Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men's basketball team will look to improve to 6-2 on Tuesday, but a challenging opponent is standing in the way as the Beacons battle Big East foe Marquette in Milwaukee. There will be a pregame gathering for Valpo fans at 5 p.m. at Major Goolsby's, located at 340 W Kilbourn Ave. in Milwaukee.
 
Last Time Out: After dropping the previous game, the Beacons bounced back in a big way on Saturday, closing Thanksgiving Weekend with a dominant 84-55 victory over Western Michigan at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The 29-point margin of victory marked Valpo's largest against a Division-I opponent in eight years. Owen Dease led a balanced effort with 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting and drained four 3s. Mark Brown Jr. (15), Brody Whitaker (14) and Isaiah Barnes (10) joined him in double figures.
 
Glancing Ahead: The Beacons will have one final game prior to a week off for final exams as they host NAIA Calumet College of St. Joseph on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 2 p.m. An uninvited guest is expected to intrude the ARC as part of the "The Grinch Stole Gameday" holiday promotion.
 
Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Josh Maurer (play-by-play) and Brian Butch (analyst)
Radio – WVUR 95.1 FM Valparaiso, TuneIn Radio App, ValpoAthletics.com – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Austin Amburgey (analyst)
X updates – @ValpoBasketball
Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.
 
Head Coach Roger Powell Jr.: Roger Powell Jr. (27-46) is in his third season as the head coach of the Valpo men's basketball program. After helping guide Gonzaga to a 121-13 record during his four seasons as an assistant coach, Powell returned to Valpo, where he was part of head coach Bryce Drew's staff from 2011-2016 and led the team to 124 wins in five seasons, including a program-record 30 victories and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title game appearance in 2015-16. He was part of head coach Mark Few's Gonzaga staff as the Bulldogs reached the 2021 national championship game after winning their first 31 games of the season. During Powell's first season on staff in 2019-20, Gonzaga was 31-2 at the time the NCAA college basketball season was halted due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen in each of his final three seasons on staff, including two Elite Eight appearances and the aforementioned trip to the 2021 national title game. Prior to his arrival at Gonzaga, Powell served as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt University under Bryce Drew from 2016-2019. During his stint as an assistant at Valpo, he was part of four Horizon League regular-season championships in a five-year period while also leading the 2012-13 and 2014-15 squads to Horizon League tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. A product of Joliet West High School and a native of Joliet, Ill., Powell capped a prolific collegiate playing career at Illinois with a national title game appearance in 2005 before going on to a successful professional playing career. In the second season of the Powell Era in 2024-2025, Valpo over doubled its overall win total from the previous season and doubled its conference win output before earning a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinal berth. The Beacons finished with 15 wins, the team's highest total since 2019-20.
 
Series Notes: Valpo is 5-21 all-time against Marquette as the two teams prepare to clash for the first time since Nov. 27, 2006, when Valpo nearly pulled off a top-25 upset, but the No. 8/9 Golden Eagles beat head coach Homer Drew's team 65-62 at the ARC. The two teams met four times during the Homer Drew Era, all Marquette victories, with Valpo's last win coming 70-66 on Feb. 24, 1988 in the final season prior to the Drew Era under head coach Tom Smith. This will be Valpo's first game at Marquette since Dec. 7, 2005. Valpo has dropped nine straight at Marquette as the Beacons seek the program's first win there since Feb. 24, 1964 (74-68). This will mark Valpo's first game in the state of Wisconsin since the final season in the Horizon League with a February 2017 road trip to Milwaukee and Green Bay. This is Valpo's first game against the Big East since an 89-70 loss at DePaul last season, while Marquette has not played a Missouri Valley Conference team since 2008 (W 73-43 vs. UNI). Marquette did lose to Murray State in the 2019 NCAA Tournament before the Racers joined the MVC.

Scouting the Golden Eagles

• Have gone to four straight NCAA Tournaments including a Sweet Sixteen appearance in 2024.
• Lost their top three scorers from last season but return 10 players from a 23-11 squad including preseason All-Big East guard Chase Ross and returning starter Ben Gold.
• Led in scoring by Ross at 20.9 points per game.
• Picked to finish fifth of 11 in the Big East Preseason Poll.
• Coming off a 75-74 neutral-site loss to Oklahoma in Chicago on Friday. That game had multiple Missouri Valley Conference ties as Oklahoma is coached by former MVC head coach Porter Moser (Loyola Chicago) and it was played at Credit Union 1 Arena, the home of MVC member UIC.

Solid Start

• Valpo owns a record of 5-2, the team's best mark through seven games since beginning the 2017-18 season at 8-0.
• The Beacons hold a 4-1 home mark on the season.
• The team won its last road game, beating Cleveland State 90-75. A win on Tuesday would give the team consecutive road victories for the first time since 2022-23.

