2016-17 Schedule and Results Date Opponent Time/Result Nov. 5 Hillsdale (exhibition) W 78-63 Nov. 11 Southern Utah! Nov. 12 Trinity Christian Nov. 14 Coppin State! Nov. 17 at Oregon 8 p.m. Nov. 21 vs. Alabama! 11 p.m. Nov. 23 vs. BYU/Saint Louis! TBD Nov. 27 Ball State 1:30 p.m. Nov. 29 Rhode Island Dec. 7 at Kentucky Dec. 10 at Missouri State 7:05 p.m. Dec. 17 Indiana State Dec. 22 Santa Clara Dec. 28 Chicago State Dec. 30 at UIC * 4 p.m. Jan. 6 Oakland * 8 p.m. Jan. 8 Detroit Mercy * noon Jan. 12 at Youngstown State * 6:45 p.m. Jan. 14 at Cleveland State * 2:30 p.m. Jan. 16 Green Bay * Jan. 22 UIC * 2 p.m. Jan. 27 Wright State * TBD Jan. 29 Northern Kentucky * 1:30 p.m. Feb. 2 at Milwaukee * Feb. 4 at Green Bay * 2 p.m. Feb. 9 Cleveland State * Feb. 11 Youngstown State * Feb. 17 at Oakland * Feb. 19 at Detroit Mercy * Feb. 21 Milwaukee * Feb. 24 at Wright State * Feb. 26 at Northern Kentucky * Mar. 3-7 at Horizon League Championship (Detroit, Mich.) All times Central. Home games in bold and played at.! MGM Grand Main Event * - indicates Horizon League game 6 p.m. 1 p.m. 6:30 p.m. noon @ValpoBasketball #ValpoGameday #GoValpo #--/rv Valparaiso (0-0, 0-0 Horizon) Game #1 - Friday, Nov. 11 - Southern Utah (0-0, 0-0 Big Sky) Game #2 - Saturday, Nov. 12 - Trinity Christian (0-2, 0-0 CCAC) (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind. Next Up in Crusader Basketball: The lid lifts on the 2016-17 regular season for the Valparaiso University men s basketball team with a busy slate this weekend. The season opens Friday evening against Southern Utah before the Crusaders take on Trinity Christian just 24 hours later. Prior to Friday s game, the program will be unveiling banners commemorating the 2015-16 Horizon League regular season title and the appearance in the 2016 NIT championship game. Last Time Out: The Valparaiso University men s basketball team kicked off the 2016-17 season at the ARC last Saturday with its lone exhibition game of the year, defeating Hillsdale by a 78-63 final as senior Alec Peters led the way with 24 points and 10 rebounds. A 10-2 spurt late in the first half pushed a four-point lead into double figures at halftime, and Valpo maintained a double-digit lead the rest of the way. Following the Crusaders: Video ESPN3/WatchESPN/ESPN app Todd Ickow (PxP), David Huseman (Analyst) and David Horak (Sidelines [Friday]) Radio WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) Links for the video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com. Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich begins his first season at the helm of the Valparaiso University men s basketball program in 2016-17 after being named the 22nd head coach in program history on April 7. Lottich previously served as an assistant coach for the last three seasons, helping Valpo earn 78 victories - including a school-record 30 last season - and a pair of Horizon League regular season titles. Series Notes: Friday s matchup with the Thunderbirds renews a series that spanned a decade (1997-2007) when both Southern Utah and Valparaiso were members of the Mid-Continent Conference. Valpo holds a 16-7 advantage in the all-time series over SUU, including a perfect 10-0 mark at home at the ARC. Meanwhile, the Crusaders match up with Trinity Christian in regular season action for a second straight season - last year saw Valpo take down the Trolls by an 89-42 final on Nov. 19, 2015, led by 20 points and 10 rebounds from Darien Walker. Valpo Men s Basketball
@ValpoBasketball......and the @HorizonLeague - Valpo was picked to win the Horizon League in preseason polling, earning 35 of the 39 first-place votes. - The Crusaders have not finished worse than their preseason projection in the last six years. - Senior Alec Peters was named the league s Preseason Player of the Year, Valpo s first league preseason player of the year since Lubos Barton (2001-02, Mid-Con). - Senior Shane Hammink joined Peters as a preseason All-League choice, earning a spot on the Second Team....looking back at last year - The 2015-16 Crusader squad won a school-record 30 games, finishing the year 30-7. - Valpo claimed the Horizon League regular season title by going 16-2 in league play, winning the league by three games. - The Crusaders were the first Horizon League team to win the league title by at least three games since 2009-10. - The regular season title was Valpo s fourth in a five-year span, a feat accomplished only by Butler and Xavier previously within the league. - Valpo set new Horizon League records in league-only play for scoring margin, rebounds, rebounding average and rebound margin. - The Crusaders received an automatic bid into the NIT and were awarded a 1 seed as one of the First Four Out of the NCAA Tournament. - Valpo defeated Texas Southern, Florida State and Saint Mary s at the ARC to advance to the semifinals at Madison Square Garden in New York City. - The Crusaders beat BYU in a thriller at MSG before falling in the championship game of the NIT to George Washington. - Vashil Fernandez led the nation in blocked shots, was named National Defensive Player of the Year and repeated as Horizon League Defensive Player of the Year. - Alec Peters was an AP Honorable Mention All-American and earned a spot on the All-Horizon League First Team for a second straight year. - Bryce Drew repeated as Horizon League Coach of the Year....in the exhibition - Valpo won its lone exhibition game at the ARC last Saturday, downing Hillsdale 78-63. - The Crusaders took the lead for good with a 13-1 run midway through the first half, and pushed the lead into double figures with a 10-2 spurt late in the half. - Alec Peters led the way with 24 points and 10 rebounds, hitting both his 3-point attempts and going 10-of-11 from the foul line. - Jubril Adekoya went 5-for-7 from the field in just 15 minutes to finish with 13 points, while Tevonn Walker added 10 points and eight rebounds. - Walk-on senior Jason Karys, who served as a team manager his first three years on campus, thrilled the crowd by making a late 3-pointer just nine seconds after entering the game. - Valpo shot just 40.3% from the field and was just 6-of-21 from 3-point range, but did hit 18-of-22 from the free throw stripe. - The Crusaders limited Hillsdale to 32.1% shooting for the game. - Valpo also competed in a closed scrimmage at Northern Illinois during preseason action as well....looking ahead - Valpo closes out a quick three-game homestand to open the season on Monday evening as the Crusaders host Coppin State. - The Crusaders then play three straight away from home, starting with a game