Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men's basketball team seeks its third win in the last four games on Saturday night as the Beacons visit Southern Illinois to close out the second-to-last week of the regular season. Valpo is currently 11^th in the Missouri Valley Conference standings and a win on Saturday would open the door for the Brown & Gold to catch the Salukis, who are tied for ninth with Indiana State. SIU is just one game behind a four-way tie for fifth in a tightly-packed middle of the pack.  
 
Last Time Out: The Beacons overcame a double-digit deficit, rallying to beat Missouri State 66-64 despite trailing by nine with just 6:38 remaining. All Wright scored 22 of his game-high 24 points after halftime including the game-winning layup with two seconds on the clock. He went 6-of-11 and 3-of-5 from 3 after the break, tallying 20 points in the final 11:06 and 16 in the final 6:20. Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro had 16 points, while Cooper Schwieger turned in 16 points, seven rebounds and five blocks.
 
Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Joey Lindstrom (play-by-play) and Jamaal Tatum (analyst)
Radio – WVUR 95.1 FM Valparaiso, TuneIn Radio App, ValpoAthletics.com – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Brandon Vickrey (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. (19-41) is in his second 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.
 
Series Notes: Southern Illinois holds an 11-7 lead in a series that dates back to 1929. SIU has won seven straight head-to-head matchups with Valpo's last victory coming 66-65 in Carbondale on Feb. 21, 2021. Valpo is 5-9 against SIU since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. The Salukis won 77-68 at the ARC and 75-69 in Carbondale last season.
 
Jan. 28 – Southern Illinois 79, Valpo 75: Valpo led by as many as 11 in the second half and held a nine-point lead with 4:41 remaining, but visiting Southern Illinois rallied late to beat the Beacons 79-75 last month at the Athletics-Recreation Center. All Wright led all scorers with 22 points, while Cooper Schwieger (13) and Tyler Schmidt (10) also tallied double figures. Kaspar Sepp turned in nine points, four rebounds and four assists. Valpo outscored SIU 30-9 from 3-point territory but was outscored 46-26 in the paint. The Beacons held the lead for 31 of the game's 40 minutes.

With a Win on Saturday at Southern Illinois, Valpo Would…

• Pick up its 13^th victory of the season, moving to within one of doubling last year's overall win total of seven.
• Garner its sixth Missouri Valley Conference win of the year, doubling last season's league win total of three.
• Snap a seven-game head-to-head losing streak to Southern Illinois.
• Surpass the team's 2022-23 conference win total of five and tie with 2021-22 for the team's highest MVC win total over the last four years.

More Last-Second Heroics

• All Wright's game-winning layup with two seconds remaining on Feb. 19 vs. Missouri State marked the second time this season that a Valpo player hit a game-winner in the final five seconds, joining Justus McNair's buzzer-beater on Dec. 20 at Western Michigan.
• The last time Valpo had two last second game-winners in the same season was 2019-20, a year that was bookended by Javon Freeman-Liberty's heroics on opening night vs. Toledo and Eron Gordon's game-winner vs. Loyola in the MVC Tournament quarterfinal.
• This marks Valpo's 24^th game-winner in the final five seconds since the start of the 1992-93 season. A full list can be found below.

Valpo Basketball Game-Winning Shots in Final Five Seconds
Date                Player                          Opponent        Score
2/19/25            All Wright                  Missouri St      W 68-64
12/20/24          Justus McNair*           at WMU          W 76-73
11/27/22          Nick Edwards             v. James Mad. W 81-79(ot)
3/6/20              Eron Gordon               v. Loyola         W 73-73(ot)
11/5/19            Javon Freeman-Liberty Toledo          W 79-77
1/2/19              Markus Golder*          Illinois State    W 58-56
2/28/16            Shane Hammink         at Green Bay   W 70-68
3/9/13              Ryan Broekhoff*        Green Bay       W 70-69
11/20/12          Kevin Van Wijk         at Kent State   W 88-83(ot)
1/6/12              Erik Buggs*                at Detroit         W 73-71
12/31/09          Brandon McPherson   Milwaukee      W 55-54
3/1/08              Shawn Huff                 Wright St        W 75-73(ot)
2/1/07              Shawn Huff                 Oral Roberts   W 70-67(ot)
1/24/02            Lubos Barton              at IUPUI          W 74-73(ot)
2/12/00            Ivan Vujic                   Oral Roberts   W 60-59
1/11/99            Greg Tonagel*            Belmont          W 71-68
12/5/98            Lubos Barton              UMKC W 66-63
3/13/98            Bryce Drew*               v. Ole Miss      W 70-69
11/17/98          Bryce Drew*               Buffalo            W 82-80
1/4/98              Bill Jenkins                 Northeastern Ill. W 72-69
11/30/97          Jamie Sykes*              v. Pacific         W 75-73
1/11/97            Bob Jenkins                at Northeastern Ill. W 82-80
11/13/96          Craig Brunes               at CCSU          W 79-76
3/1/93              Lance Barker              at Western Ill. W 104-100(ot)
*-true buzzer-beater (no time on clock)
 
An All Wright Second Half

• Freshman All Wright's game-winning layup to lift Valpo past Missouri State 66-64 on Feb. 19 capped an evening where he scored 22 of his game-high 24 points after halftime, including 20 points in the final 11:06 and 16 in the final 6:20.
• The 22 points in a half were the most by a Valpo player since Isaiah Stafford had 23 in the first half on Nov. 17 of last season at Illinois.
• Wright's 22-point second half was the most by a Valpo player after halftime since Javon Freeman-Liberty had 23 on March 7, 2020 in the MVC Tournament semifinal vs. Missouri State.
• Wright's 22-point half was the highest scoring half by a Valpo freshman in at least 20 years.
• Wright's 16 points in the final seven minutes were the most by a Valpo player in the final seven minutes of a game since Jarryd Loyd had 16 in the final seven minutes on March 8, 2008 and 18 in the final 7:11 on March 8, 2008, a 78-73 loss to Cleveland State in the Horizon League semifinals.  

Brooms Against Bears

• Valpo's 66-64 win over Missouri State on Feb. 19 at the ARC secured a season sweep of the Bears after the Beacons entered this season on a nine-game head-to-head losing streak. The Beacons won the two tightly-contested games by a total of three points.
• This marked the first (and last with Missouri State joining Conference USA next season) time that Valpo swept a two-game regular-season conference series from Missouri State.
• This was the 14^th time that Valpo and Missouri State have engaged in a regular-season conference home-and-home including both the program's time sharing Association of Mid-Continent Universities (AMCU) conference affiliation from 1982-1990 and Missouri Valley Conference affiliation from 2017-2025.
• In the first 13 of those home-and-homes, there were eight Missouri State sweeps and five splits.
• This marked the 16^th season in which Valpo and Missouri State have shared conference affiliation as they met only once in the regular season in two seasons – 1982-83 and 2022-23. Valpo lost the lone matchup in those two years, so this marked the first time in 16 seasons that Valpo won the regular-season series against Missouri State after previously losing the series 10 times and splitting it on five occasions.

Winning the Close Ones

• With the 66-64 win over Missouri State on Nov. 19, Valpo improved to 4-0 this season in games decided by three points or fewer (at Western Michigan, at Missouri State, vs. Indiana State, vs. Missouri State).
• Including last season's three-point win over Illinois State, Valpo has won five straight games decided by three points or fewer.
• Prior to this current streak, the program endured a seven-game losing streak in games decided by three points or fewer.

Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 19: Valpo 66, Missouri State 64

• Valpo picked up its 12^th win of the season, surpassing the 2022-23 win total of 11 for the team's highest overall win total in the last three seasons.
• Valpo rallied from double figures down, the team's first such comeback since Dec. 20 at Western Michigan. This marked the first time the Beacons overcame a double-figure deficit for a conference win since Jan. 20, 2024 vs. UIC.
• Thanks to his game-high 24 points including 22 after halftime, All Wright has scored 17 points or more in six of his last seven and at least 20 points in five of those seven contests.
• Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro scored 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting. He has scored 16 points or more in three of the last four.
• Cooper Schwieger posted 16 points and seven rebounds while blocking five shots, tying a career best set on Jan. 11 of this season at Missouri State. He became the first Valpo player with a 16-point, seven-rebound, five-block game since Derrik Smits on Nov. 24, 2018 at West Virginia.
• Schwieger, who went 5-of-9 from the field, scored 12 points or more for the 19^th straight game.
• Valpo went 24-of-31 (77.4) percent at the free-throw line and shot 40.4 percent from the floor. Valpo scuffled from 3 at 4-of-19 (21.1 percent) but held Missouri State to 5-of-23 (21.7 percent) from beyond the arc.
• Valpo had lost 25 straight games when shooting below 22 percent from 3, dating back to a 58-55 win over Evansville in the first round of Arch Madness on March 5, 2020, a game where Valpo was 0-of-10 from 3.
• This marked the 18^th time this season that Valpo had 10 turnovers or fewer. Five marked the team's fewest since four on Nov. 27 vs. Northern Illinois. This was Valpo's lowest turnover total in a Missouri Valley Conference game since five on Feb. 6, 2021 vs. No. 25 Drake.
• Valpo had its lowest point total in a win since last season's 59-50 victory at Illinois State, snapping an 11-game skid when scoring 66 points or fewer.
• Valpo led for just 5:13, but thankfully that included when the final horn sounded.

Schwieger The Shot Blocker

• Cooper Schwieger ranks second in the league and 28^th nationally in total blocks with 49 and second in the league and 38^th nationally in blocks per game at 1.75.
• Evansville's Connor Turbull leads the MVC with 53 blocks (1.89 per game).
• Schwieger moved into 10^th in program history for career blocked shots on Feb. 19 vs. Missouri State, surpassing current member of the Valpo coaching staff Lubos Barton (1998-02, 74).
• Schwieger finished the day with 77 career blocks. He has 49 this season, two away from climbing into the program's single-season top 10. Zoran Viskovic is 10^th with 51.
• Schwieger has turned away three shots or more in a game eight times this season. He has had multiple blocked shots in three straight games.

Valpo Career Blocked Shots – No. 6-10
Rank    Player                          Years               Blocks
6          Jaume Sorolla             2016-19           95
7          Harry Bell                   1984-88           94
8          Morris Smith               1979-81           90
9          Antti Nikkila               1999-03           84
10        Cooper Schwieger      2023-pres.       77
 
Valpo Single-Season Blocked Shots – No. 6-10
Rank    Player                          Year                Blocks
6          Vashil Fernandez        2013-14           58
7          Raitis Grafs                 2002-03           57
            Mohamed Kone          2005-06           57
9          Joaquim Gomes          2003-04           54
10        Zoran Viskovic           1998-99           51
NR       Cooper Schwieger      2024-25           49
Overcoming A Rebounding Deficit

• Valpo defeated Missouri State 66-64 on Feb. 19 despite being outrebounded 44-26.
• The team's -18 showing on the glass was a season worst and the team's worst since -21 in a 101-61 loss at Indiana State on Feb. 7 of last season.
• The -18 rebounding margin was the largest rebound deficit that Valpo has overcome to win on record, going back 35+ years.

Going Back-to-Back?

• If All Wright is named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year, he would become the second straight Valpo player to earn the award after Cooper Schwieger did so a year ago.
• This would mark just the third time since the award began in 1986 that a school would have back-to-back MVC Freshmen of the Year. Wichita State's Markis McDuffie (2016) and Landry Shamet (2017) are the most recent duo to go back-to-back. Before that, it was Southern Illinois' Tony Harvey (1989) and Ashraf Amaya (1990).

Wright on Freshman Charts

• All Wright has scored 381 points this season, the 13^th most by a freshman nationally and fifth-most by a mid-major freshman.
• Wright has surpassed Javon Freeman-Liberty for fifth on the Valpo freshman single-season scoring list, which can be found below.
• Wright ranks 16^th in points by a Missouri Valley Conference freshman since the year 2000. He is 19 points away from becoming the 27^th freshman in Missouri Valley Conference history to reach 400 points.

Valpo Single-Season Freshman Scoring List
Rank   Player                         Year                Points
1          Lubos Barton              1998-99           441
2          Alec Peters                  2013-14           433
3          Cooper Schwieger      2023-24           409
4          Larry Dougherty         1984-85           397
5          All Wright                 2024-25           381
All Wright Leads Valley Freshmen

• Valpo freshman All Wright is averaging 15.2 points per game in league play, narrowly behind Evansville's Gabriel Pozzato at 15.4 points per game for the league lead among rookies. Pozzato missed six league games with an injury.
• Wright leads MVC freshmen with 67 assists.

• Wright is shooting at a higher percentage than Pozzato from both the 3-point arc and a free-throw line in league play. Wright holds a 3-point percentage of 34.4 to Pozzato's 30.5 in league play, while Wright is shooting 82.5 percent from the free-throw line to Pozzato's 76.5 percent.
• No Valley rookie has scored more points than Wright, who has scored 381 points on the season. 
• Wright's overall scoring average of 13.6 is on pace to be the highest by a Valpo freshman since Lubos Barton's 13.8 in 1998-99.
• In the last 30 seasons, Valpo has had eight freshmen finish the season with a double-figure scoring average – Bryce Drew (13.4 ppg, 1994-95), Milo Stovall (10.6 ppg, 1998-99), Lubos Barton (13.8 ppg, 1998-99), Samuel Haanpaa (12.0 ppg, 2006-07), Alec Peters (12.7 ppg, 2013-14), Tevonn Walker (10.3 ppg, 2014-15), Javon Freeman-Liberty (11.0 ppg, 2018-19) and Cooper Schwieger (13.2 ppg, 2023-24).

Low Turnovers, High FT%

• Valpo's strongest categories this season have been avoiding turnovers and knocking down free throws. Valpo is one of four teams in the country shooting 79 percent at the free-throw line and turning it over 10.5 times per game or fewer, joining Wisconsin, Gonzaga and Villanova.
• Valpo has won or tied the turnover battle in 21 out of 28 games this season and has 18 games with 10 turnovers or fewer.
• The Beacons are averaging just 10.1 turnovers per game, the fewest in the MVC and 29^th fewest nationally. They rank second in the league in turnover margin at +1.9 per game.
• Valpo is shooting 79.1 percent at the free-throw line this season, first in the MVC and 10th nationally. The Beacons make an average of 17.0 free throws per game, first in the MVC and 20^th nationally.
• Valpo has posted a better free-throw percentage than its opponent in 20 out of 28 games this season.
• The modern program record for team single-season free-throw percentage is 77.5 percent in 2016-17 followed by 77.4 percent in 1992-93.
• The modern program record for turnovers per game is last season at 11.0.

