Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men's basketball team will look to make it back-to-back road victories and earn its fourth win in the last five games on Tuesday night as the Beacons head to Peoria, Ill. to take on Bradley in a 2025 Missouri Valley Conference semifinal rematch. Valpo has a chance to get above .500 overall, up to the break even mark in league play and secure its first ever win in Peoria.
 
Last Time Out: Valpo rallied from down 10 at halftime to beat Indiana State 76-72 in overtime on Saturday afternoon in Terre Haute. Carter Hopoi led the way throughout the second half and the extra session, finishing with a career-high 14 points while also matching a personal best with seven rebounds. All 14 of his points and six of his seven rebounds came after halftime. Five Beacons tallied double figures, including JT Pettigrew, who recorded a game-high 17 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double. Valpo held a 44-33 rebounding advantage and won the turnover battle 12-9. In overtime, the Beacons made two of their three field-goal attempts and five of their six free throws, while Indiana State went 1-of-8 from the floor and 1-of-5 from 3 in the extra session.
 
Glancing Ahead: Valpo will return home to host Evansville on Friday at 7 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center as part of Video Game Night at the ARC. The game is sponsored by Sour Punch and the men's basketball national championship trophy will be in the building. Coached by former Valpo assistant coach David Ragland, the Purple Aces are 5-17 overall and 1-10 in league play entering Tuesday's game against Indiana State.
 
Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Brian Bedo (play-by-play) and Kristof Kendrick (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. (34-53) 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: The Beacons dropped all three matchups with the Braves last season including a season-ending 70-65 defeat in the quarterfinal round of Arch Madness. Bradley leads the all-time series 15-5 and has rattled off nine straight head-to-head wins. Valpo's last triumph came 91-85 in double overtime on Jan. 28, 2021 at the ARC. Bradley won 81-75 in double OT last season in Peoria, extending its run of home dominance against the Beacons. Carver Arena has been a true House of Horrors for the Beacons, who are 0-8 all-time when visiting the Braves.
 
Scouting the Braves  

• Part of a three-way tie for second in the Missouri Valley Conference alongside Murray State and UIC, two games behind league-leading Belmont.
• Seventh of 11 in the league in KenPom (136) and fifth in NET (120).
• Picked to finish fourth in the MVC preseason poll.
• Coming off an 87-73 victory at Drake on Saturday.
• Led in scoring by Jaquan Johnson at 16.7 points per game.
• Under the direction of veteran head coach Brian Wardle, who has been in charge of the Bradley program since the 2015-16 season.

Best Year Since 2019-2020

• Valpo holds an 11-11 record through 22 games, the team's best record at this exact juncture of a season since the 2019-20 campaign. Valpo was also .500 through 22 contests in 2019-20.
• The Beacons are 5-6 through 11 Missouri Valley Conference games. This marks Valpo's best record through 11 league games since 2019-20, when the Beacons also held at 5-6 conference mark.
• Valpo's highest single-season conference win total since joining the league is nine (2019-20) and the team's best MVC-only winning percentage also came that season (.500, 9-9).

With a Win on Tuesday, Valpo Would…

• End a nine-game head-to-head losing streak against Bradley, beating the Braves for the first time since the 2020-2021 season.
• Win in Peoria for the first time ever, ending an eight-game losing streak at Bradley.
• Improve to above the .500 mark at 12-11 and get up to the break even mark in conference play at 6-6.
• Own a record of .500 or better through a dozen league games for the first time since 2018-2019, also 6-6.
• Match last season's conference win total.

Snagging a Close One

• Valpo prevailed 76-72 in overtime on Saturday, Jan. 31 at Indiana State.
• Valpo's last three wins over Indiana State have all gone beyond 40 minutes. The Beacons beat the Sycamores 98-95 in OT on Jan. 8 of last season at the ARC and 79-72 in double overtime at the ARC on Feb. 5, 2022.
• This marked Valpo's first overtime game since a 75-72 defeat on Dec. 2 at Marquette and the squad's second OT game of the year. This was Valpo's first OT win since the aforementioned game against Indiana State last season and first OT road win since Jan. 4, 2020 at Evansville, snapping a seven-game skid in road overtime games.
• Valpo had dropped five straight games decided by five points or fewer prior to the win at Indiana State. This marked Valpo's first win in such a game since Nov. 12 vs. Nicholls State.

