Game Wrap Up: A coachable victory

Let me begin by stating that just about everyone was in preseason form tonight.  From the players to the video board operator to this blogger; everyone has room for improvement!

The Game
If you like nailbiters this game was just what you wanted to see.  In the last 1:02 there were 5 ties or lead changes.  The Crusaders lived at the line hitting converting on 26-39 attempts (would like to see this get a little better) while the Chargers made their living from behind the arc hitting 10-17 three pointers.  The biggest lead in the game was 8, a far cry from my predicted 40 point blowout!


Lets take a look at the final 1:02. With the score tied at 66, Valpo found themselves behind after a layup by Brandon Pritzl.  Valpo cut the lead to one after Kevin VanWijk split a pair of freebies (:43).  A turnover by Hillsdale was followed by a Ryan Broekhoff Centier Bank Three Pointer to give Valpo the two point advantage (:20).  When the Crusaders failed to help Erik Buggs when he got beat he comitted a foul and the layup was good by Tyler Gerber.  After Gerber hit his free throw to put the Crusaders down a point (:10), a nifty feed from Bogan to KVW led to a bucket and a foul.  KVW sank the free throw (:05) and the Crusaders held on to the 73-71 victory.

Needs Improvement
Allow me to make some first game observation.  These are things I am about to point out are things I will be watching for improvement or confirmation on Thursday.
*The new guys stuck out like a sore thumb tonight.  Their movement wasn't as crisp on the offensive end as I had hoped it would be.  Anytime more then one of them (Kurth, Bogans, Edwards) was on the court at the same time the offense really struggled.

*Will Bogan (more on him in the positive section) had tonight.  He was chasing on defense and his shot was off...way off. 

*Richie Edwards is a black hole on offense.  When he got it he was putting a shot up.  I like that he is not afraid or tentative with the ball, but occasionally working it back out or back around (he shoots the three like Cory Johnson) will create a better shot for himself or a teammate.

*Matt Kenney looks like his best fit should be coming off the bench as a 6th man.  There were several times in the first half where he did not help a teammate on the defensive end that led to a layup or a foul.  I'm also concerned that his outside jumper has appeared not to have improved.

*I really hope the team three point shooting improves (5-22).  Yikes!

*The video board is nice (more in the positives) but when the opponent commits an offensive fouls someone is going to have a seizure if they look at the board's special effects.

The Positives
Despite all the things I just listed there were plenty of positives as well.
*Ryan Broekhoff is really good.  His offense was outstanding and his rebounding and shot blocking was superb.

*Kevin VanWijk provided Valpo with a legit inside scoring presence in this game.  He also hit some big clutch free throws in the last minute of the game.

*Will Bogan had some nifty passes that led to some easy hoops for VanWijk and Buggs.

*Speaking of Erik Buggs he was clearly still our best option at the point.  He defended well and even attacked the hoop enough to make Hillsdale leave a defender on him.

*The guys really played the passing lanes well.  Team rebounding was once again a strength in this game.

*The video board was awesome.  I love the in game stats, the loudness meter, and nearly all of the special effects. 

Up Next
Valpo will wrap up their preseason with a game against Augustana on Thursday night.  

Game Preview: Pre-Season Opener vs. Hillsdale

 

All of our questions regarding the 2011-2012 VU Men's basketball team will be answered come Saturday night....wouldn't that be nice!  The more likely senario is that some questions will be answered and others will arise.  Regardless, this Saturday the fun begins in the ARC as a new era of Crusader basketball begins under the leadership of Coach Bryce Drew.

Get to know your opponent: The Hillsdale Chargers bring forth a team returning some good offensive players.  Two guys I'm going to recommend watching closely for them are Brent Eaton (#21) and Brad Guinane (#24).  Eaton averaged over 16 ppg last season and shot the 3 pointer at over 40%.  Guinane averaged just over 13 ppg last season and was even more proficient behind the arc shooting with success 43% of the time.  Guinane was also the teams top rebounder, averaging over 6 per game. As a team, the Chargers finished last year at a respectable 20-6.

What to expect: Last season Hillsdale only had 6 players averaging in double figures for minutes played.  I know this game doesn't mean anything in the win/loss column, but any team that comes up against the Crusaders are going to have to be deep on the bench.  As far as VU goes I suspect we will get a glimpse at what Coach Drew hopes will be his starting five, how much the new guys have been able to mesh with the returners, and what each new guy is going to bring to the table.  Some things I will be watching for: how effective is Vucic, has Buggs bettered himself offensively, and what role will newcomers Bogan/Fernandez/Edwards find themselves in?  A little side note on this game: it appears that Tommy Kurth will be playing against a former Penn High School teammate in Charger Ryan Choiniere.

Prediction: In part 1 of our season preview I picked Valpo to win this one 98-52 (Brent went with a Valpo victory of 88-60) and having not seen them play yet I have no reason to change that.  Everyone will get plenty of game action and Coach Drew and his staff will be provided with plenty of coachable moments for the week of practice that will follow leading up to the Thursday night tilt against Augstana.

See you at the game!

As always if you'd like an email alert when a new post is made simply put your email address in the space provided above this post.  You can also follow us on facebook by clicking the "facebook badge" on the right of this page.