Coop Can Hoop

• Cooper Schwieger has been incredibly consistent for the majority of the season, tallying 12 points or more in 19 straight games.
• Schwieger's rebounding average of 7.5 per game is Valpo's highest since Alec Peters' 10.1 in 2016-17.
• Schwieger's rare combination of positive attributes includes free-throw shooting and shot blocking. He is the only player in the country shooting 84 percent or better at the free-throw line (among qualifiers) and blocking at least one shot per game.
• Schwieger's free-throw percentage of .843 ranks first nationally among those 6-foot-10 or taller, ahead of North Dakota State's Jacksen Moni at .837. Schwieger's current single-season free-throw percentage ranks tied first in Missouri Valley Conference history among those 6-foot-9 or taller. Ben Krikke's 2021-22 season for Valpo at .843 is tied with Schwieger and Larry Bird's 1976-77 season for Indiana State at .840 is third.
• The last Missouri Valley Conference player to finish a season shooting above 85 percent at the free-throw line (minimum 50 attempts) and averaging at least 1.0 blocks per game was Illinois State's Sean Riley in 1998-99.
• Schwieger's free-throw percentage is tied with Ben Krikke in 2021-22 for the best by a Valpo player since Alec Peters shot 88.7 percent from the line in 2016-17.
• Schwieger has scored 825 points combined over the last two seasons, second in the Missouri Valley Conference in that time span behind Bradley's Duke Deen (873). He has 377 rebounds over the last two seasons, the third most among MVC players in that time behind UNI's Tytan Anderson (417) and Bradley's Darius Hannah (379).
• Schwieger ranks 10th in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring (14.9 ppg), second in rebounding (7.5 rpg) and second in blocked shots (1.75 bpg). He's the only player in the league averaging at least 14 points, seven rebounds and one block per game.
• In league-only games, Schwieger ranks ninth in the league in scoring (15.3), second in rebounding (7.1) and second in blocked shots (1.94).
• Schwieger is one of four sophomores nationally averaging at least 14 points, seven rebounds and one block, joining South Carolina's Collin Murray-Boyles, Texas Tech's JT Toppin and Robert Morris' Alvaro Folgueiras.
• The last Missouri Valley Conference player to finish a season averaging at least 14 points, seven rebounds and one block was Missouri State's Gaige Prim in 2021-22. The last Valley underclassman (freshman or sophomore) to do so was Drake's Liam Robbins in 2019-20.

Sophomore Scoring

• Cooper Schwieger ranks ninth in program history in points by a sophomore.
• Five of the eight sophomores in front of him are Valpo Athletics Hall of Famers, plus a sixth (Alec Peters) who will go into the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame in the coming years.
• Schwieger ranks fourth in program history for total points as a freshman and sophomore, behind only Alec Peters, Javon Freeman-Liberty and Bryce Drew, all of whom went on to play in the NBA.  

Valpo Single-Season Sophomore Scoring List
Rank    Player                                      Year                Points
1          Javon Freeman-Liberty          2019-20           628
2          Alec Peters                              2014-15           570
3          Brandon Wood                       2009-10           565
4          Bryce Drew                             1995-96           551
5          Dave Redmon                         1992-93           509
6          Dan Oppland                           2003-04           486
7          Raitis Grafs                             2000-01           441
8          Tracy Gipson                          1990-91           438
9          Cooper Schwieger                 2024-25           416
10        Jeff Simmons                          1979-80           413
 
Valpo Career Points Through Sophomore Season
Rank    Player                          Years               Points
1          Alec Peters                  2013-15           1,003
2          Javon Freeman-Liberty 2018-20        992
3          Bryce Drew                 1994-96           912
4          Cooper Schwieger     2022-2025       825
5          Lubos Barton              1998-99           778
 
DeAveiro Climbs All-Time Assist List  

• Senior point guard Darius DeAveiro moved up three spots on the program's all-time assists list in the Feb. 16 game at Evansville. He climbed over Jamie Sykes (1993-98, 359), Scott Anselm (1985-89, 360) and Lubos Barton (1998-02, 360), jumping from 10^th to seventh in program history.
• DeAveiro is up to 364 assists for his career. The next threshold is 368 to tie Todd Smith (1985-89) for sixth in program lore. 
• The Canada native finished last season second in the MVC and 30th nationally with 170 assists and ranked second in the MVC and 36th nationally in assists per game at 5.3.
• DeAveiro is coming off a junior season where he dished out 170 assists, the third-most in a single season in program history behind only John McIlvain (197, 1982-83) and Ali Berdiel (185, 2003-04).  

Valpo Career Assists – No. 5-10
Rank    Player                          Years               Assists
5          Jarryd Loyd                 2004-08           405
6          Todd Smith                 1985-89           368
7          Darius DeAveiro         2021-pres.       364
8          Lubos Barton              1998-02           360
            Scott Anselm              1985-89           360
10        Jamie Sykes                1993-98           359
 
Scouting the Salukis

• Picked to finish seventh of 12 in the MVC preseason poll.
• Currently tied for ninth in the MVC standings, two games ahead of 11^th-place Valpo.
• Ranked 183 in KenPom and 192 in the NET.
• On a three-game losing streak including Wednesday's 62-60 loss to Murray State.
• Had won four out of five before the recent skid.
• Led in scoring by Ali Dibba at 16.8 points per game.

20 or More Sounds All Wright 

• Valpo freshman All Wright reached 20 points for the fifth time in the last seven games on Feb. 19 vs. Missouri State. He also had 20 vs. Belmont, 22 vs. SIU, 20 at Illinois State and 32 at Indiana State during this current stretch.
• Wright has scored 20+ points eight times this season, with the others coming on Dec. 14 vs. Central Michigan (26), Dec. 17 at Ohio State (22) and Jan. 8 vs. Indiana State (25).
• Wright is the lone freshman in the league with at least eight 20-point performances. He is one of six players in the league with eight or more 20-point games, joining some of the Valley's top players on that list – Drake's Bennett Stirtz, Indiana State's Samage Teel, SIU's Ali Dibba, Illinois State's Chase Walker and Evansville Tayshawn Comer.

Rookie Rewards

• All Wright has been named the MVC Freshman of the Week five times this season – Dec. 2, Dec. 16, Jan. 6, Feb. 10 and most recently Feb. 17. Wright is the league's only five-time honoree for that award this season.
• Valpo players have won that award six times in 2024-25 and 12 times since head coach Roger Powell Jr. arrived at Valpo prior to the 2023-24 campaign.
• Justus McNair was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week on Nov. 26 after averaging 9.5 points per game, going 6-of-11 (54.5 percent) from the field and going 5-of-8 (62.5 percent) from 3 as Valpo went 2-0 against Lindenwood (Nov. 21) and Eastern Illinois (Nov. 24). His biggest showing came in the Nov. 24 game against the Panthers, as he poured in 16 points and made four 3s to help Valpo to a 28-point win

Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 16: Evansville 79, Valpo 69

• All Wright scored 17 points or more for the fifth time in six games, finishing with 17. He moved to 9-for-9 at the free-throw line over the last two games.
• Cooper Schwieger scored a dozen or more for the 18^th straight game, finishing with 13 points.
• Darius DeAveiro scored 10 points, his first double-figure scoring output in the last 10 games. He tied a career high with seven rebounds and handed out five assists, lifting his career total to 363, surpassing Scott Anselm, Lubos Barton and Jamie Sykes to move into seventh on the program's career assists list.
• DeAveiro became the first Valpo player to record at least 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists since he did so on Dec. 29, 2023 at Elon. He became the first Valpo player to do so in league play since Ben Krikke on Jan. 25, 2023 at UNI.
• Isaiah Shaw totaled 14 points, his highest output since 15 on Dec. 5 vs. Drake. The redshirt sophomore went 5-of-8 from the field against the Aces and drained two of his three 3-point attempts.
• The free-throw line remained a Valpo specialty, as the Beacons went 16-of-17 (94.1 percent) at the stripe. From 2004-2024, Valpo shot better than 94 percent with at least 17 free-throw attempts five times total in a 20-year span. Now, the Beacons have done so in back-to-back games against Belmont and Evansville.
• After shooting 55.6 percent from the field in the first half (6-of-13 from 3), Valpo cooled to 26.7 percent after halftime (1-of-10 from 3).
• Connor Turbull led Evansville with 27 points on 12-of-15 shooting.
• Evansville had slim edges in the rebounding battle (32-29) and turnover battle (11-10), but it was the shooting numbers that told the tale, as the Aces went 50 percent from the floor for the game.

