Valparaiso University Men s Basketball

2017-18 Schedule and Results Date Opponent Time/Result Nov. 2 Robert Morris [exhibition] W 117-69 Nov. 4 at Chicago State [exhibition] W 77-42 Nov. 10 North Park W 88-46 Nov. 13 Trinity Christian W 83-46 Nov. 15 at SIUE W 94-69 Nov. 19 Southeastern Louisiana! W 83-50 Nov. 21 Samford! W 88-67 Nov. 24 vs. Kent State! W 77-67 Nov. 25 vs. UNCW! W 79-70 Nov. 28 Utah State # W 72-65 Dec. 7 at #21/21 Purdue 5:30 p.m. Dec. 9 at Ball State 1 p.m. Dec. 14 at Northwestern $ 7 p.m. Dec. 18 at Santa Clara 9 p.m. Dec. 20 at UC Riverside 9 p.m. Dec. 28 at Indiana State * 6 p.m. Dec. 31 Missouri State * 3 p.m. Jan. 3 at Bradley * 7 p.m. Jan. 6 Southern Illinois * 3 p.m. Jan. 10 Drake * 7 p.m. Jan. 13 at UNI * 7 p.m. Jan. 17 at Missouri State * 7 p.m. Jan. 21 Loyola * 3 p.m. Jan. 24 Evansville * 7 p.m. Jan. 27 at Illinois State * 9 p.m. Jan. 31 Indiana State * 7 p.m. Feb. 3 at Southern Illinois * 7 p.m. Feb. 7 at Evansville * 7 p.m. Feb. 11 Illinois State * 3 p.m. Feb. 14 at Loyola * 7 p.m. Feb. 17 Bradley * 8 p.m. Feb. 20 UNI * 8 p.m. Feb. 24 at Drake * TBD Mar. 1-4 State Farm MVC Tournament (St. Louis, Mo.) All times Central. Home games in bold and played at.! Savannah Invitational (Campus sites/savannah, Ga.) # - Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge $ - Game to be played at Allstate Arena (Rosemont, Ill.) * - indicates Missouri Valley Conference game @ValpoBasketball #rv/-- Valparaiso (8-0, 0-0 MVC) Game #9 - Thursday, December 7-5:30 p.m. CT at #21/21 Purdue (8-2, 2-0 Big Ten) Mackey Arena (14,804) - West Lafayette, Ind. Next Up in Crusader Basketball: The Valparaiso University men s basketball team puts its perfect record on the line Thursday evening as the Crusaders face their toughest test to date this season, traveling down to West Lafayette to take on a nationally-ranked Purdue squad. Valpo is looking to extend its undefeated start to the season, which already ranks third-best in program history. Last Time Out: Valpo became just the second team in the nation to start this season 8-0 as the Crusaders took down Utah State at the ARC last Tuesday evening, 72-65. The victory opened the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge with a win for The Valley in the Crusaders first appearance in the challenge series. Tevonn Walker paced Valpo with 25 points and nine rebounds. Following the Crusaders: Video - Fox Sports 1 (online via Fox Sports Go) - Kevin Kugler (PxP) and Jim Jackson (Analyst) Radio WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) - Todd Ickow (PxP) and David Huseman (Analyst) Links for the live coverage will be available at ValpoAthletics.com. Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (32-9) continued the Valparaiso University men s basketball program s run of success in his first season as head coach of the Crusaders, and is poised to keep the program at a high level as he enters his second season in charge in 2017-2018. In his first season at the helm, Lottich guided Valpo to its fifth Horizon League regular season championship in the last six years as he led the Crusaders to 24 wins and an at-large berth into the NIT. Series Notes: The Crusaders are 2-14 all-time versus Purdue (including a December 1995 game which was later forfeited to Valpo) and are looking for their first win on the court in West Lafayette. The last meeting between the two programs, who are separated by just 90 minutes, came at the ARC in December of 2010 - a 76-58 Purdue victory. Valpo is aiming for its first win over a Big Ten team since a win in Tempe, Ariz. over Penn State in December of 2004. Valpo Men s Basketball #ValpoInTheValley #GoValpo

@ValpoBasketball......and @ValleyHoops - Valpo was selected to finish in sixth place in the MVC preseason poll, finishing just 12 points behind Southern Illinois for fifth place. - The Crusaders have defeated MVC preseason favorite Missouri State in each of the last two seasons. - Valpo has not finished worse in the final standings than its preseason projection in the last seven years. - Senior Tevonn Walker represented the Crusaders among the preseason All-Conference honorees, earning Second Team accolades....looking back at last year - The Crusaders are coming off of their third consecutive Horizon League regular season title and their fifth in the last six years, posting a 14-4 mark within league play and a 24-9 record overall. - The regular season was highlighted by a win over #21 Rhode Island at the ARC - the program s first win over a ranked opponent since 1998 - and wins in Las Vegas over Alabama and BYU to earn the MGM Grand Main Event title. - Valpo earned an at-large bid into the Postseason NIT for the second time in program history, falling at Illinois in a first-round matchup. The NIT berth extended the Crusaders string of postseason appearances to seven straight seasons. - Alec Peters was named an NABC Third Team All-American and an AP Honorable Mention All-American and claimed the Horizon League Player of the Year award. - Peters closed out his career as the Crusaders all-time leading scorer and rebounder. - Shane Hammink was a Second Team All-League selection, while Tevonn Walker was named to the league s All-Defensive Team....notes from Utah State - Valpo helped the Missouri Valley Conference get off to a 2-1 start on the first day of the Mountain West/Missouri Valley Challenge, a series which would end in a 5-5 tie. - Tevonn Walker led the Crusaders effort against the Aggies with 25 points and nine rebounds, narrowly missing a double-double. - While the Crusaders struggled from the perimeter in the win, hitting just 2-of-13 from downtown, they made up for it with a large advantage in the paint, ending the night with a 42-18 edge in close over the Aggies. - Valpo has been one of the nation s best teams this year in terms of opponent s 3-point percentage, and that continued again in the victory, as Utah State was just 9-for-33 from behind the arc....notes from UNCW - Valpo trailed by 10 points just past the midway point of the first half, the first time the Crusaders have been down double digits this season. - The Crusaders were tied with the Seahawks at the half, 35-35 the first time Valpo has been tied at halftime in its last 254 games. Valpo last was all square at half time on Feb. 8, 2010 with UIC, 31-31, in an eventual 83-82 Crusader win. - Valpo earned the win despite recording just three assists on its 23 made baskets. The Crusaders three assists were their fewest in at least 28 years (the furthest back complete single-game records are available). - Bakari Evelyn led the Crusaders with 30 points - Valpo s first 30-point effort since Alec Peters scored 30 versus UIC on Jan. 22, 2017. - Valpo attempted a total of 37 free throws in the win, as both Evelyn (11-12) and Tevonn Walker (10-12) reached double figures in scoring from the foul line alone....looking ahead - Valpo continues on from West Lafayette to Muncie as they play at Ball State on Saturday afternoon. - The Crusaders stretch of six consecutive road games continues next Thursday at Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Ill. as Valpo faces Northwestern....on the road - Valpo has finished above.500 in true road games in four of the last five seasons, including a 7-6 mark in such games last year. - Prior to this stretch, the Crusaders had not finished above.500 on the road in the previous 10 years. - Valpo won its only previous true road game this season, taking down SIUE in mid-november. The matchup with Purdue is the first of five straight true road games to close out the non-conference slate. @BoilerBall - The Boilermakers enter Thursday night s game ranked 21st nationally in both polls, as they are currently 8-2 overall and 2-0 in Big Ten play. - Purdue comes into Thursday s matchup with four straight victories under its belt, taking down Arizona, Louisville, Maryland and Northwestern. - Four Purdue players are averaging at least 13.5 ppg, led by Carsen Edwards, who scores 16.3 ppg. Isaac Haas adds 15.7 ppg on 62.7% shooting. Looking For 9-0 - Valpo enters Thursday night s game at 8-0 on the season, already having set the third-best start in program history. - The only two starts in program history better than 8-0 both came from teams which boast renowned monikers. - The World s Tallest Team (1944-45) won 11 straight contests to open that season en route to a 21-3 record. - The best start all-time by a Crusader squad came from the Victory Five (1923-24), which won its first 22 games of the year and finished the season 24-4. - With their win over Utah State last Tuesday, Valpo was the second team in the nation to reach 8-0, behind only Duke. - As of the end of play Monday, the Crusaders were one of just 13 programs in the nation still undefeated and one of just six out of that group with eight wins under their belts. Perfect Month - With its win over Utah State, Valpo secured a perfect record in the month of November, finishing the month 8-0. - It marked just the second perfect month for the Crusaders over the last 70 years (minimum three games played). - The only other month where Valpo posted an undefeated mark came in February of 1998, as the Crusaders went 7-0 - a streak which eventually extended to a total of 13 straight wins as Valpo advanced to the Sweet 16. A Glance at the Rankings - The Crusaders received five points, thanks to votes from three different voters, in the Dec. 4 iteration of the AP top-25 poll. - Valpo has now received votes at least once in five of the last six seasons in the AP poll.

