Valparaiso (11-15, 4-10 MVC)
at Evansville (6-19, 2-12 MVC)

Game No. 27 – Saturday, Feb. 19, 1 p.m.
Ford Center (10,000) – Evansville, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will begin a busy stretch of three games in five days on Saturday afternoon in Evansville. This starts a home-and-home President’s Day Weekend series between the Beacons and Purple Aces, as the two teams will meet again on Monday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center in a rescheduled contest that was originally postponed due to a snowstorm. This also continues a stretch of five games over the final 11 days of the regular season for the Beacons. After a season sweep of Indiana State, Valpo will hope to remain unbeaten against instate foes this year on Saturday in southern Indiana.

Last Time Out: The line between victory and defeat was once again razor thin on Wednesday night at the Athletics-Recreation Center as league-leading Loyola edged host Valpo 71-69 in a game that featured nine ties and 11 lead changes. Valpo led by as many as nine and held a six-point halftime edge, but the Ramblers’ stout defense stood tall down the stretch, holding Valpo without a field goal over the final 4:53. The Beacon defense did its part during that segment as the Ramblers had just one made shot of their own. However, that basket came from Chris Knight with 57 seconds remaining to snap a 69-all tie and stood as the difference in the game.  

Following the Beacons: Television – The Valley on ESPN Exclusive (ESPN3) – Tom Ackerman (play-by-play) and Marcus Wilson (analyst)

Valpo Radio – 95.1 FM, WVUR, ValpoAthletics.com, TuneIn Radio App – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Brandon Vickrey (analyst)

Twitter updates - @ValpoBasketball

Links for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.

Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (94-93) is in his ninth season overall at Valparaiso University and sixth as the head coach of the men’s basketball program in 2021-2022. The 2020-2021 season saw Valpo improve its Arch Madness seeding for the fourth straight year as the program continued to make positive strides in each season as a Missouri Valley Conference member. The team earned a first-round bye in the State Farm MVC Tournament for the first time since joining the prestigious league. Valpo upset previously-undefeated Drake, the nation’s No. 25 team, 74-57 on Feb. 7, 2021 at the ARC, the fourth win over an AP Top 25 team in program history and second under Lottich. The Bulldogs were one of three undefeated teams in the nation prior to that setback, joining Gonzaga and Baylor. Just two years removed from finishing in last place and being knocked out in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as a first-year Valley member, Lottich’s team did more than hold its own in 2019-2020, ascending into a tie for sixth in the league standings before finishing as the conference tournament runner-up. Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness to reach the title game after playing in the opening round. Lottich, hired as the 22nd head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program in April 2016, graduated from Stanford University in 2004 and New Trier High School (Illinois) in 2000.

Series Notes: Evansville is Valpo’s second most common opponent in program history as the two squads have matched up 92 times. Butler (103) is the only school Valpo has faced more frequently than Evansville down through the years. The Aces own a 72-20 advantage in head-to-head showdowns. Valpo dropped both matchups last season, which occurred in Evansville, but swept all three 2020 meetings, including an opening round MVC Tournament game in St. Louis. Five of the last six matchups have been decided by three points or fewer. Valpo is 3-6 in nine games against Evansville since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. This will mark Valpo’s 50^th visit to Evansville as the program is 6-43 in road dates with the Purple Aces.

