#1 Valparaiso (24-7, 13-3 Horizon)
Game #32 - Saturday, March 9 - 7:30 p.m.
Horizon League Championship Semifinal
#4 Green Bay (17-14, 10-6) OR #5 UIC (17-14, 7-9)
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) - Valparaiso, Ind.
Next Up in Crusader Basketball: For the second straight season, Valparaiso finds itself hosting the Horizon League Championship needing to win just two games to claim the tournament title. This year’s quest for the crown starts Saturday evening in the second semifinal at 7:30 p.m. against the winner of Friday night’s second-round game between Green Bay and UIC.
Last Time Out: The Valparaiso men’s basketball team left no doubt as how many squads could claim the Horizon League regular season title, winning the outright championship with a dominant performance in a 75-56 victory at Green Bay last Saturday afternoon. Matt Kenney matched a Crusader record by going 6-of-6 from 3-point range in a 21-point performance, while Bobby Capobianco added a career-high 16 points.
Following the Crusaders: Radio - Valpo Sports Radio Network - WAKE (1500 AM, Valparaiso), WEFM (95.9 FM, Michigan City), WJOB (1230 AM, Hammond) - Todd Ickow (PxP) and Brandon McPherson (Color)
Television - ESPNU - Jim Barbar (PxP) and Malcolm Huckaby (Color)
Links for the live audio and video, as well as live stats, will be available through ValpoAthletics.com.
Head Coach Bryce Drew: Bryce Drew (46-19) is in his second season at the helm of the Valparaiso men’s basketball program in 2012-2013 after leading the Crusaders to the Horizon League regular season title in his first year as head coach. Drew was named the Horizon League Coach of the Year after guiding Valpo to a 22-win campaign, including a 14-4 mark within the league to capture the title by two games. Drew ascended to the head coaching position on May 17, 2011 after spending six seasons as an assistant and associate head coach with the Crusaders.
Series Notes: Valpo trails the all-time series against Green Bay, 26-18, and the Phoenix own a slim 7-6 advantage since the Crusaders joined the HL. Valpo won both meetings this year, however, winning 73-61 at the ARC and 75-56 in Green Bay. The Crusaders also trail the all-time series with UIC, 29-18, but own a 9-3 edge since joining the HL, including eight straight victories. This season, Valpo defeated UIC 75-70 in Chicago and 86-61 at the ARC.
Storylines
- Valparaiso won the Horizon League regular season title for the second straight year, earning the right to host the league tournament.
- Valpo is looking to advance to the tournament championship game for a second straight season.
- A win in Saturday’s semifinal would give the Crusaders 25 wins, matching the program record for single-season victories.
- Four Crusaders were honored as the league announced its postseason awards earlier this week.
@ValpoBasketball...
...and the @HorizonLeague
- @ValpoBasketball was picked to win the @HorizonLeague regular season title.
- The Crusaders received 40 of the 44 first-place votes in the #HLMBB preseason poll.
- This marks the first season since 2002-03 (Mid-Con) that @ValpoBasketball has been preseason league favorites.
- The Crusaders were the only team to place two players on the #HLMBB preseason First Team All-League as well.
...nationally
- @ValpoBasketball was tabbed the preseason @HorizonLeague favorite by @CBSSports and @AthlonSports, among others.
- @ValpoBasketball is currently ranked 12th in the Mid-Major Top 25 poll, voted on by mid-major coaches and produced by @CollegeInsider.
...looking back at last year
- @ValpoBasketball claimed its first @HorizonLeague regular season title in 2011-12, winning the crown by two games.
- @ValpoBasketball played at Miami in the first round of the postseason NIT, the Crusaders’ 11th postseason trip in the last 17 years.
- @ValpoBasketball boasted the #HLMBB Coach of the Year (Drew), Player of the Year (Broekhoff) and a second First Team selection (Van Wijk).
Winning the League Crown
- The win for @ValpoBasketball over Youngstown State last Tuesday gave the Crusaders at least a share of the Horizon League title.
- Valpo then secured the outright crown with a definitive victory at Green Bay on Saturday afternoon.
- This marks Valpo’s first back-to-back regular season titles since the 2002-03 and 2003-04 seasons (Mid-Continent Conference).
- Valpo has gone 27-7 in Horizon League play over the last two years after going 36-36 in its first four seasons.