MVC Schedule Tuesday, December 5 Evansville at Bowling Green, 6 p.m. Wednesday, December 6 Indiana State at North Texas, 7 p.m. Drake at South Dakota, 7 p.m. Southern Illinois at Saint Louis, 7 p.m. Loyola at Florida, 7 p.m. Illinois State at BYU, 8 p.m. Thursday, December 7 Valparaiso at Purdue, 5:30 p.m. UT Arlington at UNI, 7 p.m. Friday, December 8 Hampton at Missouri State, 7 p.m. Saturday, December 9 Canisius at Evansville, 1 p.m. Valparaiso at Ball State, 1 p.m. Indianapolis at Indiana State, 3 p.m. Murray State at Illinois State, 3 p.m. Norfolk State at Loyola, 3 p.m. Omaha at Drake, 5 p.m. SE Missouri State at Southern Illinois, 7 p.m. Sunday, December 10 Missouri State at Oral Roberts. 3 p.m. Dubuque at UNI, 4 p.m. Monday, December 11 Drake at Minnesota, 7 p.m. MVC Standings (As of December 4) MVC Overall Team W-L Pct. W-L Pct. Valparaiso 0-0.000 8-0 1.000 Loyola 0-0.000 8-1.889 Missouri State 0-0.000 8-2.800 Bradley 0-0.000 7-2.778 Evansville 0-0.000 6-2.750 UNI 0-0.000 6-2.750 Southern Illinois 0-0.000 4-2.667 Drake 0-0.000 4-3.571 Illinois State 0-0.000 4-4.500 Indiana State 0-0.000 3-4.429 Tuesday, December 12 Green Bay at Indiana State, 6 p.m. - The most recent Mid-Major top-25 poll (courtesy of CollegeInsider.com) features the Crusaders at #5. Taking On Ranked Foes - Thursday s matchup with Purdue is likely the Crusaders lone top-25 opponent of this season s non-conference slate. - Last season, Valpo topped Rhode Island - also at the time ranked #21 in the AP poll - at the ARC as part of non-conference play. - The win over the Rams marked the Crusaders first victory against a nationally-ranked foe since beating Ole Miss in the first round of the 1998 NCAA Tournament - snapping a streak of 40 straight losses versus top-25 teams. - Valpo faced a trio of top-25 opponents last year in non-conference action, as it traveled for matchups against top-10 Oregon and Kentucky squads in addition to the home game against Rhode Island. Getting It Done With Defense - Valpo s strength early on this year has been its performance on the defensive end of the court. - The Crusaders are currently ranked second in the nation (as of the end of play Monday) in field goal percentage defense (34.3%), trailing only Michigan State. - Valpo is ranked 43rd nationally in Ken Pomeroy s adjusted defensive rating metric, while all six of the Crusaders Division I opponents have had one of their three worst games in terms of offensive efficiency so far. - Through eight games, Samford is the only Valpo opponent to average better than 0.92 points per possession. - The Crusaders have succeeded defensively not just by holding their opponents to low field goal percentages, but also by forcing turnovers - their turnover rate of 22.4% on the defensive end ranks 47th nationally. The Long, Winding Road - Thursday s game at Purdue kicks off a stretch of six straight true road games for Valpo. - The Crusaders will also face Ball State, Northwestern, Santa Clara, UC Riverside and Indiana State before returning home to the ARC. - It marks Valpo s first stretch of six consecutive true road games since the 1963-64 season, where the Crusaders took on Notre Dame, Indiana State, Washington (Mo.), Buffalo, Syracuse and Butler in succession from Dec. 12-Jan. 4. Winning Big - Valpo s nine-point win over UNCW on Nov. 25 was the team s first victory of the season which did not come by double figures. - The Crusaders put together a six-game winning streak of 10+ points for the third time in the last four years. - The 2014-15 squad posted a similar stretch in non-conference action, while the 2015-16 team won six straight league games by at least 10 points. 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. Credentials and media seating are 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 Lottich and requested players will be available following the game in the media room.

WINNINGEST DIVISION I PROGRAMS SINCE START OF 2014-15 SEASON 1. Villanova 108 2. Gonzaga 107 3. Kentucky 104 4. North Carolina 100 5. Kansas 98 Duke 98 7. Arizona 96 8. Oregon 95 9. Wichita State 93 10. Valparaiso 90 - The first five of the Crusaders wins this season all came by at least 20 points, the first time in program history that Valpo has won five straight by 20+ points. - The closest such stretch to matching it in program history came during the 1965-66 season, when Valpo won six straight - the closest decision being a 19-point win over Hope. - The Crusaders first four wins of the year all came by at least 25 points, the first four-game winning streak in program history where all four wins came by 25+ points. - The 25-point win at SIUE marked Valpo s largest known margin of victory in a road opener (dating back to the mid-1940s when sites are denoted within the all-time results). Leading Indiana and Among the Nation s Best - Since the start of the 2014-15 season, Valpo has been one of the nation s standard bearers in terms of victories on the court. - The Crusaders have amassed 90 wins since the beginning of the 2014-15 campaign, one clear of Notre Dame for top honors in the state of Indiana among D-I programs. - As of the end of play Monday, Valpo ranked tenth nationally over the same time span in terms of victories. - See page 4 of the game notes for charts detailing the nation s leaders in wins since the start of the 2014-15 season and the breakdown of Indiana schools over the same span. Valpo in the Valley - A new era begins this year for Valpo men s basketball and the athletics department and University as a whole, as the 2017-18 year is Valpo s first as a member of the Missouri Valley Conference. - The Valley is renowned for its men s basketball success on the national stage. Since the year 2000, The Valley has earned 33 bids to the NCAA Tournament 18 automatic bids and 15 at-large berths and has posted 27 tournament victories. - Since 2010, 12 MVC programs in the NCAA Tournament have combined for 16 victories. - The Crusaders are looking to carry over the success they ve had in the past two-plus decades into The Valley. - Over its last 13 years as a member of the Mid-Continent Conference (1994-2007), Valpo claimed nine regular season and eight tournament championships. - Then, in a decade as a Horizon League member, the Crusaders won five regular season and two tournament titles. INDIANA DIVISION I PROGRAMS BY WINS SINCE START OF 2014-15 SEASON Valparaiso 90 Notre Dame 89 Purdue 82 Butler 76 Evansville 71 Indiana 70 Fort Wayne 66 Ball State 53 Indiana State 44 IUPUI 39 What s Back - Six letterwinners return from last year s 24-win squad, including one full-time starter in Tevonn Walker and a trio of part-time starters in Derrik Smits, Micah Bradford and Jaume Sorolla. - In all, the Crusaders return 50.2% of minutes played, 46.3% of rebounding and 40.7% of scoring from last year s team. What s New - Six players have taken the floor for the first time for the Crusaders this year. - A pair of high-major transfers are eligible after sitting out last season due to NCAA transfer regulations. Joe Burton (Oklahoma State) has two seasons of eligibility remaining, while Bakari Evelyn (Nebraska) is entering his sophomore season of eligibility. - A third transfer joins the Crusaders with three years remaining as well, as Markus Golder comes to Valpo from North Idaho College. - The three transfers are joined by three true freshmen - Indiana H.S. products Mileek McMillan and Parker Hazen, and German import Marten Linssen. 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), Spain (Sorolla) and Germany (Linssen). - Over the past 21 years, the Crusaders have welcomed 33 international players from 19 different countries. Crusaders Sign Javon Freeman-Liberty - One of the top prospects in the Class of 2018 in the state of Illinois, Javon Freeman-Liberty signed a National Letter of Intent during the early signing period and will join Valpo as a freshman for the 2018-19 season. - Freeman-Liberty helped lead Whitney Young H.S. to the Illinois Class 4A state title last year as a junior, averaging 13.6 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. - The 6 4 Chicago native is a consensus top-10 prospect in his class in Illinois and is ranked fifth overall in the state and 37th nationally among shooting guards by ESPN. He played his AAU basketball last summer for Meanstreets.

