Valparaiso

2008-09 Valparaiso Basketball Preview: #87

Joel Welser — Thu, 28 Aug 2008 08:12:19 -0700

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Valparaiso Crusaders

Overall Rank: #87*

Conference Rank: #4 Horizon

2007-08: 22-14, 9-9, 4^th

2007-08 postseason: CBI

Following a relatively successful first season in the Horizon League, Valparaiso looked like they could compete for a title this year. But that was in April. By August, the expectations took a big hit with the transfer of Bryan Bouchie and the departure of Samuel Haanpaa to play professionally overseas. Yet, Coach Homer Drew still has some seasoned veterans and some talented underclassmen who are ready to fill the void and lead the Crusaders back to the postseason.

Who’s Out:

Haanpaa was a unique player. At 6-8, he was a guard who had a nice looking stroke. Last year he hit 43.0 percent of his attempts from beyond the arc and he was a very effective shooter. He could have developed into a dominant player if he was more willing to be aggressive getting to the basket, but Haanpaa’s shooting will certainly be missed. Bouchie was a decent scorer and a solid rebounder out of the backcourt and his leadership could have been used this year. The news in the backcourt gets worse. The top two scorers on the team were Shawn Huff and Jarryd Loyd. Huff did a little bit of everything from the wing and averaged 12.6 points and 4.5 rebounds during his senior campaign. Little used Matt Bennett and Calum MacLeod have also wrapped up their careers at Valparaiso.

Who’s In:

With the unexpected departures, the large group of newcomers will have to play a bigger role than expected. Point guard Erik Buggs is amazingly quick and garnered a McDonald’s All-American nomination. His speed and defense could lead to the 5-11 Memphis, Tennessee product making an impact off the bench this year. Logan Jones could work his way into the starting lineup. The 6-1 shooting guard can score in bunches and has the most potential among the freshmen to help replace the outside shooting left behind by Huff, Loyd and Haanpaa. De’Andre Haskins, Andrew Ferry and walk-on Nick Shelton will add more inexperienced depth on the perimeter. There is only one returning forward on the roster and that means Benjamin Fumey and Cameron Witt will have to play a role. Fumey redshirted last year and that experience will help the 6-8 forward fit right into his role on the Crusaders. His international experience with Germany’s youth teams cannot hurt either. Witt has international experience too. The Australian can run well for his size and can score from everywhere on the floor. But he is not just a big guy who shoots, Witt can mix it up in the paint and grab rebounds and block shots.

Who to Watch:

The backcourt does have four players returning who have starting experience. Jake Diebler is not a big scorer, but he did average 2.6 assists and less than one turnover per game last year and plays great defense. Brandon McPherson will be running the show. The 6-1 guard also is the best returning outside shooter and will have to use his three-point shooting ability more than he did last year. If McPherson’s shot is not falling, somebody else’s better be. Michael Rogers and Howard Little had decent freshmen campaigns. Rogers, at 6-6, proved to be an effective rebounder and his size could allow the team to spend some time in a four guard lineup like they did last year. Little did not see as much playing time as Rogers, but the 6-4 guard will be asked to play a bigger role during the 2008-2009 campaign.

Final Projection:

The man in the middle of the four guard lineup last year was Urule Igbavboa. He will be this year too. The 6-9 senior averaged 11.0 points and a team high 7.3 rebounds last year and should not have much trouble matching those numbers again this year. If Fumey or Witt can develop into decent scorers, it will free up some space for Igbavboa. If one of those two newcomers can play some defense and block a few shots, it would drastically help the Crusaders on the defensive side of the ball. However, the most important thing to watch out for this year is the outside shooting. This team will be more athletic than last seasons group, but that might not lead to a better season if nobody can knock down shots.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Brandon McPherson, Senior, Guard, 10.1 points per game

Jake Diebler, Senior, Guard, 4.9 points per game

Logan Jones, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season

Michael Rogers, Sophomore, Guard, 3.3 points per game

Urule Igbavboa, Senior, Forward, 11.0 points per game

Complete Top 144 Ranking | 2008-09 Preview & Awards | Coach Interviews | Discuss the Preview

Horizon League Semis: Clevelend State Advances

Bill Kintner — Sun, 09 Mar 2008 10:26:11 -0700

INDIANAPOLIS – When Valparaiso beat Wright State yesterday for the third time this year, three was the magic number. Tonight three was the magic number for Cleveland State as they beat Valpo for the third time this season 78-73 to advance to the Horizon League Championship game.

