Valparaiso (1-0, 0-0 Horizon)
Game #2 - Sunday, November 10 - 1:35 p.m.
North Park (0-0, 0-0 CCIW)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Crusader Basketball: Valparaiso looks to make it two consecutive home wins to open the 2013-14 campaign as the Crusaders host North Park on Sunday afternoon at 1:35 p.m. The game is the last home contest before Valpo goes on the road for its next three games.
Last Time Out: Prior to Friday night's regular season opener against Murray State, the Valparaiso men's basketball program unveiled Horizon League championship and NCAA Tournament banners commemorating last year's squad. Then this year's team took over, taking its first step toward defending the title with a 77-74 victory over the Racers at the ARC. The balanced effort saw Jordan Coleman lead the way with 16 points and eight rebounds, while Vashil Fernandez added 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Following the Crusaders: Audio - Valpo Sports Radio Network (WVUR, 95.1 FM, Valparaiso) - Todd Ickow (PxP) and David Huseman (Color)
Video - Horizon League Network
Links for the audio and video, as well as live stats, will be available at ValpoAthletics.com. In addition, ValpoGameday.com is a one-stop shop for live video, stats and social media interaction, all on the same page.
Head Coach Bryce Drew: Bryce Drew (49-20) is in his third season at the helm of the Valparaiso men’s basketball program in 2013-14. Over his first two seasons, Drew has led the Crusaders to 49 victories, including a school-record 26 last season, as well as two Horizon League regular season titles and one tournament championship. The 2012 HL Coach of the Year, Drew ascended to the head coaching position on May 17, 2011 after spending six seasons as an assistant and associate head coach with the Crusaders.
Series Notes: Valpo and North Park have met just once before on the hardwood, a game which saw the Crusaders earn a 78-47 victory in Valpo on Dec. 30, 2008. Howard Little scored 16 points and grabbed six rebounds to lead the Crusaders, who shot 53.2% in the winning effort. North Park is the undergraduate alma mater of Valparaiso director of athletics Mark LaBarbera.
@ValpoBasketball...
...and the @HorizonLeague
- @ValpoBasketball has won the #HLMBB regular season title each of the last two years and claimed the tournament title last year.
- The Crusaders were picked to finish in sixth place in the league standings in 2013-14 in preseason polling.
- After having a pair of All-League honorees the last two years, Valpo was one of just two teams not to have a preseason All-League choice.
...looking back at last year
- @ValpoBasketball won its first #HLMBB tournament championship last year and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2004.
- The Crusaders claimed their second straight Horizon League regular season title in 2012-13, going 13-3 in league play.
- Valpo earned a 14 seed in the Midwest Region of the NCAA Tournament, falling to Michigan State in second round action, 65-54.
- The Crusaders set new program records for total wins (26), home wins (16) and Division I true road wins (10) last year.
- Ryan Broekhoff was a First Team All-League and All-Region honoree, while Kevin Van Wijk earned Second Team honors both places.
- LaVonte Dority was tabbed the Horizon League’s Sixth Man of the Year.
....looking ahead
- @ValpoBasketball opens up a three-game road trip at Illinois on Wednesday night, live on the Big Ten Network.
- The road trip then takes the Crusaders to Ohio next Sunday and to Evansville next Wednesday.
...at the ARC
- @ValpoBasketball has 16 regular season home games scheduled for the ARC in 2013-14. #ValpoGameday
- The Crusaders set a new record for home victories in 2012-13, going 16-2 at the ARC last season.
- Over the last 19+ years, @ValpoBasketball owns a 224-50 (.818) record on its home court following the opening win over Murray State.
Opening With a W
- The win over Murray State marked the second straight year that @ValpoBasketball has opened with a victory.
- The Crusaders have now won the last five times they have opened the season at home.
- Valpo has now won nine consecutive home openers dating back to the 2004-05 season.
Brand New Lineup
- The Crusaders used a starting lineup of Dority, Coleman, Peters, Capobianco and Gueye in the season opener.