Non-Conference Success - Valpo is looking to continue its recent string of successful non-conference campaigns. - The Crusaders have entered conference play with at least 10 victories under their belt in four of the last five years. - Valpo owns a 59-19 (.756) record in pre-league action over the last five seasons. Tevonn Walker - Walker narrowly missed a double-double, leading the Crusaders with 25 points and nine rebounds last time out in the win over Utah State. - Walker was named to the All-Tournament Team at the Savannah Invitational. - Walker led Valpo with 17 points in the win over Kent State and followed with 16 points and six rebounds in the victory against UNCW. - Walker set a new career high with 26 points in the win over Samford, adding nine rebounds, a career-best five assists and three steals. - Walker scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the first half in the win at SIUE while also picking up four steals. - Walker tallied a game-high 18 points and four steals in the win over Trinity Christian, surpassing the 1,000-point milestone for his career with his first basket. - Walker is the Crusaders leading returning scorer, as he averaged 11.9 points and 5.6 rebounds last season as a junior. - Walker was named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team last year. - Walker scored in double figures 19 times in 2016-17, including five 20+ point games. - Walker declared for the 2017 NBA Draft on April 13 and later withdrew his name from consideration on May 3. Max Joseph - Joseph picked up six points and six rebounds last time out in the win over Utah State. - Joseph tallied four points and four rebounds in the win over UNCW. - Joseph finished with six points, five rebounds and a career-high six assists in the win over Samford. - Joseph needed just four field goal attempts (3-4 FG; 4-5 FT) to score 10 points in the season-opening win over North Park. - Joseph played in 32 games for the Crusaders last year as a junior, starting three times. - Joseph averaged 5.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while playing an average of 22 minutes per contest. - Joseph recorded 1.1 steals/game within Horizon League play, good for 12th in the league. Joe Burton - Burton knocked down a key 3-pointer in the final 30 seconds in Valpo s win over Kent State, finishing with five points and five rebounds. - Burton hit all five of his two-point attempts and 7-of-8 overall for 16 points against Samford. - Burton scored a game-high 18 points in the win over SE LA, hitting 8-of-11 from the floor - including all six of his two-point attempts. - Burton debuted for the Crusaders at SIUE with seven points and three boards. - Burton is eligible for the first time for the Crusaders this year after sitting out last year following his transfer from Oklahoma State. - Burton appeared in 30 games in his sophomore year at OSU in 2015-16, averaging nearly five points per game and hitting nearly 40% of his 3-point attempts. - Burton was an All-State Class 5A selection as a high school senior at Atascocita [Texas] H.S. Micah Bradford - Bradford scored eight points apiece in three consecutive games against SIUE, Southeastern Louisiana and Samford. - Bradford led all players and set a new career high with 20 points (8-12 FG) in the season-opening victory over North Park. - Bradford appeared in all 33 games for the Crusaders as a freshman, averaging 4.0 points in 14 minutes per game. - Bradford started 11 consecutive Horizon League contests for Valpo Jan. 12-Feb. 17, a stretch during which the Crusaders went 9-2. John Kiser - Kiser finished with three points and four rebounds in the victory over UNCW. - Kiser tallied five points and six rebounds in the win over Samford. - Kiser narrowly missed a double-double against Trinity Christian, setting new career highs with nine points and nine rebounds. - Kiser matched his then-career best in the season opener against North Park, scoring eight points off the bench while adding four rebounds. - Kiser, a walk-on last year as a freshman, received a scholarship prior to this season. - Kiser saw action in 25 games in his first season with the Crusaders, finishing the year with 45 points and 53 rebounds. - Kiser played an average of 9.8 minutes/game, a mark which increased to 15.4 minutes/game over the season s final 10 games. Derrik Smits - Smits finished with five points each in the victories in Savannah over Kent State and UNCW. - Smits went 6-for-6 from the floor, setting a new career high with six made field goals, and finished with 12 points and six rebounds versus SE LA. - Smits was a perfect 5-of-5 from the field for 10 points and set a new career high with eight rebounds in the win over Trinity Christian. - Smits set a new career best in the win over North Park in the season opener with 14 points. - Smits appeared in all 33 games for the Crusaders during his first season of action, starting 15 consecutive games Dec. 28-Feb. 17. - Smits averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 12.8 minutes per game of play. Jaume Sorolla - Sorolla set a new career high with 16 points (5-6 FG; 6-7 FT) and also grabbed eight boards last time out in the win over Utah State. - Sorolla tallied eight points and tied for team-high honors with eight rebounds in the win over UNCW. - Sorolla made his season debut at SIUE with eight points on 4-of-6 shooting. - Sorolla played in 32 games for the Crusaders during his freshman season, starting on nine occasions. - Sorolla scored in double figures five times and grabbed at least 10 rebounds twice. - Sorolla stepped up his game within Horizon League play, averaging 6.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on 54.8% shooting. Bakari Evelyn - Evelyn tallied 10 points and four assists last time out in the win over Utah State. - Evelyn was named co-mvp of the Savannah Invitational. - Evelyn recorded 13 points and six assists in the victory over Kent State, and then smashed his career high with 30 points (8-11 FG; 3-4 3PT; 11-12 FT) in the win over UNCW, while also grabbing eight rebounds. - Evelyn finished with 14 points for the second straight game versus SE LA. - Evelyn tallied 14 points and seven assists in the win at SIUE - the first Crusader to reach those marks in the same game since 2010. - Evelyn is eligible for the first time for the Crusaders this year after sitting out last year following his transfer from Nebraska. - Evelyn appeared in 18 games as a freshman for the Cornhuskers. - Evelyn played as a high school senior for Hillcrest (Ariz.) Academy, averaging 25.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game. Markus Golder - Golder hit 5-of-7 from the field in a 15-point effort in the victory over Kent State. - Golder finished with 11 points and six rebounds in the win over Samford. - Golder posted 10 points and five rebounds in the win at SIUE, becoming the first Crusader since 2009 to open his Valpo career with three straight double-figure games. - Golder scored 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting and added four rebounds, three assists and three blocks in the victory over Trinity Christian. - Golder debuted for the Crusaders with a 12-point, 10-rebound double-double in

the win over North Park. - Golder comes to Valpo with three seasons of eligibility after playing last season at North Idaho College. - Golder averaged 18.9 points per game on 55%/39%/81% shooting last season for NIC and also recorded 6.6 rebounds per game. - Golder helped lead NIC to a 25-5 record, including a 13-3 mark in Northwest Athletic Conference play, and a regional title. Parker Hazen - Hazen knocked down both of his field goal attempts in the win over Kent State. - Hazen scored eight points in the victory over Trinity Christian. - Hazen was ranked seventh in his class in the state of Indiana by ESPN. - Hazen was named an Indiana Junior All-Star following his stellar 2015-16 season for Columbia City. Marten Linssen - After playing just nine minutes combined over the previous three games, Linssen played a key 21 minutes off the bench in the win over Kent State, going 5-of-5 from the floor for 12 points and seven rebounds. - Linssen pulled down 14 rebounds over his first three games as a Crusader. - Linssen most recently played for Bayer Giants Leverkusen, splitting time between their Pro B squad and their NBBL youth team. - Linssen was a member of the 2017 NBBL All-Star Team, averaging 12.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game. - Linssen was a member of the u18 German national team at the 2016 u18 European Championships, joining a talented frontcourt to help Germany place fourth. Mileek McMillan - McMillan scored all seven of his points in the second half and came up with a key block versus Samford. - McMillan posted five points and three rebounds in the win over Trinity Christian. - McMillan was a key contributor to Merrillville s success as a junior, averaging nearly seven rebounds per game for the Pirates as they finished the year with a 22-2 record. - McMillan stood out at the Indiana Top 80 camp last October, being named the camp s Mr. Defender. Ryan Fazekas - Fazekas is a transfer from Providence who will sit out this season and have two years of eligibility remaining. - Fazekas appeared in 58 games in his two years with the Friars, making 19 starts. - Fazekas was named an Indiana All-Star following his senior year at Marquette Catholic H.S., as well as a Indiana Junior All-Star after junior campaign. Superlatives Double-Digit Scoring: Valpo - 25. (Walker-6; Evelyn-5; Golder-5; Smits-3; Burton-2; Bradford-1; Joseph-1; Linssen-1; Sorolla-1) Opponents - 18. Double-Digit Rebounding: Valpo - 1. (Golder-1) Opponents - 2. Double Doubles: Valpo - 1. (Golder-1) Opponents - 1. Dunks: Valpo - 26. (Golder-9; Burton-3; Hazen-3; Smits-3; Walker-3; Kiser-2; McMillan-2; Sorolla-1) Opponents - 5. Steven Helm - Helm is a transfer from Carroll College who will sit out this season and have three years of eligibility remaining. - Helm averaged 6.3 points per game in 17.8 minutes per game as a freshman for Carroll in 2016-17. - Helm led the state in free throw shooting as a senior at Valparaiso H.S. and averaged a team-high 16.1 ppg. 2017-18 Under Lottich Playing at home 5-0 20-2 Playing on the road 1-0 8-6 Playing at a neutral site 2-0 4-1 Playing at night (5 p.m. or later local) 7-0 24-7 Playing during the day (noon-4:59 p.m.) 1-0 8-2 Playing during the morning (before noon) 0-0 0-0 Leading at halftime 7-0 26-0 Tied at halftime 1-0 1-0 Trailing at halftime 0-0 5-9 Playing overtime 0-0 0-1 Playing in November 8-0 15-1 Playing in December 0-0 4-2 Playing in January 0-0 7-1 Playing in February 0-0 6-3 Playing in March 0-0 0-2 Playing on Sunday 1-0 6-1 Playing on Monday 1-0 4-0 Playing on Tuesday 2-0 4-1 Playing on Wednesday 1-0 3-1 Playing on Thursday 0-0 3-2 Playing on Friday 2-0 6-2 Playing on Saturday 1-0 6-2 Valpo When... 2017-18 Under Lottich Outrebounding opponents 7-0 29-2 Outrebounded by opponents 1-0 3-6 Outscoring opponents 8-0 32-0 Outscored by opponents 0-0 0-9 Better FG% than opponents 8-0 28-3 Worse FG% than opponents 0-0 4-6 Better FT% than opponents 6-0 23-4 Worse FT% than opponents 2-0 9-5 Fewer turnovers than opponents 5-0 16-4 More turnovers than opponents 2-0 15-5 Scoring 80 or more points 5-0 16-1 Scoring 70-79 points 3-0 12-2 Scoring 60-69 points 0-0 4-3 Scoring less than 60 points 0-0 0-3 Opponents score 80 or more points 0-0 2-6 Opponents score 70-79 points 1-0 7-2 Opponents score 60-69 points 4-0 13-0 Opponents score less than 60 points 3-0 10-1 Game decided by 5 points or less 0-0 3-2 Game decided by 6-10 points 3-0 10-1 Game decided by 11-15 points 0-0 5-2 Game decided by more than 15 points 5-0 14-4