Cleveland State started the game on fire going up 10-2 at the 17:09 mark. At that point Valpo (21-13) looked like a team was playing for the second time in 24 hours. Their shots were falling a little short and they seemed to be a step behind the Cleveland State players.

The Vikings’ lead was up to 18 points when J’Nathan Bullock popped in a 3-pointer with 6:38 left in the half.

Cleveland State (21-11) was led by Cedric Jackson’s 11 first half points as they shot 51.7 percent (15-29) including 53.3 percent (8-15) from 3-point land in the first half.

At the same time Valpo was just 3-12 (25 percent) from 3-point land and shooting just 39.3 percent (11-28) for the first half.

Valpo’s Shawn Huff was amazed at how Cleveland States players were hitting outside shots as his team packed it inside to try to stop them from dominating inside.

“They were just making shots. Everyone was making shots, everyone who came in made a shot,” said a dejected Huff. “They shot over 50 percent from threes. We didn’t want them to dominate the inside and we were going to take our chances with that and they made us pay.”

The Crusaders did manage to work the deficit down to six points by half time at 39-33 by going on a 15-3 run over the last six minutes of the half.

Coming out to start the second half the Vikings went on a 9-0 run over the first 1:47 to make it 48-33 that ended when Valpo’s Shawn Huff made a layup.

At the 6:16 mark Jackson made a jumper to put Cleveland State up by nine at 63-54. Seven seconds later Valpo’s Jarryd Lloyd made a 3-pointer.

Bullock responded with a layup, then a 3-pointer by Huff, another by Lloyd followed by a layup by Lloyd and the score tied for the first time at 65-65.

Breyohn Watson came right back and hit a 3-pointer to give Cleveland State the lead for good.

“That play developed off Cedric’s (Jackson) penetration and he ended up finding me. I stepped into it and knocked it down,” explained Watson.

A few seconds later a jumper by Norris Cole and then two foul shots by Cole got the Viking lead up to seven at 72-65 with :44 left.

Two late 3-pointers by Lloyd got the score down as close as three points at 76-73 with :08 remaining but when Valpo fouled Cole he made both free throws and that was how it ended with the score at 78-73.

Cleveland State coach Gary Waters felt fortunate that his team withstood the runs that the Crusaders made.

“Let me just say that we had some big plays down the stretch by a number of people to finish that game out,” said Waters. “Even though we had leads in the game I have to give Valparaiso credit because they never gave up.”

Horizon League Quaterfinals: Valpo Beats Wright State

Bill Kintner — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:34:24 -0800

INDIANAPOLIS –There is a stick that Valparaiso has used three times this year to beat Wright State with and the Raiders are on the short end of it as they lost their third game in a row to the Crusaders 72-67 in the quarterfinals of the Horizon League Championship.

Earlier this year at Wright State, Valpo pulled out a 71-67 win and then last Saturday on ESPN2 Valpo beat the Raiders in overtime 75-73.

“It is a lot like the other games when we played Valpo. Three terrific basketball games, but unfortunately we came up on the short end of the stick each time,” said a very subdued Wright State coach Brad Brownell. “It is a very bitter pill to swallow, but this was a very good season. I am very proud of my kids we just didn’t get it done tonight.”

With 1:55 left in the game the score was 65-65 Urule Igbavboa made one of two free throws to put Valpo (21-12) up by one.

After Wright State’s Scottie Wilson missed two free throws with 1:01 left, Valpo’s Brandon McPherson made two free throws with just :37 left after getting fouled by Jordon Pleiman to make it 68-65.

Wright State (21-10) got back within one at 68=67 with :16 left as Troy Tabler made two free throws after he was fouled by Shawn Huff.

The game ended after Valpo’s Jarryd Lloyd made four free throws after being fouled twice in the last 12 seconds of the game.

Lloyd had a lot going through his head at the end when he made the four big free throws. “I was praying actually that I would make them. We lost games on the free throw line and I was just going through my routine and it worked,” said Lloyd.

Wright State’s poor free throw shooting did them in. They made just four in ten attempts in the second half and shot just 43.8 percent (7-16) for the game, while at the same time the. Crusaders shot 84.2 percent (16-19) for the game.

“It came down to free throws. They can do it in their sleep sometimes because we’ve been practicing so much on free throws to put us in that winning situation,” explained the ever-smiling Valpo coach Homer Drew.

This game was tied 14 times and the lead changed 16 times and the largest lead of the game was just six points when Valpo lead the Raiders 22-16 at the 10:50 mark.