Down to the Wire & Working Overtime

• Fans prone to bite their fingernails in tense moments may have no nails left to bite as eight of Valpo’s 13 games in the calendar year of 2022 have been decided by three points or fewer or required overtime.
• Overall this season, half of Valpo’s 24 games against Division-I opponents have been decided by four points or fewer or needed OT.
• The two-point loss to Loyola on Feb. 16 continued a trend of close calls in the head-to-head series. That marked the sixth time in the last seven matchups between the two teams that the game was decided by three points or fewer or went to overtime.
• The Feb. 9 setback at Illinois State was Valpo’s sixth game this season that went beyond the regulation 40 minutes and the fifth time in 12 conference contests that the Beacons have played overtime. Valpo is 3-3 in the six OT games this year.
• Valpo played back-to-back overtime games (Feb. 5 vs. Indiana State and Feb. 9 at Illinois State) for the first time since 1993 (Feb. 6 at UIC, Feb. 8 vs. Green Bay).
• This is the first time Valpo has played six overtime games in a single season since the program tied an NCAA Division-I record with eight overtime games in 1993. Valpo was the most recent NCAA D-I team with eight OT games in a single season as the program shares the record with Western Kentucky (1978) and Portland (1984). This year’s version of the Beacons is two OT games away from tying that mark.
• When Valpo and Illinois State played beyond 40 minutes on Feb. 9, it was the sixth overtime game of the year for both teams. The two teams are tied for the national lead for number of OT games this season along with UT Arlington.
• Valpo has played eight overtime periods this season (including two double OT games) and is tied with UT Arlington for the national lead. Bradley owns the NCAA Division-I record for number of overtime periods in a season with 14 in 1982 (seven of those came in a single game).
• The Feb. 5 game vs. Indiana State was Valpo’s second double overtime game of the season, joining Jan. 11 at Loyola. The last time the program played multiple double overtime games in the same season was 1992-1993, when the team played double overtime on three occasions.
• Both Valpo vs. Illinois State matchups this season went to overtime. The last time Valpo played multiple OT games against the same opponent in one season was 1992-1993 (UIC).

The 30-20 Club

• Following the Feb. 16 game vs. Loyola, Sheldon Edwards is the lone player in the Missouri Valley Conference with 30 or more steals and 20 or more blocked shots this season.
• Edwards leads the Beacons in both of those defensive categories with 30 steals and 22 rejections.
• Edwards has a chance to become the first Valpo player to finish a season as the team leader in both steals and blocked shots since Raitis Grafs had 45 steals and 38 blocks during the 1999-2000 season.
• On the offensive side of the ball, Edwards surpassed 500 career points in the Feb. 16 game against Loyola, well on pace to become a 1,000-point scorer during his collegiate career. In fact, Edwards tied a career high with 23 points against the Ramblers, matching a mark he set earlier this season in Nassau, The Bahamas vs. Tulane. Edwards also equaled personal bests for made field goals (eight) and made 3s (five) in the Feb. 16 contest.
• Entering Feb. 19 at Evansville, Edwards has scored in double figures in four straight games after a stretch of five straight games in single digits.
• Edwards is one of just seven players in the nation with at least 20 blocks, 30 steals, 30 assists and 50 made 3s, as of Feb. 17. Others on the list include Jamaree Bouyea (San Francisco), Tyrn Flowers (Long Island), Julian Champagnie (St. John’s), Jabari Smith (Auburn), Desmond Cambridge (Nevada) and Zach Austin (High Point).
• Edwards is just the third different Valpo player to notch 20 blocks, 30 steals, 30 assists and 50 made 3s in a season since 1992-1993, joining Ryan Broekhoff (three times) and Lubos Barton (twice).