- Valpo has now claimed its conference regular season title in 11 of the last 19 seasons.
- With the regular season crown, the Crusaders are assured of no worse than a berth in the postseason NIT.
Record-Setting Victory
- The win over the Phoenix on Saturday was Valpo’s 24th of the season, matching the second-most in a single year in program history.
- The Crusaders’ 24 regular-season wins are the most in the team’s D-I era and matches the 1923-24 team for most regular season wins overall.
- The win at Green Bay was also Valpo’s tenth true road win of the year, the most true road wins in a single season in the program’s D-I era.
Milestone Night
- A number of individual milestones were also reached in the regular season finale at Green Bay.
- Matt Kenney matched the Valpo record for most 3-pointers in a game without a miss, going 6-of-6 from downtown.
- Jared Nuness (Belmont, Dec. 1997) and Ryan Broekhoff (Detroit, Feb. 2012) had previously gone 6-of-6 from deep in a Crusader uniform.
- Kevin Van Wijk scored his 1,000th career point with 18:03 to play, making him the 32nd player in Crusader history to reach the mark.
- Van Wijk also set a new Horizon League record for FG% within league-only play, hitting at a 69.5% clip during league games.
League Honorees
- Four Crusaders earned awards as the Horizon League announced its postseason awards earlier this week.
- Senior Ryan Broekhoff was named to the All-League First Team for a second straight season.
- Senior Kevin Van Wijk earned Second Team honors after earning First Team recognition as a junior.
- Senior Erik Buggs was named to the All-Defensive Team, Valpo’s first All-Defensive selection in six years as a league member.
- Junior LaVonte Dority was tabbed the Sixth Man of the Year, the second Valpo player to be so honored (Jarryd Loyd, 2007-08).
Valpo in the HL Championship
- The Crusaders are 5-5 in their first five seasons competing in the Horizon League Championship.
- Twice, Valpo has advanced to the semifinals from the first round with a pair of victories.
- Last season was the first time the Crusaders earned the double bye directly into the semifinals.
- Valpo has played five of its 10 HL Championship games at the ARC, with a 3-2 record in those contests.
Offense Clicking on All Cylinders
- The Crusaders continued their recent outstanding offensive production last Saturday in the win at Green Bay.
- Valpo connected at a 76% (19-of-25) rate from the floor in the second half of the GB win, including 7-of-9 from 3-point range.
- The Crusaders shot 60.4% overall and 55.6% (10-of-18) from 3-point range for the game in the win over the Phoenix.
- Valpo shot 68.2% from the floor in the win over EKU, its highest mark since shooting 68.8% vs. Northern Illinois in January of 1998.
- The Crusaders missed just four two-point field goal attempts (23-of-27) against the Colonels.
- @ValpoBasketball scored 85 points in its win at Loyola, the most points the Ramblers have given up all season.
- Loyola (10-of-20) and Green Bay marked the fifth and sixth times this year Valpo shot 50% from 3-point range while hitting at least 10 3’s.
- Valpo has scored at least 1.25 points per possession 4 times in the last 8 games, a mark they reached just twice in the first 23 games.
- The Crusaders currently rank among the top-10 nationally in field goal percentage (.487, 9th) and 2-point percentage (.558, 8th).
Home Sweet Home
- The Crusaders are now 14-2 at the ARC this year following the win over Youngstown State on Senior Night on Saturday.
- 12 of the Crusaders’ 14 home wins this season have come by double figures, including nine wins by at least 20 points.
- Valpo is averaging 74.1 ppg and shooting 49.3% from the floor (40.4% 3-point) at home this year.
- @ValpoBasketball went 14-3 at home last season and is 221-50 (.815) over the last 18 years at the ARC.
- The Crusaders lost their first home game of 2013 (Loyola) after going 15-1 at home in 2012 - the only loss coming in the HL title game.
Gallimaufry
- Valpo lost for the only time this year against Detroit when leading at halftime (19-1) and when scoring at least 70 points (17-1).
- This marks the third straight year that Valpo has held at least a share of the Horizon League lead at any point past the halfway mark.
- Valpo had a six-game winning streak solely within league play earlier this year, its first since Jan. 15-31, 2004.
