SectionEE's Horizon League Picks

SectionEE writers Hank and Brent along with the voice of the Crusaders Dick Harlan make their predictions for how the Horizon League's ten teams will finish up the season. As with any predictions, we will probably be able to look back at these and laugh at the end of the year. We will give it our best shot and try to give a short explanation for why we picked them the way we did.  Big thanks to Dick for taking some time and helping us out!  Leave your picks or make fun of ours in the comment section.

my bookie after another poor pick by me

Hank's Picks
10) UIC - They lose their top two players in Robo Kreps and Paul Carter. It is going to be hard to improve having to replace your top guys.


9) Youngstown St. - They will manage to finish just ahead of UIC. They were just to far below the next tier of teams and I don't think we will see that much improvement. This team did not win a road game last season (but they did beat Butler at YSU, go figure).

8) Loyola - Too many good teams in this league to put Loyola higher up. They haven't been good the past few seasons and this year is not going to be much different.

7) Green Bay - I think Alec Brown is going to be tough to stop. He had a very good freshman campaign and I think he will improve this season. He needs more help.

6) Wright State -Losing Tabler, Evans, and Duggins will force someone to step up the scoring for WSU. I don't think they will be able to stay in the top half of the league.

5) Milwaukee - Last year's champs have some holes to fill with the losses of Anthony Hill and Tone Boyle. They will still finish in the top half the league.

4) Valparaiso - A lot of new faces on this year's roster. I think Valpo is one year away from doing something real special.

3) Cleveland State - Still a very good team despite the loss of Player of the Year Norris Cole. Teams in slots 3, 4, and 5 could have gone anyway in my opinion.

2) Butler - Losing Howard and Mack will be too much for Butler to overcome in the regular season. Marshall will emerge as the next great Butler player.

1) Detroit - I think they will win the league this year in spite of their coach. Too much talent with McCallum, Holman, Minnerath, and Simon. This talent along with not losing anybody puts Detroit on top of my list.

Brent is the guy on the left

Brent's Picks
As with any new year after so many seniors and team leaders are gone the league is really going to come down to who steps up.

10) UIC: After only winning 2 league games and finishing last, things can only get better right? Sadly they'll be battling YSU and WSU for the bottom of the barrel this year.

9) Wright State: Losing your top four scorers is really going to hurt. I think Wright State is going into a rebuilding mode this year, but Darling, Pest, Pacher, and company should pose problems for the rest of the league starting in 2012-13.

8) Youngstown State: They have never finished above .500 since joining the league in 2001-02, I don't see them making any leaps or bounds on that trend.

7) Loyola: Averkamp, Hicks, and Gibler are going to need to step it up, but Hicks has injury concerns and they're going to need him.

6) Milwaukee: Two big subtractions who were the heart of the team is going leave this team in the bottom half of the league and certainly a repeat of their regular season title last year will not be repeated.

5) Valparaiso: This could be a surprise year for the Crusaders, but I suspect they are going to need a year to reorganize after the departures of Wood and Johnson and the implementation of a new system under new coach Bryce Drew.

4) Green Bay: I think they are really building something here, and will play this year without fear and be a tough play night in and night out for the entire league.

3) Cleveland State: Who's going to step up and take Norris Cole's spot? If that question can be answered then there is no reason this team can't win the league.

2) Detroit: The talent is certainly there for them to run away with this league, but could somebody please play defense?!

1) Butler: Another solid freshman class coming into the mix with the experience of two consecutive National Title games means that until someone (Ahem Detroit) knocks them off their perch they are the kings of the Horizon League.

Dick racking his brain.

Dick Harlan's Picks

10) UIC: Just don't have enough and what they did have left. Will be a long year.

9) Loyola: New coach, not enough talent. Bad idea.

8) Wright State: Lost too much. I look for them to slide down the standings, even though I think their coach is a very good one.
 
7) Youngstown State: Last year's most improved team from start to finish. They seem on the way up and could be a factor.

6) Milwaukee: Last year was an apperation. They weren't that good and won't be this time either. They always give upper echelon teams trouble in conference, but just don't have enough guns in my opinion.

5) Cleveland State: They will still play that in your face physical defense, but without Norris Cole, not sure how much their offense will help.

4) Green Bay: Very physical again. They have a 7-footer who can dominate for short periods. If they get any offense at all they will be force to reckon with.

3) Valparaiso: The Crusaders has the most depth in the conference and if Van Wijk can play, and they get any help up front they should be a force.

2) Detroit: Their talent has to overcome their coaching, but they are loaded. By far the most talented team in the conference. Maybe this year it will show.

1) Butler: They're still Butler and until someone shows me differently they are the team to beat. Marshall will be a stud and they still have Nored and the big kid.