2017-18 Valparaiso Men s Basketball Roster # Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. Hometown/High School [Prev. School] 0 Parker Hazen F 6-7 210 Fr. Columbia City, Ind./Columbia City 1 Micah Bradford G 6-2 155 So. Bourbonnais, Ill./Bradley-Bourbonnais 2 Tevonn Walker G 6-2 210 Sr. Montreal, Quebec/Vanier College 3 Max Joseph G 6-2 210 Sr. Montreal, Quebec/Vanier College 4 Bakari Evelyn G 6-2 180 R-So. Detroit, Mich./Hillcrest [Ariz.] Academy/Southfield Christian [Nebraska] 5 Markus Golder G/F 6-6 195 R-So. Portland, Ore./Clackamas [North Idaho] 10 Joe Burton G/F 6-6 210 R-Jr. Porter, Texas/Atascocita [Oklahoma State] 12 Marten Linssen F 6-8 240 Fr. Dusseldorf, Germany/Schloss-Gymnasium Benrath 14 Jaume Sorolla C 7-0 245 So. Tortosa, Spain/Sunrise Christian [Kan.] Academy 15 Steven Helm G 6-2 180 So.* Valparaiso, Ind./Valparaiso [Carroll] 21 Derrik Smits C 7-2 240 R-So. Zionsville, Ind./Zionsville 23 Mileek McMillan F 6-8 220 Fr. Merrillville, Ind./Merrillville 33 John Kiser G/F 6-5 205 So. Noblesville, Ind./Noblesville 35 Ryan Fazekas G/F 6-8 215 Jr.* Chesterton, Ind./Marquette Catholic [Providence] * - indicates player must sit out the 2017-18 season due to NCAA transfer regulations Coaching Staff Head Coach: Matt Lottich (Stanford, 2004) 2 nd season Associate Head Coach: Luke Gore 16 th season Assistant Coaches: David Ragland 2 nd season; Emanuel Dildy 1 st season Director of Basketball Operations: Joel Zimba 2 nd season Strength and Conditioning Coach: Derek Bol - 6 th season Among the Missouri Valley Conference Leaders Individual Leaders (among top 5) Bakari Evelyn Free Throw Pct. 5th.824 Bakari Evelyn Asst./TO Ratio 5th 1.76 Derrik Smits Field Goal Pct. 1st.727 Tevonn Walker Steals 2nd 2.3 Tevonn Walker Scoring 4th 17.3 Team Leaders (among top 3) Scoring Margin 1st +23.0 Field Goal Pct. Defense 1st.343 Rebounding Offense 1st 42.8 Rebounding Margin 1st +10.8 Steals t-1st 8.0 Turnover Margin 1st +3.38 Scoring Offense 2nd 83.0 Field Goal Pct. 2nd.489 3-Point Pct. Defense 2nd.250 Rebounding Defense t-2nd 32.0 Scoring Defense 3rd 60.0 Pronunciation Guide Bakari Evelyn - buh-kar- ee EE-vuh- lynn John Kiser - KY-zer Marten Linssen LYNN-sen Matt Lottich - lot-ick Mileek McMillan - muh-leek 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 Purdue All-time series: Purdue leads 14-2 (including one forfeit) At Valpo: Purdue leads 4-1 At Purdue: Purdue leads 9-1 (including one forfeit) At neutral site: Purdue leads 1-0 Current streak: Purdue W8 Current streak at Purdue: Purdue W4 LAST TEN MEETINGS Date Site W/L Score Dec. 7, 2010 Valparaiso, Ind. L 76-58 Dec. 9, 2009 West Lafayette, Ind. L 86-62 Dec. 28, 2008 West Lafayette, Ind. L 59-45 Dec. 28, 2002 West Lafayette, Ind. L 87-55 Nov. 16, 2001 Valparaiso, Ind. L 73-69 Dec. 16, 2000 Indianapolis, Ind. L 73-46 Dec. 11, 1998 West Lafayette, Ind. L 78-70 Nov. 17, 1997 Valparaiso, Ind. L 73-56 Dec. 21, 1995 West Lafayette, Ind. L* 74-53 * - Game later forfeited to Valpo Dec. 3, 1970 West Lafayette, Ind. L 80-61

Matt Lottich Head Coach 2nd Season * Stanford, 2004 32-9 Overall and at Valpo Matt Lottich continued the Valparaiso University men s basketball program s run of success in his first season as head coach of the Crusaders, and is poised to keep the program at a high level as he enters his second season in charge in 2017-2018. In his first season at the helm of the Crusader men s basketball program, Lottich guided Valpo to its fifth Horizon League regular season championship in the last six years as he led the Crusaders to 24 wins and an at-large berth into the NIT. Lottich s inaugural season as head coach was highlighted by a home win over a nationally-ranked Rhode Island squad, as well as neutral-site wins over Alabama and BYU to capture the MGM Grand Main Event. Lottich coached the Horizon League Player of the Year and an NABC Third Team All-American in Alec Peters, guiding the senior as he closed out one of the top careers in program history. Peters enjoyed his finest season as a senior, ranking among the top-20 in the nation in both scoring and rebounding and breaking five of Valpo s career records. Lottich was hired as the 22nd head coach in the history of the Valpo men s basketball program in April of 2016. Lottich, who had served the previous three seasons as an assistant coach on the Crusaders staff, became just the program s fifth head coach in the last 36 years. Lottich arrived at Valparaiso University in summer 2013 and helped guide the Crusaders to 78 victories over his three seasons as an assistant. Valpo won two Horizon League regular season championships and one league tournament title over those three years. The Crusaders recorded the top two victory totals in program history over Lottich s final two years as an assistant. 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. Then, the 2015-2016 season saw Valpo win a program-record 30 games and advance 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.

