Missouri State (11-9, 3-6 MVC)
at Valparaiso (6-14, 2-7 MVC) 

Game No. 21 – Saturday, Jan. 27, 3 p.m. CT
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will enjoy another home Saturday and look to repeat the success of last week’s home date as Missouri State comes to the Athletics-Recreation Center for the first matchup of the season between these two teams. Blaze is celebrating a birthday on Saturday, and some sources close to the situation are calling it “the biggest mascot birthday party ever.” High-flying frisbee dogs will perform at halftime, fans will gobble up BOGO (buy one, get one) hot dogs and the first 1,000 arrivers will receive a free mascot coloring book. In addition, Valpo will be participating in Coaches vs. Cancer Suits & Sneakers week.

Last Time Out: Valpo battled to the finish, but host Southern Illinois escaped with a 75-69 win at the Banterra Center in Carbondale, Ill. on Wednesday. Valpo led by seven early in the second half before facing a gap as large as 13 after a 23-3 spurt by the Salukis. The Beacons battled back late but couldn’t get over the hump despite another stellar performance from Cooper Schweiger, who paced the team with 20 points and seven rebounds. Isaiah Stafford (16) and Jahari Williamson (11) also finished in double figures.

Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Jamie Stangel (analyst)

Radio – 95.1 FM, WVUR, ValpoAthletics.com, TuneIn Radio App – Soren Burkholder (play-by-play) and Jack Hutter (analyst)

Twitter updates - @ValpoBasketball

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

Head Coach Roger Powell Jr.: Roger Powell Jr. (6-14) is in his first season as the head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program. After helping guide Gonzaga to a 121-13 record during his four seasons as an assistant coach, Powell returned to Valpo, where he was part of head coach Bryce Drew’s staff from 2011-2016 and led the team to 124 wins in five seasons, including a program-record 30 victories and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title game appearance in 2015-16. He was part of head coach Mark Few’s Gonzaga staff as the Bulldogs reached the 2021 national championship game after winning their first 31 games of the season. During Powell’s first season on staff in 2019-20, Gonzaga was 31-2 at the time the NCAA college basketball season was halted due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen in each of his final three seasons on staff, including two Elite Eight appearances and the aforementioned trip to the 2021 national title game. Prior to his arrival at Gonzaga, Powell served as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt University under Bryce Drew from 2016-2019. During his stint as an assistant at Valpo, he was part of four Horizon League regular-season championships in a five-year period while also leading the 2012-13 and 2014-15 squads to Horizon League tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. A product of Joliet West High School and a native of Joliet, Ill., Powell capped a prolific collegiate playing career at Illinois with a national title game appearance in 2005 before going on to a successful professional playing career.

Series Notes: Missouri State possesses a 26-10 lead in the all-time series, which dates back to the 1966-67 season. The two teams clashed just once last season, a 76-67 Valpo defeat in overtime on Feb. 1 in Springfield. The two squads played each other in the State Farm MVC Tournament four times in a five-year span with Missouri State ending Valpo’s season on three different occasions but Valpo winning a memorable MVC semifinal in 2019-20 to go to the conference title game. This marks the first time the Bears have visited the Beacons since Jan. 15, 2021. Valpo has dropped seven straight matchups between the two teams since that aforementioned 2020 victory in St. Louis.

Scouting the Bears

• Picked to finish sixth of 12 in the MVC preseason poll.
• Coming off an 83-80 double overtime win over Drake, knocking the Bulldogs out of the top spot in the league and handing them just their second league loss.
• Got back on track with the win over Drake after dropping five of the previous six.
• Led in scoring by Alston Mason at 18.2 points per game. The team’s second leading scorer is Donovan Clay, who started his collegiate career at Valpo and is averaging 13.5 ppg and 5.8 rebounds per game.

