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Men's Basketball

Valpo to Host Bradley in Regionally-Televised Matchup on Wednesday

Valparaiso (14-13, 8-8 MVC)
vs. Bradley (18-9, 11-5 MVC)
Game No. 28 – Wednesday, Feb. 18, 6 p.m. CT
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.
 
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men's basketball team will look to move above the .500 mark in league play and secure its 12th home victory of the season on Wednesday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center as Bradley comes to town for a regionally-televised rematch of a 2025 Arch Madness semifinal. The Beacons have hopes of securing their fourth win in a five-game span and look to notch their seventh win in their last eight home games. This will mark Valpo's second game against Bradley in a six-game span. Wednesday is Education Night and International Student Night at the ARC.
 
Last Time Out: Valpo has unlocked how to win close games of late, and that's everything in the Missouri Valley Conference. On Sunday, the Beacons were down one in the closing seconds and secured not one, not two, but three offensive rebounds before Brody Whitaker hit a go-ahead jumper with 8.8 seconds remaining. Valpo got the final defensive stop to close out a 76-75 victory over visiting Indiana State at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Whitaker scored a season-high 21 points and tied a career high with five made 3s, leading four Beacons in double figures.
 
Glancing Ahead: Valpo will make a short one-day trip to UIC as the Beacons have a business trip to the Windy City set for Saturday. It's a 2 p.m. tip time in Chicago as Valpo looks to sweep the season series from the Flames. After an 83-56 blowout of Illinois State on Sunday, UIC enters Wednesday's game at Evansville at 15-12 overall and 10-6 in league play.
 
Following the Beacons: Television – MVC TV Network – Scott Warmann (play-by-play) and Adam Emmenecker (analyst) – Cedar Rapids, Iowa (KCRG 9.2 / MyNet); Ottumwa, Iowa (KYOU 15.3 / THE365); Rockford, Illinois (WSLN 19.2 / THE365); Peoria, Illinois (WHOI 19.1 / MyTeam) -- Live at 6 p.m.; South Bend, Indiana (WNDU 16.2 / THE365); Fort Wayne, Indiana (WPTA 21.3 / MyNet); Louisville, Kentucky (WAVE 3.2 / Bounce); St. Louis, Missouri (KMOV 32.1 / Matrix Midwest); Kansas City, Missouri (KCTV/KSMO 62.1 / MyNet); Nashville, Tennessee (WSMV 4.2 / TVSN); Memphis, Tennessee (WMC 5.3 / WMC+); Knoxville, Tennessee (WVLT 8.2 / MyNet) -- Live at 6 p.m.; Paducah, Kentucky / Cape Girardeau, Missouri (KFVS 12.1 / CBS); Bowling Green, Kentucky (WBGS 34.3 / TVSN); Davenport, Iowa (KWQC 6.3 / Cozi); Sioux City, Iowa (KTIV 4.3 / MeTV); Quincy, Illinois (WGEM 10.4 / MeTV / MyTV); Evansville, Indiana (WFIE 14.2 / MeTV); Lexington, Kentucky (WKYT 27.4 / MeTV); Springfield, Missouri (KSPR 33.3 / MeTV); Des Moines, Iowa (KCCI 8.2 / Hearst); Chicago, Illinois (WPWR / FOX 50.1); Indianapolis, Indiana (WNDY 23.1 / Circle City); Decatur/Champaign, Illinois (WAND 17.2).
Streaming – ESPN+
Radio – WVUR 95.1 FM Valparaiso, TuneIn Radio App, ValpoAthletics.com – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Austin Amburgey (analyst)
X updates – @ValpoBasketball
Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.
 
Head Coach Roger Powell Jr.: Roger Powell Jr. (36-57) 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, and were on the wrong end of a 72-65 score on Feb. 3 in Peoria in the first matchup this season. Bradley leads the all-time series 16-5 and has rattled off 10 straight head-to-head wins. Valpo's last triumph came 91-85 in double overtime on Jan. 28, 2021 at the ARC.
 
Feb. 3 – Bradley 72, Valpo 65: Valpo received a team-high 17 points from Justus McNair plus 16 from Owen Dease, but fell 72-65 at Bradley on Feb. 3 in Peoria. The game was back-and-forth for much of the first half as it featured four ties and 13 lead changes, but Bradley pulled ahead by seven going into the locker room and that edge stood as the teams played even after halftime. Rakim Chaney scored in double figures for the third straight game, turning in 11 points and five rebounds. The Beacons were shorthanded as Isaiah Barnes was out and JT Pettigrew was limited. Valpo trailed by 14 with 7:44 to play and cut that lead in half down the final stretch.
 