Walloping Western

• Valpo defeated Western Michigan 84-55 on Nov. 29 at the ARC, a 29-point margin of victory that marked the team's largest since beating CCSJ 107-57 on Dec. 22, 2024.
• The win over the Broncos was Valpo's most lopsided against a Division-I opponent since an 83-50 dismantling of Southeastern Louisiana on Nov. 19, 2017.
• Valpo held Western Michigan to a season-low 55 points, the fifth time in seven games that Valpo has limited an opponent to 65 points or fewer.

Block Party

• Valpo rejected 10 shots in the Nov. 26 game vs. Southern Indiana, the team's highest total since also blocking 10 on March 15, 2016 vs. Texas Southern.
• Valpo followed that with eight blocks on Nov. 29 vs. Western Michigan, making it 18 in a two-game span. Carter Hopoi turned away four shots against the Broncos, a season high and his fourth game with multiple blocks.
• Southern Indiana blocked nine shots against Valpo on Nov. 26, tied for the most by a Valpo opponent since Green Bay's 12 on Feb. 20, 2014.
• The Valpo/USI contest marked the first game nationally where both teams were credited with at least nine blocked shots since Jan. 11, 2025, Texas A&M vs. Alabama.
• As of Nov. 30, Valpo leads the Missouri Valley Conference at 5.9 blocks per game and ranks 15^th nationally.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Nov. 29 – Valpo 84, Western Michigan 55

• Owen Dease's 18 points surpassed his previous season high of 13 on Nov. 12 vs. Nicholls. This was his highest scoring output since 20 on Feb. 20, 2025 at Lamar while playing for Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
• Dease scored nine points or more for the fourth straight game including three of his last four in double figures. He drained four 3s, tying a career high set on March 8, 2023 vs. Northwestern State.
• Isaiah Barnes (10 points) had his third double-figure scoring output of the season, while Brody Whitaker (14) turned in a season best and was in double figures for the second straight contest. Whitaker improved to 10-for-10 at the free-throw line this season.
• Brown's 15 points marked his highest output of the season and his first double-figure performance in a Valpo uniform. He got there on 4-of-7 shooting and 3-of-5 from 3 while also going 4-for-4 at the stripe.
• Shon Tupuola pulled down nine rebounds, his second-highest total of the season and his sixth straight game with at least seven.
• Valpo's 11 made 3s marked a season high as did the squad's percentage of 45.8 from deep.
• Valpo went 23-of-26 at the free-throw line (88.5 percent), setting season highs for both makes and percentage.
• Valpo had nine steals on Western Michigan's 16 turnovers, owning a 20-4 edge in points off turnovers.
• Valpo won the rebounding battle 37-29 and had 13 offensive rebounds leading to 16 second-chance points.
• Valpo extended its head-to-head winning streak against Western Michigan to five.  

Taming Turnovers

• After 14 turnovers in the season opener, Valpo has limited the turnovers to 10 or fewer in six straight. 
• Valpo committed single-figure turnovers in five straight games prior to 10 on Nov. 29 vs. Western Michigan.
• A season-low seven turnovers against Bryant (Nov. 16) marked Valpo's fewest since also committing just seven in the MVC semifinal vs. Bradley last season.
• The Beacons are averaging 9.7 turnovers per game, which puts them fourth in the MVC and 32^nd nationally in that category. 
• Since the start of the 2024-25 season, Valpo is averaging 9.7 turnovers per game, 13^th nationally.

Rakim's Rookie Rankings

• Rakim Chaney is averaging 14.0 points per game (team high, 10th overall in the MVC) and 3.1 rebounds per outing. He has scored in double figures in five of his seven collegiate contests including four with 15+ points.
• At 14.0 points per game, Chaney is 31^st nationally among freshmen. He ranks second among Missouri Valley Conference rookies behind UIC's Andy Johnson (14.9 ppg).
• Chaney's 1.9 steals per game rank tied for 15^th nationally among freshmen and leads all MVC rookies (t-fourth overall in MVC).

Other Notes Wrapping Up Nov. 26 – Southern Indiana 64, Valpo 56

• JT Pettigrew scored in double figures for the third time this season and notched his first collegiate double-double. The freshman's 11 rebounds marked a personal best.
• Brody Whitaker finished with 10 points, eclipsing his previous best of nine set vs. Nicholls. He had a plus-minus of +6 in 21 minutes in an eight-point loss.
• Sader Servilus was a team-best +8 in the plus-minus in seven minutes, while Tucker Tornatta was a +7 against the Evansville native's hometown team.
• The Beacons shot just 4-of-26 from 3 (15.4 percent). This marked the team's coldest 3-point shooting performance since the 2024-25 season opener vs. Liberty (13.3 percent).
• Valpo has held the opponent to 64 points or fewer in all four home games this season.
• The Beacons limited the turnovers to nine, the team's fourth straight game with single-digit turnovers.
• This snapped a three-game winning streak and represented Valpo's first home loss of the season.