Coop Can Hoop

• Cooper Schwieger continued his tear with 20 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 2-of-3 from 3 while pulling down seven rebounds on Jan. 24 at Southern Illinois. His 20 points marked his highest total in MVC play and his second-highest scoring output of the season behind 21 on Dec. 29 at Elon.
• Schwieger has scored 19 points or more in back-to-back games and has put together four straight double-figure efforts. He has pulled down seven or more rebounds in six straight contests.
• The Kansas native has 64 total rebounds in conference play. As of Jan. 25, that is the second most rebounds in league play among true freshmen nationally, behind only JT Toppin of New Mexico.
• Schwieger is one of five freshmen in the country averaging at least 12.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg in conference play. He joins Georgia Tech’s Baye Ndongo, George Washington’s Darren Buchanan, New Mexico’s JT Toppin and Saint Francis (PA)’s Eli Wilborn.
• Schwieger is trying to become the first MVC freshman since Creighton’s Doug McDermott in 2010-11 to average 12.0 ppg and 7.0 rpg in league play.
• Schwieger is one of two freshmen in the country averaging the following numbers in conference games – 50 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3, 85 percent from the free-throw line and 10.0 points per game. He joins Troy’s Myles Rigsby.
• He enjoyed his first collegiate double-double with a 16-point, 13-rebound effort on Jan. 14 at Illinois State before following with another double-double on Jan. 17 at Evansville, turning in 12 points and 10 boards.
• In the game at Illinois State, Schwieger notched the first double-double by a Valpo freshman since Javon Freeman-Liberty on Jan. 29, 2019 vs. Missouri State. He collected the most rebounds by a Valpo player in an MVC game since Donovan Clay had 14 on Feb. 7, 2021 vs. Drake.
• Schwieger became the first Valpo player with back-to-back double-doubles since Sheldon Edwards on Feb. 19, 2022 at Evansville and Feb. 21, 2022 vs. Evansville. Before that, it was Alec Peters on Jan. 27 and Jan. 29, 2017 (vs. Wright State, vs. Northern Kentucky).

Rookie Rankings

• Cooper Schwieger leads all MVC freshmen in conference-only scoring at 12.4 points per game. Evansville’s Chuck Bailey is second at 10.6 ppg and Drake’s Kevin Overton is third at 10.1.
• In league-only games, Schwieger is also atop The Valley in rebounding average by a freshman (7.1 rpg), well ahead of Evansville’s Joshua Hughes and Valpo’s Kaspar Sepp, who are tied for second at 3.9.
• In league only games, Schwieger ranks third in the MVC with 1.8 assists per game, first in free-throw percentage (minimum eight attempts) at 85.7, first in blocks per game at 1.0 and second in field-goal percentage (minimum 10 attempts) behind Bradley’s Demarion Burch.
• In terms of overall numbers, the Overland Park, Kan. native ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring average among freshmen at 11.6. He is behind only Drake’s Kevin Overton (12.3 ppg).
• Schwieger leads the league in rebounds per game among freshmen at 5.8, well ahead of Evansville’s Joshua Hughes and Valpo’s Kaspar Sepp, who are tied for second at 4.5.
• He also ranks second among MVC freshmen with 1.0 blocks per game, chasing only Evansville’s Hughes at 1.2.
• Schwieger is one of 10 freshmen nationally averaging at least 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
• Schwieger ranks sixth in the MVC in conference-only rebounding average at 7.1 and is the only freshman in the top 30.
• Schwieger’s rebounding average of 5.7 per game currently ranks second among Valpo freshmen in the last 30 years behind only Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024 member Raitis Grafs (5.8, 1999-00).

Going Back-to-Back

• Cooper Schwieger was named the MVC Freshman of the Week for the second straight week and third time this season on Jan. 22. This came after he averaged 15.5 points and 9.5 rebounds over two contests that week.
• Schwieger had a double-double of 12 points and 10 rebounds at Evansville before turning in a 19-point, nine-rebound effort in a come-from-behind win over UIC.
• This was the fifth time a Beacon has captured an MVC weekly honor this season. Schwieger was previously named MVC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 27 and Jan. 15, while Jahari Williamson earned that award on Jan. 2. Isaiah Stafford was tabbed MVC Newcomer of the Week on Nov. 20.
• Valpo has already secured its highest total of MVC weekly awards since joining the league.