Getting to know Erik Buggs

This past week, Valparaiso point guard Erik Buggs took some time after studying for his finals to answer a few questions for me.  This past season Erik took over the starting point guard role and was the floor general and defensive stopper for the Crusaders.  Buggs started 34 of the 35 games this season, led the team in rebounding in two games (Norther Colorado, Ball State), was tied for the team lead in assist per game (3.1), and had the highest assist to turnover ratio at 1.9.  Erik gives a little insight into what it takes to succeed at Valpo, the Iona game, his goals after college, and much more.  Lets get to the interview!

Hank Curry (HC): How do you feel about your performance this year as a whole?  Watching all your home games from the stands and on the internet when you guys were away it seemed to me that as the year progressed you slowly got a little more aggressive on the offensive end.  Not so much by taking more shots, but by attacking the rim.  Is this fair to say?  Did the coaches encourage you to shoot/attack more as the season wore on?

Erik Buggs (Buggsy): I am pretty pleased with our performance this year, I obviously am disappointed because of the run that Butler went on further strengthens my belief that we could have made a run in the Big Dance in March. I definitely tried to step up on offense towards the end of the year instead of being so passive, attacking only made our offense better for everyone.

Buggs on the attack

HC: What part of your game will be working on this Summer?  It is no secret that teams sagged pretty off of you, daring you to shoot.  Is it safe to assume that the mid-three point range jumper will be high on your agenda this Summer?  People argue that Valpo's biggest need this off season is to bring in a big guy that can play with his back to the rim, I think it is you becoming more of an offensive threat.  Thoughts?

Buggsy: Next year with guys leaving I definitely feel like I need to step it up more on offense. This year I was really passive and that’s not the type of player I usually am. Last year I was uncomfortable shooting with my first year being back, next year to make my teammates better I need to shoot so that I become a threat and it opens up the court for my teammates to make plays.



Buggs guarding Moore

 HC: You are the defensive stopper on the team.  I love watching you hound the opposing team's point guards and forcing them into bad passes or 5 second violations.  In my opinion it seems like defense is all desire.  What is your secret to being so successful on the defensive end?  Who was the tougher player you had to defend this year in a one on one?

Buggsy: Defense is all about heart and desire. I always take it personal when my guy scores on me or I miss a rotation assignment. I think me taking it personal makes my drive to play defense that much more intense, I also feel like I’m letting my teammates down when I give up points on defense. By far the best player I have defended this year would be Norris Cole, he just has a great feel for the game.

HC: At the end of the year the team went through a bit of a rough stretch of games.  After beating Missouri State (I felt this was the team's best performance of the year), you guys fell to Green Bay and then really took a beating at home versus Loyola.  Was it fatigue, poor execution, a combination of things?

Buggsy:  I think it was a combination of fatigue and guys being out injured. Mainly we just had an opportunity that we let slip through our fingers. Things like that happen in life though and you got to learn to bounce back from it. Experience always makes for a great lesson in life and this will be something that helps us for this upcoming year.

HC: Besides Valpo, what team(s) do you think will be at the top of the conference next year?  I hate to say it, but I'm picking Detroit to be the top seed this next season.

Buggsy: The great thing about the Horizon is that you have so many competitive teams. There is no question that once again Butler will be the hunted but every team has a chance to take the Horizon League.

HC: It was pretty disappointing when Valpo was passed over by the NIT and instead had to go into the CIT.  What was the attitude of the team when you guys learned you'd be hosting a CIT game?  Iona was a decent team, but watching the game from the stands it looked like you guys weren't prepared (I realize you only had a couple days to get ready) and really didn't have much desire.  Please tell me I'm wrong here!

Buggsy: We were quite prepared to take on Iona, it was just one of those games where we couldn’t seem to find the bucket and they couldn’t seem to miss. Its always disappointing expecting to be playing somewhere and not get what you were expecting.

HC: What kind of leadership role, on and off the court, will you look to assume next year?  You'll be one of the old vets next year so I'm sure you'll have the young guys looking to you for direction.

Defense

Buggsy: I sort of stepped into a leadership role last year and this year I will be in basically the same role. We have a lot of experience on this team so leadership won’t be lacking at all on this team.

HC: What is the most valuable information you could give to a player coming to Valpo for their first season regarding the team, Coach Drew, what do they need to have a better chance of succeeding at Valpo?

Buggsy: To have a good career at Valpo a player just needs to play and practice like its their last. A player with the drive to get better and the motivation to win fits in our system. We are all about having a family atmosphere at Valpo and that makes it hard to let others down. We all expect the best effort out of each other, so giving all the effort that you can give is all that we ask for here.

HC: Any nicknames (Buggsy perhaps?) or pregame rituals you can share?

Buggsy: Lol well Buggsy was one or Buggy. I have a lot of nicknames so its hard to keep up with them. Rituals before the game I just like to put on my music and zone out before the game.

HC: What's your major at VU?  What is your dream job after graduating?

Buggsy: I either want to go into coaching or I want to be a Behavioral Analyst for the FBI
 

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