Starting a day early. Is that a record for this season? Since I will be in Chicago Sunday morning I will be attending with a chance to win a conference game, a rare occurrence these days.
I really don't expect a road win tomorrow.
The university has an alumni event that includes this game. I would be very interested to know how many alumni attend.
I just tried to log in to ESPN+ and was surprised to be told the game was not yet underway! DUH! The game is tomorrow at 2 not today.That means we can survive Saturday without a loss and maybe Sunday too!
Quote from: tiny707 on February 18, 2023, 09:48:00 AM
I really don't expect a road win tomorrow.
Quote from: vu84v2 on February 18, 2023, 10:05:07 AM
Tthe university has an alumni event that includes this game. I would be very interested to know how many alumni attend.
Because of my previous commitment in Chicago I will not be joining the other fan.
But I know of at least 3 other "Valpo people" who will be planning to attend. Whether they actually "cheer" for Valpo will be totally up to them individually.
Quote from: justducky on February 18, 2023, 02:23:51 PM
I just tried to log in to ESPN+ and was surprised to be told the game was not yet underway! DUH! The game is tomorrow at 2 not today.That means we can survive Saturday without a loss and maybe Sunday too!
Like a boy scout, always prepared, for what I'm not always sure but sorry for the fake out.
I put the over under at 4 for Alumni attending the alumni event.
I don't know - the weather is supposed to be excellent (for Chicago in February). Perhaps a decent amount of alumni gather ... if, for no other reason, than to vent and reminisce about the good ol' Drew days. Speaking of which, I am reminded of the recent picture Dr. Small posted with the last winning basketball Valpo coaches ...
This a game where a W is achievable. Let's get it done. UIC isn't having a great season. Let's not let the opportunity slip through our fingers.
Reports are there were at least 24+ at the alumni event at Giordano's.
Quote from: VU2014 on February 19, 2023, 11:25:39 AM
This a game where a W is achievable. Let's get it done. UIC isn't having a great season. Let's not let the opportunity slip through our fingers.
So my mind wanders to the question "How will we find a way to lose?"
Jeez this background previous call from last yr or something is really annoying...
Audio seems off on this game. Anybody else hearing double on the espn+ stream?
Just thinking out loud. How bad will Valpo be next season when Kobe and Krikke graduate...?
I think Krikke has one more season of eligibility left if he wants it, but if he does stay in college, the chances he returns Valpo next season, seems very slim...
I stopped by Giordano's. There were about 40 people in attendance. Seems like a good group for a Sunday morning for a Lutheran University.
Quote from: Pgmado on February 19, 2023, 02:31:25 PM
I stopped by Giordano's. There were about 40 people in attendance. Seems like a good group for a Sunday morning for a Lutheran University.
Wondering what the attendance would be like next season if we made a coaching change... one can hope.
Also, Lou Malnati's > Gino's East > Giordano's
Rec League game at the YMCA. Neither team interested in playing defense
I give up
:whiteflag: :whiteflag: :whiteflag: :whiteflag: :whiteflag: :whiteflag:
That pretty much sums up the season for the Brown and Gold. No stops, can't execute in the crunch time. Wasted performance from Krikke. They will loose the next three games. Who's our first preseason opponent in October?
Our poor first half defensive rotation looks to have made the difference. Our second half play wasn't bad but this is still a loss that maybe shouldn't have happened.
I wish I could say that I'm angry at this loss. Instead, I just shake my head.
From a talent perspective, this team should be better than 5-13.
But here we are.
Quote from: historyman on February 19, 2023, 01:53:55 PM
So my mind wanders to the question "How will we find a way to lose?"
Answer: In the closing plays of the game and down by only one point, let's keep the ball away from the guy who is having a career game with 34 points and ask someone else to hoist a three-point attempt.
Quote from: mj on February 19, 2023, 03:57:27 PM
I wish I could say that I'm angry at this loss. Instead, I just shake my head.
From a talent perspective, this team should be better than 5-13.
But here we are.
(https://media.tenor.com/Yyc8h2frQlEAAAAC/mark-wahlberg-smh.gif)
Quote from: valpopal on February 19, 2023, 04:17:16 PM
Quote from: historyman on February 19, 2023, 01:53:55 PM
So my mind wanders to the question "How will we find a way to lose?"
Answer: In the closing plays of the game and down by only one point, let's keep the ball away from the guy who is having a career game with 34 points and ask someone else to hoist a three-point attempt.
