Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men's basketball team has already matched its highest league win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference, and the Beacons will attempt to secure their first double-figure MVC victory output with a successful Saturday in the Windy City. In order to clear that next hurdle, the Beacons will have to get through a UIC team that is also enjoying its best Valley season, winners of 11 of their last 13 games. The hottest three teams in the league are Valpo, UIC and first-place Belmont (based upon record in the last 10 games), and two of the three will face off on Saturday.
 
Last Time Out: Valpo snapped a 10-game head-to-head losing streak to Bradley, leading by as many as 15 and fending off a late Braves surge to prevail 79-72 in a regionally-televised matchup on Wednesday night at the ARC, the team's fourth win in its last five games. Freshman JT Pettigrew scored a team-high 22 points, one shy of his career high, while Rakim Chaney (13), Brody Whitaker (12) and Shon Tupuola (11) joined him in double figures.
 
Glancing Ahead: The home finale and Senior Night at the ARC will take place on Wednesday as the Beacons welcome Drake for a 7 p.m. tip. The Bulldogs will be well rested as they do not play this weekend, but they are on a seven-game losing streak to slip to 12-17 overall and 6-12 in league play.  
 
Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Sam Brief (play-by-play) and Joey Lane (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. (37-57) 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: UIC leads the all-time series 35-30 including taking both regular-season matchups last year, but the Beacons prevailed when it counted most, extinguishing the Flames' season with a 67-50 victory in the opening round of Arch Madness, the State Farm MVC Tournament in St. Louis. Valpo added a 66-59 home win on Jan. 4 of this season to improve to 4-4 against UIC since the Flames joined the league in 2022-23.
 
Jan. 4 – Valpo 66, UIC 59: A then career-high 21 points from freshman JT Pettigrew helped the Beacons notch their first Missouri Valley Conference victory of the season on Jan. 4 at the ARC, a 66-59 triumph over UIC. Pettigrew went a glowing 10-of-10 at the free-throw line, contributing to Valpo's 31 made free throws as the Beacons did all of their damage at the stripe down the stretch in a game where their final made field goal came with 5:12 on the clock. Justus McNair contributed 12 points and six boards in the victory. Valpo held UIC to two made 3s, and Valpo's defensive 3-point percentage of 16.7 was a season best. The Beacons prevailed despite trailing at halftime, reversing a 32-31 deficit by outscoring the Flames 35-27 after the break.
 
With The Win Over Bradley, Valpo…

• Matched its highest conference win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017-18, equaling the 2019-20 league win total of nine.
• Moved to within one win of securing the team's first double-figure MVC win total since joining the league.
• Snapped a 10-game head-to-head losing streak with Bradley that dated back to January 2021.
• Picked up its fourth win in a five-game span and improved to 7-3 in its last 10 games.
• Improved to 7-1 in its last eight home games.
• Garnered the team's 15^th win of the season, matching last year's overall win total.
• Clinched the team's highest regular-season win total (not counting MVC Tournament) since 2019-2020.
• Secured the team's 12^th home victory of the season, matching the 2019-2020 team for the squad's highest home win total since 2016-17 (15).

With a Win on Saturday at UIC, Valpo Would…

• Own its highest conference win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017-18 outright, becoming the first Valpo team to win 10 Valley games in a season.
• Sweep the regular-season series from UIC for the first time since the Flames joined the MVC in 2022-2023.
• Pick up its fifth win in a six-game span and improve to 8-3 in its last 11 games.
• Garner the team's fourth road victory of the season, the team's most since 2021-2022 and tied for its most since 2019-2020.
• Garnered the team's 16^th win of the season, surpassing last year's overall win total and making this Valpo's highest overall win total since 2019-2020 (19).  
• Clinch a winning regular season and clinch an overall record (including MVC tournament) of .500 or better.

Pettigrew Ties Rebounding Record

• JT Pettigrew will break the program's freshman rebounding record with his first rebound of the game on Saturday at UIC.
• 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 184 rebounds, with his final rebound in the Feb. 18 win over Bradley helping him climb into a tie with Raitis Grafs (1999-2000) atop the program record book.