Close Calls

• Eight of Valpo’s 14 losses have been decided by single figures including each of the team’s last four setbacks.
• Six of the team’s seven league losses have been by single figures.
• The team’s 78-75 loss at Evansville on Jan. 17 marked the fourth time this season that the Beacons have dropped a game decided by four points or fewer.
• Dating back to last season, the Beacons have dropped nine straight games decided by four points or fewer with their most recent win by four points or fewer coming on Nov. 27, 2022 vs. James Madison.
• The Jan. 17 game at Evansville was the team’s second game decided by three points or fewer this season (Dec. 16 vs. Chicago State) and first in league play since Feb. 26, 2023 at Murray State (L 77-76 in OT).

Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 24: Southern Illinois 75, Valpo 69

• Cooper Schwieger finished with 20 points and seven rebounds, his highest scoring output in MVC play and second highest overall this season.
• He was joined in double figures by Isaiah Stafford (16) and Jahari Williamson (11).
• Valpo shot just 55.6 percent (10-of-18) from the free-throw line.
• The Beacons blocked seven shots, tied for the team’s most in league play this year.
• During a seven-minute stretch in the second half, Valpo was outscored 23-3. Over the remaining 33 minutes, Valpo outscored Southern Illinois 66-52.

Stafford Going Strong

• Since returning to the floor on Jan. 6 at UIC after missing the previous two games with an injury, Isaiah Stafford has scored in double figures in six straight games including four contests with 16 points or more.
• The junior college transfer has led the team in scoring (outright or tied) in 11 of his 18 games this season.
• Stafford, who ranks seventh in the MVC in scoring at 16.7 points per game, has scored 16 points or more in 11 of his 18 contests.
• Stafford is averaging 18.4 points per game in MVC play, which would be Valpo’s third-highest league-only scoring average in the last 15 years behind Ben Krikke’s 2022-23 (21.0 ppg) and Alec Peters’ 2016-17 (20.9). Stafford ranks fourth in the MVC in league-only scoring average this year.
• In the Dec. 9 game at Virginia Tech, Stafford became the first Valpo player with 14+ points, four or more steals and multiple blocks in a game since Ryan Broekhoff on Feb. 10, 2011 vs. Detroit Mercy.
• Although points scored at the junior college level are not officially recognized, Stafford is closing in on 1,000 points as a college basketball player if those scored last season at John A. Logan College are considered.
• He scored 436 points for the Vols to go along with 203 as a freshman at Southern Indiana and 300 this year with the Beacons. All told, he has scored 936 points as a college basketball player, needing 61 to get to 1,000.

Darius Delivering

• Darius DeAveiro has already passed 100 assists for the season, as he has handed out 106 in 20 games. He’s up to 224 career assists, reaching the 200 milestone on Jan. 10 vs. Southern Illinois.
• DeAveiro ranks 29^th nationally and second in the MVC with 106 total assists and ranks 34^th in the country and second in the league at 5.3 assists per game.
• DeAveiro has scored nine or more in seven of his last eight games and is averaging 11.3 points per game in MVC play. This comes after he averaged 1.4 points per game in conference action last season.
• Overall, the Valpo point guard is averaging 8.2 points per game this season after averaging 1.8 ppg a year ago.
• His 10 assists in this season’s game vs. Samford tied a career high set on Nov. 13, 2022 vs. Western Michigan.
• DeAveiro scored in double figures in four straight games from Dec. 29 to Jan. 10 after entering that stretch with two double-figure scoring outputs in his first 66 collegiate contests. He scored 18 or more in two of those contests.

Cardiac Kids

• Valpo trailed by as many as 12 including an 11-point deficit with 7:47 remaining and still a four-point gap with 2:30 to go, but the Beacons rallied past UIC 84-77 on Jan. 20.
• This marked the team’s first double-figure comeback this season and the program’s biggest rally since overcoming a 12-point deficit on Nov. 20, 2021 vs. Tulane in the Bahamas.
• After UIC led 70-59 with 7:47 on the clock, the Beacons outscored the Flames 25-7 for the remainder of the game.
• Valpo had just a 5.4 percent win probability midway through the second half, according to KenPom.