Basketball 101

• The Beacons cracked triple digits in a 101-86 victory over Belmont on Feb. 12. The 101 points eclipsed 98 on Jan. 8 of this season vs. Indiana State as Valpo's highest point total in a Missouri Valley Conference game since joining the league.
• The aforementioned game against the Sycamores went to overtime, so before Wednesday Valpo's highest point total in regulation in league play since joining The Valley was 90 on Feb. 22, 2020 vs. Bradley.
• The Beacons posted their highest point total against a Division-I opponent since a 117-108 triple-overtime loss to Mercer on Nov. 11, 2013.
• This marked Valpo's first time scoring 100+ points against a Division-I opponent in regulation since 103 on Dec. 21, 2010 at Oakland.
• This was Valpo's first time scoring 100 points in league play since Feb. 7, 2002, a 100-63 win over Chicago State in Mid-Continent Conference action. This marked the team's highest point total in league play since Jan. 31, 1998, a 102-74 Mid-Con victory at Chicago State.
• The 101 points were the most allowed by Belmont since Dec. 15, 2004, a 107-76 loss at UAB.
• The 15-point win was Valpo's largest margin of victory in league play since a 71-51 win at Illinois State on Jan. 21, 2023.
• Valpo became the second Missouri Valley Conference team to eclipse 100 points in a league game this season, joining Bradley (118 on Jan. 15 vs. Indiana State).

Valpo Highest Scoring Outputs vs. D-I Opponents in Program History
Rank    Date                Opponent                    Score
1          3/3/1996          vs. Chicago State        W 118-83
2          11/29/2013      Mercer                        L 117-108
3          1/7/2006          Longwood                   W 105-73
T-4      12/2/1998        Norfolk State              W 104-69
T-4      1/15/1996        at Troy State               L 115-104
T-4      1/9/1995          Chicago State              W 104-68
T-4      3/1/1993          at Western Illinois      W 104-100
T-4      2/6/1989          at Butler                      W 104-83
9          12/21/2010      at Oakland                   W 103-102
T-10    1/31/1998        at Chicago State          W 102-74
T-10    2/8/1997          Northeastern Illinois   W 102-84
T-10    2/10/1996        Troy State                   W 102-92
T-13    2/12/2025        Belmont                      W 101-86
T-13    2/6/1993          at UIC                         W 101-94
 
27, 13 & 3

• Cooper Schwieger posted a season-high 27 points and 13 rebounds in the Feb. 12 win over Belmont. He became the first Valpo player with at least 27 points and 13 rebounds in a game since Javon Freeman-Liberty (30&13) on Nov. 12, 2019 at SIUE. Schwieger became the first to do it in league play since Alec Peters (39&14) on Jan. 10, 2016 at Detroit Mercy.
• In the last 20 years, only Schwieger, Freeman-Liberty, Peters (x4) and recent Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame inductee Dan Oppland (27&16 on Feb. 17, 2005 vs. Southern Utah) have boasted games with at least 27 points and 13 boards.
• Schwieger also rejected three shots, becoming the first Valpo player with a 27-point, 13-rebound, three-block performance in at least 35 years, probably ever. He became just the eighth player in the country to post such a stat line this season and the first Missouri Valley Conference player to do so since Illinois State's Sy Chatman (29-13-4) on Nov. 12, 2021 at Eastern Michigan.
• Schwieger's 27 points in that game marked a season high, topping his previous best of 23, and were one shy of a career high set on March 3, 2024 vs. Illinois State.

Double-Doubles Galore

• Cooper Schwieger's double-double on Feb. 12 vs. Belmont was his third straight, seventh this season and ninth in his collegiate career.
• Schwieger is the first Valpo player with three straight double-doubles since Alec Peters posted four consecutively in January 2017.
• The Kansas native is tied for the Missouri Valley Conference lead in double-doubles this season with UIC's Sasa Ciani.
• Schwieger is up to nine career double-doubles, the most career double-doubles by a Valpo player since Alec Peters had 37.
• Schwieger's single-season double-double total of seven is the most since Peters had 16 in his injury-shortened 2016-17 campaign.
• Peters had seven career double-doubles at the end of his sophomore campaign, a total that Schwieger has surpassed over his first two seasons. Schwieger's nine double-doubles are the most by a Valpo player as a freshman and/or sophomore since Uruel Igbavboa had nine as a sophomore in 2006-07.

Significant Wins

• 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. This marked the team's first win in the series since Dec. 3, 2015, a 61-57 nonconference triumph.
• With the victory over Belmont, Valpo surpassed its Missouri Valley Conference win total from last season with five games to spare.
• 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 (W 79-72, 2OT).
• With that Jan. 8 victory, Valpo beat the defending conference regular-season champions for the first time since Feb. 13, 2020, a 70-57 victory over UNI, and snapped a six-game losing streak against the defending MVC regular-season champs.
• The Beacons won 73-72 at Missouri State on Jan. 1, ending a nine-game head-to-head losing streak and beating 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 snapped a 15-game losing streak against teams picked to finish in the top two in the Missouri Valley Conference Preseason Poll.
• Valpo has 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.

Points in a Half

• Valpo racked up 56 first-half points on Jan. 12 vs. Belmont, the team's most points prior to halftime against a Division-I opponent since also having 56 points at the break on Jan. 7, 2006 vs. Longwood.
• However, the 56 points weren't even the most in a half by Valpo against a Division-I opponent this season, as Valpo tallied 57 after halftime in the Dec. 14 win over Central Michigan.
• The Beacons have scored 50+ points in a half five times this season – 60 in the second half vs. CCSJ, 57 in the second half vs. Central Michigan, 50 in the second half vs. Western Michigan, 63 in the first half vs. Concordia Ann Arbor and 56 in the first half vs. Belmont.

On the Rebound

• Not only was Valpo on the rebound on Feb. 12 vs. Belmont in the sense that the Beacons stopped a nine-game losing streak, but the team was literally on the rebound by owning a 35-25 edge on the glass.
• That came after Valpo had been outrebounded in six of the previous seven and 10 of the previous 12.
• The rebounding margin of +10 was the team's largest since +34 vs. CCSJ on Dec. 22 and largest against a Division-I opponent since +15 vs. Eastern Illinois on Nov. 24.
• This was Valpo's best rebounding margin in league play since +16 vs. UIC on Jan. 20 of last season.