The Rakim Repeat

• Valpo freshman Rakim Chaney is off to a strong start to his collegiate career, including the week of Nov. 10, when he led the team with 21.0 points per game and 7.0 rebounds per game over two contests while also averaging 3.0 assists and 2.0 steals. He shot 14-of-22 (63.6 percent) and 8-of-12 from 3 (66.7 percent) en route to his first MVC Freshman of the Week honor.
• He followed that up by repeating as the league's Freshman of the Week after scoring 23 points on Nov. 19 at Cleveland State.
• Chaney accounted for Valpo's 15^th and 16^th MVC Freshman of the Week award since head coach Roger Powell Jr. arrived at Valpo prior to the start of the 2023-24 season.  
• Valpo has accounted for 16 of the 39 total MVC Freshman of the Week awards since the honor began in 2023-24. The Beacons lead the league by a wide margin, over twice as many Freshman of the Week honors as Evansville, which has the second most with seven.

20-Point Trio

• In the Nov. 19 game at Cleveland State, three Valpo players eclipsed 20 points – Rakim Chaney with 23, Shon Tupuola with 21 and Justus McNair with 21.
• That marked the first time three Valpo players all finished with 20+ points since All Wright (25), Cooper Schwieger (23) and Tyler Schmidt (23) on Jan. 8 of last season vs. Indiana State in overtime.
• It has now happened in back-to-back years after not having occurred since Nov. 29, 2013 vs. Mercer – Lavonte Dority (31), Bobby Capobianco (23) and Alec Peters (22) in a game that went triple overtime.
• The game at Cleveland State provided Valpo's first with three 20-point scorers in a regulation affair since March 7, 1993 – Casey Schmidt (26), David Redmon (24), Tracy Gipson (23) in an 83-75 conference-tournament win over Northern Illinois.

Road Rout

• The 15-point margin of victory on Nov. 19 at Cleveland State marked Valpo's most lopsided road win since a 20-point triumph on Jan. 21, 2023 at Illinois State.
• The 90 points against the Vikings were Valpo's most on the road since Nov. 15, 2017, a 94-69 win at SIUE.
• Valpo joined Kent State (Nov. 23, 2024, W 68-52) as the only two teams in the last five years to win by 15 points or more at Cleveland State.
• Valpo became the first visiting team to score 90 points or more in a regulation game at Cleveland State since Florida International (107) on Nov. 19, 2019.

Off the Chain

• Rakim Chaney continued his string of big games on Nov. 19 at Cleveland State, becoming the first Valpo player with a 23-point, seven-assist game since Ron Howard had 25 and seven on Jan. 27, 2005 at Southern Utah.
• Chaney became the second freshman in the country with a 23-point, seven-assist game this season, joining NJIT's David Bolden.
• The game at Cleveland State was Chaney's fifth straight in double figures and fourth straight with 15 or more.
• Chaney turned in an 18-point, eight-rebound game on Nov. 16 vs. Bryant. He became only the fifth Valpo freshman since 2010 with 18 or more points and eight or more rebounds in a game, joining Cooper Schwieger, Sheldon Edwards, Alec Peters (three times) and Ryan Broekhoff.
• Chaney shot 6-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 from 3 against Bryant, his second straight game with four made triples. This was the first time a Valpo freshman had at least 18 points, eight rebounds and four made 3s in a game since Alec Peters in 2013.
• Chaney had 24 points, six rebounds and three assists while grabbing two steals on Nov. 12 vs. Nicholls. He went 8-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-5 from 3.
• He became the first Valpo player with a 24-point, six-rebound game that included eight made field goals and four made 3s since Quinton Green on Feb. 11, 2023 vs. Illinois State. If you toss in the three assists and two steals, Chaney was the first Valpo player since Tevonn Walker on Jan. 10, 2018 vs. Drake to post that stat line.
• Chaney became the first Valpo freshman to make eight shots and four 3s as part of a game that featured at least 24 points and at least six rebounds since Alec Peters on Dec. 14, 2013 vs. Loyola Marymount.
• Chaney became the second freshman nationally with a 24-point, six-rebound game featuring eight made field goals and four made 3s this season, joining Duke's Cameron Boozer (Nov. 8 vs. Western Carolina).

Other Notes Wrapping Up Nov. 19 – Valpo 90, Cleveland State 75

• Justus McNair's 21 points outdid his previous scoring career high of 19 (Jan. 14, 2025 at Belmont). He also rewrote his previous rebounding career high of five (Jan. 11, 2025 at Murray State) thanks to a six-rebound performance.
• Shon Tupuola enjoyed a 21-point outburst on 8-of-10 shooting while pulling down seven rebounds. His 21 points marked his Valpo peak while he also recorded a season-best three blocks. This marked his third-straight double-figure scoring effort.
• In the last 15 seasons, Tupuola joined Cooper Schwieger (three times), Kobe King and Ryan Broekhoeff as the only Valpo players with 21-point, seven-rebound, three-block games.
• Tupuola became just the eighth player nationally this season with 21 points, seven rebounds and three blocks in a game while shooting at least 80 percent.
• Carter Hopoi squeezed seven rebounds to share the team lead with Tupuola. That marked the freshman's personal best, outdoing his six from the season opener vs. Eastern Illinois.
• The Beacons blocked seven shots as a team, the squad's most in a game since Jan. 11, 2025 at Murray State, also seven.
• Valpo held a 39-23 rebounding advantage and a 13-5 edge on the offensive glass.
• Valpo made seven 3s, its fifth straight game making exactly seven or exactly eight triples.