Ben Coming Up Big

• Ben Krikke has scored in double figures in seven straight games, including a stretch of three straight where he scored 18 points or more from Jan. 22 to Jan. 30 (at Indiana State, vs. Bradley, at SIU).
• During his current seven-game double-figure streak, Krikke has reached the 20-point threshold on three occasions. He has shot 50 percent or better in 16 of his last 17 games.
• Krikke (55.2 percent FG / 84.3 percent free throw) is one of only two players in the Missouri Valley Conference shooting at least 50 percent from the field and at least 80 percent from the free-throw line, joining Missouri State’s Isiaih Mosley.
• Krikke and Thomas Kithier are both shooting above 55 percent. Valpo hasn’t finished a season with two players above 55 percent since 2013-14 (Vashil Fernandez and Moussa Gueye). Valpo currently accounts for two of the top five players in the league in terms of field-goal percentage.
• Krikke has scored in double figures in 17 of his 23 games this season.
• Entering Feb. 19 at Evansville, the junior is 99 points away from 1,000 for his collegiate career.
• Krikke’s rebounding totals have been on the rise as he’s squeezed five boards or more in eight of his last 10 games after doing so just once in his previous seven contests. His season peak in terms of rebounds came on Jan. 30 at Southern Illinois, when he pulled down nine.
• In the Feb. 9 game at Illinois State, Krikke blocked a career-high four shots. He joined Sheldon Edwards (Nov. 13 vs. UIC) as the only Valpo players with four-rejection games this season. Krikke had reached three blocked shots in a contest just twice in his career and hadn’t notched more than two in any game this season. However, he kept the blocks coming with his second straight multi-rejection performance by swatting two attempts by the Bears on Feb. 12 at Missouri State.
• This marks the second consecutive year that Krikke closed the month of January with a string of three straight games with 18 points or more. Last year, that came at Illinois State, vs. Bradley and at Evansville.
• In addition, Krikke handed out a career-high five assists while committing no turnovers on Jan. 26 vs. Bradley. He became the first Valpo player with a 15-5-5 game (15+ points, 5+ rebounds, 5+ assists) since Zion Morgan on Feb. 27 of last season vs. Indiana State.
• In the Jan. 26 game against Bradley, Valpo held a two-point advantage in the 31 minutes that Krikke played but was outdone by 17 in the nine minutes that Krikke was not in the game.
• Krikke delivered the game-winning shot with six seconds remaining in the victory over Indiana State on Jan. 22, the latest Valpo game-winner since Eron Gordon’s memorable buzzer-beater in the 2020 MVC quarterfinal vs. Loyola.

The Rookie Report

• With sixth-year senior point guard Trevor Anderson out for the season with a back injury, Valpo has relied upon a pair of freshmen in Preston Ruedinger and Darius DeAveiro at the point guard spot.
• In the Feb. 16 game vs. Loyola, Ruedinger tied a career high with eight points, equaling a mark that came in the first matchup with the Ramblers back on Jan. 11 in Rogers Park. The rookie point guard also matched a personal best by dishing out four assists in the Feb. 16 contest.
• Ruedinger owns an impressive ratio of 27 assists to six turnovers, while DeAveiro has handed out 47 assists against 20 giveaways.
• Ruedinger is one of 10 players in the nation with 25 or more assists and 10 or fewer turnovers this season. Furthermore, he’s the only player in the nation with more than 25 assists and fewer than seven turnovers this year.
• DeAveiro is one of two freshmen in the nation with 45 or more assists and 20 or fewer turnovers, joining Youngstown State’s Luke Chicone.
• In a four-game stretch from Jan. 8 vs. SIU to Jan. 22 at Indiana State, DeAveiro had 11 assists against no turnovers.
• Ruedinger has not had more turnovers than assists in any of his 15 Valpo appearances. He made one turnover on Jan. 30 at Southern Illinois, snapping his streak of four straight games without a giveaway. He’s made just four turnovers over his last nine games despite totaling 157 minutes of action during that stretch.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 16: Loyola 71, Valpo 69

• In addition to the aforementioned double-figure performances by Edwards and Krikke, Valpo got 11 points and six boards from Thomas Kithier in his second game back after missing four contests with a back injury. That production came despite Kithier being limited to 16 minutes due to foul trouble.
• For the second time this season, Valpo pushed league-leading Loyola to the brink. The Ramblers, who secured their fifth straight 20-win season, entered the evening ranked fourth in the latest mid-major top 25 and were receiving votes in the latest USA Today Coaches’ Poll.
• Loyola, which entered the game ranked 22^nd nationally in scoring defense this season, has allowed the opponent to shoot above 50 percent just four times. Half of those have come against Valpo as the Beacons shot 53.7 percent in January at Loyola and 53.1 percent on Feb. 16 at the ARC.
• The shooting percentage of 53.1 was Valpo’s highest since its last matchup with Loyola. Those account for Valpo’s two highest shooting clips in conference play this season. However, Valpo’s 49 field goal attempts marked its second-lowest total this season (46 at UNI).
• This was the fifth time this season Valpo shot at a higher clip than the opponent but lost the game.
• This represented the 10^th Valpo game this season where the team trailing at halftime went on to win the game. Valpo has six wins when trailing at the break and four losses when leading through 20 minutes.