With The Win Over Indiana State on Sunday, Valpo…
  • Owns a .500 record through exactly 16 Missouri Valley Conference games for the first time since also holding an 8-8 mark through 16 Valley games in 2019-2020. 
  • Clinched its second-highest league win total since joining the MVC and moved to within one win of matching the 2019-2020 conference win total for Valpo's most since joining the league.
  • Picked up its 14th regular-season victory, surpassing last season's regular-season win total and moving to within one of tying last season's overall win total (including two wins at the conference tournament).
  • Clinched its highest regular-season win total (not counting league tournament games) since 2019-2020 (16).
  • Owns 11 home wins, surpassing last season's home win total and representing the team's highest win total at the ARC since the 2019-2020 season (12).
  • Improved to 3-0 against instate conference foes this season.
With A Win Over Bradley on Wednesday, Valpo Would…
  • Match its highest conference win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017-18, equaling the 2019-20 league win total of nine.
  • Move to within one win of securing the team's first double-figure MVC win total since joining the league.
  • Snap a 10-game head-to-head losing streak with Bradley that dates back to January 2021.
  • Pick up its fourth win in a five-game span.
  • Improve to 7-1 in its last eight home games.
  • Garner the team's 15th win of the season, matching last year's overall win total.
  • Clinch the team's highest regular-season win total (not counting MVC Tournament) since 2019-2020.
  • Secure the team's 12th home victory of the season, matching the 2019-2020 team for the squad's highest home win total since 2016-17 (15).
Dease Reaches Milestone
  • Fifth-year senior Owen Dease reached the 1,000-point milestone for his collegiate career on Feb. 15 vs. Indiana State, finishing that game with 1,007 points, all at the Division-I level.
  • Dease scored 645 points over three seasons of action at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
  • Dease became the first Beacon to score his 1,000th career point in a Valpo uniform during the Roger Powell Jr. Era. Before Dease, 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).
  • Dease's milestone basket came on a 3-pointer with 9:39 left in the first half.
Pettigrew Closes in on Rookie Rebounding Record
  • JT Pettigrew has a chance to break the program's freshman rebounding record on Wednesday vs. Bradley.
  • The freshman record book is getting a workout during the Powell Era, as All Wright set the school's freshman scoring record last season.
  • Pettigrew has 179 rebounds for the season after passing Lubos Barton for second on the school's all-time freshman list on Feb. 15 vs. Indiana State. He needs five to tie and six pass Raitis Grafs for the top spot on Wednesday.
Valpo Freshman Rebounding – All-Time Top 5
Rank    Name                          Reb.     Yr.
1          Raitis Grafs                 184      1999-00
2          JT Pettigrew               179      2025-26
3          Lubos Barton              178      1998-99
4          Cooper Schwieger      168      2023-24
5          Alec Peters                 164      2013-14
 