at Oregon on Thursday night....at the ARC - Valpo has 17 regular season home games scheduled at the ARC during the 2016-17 season. - The Crusaders set a program record last year with 17 home victories, posting a 17-1 mark. - Valpo has recorded a 32-2 record in home games over the last two seasons. - The Crusaders had a program-record 25-game home winning streak snapped Feb. 13 against Wright State, a streak which dated back to Dec. 2014. - Over the last 21 years, the Crusaders own a 267-58 (.822) record on their home court at the ARC....in home openers - Valpo has won its home opener each of the last 11 seasons, including 10 victories by double figures. - Last season, the Crusaders took down IPFW by a 78-64 final in their home opener, led by 24 points and seven rebounds from Alec Peters. - The last time Valpo lost a home opener was Nov. 27, 2004, falling to Charlotte 85-71. @SUUBasketball - Southern Utah finished last season with a 5-24 overall record and is under the guidance of first-year head coach Todd Simon. - The Thunderbirds broke the century mark in both of their exhibition victories, winning 110-86 over The Master s University and 103-89 over La Verne. - Randy Onwuasor, a transfer from Texas Tech who sat out last season, averaged 34 points per game in SUU s two exhibition wins. @TrollsMBball - Coming off of a 9-21 season, Trinity Christian has fallen in a pair of games by a combined four points to start this year. - Senior swingman Jordan Perry has led the Trolls in the early going, averaging 23 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. - Trinity Christian will play at Cardinal Stritch Friday evening before making its way to the ARC on Saturday. Quick Start to the Season - Home fans have plenty of chances to catch the Crusaders early on this season, as Valpo opens the year with three home games in four days. - This is the second straight season Valpo has had a lot of games early on, as last year s squad opened the year with five games in the first seven days - including a round trip to Rhode Island. - Last year s team was the first D-I team in the nation to reach four and five wins, as the Crusaders won all five in the opening stretch. What s Back - The Crusaders welcome back eight letterwinners from last season s 30- win squad, including a pair of starters in Alec Peters and Tevonn Walker.
Horizon League Standings (as of Nov. 9) Horizon Overall Team W-L Pct. W-L Pct. Valparaiso 0-0.000 0-0.000 Oakland 0-0.000 0-0.000 Green Bay 0-0.000 0-0.000 UIC 0-0.000 0-0.000 Wright State 0-0.000 0-0.000 Detroit Mercy 0-0.000 0-0.000 Northern Kentucky 0-0.000 0-0.000 Cleveland State 0-0.000 0-0.000 Youngstown State 0-0.000 0-0.000 Milwaukee 0-0.000 0-0.000 Horizon League Schedule Friday, Nov. 11 Bowling Green at Oakland, 6 p.m. Earlham at Northern Kentucky, 6 p.m. Adrian at Detroit Mercy, 6 p.m. Wright State at Southern Illinois, MSOE at Milwaukee, Southern Utah at Valparaiso, UIC at San Francisco, 9 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 12 Northland at Green Bay, noon Kent State at Cleveland State, 4 p.m. Akron at Youngstown State, 6:45 p.m. Trinity Christian at Valparaiso, Sunday, Nov. 13 Northern Kentucky at Illinois, 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14 Western Michigan at Oakland, 6 p.m. Detroit Mercy at East Tennessee State, 6 p.m. Coppin State at Valparaiso, Tuesday, Nov. 15 Green Bay at Pacific, 1 a.m. Miami (Ohio) at Wright State, 6 p.m. Canisius at Cleveland State, 6 p.m. Youngstown State at Toledo, Wednesday, Nov. 16 Milwaukee at Memphis, UTSA at UIC, - In all, Valpo returns 50% of its minutes played, 57.1% of its scoring and 47.5% of its rebounding from last year. What s New - Five players are entering their first season of eligibility for the Crusaders this year. - 7 2 Derrik Smits will take the court for the first time after redshirting last season due to injury. - 6 11 Spaniard Jaume Sorolla, who most recently helped the Spain U20 squad win the 2016 FIBA U20 European Championship, and guard Micah Bradford, ranked among the top-20 players in the state of Illinois, join Valpo as scholarship freshmen. - The Crusaders also welcome a pair of walk-ons in senior Jason Karys - a three-year team manager - and freshman John Kiser. High Praise Entering the Year - Despite losing nearly half their scoring from last year s squad, this year s Crusader team is still receiving quite a bit of national love entering the year. - Valpo has been a near-unanimous choice to win the Horizon League among national media projections. - The Crusaders enter the season receiving votes in the USA Today Coaches poll. - Valpo was ranked #51 on CBS Sports ranking of all Division I teams, and begins the season #69 in the Ken Pomeroy ratings. - Matt Norlander of CBS Sports named Valpo one of his teams to watch as a potential March sleeper. Peters Garners Accolades - Coming off of a season in which he was named an Honorable Mention All-American, Alec Peters enters this season receiving a lot of notice as one of the nation s top players. - Peters was tabbed a Third Team preseason All-American by Blue Ribbon Magazine and NBC Sports, among others. - Peters earned a spot on the watch list for the Naismith Trophy, awarded by the Atlanta Tipoff Club to the National Player of the Year. - In rankings of the nation s top players, Peters ranked #16 on CBS Sports list and #29 on NBC Sports list. - Peters is on the Karl Malone Award watch list, awarded to the nation s top power forward, and also appears on College Insider s Lutle Olson Award (national Player of the Year) and Lou Henson Award (national mid-major Player of the Year) watch lists. - Peters topped Mark Adams list of best players in leagues covered by the American Sports Network, and was named the #1 most complete player in the nation by Bleacher Report. - Peters was tabbed the nation s Best Shooter by a pair of Sports Illustrated college basketball writers in their season preview materials. Media Relations Information Requests to cover home men s basketball games should be made through Aaron Leavitt, Assistant Director of Athletics for Media Relations, by contacting 219.464.6953 or. Press row seating is available at the ARC for working media only. Updated statistics and notes from both schools will be available in the media room. During the week, all player and coach interview requests should be directed to Aaron Leavitt. Media planning to attend practice should call ahead to confirm practice time. Game-day interviews prior to the contest are not permitted. Coach Drew and requested players will be available following the game in the media room.