Mr. 2,000?

• Kevion Taylor reached another milestone on Feb. 12 at Missouri State, when he secured six rebounds to push his career total over 700. Taylor became just the 14^th active player nationally with over 1,900 points and over 700 rebounds.
• Taylor scored his 1,900^th collegiate point in Valpo’s Feb. 5 victory over Indiana State. He scored 1,635 points over four seasons at Division-II Winona State before joining the Beacons as a graduate transfer prior to the 2021-22 campaign. Entering Feb. 19 at Evansville, Taylor has 1,946 points, just 54 away from 2,000.
• Taylor is averaging 12.1 points per game this season, and if he continues that average he is on pace to reach 2,000 in Valpo’s first MVC Tournament game.
• If Taylor reaches that hefty milestone, he would become just the third player in program history to score his 2,000^th collegiate point while playing for Valpo, joining program legends Alec Peters and Bryce Drew.
• Taylor scored a season-high 26 points on Feb. 9 at Illinois State. He topped his previous season best of 22 that occurred on Jan. 22 vs. UNI.
• Taylor scored 20 points or more in back-to-back games and had a total of 46 points over two contests vs. Indiana State (Feb. 5) and at Illinois State (Feb. 9) before being held to six points on Feb. 12 at Missouri State, tying for his lowest scoring output in league play.
• After reaching 20 points just once in his first 22 Valpo games, he did it in back-to-back outings on Feb. 5 and Feb. 9. Including his four years at Division-II Winona State, Taylor has now reached the 20-point threshold 40 times in his collegiate career.
• In the game against the Redbirds (Feb. 9), Taylor tied a season high with seven made field goals, his fourth game this year with seven made shots. He also equaled his season best with five made 3s, his third such game. Taylor set a season high for makes at the free-throw line, where he was 7-for-7. He also swiped a career-high-tying three steals in the stellar individual effort.
• Taylor’s third and final 3-pointer of the Feb. 5 victory over Indiana State was the 300^th made triple of his collegiate career.
• In the game against the Sycamores, Valpo outscored Indiana State by 18 points when Taylor was on the floor. In regulation, Taylor owned a +11 in the plus-minus column while playing 37 of the 40 minutes, but Indiana State outscored Valpo 11-0 in the time he was not on the court.
• Entering Feb. 19 at Evansville, Taylor has reached double figures 14 times in 26 games this season including 10 performances featuring 15 points or more.

Inside Kobe’s Kingdom

• After missing the first nine games of the season in order to gain NCAA eligibility, Kobe King is averaging 13.9 points per game in 16 contests (15 starts).
• The Feb. 16 game vs. Loyola marked a rare aberration as he was held to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting. Prior to that contest, King had scored at least eight points in every outing, including 14 appearances in double figures. He had been in double figures in seven straight games and 13 of his previous 14.
• King has scored 15 points or more in seven of his first 17 games in a Valpo uniform.
• On Feb. 5 vs. Indiana State, King went for a double-double of 24 points and 11 rebounds, both career highs. King’s previous scoring career high was 19 and his prior personal best on the boards was nine. He enjoyed a balanced stat line against the Sycamores, also dishing out three assists, rejecting a career-high three shots and swiping one steal.
• King’s double-double against Indiana State was the fifth by a Valpo player (three Thomas Kithier, one Trevor Anderson) this season. King enjoyed the team’s second 20&10 game of the season and first in conference play, joining Kithier’s 28-point, 11-rebound output vs. UIC on Nov. 13.

Scouting the Purple Aces  

• Coming off a 73-51 loss at Drake on Wednesday.
• MVC wins came vs. Illinois State (56-53) and at Indiana State (65-56).
• Led in scoring by Shamar Givance at 13.8 points per game. Jawaun Newton is also averaging in double figures at 13.3 and is pulling down a team-high 5.6 rebounds per outing.
• Picked eighth of 10 in the MVC preseason poll, narrowly behind the seventh-place Beacons.