Pettigrew On a Tear
  • Valpo freshman JT Pettigrew is averaging 18.0 points and 11.0 rebounds per game over his last three contests.
  • He has scored in double figures in 10 of his last 14 games and has three straight games with at least 14 points.
  • Most recently, the Beacon rookie had 13 points, a team-high eight rebounds and a team-high six assists in the Feb. 15 win over Indiana State. He secured at least eight rebounds for the fourth straight game.
  • Pettigrew's six assists against the Sycamores doubled his previous career high of three. He became the first Valpo player with a 14-point, eight-rebound, six-assist game since Ryan Broekhoff on Nov. 20, 2011 vs. Duquesne. Pettigrew became just the 20th freshman nationally to post that stat line this season.
  • Prior to this year, no MVC freshman had a 14-8-6 game since 2017, but this season it's happened three times for MVC rookies – Evansville Leiff Moeller twice and Pettigrew against Indiana State.
  • Pettigrew had his second straight double-double on Feb. 12 at Illinois State, turning in 17 points and 13 rebounds against the Redbirds.
  • He notched his fifth double-double of the season, becoming just the fourth player in the conference to record his fifth double-double this year, joining Fredrick King of Murray State, Rolyns Aligbe of Southern Illinois and Ian Scott of Indiana State.
  • Pettigrew's 13 rebounds were the most by a Valpo freshman since Cooper Schwieger had 13 on Jan. 14, 2024, also at Illinois State. He joined Schwieger, Ben Krikke, Donovan Clay, Javon Freeman-Liberty and Alec Peters as the only Valpo players with a 17-point, 13-rebound game in the last decade and is the only player on that list to do so as a freshman.
  • Prior to Pettigrew's five this year, no Valpo freshman had more than two double-doubles in a season in over 20 years.
  • In the first of his back-to-back double-doubles, Pettigrew's 23 points on Feb. 9 at Drake represented a career high, surpassing his previous best of 21 reached against UIC (Jan. 4) and Illinois State (Jan. 7). He also pulled down 12 rebounds, at the time tying a personal best set on Jan. 13 at Belmont.
  • The list of Valpo players who have had at least 23 points and 12 rebounds in a game since 2004 puts Pettigrew in good company – Dan Oppland, Alec Peters, Javon Freeman-Liberty, Ben Krikke, Cooper Schwieger and now Pettigrew. Pettigrew is the only player on that list who was a freshman at the time of a 23-point, 12-rebound performance.
  • In the last 20 years, there have only been five instances of a Valpo player with at least 23 points, 12 rebounds and two blocks – Peters (twice), Krikke, Schwieger and now Pettigrew.
  • Nationally this season, only five freshmen have had a 23-point, 12-rebound, two-block game – Duke's Cameron Boozer, North Carolina's Caleb Wilson, New Mexico's Tomislav Buljan, Fairfield's Brandon Benjamin and Pettigrew.
  • Pettigrew became just the second MVC player with a 23&12 game this season, joining Indiana State's Ian Scott.
Mostly Close Calls
  • Seven of Valpo's last eight games have been decided by single figures.
  • In league play, 14 of Valpo's 16 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
  • In Valpo's last seven games, four have either gone to overtime or been decided by a single point, with Valpo winning three of those four.
  • Valpo's last five wins have been decided by six points or fewer and/or gone to overtime.
  • Valpo's one-point win over Indiana State on Feb. 15 helped the team to improve to 1-1 in one-point games this season (L vs. Belmont). It was Valpo's first win by the slimmest of margins since beating UNI by one in the MVC quarterfinals last season.
Sycamore Sweep
  • With the Feb. 15 win over Indiana State, Valpo swept the season series against their instate foes.
  • This marks just the second time since joining The Valley that Valpo has swept Indiana State, something the team also achieved in 2021-2022.
  • Valpo is 3-0 against instate conference foes this season, needing a win on Feb. 27 at Evansville to secure the Hoosier State Sweep. Valpo previously did that in 2021-22, going 4-0 in the regular season and 5-0 including the conference tournament against the Sycamores and Purple Aces.
  • Valpo's Feb. 15 game vs. Indiana State was the 100th all-time meeting between the two foes. Indiana State became just the third team that Valpo has played at least 100 times, joining Evansville and Butler.
A Look at the Standings
  • Valpo enters Wednesday in seventh place in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, owning a two-game lead over eighth-place Southern Illinois.
  • The Beacons are one game behind Illinois State and UNI, who are tied for fifth. The top five teams receive a bye at Arch Madness, something Valpo has enjoyed just once since joining the league (2020-21).
  • That 2020-21 campaign was Valpo's highest finish in the Valley standings at tied for fifth.
  • Valpo would likely need to finish ahead of Illinois State and UNI outright as the first tiebreaker is head-to-head and Valpo split the regular-season series with both teams, and the second tiebreaker is NET, with Valpo very unlikely to finish with a higher NET than Illinois State or UNI.
  • UIC is in fourth place at 10-6, and Valpo could own a potential head-to-head tiebreaker with UIC should the Beacons beat the Flames this Saturday, Feb. 21 to sweep the regular-season series.
Other Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 15 – Valpo 76, Indiana State 75
  • Brody Whitaker finished with 21 points, surpassing his previous season high of 19 set on Jan. 10 at Murray State. The veteran drained five 3s on Sunday, setting a season high and tying a career high.
  • Whitaker has scored at least 13 points in each of his last three games.
  • Whitaker hit Valpo's first game winner in the final 10 seconds of a game since All Wright on Feb. 19, 2025 vs. Missouri State.
  • JT Pettigrew finished with 13 points, a team-high eight rebounds and a team-high six assists.
  • Owen Dease tallied 13 points, his fifth double-figure scoring output in his last six games.
  • Justus McNair made it four Beacons in double figures with 12 points on an efficient 5-of-7 shooting. He drained two of his three 3-point attempts on his way to reaching double figures for the fourth time in his last six games.
  • Shon Tupuola corralled seven rebounds, his 12th time this season with at least seven.
  • Both teams shot at a high clip with Valpo at 51.8 percent and Indiana State at 54.4 percent. Valpo made eight 3s to Indiana State's four, but the Beacons were just 10-of-21 at the free throw line.
  • The rebounding battle was significant, as Valpo owned a 32-28 edge on the glass including 15-9 on the offensive boards, leading to a 15-11 edge on second-chance points.
  • Valpo's bench outscored Indiana State's bench 21-11.
  • The game featured five ties and 10 lead changes.
  • All five Indiana State starters scored in double figures and nine total players in the game reached double figures.
Scouting the Braves 
  • Currently in second in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, narrowly ahead of Murray State and two games behind league-leading Belmont.
  • Seventh of 11 in the league in KenPom (129) and sixth in NET (118).
  • Picked to finish fourth in the MVC preseason poll.
  • Coming off a 70-60 win at Southern Illinois on Sunday after beating first-place Belmont 95-84 in overtime on Feb. 9.
  • Own a 4-1 record in the last five games.
  • Led in scoring by Jaquan Johnson at 17.0 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.
Other Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 12 – Illinois State 86, Valpo 64
  • JT Pettigrew led the way with his second straight double-double, this time with 17 points and 13 rebounds.
  • Brody Whitaker contributed 13 points, his second straight 13-point output.
  • Rakim Chaney finished with 10 points, scoring in double figures for the fifth time in his last six games.
  • Illinois State shot 59 percent in the second half, while Valpo shot just 29.7 percent after the intermission.
  • Valpo won the turnover battle 10-8 and had 12 offensive rebounds to Illinois State's eight, outscoring the Redbirds 17-8 on second chances.
  • Valpo led for 13:24 and by as many as seven in a game that featured eight ties and six lead changes.
Nothing But NET
  • Valpo currently ranks 162 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 158 and ranked as high as 151 this season.
  • The Beacons started the season at 283, moving up 125 spots in the rankings since the season tipped off.
  • The improvement of 125 puts the Brown & Gold seventh in the country in KenPom improvement.
  • The full top seven in KenPom improvement nationally is listed below.
  • Valpo's peak ranking of 151 this season is its best of the Roger Powell Jr. head coaching era and best since the 2020-2021 preseason ratings (149). 
Rank    Team                           Improvement
1          Central Arkansas        182
2          Cal St Fullerton          154
3          Stephen F. Austin       147
4          Austin Peay                 143
5          Buffalo                        142
6          UT Martin                  133
7          Valpo                          125
 