Battling Back

• In the Jan. 31 victory at Indiana State, Valpo trailed 37-27 at halftime.
• The Beacons erased a double-figure deficit to win for the first time since Feb. 22, 2025 at Southern Illinois, overcoming a 16-point gap to beat the Salukis.
• The Jan. 31 victory over Indiana State marked the first time Valpo rallied from a double-figure halftime deficit to prevail since Dec. 20, 2024 at Western Michigan, when Valpo was down 42-26 at the break and won 76-73.
• The Jan. 31 game at Indiana State was the fifth victory when trailing by double figures in the Roger Powell Jr. Era. Valpo had three such comebacks last season (at Southern Illinois, vs. Missouri State, at Western Michigan) and one in 2023-24 (vs. UIC).

Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 31 – Valpo 76, Indiana State 72 (OT)

• Valpo improved to 3-1 in its last four games while securing the team's first road win in conference play. It's always tough to win on the road in The Valley, as the Beacons notched their first road triumph since Nov. 19 at Cleveland State, snapping a six-game road skid.
• The Beacons won in Terre Haute for the first time since a 75-73 victory on Jan. 22, 2022. Saturday's win marked a major turnaround from defeats by 18 points or more in each of the last three visits to Terre Haute, including an 80-62 setback last season.
• JT Pettigrew paced all scorers with 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. He corralled four offensive rebounds and nine total, finishing one shy of a double-double. His 17 points marked his highest total in the last six games, while his nine boards were his second-most in league play this year.
• Owen Dease scored 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, his fourth time in the last five games with 15 points or more.
• Carter Hopoi made five of his eight field-goal attempts for 14 points while also securing seven rebounds. His scoring output marked a career high and was his first game in double figures against a Division-I opponent this season, while his rebounding total matched a personal best and was his highest since Nov. 19 at Cleveland State.
• Justus McNair (11) and Rakim Chaney (10) made it five Beacons in double figures. Chaney was in double figures for the fourth time in his last six games, while McNair has scored eight or more in four straight.
• Valpo also had five players in double figures on Jan. 10 of this season at Murray State.
• Chaney swiped three steals, helping Valpo own a 12-9 edge in the turnover battle. Despite playing an extra five minutes, Valpo had only nine giveaways, its 10^th time in the last 11 games with 11 turnovers or fewer.
• Both teams scuffled from the 3-point arc and the free-throw line. Valpo was 17-of-26 (65.4 percent) at the line, outdoing Indiana State's 12-of-21 (57.1 percent).
• Valpo held Indiana State to 6-of-25 (24 percent) from 3, the third time in the last four games that Valpo has held its opponent below 25 percent from 3.
• The Beacons went 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from 3, tied for the team's fewest made 3s in a game this season. The Beacons attempted only three 3s in the second half, making none (not counting OT, when Valpo was 1-of-2 with the make by Hopoi).
• Valpo had lost its last 15 games when making three 3s or fewer. This marked Valpo's first win when making three 3s or fewer since beating Evansville 58-55 on March 5, 2020 in the first round of the MVC Tournament despite not making a 3-pointer.
• Hopoi and Brody Whitaker shared the team-lead in plus-minus at +10.

Pettigrew Has Good Company

• JT Pettigrew is averaging over 11.0 points per game and over 6.0 rebounds per game.
• He is one of just 15 freshmen nationally above both of those thresholds and the only one in the Missouri Valley Conference.
• The last MVC freshman to average at least 11 points and six rebounds was Creighton's Doug McDermott in 2010-11.
• Pettigrew is one of five players in the MVC, regardless of class, at those marks this season. He has good company – Evansville's Connor Turnbull, Belmont's Drew Scharnowski, Murray State's Frederick King and Indiana State's Ian Scott.
• In the last 15 years, only four different Valpo players have finished a season averaging 11&6 – Cooper Schwieger, Javon Freeman-Liberty, Alec Peters (3x) and Ryan Broekhoff (twice).

Nothing But NET

• Valpo currently ranks 161 in the NET.
• This season, the Beacons have earned their top NET rating since finishing the 2019-20 season at 138.

KenPom Progress

• The Beacons have continued to climb the KenPom rankings, currently ranked 152.
• The Beacons started the season at 283, moving up 131 spots in the rankings since the season tipped off.
• The improvement of 131 puts the Brown & Gold sixth in the country in KenPom improvement.
• The full top six in KenPom improvement nationally is listed below.
• Valpo's current ranking of 152 is its best of the Roger Powell Jr. head coaching era and best since Dec. 1, 2020 (153).

