Evansville (13-9, 4-7 MVC)
at Valparaiso (6-16, 2-9 MVC) 

Game No. 23 – Saturday, Feb. 3, 3 p.m. CT
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will welcome Evansville to the Athletics-Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon for a game that is presented by Lakeshore Bone & Joint Institute. Fans have an opportunity to escape the cold weather with a Beach Party at the ARC as the first 1,000 spectators will receive free Hawaiian leis. Attendees can enter to win a free 55-inch television courtesy of LBJI, plus three lucky fans will win a $300 airfare credit for a vacation getaway. Fans are encouraged to wear beach gear and will enjoy island music throughout the contest. The Beacons and Purple Aces will rematch after a game that came down to the wire on Jan. 17 in the southern portion of the state, with Evansville notching a three-point win on its home court.

Last Time Out: Isaiah Stafford rewrote his career high with 32 points, but MVC title contender Drake came away with an 81-70 victory on Wednesday night at the Knapp Center in Des Moines, Iowa. Stafford drilled four 3s and hit 12 of his 21 field-goal attempts. Darius DeAveiro added 12 points, four rebounds and five assists. The Beacons played the Bulldogs even after halftime with each team scoring 40 points. Valpo was outrebounded 48-30 and 12-2 on the offensive glass in part due to the play of Drake’s Darnell Brodie, who went 7-of-8 from the floor and scored 19 points to go along with 18 rebounds.

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

Radio – 95.1 FM, WVUR, ValpoAthletics.com, TuneIn Radio App – Noah Godsell (play-by-play) and Soren Burkholder (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. (6-16) 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.

Jan. 17 – Evansville 78, Valpo 75: Valpo dropped a 78-75 heartbreaker in the first matchup between these two teams at the Ford Center in Evansville as the host Purple Aces held the final edge in a game that featured 12 ties and nine lead changes. Isaiah Stafford matched what at the time was a career high and established a then season high with 31 points including five made triples, part of a night where the team hit 11 3-pointers. Cooper Schwieger had 12 points and 10 rebounds for his second straight double-double.

Series Notes: Valpo holds a 25-73 all-time record as the two teams prepare for the 99^th installment of this instate matchup. Valpo had won five straight meetings before dropping this year’s visit to the River City, sweeping Evansville last season 76-69 on Jan. 14 at the Ford Center and 81-69 on Jan. 28 at the ARC. Evansville is the second most common opponent in program history as Valpo has played only Butler (103) more frequently. Valpo is 8-3 in the last 11 showdowns including Arch Madness victories in 2020 and 2022.

Scouting the Purple Aces

• Under the direction of second-year head coach David Ragland, who spent two seasons on Valpo’s staff as an assistant coach in 2016-17 and 2017-18.
• Two-time Valpo graduate Peter Funk is in his first year at Evansville as Assistant Coach/Chief of Staff after spending seven years at Valpo as a student manager, graduate assistant and most recently Director of Basketball Operations.
• Picked to finish 11^th of 12 in the MVC preseason poll.
• Started the season 10-2 with the only losses coming to BYU and Missouri State.
• Followed the 10-2 start with a five-game slide, but have now won three of their last five including wins in their last two outings, vs. Illinois State (58-54 on Jan. 27) and vs. UIC (77-60 on Wednesday).
• Hold a 9-2 home mark but are 3-7 on the road.

Chart Check

• Valpo’s Darius DeAveiro enters the Feb. 3 game vs. Evansville within striking distance of the top 20 in program history in career assists.
• He has handed out 236 career helpers, 11 shy of Ron Howard’s total of 247 for 20^th in program history.
• In terms of single-season assists, DeAveiro is at 118 and needs to get to 146 to crack the all-time top 10.