The International Flavor - This year s squad continues the international pipeline that Valpo has cultivated over the past two decades - The Crusaders boast four international players on this year s roster from three different countries. - Represented are Canada (Joseph and Walker), the Netherlands (Hammink) and Spain (Sorolla). - Over the past 20 years, the Crusaders have welcomed 32 international players from 19 different countries. Crusaders Sign Parker Hazen - Valpo signed 6 7 forward Parker Hazen from Columbia City (Ind.) H.S. to an NLI during the early signing period. - Hazen enters his senior year ranked #7 in his class in the state of Indiana according to ESPN. - Hazen was an Indiana Junior All-Star following last season, as he averaged 15.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game in helping the Eagles to their second straight sectional title. - On the AAU circuit, Hazen has played for the prestigious Spiece Indy Heat program in the Nike EYBL. NBA Lineage - Three members of this year s Crusader roster boast fathers who played at the highest level of pro basketball - in the NBA. - Most notably, Derrik Smits father, Rik, played 12 seasons with the Indiana Pacers and was an All-Star. - Chandler Levingston Simon s father, Cliff Levingston, was an 11-year NBA vet who won two titles with the Chicago Bulls. - Shane Hammink s father, Geert, was a 1993 first-round draft pick who played parts of three seasons in the NBA. Alec Peters - Peters is the Horizon League s preseason Player of the Year after earning Honorable Mention All-American honors from the AP last year. - Peters is on the preseason watch lists for the Naismith Award (nation s top collegiate player) and the Karl Malone Award (nation s best power forward). - Peters earned preseason All-America notice from a number of publications, including Blue Ribbon Magazine and NBC Sports. - Peters declared for the 2016 NBA Draft on Apr. 7 and went through the draft process before withdrawing in late May. - Peters attended the Nike Skills Academy July 25-27 and was praised by the national media as one of the camp s top performers. - Peters enters his senior season fourth in Valpo history in career scoring and seventh in rebounding. - Peters was a First Team All-League and All-District selection as a junior, averaging 18.4 points and 8.5 rebounds per game. - Peters ranked second in a single season in scoring (679 points) and fifth in rebounding (313 rebounds) in program history. - Peters became only the second D-I player in the last 20 years to average at least 18 points and eight rebounds per game while hitting at least 80 3-pointers (Kevin Durant). - Peters ranked fourth in the nation in Ken Pomeroy s Offensive Rating metric. - Peters was a First Team All-League performer and a First Team All-District selection as a sophomore. - Peters was the first player in program history to reach the 1,000-point career milestone by the end of his sophomore year. - Peters was the Horizon League Championship MVP as a sophomore and an All-Freshman Team selection in 2013-14. Jubril Adekoya - Adekoya appeared in all 37 games for Valpo as a junior, averaging 6.1 points and 4.1 rebounds per game in 18.5 minutes of action. - Adekoya ranked third on the team in rebounding and second in steals (30). - Adekoya scored in double figures six times on the season. - Adekoya was named Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year as a sophomore, averaging 4.7 points and 4.2 rebounds per game. Shane Hammink - Hammink enters his final year at Valpo as a preseason Second Team All-Horizon League selection. - Hammink appeared in 35 games in his first year of eligibility for the Crusaders, averaging 8.9 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. - Hammink shot 50% from the field, ranked third on the team in scoring and was second on the team with 61 assists. - Hammink scored in double figures 17 times as a junior. - Hammink played his first two seasons at LSU before transferring to Valpo. Tevonn Walker - Walker started in 26 of his 31 appearances for Valpo as a sophomore, averaging 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game. - Walker ranked third on the team with 50 assists and scored in double figures 13 times. - Walker was a Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection as a rookie in 2014-15, averaging 10.3 points per game. Lexus Williams - Williams returned from injury last season to appear in 16 games off the bench, averaging 5.8 minutes per contest. - Williams missed the entire 2014-15 season due to injury and received a medical redshirt. - Williams was a Horizon League All-Freshman Team selection as a rookie in 2013-14, averaging 6.5 points per game and leading the team in steals. Max Joseph - Joseph saw action in 24 games for the Crusaders as a sophomore last season, averaging 7.4 minutes/game. - Joseph appeared in 28 games as a rookie for Valpo in 2014-15. Derrik Smits - Smits will take the court for the first time this season after sitting out last year due to injury. - Smits was an Indiana All-Star at Zionsville H.S., averaging nearly 15 points per game as a senior. - Smits father, Rik, played 12 seasons in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers. Micah Bradford - Bradford was an All-Area choice at Bradley-Bourbonnais (Ill.) H.S. as a senior, averaging 19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and three steals per game.