In the first half the lead just see-sawed back and forth. In the last five minutes of the half the biggest lead was two points when Wright State’s Vaughn Duggins made a 3-pointer with 3:55 left.

A free throw by Igbavboa at the 2:46 mark and then two by Lloyd with 1:38 left to put the Crusaders up by one at 37-36. A layup by Pleiman gave the Raiders a one point lead with :51 left at 38-37 and that was the score going into halftime.

Both teams had four players in double figures. For the Raiders Wilson and Pleiman both scored 15 points while Will Graham and Duggins scored 13 points.

Valparaiso’s Huff led all scorers with 21 points, Igbavboa put in17 points, McPherson got 16 points and Lloyd chipped in 14 points.

Drew pointed to the balanced scoring as a factor in the win saying, “We had four in double figures, which is the strength of our team. They really share the ball. They like each other and make the extra pass. Even when we’re small out there we play really, really big in the heart.”

Notes:

-Valpo had more fans than Wright State at the game thanks to a major snowstorm that hit SW Ohio but missed Indianapolis. That is one of the few times in the HL that WSU did not bring the most fans.

-During a second half timeout there was a 3-point shootout between two Valpo students and two WSU students sponsored by a local pizza joint. As each team’s fans cheered them on the Wright State students prevailed 6-4.

-Wright State leads the all-time series 5-4.

-This is a banner year for Division I basketball in Indiana with six teams achieving 20 game win seasons. Those teams are Valpo, Notre Dame, Indiana, Purdue, Butler and IUPUI.

-Valpo plays Cleveland State tomorrow at 3 p.m. in the semifinals.

Seven Day Stretch: The Week in College Hoops

Rob Carpentier — Thu, 06 Mar 2008 09:32:53 -0800

The “Curse” has returned…Kent State, Indiana and Stephen F. Austin all lost last week in games that they should have won…okay, maybe not the Hoosiers. But still, all the good vibes that last week’s “Stretch” gave these teams is now gone. So, who will be given the “kiss of death” this week?

Seven Day Savior (Team): New Mexico Lobos

Steve Alford apparently DOES know what he’s doing. The Lobos have stayed in serious contention for an at-large berth in the NCAA Tournament by defeating UNLV on Tuesday night. Alford, who landed in Albuquerque after his stint with Iowa, (by his own choosing, by the way), has been able to mold the Lobos into an image of what he was as a player; hard-working and fundamentally sound. This is a team with an RPI under 50, 23 wins and a 10-5 record in the Mountain West Conference. With the dearth of deserving teams on this year’s at-large bubble, it’s highly conceivable that New Mexico will make the NCAA field with a win at lowly Colorado State this weekend. The Lobos beat CSU by 40 earlier this season and Colorado State is winless in conference. With Iowa looking downright awful for many games this year, Alford is definitely having the last laugh on those who wanted him to leave Iowa City. The fans of New Mexico are glad they have him.

Seven Day Savior (Player): Michael Rogers, Valparaiso Crusaders

Rogers is an unheralded freshman from Jamaica by way of New York City. He was the least recruited of Coach Homer Drew’s 2007 recruiting class. Up until 10 days ago, Rogers barely saw the floor, averaging less than 2 points per game. The Crusaders, who just completed their first year in the Horizon League, were in the midst of a serious slump when starting wing Sam Haanpaa, Valpo’s best shooter, was lost for the year with mononucleosis. Enter Rogers into the starting line-up. Since his insertion, Rogers is averaging over 10 PPG and 7 rebounds per game. He went off for 21 points and 12 boards this past Saturday against Wright State, a game that clinched a home game for the Crusaders in the Horizon League Tournament, (which they won against Wisconsin-Green Bay on Tuesday). Rogers is an incredibly athletic player who simply needed time to adjust to the system that Coach Drew is running. Rogers, who is 6’6”, is another in a long line of foreign players that drew has brought to Valpo in his years on the bench. He may be the best before he’s done. Rogers and the Crusaders face Wright State again on Friday night in the Horizon quarterfinals.

News of the Week: Bobby Knight…ESPN Analyst

That’s right, folks; the man who has made no secret of his disdain for the media is now one of the hated “fourth estate”. Knight, who recently resigned as coach of Texas Tech, will join the ESPN college basketball collection of on-air talent to do commentary on the NCAA Tournament. The question is whether Knight is doing this because he is turning over a new leaf, (unlikely), whether he’s doing it because he hates being out of the national conversation at all, (a bit more likely, but not much), or whether there is some other reason. Personally, I wouldn’t be surprised if Knight is doing this on purpose almost as a way to thumb his nose at reporters in general, but especially those in the print media who seem to have been, he thinks, the bane of his existence. Knight’s a brilliant basketball guy and he does well when he’s interviewed on television, so this may be a very good fit for him. It also keeps him in the public eye in case he really does want a chance at landing another coaching job.