Youthful Beacons

• In recent games, six players taking the court for Valpo are freshmen or sophomores in eligibility.
• In conference play, six of the team's top nine scorers are freshmen and sophomores. The team has gotten over 60 percent of its scoring in league games from players who are freshmen or sophomores in eligibility.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 12 – Valpo 101, Belmont 86

• The Beacons went 25-of-26 (96.2 percent) at the free-throw line, the team's best percentage with a minimum of 10 attempts since Jan. 2, 2022 vs. Illinois State (16-for-16). Valpo became just the sixth team nationally this season to shoot 96.2 percent or better from the stripe with a minimum of 25 attempts.
• Drake also went 25-of-26 at the free-throw line on March 3 of last season vs. Bradley. Prior to that, no MVC team had shot better than 96 percent at the stripe with 25 or more attempts since Wichita State on Nov. 15, 2012 vs. Western Carolina.
• Valpo shot 56.9 percent from the floor, the team's highest field-goal percentage against a Division-I opponent this season and highest against a D-I foe since Jan. 21, 2023 at Illinois State.
• The Beacons went 10-of-18 (55.6 percent) from 3, the team's highest 3-point percentage against a Division-I opponent since 56.3 percent on Jan. 21, 2023 at Illinois State.
• The last time Belmont visited the ARC, the Bruins returned to Nashville with a 96-78 win, so this marked a 33-point turnaround from that contest.
• Valpo moved the ball to the tune of 18 assists, a season high against a Division-I opponent. This marked the team's top total against D-I competition since 19 on Jan. 28, 2023 vs. Evansville.
• Valpo owned a 40-26 advantage in the paint and a 27-10 edge in bench points. The Beacons won the rebounding battle 35-25 and held a 10-9 edge in the turnover battle, committing 10 turnovers or fewer for the 17^th time in 26 games this season.
• In addition to Schwieger's aforementioned double-double, All Wright scored 20 points, his fourth effort of 20+ in the last five games and his seventh such game this season.
• De La Cruz Monegro finished with 19 points, 17 of which came in the first half. He has posted back-to-back games of 19 points or more.
• Tyler Schmidt was the fourth Beacon who scored in double figures, going 6-of-8 shooting for 16 points, his highest total in the last seven games.
• Darius DeAveiro dished out nine assists and committed no turnovers, his third career game with nine or more assists and no turnovers and first this season. He tied a season high in assists set on Nov. 21 vs. Lindenwood. DeAveiro finished at +22 in the plus-minus in 38 minutes of action.

Wright Records Known Freshman Record

• All Wright became the first Valpo freshman to score more than 30 points in a single game in at least 35 years and surpassed the known freshman single-game scoring record with his 32-point output on Feb. 5 at Indiana State.
• The previous known Valpo freshman record of 30 was shared by Raitis Grafs (Jan. 10, 2000 vs. Belmont) and Alec Peters (twice –Dec. 14, 2013 vs. Loyola Marymount; Nov. 20, 2013 at Evansville).
• Wright's 32 points were the most by a Missouri Valley Conference freshman since Bradley's Darrell Brown had 34 on Nov. 21, 2016 vs. Hofstra and marked the most by a Valley rookie in a league game since Indiana State's Marico Stinson had 37 on Dec. 30, 2006 vs. Drake.
• Wright's 32 points marked the highest by a Valpo player this season, and the most by any Beacon since Isaiah Stafford's 32 on Jan. 31, 2024 at Drake. Since the start of the 2011-12 season, only Wright, Stafford, Ben Krikke, Javon Freeman-Liberty, Alec Peters (x5) and LaVonte Dority have games of 32 points or more.
• Wright recorded the third-highest point total by any Missouri Valley Conference player this season and the second-highest in league play. UNI's Leon Bond III had 37 points on Dec. 16 vs. Montana and SIU's Ali Dibba had 33 at Belmont on Jan. 8.

Remembering Connie

• Valpo Athletics is mourning the loss of longtime Valpo men's basketball fan Connie Bretscher, who passed away at the age of 104 on Sunday, Jan. 19.
• The Valpo Family held a moment of silence prior to Saturday's game vs. Evansville to honor Connie's memory.
• Bretscher celebrated her 104^th birthday on Friday, Jan. 10. Bretscher, who has been battling illness over the last month, was not able to attend the game that week, but received two visits from Valpo head coach Roger Powell Jr. the week of her birthday.
• On Wednesday, Jan. 8, Powell visited prior to the game against Indiana State. The team beat the Sycamores 98-95 in overtime that evening, and the next day Powell returned with a game ball signed by the team to present to Connie, dedicating the victory to her.
• Connie graduated from Valpo in 1942 with a degree in music, earned a graduate degree in education in 1971 and took German classes at age 96 in 2016-17 in preparation for the Reformation trip to Germany.
• Powell's visit to Bretscher was highlighted on the NBC 5 Chicago news and WGN's "GN Sports" that evening.

Schmidt Surpasses 2,500

• Tyler Schmidt hit another career milestone on Jan. 18 vs. UIC as the fifth-year senior eclipsed 2,500 for his career, combined between NCAA and NAIA.
• Schmidt scored 2,267 points while appearing in 113 games at Olivet Nazarene over the last four years.
• Schmidt's 2,500^th point came as part of a 17-point performance in the Jan. 18 loss to the Flames.

Successful Nonconference

• Valpo closed out the nonconference portion of the schedule with a nonleague record of 7-4 (.636).
• This marked the team's best nonleague regular-season winning percentage in six years, since going 9-4 in 2017-18.
• The seven nonconference wins matched the program's full season win total from last season.

Valpo Regular-Season Nonleague Records By Year
Year                Record             Winning Percentage
2024-25           7-4                   .636
2023-24           4-7                   .364
2022-23           6-5                   .545
2021-22           7-6                   .538
2020-21           3-6                   .333
2019-20           7-6                   .538
2018-19           7-6                   .538
2017-18           9-4                   .692
 
Poetic Justus – Buzzer-Beating Beacons

• The Valpo basketball program has a long and storied tradition of last-second shots, the latest of which came from Justus McNair from nearly halfcourt to seal a 76-73 victory over Western Michigan on Dec. 20.
• McNair's game-winner was Valpo's first in the final five seconds since Nick Edwards drove to the basket for the game-winning layup in the closing seconds of an 81-79, overtime victory over James Madison on Nov. 17, 2022 in Savannah, Ga.
• This marked the program's 23^rd game-winner in the final five seconds since the start of the 1992-93 season.
• Although Edwards, Eron Gordon (2020 MVC Tournament vs. Loyola) and Javon Freeman-Liberty (2019 vs. Toledo) had game-winning shots in the closing seconds, there was time left on the clock in those instances. This marked Valpo's first true buzzer-beater since Markus Golder hit from 50 feet on Jan. 2, 2019 vs. Illinois State, capping a comeback from down 10 over the final two minutes.
• In the last 30 years of Valpo basketball, there have been eight true buzzer-beaters – Jamie Sykes, Bryce Drew (twice), Greg Tonagel, Erik Buggs, Ryan Broekhoff, Markus Golder and now Justus McNair.

Craziness in Kalamazoo

• The 22-point comeback to beat Western Michigan 76-73 after trailing 69-47 with 6:51 on the clock on Dec. 20 represented Valpo's biggest comeback since also rallying from 22 down on Jan. 17, 2013 at Detroit Mercy, an 89-88 win. In that one, the Titans' largest lead came with 17 minutes remaining, compared to just seven minutes remaining with Valpo facing a 22-point deficit against the Broncos.
• The 22-point rally tied for Valpo's largest comeback on record.
• According to NCAA Director of Media Coordination/Statistics David Worlock, Valpo pulled off the second-latest comeback in NCAA Division-I history when trailing by 22 points or more behind Milwaukee coming from 24 back with 6:26 left in March 2021 to beat Wright State in overtime. Valpo set the NCAA Division-I record for the latest comeback from 22 or more down to win in regulation. Valpo assistant coach Pat Baldwin was on the bench for both of the latest comebacks of 22 or more in NCAA history, as he was the head coach at Milwaukee for the aforementioned rally against Wright State.

• The surge tied for the third largest nationally this season behind only Arkansas State (27 vs. UAB) and Cal Poly (23 vs. Denver) and even with Radford (22 vs. Evansville). Valpo joined Radford as the only teams nationally this season to come from 22 or more down and win in regulation.
• The 22-point comeback also tied for the fifth largest in Missouri Valley Conference history and was the second largest by a Valley team since 2005. See below for more details.
• According to ESPN, Valpo had a win probability of 0.1 percent with under seven minutes remaining. KenPom was a bit more optimistic, giving the Beacons a 0.3 percent chance to win. This tied for the lowest win probability in a victory nationally this season according to KenPom, joining North Dakota State vs. Santa Clara and UTSA vs. Merrimack.