Who is Next?

• A trio of incoming freshmen have signed to continue their basketball careers at Valpo during the November early signing period.
• 6-foot-4 guard Justin Curry II (Noblesville, Ind.), 6-foot-7 forward Hudson Scroggins (Lake Bluff, Ill.) and 6-foot-1 point guard Rajan Roberts will join the program next year.
• Curry averaged 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game as a junior at Noblesville last season. He is a reigning Indiana Junior All-Star.
• Scroggins was a 1,000-point scorer in the high school ranks at Lake Forest (Ill.) and is spending this year at a prep school, Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire.
• Roberts is a highly-rated prospect from Chicago and was considered one of the top available point guards on the west coast at the time of his commitment. He is among the highest-rated recruits in Valpo history, according to 247Sports. His high school stops include a year each at Proviso West, Kenwood, Prolific Prep (Miami, Fla.) and AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.).

Growth Spurt

• Valpo's roster has gotten noticeably larger in terms of height this season, as the squad boasts its highest average height of the Roger Powell Jr. head coaching era.
• The Beacons have seven players on the roster listed at 6-foot-8 or taller – Jayden Watson (6-8), JT Pettigrew (6-8), Owen Dease (6-8), Tucker Tornatta (6-8), Kobe Walker (6-9), Shon Tupuola (6-10) and Carter Hopoi (6-11).
• This marks the first time during the program's long Division-I history that the team has had seven players listed at 6-foot-8 or taller.
• The 1999-00, 2000-01, 2013-14 and 2022-23 teams each had six players listed at 6-8 or taller.

One of Four

• Only four programs in the nation have had their league's Freshman of the Year in each of the last two seasons – UConn, Baylor, Valpo and Harvard.
• All Wright was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2024-2025, becoming the second straight Valpo player to earn the award after Cooper Schwieger did so in 2023-24. 
• This marked just the third time since the award began in 1986 that a school has had back-to-back MVC Freshmen of the Year. Wichita State's Markis McDuffie (2016) and Landry Shamet (2017) were the most recent duo to go back-to-back. Before that, it was Southern Illinois' Tony Harvey (1989) and Ashraf Amaya (1990).
• Wright became just the fifth Valpo freshman to win a league Newcomer/Freshman of the Year Award, joining Schwieger (2023-24), Lubos Barton (1998-99), Bryce Drew (1994-95) and Lance Barker (1991-92).

A Look at the Schedule

• The 11-game nonconference slate will feature seven home dates and four road contests.
• Valpo will play at Preseason AP No. 9 Kentucky, a Sweet 16 team from last season, on Nov. 7.
• Nicholls, the Nov. 12 opponent, was a 20-win team last season.
• Bryant, which will be at the ARC on Nov. 16, went 14-2 in the American East and totaled 23 wins on the way to a conference tournament crown and NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
• Cleveland State, which will host Valpo on Nov. 19, went 23-13 overall last year en route to an appearance in the Purple College Basketball Invitational.
• Big East foe Marquette, the Dec. 2 opponent in Milwaukee, reached the NCAA Tournament and accrued 23 wins last season.
• UNC Wilmington, the Dec. 13 opponent at the ARC, won the Coastal Athletic Association championship and totaled 27 wins on the way to an NCAA Tournament berth last season.
• The nonconference portion of the season concludes on Dec. 16 at Big Ten adversary Northwestern.
• Valpo has three road nonconference games against teams in the top 60 in the KenPom preseason ratings, including Kentucky, rated No. 4 by KenPom.