Game of the Week (The one you DON’T know about): UAB at Memphis

The ACC, Pac-10 and Big East all have games this week that will all determine their respective conference championships. However, all the teams involved know that they will be among the highest seeded teams in the upcoming NCAA Tourney. Because of the relative weakness of Conference-USA, however, both Memphis and UAB need this game badly. Memphis needs a victory because a single loss to a C-USA team stands a good chance of knocking the Tigers from being a 31 seed in the Big Dance. UAB needs the game even more. They aren’t sure if they are even going to get an invite to the Dance. UAB appears destined for the #2 seed in the C-USA Tournament, where they will more than likely face Houston in the conference semi-finals. They have to at least past that game to have any chance of getting into the NCAAs, unless they knock off the Tigers in Memphis. This may not seem as far-fetched as it sounds. Tennessee exposed some serious weaknesses in the Memphis system. They don’t shoot well from either the outside or the free throw line. Teams have now seen that and UAB has the personnel to perhaps take advantage of those weaknesses. Remember, it was less than three weeks ago that UAB had Memphis all but defeated when they met in Birmingham. Oh, and because of the first meeting, there’s a bit of bad blood now between the two teams.

Seven Days Under the Radar: Stanford Cardinal

You may ask how a team that is 24-4, is playing for their conference championship this week, is #17 in the RPI and is looking at a top 2 or 3 seed in the NCAAs can be considered, “under the radar”. Okay, well, can anyone out there name for me more than two starters for the Cardinal? Can you name their coach? What is Maples Pavilion? You get the point. There is no team in line for a protected seed in this year’s Big Dance that has been less talked about than the Cardinal. Part of the reason they are so unknown, or at least so unnoticed is that they aren’t pretty. They play a very defensive style of basketball, focusing on the shot blocking and rebounding of a pair of seven-foot twins; Robin and Brook Lopez. They give Stanford among the best frontlines in the country. Brook is the more skilled of the two, especially on the offensive end, but Robin provides better rebounding and defense and is often match-up on the opposing team’s best post player. The guards know their roles and the bench does a good job of resting the starters. Last year, Stanford got run off the floor by Louisville in the first round of the NCAAs. Don’t count on that happening in this year’s tournament. And for the record, the answers are; Lawrence Hill, Anthony Goods and Mitch Johnson; Trent Johnson; the homes court of the Cardinal in Palo Alto.

Seven Days on the Hot Seat: Kevin O’Neill, Arizona Wildcats

O’Neill was hired to be Lute Olson’s stand-in when Olson left the sidelines because of personal matters early in the season. As Olson began to become more of a visible presence at the McKale Center, whether it was to hold meetings with the players, work in his office, or use the training facilities, Arizona Athletic Director, Jim Livengood decided to offer O’Neill a pseudo-offer, stating that O’Neill would be the head coach of the Wildcats if Olson decided to retire at the end of this season. The idea was that O’Neill, who has coached at Marquette, Northwestern and in the NBA, would move back to an assistant’s position, much like he was before Olson took the leave of absence. This was, in fact, O’Neill’s second stint as an assistant with Olson. Then the problems started. Rumor had it that Olson began talking to the players and criticizing the schemes that O’Neill was running, specifically the set plays on offense and the man-to-man defense that O’Neill espouses. O’Neill, not surprisingly, wasn’t happy. So he and Olson haven’t spoken much since this started and now come sword the Livengood is trying to gracefully show Lute the door by getting him to retire. Bottom line is that O’Neill is in real danger of losing the job at the end of the season whether Lute returns or not. O’Neill didn’t leave Olson alone nor did he make it publicly clear that what Olson was doing was not right. Instead he tried to walk a middle ground that may have alienated some players. If Olson comes back, O’Neill is as good as gone. If Lute retires, O’Neill may not want the job now anyway.

By the way, the Pac-10 could realistically be looking at as many as four job opening this off-season; Oregon State, Oregon, California and Arizona.