Rank    Team                           Improvement
1          Central Arkansas        157
2          Cal St Fullerton          147
3          Buffalo                        144
            Stephen F. Austin       144
5          UT Martin                  139
6          Valpo                          131
 
Dease Approaching 1,000

• Fifth-year senior Owen Dease is approaching the 1,000-point milestone as he enters Feb. 3 at Bradley with 942 career points, all at the Division-I level.
• Dease scored 645 points over three seasons of action at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
• Dease would become the first Beacon to score his 1,000^th career point in a Valpo uniform during the Roger Powell Jr. Era. The last Valpo player to reach that milestone was Kobe King (January 2023). Prior to that, it was Ben Krikke (November 2022) and Tevonn Walker (November 2017).

OD Among League Leaders

• In conference-only games, Owen Dease ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference with a scoring average at 17.7 points per game over nine games. Drake's Jalen Quinn leads the league at 20.0.  
• The fifth-year senior ranks among league leaders in conference-only field-goal percentage (.467, 11^th), free-throw percentage (.833, sixth) and 3-point percentage (.431, fourth).
• Dease has scored 15 points or more in four of his last five games.  
• Overall for the season, Dease is shooting 48 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 85 percent from the free-throw line. He is one of 10 players nationally averaging at least 14 points per game while meeting the aforementioned percentage thresholds.
• The last two Valpo players to finish a season at those marks were Alec Peters (2015-16) and Casey Schmidt (1992-93).

Dominant Defense

• Valpo's defensive numbers are much improved from recent seasons.
• See below for more details on how this year's Valpo "D" stacks up against that of earlier seasons in the Roger Powell Jr. Era. National and MVC ranks are listed in parentheses.
• Valpo's field-goal percentage defense is currently its best since 2018-19 (43.2), 3-point defense is its best since 1996-97 (30.5) and scoring defense is its best since 2020-21 (67.9).

Year                Scoring Defense         FG% Defense             3pt%Defense
2025-26           70.2 (4^th/80^th)              43.4 (7^th/156th)           31.0 (3^rd/62^nd)
2024-25           73.9 (9^th/234^th)            46.2 (11^th/306^th)          34.6 (6^th/245^th)
2023-24           75.5 (11^th/273^rd)          47.8 (12^th/341^st)          35.4 (11^th/295^th)
 
Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 28 – Belmont 78, Valpo 77

• This ended a four-game home winning streak for the Beacons as Valpo dropped a game at the ARC for the first time since Dec. 21 vs. Murray State. The Beacons were previously 4-0 at home in the calendar year of 2026.
• Four players finished in double figures for the Beacons, led by 15 apiece from Rakim Chaney and Owen Dease. Chaney's highest two scoring outputs in league play have both come against Belmont as Wednesday was second only to 17 on Jan. 13 in Nashville.
• Dease scored at least 15 points for the third time in his last four games and tallied doubled figures for the fifth time in his last six.
• JT Pettigrew contributed 11 points and a team-high six rebounds. The rookie has scored in double figures in six of his last eight.
• Shon Tupuola went 4-for-4 from the field and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line on his way to 12 points, his highest total since 21 on Nov. 19 at Cleveland State.
• Tucker Tornatta had eight points, tied for his highest total against a Division-I opponent this season.
• Valpo won the turnover battle 15-9, committing single-figure turnovers for the eighth time this season. Valpo has committed 11 or fewer in 16 out of 21 games.
• Brody Whitaker had a team-best plus-minus of +9 in 22 minutes.
• Carter Hopoi was 2-for-2 from the field on his way to six points.
• This one-point loss came against The Valley's top team in terms of KenPom (66) and NET (62).
• Belmont's Eion Dillon was 7-of-11 shooting and 5-of-7 from 3 while scoring a game-high 23 points.