Century Mark in Sight: Valpo head coach Matt Lottich earned his 94^th career win on Feb. 5 vs. Indiana State. He needs just six more to become the fourth head coach in program history to reach 100 career victories, joining Homer Drew, Bryce Drew and J.M Christiansen. Lottich’s victory over the Sycamores elevated him into sole possession of fourth place in program history, surpassing the legendary Gene Bartow (1964-1970). On a side note, Valpo assistant coach Matt Bowen worked under Bartow at UAB in 1995.

Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 12: Missouri State 84, Valpo 66

• A trio of Beacons finished in double figures as Ben Krikke led the way with 20, followed by Sheldon Edwards and Kobe King with 11 apiece. Edwards made a career-high six free throws.
• Kevion Tayor matched a season high with six rebounds.
• Krikke had his seventh 20-point performance this season, his team-high 16^th double-figure output and led the team in scoring for the team-leading 10^th time this year and 22^nd time in his career.
• Thomas Kithier returned to the lineup after missing the previous four games with a back injury and turned in eight points and five rebounds.
• Valpo took good care of the basketball, tying a season-low with six turnovers, a mark previously reached on Nov. 24 vs. Tulane and Jan. 8 vs. Southern Illinois.
• Valpo held a 28-18 lead in terms of points in the paint including a 20-8 advantage in the first half.
• The Beacons also did an outstanding job getting to the free-throw line, making a season-high 25 free throws on 27 attempts. It was the team’s most made free throws in a game since making 28 in a double overtime affair with Bradley on Jan. 28 of last season. It was Valpo’s most in a regulation game since 26 vs. Purdue Northwest on Dec. 17, 2020. Furthermore, Valpo had its highest made free-throw total in a regulation game against a Division-I opponent since also making 25 on Feb. 17, 2018 vs. Bradley.
• The 12 made 3s by Missouri State were the most permitted by Valpo in a regulation game this season. The dozen triples tied for the most permitted by the Beacons in any contest this year with the Jan. 19 overtime victory vs. UNI.
• The 3-point arc was not kind to the Beacons on the other end of the floor, either. Valpo shot 3-of-12 from distance (including 0-for-4 in the first half), tying a season low for made 3s with the Jan. 30 game at Southern Illinois.
• The 3-point shooting disparity was a rare aberration as it was the first time Valpo was outscored by 27 points or more from beyond the arc since Nov. 13, 2006 vs. IPFW, a game Valpo won despite being outdone 11-2 in made 3s.
• However, part of the reason Valpo tied a season low for made 3s is that the team didn’t attempt very many. The 12 3-point attempts were a season low and Valpo’s fewest since taking just 10 3s on March 5, 2020, an opening-round victory over Evansville in the State Farm MVC Tournament.
• Valpo was outrebounded 40-27, losing the battle on the boards for the fifth straight game. However, the first four of those came without leading rebounder Thomas Kithier in the lineup and the rebounding disparity in Springfield came mostly due to shooting percentages as Valpo was outdone just 11-9 on the offensive glass.

Starter Shuffle

• Valpo has used a dozen different starting lineup combinations this season.
• The Beacons have used nine different starting lineups in conference play.
• No Valpo player has started every game this season.
• The only three players who have played in all 26 contests are Kevion Taylor, Sheldon Edwards and Eron Gordon.
• Gordon has played in all 89 Valpo games since the beginning of the 2019-20 season.
• Freshman Preston Ruedinger made his first collegiate start on Jan. 8 vs. SIU. Ruedinger became the second nonscholarship player to start a game for Valpo during the Matt Lottich Era as John Kiser started on March 4, 2017 vs. Milwaukee at the Horizon League Tournament in Detroit as a freshman walk-on before earning a scholarship prior to his sophomore campaign.