Seven Days of Head Scratching: “Bargaining” for a Bid

As the calendar has turned to March, the talk has inevitably turned to the so-called “bubble” teams…at least in the world of college basketball. With the coming of the various columns in both print and on the Net about the “bubble” and the various “resumes” that particular teams have, coaches and even college administrators of those teams have begun to lobby the NCAA Tournament selection Committee regarding the reasons why their schools should have their teams announced as being chosen for the NCAA Tournament. This practice has been going on for years but has really picked up steam in the last decade as the Internet has become more and more of a powerful tool with which to dispense information, (or misinformation). I, for one, have never understood why coaches, etc. feel the need to do this. Let’s face it; it’s not as if the Committee actually listens to the lobbying that happens. The Committee has already secluded itself from the rest of the real world as they get ready to watch and debate the variances of Championship Week. The committee members watch games, often with the sound off, so that they can make up their own mind about the merits of a particular team. So, when Jim Boeheim basically begs the committee through television interviews as to why his mediocre Syracuse team should be included in the field, (and then bemoans the fact that they aren’t selected), the comments are falling on deaf ears. Why essentially do people waste their breath trying to talk a group of men into a particular decision when they don’t listen anyway? You might as well go and bang your head against a wall. In the past few years, CBS analyst Billy Packer has really been rabid in his attacks on what he believed were mistakes the committee made. The reaction of the person being interviewed, (this year it will be Committee Chair Thomas O’Conner of George Mason), has universally been one of surprise and shock, as if they had never expected the questioning at that level. Know why? Because it is one of the first times they’ve heard that kind of criticism because they don’t listen to the lobbying through February and March. This is just the practical argument, never mind that coaches who do this come off as whiners, babies and self-serving, (which in this case I guess I understand). I hate to pick on Boeheim, but he has been guilty of this multiple times in the past 10 years and he has a reputation as being a cry-baby and even a sore loser. Is that perception unfair? Absolutely! Did he bring it on himself? Absolutely! And he is far from the only one. A coach’s job is hard enough as it is at the collegiate level without having to worry about lobbying what is really a group of deaf men in Indianapolis. Besides, isn’t a coach’s job really to get his team to a point where all of this is a moot discussion anyway?

Live Coverage: Butler Outlasts Valpo in HL Battle

Bill Kintner — Sat, 05 Jan 2008 16:03:28 -0800

INDIANAPOLIS – When you get out-shot and out-rebounded it is a pretty safe bet that that you were on the losing end of a basketball game. Unless you are the Butler Bulldogs and can force a bunch of turnovers and make a mountain of foul shots.

Today Valparaiso learned it takes more than shooting and rebounding to win on the road as the Bulldogs forced a bunch of turnovers and made a ton of foul shots as Valpo lost to Butler 73-65.

For the Crusaders it was committing 16 turnovers and Butler making 28-33 (84.8 percent) foul shots that denied Valparaiso (11-4, 2-1HL) a 3-0 start in the Horizon League.

It was not a pretty game by either team, but Valpo started off pretty well. In the first half the Crusaders jumped out to a 4-0 lead after Shawn Huff made two free throws and Jake Diebler made a layup.

Playing at the speed of a couple of Post Office workers Valpo pulled ahead by nine at 15-6 at the 12:39 mark.

Finally at the 1:30 mark Butler (13-1, 2-1HL) took their first lead of the game on a 3-pointer by Mike Green to make it 31-29.

Just 24 seconds later Valparaiso’s Jarryd Loyd made a layup to tie the game at 31-31 and that was how it ended going into the locker rooms at halftime.

In the second half after scoring just seven points in the first half for Butler Mike Green turned it on scoring 17 points on four baskets and going 11-14 from the foul line to help put the game away for the Bulldogs.

Butler coach Brad Steven’s thought that not only did Green lead the team in scoring but he led then by coming back strong in the second half after a shaky first half performance.

“It was a mature performance from Mike (Green). It didn’t start off great. When Mike starts off like that but then picks it up for himself, that shows the younger guys that it is okay,” explained Stevens. “Mike’s value goes far beyond making baskets and making assists. He is leading guys all the time and his resiliency was why we were able to win today.”

Valparaiso’s coach Homer Drew pointed to Green as the dagger that put his team under. “Green did a really good job in breaking us down and creating things for himself and his teammates,” said Drew.

The Crusaders took a brief three point lead at 36-33 at the 16:34 mark on a 3-pointer by Brandon McPherson. A layup by Butler’s Matt Howard cut the Crusader lead to one at 36-44 and then a 3-pointer by Green put the Bulldogs up for good at 38-36 with 15:06 left in the game.