A Look Back at 2024-2025

• Valpo finished with 15 wins, the team's highest total since capturing 19 victories in 2019-20.
• The program advanced to the semifinals of Arch Madness for the first time since 2020 and second time since joining the league.
• The Beacons played three or more conference tournament games in the same season for the first time since 2019-20 and just the second time since 2010-11.
• The program over doubled its overall win total from the previous season (seven) and doubled its Missouri Valley Conference win total from the previous season (three).
• Valpo was one of eight teams in the country that shot 78 percent or better at the free-throw line and had 10.0 turnovers per game or fewer.
• Valpo won or tied the turnover battle in 26 out of 34 games last season and had 24 games with 10 turnovers or fewer.
• The Beacons had a better free-throw percentage than their opponent in 25 out of 34 games last season.
• Valpo broke the modern program record for single-season free-throw percentage (.775 in 2016-17) by finishing at .790.
• The team led the Missouri Valley Conference and ranked 11^th nationally in free-throw percentage.
• Valpo also broke a modern program record for fewest turnovers per game at 9.7, a number that led the Missouri Valley Conference and ranked 19^th nationally.
• Valpo had three double-figure comebacks, coming from 10 down to beat Missouri State, from 16 down to beat Southern Illinois and from 22 down to beat Western Michigan. Prior to last year, Valpo had not rallied from 15 or more behind to win since 2019-20, but last season the team did so twice.
• According to KenPom, Valpo's win probability of beating SIU was 4.2 percent when trailing 65-55 with 9:24 to play.
• In the win over Western Michigan, Valpo trailed by 22 with 6:51 on the clock, tying the largest comeback in program history. The rally was the second latest in NCAA history when trailing by 22 points or more and the latest rally of 22 points or more to finish in regulation. The 22-point comeback also tied for the fifth largest in Missouri Valley Conference history. According to ESPN, Valpo had a win probability of 0.1 percent with under seven minutes remaining. KenPom gave the Beacons a 0.3 percent chance of winning.
• Valpo's 83-79 win at Southern Illinois marked the program's highest point total in a road Missouri Valley Conference game since joining the league and the team's highest point total in any true road game since December 2019.
• All Wright had a game-winning layup with two seconds remaining on Feb. 19 vs. Missouri State, and Justus McNair made a buzzer-beater from nearly halfcourt to beat Western Michigan on Dec. 20. Valpo now has 24 game winners in the final five seconds since the start of the 1992-93 season.
• Valpo beat Belmont 101-86 on Feb. 12. The 101 points eclipsed 98 on Jan. 8 of this season as Valpo's highest scoring output in league play since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. The Belmont game was Valpo's highest point total against a Division-I opponent since a 117-108 triple overtime loss to Mercer on Nov. 11, 2013 and first time scoring 100+ in regulation against a D-I opponent since 103 on Dec. 21, 2010 at Oakland. It marked Valpo's highest point total in league play since a 102-74 Mid-Continent Conference win at Chicago State on Jan. 31, 1998. The 101 points were the most allowed by Belmont since Dec. 15, 2004.
• The team finished with a nonconference winning percentage of .636 (7-4), the program's best since 2017-18 (9-4, .692).

Breakthrough Wins in 2024-2025

• Valpo defeated UNI in both matchups last season, winning 80-73 on Jan. 4 at the ARC and 64-63 on March 7 in the MVC quarterfinal in St. Louis. Valpo won back-to-back games in the series for the first time ever in 40 all-time matchups between the two teams. Valpo was 2-0 last season against UNI after entering the season 5-33 all-time against the Panthers.   
• On Feb. 14 vs. Belmont, Valpo snapped a seven-game head-to-head losing streak, beating the Bruins for the first time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. That marked the team's first win in the series since Dec. 3, 2015, a 61-57 nonconference triumph.
• By beating Indiana State on Jan. 8, Valpo snapped a four-game head-to-head losing streak and topped the Sycamores for the first time since Feb. 5, 2022 (79-72, 2OT).
• With that Jan. 8 victory, Valpo beat the defending conference regular-season champions for the first time since Feb. 13, 2020 and snapped a six-game losing streak against defending MVC regular-season champions.
• The 73-72 win at Missouri State on Jan. 1 ended a nine-game head-to-head losing streak as Valpo beat the Bears for the first time since the 2020 MVC Tournament semifinal.
• Valpo's 80-73 win over UNI on Jan. 4 snapped a four-game head-to-head skid and abolished a 15-game losing streak against teams picked to finish in the top two in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll.
• Valpo picked up regular-season wins over Indiana State, Missouri State and UNI all in the same season for the first time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference.
• Valpo beat Missouri State 66-64 on Feb. 19, securing the team's only time winning a season series from the Bears in a combined 16 seasons of shared league affiliation between the Missouri Valley Conference and the Association of Mid-Continent Universities.
• Valpo stopped a seven-game skid against Southern Illinois with an 83-79 victory on Feb. 22 in Carbondale.

Inside the Roster

• This year's roster is comprised of 13 newcomers and four returning players.
• Recruiting the Chicagoland area successfully has been key for the program. Eight of the 17 players hail from the state of Illinois.
• The Hoosier State is another recruiting hotspot for the Beacons. Six members of the team are playing college basketball in their home state, and 14 of the 17 players hail from either Indiana or Illinois.
• The three players from outside the Midwest call Arizona, Montreal and New Zealand home.
• The roster has five seniors, four of which are in their fifth season of college basketball. The Beacons also boast a pair of juniors, a trio of sophomores and seven freshmen (six true freshmen, one redshirt freshman).
• Of the 13 newcomers, six are true freshmen and seven are transfers.