- Bradford was ranked among the top-20 players in his class in the state of Illinois. - Bradford finished his career as Bradley-Bourbonnais all-time leading scorer. Jaume Sorolla - Sorolla has represented his native Spain in a number of FIBA international competitions. - Sorolla most recently won a gold medal for Spain at the FIBA U20 European Championships, averaging 4.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game. - Sorolla spent last season in the United States playing at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kan. Nick Davidson - Davidson saw action in 15 games off the bench for the Crusaders as a junior last year, averaging 5.1 minutes/game. - Davidson has appeared in 44 total games over his three seasons at Valpo, tallying 82 career points. Chandler Levingston Simon - Levingston Simon saw action in 12 games in his first season as a walk-on for Valpo last year, scoring eight points in 41 minutes. - Levingston Simon played as a freshman at UMKC before transferring to Valpo. Superlatives Double-Digit Scoring: Valpo - 0. Opponents - 0. Double-Digit Rebounding: Valpo - 0. Opponents - 0. Double Doubles: Valpo - 0. Opponents - 0. Dunks: Valpo - 0. Opponents - 0. John Kiser - Kiser joined the Crusader program as a walk-on this year. - Kiser, an Indiana Junior All-Star at Noblesville [Ind.] H.S. following his junior year, averaged 21.2 points per game as a senior. Jason Karys - Karys was a three-year team manager who was awarded a walk-on roster spot by Matt Lottich as a senior. 2016-17 Playing at home 0-0 Playing on the road 0-0 Playing at a neutral site 0-0 Playing at night (5 p.m. or later local) 0-0 Playing during the day (noon-4:59 p.m.) 0-0 Playing during the morning (before noon) 0-0 Valpo When... 2016-17 Outrebounding opponents 0-0 Outrebounded by opponents 0-0 Outscoring opponents 0-0 Outscored by opponents 0-0 Better FG% than opponents 0-0 Worse FG% than opponents 0-0 Leading at halftime 0-0 Tied at halftime 0-0 Trailing at halftime 0-0 Playing overtime 0-0 Playing in November 0-0 Playing in December 0-0 Playing in January 0-0 Playing in February 0-0 Playing in March 0-0 Playing on Sunday 0-0 Playing on Monday 0-0 Playing on Tuesday 0-0 Playing on Wednesday 0-0 Playing on Thursday 0-0 Playing on Friday 0-0 Playing on Saturday 0-0 Better FT% than opponents 0-0 Worse FT% than opponents 0-0 Fewer turnovers than opponents 0-0 More turnovers than opponents 0-0 Scoring 80 or more points 0-0 Scoring 70-79 points 0-0 Scoring 60-69 points 0-0 Scoring less than 60 points 0-0 Opponents score 80 or more points 0-0 Opponents score 70-79 points 0-0 Opponents score 60-69 points 0-0 Opponents score less than 60 points 0-0 Game decided by 5 points or less 0-0 Game decided by 6-10 points 0-0 Game decided by 11-15 points 0-0 Game decided by more than 15 points 0-0
2016-17 Valparaiso Men s Basketball Roster # Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown/High School [Prev. School] 1 Micah Bradford G 6-2 150 Fr. Bradley, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais 2 Tevonn Walker G 6-2 200 Jr. Montreal, Quebec/Vanier College 3 Max Joseph G 6-1 210 Jr. Montreal, Quebec/Vanier College 4 Bakari Evelyn G 6-2 180 So.* Detroit, Mich./Hillcrest [Ariz.] Academy/Southfield Christian [Nebraska] 5 Jason Karys G 6-1 175 Sr. Newton, Mass./Newton South 10 Joe Burton G/F 6-6 210 Jr.* Porter, Texas/Humble Atascocita [Oklahoma State] 11 Shane Hammink G 6-7 210 R-Sr. Millingen aan de Rijn, Netherlands/Oakley College [LSU] 13 John Middleton G 6-3 215 So.* Atlantic City, N.J./Holy Spirits [Utah State] 14 Jaume Sorolla C 6-11 240 Fr. Tortosa, Spain/Sunrise Christian [Kan.] Academy 15 Lexus Williams G 6-0 165 R-Jr. Chicago, Ill./Marist 21 Derrik Smits C 7-2 240 R-Fr. Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville 22 Nick Davidson G 6-4 195 Sr. Munster, Ind./Andrean 23 Jubril Adekoya F 6-7 230 Sr. Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew 25 Alec Peters F 6-9 235 Sr. Washington, Ill./Washington 30 Chandler Levingston Simon F 6-7 220 R-Jr. Vernon Hills, Ill./Stevenson [UMKC] 33 John Kiser G/F 6-5 205 Fr. Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville * - indicates player must sit out the 2016-2017 season due to NCAA transfer regulations Coaching Staff Head Coach: Matt Lottich (Stanford, 2004) 1 st season Associate Head Coach: Luke Gore 15 th season Assistant Coaches: David Ragland 1 st season; Jackie Manuel 1 st season Special Assistant to the Head Coach: Chad Warner 1 st season Director of Basketball Operations: Joel Zimba 1 st season Strength and Conditioning Coach: Derek Bol - 5 th season Among the Horizon League Leaders Individual Leaders (among top 5) Team Leaders (among top 3) Pronunciation Guide Jubril Adekoya: juh-brill add-uh-koy-uh Shane Hammink: HAM-ink Jason Karys: CARE-iss Jaume Sorolla: HAO-may (or goes by Jay) suh-roy-uh Tevonn Walker: tuh-vonn (first syllable sounds like the Le in LeBron) Valpo Versus Southern Utah Date Site W/L Score Jan. 8, 1998 Cedar City, Utah W 79-70 Feb. 7, 1998 Valparaiso, Ind. W 66-56 Jan. 2, 1999 Valparaiso, Ind. W 90-69 Jan. 30, 1999 Cedar City, Utah W 62-52 Jan. 6, 2000 Cedar City, Utah L 86-79 Feb. 5, 2000 Valparaiso, Ind. W 76-62 Mar. 7, 2000 Fort Wayne, Ind. W 71-62 Jan. 18, 2001 Cedar City, Utah L 70-66 Feb. 8, 2001 Valparaiso, Ind. W 61-58 Mar. 6, 2001 Fort Wayne, Ind. L 62-59 Jan. 10, 2002 Cedar City, Utah L 78-62 Feb. 9, 2002 Valparaiso, Ind. W 71-64 Jan. 16, 2003 Valparaiso, Ind. W 74-44 Feb. 15, 2003 Cedar City, Utah W 69-61 Jan. 24, 2004 Valparaiso, Ind. W 76-69 Feb. 21, 2004 Cedar City, Utah L 75-58 Jan. 27, 2005 Cedar City, Utah W 93-77 Feb. 17, 2005 Valparaiso, Ind. W 82-76 Jan. 21, 2006 Cedar City, Utah L 73-61 Feb. 4, 2006 Valparaiso, Ind. W 76-64 Mar. 5, 2006 Tulsa, Okla. W 77-66 Jan. 27, 2007 Cedar City, Utah L 76-60 Feb. 22, 2007 Valparaiso, Ind. W 75-48 All-time series: Valpo leads 16-7 At Valpo: Valpo leads 10-0 At Southern Utah: SUU leads 6-4 At neutral sites: Valpo leads 2-1
Matt Lottich Head Coach 1st Season Stanford, 2004 Valparaiso University President Mark A. Heckler, Ph.D., and Director of Athletics Mark LaBarbera announced Thursday, April 7, 2016 that Matt Lottich has been hired as the 22nd head coach in the history of the Valpo men s basketball program. Lottich, who has been a member of the Crusader coaching staff for the last three years, is just the program s fifth head coach in the last 36 years. Lottich arrived at Valparaiso University in summer 2013 and has spent the last three seasons as an assistant coach on the Valpo men s basketball coaching staff, helping guide the Crusaders to 78 victories during that span. Valpo has won two Horizon League regular season championships and one league tournament title in Lottich s tenure. The Crusaders have recorded the top two victory totals in program history in the last two seasons with Lottich on the bench. Valpo broke the previous school record for wins in a season during the 2014-2015 campaign, winning 28 games and earning a berth in the NCAA Tournament. This past season, Valpo won a program-record 30 games and advanced to the NIT championship game at Madison Square Garden. Lottich brings nearly a decade of professional playing experience to the head coaching position at Valparaiso University. Lottich spent eight years playing professionally in Japan for the Oita Heat Devils and the Osaka Evessa, earning All-Star recognition four times. He also played one season in Germany in the Bundesliga for the Dusseldorf Giants, played one season in New Zealand in the NBL for the Harbor Heat and was a member of the New Jersey Nets summer league team in 2004. Lottich played collegiately at Stanford University from 2000 through 2004. As a senior in 2003-2004, he helped lead the Cardinal to the Pac-10 title while earning NABC All-Star plaudits, awarded to the top-15 seniors in college basketball. He was also a member of the Wooden Award midseason watch list and was an Honorable Mention All Pac-10 selection as a senior. Lottich was also a member of the program s conference championship squad as a freshman in 2000-2001 and still ranks among Stanford s single-season and career leaders in 3-pointers made. Off the court, Lottich came to Valpo from the National Collegiate Scouting Association, where he started in January 2013. Lottich ascended to the position of head scout during his time with the NCSA, which helps high school athletes navigate the world of college recruiting. Lottich also co-founded the TEAM Life Skills basketball camp in 2004 and spent nine years managing and developing the camp. Lottich played his prep basketball at New Trier [Ill.] H.S., where he was named the Chicago Tribune Athlete of the Year in 2000 and holds the distinction of being the program s all-time leading scorer. Lottich graduated from Stanford University in 2004 and currently resides in Valparaiso with his wife, Kylan, and their four children: Grace, Matthan, Christian and Landon.