All Good Things Must End

• Kevion Taylor saw his impressive streak of consecutive games with a made 3-pointer end at 84 when he was held without a triple on Jan. 30, 2022 at Southern Illinois. In the previous game, Taylor extended the streak by the skin of his teeth with a 3 as time expired on Jan. 26 vs. Bradley.
• Taylor was held without a made 3 for the first time since Dec. 15, 2018 while playing for Winona State in a game at Concordia St. Paul. His streak, one of the longest in the history of NCAA college basketball, started on Dec. 19, 2018 at Michigan Tech.
• The highest of the NCAA records (Division I, Division II or Division III) for consecutive games with a made 3 is 93 and belongs to Daniel Park of D-II Rollins from Jan. 26, 1994 to Feb. 28, 1997.
• If Taylor’s streak came in all D-I games, it would rank third in Division-I history. The D-I record is held by Mack Smith (91), who Valpo played against on Dec. 5 at Western Michigan. Smith set the record while at Eastern Illinois. Second is Corey Bradford of Illinois (88).
• He hit at least one triple in each of the first 21 contests this season.
• Taylor became the first Valpo player since at least the start of the 1989-90 season (nearly all the way back to the addition of the 3-point line) to make a 3 in each of his first 21 games of a season. He surpassed the program’s previous longest season-opening streak of 14 by Lance Barker in 1994-95. Three other Valpo players made a 3 in each of the first 13 games of a season – Bryce Drew (1995-96), Casey Schmidt (1992-93) and Mike Jones (1989-90).

#SCTop10 Again: Kobe King nailed a three-quarters court shot to beat the buzzer on Dec. 11 vs. Charlotte. Although the desperation heave was not enough as Valpo fell 68-67, the play checked in at No. 9 on SportsCenter’s Top 10 Plays that evening. It was highlighted again two days later on ESPN’s popular “SportsCenter with Scott Van Pelt” show. This marks the fourth time in a three-year span that Valpo basketball has produced an #SCTop10 play. The previous appearance came courtesy of a Sheldon Edwards dunk in a victory over No. 25 Drake on Feb. 7 of last season. Since joining the Missouri Valley Conference, Valpo Athletics has been featured on the iconic daily countdown on 10 occasions spanning five sports – men’s basketball (four times), softball (twice), volleyball (twice), women’s basketball and soccer.

#ChampionsInCommunity

• The Valpo basketball program received recognition from the Valparaiso University Student Philanthropy program on Sunday, Nov. 14.
• The team was recognized as part of the University’s annual Generosity Awards Celebration. Head coach Matt Lottich’s group was selected as the 2021 Athletic Team Awardee for the program’s community service and engagement.
• The team’s community engagement activities include participating in the Popcorn Fest, Valparaiso Downtown Trick or Treat, Valpo Day of Caring and beach cleanup at the Indiana Dunes National Park.
• In addition, the team hosts youth camps in the summer, working with children ages 6-14 to provide a fun and positive basketball experience.
• The program makes it a priority to attend as many Valpo Athletics events as possible to support other teams. The Beacons also make an effort to actively participate in the University community and support student organizations while also having an active presence as members of the broader City of Valparaiso and Northwest Indiana communities.
• Of the six core values that make up the foundation of the Valpo men’s basketball program, servanthood and appreciation are among the most prominent.

Beacon Bits

Random off-the-court facts on each Valpo player.