- The three returnees had started just five games combined in a Valpo uniform prior to the Murray State game - Dority 4 and Capobianco 1.
- For comparison, last year’s starting lineup in the season opener had totaled 245 starts in a Crusader uniform.
Debutants
- Six Crusaders in all made their first appearance for @ValpoBasketball against Murray State.
- Gueye (4 pts, 6 reb) and Peters (12 pts, 8 reb) both earned starting spots.
- Yeo (5 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast), Williams (8 pts), Chadwick (1 ast) and Adekoya all made their Crusader debuts off the bench on Friday.
Connecting From Inside
- @ValpoBasketball has ranked among the top-5 in the nation in 2-point pct. each of the last 3 years, hitting above 55% all 3 years.
- The Crusaders have ranked in the top-5 in the nation in 2-point pct. despite not having a starter taller than 6'8" during that stretch.
- Valpo hit at an even 50% clip (21-of-42) from inside the arc in the season-opening win over Murray State.
In Search of #50
- Head coach Bryce Drew enters the Crusaders’ game on Sunday one win shy of 50 for his coaching career.
- Drew would become the ninth coach in @ValpoBasketball history to lead the Crusaders to at least 50 victories.
- Drew (49-20) is poised to become the quickest Crusader coach to 50 wins, surpassing Loren Ellis and Gene Bartow, both of whom were 50-29.
Looking to Reload
- @ValpoBasketball enters this season with eight newcomers after losing seven players, including six seniors, from last year’s team.
- In all, only 22.8% of the scoring, 27.3% of the rebounding and 24.2% of the minutes played from last year’s squad return in 2013-14.
- Among the losses were 2012 #HLMBB Player of the Year Ryan Broekhoff and two-time All-League honoree Kevin Van Wijk.
- Only four players on this year’s roster have played for the Crusaders, all of whom started playing for Valpo just last year.
- The 8 newcomers include 5 freshmen and 3 transfers - one eligible immediately, one eligible after sitting out and one eligible in December.
- This marks the first time in the last three seasons that the Crusaders have had a true freshman play for them.
North Park
- North Park will open the season Sunday against the Crusaders, a game which counts as an exhibition towards its record.
- The Vikings went 6-19 last season, including a 1-13 mark in CCIW play.
- 6-6 guard Aaron Weaver is North Park’s leading returning scorer, as he averaged 14.9 ppg a season ago.
Bryce Drew
- Bryce Drew is in his third season as head coach of @ValpoBasketball and is in his ninth season overall on the coaching staff.
- Last season, Drew guided Valpo to its second straight regular season title, its first tournament title and a school record 26 wins.
- Drew was named #HLMBB Coach of the Year in 2011-12 in his first season as head coach.
- Drew was the first Crusader men’s basketball Coach of the Year since 2001-02, when dad Homer won the honor in the Mid-Con.
- Drew led the Crusaders to 22 wins and the Horizon League regular season title in his first year at the helm.
- Prior to coaching, Drew spent seven seasons playing professionally, including six seasons in the NBA.
- Drew was a two-time Mid-Con MVP in his playing days with Valparaiso, helping the team to three NCAA tournament appearances.
- Drew hit “The Shot”, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the first round of the 1998 NCAA tournament, to lift the Crusaders over Ole Miss.
- “The Shot” was named one of the top-35 All-Time Madness Moments by the NCAA as part of the celebration of 75 Years of March Madness.
#DrewFamilyDynasty
- Bryce is the third member of the Drew family to serve as head coach of @ValpoBasketball.
- Father Homer was head coach from 1988-2002, and then returned to lead Valpo from 2003-11.
- Brother Scott (current head coach of @BaylorMBB) led the Crusaders during the 2002-03 season after nine seasons as an assistant under Homer.