A Charitable Effort

• Valpo went 22-of-24 (91.7 percent) at the free-throw line in the Jan. 20 win over UIC, the team’s best day at the stripe this season in terms of both made free throws and free-throw percentage.
• This was Valpo’s highest made free-throw total since last season’s home game against UIC (23, Jan. 17, 2023). This was the team’s best percentage at the stripe (minimum seven attempts) since Feb. 12, 2022 at Missouri State (92.6 percent).
• Cooper Schwieger (9-for-9) and Ola Ajiboye (6-for-6) were both perfect at the free-throw line. Schwieger became the first Valpo player to go perfect at the foul line with nine or more attempts since Tevonn Walker went 10-for-10 back on Jan. 3, 2018 at Bradley.
• Since 2010, Schwieger was just the fourth different Valpo player to go perfect at the line with nine or more attempts, joining Walker (twice), Shane Hammink, Alec Peters (twice) and Ryan Broekhoff.
• Valpo went 19-of-21 (90.5 percent) at the free-throw line in the second half after having just three attempts in the first stanza. It was Valpo’s highest made free-throw total in a single half since the second half of a Feb. 7, 2021 win over Drake.

Ajiboye’s Big Day

• Ola Ajiboye scored 16 points and pulled down seven rebounds in the Jan. 20 win over UIC. He went 5-of-7 from the floor and 6-of-6 from the free-throw line.
• He played 29 minutes, his second-highest total of the season and highest since Nov. 21.
• Ajiboye enjoyed his third double-figure scoring effort of the season and first since Nov. 21, when he scored 21 vs. Western Illinois.
• Ajiboye collected seven rebounds, tied with the previous game against UIC for his highest total in league play. This marked his fifth time with seven or more rebounds this season.
• Ajiboye’s 16 points were more than he had scored in the previous five games combined (15).
• Ajiboye received the “Grit Chain” from the Valpo coaching staff, which is handed out to the game’s grittiest player, for the win over the Flames.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 20: Valpo 84, UIC 77

• Valpo’s 84 points marked the team’s highest scoring output in a regulation MVC game since Feb. 25, 2020 vs. Missouri State (89).
• Valpo picked up its first win of the season when allowing 70+ points. The Beacons were previously 0-10 in such games.
• Cooper Schwieger (19) and Ola Ajiboye (16) were joined in double figures by Darius DeAveiro (10) and Isaiah Stafford (10).
• The Beacons owned a 42-26 rebounding advantage and held an 11-5 edge on the offensive glass. This marked just the fifth time this season and fourth against a Division-I opponent that Valpo owned the edge on the glass, including both matchups with UIC.
• By going +16 in the rebounding department, Valpo owned its biggest edge on the boards this season. That was the team’s top rebounding margin since Feb. 21, 2022, +16 vs. Evansville.
• Valpo turned it over just eight times, while UIC gave it away on only five occasions. This was the Valpo’s third time this season with single-digit turnovers and first since Nov. 17 at No. 23 Illinois. The five turnovers for UIC marked a season low for the Flames and their lowest total in a true road game in 15 years.
• Valpo pulled out the win despite leading for just 1 minute, 59 seconds, while the Flames held the upper hand for 36:05.
• Valpo picked up its second win of the season when trailing at halftime (previously 1-11) and first since Nov. 14 vs. Green Bay.

We Are Young

• Valpo’s 2023-24 roster is a new-look group that is among the nation’s most inexperienced teams.
• The Beacons rank 356 of 362 in the KenPom “experience factor” at 0.54. The experience factor is calculated using eligibility class weighted by minutes played.
• The only more inexperienced teams nationally, per KenPom, are Notre Dame, Boston, Saint Francis, Siena, Northwestern State and Idaho.
• Valpo has four freshmen with multiple double-figure scoring outputs this season – Jahari Williamson, Kaspar Sepp, Cooper Schwieger and Sherman Weatherspoon IV. The last time that occurred was 2013-14 – Alec Peters, Clay Yeo, Lexus Williams and Jubril Adekoya.