- The Crusaders have hit at least 10 3-pointers and shot >50% from beyond the arc in consecutive games twice this year.
- The 15 triples against UIC matched the most in a single game by the Crusaders since they hit 16 against Chicago State on Dec. 15, 2007.
- Valpo earned its largest league win since joining the Horizon League with a 31-point win (71-40) over Milwaukee.
- It marked Valpo’s largest win within league play since defeating Oakland 95-64 on Jan. 2, 2006 when both were members of the Mid-Con.
- Valpo posted one of its top defensive efforts in a long time in the victory over Milwaukee, surrendering just 40 points.
- The 40 points also was the fewest given up by Valpo to a D-I opponent since a 35-33 win over Green Bay on Jan. 21, 1984.
- The 24-point margin at UWM was the largest by a Valpo team in a road league game since a 74-42 win at Chicago State on Jan. 21, 1999.
- The Crusaders have not lost two straight games this season and haven’t dropped back-to-back league games since Feb. 21/24, 2011.
- @ValpoBasketball tallied 16 steals in the win over Purdue Calumet, its most in a single game in over 10 years.
- The Crusaders’ 52 points in the paint vs. IUPUI are the most they’ve had in a single Division I game since at least 2005.
- With the win over Kent State, Valpo has now won three straight OT games and is 6-2 in extra time since the start of the 2010-2011 season.
- The Crusaders went 34-for-41 from the free throw line in the win over Kent State.
- Valpo had not hit 34 free throws in a single game since a Feb. 8, 1997 win over Northeastern Illinois.
- Valpo allowed 50 points or less in back-to-back games for the first time since Jan. 2003 (NIU 46, Nebraska 50).
- The 50 points scored by Nebraska was the fewest @ValpoBasketball has given up in a loss since Jan. 16, 1984 vs. Western Illinois (41-40).
- Valpo defeated Georgia Southern by 31 points in its opener, its largest season-opening win over a D-I school since moving to D-I.
@GBPhoenixMBB
- Green Bay enters Friday’s second-round game at 17-14 overall this year and finished with a 10-6 record in league play.
- The Phoenix defeated ninth-seeded Milwaukee in the tournament’s opening round on Tuesday, 62-46.
- Green Bay had won four HL games in a row before the Crusaders dealt them a loss in the regular season finale.
- First Team All-League selection Keifer Sykes leads the Phoenix with 15.4 points and 4.2 assists per game.
- Second Team All-League choice Alec Brown adds 13.7 points, 5.9 rebounds and 1.8 blocks per contest.
@UICFlamesDotCom
- UIC enters Friday’s second-round game also with a 17-14 overall record and finished Horizon League play with a 7-9 mark.
- The Flames advanced to Valpo by virtue of an 82-59 win over Cleveland State in the tournament’s opening round.
- UIC started Horizon League play 5-4 before winning just two of its final seven regular season league games.
- Second Team All-League honoree Gary Talton leads the Flames, averaging 12.5 points and 4.3 assists per game.
- All-Newcomer Team selection Josh Crittle adds 10.2 points and a team-high 5.3 rebounds per game.
Bryce Drew
- Bryce Drew is in his second season as head coach of @ValpoBasketball and is in his eighth season overall on the coaching staff.
- Drew was named #HLMBB Coach of the Year in 2011-12 in his first season as head coach.
- Drew was the first Crusader men’s basketball Coach of the Year since 2001-02, when dad Homer won the honor in the Mid-Con.
- Drew led the Crusaders to 22 wins and the Horizon League regular season title in his first year at the helm.
- This season, Drew guided Valpo to its second straight regular season title and 24 victories entering the league tournament.
- Prior to coaching, Drew spent seven seasons playing professionally, including six seasons in the NBA.
- Drew was a two-time Mid-Con MVP in his playing days with @ValpoBasketball, helping the team to three NCAA tournament appearances.
- Drew hit “The Shot”, a buzzer-beating 3-pointer in the first round of the 1998 NCAA tournament, to lift the Crusaders over @OleMissMBB.
- “The Shot” was named one of the top-35 All-Time Madness Moments by the NCAA as part of the celebration of 75 Years of March Madness.
#DrewFamilyDynasty
- Bryce is the third member of the Drew family to serve as head coach of @ValpoBasketball.
- Father Homer was head coach from 1988-2002, and then returned to lead Valpo from 2003-11.