• Prior to the comeback for the ages against the Broncos, Valpo last erased a double-figure deficit to win on Jan. 20, 2024 vs. UIC (12). The team had not come from more than 15 down to win since March 6, 2020 in the MVC semifinal vs. Loyola (18).

Biggest Comebacks in Missouri Valley Conference History
Date                Team                           Opponent                    Largest Deficit             Final
1/27/77            New Mexico State      Bradley                       28                                117-109
3/6/05              Missouri State             SIU                              23                                65-61
1/27/01            Evansville                   Bradley                       23                                70-67(ot)
1/17/24            Bradley                       SIU                              23                                70-69
11/25/07          Missouri State             Winthrop                     22                                73-69
12/20/24          Valparaiso                   Western Michigan      22                                76-73
Going Viral

• Valpo men's basketball made SportsCenter's Top 10 plays for the second time this season on Dec. 20 when Justus McNair hit a buzzer-beater from nearly half court to lift the Beacons over Western Michigan 76-73. The play was featured at No. 1 on SportsCenter's Top 10 that evening.
• McNair's play and the 22-point comeback also received significant social-media buzz, as the play was featured prominently on the homepage of ESPN.com and was posted by the following social media accounts - @espn, @MarchMadnessMBB, @TheFieldof68, @mid_madness and more.
• The story was featured on Yahoo Sports, MSN, the Washington Post, TSN and more. Of course, we can't forget "The Victory Bell," which wrote about it here and here.
• The finish was highlighted prominently on the Friday night SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt that followed the highly-watched Notre Dame vs. Indiana College Football Playoff game. It was the first segment not related to Notre Dame vs. Indiana and was SVP's "Best Thing I Saw Today." The story was once again featured on the next edition of SportsCenter, SC Los Angeles, and finished that edition with the top play honors.
• The play was also all over Chicago newscasts, including GNSports on WGN-TV, the Friday night NBC 5 Chicago news and the Saturday morning NBC 5 Chicago news, hosted by former Valpo football and track & field student-athlete Patrick Fazio.

• That marked the second time this season that Valpo men's basketball has been featured on SportsCenter. Devon Ellis threw down a poster dunk with 6:33 left in the first half on Nov. 30 vs. Northern Illinois, a play that was featured on SportsCenter's Top 10 that evening as the No. 1 play of the day on the popular ESPN countdown.

• McNair's heroic shot marked the sixth time in the last five years that Valpo men's basketball has been featured on SportsCenter Top 10. Furthermore, Valpo Athletics has produced six #SCTop10 plays in the calendar year of 2024. See below for the full list.
• Valpo has been featured on #SCTop10 16 times spanning six sports since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017.

Player             Sport               Date                Opponent/Details
Leah Earnest   WBB               2/4                   buzzer-beater at UIC
Alex Ryan       Baseball          4/28                 robbed grand slam at UIC
Caron Tyler    Football           9/7                   leaping TD at YSU
Gary Givens III Football        11/23               game-winning TD catch at 0:00 vs. Davidson
Devon Ellis     MBB               11/30               poster dunk vs. NIU
Justus McNair MBB               12/20               buzzer-beater at Western Michigan
 
Hall Call

• Legendary Valpo player and coach Bryce Drew will be inducted into the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame on March 19, 2025, as announced by the group's Board of Directors on Nov. 26.
• Drew scored a then-record 2,142 career points (currently still second in program history), averaging 17.2 points per game while also pulling down 380 rebounds and handing out 626 assists in keying the team to an 88-36 record.
• Drew, currently the head coach at GCU, went 124-49 in five seasons as Valpo head coach. His nephew, Isaiah Shaw, is a member of this year's Valpo team.

Schwieger Back for More

• After being named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year at the conclusion of the 2023-24 season, Cooper Schwieger is back in a Valpo uniform for his sophomore campaign.
• Schwieger has hauled in several preseason accolades, being named to the Preseason All-MVC First Team and the Blue Ribbon Magazine Preseason All-MVC First Team.
• Schwieger was tabbed to the 2023-24 Kyle Macy Freshman All-America Team and a finalist for the Kyle Macy Freshman of the Year Award by CollegeInsider.com last season.
• By earning the MVC Freshman of the Year Award, he became just the fourth Valpo rookie to win a league Newcomer/Freshman of the Year distinction, joining Lubos Barton (1998-99), Bryce Drew (1994-95) and Lance Barker (1991-92). He was the first to do so in a quarter of a century and the last two are members of the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame.
• Schwieger was just the fourth MVC freshman since 1992-93 to average at least 13.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game, joining three other Freshmen of the Year – Southern Illinois' Marcus Domask (2019-20), Creighton's Doug McDermott (2010-11) and Tulsa's Shea Seals (1993-94).
• Also a member of the MVC All-Freshman Team, Schwieger led all MVC rookies in the following categories – overall points per game (13.2), overall rebounds per game (5.4), MVC-only points per game (14.6) and MVC-only rebounds per game (5.7). He also had 11 steals, 28 blocks and 31 assists while shooting 50.2 percent from the field, 36.3 percent from 3 and 78.9 percent from the free-throw line. In league play, he shot 51.9 percent from the field, 38.7 percent from 3 and 82.2 percent from the free-throw line.
• Schwieger finished the season as the only freshman in the nation averaging double figures in scoring and shooting 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the free-throw line in league play.
• He was one of only six players in the MVC to average double figures in scoring and shoot at least 50 percent from the field and 80 percent from the line in league play, joining Robbie Avila (All-MVC First Team), Malevy Leons (All-MVC First Team), Cade Tyson (All-MVC Second Team), Jayson Kent (All-MVC Second Team) and Ja'Kobi Gillespie (All-MVC Second Team).
• The freshman sensation finished the season with 409 points, tied with Belmont's Cade Tyson's 2022-23 season for the 23rd most points by a freshman in the long and proud history of the Missouri Valley Conference.
• Schwieger was one of nine freshmen nationally to average 13.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg. He became just the third Valpo freshman to average over 13.0 points per game since 1992-93, joining Lubos Barton (13.8, 1998-99) and Bryce Drew (13.4 ppg, 1994-95), both Valpo Athletics Hall of Famers.
• Schwieger became the third Valpo freshman since 1992-93 to average over 5.0 rebounds per game, joining Raitis Grafs (1999-00, 5.8) and Lubos Barton (1998-99, 5.6), both Valpo Athletics Hall of Famers.
• He was named the MVC Freshman of the Week a league-high five times – Nov. 27, Jan. 15, Jan. 24, Feb. 12 and March 4.
• Schwieger scored in double figures 20 times and had six games with 20+ points including a season-high 28 points in a March 3 win over Illinois State, the highest scoring output by a Valpo freshman since Alec Peters in March 2014. He had back-to-back double-doubles on Jan. 14 at Illinois State and Jan. 17 at Evansville including a season-high 13 boards in the Jan. 14 win in Bloomington-Normal.
• The rookie ranked 19th in the MVC in scoring average at 13.2 ppg, 20th in rebounding at 5.4 rpg, ninth in field-goal percentage at 50.2, ninth in blocked shots per game at 0.9 and 10th in offensive rebounds per game at 1.94. In league-only play, he ranked 14th in scoring average at 14.6, 19th in rebounding average at 5.74, seventh in field-goal percentage at 51.9, tied for 14th in blocks per game at 0.74 and tied for ninth in offensive rebounds per game at 2.0.