Sciarroni on Scholarship

• Head coach Roger Powell Jr. presented former walk-on Anthony Sciarroni with scholarship papers on Jan. 16 as part of “Team Time.” He has earned an athletic scholarship for the Spring 2024 semester.
• Sciarroni spent three seasons on the Valpo football team, a member of the Division-I, nonscholarship Pioneer Football League, before joining the basketball program – first as a manager, then as a walk-on and now as a scholarship player.
• At St. Francis de Sales High School, Sciarroni was a four-year letter winner in basketball and was a team captain each of his final two seasons.

River City Return

• Isaiah Stafford made his return to the city of Evansville a memorable one on Jan. 17 by tying a career high and establishing a season best with a 31-point effort against the Purple Aces.
• Stafford outdid his previous Beacon best of 30 points, which came on Nov. 17 at No. 23 Illinois. He matched his overall NCAA career high of 31 that was established while playing for Southern Indiana – which is also located in Evansville – back on Feb. 26, 2022 in a game against Lindenwood.
• Stafford’s showing included 10 made field goals, five made 3s and six made free throws. The five made triples tied his season high that was established in the Nov. 6 opener vs. Trinity Christian. He also pulled down five rebounds and had two steals against the Purple Aces.
• Stafford had the highest scoring output by a Valpo player since Ben Krikke’s 34 on Feb. 19 of last season at UIC. He became just the fourth different Valpo player in the last decade to score more than 30 points in a single game, joining program greats Ben Krikke (twice), Javon Freeman-Liberty and Alec Peters (6x).

Hall Call

• Two former Valpo men’s basketball standouts are part of the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2024, which will be inducted as part of Valpo’s All-Sports Reunion Weekend that is slated to take place on Feb. 9-10.
• 2003 graduate Raitis Grafs, a three-time all-conference performer, will be part of the four-member class. He currently ranks second in program history in blocked shots (228), fourth in rebounds (841) and sixth in points (1,621).
• The class will also feature 1964 alum Jon Robsch, who was a two-sport standout in baseball and basketball. He ranks fifth in program history in rebounds per game at 8.7 and his average of 10.3 rebounds per game as a senior still ranks eighth in program history.
• The class also features former softball standout Jordan Rutkowski ’12 and former football star Ozzie Young ’96. The Feb. 10 men’s basketball game vs. Belmont will be part of the All-Sports Reunion festivities.

Who’s Next?

• Justus McNair signed his National Letter of Intent to continue his basketball career at Valpo during the November signing period.
• The Joliet West senior and Joliet, Ill. native has a deep connection to head coach Roger Powell Jr. His parents grew up with Powell in Joliet.
• McNair, a 6-foot-3 guard, lists going to state in eighth grade as a favorite basketball memory. He also highlighted last season’s Joliet West sectional championship appearance, fueled by a late-season, 14-game winning streak and a 29-6 record.
• Powell on McNair: “I’m extremely excited about this young man from Joliet, Ill., my hometown. He’s a tough, physical and athletic guard who will add even more athleticism and ability to shoot the ball to our team next year. I’m fired up and can’t wait to get him here and help us continue to build a winning tradition.”

The Game’s Biggest Stage

• Valpo head coach Roger Powell Jr. owns the unique distinction of having played and coached in the national championship game.
• Just 12 coaches in the last 25 years have coached in the national title game after previously playing in the national title game, and two others have coached in the national championship game after being a rostered player but not seeing action in the national title game as a student-athlete.
• In the last quarter of a century, only two coaches have coached in the national title game after previously playing in the national title game at a different school – Roger Powell Jr. and Kenny Payne.