Valpo Freshman Rebounding – All-Time Top 5
Rank    Name                          Reb.     Yr.
1          Raitis Grafs                 184      1999-00
            JT Pettigrew               184      2025-26
3          Lubos Barton              178      1998-99
4          Cooper Schwieger      168      2023-24
5          Alec Peters                 164      2013-14
 
Pettigrew On a Tear

• Named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Week for the second time this season on Feb. 16, Valpo's JT Pettigrew has scored at least 14 points in each of his last four games.
• He's averaging 19.0 points and 9.5 rebounds per game over his last four contests.
• Most recently, Pettigrew scored 22 points on Feb. 18 vs. Bradley, one shy of his season-high 23 that started this red-hot stretch on Feb. 9 at Drake.
• Pettigrew's Freshman of the Week award represented Valpo's seventh total MVC weekly award in 2025-26 and the team's fourth Freshman of the Week Award this year, tied for the most in the league.
• This represents the 18^th time since head coach Roger Powell Jr. arrived at Valpo prior to the 2023-24 season that a Valpo freshman has earned that weekly accolade. Valpo has the most Freshman of the Week Awards in the league by a wide margin, with Evansville second with seven. Valpo has won 18 out of 48 total MVC Freshman of the Week awards during the Powell Era.  

A Look at the Standings

• Valpo enters Saturday 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 tied for second place with Bradley at 11-6, and Valpo could own a potential head-to-head tiebreaker with UIC should the Beacons beat the Flames on Saturday to sweep the regular-season series. Murray State is in fourth place at 11-7, ½ game behind the second-place tie and ½ game ahead of the fifth-place tie.

Mostly Close Calls

• Eight of Valpo's last nine games have been decided by single figures.
• In league play, 15 of Valpo's 17 games have been decided by 10 points or fewer.
• In Valpo's last eight games, four have either gone to overtime or been decided by a single point, with Valpo winning three of those four.
• Valpo's last six wins have been decided by seven points or fewer.
• 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.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 18 – Valpo 79, Bradley 72

• JT Pettigrew's 22 points were one shy of a career-high 23 on Feb. 9 at Drake. He scored 14 points or more for the fourth straight game. Pettigrew went 7-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-7 from the stripe on Wednesday.
• Pettigrew tied the program's freshman rebounding record in the game against Bradley, increasing his season total to 184 to move even with Raitis Grafs' 1999-2000 season.
• Rakim Chaney scored in double figures for the sixth time in his last eight games. He also handed out five assists and squeezed five rebounds, both team highs.
• Brody Whitaker had 12 points including three made 3s. He led the team with a plus-minus of +17.
• Junior Shon Tupuola was 5-of-7 from the floor and totaled 11 points to go along with five rebounds.
• Valpo won the rebounding battle 30-29 and the turnover battle 15-8. The Beacons enjoyed their third straight game with single-figure turnovers.
• Valpo shot 51 percent from the field, while Bradley shot at a 46.2 percent clip including 50 percent from 3.
• Bradley's Alex Huibregtse hit six 3s and scored 22 points.

Scouting the Flames 

• Currently tied for second in the Missouri Valley Conference standings, even with Bradley at 11-6 and three games behind first-place Belmont with three games to play.
• Since losing at Valpo on Jan. 4, the Flames hold an 11-2 record including an active three-game winning streak.
• Coming off an 84-46 road win at Evansville on Wednesday.
• Led in scoring by Ahmad Henderson II at 12.4 points per game, followed by Elijah Crawford at 12.0 ppg and Andy Johnson at 11.7.

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 1,000^th 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.

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 100^th 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.

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 12^th 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.

Nothing But NET

• Valpo currently ranks 157 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 156 and ranked as high as 151 this season.
• The Beacons started the season at 283, moving up 127 spots in the rankings since the season tipped off.
• The improvement of 127 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        186
2          Cal St Fullerton          155
3          Stephen F. Austin       148
4          Austin Peay                 145
5          Buffalo                        131
            UT Martin                  131
7          Valpo                          127
 
Among The Valley's Top Rookies

• Valpo has two of the league's top six freshmen in scoring average in JT Pettigrew (11.9 ppg, second) and Rakim Chaney (10.0 ppg, sixth).
• Pettigrew has surged into the conversion for the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year Award with hopes of becoming the third straight Beacon to earn that honor.
• Murray State's Romon Domon leads Valley rookies in scoring at 13.8 ppg.
• Pettigrew is the league's leading rookie rebounder at 6.6 per contest.
• Entering Feb. 21 at UIC, Pettigrew is 10 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 2017-18 (31.4) and scoring defense is its best since 2021-22 (70.5).
• This season is on pace to rank third in program history in 3-point field-goal percentage defense (.320), behind only 1996-97 (.305) and 2017-18 (.314).

Year                Scoring Defense         FG% Defense             3pt%Defense
2025-26           71.0 (5^th/101^st)            44.2 (7^th/184th)           32.0 (5^th/95^th)
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)
 
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.

• 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
• Evansville – Shon Tupuola
• Drake – JT Pettigrew
• Indiana State – JT Pettigrew
• Bradley – Rakim Chaney

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. 

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).

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.