Meet the Team

• Freshman guard Rakim Chaney spent the 2024-25 season at 212° Sports Academy in Sarasota, Fla., where he averaged 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game and was named the Florida Sun Basketball League Player of the Year.
• Sophomore guard Justus McNair is the team's only returning scholarship letterwinner from last season. He was named MVC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 25, 2024. His rookie campaign is most remembered for his buzzer-beater from nearly halfcourt to lift Valpo over Western Michigan 76-73 on Dec. 20, 2024, completing an epic 22-point comeback.
• Fifth-year senior guard Brody Whitaker is a transfer from the Division-II University of Indianapolis, where he spent the 2024-2025 campaign after beginning his collegiate career with three years at NAIA Marian University. He entered the 2025-2026 season with 1,385 collegiate points.
• Redshirt freshman forward Jayden Watson sat out as a redshirt last season, and suffered a preseason injury leading into 2025-2026.
• Freshman guard Camden Webster is a walk-on who attended nearby Kankakee Valley High School.
• Freshman forward JT Pettigrew averaged 16.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks during his senior season at Bolingbrook High School. A second team all-state honoree, he recorded just the second triple double (points/rebounds/blocks) in program history. He scored over 1,000 career points and finished as his school's all-time leading scorer.
• Junior guard Mark Brown Jr. averaged 13.3 points and 4.3 assists per game in 2024-2025 at Snow College, where he totaled 669 points, 220 rebounds and 215 assists over the last two seasons. He was ranked No. 61 among JUCO players nationally according to JUCORecruiting.com.
• Redshirt senior guard Isaiah Barnes spent the last two years at Tulsa after starting his career with two seasons at Michigan. He started 54 games and made 57 appearances in his two seasons with the Hurricane after playing on a Michigan team that went to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
• Redshirt senior forward Owen Dease spent his first four collegiate seasons at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, where he redshirted as a freshman before playing in 85 games and making 50 starts over the last three seasons. He was part of the program as a redshirt in 2022 when the team reached the NCAA Tournament and then played on the 2023 team that won a game in the Big Dance.
• Freshman forward Carter Hopoi played at the FIBA U18 Asia Cup in September 2024 and has played with the New Zealand NBL's Tauranga Whai.
• Freshman center Kobe Walker averaged 19.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a high school senior at Normal Community, earning all-state honors. He broke his school's rebounding record, which had stood for 52 years.
• Senior Joe Vick is in his fourth year in the program as a walk-on.
• Fifth-year senior Kyonte Thomas tallied 1,325 points and 513 assists in his four-year career at the NAIA level, playing at Trinity International, University of Pikeville and Southeastern.
• Junior center Shon Tupuola averaged 14.5 points and 12.2 rebounds per game for NAIA Saint Mary-of-the-Woods last season, playing a key role on a team that won regular-season and conference titles before beating nationally-ranked opponents in each of the first two rounds of the NAIA National Championship.
• Sophomore guard Nick Lombardi is in his second season in the program as a walk-on.
• Sophomore Tucker Tornatta was named to the Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Freshman Team in 2025 while playing at the University of Indianapolis.
• Freshman guard Sader Servilus averaged 18 points, five rebounds and four assists in 2024-25 for Fort Erie International Academy. He earned National Preparatory Association Defensive Player of the Year honors, helping his team to a 30-3 record.

Beacon Bits
Random facts on each Valpo player.

• #0 Rakim Chaney – Father Bo played high school basketball and went on to play at the junior college level at Parkland. Both his maternal and paternal grandfathers have been involved with high school basketball in the Chicagoland area over the years.
• #1 Justus McNair – Went to the same high school as Valpo head coach Roger Powell Jr. (Not at the same time, obviously.)
• #3 Brody Whitaker – Hopes to stay around sports in the future… Was teammates with Valpo's Tucker Tornatta last year at the University of Indianapolis.