Name                          Year, Team as Player             Year, Team as Coach

Sean May                    2005, UNC                              2022, UNC
Roger Powell Jr.        2005, Illinois                          2021, Gonzaga
Jeff Capel                    1994, Duke                             2015, Duke
Nate James                  1999 & 2001, Duke                2015, Duke
Jon Scheyer                2010, Duke                             2015, Duke
Ricky Moore               1999, UConn                           2014, UConn
Kenny Payne              1986, Louisville                     2014, Kentucky
Danny Manning          1988, Kansas                          2008 & 2012, Kansas
Chris Collins               1994, Duke                             2010, Duke
Jim Thomas                1981, Indiana                          2002, Indiana
Johnny Dawkins         1986, Duke                             2001, Duke
David Henderson        1986, Duke                             1999, Duke
Quin Snyder                1986, Duke                              1999, Duke - DNP
Jeremy Case               2008, Kansas                          2022, Kansas - DNP

“The Rev” in the Community

• Since head coach Roger Powell Jr. was hired to lead Valpo’s program, he has made numerous community engagement appearances including IBCA State Wide Clinic, Popcorn Fest, Valpo Kiwanis, Boys & Girls Clubs of Northwest Indiana, Big Shoulders NWI, the Valpo Athletics Coaches Tour and many more.
• An engaging speaker with an active social media presence, Powell has launched a video series featuring local restaurants called “Powell Party of Six,” showcasing the Powell family meals in the community. Episode 1 featuring Burgerhaus was released prior to the season with more editions to come.
• Nicknamed “The Rev” because of his strong faith and calling as a preacher, Powell’s hire as Valpo head coach made an immediate media splash. The news was featured prominently in the Chicago Sun-Times, on CBS 2 Chicago’s 4 p.m. news and WGN-TV’s GN Sports. He appeared on the Mully & Haugh morning show on 670 The Score in Chicago and Indiana Sports Talk with Bob Lovell out of Indianapolis.

What They’re Saying About Coach Powell

• Bryce Drew, Valpo Legend, Former Valpo Head Coach, GCU Head Coach: “I am very excited for Roger to be a head coach. He is more than ready to lead his own program, so this is perfect timing for him. I will be cheering for Roger and the Beacons!”
• Homer Drew, Legendary Valpo Head Coach: “We’re really happy and thrilled to see Roger return to Valparaiso University. His love for the University and the community of Valparaiso makes him a great fit. Roger is an excellent teacher; he has tremendous knowledge of the game of basketball. He has been part of the Drew family since he arrived on campus and was an assistant coach for Bryce. He is a dedicated and hard recruiter, and being from the Chicago area, he has a lot of friends and contacts in that area.”
• Mark Few, Gonzaga Head Coach: “Roger has been a very instrumental part of our program these past four years. He is the total package as a coach, and one of the best human beings I have ever been around. He will not only be a great addition to the University, but a positive force in the surrounding community. We look forward to watching his teams grow not only on the floor, but also in their life away from basketball.”
• Chris Standiford, Gonzaga Athletic Director: “I am happy for Roger and his family. His positive energy and winning attitude will serve him well as a head coach. Valpo is getting a great coach, and more importantly, a terrific person.”
• Scott Drew, Baylor Head Coach: “Roger is not only an outstanding basketball coach, but an even better person and representative of Valparaiso University. The community will welcome him as they already know him and his family. He will do a tremendous job.”
• Tommy Lloyd, Arizona Head Coach: “Roger Powell is a first-class individual. He is well liked by the players he coaches and his colleagues in the business. I have no doubt that Roger’s passion, energy and fire will help bring back the glory days of Valpo Basketball!”
• Alec Peters, Valpo’s All-Time Leading Scorer: “The amount of love and passion that Coach Powell is going to put into the program is going to be unmatched. His energy, competitiveness and character are going to show up every day and everyone will feel it.”