MVC Freshmen, 13 ppg & 5 rpg (since 1992-93)
Player, Team                           Year                PPG     RPG                MVC Freshman OTY?
Cooper Schwieger, Valpo       2023-24           13.2     5.4                   Yes
Marcus Domask, SIU             2019-20           13.6     5.2                   Yes
Doug McDermott, Creighton 2010-11           14.9     7.2                   Yes
Shea Seals, Tulsa                    1993-94           16.8     6.5                   Yes
 
Freshmen Nationally Averaging 13 ppg & 5 rpg in 2023-24
Player                          Team                           PPG     RPG
Cooper Schwieger      Valpo                          13.2     5.4
PJ Haggerty                Tulsa                           21.2     5.5
Jocob Meyer               Coastal Carolina         15.7     5.1
Carlton Carrington      Pittsburgh                    13.8     5.2
Darren Buchanan        George Washington    15.6     6.6
Tyler Perkins              Pennsylvania               13.7     5.3
Vasean Allette            Old Dominion             17.4     5.7
Garrett Johnson           George Washington    13.4     5.6
 
Valpo Freshmen to Win League Freshman/Newcomer of the Year
Name                          Year                Award
Cooper Schwieger      2023-24           MVC Freshman OTY
Lubos Barton*            1998-99           Mid-Con Newcomer OTY
Bryce Drew*               1994-95           Mid-Con Newcomer OTY
Lance Barker              1991-92           Mid-Con Newcomer OTY
*indicates Valpo Athletics Hall of Famer
 
Stafford Sidelined

• Senior guard Isaiah Stafford returned to the program this season after leading the team in scoring and ranking seventh in the MVC at 16.9 points per game a year ago.
• Stafford is sidelined with an injury for at least the start of the 2024-25 season. It is unknown whether or not he will return by season's end.
• In MVC-only action, Stafford ranked fourth in the league in points per game at 17.6, fifth in steals per game at 1.5 and 11th in made 3s with 37.
• Stafford was one of three players in the MVC with at least three 30-point games, joining Southern Illinois' Xavier Johnson and Drake's Tucker DeVries, the third-place finisher and winner in the Larry Bird Player of the Year Trophy balloting.
• He had 12 games last season with 20 points or more, and was one of six players in the MVC with a dozen or more 20-point games, joining three All-MVC First Team selections (Drake's Tucker DeVries, Southern Illinois' Xavier Johnson and Indiana State's Robbie Avila), an All-MVC Second Team pick (Indiana State's Ryan Conwell) and one All-MVC Third Team pick (Belmont's Malik Dia).

Number of 20-Point Games by MVC Players in 2023-24
Rank    Player                          School             Number of 20-Point Games
1          Tucker DeVries          Drake              19
2          Xavier Johnson           SIU                  18
3          Robbie Avila               Indiana St        14
T-4      Isaiah Stafford            Valpo              12
T-4      Malik Dia                    Belmont          12
T-4      Ryan Conwell             Indiana State   12       
 
Family Legacy

• Redshirt sophomore guard Isaiah Shaw is the grandson of legendary Valpo head coach Homer Drew and the nephew of former Valpo head coaches Scott Drew (now at Baylor) and Bryce Drew (now at GCU).
• Shaw is the son of Dana Drew Shaw and Casey Shaw. His father Casey was drafted 37th overall by the Philadelphia 76ers in the 1998 NBA Draft out of the University of Toledo. After one season in the NBA, he spent the majority of his career in Italy, leading the league in rebounding in 2005. He also played in Poland, Spain and Latvia.
• His mother Dana, a 1990 Valparaiso High School graduate, is a member of the Indiana Basketball Hall of Fame and was an Indiana All-Star and first-team all-state selection before scoring in double figures in every game she played at Toledo, where she finished with a school-record 1,919 career points in addition to a school-record 659 assists. Dana was a two-time Mid-American Conference Player of the Year and a three-time MAC Tournament MVP. The two-time Academic All-American was inducted into the Toledo Hall of Fame in 2001.
• Isaiah is the second oldest of four siblings. His older sister Anna never got into sports and is in the movie-making industry. She directs and choreographs films, making Christian and family-friendly movies. His youngest brother Luke finished his senior year of high school in Arizona in 2023-24 and set a school record for career points while leading his team to three state championships and earning league MVP honors. He is taking a postgrad year at Athletes in Action Prep in Lebanon, Ohio in 2024-25. His second-youngest sibling is Caleb, who redshirted at Grand Canyon in 2023-24 after transferring from Northern Colorado.
• Isaiah was born in Rome, Italy while his father was playing professionally. Casey's professional season would run from September to April or May, and Isaiah went to Italian school through second grade. The family had a summer home in Valpo and spent the summer months with Bryce and the Valpo coaching staff.
• When Isaiah was about 10 years old, Casey retired from playing and began working for a financial planning company in Chicago. The family lived in Valpo for a year and a half, then in Chicago for another three years.
• The next stop for the Shaw family was Nashville, Tenn. as Bryce departed Valpo to become the head coach at Vanderbilt. Casey joined Bryce's staff at Vanderbilt, and current Valpo head coach Roger Powell Jr. went with Bryce from Valpo to Vandy.
• Isaiah began his collegiate career playing for his uncle and father at GCU from 2021-2024 before transferring to Valpo prior to the 2024-25 campaign.
• With Bryce's permission, Isaiah is wearing jersey No. 24, a number that is retired by the program and was worn by Bryce during his legendary Valpo career including his famous buzzer-beating shot against Ole Miss in the 1998 NCAA Tournament.

Inside the Roster 

• The 2024-25 roster features five returning letterwinners (Darius DeAveiro, Cooper Schwieger, Kaspar Sepp, Isaiah Stafford and walk-on Joe Vick), one returning player who redshirted last season (Lucas Scroggins), six transfers (Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro, Devon Ellis, Carson Schwieger, Tyler Schmidt, Isaiah Shaw and Louth-M Coulibaly) and five true freshmen (Justus McNair, All Wright, Jayden Watson, walk-on Ramzi Salem and walk-on Nick Lombardi).
• The Beacons boast three returning starters from a year ago.
• This year's roster features players from four different countries – Mexico, Canada, Estonia and the United States. In addition, six states are represented – Indiana, Illinois, Kansas, Arizona, Virginia and Missouri. The Beacons have a heavy Midwest presence including a team-high five players hailing from the state of Illinois.
• The roster is comprised of seven freshmen (two redshirt), three sophomores (one redshirt), four juniors (one redshirt) and three seniors (one fifth-year).

Newcomer Notes

• Freshman guard Justus McNair averaged 21 points, seven rebounds and four assists per game as a senior at Joliet West High School in 2023-24, when he was Class 4A Honorable Mention All-State and named Herald-News Boys Basketball Player of the Year.
• Junior guard Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro is a transfer from Western Michigan, where he played in 63 games and made 61 starts over the last two seasons. He averaged 8.8 points, 3.1 assists and 3.4 rebounds per game in 2023-24 for the Broncos.
• Freshman guard All Wright played his first three high school seasons at Joplin High School in Missouri before transferring to Link Year for his senior season, where he averaged 15.0 points and 7.0 assists per contest.
• Junior forward Devon Ellis played in 25 games and made 23 starts for Maryland Eastern Shore of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference in 2023-24 after starting his collegiate career with a junior college season at State Fair CC in Sedalia, Mass. He scored in double figures 16 times last season and averaged 11.6 points per game.
• Freshman forward Jayden Watson spent the 2023-24 season under Dave Maravilla at Bosco Institute after finishing his high school career at Bloom.
• Redshirt freshman forward Carson Schwieger redshirted at Wright State in 2023-24 after averaging 12.3 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.3 assists at Link Year Prep in 2022-23.
• Fifth-year guard Tyler Schmidt spent four seasons at Olivet Nazarene, where he twice earned NAIA All-American status and averaged better than 20.0 points per game over each of his final three seasons, totaling 2,267 points at the NAIA level.
• Redshirt sophomore Isaiah Shaw saw action in 32 of 35 games at GCU last season for a Lopes team that went 30-5 overall, 17-3 in the Western Athletic Conference and won the WAC regular season and tournament titles before beating Saint Mary's in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and falling to Alabama in the Round of 32.
• Redshirt junior forward Louth-M Coulibaly played in 62 games and made 11 starts over four years at Holy Cross.
• Freshman guard Ramzi Salem and freshman guard Nick Lombardi have joined the program as walk-ons.