#0 Parker Hazen Forward * 6 7 * 210 lbs. * Freshman Columbia City, Ind. Columbia City H.S. 2017-18: Earned starting assingment in his first career game Nov. 10 against North Park, tallying two points and two rebounds... hit both of his field goal attempts in finishing with eight points in Nov. 13 win over Trinity Christian... grabbed three rebounds in Nov. 19 win over Southeastern Louisiana... knocked down both of his field goal attempts to finish with four points Nov. 24 in win against Kent State... pulled down four rebounds in Nov. 28 win over Utah State. Prep: Ranked seventh in his class in the state of Indiana by ESPN... named an Indiana Junior All-Star following his stellar 2015-16 season for Columbia City... averaged 15.8 points and 6.6 rebounds per game as a junior, helping to lead Columbia City to its second consecutive sectional title... played Spiece Indy Heat program in the Nike EYBL. Personal: Son of Dave and Kathleen Hazen... major is exercise science. 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 8, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) 4, Utah St. (11/28/17) Assists 1, four times (M.R. 11/28/17) Steals Blocks FG Made 2, twice (M.R. 11/24/17) 3PT Made FT Made 4, Trinity Christian (11/13/17)

#1 Micah Bradford Guard * 6 2 * 155 lbs. * Sophomore Bourbonnais, Ill. Bradley-Bourbonnais H.S. 2017-18: Opened season Nov. 10 against North Park with a career-high 20 points off the bench to lead the Crusaders... also set new career best by hitting eight field goals (8-12) in just 16 minutes of action... tallied five points and two steals in Nov. 13 win over Trinity Christian... finished with eight points and a pair of assists in win at SIUE Nov. 15... scored eight points - including two 3-pointers - in Nov. 19 victory over Southeastern Louisiana... tallied eight points and four rebounds in win over Samford Nov. 21... scored five key points late in the first half of Nov. 25 win over UNCW. 2016-17: Appeared in all 33 games for the Crusaders as a freshman, starting on 11 occasions... averaged 4.0 points in 14 minutes per game... scored in double figures three times... started 11 consecutive Horizon League contests for Valpo Jan. 12-Feb. 17, a stretch during which the Crusaders went 9-2... opened career with seven points in 14 minutes of run Nov. 11 versus Southern Utah... tallied 12 points in Nov. 14 win over Coppin State, including a 4-for-4 effort from the foul line... also grabbed a season-high five rebounds in the win over the Eagles, a mark he would match Feb. 2 at Milwaukee... scored eight points apiece in wins over Indiana State (Dec. 17) and Chicago State (Dec. 28)... made first career start at Youngstown State Jan. 12... poured in 11 points in Jan. 16 victory over Green Bay... knocked down a trio of 3-pointers in win against Northern Kentucky Jan. 29... scored season-high 14 points in Feb. 2 victory at Milwaukee, going 5-of-8 from the field - including 3-for-4 from 3-point range - in a season-high 32 minutes of action... handed out season-best four assists and tallied a pair of steals in Feb. 19 win at Detroit Mercy, as well as recording his first career dunk... came up with highlight reel play against the Titans as well, hitting a 65-footer that didn t count at halftime buzzer as it ricocheted off of the shot clock before falling through the basket. Prep: A four-year letterwinner for the Boilermakers... All-Area choice as a senior, averaged 19.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, 3.9 assists and 3 steals per game... two-time All-Conference selection... averaged 21 points per game as a junior... ranked among the top-20 prospects in the Illinois Class of 2016... finished career as Bradley-Bourbonnais all-time leading scorer. Personal: Son of Barry and Aisha Bradford... undecided upon major. CAREER HIGHS Points 20, North Park (11/10/17) 5, twice (M.R. 2/2/17) Assists 4, at Detroit Mercy (2/19/17) Steals 2, twice (M.R. 11/13/17) Blocks FG Made 8, North Park (11/10/17) 3PT Made 3, twice (M.R. 2/2/17) FT Made 4, Coppin St. (11/14/16) 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 20, North Park (11/10/17) 4, Samford (11/21/17) Assists 2, twice (M.R. 11/15/17) Steals 2, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Blocks FG Made 8, North Park (11/10/17) 3PT Made 2, three times (M.R. 11/21/17) FT Made 3, at SIUE (11/15/17)

#2 Tevonn Walker Guard * 6 2 * 210 lbs. * Senior Montreal, Quebec, Canada Vanier College 2017-18: Opened season with seven points, four rebounds and three assists in Nov. 10 win over North Park... led Crusaders with 18 points and four steals in Nov. 13 victory against Trinity Christian... surpassed 1,000-point milestone for his career against the Trolls with first basket, a fast-break dunk nine minutes into the game... scored 18 of his game-high 22 points in the first half of Nov. 15 win at SIUE... also picked up four rebounds, three assists and four steals in the win over the Cougars... set new career highs for both points (26) and assists (5) in Nov.. 21 victory over Samford... also pulled down nine rebounds and recorded three steals against the Bulldogs... earned All-Tournament Team honors at the Savannah Invitational... led Crusaders with 17 points in Nov. 24 win over Kent State... went 10-of-12 from foul line in 16-point, six-rebound effort in win over UNCW Nov. 25... set new career high with 10 made field goals (10-17) in finishing with 25 points and nine rebounds in Nov. 28 win over Utah State. 2016-17: Started all 31 games he appeared in for the Crusaders as a junior... named to the Horizon League All-Defensive Team... averaged 11.9 points and 5.6 rebounds per game in 28.7 minutes per game of action... ranked third on the team in scoring, second in rebounding and second in steals (41)... ranked fifth in the Horizon League in steals, 12th in free throw percentage (.800) and 14th in rebounding... moved up to third, sixth and 11th, respectively, in those three categories in league-only action... scored in double figures 19 times on the year, including five efforts of at least 20 points... scored 12 points and tied for team-high honors with six rebounds Nov. 17 at #4/4 Oregon... knocked down four 3-pointers in 21-point effort in Dec. 10 win at Missouri State... enjoyed a nearly perfect game to open Horizon League play Dec. 30 in a win at UIC, going 8-of-9 from the floor (2-2 3PT) and 5-of-5 from the foul line for a team-best 23 points... scored 17 of his points in the win over the Flames in the second half... registered double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds in Jan. 8 victory over Detroit Mercy... set a new career best with 12 free throws made (12-14) against the Titans and also recorded a career-high five steals... tallied 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds in Jan. 14 win at Cleveland State, going 10-of-10 from the foul line... recorded double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds Jan. 16 in win over Green Bay... ripped down 11 rebounds in victory over Northern Kentucky Jan. 29... registered another double-double with 11 points and a team-best 11 rebounds Feb. 19 in win at Detroit Mercy... came up with 17 points and four steals in regular season-clinching victory at Wright State Feb. 24... closed regular season with a career-high 25 points at Northern Kentucky Feb. 26, including four 3-pointers... also matched career high against the Norse with four assists and tallied three steals... matched career high with a team-best 25 points in NIT game at Illinois Mar. 14, going 9-of-14 from the floor while also grabbing eight rebounds. 2015-16: Played in 31 games during his sophomore campaign, starting on 26 occasions... averaged 8.8 points and 3.4 rebounds per game... tallied 50 assists on the season, third-most on the team... scored in double figures on 13 occasions... led Valpo in scoring four times... paced Crusaders with 17 points in rout of Iona Nov. 15, going 5-of-8 from the field and a perfect 6-of-6 from the foul line... knocked down 6-of-11 from the floor in 12-point, five-rebound effort in nationally-televised win at Rhode Island Nov. 17... led Valpo with 14 points at #25 Oregon Nov. 22... tied for team-high honors two nights later in win at Oregon State, finishing with 15 points... after missing nearly a month due to injury, returned to lineup Dec. 19 in win over Missouri State with 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting and six rebounds... set new career best with five assists and also pulled down six rebounds in Horizon League opener Jan. 2 versus UIC... poured in a career-high 24 points to lead the Crusaders to win at Oakland Jan. 8... knocked down career-best six 3-pointers (6-of-8) against the Golden Grizzlies and also grabbed seven rebounds... followed two days later with 21-point effort at Detroit, including an 8-of-10 mark from the foul line... grabbed season-high nine rebounds in just 18 minutes of play in Jan. 18 win at Youngstown State... scored 13 points at Quicken Loans Arena in win over Cleveland State Feb. 16... missed Horizon League Championship semifinal and opening round of NIT due to injury suffered in regular season finale... returned to lineup in second-round NIT matchup with Florida State. 2014-15: Appeared in all 34 games in his freshman season at Valpo, making 33 starts... named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team... averaged 10.3 points and 3.4 rebounds per game... ranked third on the team in scoring and led the Crusaders with 37 steals... finished the season 14th in the league in steals, 15th in free throw percentage and 20th in scoring... scored in double figures 19 times... led Valpo in scoring three times and in assists on seven occasions... opened career with 16-point effort in win over East Tennessee State Nov. 14, going 8-of-8 from the free throw line... posted season-high four steals Nov. 21 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, a mark he matched Feb. 15 at Milwaukee... scored 16 points in just 17 minutes of action in win over Maine Nov. 23... recorded season-best four assists in back-to-back games Dec. 20 at IPFW and Dec. 21 versus Goshen... poured in season-high 22 points at Oakland in Horizon League opener Jan. 2, going 8-of-13 from the field... named Horizon League Freshman of the Week Jan. 5... pulled down a Valpo season-best 13 rebounds at Green Bay Jan. 23... scored in double figures in six consecutive games Jan. 26-Feb. 15... scored 19 points in league win over Detroit Feb. 4... led Valpo with 20 points in home win over Green Bay Feb. 13... capped streak of six straight games in double figures Feb. 15 at Milwaukee with 12 points and six rebounds... two of his points against the Panthers came on a fast-break dunk over Milwaukee s 6 10 JJ Panoske, a play which ranked #9 on SportsCenter s Top 10 Plays of the Day... named league Freshman of the Week for a second time Feb. 16, as well as the Lou Henson Award National Player of the Week... closed the regular season by scoring 11 points, hitting all four of his field goal attempts in regular season title-clinching win at Cleveland State Feb. 27... matched season high with three 3-pointers in the NCAA Tournament against Maryland Mar. 20, finishing with 14 points. CAREER HIGHS Points 26, Samford (11/21/17) 13, at Green Bay (1/23/15) Assists 5, Samford (11/21/17) Steals 5, Detroit Mercy (1/8/17) Blocks 1, seven times (M.R. 1/27/17) FG Made 10, Utah St. (11/28/17) 3PT Made 6, at Oakland (1/8/16) FT Made 12, Detroit Mercy (1/8/17) Prep: Most recently played for Vanier College... one of just ten players named to the CCAA All-Canadian Team in 2013-14... ranked eighth in his class by Hoopstars Canada and tenth by North Pole Hoops... named RSEQ Player of the Year as a senior and repeated as a member of the RSEQ First Team All-Star squad... teamed up with fellow Crusader Max Joseph to lead 2013-14 Cheetahs to a 16-2 record in the regular season and the RSEQ league championship... Vanier went on to win Provincial Championship as well and advanced to bronze medal match at CCAA National Championship... led the league and ranked 14th nationally, averaging 20.8 points per game... also played football, where he was an All-League running back... played AAU for Brookwood Elite (2012-2013) and Red Rush (2009-2011). Personal: Tevonn is the son of Alicea Walker... major is marketing with a computer science minor. 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 26, Samford (11/21/17) 9, twice (M.R. 11/28/17) Assists 5, Samford (11/21/17) Steals 4, twice (M.R. 11/15/17) Blocks FG Made 10, Utah St. (11/28/17) 3PT Made 3, twice (M.R. 11/21/17) FT Made 10, vs. UNCW (11/25/17)

