Beginning Monday, June 21st, 2004 CHN began unveiling 144 Team previews in 144 Days. CHN ranked the nations top 144 teams, and is unveiling one per day leading up until the opening day of the 2004-05 Season.

Bookmark the 144 Teams in 144 Days home page, and check back each day to see which team is previewed next.

#119 Valparaiso Crusaders

Mid-Continent

 2003-04: 18-13, 11-5, 1^st   

2003-04 postseason: NCAA

By Joel Welser

The rich tradition of Valpo didn’t skip a beat last year when Scott Drew left for Baylor.  His father, Homer Drew, returned as the leader of the program and marched the Crusaders straight to the NCAA tourney.  The elder Drew needed to find a go-to-guy last year and he found him in Dan Oppland, a sophomore forward.  Oppland is a consistent scorer who can explode, like when he netted 32 points against UMKC in the Mid-Continent tourney.

Who’s Out: Joaquim Gomes was second on the team in scoring and first in rebounds.  His 13.1 points and 8.8 boards a game will be missed.  Starting guard Roberto Nieves has also used up his eligibility.  Nieves’ numbers weren’t huge, but he played his role well.  Roleplayer Greg Tonagel will also not be returning to Valpo next season.  Freshman Oumar Sylla has left the program and is expected to transfer closer to his home in Long Island, New York. 

Who’s In: Vincent Humphrey is an all around balanced player who tops the recruiting class for Drew.  The two time Second Team Illinois All-State recruit may make an immediate impact on both ends of the court.  Jarryd Lloyd, a 5-11 point guard, may be running the show in the future.  Lloyd is extremely quick and can see the floor quite well.  Joining them in the class of 2004 is Aris Williams.  The 6-9 forward is quite versatile and can even play the two guard.  Williams has a smooth shot and is a very smart and solid player.

Who to Watch: Miguel Ali Berdiel is the reason why Valpo will have more success this year.  He is pretty much a point forward and can do it all…and do it well.  At 6-6 his height gives him a huge advantage to see the floor and make passes a shorter counterpart wouldn’t even be able to see.  Berdiel gives opposing coaches nightmares.  His height gives him an advantage if covered by a guard and his quickness can blow by just about any forward who attempts to defend him.  He is a decent scorer, with over 11 points per game last year.  He led the Mid-Continent Conference with 6.1 assists per game last year and that number could even get higher as a senior.  He is a good perimeter defender and averaged 1.7 steals per game in 2003-2004. 

Projected Conference Rank: Oral Roberts returns a solid team and will stay at the top of the standings.  IUPUI (that’s Indiana University Purdue University at Indianapolis, for those keeping track) is very quickly becoming a good program and will compete this year for the Mid-Con title.  In the end though, it will be the Crusaders of Valpo that finish up on top once again.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

« Team #120 , Team #118   »

Email Joel Welser: jwelser_chn@ameritech.net

Chat About CHN's Top #144 Ranking: http://pub14.ezboard.com/fcollegehoopsnetfrm8

Return to the 144 Teams in 144 Days home page