- Brother Scott (current head coach of @BaylorMBB) led the Crusaders during the 2002-03 season after nine seasons as an assistant under Homer.
- A Drew has been at the helm of the Crusaders for the last 24+ years. #DrewFamilyDynasty
- The Drew family has combined to lead @ValpoBasketball to 437 victories and 11 postseason appearances. #DrewFamilyDynasty
- Overall, the trio of Drews owns 878 collegiate victories over a combined 43+ seasons of head coaching. #DrewFamilyDynasty
#CoachesWhoCanPlay
- @ValpoBasketball boasts one of the nation’s highest-scoring staffs, as a trio of coaches combined for 4,146 points during their D-I careers.
- Head coach Bryce Drew scored 2,142 points during his four-year career with the Crusaders.
- Assistant coach Jake Diebler also suited up for four years at Valpo, scoring 826 points.
- Assistant coach Roger Powell Jr. tallied 1,178 points during his four-year career with Illinois.
- Assistant coach Luke Gore also played collegiately at NAIA Bethel [Tenn.] College.
Ryan Broekhoff
Honors
- Ryan Broekhoff earned First Team All-Horizon League honors for the second straight season in 2012-13.
- Broekhoff was honored four times as the league’s Player of the Week, the second-most in a single year in the last decade.
- Broekhoff was named the #HLMBB Player of the Year in 2011-12 after helping guide @ValpoBasketball to the regular season title.
- Broekhoff was also named an Honorable Mention All-American by the @AP.
- Broekhoff was picked as a Preseason First Team All-@HorizonLeague member entering his senior season.
- Broekhoff was recently named one of 25 finalists for the Lou Henson Award for mid-major player of the year.
- Broekhoff earned Lou Henson Award mid-season award honors from College Insider.
- Broekhoff was chosen as a preseason Third Team Mid Major All-American by NBC Sports College Basketball Talk (@CBTonNBC).
- Broekhoff appeared on @CBSSports lists by @jeffborzello of the nation’s top-30 under-the-radar players (#6) and top-50 wings (#43).
- Broekhoff also was picked as the nation’s #28 shooter by @goodman_CBS on his list of top-50 shooters.
Playing Overseas
- Broekhoff was selected to the Australian Boomers squad, Australia’s senior national team, in the summer of 2012.
- Broekhoff was one of 25 players called into the 2012 @aussieboomers squad to try out for the Olympic team.
- Broekhoff was on the 12-man roster for the @aussieboomers YouYi Games series against China, making his senior international debut.
- Broekhoff saw 23 minutes of action for @aussieboomers in the three-game series, scoring four points and grabbing a pair of rebounds.
- Broekhoff was one of 15 finalists for Australia’s 12-man Olympic squad.
- Broekhoff previously represented Australia in the World University Games (2011) and the @FIBA U19 World Championships (2009).
This Season
- Broekhoff led the Crusaders in the regular season clincher against YSU, posting a double-double with 21 points and 10 rebounds.
- Broekhoff hit five first-half 3-pointers and scored 19 of his game-high 22 in the opening period against UIC.
- Broekhoff hit a career-best 14-15 from the free throw line, going for 19 points and nine rebounds in the win over Green Bay.
- Broekhoff scored 12 points in the final 2:17 of Valpo’s come-from-behind win over Wright State, ending with 18 pts/10 reb.
- Broekhoff hit the go-ahead free throws with 17 seconds left at Detroit, finishing a line of 18 pts/9 reb/5 ast/3 stl/2 blk.
- Broekhoff posted double-doubles in Valpo’s first two HL road games - 21 pts/10 reb at UIC, 26 pts/10 reb (career-high 7 3’s) at Milwaukee.
- Broekhoff DNP for the first time in his career Dec. 22 vs. Purdue Calumet, snapping streaks of 113 straight games and 50 straight starts.
- Broekhoff matched his career high in the first half alone in the win over Bethune-Cookman, scoring 26 points (7-8 FG, 3-3 3PT, 9-9 FT).
- Broekhoff ended the win over the Wildcats with 30 points and seven rebounds.
- Broekhoff scored 16 of Valpo’s 23 first-half points in the win over Northern Illinois, ending the game with 20 points and 13 rebounds.
