MVC Games Week 16

[VUGrad1314]

Unfortunately it's a guarantee that Lottich will be back for at least this year. Valpo's longtime AD is retiring so they are looking for a new AD. That AD will probably take some time to evaluate the state of the program under Lottich (even though I think there is more than enough data at this point to make a decision) before making a move. I think there is some reticence on the part of Valpo to pay a buyout at this time given some of the financial challenges the university is facing. It's not good for the program but we might be stuck at this point until the last year or so of his contract.

[BCPanther]

Unfortunately it's a guarantee that Lottich will be back for at least this year. Valpo's longtime AD is retiring so they are looking for a new AD. That AD will probably take some time to evaluate the state of the program under Lottich (even though I think there is more than enough data at this point to make a decision) before making a move. I think there is some reticence on the part of Valpo to pay a buyout at this time given some of the financial challenges the university is facing. It's not good for the program but we might be stuck at this point until the last year or so of his contract.

I mean this in the best possible way but does Valpo have any plans to put money into anything? I'm not even sure they meet the financial and facilities requirements that the three new adds were required to meet.

I respect the hell out of you VUGrad but had we taken Murray in 17, we could have just slid Belmont in this year and stayed at 10. It's taken 3 adds to make up for the Valpo miss.

[VUGrad1314]

If you're expecting me to push back against your assertion that the league would have been better off taking Murray State over Valpo in 2017 you're not going to get one. The only sport we've contributed in any meaningful way since joining is Volleyball (two deep runs in the NIVC). We had a nice year in women's soccer this year and were decent in women's basketball last year but that's about it. We have (to my knowledge) zero team sport championships and our idea of a good season in basketball has shifted from winning the conference to praying we somehow finish in the top 4 despite our substandard coaching. Facilities upgrades have come but not at the pace any of us have liked. Sure, as a small private school with a small not overly athletics focused alumni base (at least historically speaking) we have institutional challenges that public schools do not (as they can get much of their new arena projects funded via state legislature grant money which is not available to us) but there is certainly more we could be doing. Meanwhile, since 2017 Murray State has produced an all star NBA player an NCAA Tournament win and a second team that looks to be capable of winning at least one more tournament game if not more. Sure, they would likely struggle a bit more in the MVC instead of having the butter-soft (outside of Belmont and Morehead State) schedule they have but I believe that anyone who believes that this Murray State team would not have a NET rating at least similar to that of Missouri State against an MVC schedule (if not better) is kidding themselves. Moreover, I believe both Murray State and Belmont have facility upgrade plans that put Valpo's to shame (hopefully that will change as the new president begins to assess the landscape for athletics at Valpo. He's saying all the right things but then again so did his predecessor). We have NOT held up our end of the deal for the MVC to my everlasting dismay and I'm hopeful (but skeptical) that a coaching change will fix everything. I just want to see Valpo win and do this conference proud but it feels like I'll be waiting for awhile especially if Lottich remains the coach. The evidence is in and it is overwhelmingly clear: Murray State would have been the right choice in 2017. I think 11 with Murray State would have been even better because it would have at least gotten the Racers into the conference but if 10 was the number that could not be exceeded at the time (without Belmont's help that is) then yes choosing Murray over Valpo would clearly have been the right call at this point especially in light of Murray State's impressively ambitious facility upgrade plans. Hopefully Valpo gets it going eventually. The only thing I can say is that even though you are right in principle I do not believe for a second that the MVC has added anyone to make up for anything. That is to say I don't think the MVC was like "Gee Valpo has sucked since they joined we'd better bring in Murray and Belmont;" rather, I believe the plan was always to bring Belmont and Murray State in eventually whenever Belmont came around to the idea. Valpo's resume at the time was worthy of admission. Our performance since the invite has been anything but. Hopefully our new additions will hit the ground running and make The Valley proud. Getting smacked around by new members a little bit might even spur the kind of positive change at Valpo that one day makes the Beacons a player in the conference but I can't say for certain that that would have any meaningful effect. I'm so disillusioned at this point. It's a big part of why I don't post nearly as much anymore. I still hope for the best for Valpo and hope for multiple bids for the MVC but aside from that I don't follow nearly as closely as I used to. The mediocrity is breeding apathy in our fanbase and you can see that in the attendance numbers and on our team board which I've also stepped away from to a significant degree. Our gamethreads used to get several pages now we struggle to get 2-3 with most of those posts being after the game. It's just a sad time for Beacon Basketball and the fanbase is growing numb with infighting increasing.

[Campbellproud]

Unfortunately it's a guarantee that Lottich will be back for at least this year. Valpo's longtime AD is retiring so they are looking for a new AD. That AD will probably take some time to evaluate the state of the program under Lottich (even though I think there is more than enough data at this point to make a decision) before making a move. I think there is some reticence on the part of Valpo to pay a buyout at this time given some of the financial challenges the university is facing. It's not good for the program but we might be stuck at this point until the last year or so of his contract.