Better than Edwards throwing up a prayer or dribbling the ball off his leg. :-)
I'd start the next game thread now but it wouldn't help and someone might tune in to ESPN+ a little too early. :-)
Quote from: AB on February 19, 2023, 03:54:45 PM
That pretty much sums up the season for the Brown and Gold. No stops, can't execute in the crunch time. Wasted performance from Krikke. They will loose the next three games. Who's our first preseason opponent in October?
Which team is joining Div I next season? They will feel pretty good about scheduling Valpo.
The game was lost on those two late trips down the floor with the lead that each resulted in a turnover. Trevor Anderson said it on the Victory Bell, he prefers not holding the ball in those late possessions especially, when you are up only one or two possessions, just run your regular offense. I might change my mind on that if I had a point guard that was a scoring/shooting and driving threat. Valpo doesn't have that. I know many coaches think the other team can't score if they don't have the ball, but you are really putting a ton of pressure on your team to score with a time running down scenario.
Quote from: historyman on February 19, 2023, 04:27:28 PM
I'd start the next game thread now but it wouldn't help and someone might tune in to ESPN+ a little too early. :-)
I'll take this as an apology and I think that you should open the Bradley game thread early because at least we came close to winning. I have a ticket so I might even attend.
Quote from: mj on February 19, 2023, 03:57:27 PM
I wish I could say that I'm angry at this loss. Instead, I just shake my head.
From a talent perspective, this team should be better than 5-13.
But here we are.
Indeed, how can a team with the MVC's #1 (Krikke) and #7 (King) PPG scorers and the MVC's #2 APG & #5 SPG (Edwards) be one of the conference's worst?
David, that kinda puts things in perspective, huh?
Personally, I'd rather live or die with Ben in the last few seconds than any of our other players - Including King. Can't we set 47 screens for him to get a free shot? Excuse me, but we did that for AP and Rowdy; and Ben, while maybe not yet as accomplished, is the very best we have.
And......... here's my real tactical (coaching!) concern. We are among the worst MVC tre shooting teams. We're one down with am0le time, so we shoot a freakin three? Go to the damn basket and score or draw a foul. OR Shoot an easy jumper and crash the damn boards for a OR. Jeez!
Serious Q, will losses against UIC and Chicago State hurt Chicagoland recruiting?
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 19, 2023, 07:26:31 PM
Serious Q, will losses against UIC and Chicago State hurt Chicagoland recruiting?
Whoa, never thought of that ramification. Especially with Northwestern doing so well.
We really don't recruit Chicago anymore. More WI, IN, and Canada. I think Conner and Luke are the only ones on the team.
Cripe, Drake outrecruits Valpo in South Chitown and NW Indiana.
Quote from: David81 on February 19, 2023, 06:47:40 PMQuote from: mj on February 19, 2023, 03:57:27 PMI wish I could say that I'm angry at this loss. Instead, I just shake my head. From a talent perspective, this team should be better than 5-13. But here we are.
Indeed, how can a team with the MVC's #1 (Krikke) and #7 (King) PPG scorers and the MVC's #2 APG & #5 SPG (Edwards) be one of the conference's worst?
The team is not talented. It has some talent on the roster. Two different things. One guy is really good for his level. Another guy is pretty good. The PG is no threat offensively which hurts the rest of the offense. One guy shows up once ever 3 or 4 games. Everyone else is a bunch of everyone else's.
A different coach might win a few more games with the roster. The biggest thing another coach will need to bring is a better roster. Too much emptiness with this roster.
Quote from: usc4valpo on February 19, 2023, 09:24:59 PM
Cripe, Drake outrecruits Valpo in South Chitown and NW Indiana.
USC, you're in Des Moines. How do you account for this anomaly. Why would players from VU turf and the attractiveness of Chicagoland go to....... Iowa?
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 19, 2023, 07:29:28 PM
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 19, 2023, 07:26:31 PM
Serious Q, will losses against UIC and Chicago State hurt Chicagoland recruiting?
Whoa, never thought of that ramification. Especially with Northwestern doing so well.
I'm pretty sure Lottich's overall tenure as HC has done more harm than these 2 losses this season.
The Chicago State loss makes me sick to my stomach thinking about. It's just such a bad loss.
They brought in a new coach who had to revamp the roster, they had a ton of spots to fill. He got a bunch of friends/AAU teammates, most who came from the same JUCO, who wanted to stick together. Here we are 5 years later, 2 kids who are 7 years removed from high school in the region are still playing college basketball there. By next year, no one will be talking about Drake's region recruiting dominance.
