superiority which does not accommodate their "elite status." DePaul basketball and athletics is a mess caused by nepotism and keeping "the family together."
You are correct. I got Bradshaw's and Aguirre's time at Depaul mixed up when I looked them up.
Quote from: valpospartan on May 02, 2020, 10:46:52 PM
Quote from: David81 on May 02, 2020, 05:17:42 PM
Quote from: VUGrad1314 on May 02, 2020, 08:54:35 AM
I think even up until a few years into the Jordan era the Blue Demons were more popular in Chicago than the Bulls. Is that true?
During the late 70s and early 80s, DePaul was an NCAA championship contender, and head coach Ray Meyer was the toast of the town, while the Bulls were truly stinking up the joint.
As a VU undergrad back then, I was there when -- believe it or not -- DePaul traveled to play VU at Hilltop gymnasium. They had two future NBA stars in forwards Mark Aguirre and Terry Cummings, and an excellent point guard in Clyde Bradshaw. Valpo played them pretty close in 1st half, but the 2nd half DePaul ran away with it and won easily. Still, it was a great thrill to have what was the No. 1 ranked team at the time in our modest little home court.
My wife and I also were at that game. Thanks for kindling the memory.
I remember students had to get tickets (free) either day of or day before. I also remember thinking what a burden it was to line up in the cold to get them. Somehow I doubt it was that cold but I do recall complaining.
So for you old timers (really old) do you remember Hilltop before its expansion? (Yes it was expanded in 1962). I'm guessing the expanded version sat about 3000. I remember the seats seeming went up to the ceiling!). The unexpanded version (original 1939 ) must have had a seating capacity of about 1500 or so.
Quote from: vu72 on May 04, 2020, 01:59:18 PM
So for you old timers (really old) do you remember Hilltop before its expansion? (Yes it was expanded in 1962). I'm guessing the expanded version sat about 3000. I remember the seats seeming went up to the ceiling!). The unexpanded version (original 1939 ) must have had a seating capacity of about 1500 or so.
I remember that Gym II increased the options for gym availability for faculty kids who were allowed in on Sundays.
Were the new stands always open for games or only for the bigger games at the beginning?
I follow JFL on Instagram and how was a live and he mentioned he's been living at his cousins house for 3 weeks. Probably didn't want to be in Valpo while the news dropped about the transfer. So we found out a week ago publicly. Told his teammates/coaches a few days before the news came out on to the public. Told teammates/coaches around, 3/23. So may he probably knew at least a week and a half prior.
Just an observation, but I follow his Uncle Marcus Liberty on twitter who has essentially been managing his basketball career and through out the whole season his twitter profile has basically been an advertisement to other coaches... it was just the traditional family member stuff. Definitely lots of love and support trying to keep JFL focused but it felt like he was putting the highlights and tweets out for outside basket coaches. Just my 2cents looking back fwiw.
I also something else I've noticed. Obviously JFL seems excited about the move to DePaul. Seems like he wants to play "up" and in a higher profile league.
I'm sure JFL has some love for Valpo, but as others have mentioned, felt like one foot in and one foot out scenario. Always looking to see if the grass was greener on the other side.
Oh well... Time to move on... Hopefully we have a group of guys dedicated to the program 100% now and we will reap the rewards of that. We need that Valpo Vs the World mentality if we want to truly reach the next level I think.
We all we got... We all we need...
#OneTeamOneBoat
So it looks like the whole transfer thing is about finished nationally with the current number at 945, which is down from last year's 992 but higher than any other year going back to 2012, when the total was only 577.
At the same time, I'm wondering whether or not the quality of the conference has any correlation to the total number of transfers? For a sample, I looked at the total number of transfers in the Horizon versus The Valley. The Horizon has a total of 38 transfers versus The Valley at a total of 25. Clearly there are some dumpster fires in the Horizon with Oakland, Green Bay and IUPUI having 6 transfers each and Milwaukee having 7!!!! In the Valley no one has more than 4.
If stability has any relation to strength (and I think it does), then a couple of our opponents for next year should be pretty solid. UIC has zero transfers and Wright State only has 1. The Valley front runners (Valpo, Northern Iowa and Loyola) each had only 1 transfer.
So I thought the transfer thing was about done at 945. I was wrong! The transfer portal just added the 1000th player, an all time high. With only one transfer, Valpo is way below the average.
Well we deserve a break. We had enough for like three offseasons last year. Too bad that one transfer was by far and away our best player which makes us at best a middle of the pack team in all likelihood and not one of the MVC frontrunners. I'd say we're clearly below UNI Loyola and Bradley and in the pack alongside Indiana State SIU Missouri State and possibly Drake though they suffered a huge loss when Robbins left as well. Evansville should be better and Illinois State is definitely ascending again but I would still put us ahead of them for now. We are probably toward the top or middle of that ISUb SIU MSU Drake tier which would put us anywhere from 4th-7th in all likelihood. I think that is a fair and reasonable expectation for us right now.
I believe that we still will be contenders even though we lost JFL.
While optimistic, I don't know if we are a top half of the league team. We're basically basing our optimism on four days in March. Biggest three reasons we played on Sunday were JFL, Ryan, and Kiser. All three are gone now.
Some time ago I looked at the team record the year after stars departed. People like Bryce, Lubos, Rowdy or Alec. Don't have the results at my finger tips but overall, it was a pretty solid record. We have a lot of very mature players. One senior and three red-shirt seniors. The starting lineup will be one sophomore, one junior and three seniors. With JFL taking 25% of the total shots (and he missed a couple of games), who knows how the others will respond. We've also got some serious talent coming in. I am hopeful.
What hasn't been acknowledged either is that although JFL was/ and still is an amazing talent, he was rather inefficient in the second half of the season. Take the Evansville and Loyola tournament games 6-25 from the field. My hope is that although his defense prowess cannot be replaced that the team will become a more Efficient as a unit. Also Clay and Krikke were both playing starters minutes and getting it done as freshman big positive there.
He had mono in the MVC tourney. He gets a pass from me and the kid still made the all conference team
Top 3 next season. Book it!
Quote from: vu72 on July 12, 2020, 02:06:45 PM
Some time ago I looked at the team record the year after stars departed. People like Bryce, Lubos, Rowdy or Alec. Don't have the results at my finger tips but overall, it was a pretty solid record. We have a lot of very mature players. One senior and three red-shirt seniors. The starting lineup will be one sophomore, one junior and three seniors. With JFL taking 25% of the total shots (and he missed a couple of games), who knows how the others will respond. We've also got some serious talent coming in. I am hopeful.
Also, don't forget about the "Goodnews" we picked up in May.
https://www.nwitimes.com/sports/update-valparaiso-picks-up-commitment-from-goodnews-kpegeol-javon-freeman-liberty-commits-to-depaul/article_369e5d88-4a9a-56d2-8002-6ecfce6bd573.html