Stafford Shines

• After missing the Jan. 27 game vs. Missouri State for family reasons, Isaiah Stafford made a memorable return on Jan. 31 at Drake, pouring in 32 points on 12-of-21 shooting while drilling four 3s.
• Stafford surpassed his previous career high of 31 that was established while playing for Southern Indiana vs. Lindenwood on Feb. 26, 2022 and matched on Jan. 17, 2024 at Evansville.
• Stafford became the first visiting player to go to Des Moines and score at least 32 points against Drake since Illinois State’s Zach Copeland on Jan. 16, 2020. Copeland and Stafford are the only visiting players in the last 15 years to score 32 points or more at the Knapp Center.
• Stafford has scored at least 30 points in three different road games this season (at Illinois, at Evansville, at Drake). He becomes just the fifth player in the nation with at least three true road games with 30+ points this season, joining Shahada Wells (McNeese State), Zach Edey (Purdue), Dalton Knecht (Tennessee) and Drew Pember (UNC Ashville).
• Stafford, who was seven points shy of cracking the program’s single-game all-time top 10 in terms of individual scoring efforts, became just the fourth different Valpo player with 32 points or more in a single game over the last decade, joining Ben Krikke, Javon Freeman-Liberty and Alec Peters (five times).
• Stafford had the second-highest scoring output by a Valpo player in a league game since joining the Missouri Valley Conference, behind only Krikke’s 34 last season at UIC. Besides Stafford and Krikke, the last Valpo player to score 32 or more in a road game was Peters on Jan. 10, 2016 with 39 at Detroit Mercy.

Stafford Going Strong

• Isaiah Stafford has scored in double figures in seven straight games that he’s played including five contests with 16 points or more.
• The junior college transfer has led the team in scoring (outright or tied) in 12 of his 19 games this season.
• Stafford, who ranks seventh in the MVC in scoring at 17.5 points per game, has scored 16 points or more in 11 of his 18 contests.
• Stafford is averaging 19.9 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 third in the MVC in league-only scoring average this year, behind only Drake’s Tucker DeVries (21.6) and SIU’s Xavier Johnson (21.6).
• 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 332 this year with the Beacons. All told, he has scored 971 points as a college basketball player, needing 29 to get to 1,000.

Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 31: Drake 81, Valpo 70

• Strangely enough, this marked Valpo’s second straight 81-70 loss as the score was identical to the previous game vs. Missouri State. In over a century of Valpo basketball, the team had only one loss by the exact score of 81-70 (Nov. 9, 2019 at Saint Louis) prior to this two-game stretch. There have only been 13 games in the entire country that finished with an exact score of 81-70 this season, and two of them are Valpo’s last two contests.
• Jaxon Edwards had two rejections, his third straight multi-block effort.
• Valpo had just two offensive rebounds, and both came in the final 30 seconds by Ola Ajiboye. The Beacons were outrebounded 48-30. This was Valpo’s fewest offensive boards in a game since Feb. 8 of last season at Indiana State.
• The Beacons won the turnover battle 11-7 and grabbed eight steals to Drake’s two. Valpo’s solid defensive effort also included four blocks to Drake’s none.
• The free-throw line played a big role in the game’s outcome as Drake outscored Valpo 22-8 at the stripe. The Bulldogs went 22-of-27 (81.5 percent) to Valpo’s 8-of-13 (61.5 percent).
• Darnell Brodie had a near 20&20 game of 19 points and 18 rebounds. This was the most rebounds hauled in by an opposing player against Valpo since Shakur Juiston on Nov. 28, 2018 vs. UNLV.
• In addition to Isaiah Stafford’s 32 points, Darius DeAveiro had 12, his eighth double-figure scoring output in the last 10 games. He dished out five assists.
• Senior Jerome Palm squeezed seven rebounds in 11 minutes of play. It marked his highest rebound total since grabbing 10 on Nov. 17 at No. 23 Illinois.
• Valpo shot at a higher percentage than Drake from the floor (44.3 percent) and from 3-point range (36.4 percent to 36.0 percent). This was Valpo’s first loss of the season when shooting at a higher percentage than the opponent (previously 4-0).