Inside the Assistants

• Valpo’s staff features two coaches who have played in the national title game – Powell and A.J. Moye. Powell has also coached in the national title game.
• Powell, Moye and Matt Gordon have all either coached or played in the Final Four.
• Powell, Moye, Gordon, Pat Baldwin and Lubos Barton have all either coached or played in the NCAA Tournament.
• Assistant coach Pat Baldwin brings head coaching experience to the staff as he spent five seasons at the helm at Milwaukee before serving as an assistant coach under Patrick Ewing at Georgetown during the 2022-23 season. He also worked under Chris Collins as an assistant during a successful run at Northwestern, so he has recent stops in the Big Ten and Big East to go along with head coaching experience.
• Assistant coach Matt Gordon spent the last two years in the Big 12 Conference at Oklahoma as Director of Recruiting and Special Assistant to head coach Porter Moser. He joined Moser in Norman, Okla. after they previously worked together for a decade at Loyola. Gordon knows what it takes to win in the Missouri Valley Conference as he played a key role in a turnaround that saw the Ramblers post a 156-80 (.661) record during his seven seasons as an assistant coach. He helped the team to two Sweet Sixteen appearances in a four-year period including a historic run to the Final Four.
• Assistant coach J. Moye was a standout during his playing days at Indiana, where he took the Hoosiers to the 2002 national title game before beginning a professional playing career. He trained professional and collegiate players from 2011-2023 as part of Rising Talent Development (Mamba Sports Academy), serving as the Master Basketball Trainer for Kobe Bryant’s academy. Moye played against Powell in the Big Ten and they later finished out their playing careers as teammates with Skyliners Frankfurt in Germany in 2010-11.
• Director of Recruiting & Player Development Lubos Barton returns to Valpo over two decades after wrapping up his storied career donning the brown and gold. After retiring from his professional playing career, Barton stayed in the game of basketball by beginning his coaching career overseas in 2016. A member of the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2017, Barton was a standout on the court from 1998-2002, leading the team to three Mid-Continent Conference regular-season titles, three conference tournament championships and three NCAA Tournament appearances.
• Special Assistant to the Head Coach Quintin Garrison served as the associate head coach at Trinity International University from 2018-2023.
• Video coordinator / Director of Basketball Operations Sean Taylor served as SIUE’s graduate assistant/video coordinator from August 2021 to May 2023.
• Associate Director of Sports Performance Vijay Blackmon is in his second season as the strength & conditioning coach for Valpo men’s basketball. He previously worked with strength & conditioning as part of Bryce Drew’s Grand Canyon program.

Inside the Roster

• The 2023-24 roster features four returning letterwinners and 11 newcomers. The team lost 11 letterwinners from last season including all five starters.
• This marks the first time since the 2013-14 season that Valpo has no starters returning from the previous season. The 2012-13 NCAA Tournament team started all seniors – Ryan Broekhoff, Kevin Van Wijk, Erik Buggs, Will Bogan and Ben Boggs. The 2013-14 season featured a five-member freshmen class led by Alec Peters.
• Prior to this season, Valpo had at least two returning starters in nine consecutive years.
• The 12 scholarship players on the roster include three returners, five true freshmen and four transfers. Valpo also has three walk-ons – one returner, one former Valpo football player and one transfer.
• The 12 scholarship players are comprised of two seniors, two juniors, two sophomores and six freshmen (five true; one redshirt).
• The half dozen freshmen represent the team’s most since 2008-09, when the team also had six on the roster – De’Andre Haskins, Cameron Witt, Nick Shelton, Andrew Ferry, Erik Buggs and Logan Jones.
• This year’s roster features players from five different countries – The Netherlands, Canada, Estonia, South Sudan and the United States. In addition, six states are represented – Indiana, Illinois, Ohio, Maryland, Virginia and Kansas.

Returnee Rundown

• Junior guard Darius DeAveiro ranked 14^th in the Missouri Valley Conference in assists per game last season. He ranked fifth in the league in assist to turnover ratio at 1.89. During his rookie year in 2021-22, he finished the season as one of two freshmen nationally with 50 or more assists and fewer than 25 turnovers. He was named a captain by head coach Roger Powell Jr. prior to the season.
• Senior guard/forward Connor Barrett is the team’s leading returning scorer and the longest-tenured member of the program. Now in his fourth season at Valpo, Barrett saw action in 31 of the team’s 32 games a year ago and scored a season-high 13 points including three made 3s on Dec. 18 vs. Elon.
• Senior forward Jerome Palm was named a captain by head coach Roger Powell Jr. prior to the season. He joined Valpo last year after a pair of junior college seasons. He had a season-high 11 points to go along with nine rebounds on Dec. 1 at Belmont.