Quote from: chef on February 19, 2023, 10:42:29 PM
They brought in a new coach who had to revamp the roster, they had a ton of spots to fill. He got a bunch of friends/AAU teammates, most who came from the same JUCO, who wanted to stick together. Here we are 5 years later, 2 kids who are 7 years removed from high school in the region are still playing college basketball there. By next year, no one will be talking about Drake's region recruiting dominance.
Agreed. Drake is one of the oldest Teams in the nation and their Team has played together for years. Not sure DeVries will recruit the Region the same way in the future & like you mentioned it wasn't like he recruited most kids straight out of high school .
They have never had a single kid recruited straight out of a region HS.
Regarding region HS, are you referring the NW Indiana, South Chicagoland region, or The Des Moines area? I think you need to give DeVries and Drake credit for their recent success - they are getting more interest in the Des Moines area.
Regarding a recruiting war with UIC and Chicago State - wow.
Give it some time. Not ready to pull the plug on ML yet.
Once he gets some of his players in it will be fine. He's a good recruiter.
He has also had a lot of bad luck.
Quote from: valpofb16 on February 19, 2023, 07:26:31 PM
Serious Q, will losses against UIC and Chicago State hurt Chicagoland recruiting?
Having a coach on the hot seat probably hurts more than those losses do. Honestly, I would doubt that most high school players in Chicagoland have any idea what Chicago State and UIC are doing on a game-to-game basis.
Quote from: JD24 on February 19, 2023, 09:36:01 PM
Quote from: David81 on February 19, 2023, 06:47:40 PMQuote from: mj on February 19, 2023, 03:57:27 PMI wish I could say that I'm angry at this loss. Instead, I just shake my head. From a talent perspective, this team should be better than 5-13. But here we are.
Indeed, how can a team with the MVC's #1 (Krikke) and #7 (King) PPG scorers and the MVC's #2 APG & #5 SPG (Edwards) be one of the conference's worst?
The team is not talented. It has some talent on the roster. Two different things. One guy is really good for his level. Another guy is pretty good. The PG is no threat offensively which hurts the rest of the offense. One guy shows up once ever 3 or 4 games. Everyone else is a bunch of everyone else's.
A different coach might win a few more games with the roster. The biggest thing another coach will need to bring is a better roster. Too much emptiness with this roster.
I think there's enough talent here, all else being equal, for this to be a .500 squad.
And the toll of transfers and injuries adds up: Add Ognacevic and Clay and a healthy Kithier to this team, for example, and maybe there's sufficient talent to contend for a CBI tourney spot. It's a woulda, coulda, shoulda thing, but a reminder of how close VU is to regaining some respectability.
CBI? Pay to play? We should strive for that? Seriously?
So we are now 1-5 in one basket/OT games this season. We just lost to a team down 4 players. Only one way to describe our situation: Coachless.
Quote from: oklahomamick on February 20, 2023, 07:25:04 AM
Give it some time. Not ready to pull the plug on ML yet.
Once he gets some of his players in it will be fine. He's a good recruiter.
He has also had a lot of bad luck.
Are you keeping a tally sheet or sheets on the number of times you have repeated this post? Its always good for a chuckle. :) Why don't you send this every day to Dr Small? Better attach a smiley to his at least until he understands the the point that you are driving home. Maybe you could send one daily to Matt as well?
Quote from: oklahomamick on February 20, 2023, 07:25:04 AM
Give it some time. Not ready to pull the plug on ML yet.
Once he gets some of his players in it will be fine. He's a good recruiter.
He has also had a lot of bad luck.
(https://i.pinimg.com/originals/9f/20/8b/9f208b0811a383a8ba2b24bba700d2d6.jpg)
One thing I just noticed: Valpo is now shooting below 30% from three on the season (29.7%). That is beyond terrible.
Quote from: usc4valpo on February 20, 2023, 09:02:48 AM
CBI? Pay to play? We should strive for that? Seriously?
As a stepping stone back to relevance, yes. In terms of gaining experience in post-season tournament play, possibly against teams you could never schedule for a non-conference game, yes. As a final destination, of course not.
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 19, 2023, 06:55:07 PM
David, that kinda puts things in perspective, huh?
Personally, I'd rather live or die with Ben in the last few seconds than any of our other players - Including King. Can't we set 47 screens for him to get a free shot? Excuse me, but we did that for AP and Rowdy; and Ben, while maybe not yet as accomplished, is the very best we have.
And......... here's my real tactical (coaching!) concern. We are among the worst MVC tre shooting teams. We're one down with am0le time, so we shoot a freakin three? Go to the damn basket and score or draw a foul. OR Shoot an easy jumper and crash the damn boards for a OR. Jeez!