TEVONN WALKER CAREER HIGHS Points 24, at Oakland (1/8/16) Rebounds 13, at Green Bay (1/23/15) Assists 4, twice (M.R. 12/21/14) Steals 4, twice (M.R. 2/15/15) Blocks 1, six times (M.R. 2/13/16) FG Made 8, at Oakland (1/2/15) 3PT Made 6, at Oakland (1/8/16) FT Made 8, twice (M.R. 1/10/16) MAX JOSEPH CAREER HIGHS Points 9, twice (M.R. 11/19/15) Rebounds 7, IU Kokomo (11/18/15) Assists 5, twice (M.R. 11/18/15) Steals 4, Trinity International (12/10/14) Blocks 1, three times (M.R. 1/31/15) FG Made 3, twice (M.R. 1/8/15) 3PT Made 2, UIC (1/8/15) FT Made 4, twice (M.R. 1/30/16) SHANE HAMMINK CAREER HIGHS Points 19, at Belmont (12/28/15) Rebounds 8, Saint Mary s (3/22/16) Assists 5, three times (M.R. 3/29/16) Steals 3, three times (M.R. 3/29/16) Blocks 5, vs. BYU (3/29/16) FG Made 7, at Belmont (12/28/15) 3PT Made 3, twice (M.R. 2/28/16) FT Made 6, twice (M.R. 11/15/15) LEXUS WILLIAMS CAREER HIGHS Points 22, at Detroit (1/15/14) Rebounds 8, Cincinnati Christian (11/30/13) Assists 8, Green Bay (1/29/14) Steals 4, three times (M.R. 11/18/15) Blocks 1, three times (M.R. 2/1/14) FG Made 6, Mercer (11/29/13) 3PT Made 3, twice (M.R. 1/4/14) FT Made 10, at Detroit (1/15/14) NICK DAVIDSON CAREER HIGHS Points 13, IU Kokomo (11/18/15) Rebounds 3, North Park (11/10/13) Assists 5, Cincinnati Christian (11/30/13) Steals 2, three times (M.R. 11/19/15) Blocks FG Made 4, IU Kokomo (11/18/15) 3PT Made 2, twice (M.R. 12/29/14) FT Made 5, IU Kokomo (11/18/15) JUBRIL ADEKOYA CAREER HIGHS Points 20, IU Kokomo (11/18/15) Rebounds 9, three times (M.R. 1/8/15) Assists 6, at Evansville (11/20/13) Steals 4, twice (M.R. 2/11/16) Blocks 2, three times (M.R. 2/28/16) FG Made 8, IU Kokomo (11/18/15) 3PT Made 3, Youngstown St. (1/30/16) FT Made 5, twice (M.R. 1/23/14) ALEC PETERS CAREER HIGHS Points 39, at Detroit (1/10/16) Rebounds 15, at Green Bay (2/28/16) Assists 5, twice (M.R. 3/22/16) Steals 4, Ball St. (12/13/14) Blocks 2, three times (M.R. 3/7/16) FG Made 12, at Detroit (1/10/16) 3PT Made 7, twice (M.R. 12/3/14) FT Made 13, twice (M.R. 3/7/16) CHANDLER LEVINGSTON SIMON CAREER HIGHS Points 4, IU Kokomo (11/18/15) Rebounds 4, twice (M.R. 11/19/15) Assists 1, twice (M.R. 1/30/16) Steals Blocks FG Made 2, IU Kokomo (11/18/15) 3PT Made FT Made
Official Basketball Box Score -- Game Totals -- Final Statistics Hillsdale vs Valparaiso 11/05/16 7:40 p.m. at Valparaiso, Ind. (ARC) Hillsdale 63 Total 3-Ptr Rebounds ## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 33 BEHR, Gordon f 1-5 0-2 0-3 1 7 8 3 2 0 3 1 0 14 15 ARCHER, Nick c 2-5 0-1 2-2 0 1 1 0 6 2 0 1 0 22 02 BADOWSKI, Ryan g 4-11 1-2 2-4 2 2 4 4 11 2 0 1 1 25 03 NEVEAU, Nate g 1-5 1-1 8-8 1 2 3 3 11 4 3 0 0 28 05 LOWRY, Stedman g 4-14 3-10 2-3 1 1 2 1 13 1 0 0 0 32 04 GIANNAKOPOULOS, S. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 11 HILL, Connor 0-1 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 12 WILKINSON, Jonathan 0-1 0-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 5 20 SMITH, Rhett 1-1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 5 3 0 1 0 0 17 21 LARSON, Davis 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 22 CORDES, Jack 0-1 0-1 1-2 0 2 2 3 1 0 0 0 0 12 23 LOWRY, Dylan 1-3 0-0 3-4 0 1 1 0 5 2 1 0 0 16 30 TRAVLOS, Mike 2-4 1-3 0-0 0 2 2 1 5 0 0 0 0 10 32 RICHARDSON, Trenton 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 34 GIANNAKOPOULOS, C. 0-1 0-1 0-0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 40 KALTHOFF, Noah 0-1 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 45 CZARNOWSKI, Nick 2-3 0-0 1-2 1 3 4 2 5 1 1 1 1 13 Team 4 4 8 1 Totals 18-56 7-23 20-30 11 26 37 23 63 13 10 5 2 200 FG % 1st Half: 9-26 34.6% 3FG % 1st Half: 5-12 41.7% FT % 1st Half: 10-17 58.8% 2nd half: 9-30 30.0% 2nd half: 2-11 18.2% 2nd half: 10-13 76.9% Game: 18-56 32.1% Game: 7-23 30.4% Game: 20-30 66.7% Deadball Rebounds 5 Valparaiso 78 Total 3-Ptr Rebounds ## Player FG-FGA FG-FGA FT-FTA Off Def Tot PF TP A TO Blk Stl Min 23 ADEKOYA, Jubril f 5-7 0-1 3-4 1 1 2 3 13 1 1 0 0 15 25 PETERS, Alec f 6-11 2-2 10-11 3 7 10 2 24 3 0 0 2 27 02 WALKER, Tevonn g 5-13 0-3 0-0 5 3 8 3 10 0 2 0 1 21 11 HAMMINK, Shane g 4-9 1-4 0-0 1 5 6 2 9 2 2 2 0 28 15 WILLIAMS, Lexus g 2-7 2-5 0-0 0 2 2 2 6 2 0 0 2 28 01 BRADFORD, Micah 0-3 0-1 0-0 0 1 1 4 0 0 0 0 0 11 03 JOSEPH, Max 1-5 0-1 0-0 0 3 3 4 2 1 0 2 0 24 05 KARYS, Jason 1-1 1-1 0-0 0 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0 1 14 SOROLLA, Jaume 1-4 0-0 3-4 4 3 7 3 5 0 2 1 0 17 21 SMITS, Derrik 2-5 0-2 1-1 1 4 5 1 5 1 1 0 0 17 22 DAVIDSON, Nick 0-1 0-1 1-2 0 2 2 1 1 1 1 0 0 6 30 LEVINGSTON SIMON, C. 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 33 KISER, John 0-1 0-0 0-0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 4 Team 1 1 2 Totals 27-67 6-21 18-22 17 32 49 26 78 11 9 5 5 200 FG % 1st Half: 13-28 46.4% 3FG % 1st Half: 5-9 55.6% FT % 1st Half: 14-18 77.8% Officials: Larry Scirotto, Kyle Smith, Collin Dotson Technical fouls: Hillsdale-None. Valparaiso-None. Attendance: 2571 Exhibition Game 2nd half: 14-39 35.9% 2nd half: 1-12 8.3% 2nd half: 4-4 100.0% Game: 27-67 40.3% Game: 6-21 28.6% Game: 18-22 81.8% Deadball Rebounds 1 Score by periods 1st 2nd Total Hillsdale 33 30 63 Valparaiso 45 33 78 Last FG - HC 2nd-02:20, VALPO 2nd-01:13. Largest lead - HC by 3 1st-12:56, VALPO by 23 2nd-13:16. HC led for 03:42. VALPO led for 35:52. Game was tied for 00:26. In Off 2nd Fast Points Paint T/O Chance Break Bench HC 18 7 11 5 20 VALPO 36 16 14 2 16 Score tied - 1 time. Lead changed - 4 times.