Butler got the lead up to 11 points on a free throw by A. J. Graves after being fouled by Loyd to make it 64-53 with 2:12 left.

Valpo worked it down to a five point deficit on a 3-pointer by Diebler and a 3-pointer by Loyd but that was as close they got.

Loyd led Valpo with 15 points.

Notes:
-Butler leads the Horizon League in 3-point field goals with 9.92 and Valparaiso is second at 9.77.
-Butler leads the all-time series 61-32 including 39-8 at Hinkle Fieldhouse.
-Butler’s next game is at Loyola on Monday at 8 p.m. Eastern time.
-Valpo’s next game is Thursday at home against Milwaukee at 8:05 p.m. Eastern time

Valpo Escape Wright State With Win

Bill Kintner — Fri, 07 Dec 2007 00:35:58 -0800

DAYTON – Valparaiso made a statement in their first game in the Horizon League; that they were ready to compete in a new, tougher conference, as the pulled out a road win against Wright State 71-66 where the visiting teams rarely win.

Wright State on the other hand made two costly turnovers in the last 74 seconds of the game to lose the lead and let an important league game get away.

With a 66-63 lead and a 1:14 left in the game Wright State’s Vaughn Duggins threw an errant pass to Will Graham that got away and went into the backcourt for a turnover.

Valparaiso’s Shawn Huff scored on a feed by Jake Diebler at the 1:05 mark to tie the game at 66-66.

When the Raiders brought the ball down the court Todd Brown turned it over in the lane. Jarryd Lloyd then took a pass from Brandon McPherson under the basket and laid it in to go up 68-66.

After that Urule Igbavboa sank three of four free throws to get the score up to 71 points as Wright State (2-2, 0-1 HL) went scoreless for the last 2:36 of the game.

“Unfortunately for us in the last minute or so we didn’t close the game or maybe put them in real jeopardy and we had two costly turnovers,” said Wright State coach Brad Brownell. “It is part of young guys trying to figure it out.”

For Valparaiso coach Homer Drew he thought the turnover at half court was key. “The big key was when we were three down, Shawn (Huff) hit the big three and then we got a turnover. Then Jarryd’s (Lloyd) big 3-pointers in the second half were also key.”

Scoring at the end of a half was no easier for the Raiders in the first half as they scored only one basket in the last 5:16 seconds.

Of course, you could say that Vaparaiso (7-1, 1-0 HL) excelled in closing out each half with 14 points in the last 5:16 of the first half and eight points in the last 3:08 of the second half.

This game saw the score tied three times and the lead change 11 times including eight times in the second half.

To start the second half the Crusaders came out and scored five points in the first 40 seconds to go up 39-30 as McPherson hit a 3-pointer at 19:42 mark and then came back to put in a layup 22 seconds later.

Four minutes later the Raiders were up again by one point on two jumpers by Brown and a layup and four foul shots by Jordan Pleiman.

And back and forth it went until Valparaiso put the Raiders away for good.
“We came out with a nine point lead and it wasn’t but seconds later we only had a three point lead. They are really efficient and a very, very good basket ball team,” said Drew.

In the first half Wright State came out and took control pushing their lead until they went up 15-8 on a jump shot by Todd Brown with 12:54 left. At the 7:03 mark the Raiders went up 24-12 on a floater by Vaughn Duggins. Then two 3-pointers by Valparaiso’s Huff and a couple of free throws by Jared Lloyd and the score was 24-20 and that started a 20-3 run that lasted for six minutes.

Finally at the 2: 06 mark the Crusaders got the lead on a layup by Igbavboa 28-27.

As the half wound down with Vaparaiso leading 32-30 Huff took a feed from Lloyd with four seconds left and dunked it to put the Crusaders up 34-30 at the half.

Brownell thought the Raiders played a little better but they were a little thin on personnel and needed to learn how to close out games. “It is young guys learning how to win and how to make big plays when you need them. It is trying to find a way to get things done.”

Lloyd led the Crusaders with 18 points off the bench, 4 coming in the second half, while Huff and Igbavboa each scored 16 points.

Duggins led all scorers with 18 points while Wilson and Brown each chipped in 12 points for the Raiders.