- Broekhoff leads the league in FT% and also ranks among the top-3 in scoring, rebounding, 3PT%, and 3PT/gm.
- Broekhoff is the only player ranked among the top-20 in the nation in both free throw percentage and 3-point percentage.
- Broekhoff moved into @ValpoBasketball’s all-time top-20 in career points at Saint Louis and into the top-10 Feb. 1 against Milwaukee.
- Broekhoff currently ranks sixth in Crusader history with 1,551 career points, 70 points shy of fifth position.
- Broekhoff also ranks 3rd in rebounds (825), 4th in blocks (98), 2nd in 3-pointers (245), 7th in 3PT% (.412) and 7th in FT% (.816).
Last Season
- Broekhoff led @ValpoBasketball, averaging 14.9 points and 8.5 rebounds per game in 2011-12.
- Broekhoff led the @HorizonLeague in rebounding and finished fourth in the league in scoring.
- Broekhoff’s total of 290 rebounds on the year was sixth-highest in a single season in program history.
- Broekhoff became the 31st player in @ValpoBasketball history to score 1,000 career points, surpassing the milestone Feb. 17 at @LMULions.
Kevin Van Wijk
- Van Wijk earned Second Team All-Horizon League honors after being a First Team selection in the preseason.
- Van Wijk set a new Horizon League record by shooting 69.5% from the floor in league-only games.
- Van Wijk leads the Horizon League with a .648 field goal percentage, a mark which is good for eighth nationally.
- Van Wijk now tops Valpo’s career FG% chart, connecting at a .613 clip for his career.
- Van Wijk became the 32nd player in Valpo history to reach 1,000 career points, doing so last time out at Green Bay.
- Van Wijk ripped down a career-best 14 rebounds in the win last week over YSU and added 15 points (5-6 FG) for a double-double.
- Van Wijk had his third perfect game from the field on the year, going 5-for-5 in an 11-point effort in the win over EKU.
- Van Wijk was a perfect 5-of-5 from the floor for 10 points and nine rebounds in the home game against Detroit.
- Van Wijk went 8-of-10 from the field en route to a team-high 20 points and nine rebounds in the win at Wright State.
- Van Wijk was named HL Player of the Week after scoring 49 points on 79.2% shooting in Valpo’s earlier wins against WSU and Detroit.
- Van Wijk tied for team-high honors with 18 points on 6-of-9 shooting in the win over WSU, also tallying seven rebounds and four assists.
- Van Wijk had a career game in the comeback win at Detroit, going 13-of-15 from the floor for a career-high 31 points.
- Van Wijk set a then-career high with 25 points (6-8 FG, 13-14 FT) in the OT win over Kent State, including the game-tying putback.
- Van Wijk is coming off a junior season where he was named a First Team All-League selection.
- Van Wijk led all #HLMBB players with a 61.7% FG pct, good for fifth in the nation and third-best in a single season in Crusader history.
Erik Buggs
- Buggs broke Valpo’s all-time career games played record last Tuesday against YSU and has currently appeared in 135 career games.
- Buggs is currently ranked sixth in the league in steals and eighth in assists, and was seventh in HL-only play in field goal pct.
- Buggs closed the regular season at Green Bay by going 4-of-5 for eight points and seven assists while committing just one turnover.
- Buggs matched a career best with six made baskets for 12 points while also handing out eight assists against Detroit.
- Buggs posted 11 points and eight assists in the Crusaders’ win last Saturday at Cleveland State.
- Buggs went 2-2 from the floor and 6-6 from the foul line for 10 points in the win over UIC.
- Buggs set a new career high with six steals and also tallied nine points and five assists in the win over Green Bay.
- Buggs posted eight points, five rebounds and six assists in the win at Detroit, including a pair of assists in the game-closing run.
- Buggs came off the bench in the win over IUPUI Dec. 20, snapping a streak of 70 consecutive starts.
- Buggs opened the season with a career-high nine assists to go with six points in the Crusaders’ win over Georgia Southern.
- Buggs came up just one point shy of his career high with 15 points in the OT win at Kent State.
- Buggs currently ranks fourth in @ValpoBasketball history with 417 career assists, as well as eighth in steals (147).
- Buggs led the Crusaders last year with 103 assists, ranking tenth in the @HorizonLeague.