Newcomer Notes

• Sophomore guard Jaxon Edwards has experience in the Missouri Valley Conference after playing in 11 games during the 2022-23 season as a freshman at Murray State. He led Cathedral to the 2021-22 Indiana 4A state championship in high school.
• Freshman guard Sherman Weatherspoon IV played at Golden State Prep in Napa Valley, Calif. in 2022-23, averaging 25 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
• Sophomore forward Ola Ajiobye played in 30 of 31 games with 14 starts at Central Michigan as a true freshman in 2022-23.
• Freshman guard Jahari Williamson played for Canada’s U19 World Cup Team in Summer 2023 after participating in the U18 2022 Canada Games for Team Ontario.
• Freshman forward Lucas Scroggins spent the 2022-23 season at Bosco Institute in Crown Point.
• Freshman forward Cooper Schwieger averaged 11.2 points, 7.4 rebounds and 3.3 assists at Link Year Prep in Branson, Mo. last season.
• Junior guard Isaiah Stafford averaged 12.5 points per game to help John A. Logan to the junior college national title and a 33-2 mark in 2022-23 after spending his freshman season at Southern Indiana in 2021-22.
• Freshman forward Kaspar Sepp played for the Estonian national team during the 2023 summer after helping Estonia beat Finland to earn a promotion to the “A” division during the 2022 summer.
• Redshirt freshman Lual Manyang received a medical redshirt in 2022-23 due to a preseason injury at Hofstra.

The Dot Farewell Tour

• Longtime Valpo men’s basketball official scorekeeper Dot Nuechterlein has announced that she will retire from her duties at the scorer’s table following the 2023-24 season.
• Nuechterlein, age 86, began as the official scorer at Valpo in 1984. Her four-decade long tenure as the holder of an official scorebook featured two seasons doing so at Columbia while she lived in New York City during a brief hiatus from Valpo.
• According to Nuechterlein, she was the first female to serve as full-time official scorer for a Division-I men’s college basketball team when she took over the post at Valpo in 1984.

Beacon Bits

Random facts on each Valpo player.

• #0 Jaxon Edwards – Played football up until high school but stopped after eighth grade when he injured his hand.
• #1 Jerome Palm – Started playing basketball at age 15.
• #2 Connor Barrett – Is an avid golfer.
• #3 Anthony Sciarroni – Spent three years on the Valpo football team before joining the men’s basketball program as a walk-on.
• #4 Sherman Weatherspoon IV – Father Sherman Weatherspoon III is a Northwest Indiana native and Gary Roosevelt product... Enjoys clothes, going on walks, nature and hiking.
• #5 Ola Ajiboye – Enjoys meeting new people, playing table tennis, swimming and being around people.
• #6 Darius DeAveiro – Played soccer until his freshman year of high school, when he gave up the sport to focus on basketball. Played on the state team for soccer at age 13 and traveled significantly for the sport, including a trip to England.
• #7 Jahari Williamson – Owns numerous golf medals.
• #10 Lucas Scroggins – Loves to draw and hopes to pursue an art-related career.
• #13 Cooper Schwieger – Twin brother Carson plays at Wright State. A lot of people think they are identical, but they are fraternal twins.
• #19 Isaiah Stafford – Enjoys spending time with family as well as playing board games, card games and video games.
• #20 Joe Vick – Walk-on whose favorite sports memory is playing in Bankers Life Fieldhouse (now Gainbridge Fieldhouse).
• #21 Kaspar Sepp – His national team coach is former teammates with Valpo assistant coach A.J. Moye and his prep coach is Moye’s former roommate.
• #34 Lual Manyang – Favorite TV show is Shark Tank and his favorite athletes are Giannis Antetokounmpo and Kobe Bryant.
• #35 Luke Carroll – Walk-on who enjoys golfing and fishing in his spare time.

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 15 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 developed a myriad of professional basketball players over the last quarter century, most notably a pair of recent NBA players. 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 (2020-2022) and Olympiacos (2022-present).
• Valpo has produced over 50 professional players in the last three decades.