From the outside looking in, I actually think that the program has improved quite a bit this year. They’ve played with pretty much everybody. Swept the Indiana teams and beat ISU and UNI. I would say that’s a pretty good year from where they came. They still have some wins ahead. I think they are coming along as a basketball team. Ideally they would invest in a good coach and invest in new facilities to bring the program up to par. But it sounds like they might only able to choose one of those—if any. I hope that changes because I could see them being a Loyola-like team.

[VUGrad1314]

Unfortunately it's a guarantee that Lottich will be back for at least this year. Valpo's longtime AD is retiring so they are looking for a new AD. That AD will probably take some time to evaluate the state of the program under Lottich (even though I think there is more than enough data at this point to make a decision) before making a move. I think there is some reticence on the part of Valpo to pay a buyout at this time given some of the financial challenges the university is facing. It's not good for the program but we might be stuck at this point until the last year or so of his contract.

From the outside looking in, I actually think that the program has improved quite a bit this year. They’ve played with pretty much everybody. Swept the Indiana teams and beat ISU and UNI. I would say that’s a pretty good year from where they came. They still have some wins ahead is just guess. I think they are coming along.

I sincerely hope you're right. It's just hard as a younger Valpo fan who is not used to losing. I knew this league would be a challenge but I never expected this level of struggle. Hopefully next year is the year but we say that to ourselves every season only to be disappointed. We thought we had the talent to be a top 4 team this year and we're going to be a Thursday team by multiple games. I really hope you're right but I'm also scared that Lottich will pull out a year that's just good enough to save his job at just the right time and we'll continue to ride the mediocrity (at best) treadmill. He did it once already. Maybe it's a genuine improvement and we will really see it take hold next year but I haven't seen enough to believe that yet. I can't tell you how badly I want to believe though.

[VUGrad1314]

Forget about becoming Loyola I would be ecstatic for Missouri State\UNI\Bradley\Drake level. Maybe one day we'll realize the promise that made me so excited about this move and be a credit to the conference that can fight for at large bids. But that road is only going to get harder with Murray State Belmont and a motivated UIC with deep pockets coming on board. It feels far off but you're right the battles with Loyola and UNI this year have been very encouraging. Maybe we are closer than I think and our not winning the way we used to is making it hard for me to see that (even though I knew we wouldn't win at the same level when we joined). Valpo CAN invest in a coach. I think they were paying Bryce around $1million per year which was an amazing salary for a school like ours. Valpo CAN upgrade its facilities (we're slowly doing it). We just can't put in place a plan as ambitious as Murray State's because of our limitations. Maybe we CAN do both but I think only one is the immediate term possibility for us and we would need some sustained success and maybe another tournament run to get the other. Hey, the tournament run spurring facility upgrades worked for Loyola and (for a non MVC example) Oral Roberts. Maybe it can work for us. We just need that catalyzing success first. And that starts with better coaching. We all agree there. Maybe Lottich can still do it but I'm skeptical of that even though as you said if you squint you can see progress even in what looks like another long year. Eventually though we are going to need that progress to manifest in tangible results whether that's from Lottich or somebody else. We need to get it done if we want to reach our full capabilities.

[BCPanther]

Unfortunately it's a guarantee that Lottich will be back for at least this year. Valpo's longtime AD is retiring so they are looking for a new AD. That AD will probably take some time to evaluate the state of the program under Lottich (even though I think there is more than enough data at this point to make a decision) before making a move. I think there is some reticence on the part of Valpo to pay a buyout at this time given some of the financial challenges the university is facing. It's not good for the program but we might be stuck at this point until the last year or so of his contract.

From the outside looking in, I actually think that the program has improved quite a bit this year. They’ve played with pretty much everybody. Swept the Indiana teams and beat ISU and UNI. I would say that’s a pretty good year from where they came. They still have some wins ahead. I think they are coming along as a basketball team. Ideally they would invest in a good coach and invest in new facilities to bring the program up to par. But it sounds like they might only able to choose one of those—if any. I hope that changes because I could see them being a Loyola-like team.

That UNI win comes with an AJ Green sized asterisk and Carter and Pickford couldn't go at the end of regulation and in overtime.

I honestly hope Valpo figures it out. I'm probably overly hard on them because all of my memories of them are from the AMCU days when they were simply awful. I lose the perspective of the good years because the Horizon TV/media deal didn't make them terribly easy to see at the time.

This can bea consistent multi bid league and everyone but Evansville can certainly be a part of it.

[Aces44]

Very funny

[BCPanther]

Very funny

Get a competent AD and start not finishing last in every sport and then we can talk about Evansville contributing.

Hell, get to 250 in the NET and we can start.

[Aces44]

You acting like I don’t understand where the program is at today is funny. The whole Aces program gets it.
We also remember when going to Cedar Falls and playing the walk on significant minutes in an empty dome was routine. We also know you have a great coach (one I know Very Well) and a good team and can’t fill the modest gym you have now.
Things can change quickly, and I hope they do for my Aces, but your brow beating is comical.