Beating The Preseason Top Two

• Valpo's 54-44 victory over UNI on Jan. 17 flipped a double-figure loss from the first matchup (58-48 on Dec. 29) into a double-figure victory in the second matchup of the season between the two teams.
• This marked the first time Valpo flipped a double-figure defeat from earlier in the season into a double-figure victory over the same opponent since Indiana State in 2020-21.
• The win over UNI means that Valpo has defeated each of the top two teams in the league's preseason poll this year as Illinois State was picked to win the league followed by UNI. This is the first time Valpo has defeated each of the projected top two in the MVC preseason poll in the same season since 2019-20 (Missouri State and Bradley).
• The Beacons improved to 3-1 in their last four matchups with the Panthers.
• Valpo's 77-71 victory over Illinois State on Jan. 7 marked the team's best win in quite some time.
• Illinois State entered the game ranked 90^th in the KenPom, making that Valpo's first top-100 KenPom win since Nov. 27, 2023 vs. James Madison (98) and best win in terms of KenPom rating since knocking off nationally-ranked Drake 74-57 on Feb. 7, 2021, when the Bulldogs were 55^th in the KenPom.
• Valpo snapped a nine-game losing streak in games against the team picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference, topping the league's preseason favorite for the first time since Feb. 13, 2021 (W 70-57 at UNI). The Beacons improved to 3-14 against preseason favorites since joining the MVC.

Let's Get Gritty
After each victory, the Valpo coaching staff hands out the coveted "Grit Chain" to the grittiest player in that game. Grit Award winners are listed below.

• Eastern Illinois – Carter Hopoi
• Nicholls – Shon Tupuola
• Bryant – Rakim Chaney
• Cleveland State – Justus McNair
• Western Michigan – Shon Tupuola
• CCSJ – Joe Vick & Isaiah Barnes
• UIC – JT Pettigrew
• Illinois State – Brody Whitaker
• UNI – Sader Servilus
• Southern Illinois – Sader Servilus
• Indiana State – Carter Hopoi

Welcome, Rev. Konkol

• On Tuesday, Dec. 2, Valparaiso University announced Rev. Brian E. Konkol, Ph.D. as the institution's 20^th President.
• Rev. Konkol, who took over for retiring President Jose Padilla on Jan. 1, 2026, brings more than two decades of combined experience across higher education leadership, global service and mission-centered work.
• Rev. Konkol and his family have ties to athletics. He competed on the men's basketball team as an undergraduate student at Viterbo University.
• Rev. attended the Valpo vs. CCSJ men's basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 6. He was recognized and introduced to the crowd during a media timeout, and joined Todd Ickow on the ESPN+ broadcast at halftime before visiting the team in the locker room after the game to congratulate the players and coaches on the victory. 

A Game-Changing Investment

• Thanks to the generosity of Jan Sievers '59 Schrage and Paul Schrage '57, the Valparaiso University men's basketball program has received a significant boost to its recruiting and retention efforts.
• The couple has committed $1 million to establish the Paul D. and Janet C. Schrage Basketball Excellence Fund, in alignment with the recently-launched Men's Basketball Excellence Fund, which provides resources to the program's greatest areas of need, such as team travel, nutrition and new student-athlete benefits.
• This generous gift continues a lifetime of the Schrage family making a transformational impact on the University, athletic department and men's basketball program. Since developing a close friendship with legendary Valpo men's basketball head coach Homer Drew, the Schrages have provided philanthropic support that has benefited every men's basketball coach and student-athlete who has donned the brown and gold.
• Longtime benefactors to the University and ardent supporters of the basketball program, the Schrages funded the Schrage Basketball Wing addition to the Athletics-Recreation Center, which houses the men's and women's basketball offices. Along with the gift to construct the addition, they established an endowment to provide ongoing support for the facility on an annual basis.
• Paul Schrage earned a bachelor of arts in business administration from Valparaiso University, a master of science in advertising from the University of Illinois and an honorary juris doctor from Valpo. He served on the Valparaiso University Board of Directors from 1996-2004 and from 2009-2015.
• Schrage's 30-year career with the McDonald's Corporation began in 1967 when Ray Kroc hired him to start the marketing department. By the time he retired in 1997 as a senior executive vice president and chief marketing officer of McDonald's Corporation and member of its board of directors, he had made McDonald's one of the most powerful brands in the world. In recognition of his career, Schrage was inducted into the American Advertising Hall of Fame in 1997. He is also a lifetime trustee and former chair of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Board of Directors.

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 featured seven home dates and four road contests.
• Valpo played 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 was 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 hosted 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.
• UNCW, 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 concluded on Dec. 16 at Big Ten adversary Northwestern.
• Valpo had 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.