#3 Max Joseph Guard * 6 2 * 210 lbs. * Senior Montreal, Quebec, Canada Vanier College 2017-18: Went 3-of-4 from the field in scoring 10 points in season-opening win over North Park Nov. 10... tallied four points and five rebounds in win over Trinity Christian Nov. 13... scored five points and grabbed a team-best six rebounds Nov. 15 in win at SIUE... pulled down four rebounds and handed out two assists Nov. 19 in win over Southeastern Louisiana... filled stat sheet with six points, five rebounds and a career-best six assists while committing just one turnover in win over Samford Nov. 21... scored four points, grabbed three boards and handed out two assists in Nov. 24 win over Kent State... finished with four points, four rebounds and two steals the next night as Crusaders beat UNCW... posted six points and six rebounds off the bench in Nov. 28 win against Utah State. 2016-17: Played in 32 games for the Crusaders as a junior, starting three times... averaged 5.7 points and 2.9 rebounds per game while playing an average of 22 minutes per contest... averaged 1.1 steals/game within Horizon League play, good for 12th in the league... opened season Nov. 11 in win over Southern Utah with 13 points and six rebounds, including a career-best 6-for-6 effort from the foul line... set a new career high with 15 points on Nov. 14 in victory over Coppin State, going 6-for-7 from the floor... filled up the stat sheet in Nov. 23 victory over BYU to win the MGM Grand Main Event, finishing with six points, eight rebounds and five assists... set then-career best in the rebounding column and matched career high for assists against the Cougars... registered eight points, four assists and three steals in Jan. 14 win at Cleveland State... again matched career high with five assists and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers Jan. 16 in victory over Green Bay... connected on all three of his field goal attempts, including two triples, in a 10-point effort in win over UIC Jan. 22... averaged 8.7 points per game over the season s final seven games, scoring at least seven points in all seven contests... registered nine points and six rebounds in win over Milwaukee Feb. 21... closed regular season with 12-point effort at Northern Kentucky Feb. 26... set new career high with nine rebounds while also scoring seven points against Milwaukee at the Horizon League Championship Mar. 4... earned start in NIT game at Illinois Mar. 14, finishing with nine points and five rebounds. 2015-16: Saw action in 24 games in his sophomore year at Valpo, averaging 7.4 minutes/game... made first career start Nov. 18 agianst IU Kokomo... set new career bests with five rebounds and five assists while also recording three steals in Nov. 15 rout of Iona... surpassed career high for rebounds with seven versus IU Kokomo, while matching career best with five assists and scoring six points... tied career high by scoring nine points in Nov. 19 win over Trinity Christian... hit all four of his free throw attempts in the victory over the Trolls to set new career best... scored two points and handed out two assists in Jan. 18 victory at Youngstown State... grabbed two rebounds Jan. 28 against Cleveland State... matched career high with four free throws in six-point effort against Youngstown State Jan. 30. 2014-15: Appeared in 28 games in his first season as a Crusader... averaged 10.9 minutes per game off the bench... debuted Nov. 14 against East Tennessee State with three points in 14 minutes... played 22 minutes against IU South Bend Nov. 19, grabbing four rebounds and handing out three assists... scored seven points, grabbed four rebounds and tallied four steals - the latter two season highs - in win over Trinity International Dec. 10... stepped up as the backup point guard following Keith Carter s injury, averaging 16.4 minutes per game in the 10 games Carter missed, nine of which were Valpo wins... had assist-to-turnover ratio of better than 2-to-1, committing just nine turnovers in 164 minutes, during that stretch... had season-best nine points in season-high 26 minutes of playing time in win over UIC Jan. 8, going a perfect 3-of-3 from the field, including two 3-pointers... also grabbed three rebounds and dished out three assists against the Flames... also had three assists Jan. 10 versus Cleveland State, Jan. 20 at Youngstown State and Jan. 31 at UIC... went on Athletes in Action trip to Poland during summer of 2015. Prep: Joined forces with fellow Crusader Tevonn Walker at Vanier College last year... helped Cheetahs to a 16-2 record in the regular season and the RSEQ league championship... Vanier went on to win Provincial Championship as well and advanced to bronze medal match at CCAA National Championship... earned First Team All-Star honors at the national tournament... a RSEQ Second Team All-Star... averaged 10 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game, the latter mark ranking fifth in the league... led league in assist/turnover ratio and ranked second in free throw percentage (76.4%)... won Provincial title as well in 2012 while at Ahuntsic and helped squad to fifth-place finish nationally... previously played for the Parc Ex Knights... ranked 22nd in his class nationally by North Pole Hoops... played AAU basketball for Brookwood Elite. CAREER HIGHS Points 15, Coppin St. (11/14/16) 9, vs. Milwaukee (3/4/17) Assists 6, Samford (11/21/17) Steals 4, Trinity International (12/10/14) Blocks 2, twice (M.R. 12/28/16) FG Made 6, Coppin St. (11/14/16) 3PT Made 2, five times (M.R. 2/26/17) FT Made 6, Southern Utah (11/11/16) Personal: Max is the son of Nadege Joseph... major is international business. 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 10, North Park (11/10/17) 6, twice (M.R. 11/28/17) Assists 6, Samford (11/21/17) Steals 2, twice (M.R. 11/25/17) Blocks FG Made 3, North Park (11/10/17) 3PT Made FT Made 4, North Park (11/10/17)

#4 Bakari Evelyn Guard * 6 2 * 180 lbs. * R-Sophomore Detroit, Mich./Hillcrest Academy/ Southfield Christian H.S. [Nebraska] 2017-18: Made Crusader debut Nov. 10 versus North Park with four points and seven rebounds... knocked down pair of 3-pointers as he finished with six points and four assists Nov. 13 in victory over Trinity Christian... handed out seven assists and scored 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting in win at SIUE Nov. 15... became first Crusader since November of 2010 to score at least 14 points and dish out at least seven assists in the same game... followed with another 14-point effort in win over Southeastern Louisiana Nov. 19, dishing out four assists as well... named co-mvp of Savannah Invitational following pair of standout efforts in Georgia... finished with 13 points and six assists in Nov. 24 win over Kent State... exploded for career-best game in tournament finale against UNCW the next night, hitting 8-of-11 from the floor - including three 3-pointers - and 11- of-12 from the foul line for a career-high 30 points... also set a new career best with eight rebounds against the Seahawks... tallied 10 points and four assists in win over Utah State Nov. 28. 2016-17: Sat out season due to NCAA transfer regulations... retained three seasons of eligibility. 2015-16 (Nebraska): Appeared in 18 games as a freshman for the Cornhuskers... scored 24 points and grabbed nine rebounds... knocked down all eight of his free throw attempts... scored season-best seven points in win over Mississippi Valley State... scored four points and grabbed two rebounds in Big Ten victory over Rutgers. Prep: Played as a senior for Hillcrest (Ariz.) Academy, averaging 25.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists per game... scored 30 or more points on three occasions... spent first three seasons at Southfield (Mich.) Christian, helping team to 73-7 record and three conseuctive Class D state titles... averaged 17.4 points and 4.4 assists per game as a junior... First Team All-State as a sophomore. Personal: Son of Gerald Evelyn and Sandee Stone... major is sports management, with a business minor. 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 30, vs. UNCW (11/25/17) 8, vs. UNCW (11/25/17) Assists 7, at SIUE (11/15/17) Steals 2, three times (M.R. 11/24/17) Blocks 1. SE Louisiana (11/19/17) FG Made 8, vs. UNCW (11/25/17) 3PT Made 3, vs. UNCW (11/25/17) FT Made 11, vs. UNCW (11/25/17)