- A Drew has been at the helm of the Crusaders for the last 25 years. #DrewFamilyDynasty
- The Drew family has combined to lead @ValpoBasketball to 440 victories and 11 postseason appearances. #DrewFamilyDynasty
- Overall, the trio of Drews owns 888 collegiate victories over a combined 45+ seasons of head coaching. #DrewFamilyDynasty
#CoachesWhoCanPlay
- @ValpoBasketball boasts one of the nation’s highest-scoring staffs, as a trio of coaches combined for 4,211 points during their D-I careers.
- The Crusaders’ coaching staff ranks fifth in the nation for most points scored on the Division I level as players.
- Head coach Bryce Drew scored 2,142 points during his four-year career with the Crusaders.
- Assistant coach Roger Powell Jr. tallied 1,178 points during his four-year career with Illinois.
- Assistant coach Matt Lottich poured in 891 points over his four-year career at Stanford.
- Assistant coach Luke Gore also played collegiately at NAIA Bethel [Tenn.] College.
LaVonte Dority
- Dority was named the Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year last season.
- Dority struggled shooting in the season opener against Murray State, but came through with a layup with less than 9 seconds to play to secure the win.
- Dority scored in double figures in both of Valpo’s exhibition wins - 15 pts vs. Hillsdale; 18 pts vs. Robert Morris.
- Dority appeared in each of Valpo’s last 25 games after becoming eligible last season, averaging 8.6 ppg, third-most on the team.
- Dority earned Valpo’s Homer W. Drew Sr. Memorial Award, honoring the program’s most improved player.
- Dority scored in double figures nine times and led Valpo in scoring on three occasions.
- Dority was named Horizon League Newcomer of the Week following a 20-point game at Missouri State in his Crusader debut.
- Dority transferred to Valpo from South Florida, where he appeared in 35 games, at the semester break in 2011-12.
Bobby Capobianco
- Capobianco hit a pair of 3-pointers in a 9-point, 4-rebound performance in the season-opening win.
- Capobianco enters his senior year after averaging 5.9 points and 4.5 rebounds per game last year in his first season as a Crusader.
- Capobianco traveled with an Athletes in Action squad to Jamaica this past summer.
- Capobianco shot at a 55.1% clip from the field and scored in double figures six times last season.
- Capobianco became the first Crusader to debut with a double-double since 2005 (10 pts/11 reb vs. Chicago State).
- Capobianco was twice named Horizon League Newcomer of the Week.
- Capobianco approached a triple-double off the bench (10 pts/9 reb/9 ast) against UIC, becoming first player in NCAA to post that stat line off the bench in nearly 5 years.
- Capobianco played his first two seasons at Indiana and sat out the 2011-12 season after transferring to Valpo.
Jordan Coleman
- Coleman set a new career high with 16 points in Friday’s win over Murray State, including a perfect 8-of-8 effort from the foul line.
- Coleman also tied for team-high honors with eight rebounds against the Racers.
- Coleman appeared in 29 games off the bench in his first season as a Crusader, averaging 14.9 minutes and 4.4 points per game.
- Coleman scored a season-high 15 points in his Crusader debut against Georgia Southern.
- Coleman was immediately eligible to play for Valpo last season after transferring from Southwestern Illinois College.
- Coleman was an All-Conference selection for SWIC during the 2011-12 season, finishing second on the team with 10.2 ppg.
- Coleman started his collegiate career as a freshman at Hawai’i.
Vashil Fernandez
- Fernandez went 5-of-7 from the floor in a 14-point, 7-rebound effort off the bench in Valpo’s season-opening victory.
- Fernandez set new career highs for points, rebounds, field goals made and free throws made (4) in the win against Murray State.
- Fernandez totaled 11 points, 12 rebounds and nine blocked shots in a combined 40 minutes in Valpo’s two exhibition wins.
- Fernandez played for Jamaica in its first-ever appearance at the FIBA Americas Championship in September.
- Fernandez appeared in four games, including a victory over Argentina, the world’s third-ranked team.
- Fernandez also traveled with an Athletes in Action squad to New Zealand this past August.
- Fernandez made 27 appearances off the bench last season in his first season of action, totaling 30 points and 38 rebounds.