Beacon Bits
Random facts on each Valpo player.

• #1 Justus McNair – Went to the same high school as Valpo head coach Roger Powell Jr.
• #2 Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro – From the same area as former Valpo standout Tevonn Walker and the two know each other.
• #3 All Wright – His brother Always Wright is a member of the Rhode Island men's basketball program. His father Joe played at Kansas State University from 1984-1986 and went on to play professionally overseas. Joe holds the single-season scoring record for his team in Iceland after averaging 46.6 points per game in 1992-93.
• #5 Ramzi Salem – Is musically inclined as he knows how to play the piano, produce songs and make beats. He has a software system for music production.
• #6 Darius DeAveiro – Father David is the former head coach at McGill University in Montreal… Also played soccer until his freshman year of high school and traveled significantly for the sport, including a trip to England.

• #9 Isaiah Stafford – Won a national championship at the junior college level at John A. Logan in 2022-23, helping the Vols to a 33-2 mark.
• #10 Lucas Scroggins – Loves to draw and is passionate about art.
• #11 Devon Ellis – Enjoys the outdoors and is good at snowboarding – something some may not expect for his 6-foot-7 stature.
• #12 Jayden Watson – Brother Elijah is also a college basketball player and spent the past two seasons at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. after starting his collegiate tenure with two years at West Liberty University in West Virginia. Elijah is currently playing at Northwood University in Midland, Mich.
• #13 Cooper Schwieger – The fraternal twin brother of Valpo redshirt freshman Carson Schwieger. Many people think they are identical twins.
• #20 Joe Vick – Son of Julie Vick, the administrative assistant for the Valpo men's and women's basketball programs.
• #21 Kaspar Sepp – His national team coach is former teammates with Valpo assistant coach A.J. Moye and his prep coach is Moye's former roommate.
• #22 Carson Schwieger – Stepmother Denise Guth is a Valparaiso University graduate and was part of the women's soccer program's first two seasons in 1993 and 1994 as a goalkeeper.
• #23 Tyler Schmidt – Went to the Valpo basketball camp in fifth grade and frequently attended games when Alec Peters was on the team and Bryce Drew was the head coach.
• #24 Isaiah Shaw - Earned an undergraduate degree from GCU in three years with a degree in business management and a minor in biblical studies. Plays a little bit of guitar, which his dad taught him at a young age. He and his brother play Super Smash Bros. on the Nintendo Switch, which like anything in the Drew/Shaw household, gets a little competitive.
• #32 Nick Lombardi – Is interested in pursuing a career as a play-by-play sports broadcaster and is a huge fan of sports cars.

• #44 Louth-M Coulibaly – Graduated from Holy Cross with a degree in international relations and is pursuing an MBA at Valpo. He has known Darius DeAveiro since eighth grade and enjoys watching MMA and UFC fights as well as soccer.

The Game's Biggest Stage

• Valpo head coach Roger Powell Jr. owns the unique distinction of having played and coached in the national championship game.
• Just 12 coaches in the last 25 years have coached in the national title game after previously playing in the national title game, and two others have coached in the national championship game after being a rostered player but not seeing action in the national title game as a student-athlete.
• In the last quarter of a century, only two coaches have coached in the national title game after previously playing in the national title game at a different school – Roger Powell Jr. and Kenny Payne.

Name                          Year, Team as Player              Year, Team as Coach
Sean May                    2005, UNC                              2022, UNC
Roger Powell Jr.        2005, Illinois                          2021, Gonzaga
Jeff Capel                    1994, Duke                             2015, Duke
Nate James                  1999 & 2001, Duke                2015, Duke
Jon Scheyer                 2010, Duke                             2015, Duke
Ricky Moore               1999, UConn                           2014, UConn
Kenny Payne              1986, Louisville                      2014, Kentucky
Danny Manning          1988, Kansas                           2008 & 2012, Kansas
Chris Collins               1994, Duke                             2010, Duke
Jim Thomas                1981, Indiana                          2002, Indiana
Johnny Dawkins         1986, Duke                             2001, Duke
David Henderson        1986, Duke                             1999, Duke
Quin Snyder                1986, Duke                              1999, Duke - DNP
Jeremy Case                2008, Kansas                          2022, Kansas - DNP
 
"The Rev" in the Community

• Since head coach Roger Powell Jr. was hired to lead Valpo's program, he has made numerous community engagement appearances including IBCA State Wide Clinic, Popcorn Fest, Valpo Kiwanis, Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana, Big Shoulders NWI, the Valpo Athletics Coaches Tour and many more.
• An engaging speaker with an active social media presence, Powell has launched a video series featuring local restaurants called "Powell Party of Six," showcasing the Powell family meals in the community. Several editions have been released.  
• Nicknamed "The Rev" because of his strong faith and calling as a preacher, Powell's hire as Valpo head coach made an immediate media splash. The news was featured prominently in the Chicago Sun-Times, on CBS 2 Chicago's 4 p.m. news and WGN-TV's GN Sports. He appeared on the Mully & Haugh morning show on 670 The Score in Chicago and Indiana Sports Talk with Bob Lovell out of Indianapolis.

Inside the Assistants

• Valpo's staff features two coaches who have played in the national title game – Powell and A.J. Moye. Powell has also coached in the national title game.
• Powell, Moye and Matt Gordon have all either coached or played in the Final Four.
• Powell, Moye, Gordon, Pat Baldwin and Lubos Barton have all either coached or played in the NCAA Tournament.
• 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 recent stops in the Big Ten and Big East to go along with head coaching experience.
• 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.
• Assistant coach A.J. Moye was a standout during his playing days at Indiana, where he took the Hoosiers to the 2002 national title game before beginning a professional playing career. He trained professional and collegiate players from 2011-2023 as part of Rising Talent Development (Mamba Sports Academy), serving as the Master Basketball Trainer for Kobe Bryant's academy. Moye played against Powell in the Big Ten and they later finished out their playing careers as teammates with Skyliners Frankfurt in Germany in 2010-11.
• Recruiting & Player Development Coach Lubos Barton returns to Valpo over two decades after wrapping up his storied career donning the brown and gold. After retiring from his professional playing career, Barton stayed in the game of basketball by beginning his coaching career overseas in 2016. A member of the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017, Barton was a standout on the court from 1998-2002, leading the team to three Mid-Continent Conference regular-season titles, three conference tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Special Assistant to the Head Coach Quintin Garrison served as the associate head coach at Trinity International University from 2018-2023.
• Assistant Player Development Coach Sean Taylor served as SIUE's graduate assistant/video coordinator from August 2021 to May 2023.
• All six of the aforementioned members of Powell's staff plus graduate assistants Jacob Lindsey and Collin Walls are back for their second season in the program in 2024-25.
• The program welcomed Seamus Glennon as its sports performance coach prior to the 2024-25 season. 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.

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.