APOLOGIES TO THE COACHING STAFF FOR MY MISINFORMED OPINIONS ABOVE.
I only went by the LiveStats account and was not watching the feed. Then I read Paul's TVB account and quotes from Ben. The ball did go to Ben as planned. He, however, chose to dish off to a very open Maximus for the shot. Yes, he was beyond the arc, but, as Ben said, he made one just before so he had confidence in him. Unlucky is all.
Of course that's just focusing on the last several seconds. A game is 40 minutes.
Quote from: David81 on February 20, 2023, 08:43:20 AMQuote from: JD24 on February 19, 2023, 09:36:01 PMQuote from: David81 on February 19, 2023, 06:47:40 PMQuote from: mj on February 19, 2023, 03:57:27 PMI wish I could say that I'm angry at this loss. Instead, I just shake my head. From a talent perspective, this team should be better than 5-13. But here we are.
Indeed, how can a team with the MVC's #1 (Krikke) and #7 (King) PPG scorers and the MVC's #2 APG & #5 SPG (Edwards) be one of the conference's worst?
The team is not talented. It has some talent on the roster. Two different things. One guy is really good for his level. Another guy is pretty good. The PG is no threat offensively which hurts the rest of the offense. One guy shows up once ever 3 or 4 games. Everyone else is a bunch of everyone else's. A different coach might win a few more games with the roster. The biggest thing another coach will need to bring is a better roster. Too much emptiness with this roster.
I think there's enough talent here, all else being equal, for this to be a .500 squad. And the toll of transfers and injuries adds up: Add Ognacevic and Clay and a healthy Kithier to this team, for example, and maybe there's sufficient talent to contend for a CBI tourney spot. It's a woulda, coulda, shoulda thing, but a reminder of how close VU is to regaining some respectability.
I don't understand this. You want to count players not on the roster as part of the talent on the roster? That makes no sense at all.
Quote from: JD24 on February 20, 2023, 11:19:28 AM
Quote from: David81 on February 20, 2023, 08:43:20 AMQuote from: JD24 on February 19, 2023, 09:36:01 PMQuote from: David81 on February 19, 2023, 06:47:40 PMQuote from: mj on February 19, 2023, 03:57:27 PMI wish I could say that I'm angry at this loss. Instead, I just shake my head. From a talent perspective, this team should be better than 5-13. But here we are.
Indeed, how can a team with the MVC's #1 (Krikke) and #7 (King) PPG scorers and the MVC's #2 APG & #5 SPG (Edwards) be one of the conference's worst?
The team is not talented. It has some talent on the roster. Two different things. One guy is really good for his level. Another guy is pretty good. The PG is no threat offensively which hurts the rest of the offense. One guy shows up once ever 3 or 4 games. Everyone else is a bunch of everyone else's. A different coach might win a few more games with the roster. The biggest thing another coach will need to bring is a better roster. Too much emptiness with this roster.
I think there's enough talent here, all else being equal, for this to be a .500 squad. And the toll of transfers and injuries adds up: Add Ognacevic and Clay and a healthy Kithier to this team, for example, and maybe there's sufficient talent to contend for a CBI tourney spot. It's a woulda, coulda, shoulda thing, but a reminder of how close VU is to regaining some respectability.
I don't understand this. You want to count players not on the roster as part of the talent on the roster? That makes no sense at all.
I think you've misunderstood my point: I'm not counting departed players as part of the current roster. Rather, I'm merely speculating about what kind of team we might have, had recent transfers and injuries not depleted the roster. Hey, call me a sports fan for engaging in that kind of what-if imagining! :)
Quote from: David81 on February 20, 2023, 01:29:49 PMQuote from: JD24 on February 20, 2023, 11:19:28 AMQuote from: David81 on February 20, 2023, 08:43:20 AMQuote from: JD24 on February 19, 2023, 09:36:01 PMQuote from: David81 on February 19, 2023, 06:47:40 PMQuote from: mj on February 19, 2023, 03:57:27 PMI wish I could say that I'm angry at this loss. Instead, I just shake my head. From a talent perspective, this team should be better than 5-13. But here we are.
Indeed, how can a team with the MVC's #1 (Krikke) and #7 (King) PPG scorers and the MVC's #2 APG & #5 SPG (Edwards) be one of the conference's worst?
The team is not talented. It has some talent on the roster. Two different things. One guy is really good for his level. Another guy is pretty good. The PG is no threat offensively which hurts the rest of the offense. One guy shows up once ever 3 or 4 games. Everyone else is a bunch of everyone else's. A different coach might win a few more games with the roster. The biggest thing another coach will need to bring is a better roster. Too much emptiness with this roster.