2015-2016 Valparaiso Men's Basketball Valparaiso Combined Team Statistics (as of Nov 10, 2016) All games Overall record: 30-7 Conf: 16-2 Home: 17-1 Away: 12-4 Neutral: 1-2 Total 3-Point F-Throw Rebounds ## Player gp-gs min avg fg-fga fg% 3fg-fga 3fg% ft-fta ft% off def tot avg pf dq a to blk stl pts avg 25 PETERS, Alec 37-37 1186 32.1 223-442.505 91-207.440 142-167.850 93 220 313 8.5 77 0 49 63 11 26 679 18.4 00 CARTER, Keith 36-36 1038 28.8 127-302.421 63-160.394 54-89.607 20 100 120 3.3 80 4 161 59 7 58 371 10.3 11 HAMMINK, Shane 35-10 772 22.1 112-224.500 22-72.306 66-84.786 20 89 109 3.1 74 2 61 70 10 26 312 8.9 02 WALKER, Tevonn 31-26 698 22.5 97-245.396 28-92.304 52-80.650 28 76 104 3.4 75 2 50 41 3 24 274 8.8 05 WALKER, Darien 36-18 728 20.2 103-265.389 41-122.336 41-54.759 30 99 129 3.6 57 1 37 39 3 20 288 8.0 10 SKARA, David 29-13 571 19.7 68-154.442 21-64.328 32-43.744 36 53 89 3.1 60 3 44 39 8 10 189 6.5 23 ADEKOYA, Jubril 37-1 684 18.5 79-157.503 18-31.581 48-61.787 41 110 151 4.1 85 3 35 51 12 30 224 6.1 14 FERNANDEZ, Vashil 36-36 903 25.1 84-165.509 0-0.000 35-70.500 99 162 261 7.3 112 3 17 45 119 16 203 5.6 01 NICKERSON, E. Victor 32-7 482 15.1 41-136.301 6-40.150 55-79.696 17 52 69 2.2 64 0 40 47 2 15 143 4.5 22 DAVIDSON, Nick 15-0 77 5.1 8-20.400 3-10.300 13-14.929 1 4 5 0.3 6 0 6 1 0 3 32 2.1 15 WILLIAMS, Lexus 16-0 92 5.8 9-28.321 3-17.176 3-5.600 3 8 11 0.7 12 0 6 4 0 6 24 1.5 03 JOSEPH, Max 24-1 178 7.4 9-34.265 2-14.143 15-23.652 8 15 23 1.0 18 0 18 11 0 12 35 1.5 30 LEVINGSTON SIMON, 12-0 41 3.4 4-6.667 0-0.000 0-0.000 5 7 12 1.0 11 1 2 1 0 0 8 0.7 Team 67 71 138 1 8 Total... 37 7450 964-2178.443 298-829.359 556-769.723 468 1066 1534 41.5 732 19 526 479 175 246 2782 75.2 Opponents... 37 7450 792-2062.384 225-683.329 514-784.656 347 860 1207 32.6 717-394 477 135 215 2323 62.8 TEAM STATISTICS VALPO OPP SCORING 2782 2323 Points per game 75.2 62.8 Scoring margin +12.4 - FIELD GOALS-ATT 964-2178 792-2062 Field goal pct.443.384 3 POINT FG-ATT 298-829 225-683 3-point FG pct.359.329 3-pt FG made per game 8.1 6.1 FREE THROWS-ATT 556-769 514-784 Free throw pct.723.656 F-Throws made per game 15.0 13.9 REBOUNDS 1534 1207 Rebounds per game 41.5 32.6 Rebounding margin +8.8 - ASSISTS 526 394 Assists per game 14.2 10.6 TURNOVERS 479 477 Turnovers per game 12.9 12.9 Turnover margin -0.1 - Assist/turnover ratio 1.1 0.8 STEALS 246 215 Steals per game 6.6 5.8 BLOCKS 175 135 Blocks per game 4.7 3.6 ATTENDANCE 64309 78086 Home games-avg/game 18-3573 16-3513 Neutral site-avg/game - 3-7290 Score by Periods 1st 2nd OT Totals Valparaiso 1364 1386 32 2782 Opponents 1032 1256 35 2323 Date Opponent Score Att. 11/13/15 IPFW W 78-64 4117 11/15/15 IONA W 83-58 2769 11/17/15 at Rhode Island W 58-55 4881 11/18/15 IU KOKOMO W 78-40 1340 11/19/15 TRINITY CHRISTIAN W 89-42 1422 11-22-15 at Oregon L 67-73 5752 11/24/15 at Oregon State W 63-57 5235 11/28/15 at Ball State L 66-69 2447 12/03/15 BELMONT W 61-57 3379 12/09/15 at Indiana State W 69-63 3621 12/11/15 at Chicago State W 71-53 1733 12/19/15 MISSOURI STATE W 74-45 3458 12/28/15 at Belmont L 81-85 3024 * 01/02/16 UIC W 75-47 3773 * 01/08/16 at Oakland W 84-67 4110 * 01/10/16 at Detroit W 92-74 1513 * 01/14/16 MILWAUKEE W 68-56 2619 * 01/16/16 GREEN BAY W 85-70 4939 * 01/18/16 at Youngstown State W 96-65 1703 * 1/22/16 at Wright State L 62-73 5499 * 01/24/16 at Northern Kentucky W 71-46 2079 * 01/28/16 CLEVELAND STATE W 77-52 2313 * 01/30/16 YOUNGSTOWN STATE W 97-68 4520 * 02/06/16 at