#5 Markus Golder Guard/Forward * 6 6 * 195 lbs. * R-Sophomore Portland, Ore. Clackamas H.S. [North Idaho] 2017-18: Recorded double-double in first regular season action with the Crusaders, posting 12 points and a game-high 10 rebounds in Nov. 10 win over North Park... became first player to register a double-double in his Valpo debut since 2005... stuffed stat sheet in Nov. 13 win over Trinity Christian, finishing with 17 points - 15 of which came in the second half - four rebounds, three assists, three blocked shots and two steals... chipped in 10 points and five rebounds in 18 minutes of action Nov. 15 in win at SIUE... capped victory against the Cougars with emphatic two-handed slam on a fast-break alley oop in the final minute... is the first Valpo player to debut for the Crusaders with double-figure scoring efforts in his first three games since 2009... scored eight points Nov. 19 in win over Southeastern Louisiana... finished with 10 points and six rebounds - including five offensive - in Nov. 21 win over Samford... went 5-of-7 from the field, including pair of 3-pointers, in 15-point effort in win versus Kent State Nov. 24. North Idaho College: Led the team as he averaged 18.9 points per game on 55% shooting from the floor as a redshirt freshman in 2016-17... also hit at a 39% clip from 3-point range and 81% from the foul line... registered 6.6 rebounds per game... helped lead the way as North Idaho finished the season with a 25-5 record, including a 13-3 mark in Northwest Athletic Conference play, and earned the NWAC East Region title... redshirted as a freshman in 2015-16. Prep: A three-year letterwinner for the Cavaliers... earned First Team All-State and All-League accolades as a senior, leading Clackamas in scoring and rebounding... helped the Cavaliers to back-to-back appearances in the state playoffs. Personal: Son of Jessicah Golder... major is communication. 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 17, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) 10, North Park (11/10/17) Assists 3, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Steals 2, twice (M.R. 11/13/17) Blocks 3, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) FG Made 6, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) 3PT Made 2, twice (M.R. 11/24/17) FT Made 4, twice (M.R. 11/13/17)

#10 Joe Burton Guard/Forward * 6 6 * 210 lbs. * R-Junior Porter, Texas Atascocita H.S. [Oklahoma State] 2016-17: Sat out season due to NCAA transfer regulations... retained two seasons of eligibility... made Crusader debut on Nov. 15 at SIUE after missing the first two games, starting and totaling seven points and three rebounds in the victory... went 8-of-11 from the field, including a perfect 6-for-6 inside the 3-point line, for a game-high 18 points in win over Southeastern Louisiana Nov. 19... also grabbed four rebounds and handed out three assists against the Lions... again made all his two-point attempts, going 5-of-5 inside the arc and 7-of-8 overall, in 16-point, five-rebound effort in win over Samford Nov. 21... connected on 3-pointer with less than 30 seconds to go to help secure Nov. 24 win over Kent State... also pulled down five rebounds against the Golden Flashes. 2015-16 (Oklahoma State): Saw action in 30 games off the bench as a sophomore for the Cowboys... averaged 4.7 points and 1.4 rebounds per game... shot 39.7% from 3-point range, fifth-best by a sophomore in program history... scored in double figures four times, including a career-best 16 points versus West Virginia... scored 13 points against Kansas State at the Big 12 Championship. 2014-15 (Oklahoma State): Appeared in nine games as a freshman... averaged 1.7 points and 0.6 rebounds per game... scored season-best six points in win over Northwestern Oklahoma... finished with five points in win over North Texas. Prep: Played for the Atascocita Eagles... finalist for Guy V. Lewis Award as a senior, presented annually to the top player in the Houston area... an All-State Class 5A selection as a senior... appeared in the Battle for the Gulf All-Star Game for Team Texas and was a member of the Blue team for the 2014 TABC All-Star Game... an All-Greater Houston First Team choice as a senior... named district MVP after leading squad to a district championship... helped team to regional final... averaged 22.5 points and 7.8 rebounds per game senior year. Personal: Son of Patrick and Denise Burton... major is communication. 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 18, SE Louisiana (11/19/17) 5, twice (M.R. 11/24/17) Assists 3, SE Louisiana (11/19/17) Steals 1, vs. UNCW (11/25/17) Blocks 2, vs. Kent St. (11/24/17) FG Made 8, SE Louisiana (11/19/17) 3PT Made 2, twice (M.R. 11/21/17) FT Made 2, twice (M.R. 11/24/17)

#12 Marten Linssen Forward * 6 8 * 240 lbs. * Freshman Dusseldorf, Germany Schloss-Gymnasium Benrath 2017-18: Made collegiate debut in season opener Nov. 10 versus North Park with three points and five rebounds in 12 minutes of action... recorded six rebounds, three steals and two assists in Nov. 13 victory over Trinity Christian... went 3-for-4 from the foul line for three points and three rebounds Nov. 15 in win at SIUE... enjoyed breakout game in Nov. 24 win over Kent State, when called upon due to foul trouble... played 21 minutes and went a perfect 5-of-5 from the field to finish with 12 points and seven rebounds against the Golden Flashes. Germany: Most recently played for Bayer Giants Leverkusen, splitting time between their Pro B league squad and their youth team in the NBBL... member of the 2017 NBBL All-Star Team, averaging 12.8 points and 8.9 rebounds per game... posted 4.4 points and 3.5 rebounds per game in action with the Pro B team... played for head coach Achim Kuczmann, who coached Valpo head coach Matt Lottich when he played in Germany for Giants Dusseldorf... member of the u18 German national team at the 2016 u18 European Championships, joining a talented frontcourt to help Germany place fourth. Personal: Son of Odilo and Helga Linssen... major is international business. 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 12, vs. Kent St. (11/24/17) 7, vs. Kent St. (11/24/17) Assists 2, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Steals 3, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Blocks 1, three times (M.R. 11/24/17) FG Made 5, vs. Kent St. (11/24/17) 3PT Made FT Made 3, twice (M.R. 11/15/17)

#14 Jaume Sorolla Center * 7 0 * 245 lbs. * Sophomore Tortosa, Spain Sunrise Christian [Kan.] Academy 2017-18: Made season debut Nov. 15 at SIUE after missing first two games, going 4-of-6 from the field for eight points... knocked down four shots from the field for eight points in Nov. 25 victory over UNCW and also tied for team-high honors with eight rebounds while blocking two shots as well... set new career high in Nov. 28 win over Utah State with 16 points, going 5-of-6 from the floor and a career-best 6-of-7 from the foul line... also grabbed eight rebounds in the win over the Aggies. 2016-17: Played in 32 games for the Crusaders during his freshman season, starting on nine occasions... averaged 5.2 points and 4.4 rebounds per game while playing an average of 19.1 minutes per contest... scored in double figures five times and grabbed at least 10 rebounds twice... stepped up game within Horizon League play, averaging 6.9 points and 4.9 rebounds per game on 54.8% shooting (2.9 points and 3.6 rebounds per game on 32.6% shooting in non-league play)... led Crusaders with 30 blocked shots... finished year tied for sixth in the Horizon League overall and tied for fifth within league play in blocked shots/game... debuted against Southern Utah Nov. 11 with two points and three rebounds in eight minutes of action... enjoyed best game of season to that point Dec. 7 at #6/7 Kentucky, coming off the bench to approach a double-double with eight points and nine rebounds... stodd out in post Dec. 17 in win over Indiana State with eight points and season-high 12 rebounds... picked up double-double versus Oakland on Jan. 6, finishing with 11 points and 10 rebounds to go with three blocked shots... scored 12 points on three occasions within league play - Jan. 12 at Youngstown State (6-11 FG), Jan. 22 versus UIC (5-8 FG) and Feb. 9 versus Cleveland State (5-7 FG), all three of which were Valpo wins... blocked three shots to match season best Jan. 27 against Wright State and Feb. 11 versus Youngstown State... set new career best at Oakland on Feb. 17 with 14 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and 4-of-4 from the foul line... also tallied nine rebounds against the Golden Grizzlies. Prep: Spent 2015-16 season in the United States, playing at Sunrise Christian Academy in Wichita, Kansas... has represented his native Spain in a number of FIBA competitions, including U16 and U18 European Championships... most recently, was a member of Spain s gold-medal winning U20 European Championship gold medalist squad in July of 2016, averaging 4.7 points and 2.1 rebounds per game... was a member of Spain s team at the 2014 U17 World Championships, averaging 7.3 points and 4.6 rebounds per game as the team came in fourth place... started playing basketball for CB Cantaires... spent six years playing in the FC Barcelona program. Personal: Son of Paco Sorolla and Ada Menasanch... major is international business. CAREER HIGHS Points 16, Utah St. (11/28/17) 12, Indiana St. (12/17/16) Assists 3, Cleveland St. (2/9/17) Steals 2, Youngstown St. (2/11/17) Blocks 3, three times (M.R. 2/11/17) FG Made 6, at Youngstown St. (1/12/17) 3PT Made FT Made 6, Utah St. (11/28/17) 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 16, Utah St. (11/28/17) 8, twice (M.R. 11/28/17) Assists 1, twice (M.R. 11/25/17) Steals 1, twice (M.R. 11/28/17) Blocks 2, twice (M.R. 11/28/17) FG Made 5, Utah St. (11/28/17) 3PT Made FT Made 6, Utah St. (11/28/17)

