Road Shooting Woes

It has been brought up many times that Valpo struggles to shoot the ball effectively on the road.  I'd like to look at why that might be.  First lets look at our shooting percentages throughout the first 13 games and see if there actually is a discrepancy. Road games are bolded.

Game	Place	2pt %	3pt%	FT%	RESULT
Georgia S.	ARC	52.90	54.20	85.70	W
Northern Ill.	ARC	52.10	54.20	66.70	W
Nebraska	NEB	34.00	13.30	66.70	L
Kent St.	Kent	58.10	33.30	82.90	W
Chicago St	ARC	39.70	28.60	78.60	W
Bethune	ARC	54.80	53.30	74.20	W
St. Louis	StL	32.60	23.80	70.00	L
IPFW	ARC	40.80	29.40	72.00	W
New Mex	NM	48.60	44.40	61.50	L
Missouri St	MS	40.50	33.30	69.40	W
Oakland	Oak	50.90	30.40	70.00	L
IUPUI	ARC	50.00	19.00	80.80	W
Purdue Cal	ARC	54.90	40.00	60.00	W

I think it is painfully clear that our shooting is much worse when the guys are on the road versus when they are in the comfortable confines of the Athletics Recreation Center.  Shooting only 50% or better in 2 of the 6 road games compared to 5 of the 7 home games, shooting at best 33% twice on the road compared to shooting above 40% at home 4 times, and finally hitting at least 70% of the free throws only twice on the road compared with hitting better then 70% 5 times at home. Some people will say we are playing tougher opponents on the road which is true, but watching the games Valpo gets plenty of good looks that just aren't falling as frequently on the road. Why does this keep happening? There is a great video done by ESPN Sports Science on this topic.

The first thing the Sports Science crew talks about is noise.  The ARC can be one of the loudest buildings in the conference due to its small size.  I don't think the players are affected by the noise level in these other arenas.  The second aspect the crew mentions is site.  I think this is where we run into some of our problems.  The ARC is fairly dark when you move away from the court.  The darker the back drop the easier it is to focus on the rim and use those visual cues to hit those jump shots. I haven't been to many of the road games but I'd be willing to wager that many of the venues the team goes to are more brightly lit.  The final aspect that I feel also figures into our poor shooting is space.  It is no secret that the ARC is very small. Everything in the ARC is right on top of the court, the fans, the ceiling, and the the scoreboard.  Many of these other venues have higher ceilings and every single fan is not right on top of the court.

I think when Valpo does upgrade to a new facility in the near(?!) future they should take in account the dimensions of the other arenas that the team frequently plays at.  Feeling more at home when the team is on the road will help lead to higher shooting percentages and higher winning percentages!

SectionEE Making A Difference

Now by no means am I claiming that I alone am responsible for the Valpo/Arizona game being shown on ESPN3.com this coming Monday.  However, Thursday night after checking ESPN3.com for their schedule of events and not seeing the game listed I emailed ESPN.  The following is the coorespondence between myself and ESPN employee John T.

Any chance the Arizona vs. Valparaiso game will be available on ESPN3.com?  I'd love to watch it on my Xbox Monday night.
Thank you.

ESPN Customer Care support@espncustomercare.com to me

show details Nov 3 (1 day ago)

Dear ESPN Fan,

Thank you for contacting us.

We value feedback and suggestions from our fans. Your suggestion regarding broadcasting the Arizona vs. Valparaiso game on ESPN3 is very much appreciated and will be forwarded to the appropriate department for review.

For live assistance with this or any other issue, please call Customer Care at 1-888-549-3776 (ESPN) between 8:00 a.m. and 1:00 a.m. EST.

Regards,

John T
ESPN.com Customer Care

My new favorite Dino

There are many famous Dino's out there; Dino from the Flintstones, Dino Bruni (Italian cyclist), Dino Cicarrelli (former NHL player), and who can forget Dino Merlin (popular singer from Bosnia and Herzegovina).  You can have all those great Dino's, my new favorite Dino is incoming Valparaiso University Freshman Dino Jakolis.  From LaLumeire Prep School in LaPorte, Indiana the 6'7'' Jakolis comes in ranked 87th at his position by ESPN.  Jakolis took a few minutes to answer some questions for me.

HC: Dino, what sold you on Valpo? 
Dino: The coaches are great people who understand players and are willing to help them every moment.
HC: What other schools were recruiting you?
Dino: Northwestern, Marquette, La Salle, UIC and Duquesne.
HC: What do you think will be the toughest adjustment from playing at LaLumeire to playing at a D1?
Dino: I do not think that there should be any major problems. Just some minor corrections here and there and I will be set.
HC:  Who is your favorite Dino, Dino Raja, Dino from the Flintstones, or a different Dino?

Dino: Dino Raja and Dino from the Flintstones. The first Dino is great inspiration and the second one was the one I used to watch a lot when I was younger.
HC: What role do you expect to fill for the Crusaders your freshman year?
Dino: My expection is that I will play as guard. Guards penetrate, shoot and assist. Exactly what I like to do.
HC: Valpo is a bit undersized, are you concerned about potentially having to match up with some of the bigger guys in the Horizon League?
Dino: There is always a threat from big guys, but as long as I block them out, it shouldn't be a problem guarding big guys.
HC: According to ESPN, you have pretty good range and a nice pull up jump shot. They also note you are a pretty good ball handler for such a big guy. What part of your game will you work to improve on this Summer?
Dino: I will mostly work on shooting and ball handling. I believe that these two components are the keys. You always make a basket with your shot, either lay up or pull up jump shot, so why not add some extra effort.
HC: Do you have any pregame rituals/superstitions?
Dino: Not really. I have never bothered with that.
HC: What do you ultimately hope to achieve during your 4 years of playing at Valpo (personally, as a team, on/off the court)?
Dino: I would like to continue growing as a stable person, make connections with people, learn as much as I can about my studies and lastly, get basketball level to the higher stage.

Thank you Dino for taking the time out to answer these questions for me and the VU fans.  We are anxiously waiting to see you and the rest of the 2011-2012 Crusaders take to the court.  As always, if you'd like an email alert when a new post is made be sure to put your email address in the space provided above this post and click submit!