Matt Kenney
- Kenney matched a Valpo record by hitting six 3-pointers without a miss last time out at Green Bay.
- Kenney finished the game against the Phoenix with a game-high 21 points, going a perfect 7-of-7 from the floor.
- Kenney continued his strong play with a 14-point, five-assist effort in the win at Loyola.
- Kenney went 6-of-8 from the floor, including four 3-pointers, for a team-high 18 points in the home game against Detroit.
- Kenney scored 13 of his 15 points off the bench in the second half in the win at Wright State.
- Kenney became just the second Crusader in program history (Lubos Barton) to reach 400 reb/300 ast, doing so against UIC.
- Kenney came up one rebound shy of a double-double, going for 10 points and nine rebounds in the win over Green Bay.
- Kenney posted near-season highs across the board with 15 points, four rebounds and six assists in the win over WSU.
- Kenney responded with 15 points and six assists in his first start in nearly a year Dec. 20 against IUPUI.
- Kenney scored all 16 of his points in the win over Northern Illinois in the second half.
- Kenney was a perfect 6-for-6 from the floor (3-for-3 from 3-point range) over a span of 9:31 against the Huskies.
- Kenney filled up the stat sheet in the OT win at Kent State, finishing with 16 points, six rebounds and five assists.
- Kenney matched his career high with seven assists while not committing a turnover in the Crusaders’ win vs. Chicago State.
- Kenney currently is 11th in @ValpoBasketball history with 321 career assists.
- Kenney averaged 7.3 points and 4.5 rebounds per game as a junior for the Crusaders in 2011-12.
Will Bogan
- Bogan currently ranks fifth overall in the Horizon League, as well as sixth in league-only play, in 3-point percentage.
- Bogan has moved back into Valpo’s career top-ten in 3-point percentage, where he currently ranks seventh (41.2%).
- Bogan set a new Valpo best, handing out five assists without a turnover last Tuesday vs. YSU while also scoring 10 points.
- Bogan tied for team-high honors with 13 points, including a trio of 3-pointers, in the BracketBusters win over EKU.
- Bogan knocked down three 3-pointers in a season-best 16-point effort in a win at Loyola.
- Bogan hit a season-best five 3-pointers in a 15-point performance at home against Detroit.
- Bogan scored 11 points, including a perfect 3-of-3 effort from behind the arc, in Valpo’s win at Cleveland State.
- Bogan connected on four triples and tied for team-high honors with 12 points in the victory over Milwaukee.
- Bogan returned to the starting lineup Jan. 4 against CSU, scoring 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor, including three 3’s.
- Bogan started 32 games in his first season with @ValpoBasketball in 2011-12, averaging 7.2 points per game.
- Bogan ranked second among Crusaders with 61 3-pointers and hit from downtown at a 40.9% clip.
Ben Boggs
- Boggs posted a 10-point effort off the bench, eight of which came in the first half, in the BracketBusters win over EKU.
- Boggs returned to the starting lineup against Milwaukee, tying for team-high honors with 12 points.
- Boggs missed the Cleveland State game, snapping streaks of 35 straight starts and 39 straight games played.
- Boggs scored a season-best 12 points in both of Valpo’s pre-Christmas wins over IUPUI and Purdue Calumet.
- Boggs posted nine points and tied a career high with eight rebounds in the Crusaders’ win over Chicago State.
- Boggs became eligible after the end of the first semester last year for @ValpoBasketball and appeared in 24 games, starting 20.
- Boggs averaged 4.5 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for the Crusaders, who were 14-6 in his starts.
- Boggs shot better than 80% from the free throw line in his first season with Valpo, second-best on the team.
Bobby Capobianco
- Capobianco earned Newcomer of the Week honors twice from the Horizon League this season, including the final award of the regular season.
- Capobianco set a new career high with 16 points in the win last time out at Green Bay, going 7-of-8 from the floor.
- Capobianco set a then-season high in the Crusaders’ win at Cleveland State, scoring 13 points in just 13 minutes.
- Capobianco nearly picked up a triple-double in the win over UIC, tallying 10 points, nine rebounds and nine assists.
- Capobianco was the first Division I player to reach those marks off the bench in nearly five years.
- Capobianco approached a double-double in the win over Milwaukee, tallying eight points and nine rebounds.
