Valparaiso (7-24, 3-17 MVC)
vs. Belmont (19-12, 12-8 MVC)
Game No. 32 – Thursday, March 7, 2:30 p.m. CT
Enterprise Center (8,476 lower bowl, 16,502 full) – St. Louis, Mo.
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will embark upon Arch Madness, the State Farm Missouri Valley Conference Tournament, on Thursday afternoon in St. Louis. The 12th-seeded Beacons will play fifth-seeded Belmont in the first round with the winner of Thursday’s game advancing to play fourth-seeded UNI on Friday at 2:30 p.m.
Last Time Out: Valpo ended the regular season on a high note, capturing a 75-72 win over Illinois State as part of Sunday’s Senior Day festivities at the Athletics-Recreation Center. Cooper Schwieger went off for a career-high 28 points to lead all scorers, while Isaiah Stafford chipped in 20 and paced the team with eight rebounds. The Beacons led 44-31 at halftime and survived a late push by the Redbirds to secure the season sweep of the team from Bloomington-Normal and snap an 11-game skid.
Following the Beacons: Television – MVC TV Network (NBC Sports Chicago Plus, Bally Sports Indiana, Bally Sports Kansas City, Bally Sports Southeast, Bally Sports South) – John Rooney (play-by-play), Rich Zvosec (analyst), Tom Ackerman (host) and Kelly Burke (sideline)
Streaming – ESPN+
MVC Radio – KTRS 550 AM – Harry Schroeder (play-by-play) and Kevin Lehman (analyst)
Valpo Radio – 95.1 FM, WVUR, ValpoAthletics.com, TuneIn Radio App – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and The Victory Bell’s Paul Oren (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. (7-23) 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.
Arch Madness History
- In 2020, Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness to win three games in three days to reach the MVC title game. As a No. 7 seed, Valpo became the lowest seed to ever play in the title game. The Beacons led Bradley 38-36 at halftime of the title game and were 20 minutes from clinching an NCAA Tournament berth, but the Braves eventually prevailed 80-66.
- Valpo entered Arch Madness as the No. 10 seed in 2017-18, No. 9 seed in 2018-19, No. 7 in 2019-20, No. 6 in 2020-21, No. 7 in 2021-2022 and the No. 10 in the league’s first year with 12 teams in 2022-23.
- Valpo is 5-6 all-time in 10 Arch Madness games. Three of the five victories came during the 2019-20 run to the title game, which featured wins over Evansville, Loyola and Missouri State.
Valpo in St. Louis
- The program’s history in the building now known as the Enterprise Center goes beyond the team’s MVC Tournament appearances.
- Valpo’s Sweet Sixteen game against Rhode Island in 1998 was played in the building, which was then known as the Kiel Center.
- Valpo also appeared in the 2002 NCAA Tournament in St. Louis, but the first-round date with Kentucky was played at the Edward Jones Dome.
- Head coach Roger Powell Jr. played in the Final Four in St. Louis in 2005, when he led Illinois to a 72-57 win over Louisville in the national semifinal before a 75-70 setback to North Carolina in the national title game. The event was held at the Edward Jones Dome.
Dec. 2 – Belmont 77, Valpo 68 (Nashville, Tenn.): Valpo faced a quick 9-0 deficit 90 seconds into the game as Belmont came out of the gate knocking down three 3s. The two teams played even for the final 38:30, but the early 3-point barrage stood as the difference as the Bruins prevailed 77-68. Isaiah Stafford led all scorers with 21 points, while Cooper Schwieger established a new personal best with 18. Valpo used a 10-0 run in the first half to trim a 12-point deficit to two, but the Bruins rattled off nine straight of their own to boost the gap back to 11.
Feb. 10 – Belmont 96, Valpo 78: Belmont was red hot out of the gate, blitzing out to a 20-2 advantage by the time the game was six minutes old in the regular-season matchup at the Athletics-Recreation Center. The two teams played even at 76 all for the remaining 34 minutes, but the fast start for the guests was too much for Valpo to overcome. The Beacons trailed 54-27 at halftime and were down by as many as 30, but eventually cut the gap to as few as 12 in the second half. Four Valpo starters tallied double figures – Cooper Schweiger (16), Darius DeAveiro (14), Jaxon Edwards (13) and Isaiah Stafford (12).
Series Notes: Valpo leads 9-6 in an all-time series that began in 1997-98, a season that concluded with a Sweet Sixteen appearance for the Brown & Gold. Belmont won both matchups in its first season in the Missouri Valley Conference last year, besting the Beacons 76-64 on Dec. 1 in Nashville and 74-59 on Jan. 10 in Northwest Indiana. The Bruins are now 4-0 in MVC matchups between these two teams. Valpo has dropped five straight meetings dating back to Dec. 3, 2015.
Scouting the Bruins
- Finished the regular season on a three-game winning streak, beating Missouri State (93-78), Murray State (83-61) and Evansville (83-66).
- Went 7-1 over the last eight games of the regular season with the lone loss in that stretch coming to Drake.
- Players averaging in double figures for the season include Ja’Kobi Gillespie (17.5 ppg), Malik Dia (16.9 ppg) and Cade Tyson (16.7 ppg).
She Said Yes!
- Prior to the March 3 regular-season finale at the Athletics-Recreation Center, seniors Anthony Sciarroni, Connor Barrett and Jerome Palm were recognized along with student manager Nate Maxwell and cheer/dance seniors. The senior trio also addressed the crowd along with head coach Roger Powell Jr. following the contest.