I think there's enough talent here, all else being equal, for this to be a .500 squad. And the toll of transfers and injuries adds up: Add Ognacevic and Clay and a healthy Kithier to this team, for example, and maybe there's sufficient talent to contend for a CBI tourney spot. It's a woulda, coulda, shoulda thing, but a reminder of how close VU is to regaining some respectability.
I don't understand this. You want to count players not on the roster as part of the talent on the roster? That makes no sense at all.
I think you've misunderstood my point: I'm not counting departed players as part of the current roster. Rather, I'm merely speculating about what kind of team we might have, had recent transfers and injuries not depleted the roster. Hey, call me a sports fan for engaging in that kind of what-if imagining! :)
Fair enough but the assumption is that these players would have all been part of the same roster which is unlikely. As one for instance, would Clay and King both be on the roster or is King on the roster due to Clay's departure. The biggest problem has been the influx of talent to pool on the same roster. Each year it is a significantly flawed group for one reason or another. That can be ability or health.
Quote from: AlaskaCrusader19 on February 20, 2023, 10:39:20 AM
One thing I just noticed: Valpo is now shooting below 30% from three on the season (29.7%). That is beyond terrible.
They need something like this: https://www.noahbasketball.com/products (https://www.noahbasketball.com/products)
Or maybe an offense that gets people open looks from the perimeter.
Quote from: oklahomamick on February 20, 2023, 11:58:11 PM
Or maybe an offense that gets people open looks from the perimeter.
We do get a decent number of open looks, we just don't hit them. 3 of the players on the floor could take an open 3 almost every possession. We are the worst 3 point shooting team in the conference. Ryan Fazekas, while he didn't play in a lot of games, shot 51.6% in conference play his senior year, we don't have anyone close to that this year or in any of the years since his graduation. Its not rocket science to figure out why we made the late season run that year and why it probably won't happen this year. Percentage wise in conference play our numbers are horrible. Only 3 players shooting better than 30% in conference.
- Nelson 42.2% on 64 attempts
- Ben Krikke 35.5% on 31 attempts
- Connor Barrett 31.5% on 54 attempts
- Quinton Green 29.1% on 117 attempts
I would say it is hard to win games in conference when your primary ball handler overall shoots only 32.5%
(https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ZXsau4kg7xyXMrKtcMTQx470vTl0-fcG/view?usp=share_link)
Quote from: oklahomamick on February 20, 2023, 11:58:11 PM
Or maybe an offense that gets people open looks from the perimeter.
Or wait till Lottich gets some of the players he really wants instead of players he doesn't want.
Quote from: FWalum on February 21, 2023, 01:49:35 PMQuote from: oklahomamick on February 20, 2023, 11:58:11 PMOr maybe an offense that gets people open looks from the perimeter.
We do get a decent number of open looks, we just don't hit them. 3 of the players on the floor could take an open 3 almost every possession. We are the worst 3 point shooting team in the conference. Ryan Fazekas, while he didn't play in a lot of games, shot 51.6% in conference play his senior year, we don't have anyone close to that this year or in any of the years since his graduation. Its not rocket science to figure out why we made the late season run that year and why it probably won't happen this year. Percentage wise in conference play our numbers are horrible. Only 3 players shooting better than 30% in conference. - Nelson 42.2% on 64 attempts
- Ben Krikke 35.5% on 31 attempts
- Connor Barrett 31.5% on 54 attempts
- Quinton Green 29.1% on 117 attempts
I would say it is hard to win games in conference when your primary ball handler overall shoots only 32.5%
....and his backup/co-point is at 35%
Quote from: historyman on February 21, 2023, 01:50:26 PMQuote from: oklahomamick on February 20, 2023, 11:58:11 PMOr maybe an offense that gets people open looks from the perimeter.
Or wait till Lottich gets some of the players he really wants instead of players he doesn't want.
Why exactly can't he get the players he wants right now?
I took that as sarcasm. ;D
Quote from: VULB#62 on February 23, 2023, 04:30:48 PM
I took that as sarcasm. ;D
Scarcasm might be a better term for Lottich? Sadcasm?
Quote from: historyman on February 25, 2023, 10:30:47 PMQuote from: VULB#62 on February 23, 2023, 04:30:48 PMI took that as sarcasm. ;D
Scarcasm might be a better term for Lottich? Sadcasm?
No, the best word to describe Lottich (or rather the basketball program during the Lottich era) is sadchasm. As in there is a sad chasm between where we were when he took over and where we are now.