- Capobianco debuted for Valpo against Chicago State after missing the Crusaders’ first four regular season games due to injury.
- Capobianco doubled up in his debut, posting 10 points and grabbing 11 rebounds, including six offensive, against the Cougars.
- Capobianco’s double-double was the first in a Valpo debut since Mohamed Kone vs. IPFW on Nov. 23, 2005 (15 pts, 11 reb).
- Capobianco made his first Crusader start Dec. 22 vs. Purdue Calumet.
- Capobianco scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds, including five offensive, in the win Dec. 20 against IUPUI.
- Capobianco played his first two seasons at @IndianaMBB and sat out last season after transferring to @ValpoBasketball.
LaVonte Dority
- Dority scored 12 points in the BracketBusters win over EKU, including a perfect 5-of-5 effort from the foul line.
- Dority connected on three 3-pointers en route to 13 points in the Crusaders’ win over UIC.
- Dority came up with 13 points off the bench for the Crusaders at Youngstown State.
- Dority returned to his hometown of Chicago with an 18-point, four-assist performance in the win at UIC.
- Dority made his Crusader debut with a game-high 20 points in Valpo’s win at Missouri State.
- Dority became the first Crusader to debut with a 20+ point effort since Brandon Wood dropped 25 at Ball State in Nov. of 2009.
- Dority again led Valpo in the loss at Oakland, scoring 14 points.
- Dority led the Crusaders for the third time in his first four games with a 19-point effort versus Purdue Calumet.
- Dority transferred to Valpo from South Florida at the semester break last year., where he appeared in 35 games.
Jordan Coleman
- Coleman scored seven straight points in the second half and ended the home win over UIC with nine points and a pair of blocks.
- Coleman approached a double-double with nine points and a season-best eight rebounds Jan. 4 in the win over Cleveland State.
- Coleman tallied 10 points Dec. 29 in the Crusaders’ win at Murray State.
- Coleman led the Crusaders with four steals in their win Dec. 22 against Purdue Calumet.
- Coleman made his Crusader debut against Georgia Southern, scoring 15 points and grabbing five rebounds off the bench.
- Coleman knocked down the first five 3-point attempts of his Crusader career before missing his only try from deep at Nebraska.
- Coleman is eligible to play for @ValpoBasketball immediately after transferring from Southwestern Illinois College.
- Coleman was an All-Conference selection for SWIC last season, finishing second on the team with 10.2 ppg.
- Coleman started his collegiate career as a freshman at @HawaiiAthletics.
Vashil Fernandez
- Fernandez matched his season best with six rebounds in 10 minutes of action last Saturday in the win over EKU.
- Fernandez set a new season high with six points, including a pair of dunks, and also blocked two shots in the home win over Milwaukee.
- Fernandez pulled down a season-high six rebounds Dec. 22 in the win verus Purdue Calumet.
- Fernandez recorded a team-high four blocked shots in the Crusaders’ win over Northern Illinois.
- Fernandez is eligible to play for @ValpoBasketball this season after sitting out the 2011-12 season and has 3 years of eligibility left.
- Fernandez made his senior international debut this past summer for Jamaica (@goteamja) at the FIBA Centrobasket tournament.
- Fernandez helped @goteamja to a 3rd place finish, its best ever at Centrobasket.
- Fernandez debuted in a win over the USVI and also played in the bronze-medal win over Panama.
Alex Rossi
- Rossi connected on the first five field goals of his Valpo career before missing his only attempt from the floor at Nebraska.
- Rossi debuted with 11 minutes of play in the season opener against Georgia Southern, hitting all three of his 3-point attempts for 9 points.
- Rossi scored five points and grabbed two rebounds in 14 minutes Dec. 22 against Purdue Calumet.
- Rossi is eligible to play for @ValpoBasketball immediately after spending his first two years at @calmensbball.
Keith Carter
- Carter enrolled in classes at Valpo for the spring semester and will have 3 seasons of eligibility at the end of the 2013 fall semester.
- Carter transferred to the Crusaders from Saint Louis at the semester break.
- Carter was the runner-up for Illinois Mr. Basketball 2012 to Duke commit Jabari Parker.
- Carter was a First Team All-State honoree as a senior, leading Proviso East to a 32-1 record and a berth in the 4A state title game.