OD Among League Leaders
  • In conference-only games, Owen Dease ranks fourth in the Missouri Valley Conference with a scoring average at 16.3 points per game.   
  • The Valpo fifth-year senior ranks among league leaders in conference-only free-throw percentage (.825, fifth) and 3-point percentage (.423, sixth).
  • Dease has scored 15 points or more in six of his last 10 games. 
  • Overall for the season, Dease is shooting 47 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 85 percent from the free-throw line. He is one of nine qualified players nationally averaging at least 13.9 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).
Among The Valley's Top Rookies
  • Valpo has two of the league's top six freshmen in scoring average in JT Pettigrew (11.5 ppg, third) and Rakim Chaney (9.9 ppg, sixth).
  • Pettigrew is the league's leading rookie rebounder at 6.6 per contest.
  • Entering Feb. 18 vs. Bradley, Pettigrew is 30 points away from cracking the program's all-time top 10 for points by a freshman. Three of the top four players on that list (All Wright, Alec Peters and Cooper Schwieger) were recruited by current Valpo head coach Roger Powell Jr.
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 2020-2021 (.436), 3-point defense is its best since 1996-97 (30.5) and scoring defense is its best since 2021-22 (70.5).
  • This season is on pace to rank second in program history in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.313), behind only 1996-97 (.305) and ahead of 2017-18 (.314).
Year                Scoring Defense         FG% Defense             3pt%Defense
2025-26           71.0 (4th/100th)            44.1 (6th/185th)           31.3 (3rd/61st)
2024-25           73.9 (9th/234th)            46.2 (11th/306th)          34.6 (6th/245th)
2023-24           75.5 (11th/273rd)          47.8 (12th/341st)          35.4 (11th/295th)
 