• #0 Thomas Kithier – Is an avid Detroit Lions fan and can name every player on the roster... Mother Jane played college volleyball at Eastern Michigan... Thomas works in Valpo Athletics in ticketing, marketing and sports information.
• #1 Cam Palesse – Enjoys building fish-tank ecosystems.
• #2 Preston Ruedinger – Is an avid golfer in his spare time... Has an interest in coaching in the future.
• #3 Connor Barrett – Is also an avid golfer whose best score is a 73.
• #4 Darius DeAveiro – Father David is the former head coach at McGill University in Montreal and is now the head coach of the Ryerson Rams.
• #5 Keyondre Young – Enjoys observing nature and sightseeing... Enjoys watching movies and lists Blue Chips as his favorite.
• #10 Eron Gordon – Comes from a basketball family including brother Eric who has played in the NBA since 2008 and is currently a member of the Houston Rockets... Enjoys editing videos and podcasting.
• #11 Emil Freese-Vilien – Civil engineering major who spends a lot of time drawing blueprints and houses... His first basketball practice came at age 14... Played serious badminton growing up.
• #12 Kevion Taylor – High school teammates with Tyler Herro of the NBA’s Miami Heat.
• #13 Sheldon Edwards – Has six siblings... Enjoys listening to music... Played for his uncle Louis Graham at TLAP Sports Academy for one year prior to coming to Valpo.
• #15 Luke Morrill – Walk-on who enjoys wakesurfing.
• #20 Tyler Fricke – Walk-on whose father Scott coached Matt Lottich in high school and brother Zach pitches for the Valpo baseball team.
• #21 Trevor Anderson – Father Scott was his high school coach at SPASH and played at UW-Stevens Point... Enjoys visiting coffee shops, traveling and cheering for the Dallas Cowboys.
• #22 Brock Pappas – Walk-on who is majoring in nursing and hopes to one day become a pediatric nurse and work at Riley Children’s Hospital.
• #23 Ben Krikke – Spent over 100 days in quarantine before and during the 2020-2021 season... Enjoys mountain biking and chess, which he learned from his grandfather... Credits his father’s Michael Jordon DVD set for helping hone his skills.
• #32 Joe Hedstrom – Is an avid fisherman and Valpo’s proximity to Lake Michigan added to his desire to play at Valpo... Grandfather Burt Hedstrom played basketball, football and baseball at Northwestern University (1944-47) and both of his parents played college basketball, mother Sharon (Bethel) and father Peter (St. Olaf).
• #33 Trey Woodyard – Maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout high school, earning a place on the honor roll every year.
• #35 Kobe King –Enjoys making music and writing song lyrics.

Forward Trajectory

• Valpo has improved its conference tournament seeding in each of its four Missouri Valley Conference seasons.
• The team entered Arch Madness as a No. 10 seed in 2017-18, a No. 9 seed in 2018-19, a No. 7 in 2019-20 and a No. 6 in 2020-21.
• With Year 4 in The Valley now in the books, Valpo has surpassed Loyola’s conference win total over its first four seasons in the league. Valpo garnered its 29^th MVC victory in the 2020-21 regular-season finale vs. Indiana State.
• The Ramblers went 27-45 over their first four seasons before going 57-16 over the following four seasons.
• Valpo has improved its conference finish in each season during the four-year transitional period after elevating to the prestigious and competitive conference.

More on 2020-21

• The 2020-21 season was highlighted by an upset victory over previously-undefeated Drake, the nation’s No. 25 team, 74-57 on Feb. 7, 2021 at the Athletics-Recreation Center, the fourth win over an AP Top 25 team in program history and second under Lottich. The Bulldogs were one of three undefeated teams in the nation prior to that setback, joining Gonzaga and Baylor.
• Valpo came close to two other victories over ranked foes, falling 80-77 vs. No. 25 Drake on Feb. 6 and 54-52 at No. 22 Loyola on Feb. 17.
• Valpo closed the regular season with a stretch of 16 Missouri Valley Conference games in a 39-day span. By comparison, Valpo had played three games over the previous 31 days before beginning the stretch of seemingly nonstop competition. Six of Valpo’s first eight MVC games were postponed due to COVID-19, causing the backlog of makeup games during the busy stretch.

2021-22 Preseason Picks

• Ben Krikke was named to the Preseason All-MVC Second Team.
• Valpo was picked seventh in the 10-team league based on a preseason survey of the conference’s head coaches, media members and sports information directors.
• Drake was tabbed the preseason favorite to win the league, while UNI’s AJ Green earned Preseason Player of the Year accolades.

Sustained Home Success

• The Athletics-Recreation Center has provided a distinct homecourt advantage over the years as Valpo has not finished with a losing mark at the ARC since 1991-92.
• Thanks to a victory in the 2020-21 home finale vs. Indiana State, the program finished with a record of .500 or better at home for the 29^th consecutive season.
• Valpo enjoyed double-figure home win totals in nine of 10 seasons prior to the unusual, pandemic-altered 2020-21 season. Due to health and safety regulations, fans were unable to pack the ARC as they have in years past.
• The ARC is back open to spectators without any capacity restrictions during the 2021-22 season, restoring the home court advantage Valpo has come to expect over the years.