UIC W 73-55 4445 * 02/11/16 NORTHERN KENTUCKY W 64-52 2312 * 02/13/16 WRIGHT STATE L 59-61 4987 * 2/16/16 at Cleveland State W 66-43 1545 * 02/19/16 OAKLAND W 86-84 4863 * 02/21/16 DETROIT W 90-74 4151 * 2/26/16 at Milwaukee Wot 80-76 4137 * 2/28/16 at Green Bay W 70-68 4491 # 03/07/16 vs Green BayLot 92-99 6557 $ 03/15/16 TEXAS SOUTHERN W 84-73 2912 $ 03/17/16 FLORIDA STATE W 81-69 4991 $ 03/22/16 SAINT MARY'S W 60-44 5444 $ 3/29/16 vs BYU W 72-70 8298 $ 3/31/16 vs George Washington L 60-76 7016 # - 2016 Horizon League Championship (Detroit, Mich.) $ - 2016 Postseason NIT * - Horizon League game
Individual Career History ADEKOYA, Jubril 2013-14 34-24 650/19.1 73-136.537 5-29.172 45-73.616 24 93 117 3.4 73 2 43 43 2 15 196 5.8 2014-15 32-4 633/19.8 56-117.479 1-3.333 38-68.559 50 84 134 4.2 73 0 21 29 8 17 151 4.7 2015-16 37-1 684/18.5 79-157.503 18-31.581 48-61.787 41 110 151 4.1 85 3 35 51 12 30 224 6.1 TOTAL 103-29 1967/19.1 208-410.507 24-63.381 131-202.649 115 287 402 3.9 231 5 99 123 22 62 571 5.5 DAVIDSON, Nick 2013-14 14-0 67/4.8 7-15.467 2-5.400 6-6 1.000 2 6 8 0.6 1 0 10 3 0 3 22 1.6 2014-15 15-1 94/6.3 8-22.364 6-14.429 6-6 1.000 3 5 8 0.5 3 0 6 6 0 3 28 1.9 2015-16 15-0 77/5.1 8-20.400 3-10.300 13-14.929 1 4 5 0.3 6 0 6 1 0 3 32 2.1 TOTAL 44-1 238/5.4 23-57.404 11-29.379 25-26.962 6 15 21 0.5 10 0 22 10 0 9 82 1.9 HAMMINK, Shane 2012-13* 26-2 281/10.8 19-55.345 5-22.227 11-19.579 24 19 43 1.7 29 0 20 20 3 4 54 2.1 2013-14* 21-0 121/5.8 9-16.563 0-3.000 2-7.286 10 11 21 1.0 15 0 4 10 1 2 20 1.0 2015-16 35-10 772/22.1 112-224.500 22-72.306 66-84.786 20 89 109 3.1 74 2 61 70 10 26 312 8.9 TOTAL 35-10 772/22.1 112-224.500 22-72.306 66-84.786 20 89 109 3.1 74 2 61 70 10 26 312 8.9 All* 82-12 1174/14.3 140-295.475 27-97.278 79-110.718 54 119 173 2.1 118 2 85 100 14 32 386 4.7 * Statistics from prior team/school JOSEPH, Max 2014-15 28-0 306/10.9 16-37.432 4-12.333 15-28.536 9 19 28 1.0 31 1 31 27 3 8 51 1.8 2015-16 24-1 178/7.4 9-34.265 2-14.143 15-23.652 8 15 23 1.0 18 0 18 11 0 12 35 1.5 TOTAL 52-1 484/9.3 25-71.352 6-26.231 30-51.588 17 34 51 1.0 49 1 49 38 3 20 86 1.7 LEVINGSTON SIMON, C. 2013-14* 8-0 18/2.3 0-2.000 0-0.000 0-0.000 0 3 3 0.4 5 0 1 0 0 2 0 0.0 2015-16 12-0 41/3.4 4-6.667 0-0.000 0-0.000 5 7 12 1.0 11 1 2 1 0 0 8 0.7 TOTAL 12-0 41/3.4 4-6.667 0-0.000 0-0.000 5 7 12 1.0 11 1 2 1 0 0 8 0.7 All* 20-0 59/3.0 4-8.500 0-0.000 0-0.000 5 10 15 0.8 16 1 3 1 0 2 8 0.4 * Statistics from prior team/school PETERS, Alec 2013-14 34-34 1006/29.6 154-314.490 57-149.383 68-88.773 33 131 164 4.8 75 0 49 65 5 29 433 12.7 2014-15 34-34 1039/30.6 195-399.489 83-178.466 97-117.829 64 163 227 6.7 67 0 42 49 11 24 570 16.8 2015-16 37-37 1186/32.1 223-442.505 91-207.440 142-167.850 93 220 313 8.5 77 0 49 63 11 26 679 18.4 TOTAL 105-105 3231/30.8 572-1155.495 231-534.433 307-372.825 190 514 704 6.7 219 0 140 177 27 79 1682 16.0 SMITS, Derrik
Individual Career History WALKER, Tevonn 2014-15 34-33 920/27.1 119-268.444 27-79.342 84-117.718 37 78 115 3.4 62 0 57 52 3 37 349 10.3 2015-16 31-26 698/22.5 97-245.396 28-92.304 52-80.650 28 76 104 3.4 75 2 50 41 3 24 274 8.8 TOTAL 65-59 1618/24.9 216-513.421 55-171.322 136-197.690 65 154 219 3.4 137 2 107 93 6 61 623 9.6 WILLIAMS, Lexus 2013-14 34-23 796/23.4 71-187.380 28-83.337 52-66.788 12 58 70 2.1 70 2 81 59 3 35 222 6.5 2015-16 16-0 92/5.8 9-28.321 3-17.176 3-5.600 3 8 11 0.7 12 0 6 4 0 6 24 1.5 TOTAL 50-23 888/17.8 80-215.372 31-100.310 55-71.775 15 66 81 1.6 82 2 87 63 3 41 246 4.9