Channeling "The Rev"
  • At a media timeout during the second half of each Valpo men's basketball home game, a randomly-selected fan has an opportunity to win $10,000 by making a layup, free throw, 3-pointer and halfcourt shot within 25 seconds.
  • The promotion is presented by Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute.
  • For the first time since the contest began, there was a winner on Feb. 6 vs. Evansville as student Christian Hack came out of the student section and completed the challenge.
  • A left-handed pitcher on the Valpo baseball team, Hack was mobbed by his teammates and other Valpo students after hitting the halfcourt shot.
  • Hack was sporting a "43 Powell" jersey from the Valpo head coach's playing days with the Illini when he completed the challenge.
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. Welcome, Rev. Konkol
  • On Tuesday, Dec. 2, Valparaiso University announced Rev. Brian E. Konkol, Ph.D. as the institution's 20th 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. 
Valpo Athletics Mourns the Passing of Paul Schrage '57
  • The Valpo family is saddened to share the news that Paul Schrage '57, a tremendous supporter, fan and friend of Valpo Athletics, passed away on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at the age of 90.
  • A Celebration of Life service and reception will be held on Feb. 25, 2026 at 1 p.m. local time at Desert Foothills Lutheran Church, 29305 N Scottsdale Rd., Scottsdale, AZ 85266. The service will be simulcast at https://www.youtube.com/live/YU1o617c9yY.
  • Life-long generosity from Paul and his wife Jan Sievers '59 Schrage has made a long-lasting impact on the Valpo men's basketball program. The couple recently committed $1 million to establish the Paul D. and Janet C. Schrage Basketball Excellence Fund, which provides resources to the program's greatest areas of need, such as team travel, nutrition and new student-athlete benefits.
  • That generous gift continued 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.
  • 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. His 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 was 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 11th 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 19th 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 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.
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Players Mentioned

Cooper Schwieger

#13 Cooper Schwieger

F
6' 10"
Sophomore
All Wright

#3 All Wright

G
6' 3"
Freshman
Justus McNair

#1 Justus McNair

G
6' 3"
Sophomore
Joe Vick

#20 Joe Vick

G
6' 3"
Senior
Nick Lombardi

#32 Nick Lombardi

G
6' 0"
Sophomore
Jayden Watson

#4 Jayden Watson

F
6' 8"
Redshirt Freshman
Rakim Chaney

#0 Rakim Chaney

G
6' 3"
Freshman
Brody Whitaker

#3 Brody Whitaker

G
6' 3"
Fifth Year
JT Pettigrew

#7 JT Pettigrew

F
6' 8"
Freshman
Mark Brown Jr.

#10 Mark Brown Jr.

G
6' 0"
Junior
Isaiah Barnes

#11 Isaiah Barnes

G
6' 7"
Redshirt Senior
Owen Dease

#12 Owen Dease

F
6' 8"
Redshirt Senior

Players Mentioned

Cooper Schwieger

#13 Cooper Schwieger

6' 10"
Sophomore
F
All Wright

#3 All Wright

6' 3"
Freshman
G
Justus McNair

#1 Justus McNair

6' 3"
Sophomore
G
Joe Vick

#20 Joe Vick

6' 3"
Senior
G
Nick Lombardi

#32 Nick Lombardi

6' 0"
Sophomore
G
Jayden Watson

#4 Jayden Watson

6' 8"
Redshirt Freshman
F
Rakim Chaney

#0 Rakim Chaney

6' 3"
Freshman
G
Brody Whitaker

#3 Brody Whitaker

6' 3"
Fifth Year
G
JT Pettigrew

#7 JT Pettigrew

6' 8"
Freshman
F
Mark Brown Jr.

#10 Mark Brown Jr.

6' 0"
Junior
G
Isaiah Barnes

#11 Isaiah Barnes

6' 7"
Redshirt Senior
G
Owen Dease

#12 Owen Dease

6' 8"
Redshirt Senior
F