Big Ten U

• Prior to this season, Valpo had just a pair of Big Ten transfers join the program over the last two decades (Bakari Evelyn and Bobby Capobiano).
• This year, the program has been bolstered by four additions from the Big Ten Conference. Trevor Anderson, Joe Hedstrom and Kobe King have all come in from Wisconsin, while Thomas Kithier joins the fold after beginning his career with three seasons at Michigan State.
• Four of the five transfers that have come in join the team from the Big Ten, while a fifth impact transfer began his career with four seasons at Division-II Winona State. Kevion Taylor was a three-time all-conference performer and was his conference’s preseason player of the year in 2020-21.
• King started all 19 games he played at Wisconsin in 2019-20, Anderson appeared in 60 of Wisconsin’s 62 games over the last two seasons and Kithier appeared in 86 games and made 19 starts for Tom Izzo’s team over his three seasons in East Lansing.

Who’s Back

• Although the team features five freshmen and the five aforementioned transfers, five scholarship players do return from last season.
• The squad brings back 47.9 percent of its scoring and 42.4 percent of its rebounding.
• Four of the team’s top six scorers are back.
• A pair of MVC postseason award winners remain in the fold for the Beacons as Sheldon Edwards was a member of the 2020-21 MVC All-Freshman Team, while Ben Krikke earned All-MVC Third Team, MVC Most-Improved Team and MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, the lone player in the league to receive all three honors.
• Seven letter winners are back from last year’s team, while nine have departed. Three starters return and three left. (Note: Starters based on top five players in number of games started. Six players were considered starters due to a tie for fifth).

Staff Sidebars

• Associate head coach Luke Gore is in his 20^th year on staff and has served under four different head coaches. The Valpo veteran has helped the team to eight postseason berths in the last 11 years and was on staff for the three winningest seasons in program history. He serves as the team’s defensive coordinator in addition to leading Valpo’s scheduling and scouting efforts.
• Assistant coach Matt Bowen returned to Valpo’s staff in 2018-19 after previously spending four seasons with the Brown & Gold from 2002-2006. He was the head coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth from 2012-2018. Bowen coordinates the team’s offense.
• Assistant coach Rob Holloway is back for his fourth season after spending the previous two years on staff at Eastern Illinois, his alma mater.
• Director of Basketball Operations Peter Funk is in his first season in that role after spending the previous two years as a graduate assistant and the three years prior to that as a student manager.
• Bob Brooks is in his 18^th year as Valpo Director of Strength & Conditioning at Valpo and returned to oversight of men’s basketball strength & conditioning in 2020-21. He has worked with Valpo teams since 1994.
• Athletic trainer Ken DeAngelis is in his third season full-time at Valpo after previously earning his master’s degree from the University in 2012 while spending two years as a graduate assistant athletic trainer.

Tradition of Excellence

• Valpo has 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT berths in the program’s proud history, with the team’s postseason success highlighted by a Sweet Sixteen run in 1998.
• The program has produced nine All-Americans, won 18 regular season conference championships and 10 conference tournament crowns.
• Valpo also boasts eight NBA players, 10 conference players of the year and 20 20-win seasons.
• Nine of the team’s NCAA appearances have come since 1996.
• Valpo has qualified for the postseason eight times in the last 11 years, including 2019-20 where Valpo accepted a postseason berth but the tournament was not played due to COVID-19.
• Valpo has developed a myriad of professional basketball players over the last quarter century, most notably a pair of NBA players in the last four years. Ryan Broekhoff (class of 2013) signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2018 after spending five seasons playing internationally in Russia and Turkey. Alec Peters (class of 2017) was the 54th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Peters appeared in 20 games for the Suns in 2017-18, highlighted by a 36-point performance in the season finale against Dallas – a new single-game high by a Valpo alum in the NBA. He has gone on to a successful career overseas with CSKA Moscow (2018-2019), Anadolu Efes (2019-2020) and Kirolbet Baskonia (2020-present).
• Valpo has produced over 50 professional players in the last 25 years.