- Fernandez averaged one blocked shot per 11 minutes of playing time last season.
- Fernandez made his senior international debut in the summer of 2012 for Jamaica at the FIBA Centrobasket tournament.
- Fernandez helped Jamaica to a 3rd place finish, its best ever at Centrobasket.
Moussa Gueye
- Gueye opened his Valpo career with four points and six rebounds in the season-opening win over Murray State.
- Gueye is eligible to play immediately at Valpo as a fifth-year senior after earning his bachelor’s degree from Alabama.
- Gueye started 27 games as a junior last season for the Crimson Tide, helping Alabama to 23 wins and a spot in the NIT quarterfinals.
- Gueye averaged 3.9 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game, and posted 1.9 blocks per game within SEC play, ranking third in the league.
- Gueye appeared in 12 games for Alabama as a sophomore in 2011-12 after recovering from an offseason injury.
- Gueye, a consensus pick as one of the top JuCo centers in the nation, was Conference Freshman of the Year at Lake Land [Ill.] College in 2009-10.
David Chadwick
- Chadwick made his regular season debut against Murray State, picking up an assist in four minutes of play.
- Chadwick totaled six points and eight rebounds in 22 minutes of action in the Crusaders’ two exhibition wins.
- Chadwick is eligible to play this season after sitting out last year as a transfer from Rice, and has two seasons of eligibility remaining.
- Chadwick traveled with an Athletes in Action squad on a tour of Lithuania this past summer.
- Chadwick appeared in 52 games over his two seasons at Rice.
- Chadwick was a starter at Hargrave Military Academy for a squad which reached the #1 ranking nationally.
Jubril Adekoya
- Adekoya saw two minutes of playing time in the season-opening win over Murray State.
- Adekoya picked up three points and 10 rebounds off the bench in Valpo’s pair of exhibition victories.
- Adekoya was a Third Team All-State honoree as a senior at Andrew [Ill.] H.S.
- Adekoya finished his career with the Thunderbolts as the program’s all-time leading scorer and rebounds.
Nick Davidson
- Davidson saw 11 minutes of action in the Crusaders’ pair of exhibition games.
- Davidson was named Area Player of the Year by both the NWI Times and the Post-Tribune as a senior.
- Davidson helped Andrean [Ind.] H.S. to the regional title in 2013 as a senior.
Alec Peters
- Peters went for 12 points and tied for team-high honors with eight rebounds in the win over Murray State to open the season.
- 12 points was the most by a Crusader freshman in their first game since 2008.
- Peters started both of Valpo’s exhibition wins, posting a team-high 17 points, six rebounds and two blocks in the win over Hillsdale.
- Peters finished fifth in Illinois Mr. Basketball voting as a senior at Washington H.S.
- Peters was a two-time First Team All-State honoree and led the Panthers to a spot in the regional finals as a senior.
Lexus Williams
- Williams scored eight points in his Crusader debut, the season-opening win over Murray State.
- Williams played 36 minutes off the bench over Valpo’s two exhibition wins, scoring 14 points on 6-of-7 shooting against Robert Morris.
- Williams was an All-Conference honoree at Marist [Ill.] H.S. as a senior.
- Williams led Marist to regional final during his final season after helping program capture the regional championship as a junior.
Clay Yeo
- Yeo contributed five points, three rebounds and a team-best three assists in his debut against Murray State.
- Yeo played 47 minutes over the Crusaders’ pair of exhibition wins, tallying 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting versus Robert Morris.
- Yeo was named an Indiana All-Star as a senior after earning Junior All-Star recognition the previous season.
- Yeo led Triton [Ind.] H.S. to the 1A state championship game as a senior.
Keith Carter
- Carter will be eligible to play Dec. 21 for the Crusaders and will have three seasons of eligibility at Valpo.
- Carter transferred to Valpo from Saint Louis at the semester break last season.
- Carter was runner-up for Illinois Mr. Basketball 2012 at Proviso East H.S. to Jabari Parker, who now plays for Duke.