• #4 Jayden Watson – Brother Elijah played five seasons of college basketball –two years at West Liberty University in West Virginia, two years at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. and one year (2024-25) at Northwood University in Midland, Mich.
• #5 Camden Webster – Loves going to the lake, wakeboarding, skiing, tubing, being outside, being in the water, listening to music and going to his grandmother's house. His eighth-grade team went to the Jan. 2, 2019 game when Valpo rallied from double figures down with less than two minutes remaining to beat Illinois State 58-56 on a half-court buzzer-beater by Markus Golder.
• #7 JT Pettigrew – Mother Bonnie Bremner-Pettegrew was an All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year during her volleyball career at Penn State, where she was the setter for a national championship team. His father Titcus Pettigrew played football and basketball for the Nittany Lions. His brother Trey also played college basketball and has made stops at Nevada, Bradley and Eastern Michigan.
• #10 Mark Brown Jr. – Older brother Brandon began his career in the JUCO ranks at Phoenix College, where he won a national title as a freshman and lost in the semifinals as a sophomore before going on to play two seasons at the NCAA Division-I level at Loyola Marymount… Mark enjoys clothing and putting on outfits in his spare time. He also likes sightseeing and going on adventures.
• #11 Isaiah Barnes – Older brother Daniel played at Eastern Michigan (2008-09) and UIC (2010-13). He attended games at Valpo to watch Daniel play in the Valpo/UIC Horizon League matchups. He enjoys spending time with his dog. He graduated from Tulsa in 2025 with a degree in organizational study and is pursuing a master's degree at Valpo.
• #12 Owen Dease – Enjoys spending time with his daughter Cohen, who was born in 2024… Graduated from Texas A&M Corpus Christi in May 2025 with a degree in kinesiology/exercise science… Pursuing a master's degree at Valpo.
• #13 Carter Hopoi – Growing up, played various sports including soccer, cricket and volleyball.
• #15 Kobe Walker – Enjoys going to church, golfing and watching movies… Played AAU for Gavin Sullivan, who is close with Valpo legend Alec Peters.
• #20 Joe Vick – Son of Julie Vick, the administrative assistant for the Valpo men's and women's basketball programs.
• #22 Kyonte Thomas – Favorite hobby is bowling with a top score of 278… Graduated with a degree in business management and is pursuing a master's in sports administration at Valpo.
• #23 Shon Tupuola – Was a boy scout as a child and enjoys being outdoors including water rafting, extreme downhill biking and four-wheeling. He also enjoys amusement parks and hopes to at some point try skydiving.
• #32 Nick Lombardi – Is interested in pursuing a career as a play-by-play sports broadcaster and is a huge fan of sports cars.
• #35 Tucker Tornatta – Has been watching the Missouri Valley Conference since he was a kid going to games at the University of Evansville… Enjoys playing golf, watching NBA games and swimming in his spare time.
• #44 Sader Servilus – Enjoys watching Anime… Originally played soccer as a child, but transitioned to basketball because all of his cousins were playing the sport.

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things

• Favorite Song
  • Shon Tupuola – Into You by Tamia
  • Tucker Tornatta – Any songs by Drake
  • Carter Hopoi – Locked Out of Heaven by Bruno Mars
  • Rakim Chaney – Freestyle by Ra Lee
  • Camden Webster – Free by Zac Brown
  • JT Pettigrew – All Mine by Brent Faiyaz
  • Owen Dease – Do U by G Herbo
  • Isaiah Barnes – One Blood by G Herbo
  • Justus McNair – Greece or Sweden by No Cap
  • Nick Lombardi – Pocketful of Sunshine by Natasha Bedingfield
  • Jayden Watson – Greece or Sweden by No Cap
  • Joe Vick – Nights Like This by Kehlani
  • Brody Whitaker – Lying 4 Fun by Yeat
  • Mark Brown Jr. – Night Time by YoungBoy
• Favorite Movie
  • Shon Tupuola – Harry Potter
  • Tucker Tornatta – Creed
  • Kobe Walker – Love & Basketball
  • Sader Servilus – The Dark Knight
  • Carter Hopoi – How to Train a Dragon
  • Rakim Chaney – Love & Basketball
  • Camden Webster – Hannah Montana The Movie
  • JT Pettigrew – Inception
  • Owen Dease – Toy Story
  • Isaiah Barnes – Juice
  • Justus McNair – Coach Carter
  • Nick Lombardi – Casino Royale
  • Jayden Watson – The Dark Knight
  • Joe Vick – Captain America: Winter Soldier
  • Brody Whitaker – Iron Man
  • Mark Brown Jr. – Above The Rim
• Dream Vacation or Favorite Summer Destination
  • Shon Tupuola – Antarctica
  • Tucker Tornatta – Florida
  • Kobe Walker – Italy
  • Sader Servilus – Montreal
  • Carter Hopoi – Japan
  • Rakim Chaney – Dubai
  • Camden Webster – Panama City Beach, Fla.
  • JT Pettigrew – Japan
  • Owen Dease – Hawaii
  • Isaiah Barnes – Paris
  • Justus McNair – Tampa, Fla.
  • Nick Lombardi – Florida
  • Jayden Watson – Bora Bora
  • Joe Vick – Hawaii
  • Brody Whitaker – Bora Bora
  • Mark Brown Jr. – Dubai
• Favorite Dish
  • Shon Tupuola – Chicken Bacon Alfredo
  • Tucker Tornatta – Chicken
  • Kobe Walker – Pizza
  • Sader Servilus – My Mom's Food
  • Carter Hopoi – Sushi
  • Rakim Chaney – My Mom's Mac 'n Cheese
  • Camden Webster – Steak
  • JT Pettigrew – Salmon
  • Owen Dease – Soul Food
  • Isaiah Barnes – Sea Food
  • Justus McNair – Steak Tacos
  • Nick Lombardi – Steak
  • Jayden Watson – Shrimp
  • Joe Vick – Chocolate Chip Pancakes
  • Brody Whitaker – Steak
  • Mark Brown Jr. – Salmon
• Favorite Sports Team
  • Shon Tupuola – Philadelphia 76ers
  • Tucker Tornatta – OKC Thunder
  • Kobe Walker – Golden State Warriors
  • Sader Servilus – Golden State Warriors
  • Carter Hopoi – Arsenal F.C.
  • Rakim Chaney – Houston Rockets
  • Camden Webster – Green Bay Packers
  • JT Pettigrew – Chicago Bulls
  • Owen Dease – Indiana Pacers
  • Isaiah Barnes – Los Angeles Lakers
  • Justus McNair – Los Angeles Lakers
  • Nick Lombardi – Chicago Cubs
  • Jayden Watson – Chicago Bears
  • Joe Vick – Portland Trailblazers
  • Mark Brown Jr. – Arizona Cardinals