Notes:
-Wright State’s 15 game home court winning streak game came to an end tonight.
-Wright State leads the all-time series with Valparaiso 5-3.
-When asked about Valparaiso fitting into the Horizon League Brownell said, “When you look at our guys physically you would thing we are making the jump. You measure the size of players, age of experience, all those things, I think they look bigger than we did at most positions. If they were one of the best teams in the Summit League or Mid-Con then they are a team that is going to formidable in our league.”
-Valparaiso’s next game is on Saturday at Detroit at 2:05 pm.
-Wright State’s next game is at home on Saturday against 13th ranked Butler at 7:00 pm. The game is televised on ESPNU.

2007-08 Valparaiso Basketball Preview

Joel Welser — Tue, 17 Jul 2007 08:44:43 -0700

Valparaiso Crusaders

Overall Rank: #120

Conference Rank: #3 Horizon

2006-07: 16-15, 9-5, 3^rd (Mid-Con)

2006-07 postseason: none

Size did not matter too much in the Mid-Con, but with Valparaiso moving into the Horizon, the size, or lack thereof, is a major concern. But Butler can do it, so why not Valpo? More important than just being small is the fact that it forces multiple people to play out of position; a wing is now a power forward, a power forward is now a center. One man, center Calum MacLeod, can change all of that. At 7-1, MacLeod is a true center, but his defensive liability has kept him on the bench for most of his career. If that can change for his senior season, Valpo’s size problems will be answered. Yet, the depth up front is still an issue and even if MacLeod is suddenly worthy of starting, players will still have to spend some time out of position.

Who’s Out:

The top seven scorers return, but number eight and nine on that list were post players. Moussa Mbaye started 14 games last year and averaged 3.1 points and 3.8 rebounds. Arden Skoglund has opted to transfer after seeing limited minutes. Guard Keaton Frye has also left early with a long, long list of guards ahead of him on the depth chart.

Who’s In:

Some depth up front will come from Bryan Bouchie. The power forward is an aggressive player in the paint and earned a spot on the Indiana All-Star team. At 6-10, Bouchie has the size to be a post player, but he is more of an athletic forward than a back to the basket player. In any event, Bouchie will be asked to provide quality minutes off the bench right away. Incoming freshman Howard Little and redshirt freshman Paul Guede will add depth to the wings. Both will contribute, but when Guede develops an offensive game to go along with his athleticism he will be tough to keep off the floor.

Who to Watch:

It’s raining guards in Valparaiso. Brandon McPherson, Jake Diebler, Samuel Haanpaa, Jarryd Loyd and Shawn Huff form a talented group, but there is not room for all of them. McPherson, who averaged 11.3 points and 3.3 assists last year, will run the point. The rest should be on the wings, but somebody will also have to spend some time at the four spot. That will likely be the 6-6 Huff. Haanpaa is the best shooter of the bunch and made 2.6 shots from long range at a 45.7 percent clip last year. The sophomore is developing into the go-to-scorer for the Crusaders despite only starting 12 games last year. However, Haanpaa can become too dependent on the outside shot and will occasionally forget to drive the lane. Loyd and Diebler are not prolific scorers, but share the ball well and help the team in other ways.

Final Projection:

When Huff moves to the four, Urule Igbavboa moves to the five. The 6-8 junior has proven that he can play the center spot, but is more effective as a power forward. Coming off a season where he averaged 11.6 points and 7.5 rebounds, Igbavboa will be asked to do even more as the team’s lone rebounding threat. In the end, the size concerns will not stop the Crusaders from being an effective and dangerous team in their new conference. Even when the team has to play small most of the time, the talent level can compete with just about anybody in the Horizon. Valpo and Coach Homer Drew just need to play smart when they are outmatched in the paint by running some zones and being physical. It has been done successfully before and there is no reason the Crusaders cannot do it successfully now.

Projected Post-season Tournament: none

Projected Starting Five:

Brandon McPherson, Junior, Guard, 11.3 points per game

Jake Diebler, Junior, Guard, 5.4 points per game

Samuel Haanpaa, Sophomore, Guard, 12.0 points per game

Shawn Huff, Senior, Guard, 11.4 points per game

Urule Igbavboa, Junior, Forward, 11.6 points per game

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Ghost of Mid-Con Past: Best Valpo Moments

Dan Vance — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 13:17:33 -0700

Sure the 2006-2007 college basketball season has yet to begin. But, some things are already a given for when it ends come March, or if your lucky even April. And one of those things is that the Mid-Continent Conference is about to look a whole lot different.

And no, it is not just because IPFW, North Dakota State and South Dakota State have already packed their bags in anticipation of moving in on July 1st of next year. It is instead because one of the long time tenants of the Mid-Con hotel is saying bye bye.

