EMERGENCY: Crusader Armageddon

[tribecalledquest]

Not to rub salt in the wound but Valpo's turf has been very kind to Drake over the last year for recruiting. With the recent addition of Jonah Jackson, the Bulldogs will have five players from NW Indiana in the rotation. I wouldn't be surprised to see a all-region lineup of Roman Penn, DJ, Jonah and the twins on the floor at the same time occasionally.

Hiring the JUCO coach of three of those five guys played a bigger role than the location of where they grew up.

[pafan]

Jeff Goodman tweeted that Derrik Smits is visiting Grand Canyon University? Hardly seems like you leave Vandy for GCU if you want better competition. Do ya'll think this is just an initial visit with more lined up in the future, or has the interest perhaps not been there to the degree he assumed it would be?

Derrik's parents recently moved to Arizona... so this may not be a coincidence.

[Kyle@MOState]

I do feel bad for Valpo. They were always my under the radar money maker when Alec Peters was there. They always covered the spread. I wasn't paying attention and didn't even realize Peters got hurt, and they ran out that string for me betting wise. I thought they were going to be a great addition to the league. They still may be... Just ask Loyola fans how they were treated the first few years in the league, and to some extent still are. It's been a league of ebbs and flows over the years. I am just happy the Lusk era is done at MO State, so we can start flowing more often. After all it doesn't seem all that long ago that Marcus Marshall decided to pack it in mid-season and we were left with 7 available players getting doubled up by Wichita State and getting blasted on Thursday night of Arch Madness. The next season we still weren't great, and we had just given Paul Lusk an extension, but we did manage to pick off Travis Ford and Oklahoma State on the road. It did provide for a much more enjoyable season. It seems like the sky is falling, but Valpo isn't the only team that is dealing with a mass exodus. All those kids have to go somewhere, and some of those kids are good, they are just getting blocked. Drake has been in the league longer than anyone, and they were a perennial Thursday team until a couple seasons ago. You never know how things are going to shake out.

[MissouriValleyUnite]

Chicago Tribune Q&A with LaBarbera
https://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/ ... story.html

https://twitter.com/michaelosipoff/stat ... 43045?s=21
https://twitter.com/michaelosipoff/stat ... 47712?s=21
https://twitter.com/michaelosipoff/stat ... 42277?s=21

[Blers]

I do feel bad for Valpo. They were always my under the radar money maker when Alec Peters was there. They always covered the spread. I wasn't paying attention and didn't even realize Peters got hurt, and they ran out that string for me betting wise. I thought they were going to be a great addition to the league. They still may be... Just ask Loyola fans how they were treated the first few years in the league, and to some extent still are. It's been a league of ebbs and flows over the years. I am just happy the Lusk era is done at MO State, so we can start flowing more often. After all it doesn't seem all that long ago that Marcus Marshall decided to pack it in mid-season and we were left with 7 available players getting doubled up by Wichita State and getting blasted on Thursday night of Arch Madness. The next season we still weren't great, and we had just given Paul Lusk an extension, but we did manage to pick off Travis Ford and Oklahoma State on the road. It did provide for a much more enjoyable season. It seems like the sky is falling, but Valpo isn't the only team that is dealing with a mass exodus. All those kids have to go somewhere, and some of those kids are good, they are just getting blocked. Drake has been in the league longer than anyone, and they were a perennial Thursday team until a couple seasons ago. You never know how things are going to shake out.

Really appreciated this post. After Loyola's first year in the valley (Moser's third at LU) the entire front court transferred, I think it ended up being 6 players leaving the program. Seemed like the sky was falling. They replaced those departed players with Ben Richardson, Donte Ingram, Montel James (Second team all valley), and Earl Peterson(CBI MVP). That following year LU won 24 games and won the CBI. Which might not sound glamorous but in reality it really catapulted the team forward. Sometimes it's about finding talented guys who are really bought in; could be a blessing in disguise for Valpo.

[CheeseheadCrusader]

Speaking as a Valpo fan,

The on court product and player exodus is concerning, but it's continued lack of significant investment in facilities and game day experience that really frustrates the fan base. (Good discussion of this going on on our board right now)

I was a student at Valpo during the sweet 16 run. The president at the time ignored the calls of the AD and fan base to capitalize on the media attention. Fast forward to now. Our current president at least acknowledged how important athletics (really just MBB for us) is to the image and marketing of the university, but has made no major moves to back up his talk.

There were many whispers about a serious push for an ARC reno after the conference move, yet we're almost 3 years after the announcement and now our AD is in the paper running down the same list of excuses we've heard for going on 20 years.

The truly sad thing is the ARC, at least the interior of the arena itself, doesn't need much to get it where it needs to be. Bowl the lower level with chair backs, add modern lighting and a new sound system and we're in pretty good shape. (Seriously, it's 2019 and we're still using the lights that need 15 minutes to cool down before they can be turned back on).

The past two years have seen an alarming drop in attendance. Turning the team around will help some of that. But a large reduction in free parking due to new student housing, packed in bleacher seating and the complete elimination of entertainment based halftime shows have taken a large part of our casual fan base and scared them off, probably for good.

It's not an impossible task, but there's a lot of work that needs to be done. And I'd say our fan base is split right down the middle as to whether this coach and this AD can get it done.

[MNPanthers]

Yea the lights at the ARC seem like the easiest fix that would make a huge atmosphere difference, At least to a TV viewer (never been there in person). My immediate impression of the ARC every time I see it is that the old yellowish fluorescent vibe is really offputting. Your color scheme doesn't do that look any favors either. It looks amateur and dim, and it's a big reason people immediately label it a high school gym. I would also say a lighter toned wood court may help, but that could just be cause of the lighting too.

Fix the lights and I think people will forgive all the other quirks of that old gym easier.

[third rail]

Evolution of a thread
1st transfer - Smits Leaves Valpo
2nd transfer - Freeman, Smits Bolt Valpo
3rd transfer - Valpo Mass Exodus
4th transfer - EMERGENCY: Valpo Nuclear Implosion
5th transfer - ???

I wish this board has a "Like" feature. There's some gold here!!

[third rail]

Yea the lights at the ARC seem like the easiest fix that would make a huge atmosphere difference, At least to a TV viewer (never been there in person). My immediate impression of the ARC every time I see it is that the old yellowish fluorescent vibe is really offputting. Your color scheme doesn't do that look any favors either. It looks amateur and dim, and it's a big reason people immediately label it a high school gym. I would also say a lighter toned wood court may help, but that could just be cause of the lighting too.

Fix the lights and I think people will forgive all the other quirks of that old gym easier.

I haven't been there either. but this is a very good assessment. On TV it just looks depressing.

[Sir Sci]

Evolution of a thread
1st transfer - Smits Leaves Valpo
2nd transfer - Freeman, Smits Bolt Valpo
3rd transfer - Valpo Mass Exodus
4th transfer - EMERGENCY: Valpo Nuclear Implosion
5th transfer - ???

I wish this board has a "Like" feature. There's some gold here!!

I think after a fifth transfer we'd just start to wonder if they still exist as an institution.