Inside the Assistants

• Assistant coach Pat Baldwin brings head coaching experience to the staff as he spent five seasons at the helm at Milwaukee before serving as an assistant coach under Patrick Ewing at Georgetown during the 2022-23 season. He also worked under Chris Collins as an assistant during a successful run at Northwestern, so he has stops in the Big Ten and Big East to go along with head coaching experience. This marks his third season on Valpo's staff.
• Assistant coach Matt Gordon spent two years in the Big 12 Conference at Oklahoma as Director of Recruiting and Special Assistant to head coach Porter Moser. He joined Moser in Norman, Okla. after they previously worked together for a decade at Loyola. Gordon knows what it takes to win in the Missouri Valley Conference as he played a key role in a turnaround that saw the Ramblers post a 156-80 (.661) record during his seven seasons as an assistant coach. He helped the team to two Sweet Sixteen appearances in a four-year period including a historic run to the Final Four. This marks his third season on Valpo's staff.
• Assistant coach Jesse McClung is in his first year on staff after a successful two-year run as the head coach at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, where he posted a 53-15 overall record and a 30-4 mark in River States Conference (RSC) play in a two-year stint leading the Pomeroys program. Under his leadership, SMWC made back-to-back NAIA men's basketball national championship appearances, the only two in school history, highlighted by a Round of 16 appearance. He was named the 2024 RSC Coach of the Year.
• Assistant coach/General Manager Quintin Garrison served as the associate head coach at Trinity International University from 2018-2023. He was promoted to his current position prior to the 2025-26 seasons after spending two years as Special Assistant to the Head Coach.
• Recruiting & Player Development Coach Lavonte Dority is in his first season on the coaching staff at his alma mater, where he finished his collegiate playing career in 2014. He was head coach Roger Powell Jr.'s first recruit during Powell's first stint on Valpo's coaching staff. He played professionally for eight years in Europe and prior to joining Valpo's staff, he worked with Adidas Basketball. Dority was the 2012-13 Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year, earned first-team all-league honors in 2013-14 and garnered All-District 12 Second Team status that season. He was part of the 2013 Horizon League championship team and was a senior on a young team in 2013-14 that featured Alec Peters as a freshman.
• Assistant Player Development Coach Sean Taylor served as SIUE's graduate assistant/video coordinator from August 2021 to May 2023. He is in his third season on staff.
• Creative content guru Jacob Lindsey (third season) and former Valpo football and basketball player Anthony Sciarroni (first season) serve as the program's graduate assistants.
• Seamus Glennon is in his second season as the team's sport performance coach. He previously served as a strength & conditioning assistant for the VCU men's basketball program, a position he held for the last two seasons. He also spent time at Temple and Clemson.
• Caleb Moreau is in his first season as the team's athletic trainer. He earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiology from Virginia in 2023 before going on to earn his master's in athletic training from Virginia in May 2025.

Tradition of Excellence

• Valpo has 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT berths in the program's proud history, with the team's postseason success highlighted by a Sweet Sixteen run in 1998.
• The program has produced nine All-Americans, won 15 regular season conference championships and 10 conference tournament crowns.
• Valpo also boasts eight NBA players, 10 conference players of the year and 20 20-win seasons.
• Nine of the team's NCAA appearances have come since 1996.
• Valpo has developed a myriad of professional basketball players over the last quarter century, most notably a pair of recent NBA players. Ryan Broekhoff (class of 2013) signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2018 after spending five seasons playing internationally in Russia and Turkey. Alec Peters (class of 2017) was the 54th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Peters appeared in 20 games for the Suns in 2017-18, highlighted by a 36-point performance in the season finale against Dallas – a new single-game high by a Valpo alum in the NBA. He has gone on to a successful career overseas with CSKA Moscow (2018-2019), Anadolu Efes (2019-2020) and Kirolbet Baskonia (2020-2022) and Olympiacos (2022-present). 
• Valpo has produced over 50 professional players in the last three decades.