So the Valparaiso Crusaders prepare to ride off into the sunset, away from the Mid-Continent Conference and into the open hands of their Midwestern rivals of the Horizon League. Let us take this time to pause and look back at the five biggest moments for Valpo since they became a founding member of the Mid-Con in 1982.

Number 5: 10 years of titles (1994-2004)
It was a time when Valpo bucked all the trends, broke a lot of the records and ignored the turnover ratio of the average college basketball program. While other conferences were experiencing a changing of the guard every year, Valparaiso dominated the Mid-Con, especially for the ten-year span of 1994 to 2004.

The Crusaders won both the regular season and tournament titles for a record five straight years from 1995-1999, capped off by their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 1996 and a Cinderella-run in 1998. In 2000, Homer Drew led the school to a sixth straight conference tournament title and then won the regular season crown again in 2001. In Drew’s final season of his first run as coach, they won both titles in 2002. Scott Drew led them to a regular season crown in 2003 before father Homer returned to do the same in 2004.

That is 16 titles in 10 total seasons, winning at least one title each year. And, their 1995-1999 run paired them up with the likes of North Carolina State, UMass and Kentucky as the only teams to win both regular season and tournament conference titles in five straight seasons. The run solidified Valpo as the most dominant team that the Mid-Continent Conference has seen to date.

Number 4: 15 players make it to the NBA
For Valpo coach Homer Drew, the best of his NBA draftees was likely his son Bryce, now an assistant under him with the Crusaders. Bryce was drafted in the first round of the 1998 NBA Draft by the Houston Rockets after Valpo’s magical tournament run months earlier. Bryce however only enjoyed a brief stint in the National Basketball Association, averaging 4.4 points per game.

The only other former Valpo player of note who went on to the NBA is Chris Emsinger. While no former Crusader has enjoyed much success on basketball’s highest level, it is a rare feat and therefore an honor for a low-to-mid-major school like Valpo to send so many to the NBA, be it by draft of free agency.

Number 3: Valparaiso is founding member of Mid-Con
The Mid-Continent Conference opened in 1982 with eight members. Valparaiso was the only member of the conference from the state of Indiana until IUPUI joined 16 years later in 1998. It was important in the early going for the Crusader program to bring a presence from Indiana in the primarily Midwest based conference. The initial conference breakdown saw three Illinois schools and one school each from the states of Iowa, Ohio, Wisconsin, Indiana and Missouri.

Valpo however did not have a strong presence until after five founding schools and four other schools had come and gone from the ranks of the Mid-Con. In 1995, the same year that Troy State entered the conference, Valpo won both conference titles. Not a year had gone by until the 2005-2006 season that they had not captured a Mid-Con title of some sort with their titles totaling 18.

When Valparaiso leaves the Mid-Con officially on July 1, 2007, it will leave Western Illinois as the only remaining founding member.

Number 2: Homer Drew returns to head coaching position
He was only gone for one season, watching his son Scott take over for him. But, the true Crusader fans knew the difference. Scott, while leading them to a regular season Mid-Con title, was no Homer Drew. After all, Homer Drew was and still is Valpo basketball.

Drew had coached for 26 years on the college level before retiring on April 25, 2002. One year later, the Valpo faithful were happy to have their school’s all-time winningest coach back in the saddle. Drew has a demeanor all of his own and a style that has led to a distinct home court advantage for teams he coaches. From 1993 until his retirement in 2002, Drew led Valpo to a 101-13 record on their home court at the Athletics-Recreation Center, nearly an 89 percent winning percentage. He was also a Mid-Con coach of the Year three times in the same span.

In his first season back with the Crusader, the elder Drew finished 18-13 overall, winning the Mid-Con regular season title.

Number 1: Bryce Drew hits “The Shot”
It will never matter how many times that you see it, it will still go down as one of the greatest and most maddening moments in the history of March Madness. When you think of the big shots in the NCAA Tournament, especially in recent years, it should always come down to two men: Christian Laettner and Bryce Drew.

13th seeded Valpo was trailing Ole Miss 67-69 with 4.1 seconds to play in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. The Rebel’s Ansu Sesay then missed back-to-back free throws to give the Crusaders the ball with 2.5 seconds left. Valpo then ran a play called “The Pacer” and two passes later, Drew sank a 23-foot jumper for the win.

In 2005, CHN named Drew the #34 best point guard of the modern era (1990-2005).

Sports Illustrated later named “The Shot” as fifth best moment in sports for 1998 and its image will undoubtedly make basketball fans remember Valparaiso basketball forever.