#21 Derrik Smits Center * 7 2 * 240 lbs. * R-Sophomore Zionsville, Ind. Zionsville H.S. 2017-18: Set new career high in season-opening win Nov. 10 over North Park with 14 points while also grabbing five rebounds... hit all five of his field goal attempts in finishing with 10 points Nov. 13 in victory over Trinity Christian, while also grabbing a career-best eight rebounds - five of which came on the offensive end... tallied seven points and four rebounds in Nov. 15 victory at SIUE, hitting a career-best five free throws (5-6)... went a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor to set a new career best for field goals made, finishing with 12 points, six rebounds and three assists in Nov. 19 win over Southeastern Louisiana... pulled down six rebounds Nov. 21 in victory over Samford... chipped in five points apiece in the Crusaders two victories in Savannah - Nov. 24 over Kent State and Nov. 25 versus UNCW. 2016-17: Appeared in all 33 games for the Crusaders during his first season of action, starting 15 consecutive games Dec. 28-Feb. 17... averaged 3.4 points and 2.2 rebounds per game in 12.8 minutes per game of play... finished second on the team with 17 blocked shots on the year... scored first career points in nine-point effort in win over Ball State Nov. 27... posted strong game to open Horizon League play at UIC Dec. 30, finishing with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting and six rebounds - both of which were season highs... would go on to grab six rebounds in a game four more times over the last two-plus months of the season... hit all three of his field goal attempts to finish with eight points in Jan. 8 win over Detroit Mercy... tallied nine points in win at Cleveland State Jan. 14... blocked season-high three shots in victory over UIC Jan. 22... went 5-of-7 from the floor for 10 points and recorded a season-best five assists in Feb. 9 win against Cleveland State... went 4-for-5 from the field to finish with eight points at Detroit Mercy Feb. 19. 2015-16: Sat out season due to injury... awarded medical redshirt and maintained four seasons of eligibility. Prep: Named an Indiana All-Star following his senior year at Zionsville H.S.... had eight points, five rebounds and three blocks in Indiana s win over Kentucky to clinch two-game series sweep... averaged 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game as a senior, helping lead Zionsville to 19 wins... scored 10.6 points per game as a junior... a two-time All-Conference honoree... played AAU for Spiece Indy Heat. Personal: Son of Rik and Candice Smits... father played 12 seasons in the NBA for the Indiana Pacers and was an NBA All-Star in 1998... major is communication, with a minor in business administration. CAREER HIGHS Points 14, North Park (11/10/17) 8, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Assists 5, Cleveland St. (2/9/17) Steals 1, six times (M.R. 11/28/17) Blocks 3, UIC (1/22/17) FG Made 6, SE Louisiana (11/19/17) 3PT Made FT Made 5, at SIUE (11/15/17) 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 14, North Park (11/10/17) 8, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Assists 3, SE Louisiana (11/19/17) Steals 1, twice (M.R. 11/28/17) Blocks 1, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) FG Made 6, SE Louisiana (11/19/17) 3PT Made FT Made 5, at SIUE (11/15/17)

#23 Mileek McMillan Forward * 6 8 * 220 lbs. * Freshman Merrillville, Ind. Merrillville H.S. 2017-18: Debuted Nov. 10 in win over North Park, tallying eight points and seven rebounds off the bench... registered five points and three rebounds in Nov. 13 victory over Trinity Christian... knocked down first career 3-pointer Nov. 15 in win at SIUE... scored five points, including a 3-pointer, in win over Southeastern Louisiana Nov. 19... scored seven second-half points in Crusader win over Samford Nov. 21. Prep: Played AAU for Indiana Elite... key contributor to Merrillville s success as a junior, averaging nearly seven rebounds per game for the Pirates as they finished the year with a 22-2 record... stood out at the Indiana Top 80 camp last October, being named the camp s Mr. Defender. Personal: Son of Greg Lewis and Latina Cross... major is sports management. 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 8, North Park (11/10/17) 7, North Park (11/10/17) Assists 2, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Steals 1, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Blocks 1, four times (M.R. 11/21/17) FG Made 3, Samford (11/21/17) 3PT Made 1, three times (M.R. 11/21/17) FT Made 4, North Park (11/10/17)

#33 John Kiser Guard/Forward * 6 5 * 205 lbs. * Sophomore Noblesville, Ind. Noblesville H.S. 2017-18: Received scholarship following freshman year... opened season - after missing exhibition action due to pair of facial injuries - with eight points and four rebounds Nov. 10 in season opener versus North Park... narrowly missed a double-double in Nov. 13 victory over Trinity Christian, posting career highs with nine points and nine rebounds... totaled seven points and handed out two assists Nov. 15 in win at SIUE... knocked down pair of 3-pointers and finished with six points, three rebounds and two assists in Nov. 19 victory against Southeastern Louisiana... tallied five points, six rebounds and a career-best three assists in Nov. 21 win over Samford... finished with three points and four rebounds in 19 minutes of action in Nov. 25 win over UNCW. 2016-17: Walk-on saw action in 25 games in his first season with the Crusaders, earning a start Mar. 4 against Milwaukee at the Horizon League Championship... played an average of 9.8 minutes/game, a mark which increased to 15.4 minutes/game over the season s final 10 games... finished freshman year with 45 points scored and 53 rebounds, shooting 56.3% from the field... debuted for Valpo with an assist Nov. 12 in win over Trinity Christian... not only scored first career basket, but went 4-for-4 from the floor for eight points in Dec. 28 victory over Chicago State... would match season high with eight points in the Horizon League Championship against Milwaukee Mar. 4 - leading the Crusaders in scoring - and in NIT action at Illinois on Mar. 14, where he went 4-for-6 from the field... scored four points and grabbed five rebounds in Jan. 12 win at Youngstown State... pulled down five boards and recorded a pair of steals at Green Bay Feb. 4... registered six rebounds in season-high 26 minutes of play in regular season finale at Northern Kentucky Feb. 26... totaled a season-best seven rebounds to go with his team-high eight points in league tournament play versus Milwaukee. Prep: Averaged 21.2 points per game as a senior for the Millers, helping lead the team to a 14-9 record... also averaged 6.9 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game... played in the Hoosier Reunion Classic All-Star Game... named an Indiana Junior All-Star following his junior season. Personal: Son of Brian and Christina Kiser... major is mechanical engineering. CAREER HIGHS Points 9, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) 9, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Assists 3, Samford (11/21/17) Steals 2, twice (M.R. 11/13/17) Blocks 1, seven times (M.R. 11/10/17) FG Made 4, twice (M.R. 3/14/17) 3PT Made 2, SE Louisiana (11/19/17) FT Made 4, twice (M.R. 11/13/17) 2017-18 SEASON HIGHS Points 9, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) 9, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Assists 3, Samford (11/21/17) Steals 2, Trinity Christian (11/13/17) Blocks 1, North Park (11/10/17) FG Made 2, four times (M.R. 11/19/17) 3PT Made 2, SE Louisiana (11/19/17) FT Made 4, twice (M.R. 11/13/17)