Valparaiso University men's basketball head coach Roger Powell Jr. and his wife Tara Powell have announced that they will match all gifts to the Valpo Men's Basketball Excellence Fund on Valpo Day 2026, Wednesday, April 8, up to $100,000.
 
"I am proud of the forward momentum of Valpo Basketball that everyone within our program, athletic department and University have worked hard to generate," Powell said. "This matching gift challenge on Valpo Day is a way for us to continue to build on that momentum. I deeply believe in the young men in our program and the opportunity for us to accomplish something special together. The support of the Valpo community on Valpo Day will help make this possible."
 
Year 3 of Powell's tenure leading the program saw Valpo record its best conference winning percentage and highest league win total since joining the Missouri Valley Conference in 2017. The team went 11-9 in MVC play, nearly doubling its conference win total for a second straight season and notching the team's first-ever winning season in Valley play. Overall, Valpo won 18 games including 17 regular-season contests in 2025-26, the program's highest regular-season win total since its final season in the Horizon League in 2016-2017. Year 3 under Powell was Valpo's first winning season overall since 2019-2020 and featured a 13-4 record at the Athletics-Recreation Center, the team's highest home win total since 2016-2017.
 
Multiple key young players from the 2025-26 team have committed to returning to the program in 2026-27, giving the team an opportunity to continue to reach new heights. Support from the Valpo community on Valpo Day will help Valpo Basketball continue to build something special next season and in seasons to come.
 
"We are incredibly grateful to Roger and Tara for making this matching gift challenge possible," Director of Athletics and Campus Recreation Laurel Hosmer said. "I would like to challenge members of our community, alumni, fans and friends to follow the lead set forth by Roger and Tara by supporting our student-athletes on Valpo Day. This is a special opportunity to rally behind the leadership of the Powell family in our mission to build lives for good through athletics and the Valparaiso University education."
 
Launched in November 2025, the Men's Basketball Excellence Fund supports the greatest areas of need for the program. Resources allocated to this fund will have a direct impact on the operating needs of the program, as well as its student-athletes, coaches and support staff. This matching gift will assist the coaching staff with recruiting and retaining championship-caliber student-athletes.
 
Gifts made before Valpo Day will count toward the match, however gifts made on Valpo Day – Wednesday, April 8 – will assist the program to potentially earn additional prize monies and rewards thanks to other generous supporters of Valpo Athletics.
 
Click here to visit the Valpo Day giving page for Athletics and make a gift to support our student-athletes!