Coop Can Hoop

• Cooper Schwieger has scored nine points or more in seven straight games. He had seven straight games with seven or more rebounds prior to being held to three on Jan. 31 at Drake.
• The Kansas native has 74 total rebounds in conference play. As of Feb. 1, that is the second most rebounds in league play among true freshmen nationally, behind only New Mexico’s JT Topin.
• Schwieger is one of six freshmen in the country averaging at least 11.5 ppg and 6.5 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 11.5 ppg and 6.5 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, 85 percent from the free-throw line and 10.0 points per game. He joins Troy’s Myles Rigsby.
• There are only three players in the MVC total shooting 50 percent from the field, 85 percent from the free-throw line and averaging double figures in scoring in league play – Schwieger, Indiana State’s Robbie Avila and Murray State’s JaCobi Wood.
• Schwieger 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 11.9 points per game. Drake’s Kevin Overton is second at 9.6 ppg and Evansville’s Chuck Bailey III is third at 9.1.
• In league-only games, Schwieger is also atop The Valley in rebounding average by a freshman (6.7 rpg), well ahead of Evansville’s Joshua Hughes, who is second at 4.0.
• In league only games among freshmen, Schwieger ranks third in the MVC with 1.6 assists per game, first in free-throw percentage (minimum eight attempts) at 85.7, tied for first in blocks per game at 1.0 and second in field-goal percentage (minimum 10 attempts).
• In terms of overall numbers, the Overland Park, Kan. native ranks second in the Missouri Valley Conference in scoring average among freshmen at 11.4. He is behind only Drake’s Kevin Overton (11.8 ppg).
• Schwieger leads the league in rebounds per game among freshmen at 5.7, well ahead of Evansville’s Joshua Hughes, who is 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 nine freshmen nationally averaging at least 11.0 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
• Schwieger ranks tied for seventh in the MVC in conference-only rebounding average at 6.7 and is the only freshman in the top 30.
• Schwieger’s rebounding average of 5.7 per game is 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).

Darius Delivering

• Darius DeAveiro ranks 30^th nationally and second in the MVC with 118 total assists and ranks 39^th in the country and second in the league at 5.4 assists per game.
• On Jan. 27 vs. Missouri State, DeAveiro had 20 points and seven assists, becoming just the second Valpo player to achieve that stat line in the last 15 years and the first in that time period to do so in a conference game. Nick Edwards turned the trick twice last season, including a points-assists double-double of 20&12 on Dec. 21, 2022 vs. Stonehill.
• DeAveiro has scored nine or more in nine of his last 10 games and is averaging 12.2 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 8.9 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.

The Baby Beacs

• You’ve likely heard of the 2004-05 “Baby Bulls,” but it’s time to officially dub the 2023-24 Valpo basketball team the “Baby Beacs.” Like the 2004-05 Chicago Bulls featuring rookies Ben Gordon, Luol Deng, Chris Duhon and Andres Nocioni, this year’s version of the Beacons is filled with promising young players.
• On Jan. 27 vs. Missouri State, four true freshmen were part of the Valpo starting lineup – Sherman Weatherspoon IV, Kaspar Sepp, Cooper Schwieger and Jahari Williamson. This marked the first time in 40 years that Valpo had started four freshmen.
• 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.
• This marks Valpo’s least experienced group since the farthest back KenPom data in 2006-07. Valpo’s two most experienced teams in that time period were the 2012-13 team, which ranked 15^th nationally at 2.30 in experience and went to the NCAA Tournament, and the 2015-16 group, which ranked 48^th nationally at 2.01 and went to the NIT title game.
• The season most similar to this one in terms of KenPom experience factor was the 2013-14 campaign, when Valpo ranked 338^th nationally at 0.66 during Alec Peters’ freshman year.
• 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.

Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 27: Missouri State 81, Valpo 70

• Darius DeAveiro led the team with a career-high 20 points, surpassing his previous personal best of 19 set on Jan. 3 vs. Bradley. The junior point guard knocked down four of his six 3-point tries and all four of his free-throw attempts while also dishing out seven assists, snatching four rebounds and swiping two steals. The four made 3s were a career high.
• Jahari Williamson added 19 points including 9-of-10 at the free-throw line. This marked his highest scoring output in league play and his third highest of the season. The nine made free throws were a season high.
• Cooper Schwieger was the third Beacon in double figures with 10 points and seven rebounds.
• Valpo started four freshmen in a game for the first time in 40 years. Leading scorer Isaiah Stafford was out for family reasons.
• Valpo shot 88.9 percent (16-of-18) at the free-throw line and hit a 40-percent clip from 3-point territory (10-of-25).
• Valpo committed just seven turnovers, winning the turnover battle 9-7. Six of the seven Valpo players who logged more than three minutes in the contest were freshmen or sophomores, and those six players combined for no turnovers.
• Valpo was outrebounded 48-33 including a 13-6 disparity on the offensive glass.
• Missouri State had a key 12-0 run in the second half. Valpo scored nine of the game’s final 11 points to cut what had been an 18-point deficit to 11.

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.

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.

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.