- The highlight of the Senior Day festivities came courtesy of Palm, who proposed to his girlfriend Chloe Crichton on the court during the pregame ceremony.
- Jerome and Chloe met in Daytona Beach, Fla., where he spent his first year of junior college playing for Daytona Beach State in 2021. The relationship began when she initiated contact through Instagram. She was born and raised in England – not far from Palm’s native Amsterdam - and moved to the United States in 2017.
- This was not the first marriage proposal to unfold during a Valpo basketball Senior Day. In 2015, Vashil Fernandez proposed to his wife Bridget. Fernandez ended up being granted an additional season of eligibility, and had another big surprise during his second Senior Day in 2016, when he and Bridget announced that they were expecting.
The Dot Farewell Tour Reaches Its Final Stop
- Longtime Valpo men’s basketball official scorekeeper Dot Nuechterlein 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.
- Nuechterlein was recognized during a pregame ceremony prior to the Feb. 21 game vs. Indiana State and worked her final home game at the ARC on March 3 vs. Illinois State. She is attending Arch Madness and will keep the book for Valpo’s games, her final assignment as Valpo official scorer.
- Nuechterlein is part of a veteran Valpo scorer’s table crew as Dave DeBoer and Dave Hollenbeck have served as shot clock, game clock and scoreboard operators since 1986 and John Bowker has served as public address announcer since 1987.
An ARC Encore
- Valpo freshman Cooper Schwieger put together quite the encore for his final performance at the ARC this season. He established a career high for the second consecutive game that he played, posting 28 points on March 3 vs. Illinois State.
- This outdid his previous personal best of 26, which occurred on Feb. 24 at Murray State. Schwieger missed the Feb. 27 game at UNI due to illness.
- Schwieger’s 28 points marked the most by a Valpo freshman since Alec Peters put up 29 on March 4, 2014 vs. UIC – a performance that was one day shy of exactly 10 years old when Schwieger enjoyed his big day against the Redbirds.
- Schwieger’s 28 points came on 12-of-17 shooting and he also collected five rebounds.
Top Valpo Freshman Single-Game Scoring Outputs, Since 2010-11
Alec Peters 30 Dec. 14, 2013 vs. Loyola Marymount
Alec Peters 30 Nov. 20, 2013 at Evansville
Alec Peters 29 March 4, 2014 vs. UIC
Cooper Schwieger 28 March 3, 2024 vs. Illinois State
Javon Freeman Liberty 27 Feb. 5, 2019 at Illinois State
Rising Rookie Ranks
- Cooper Schwieger is up to 397 points this season. During the Feb. 24 game at Murray State, he secured the highest season point total by a Valpo freshman since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. He surpassed Javon Freeman-Liberty’s total of 364 from 2018-19.
- Schwieger ranks 15th in points by an MVC freshman since 2000. Of the top 14, 12 were named the MVC Freshman of the Year.
- Entering Arch Madness, he is three points away from becoming just the 26th Missouri Valley Conference freshman all-time to reach 400 points.
- Schwieger is trying to become just the second Valpo freshman since 1992-93 to average 13.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg. He would join current Valpo Director of Recruiting and Player Development and Valpo Athletics Hall of Famer Lubos Barton, who finished his freshman year at 13.8 ppg and 5.6 rpg in 1998-99.
- Schwieger is one of eight freshmen nationally averaging 13.0 ppg and 5.0 rpg this season.
- Schwieger is the only freshman in the nation shooting 50 percent from the field, 80 percent from the free-throw line and averaging double figures in scoring in conference play. He is one of five total players in the MVC with those numbers.
- Schwieger is one of four MVC freshmen since 1992-93 to average 12.0 points per game and 5.0 rebounds per game in a season, joining good company, as outlined below.
MVC Freshmen, 13 ppg & 5 rpg (since 1992-93)
Player, Team Year PPG RPG MVC Freshman OTY?
Cooper Schwieger, Valpo 2023-24 13.2 5.3 TBD, announced 3/6
Marcus Domask, SIU 2019-20 13.6 5.2 Yes
Doug McDermott, Creighton 2010-11 14.9 7.2 Yes
Shea Seals, Tulsa 1993-94 16.8 6.5 Yes
Freshmen Nationally Averaging 13 ppg & 5 rpg in 2023-24
Player Team PPG RPG
Cooper Schwieger Valpo 13.2 5.3
PJ Haggerty Tulsa 20.6 5.4
Jocob Meyer Coastal Carolina 14.9 5.0
Darren Buchanan George Washington 15.6 6.7
Carlton Carrington Pittsburgh 13.4 5.2
Tyler Perkins Pennsylvania 13.6 5.3
Vasean Allette Old Dominion 17.4 5.7
Garrett Johnson George Washington 13.4 5.6
Freshmen Nationally Averaging 14.0 ppg & 5.5 rpg in League Play
Player Team PPG RPG
Cooper Schwieger Valpo 14.6 5.7
PJ Haggerty Tulsa 22.9 6.2
Darren Buchanan George Washington 17.8 7.3
Vasean Allette Old Dominion 20.0 6.4
Only Freshman Nationally – 50% FG, 80% FT, 10.0 ppg in conference play
Player Team PPG FG% FT%
Cooper Schwieger Valpo 14.6 51.9 82.2
All MVC Players – 50% FG, 80% FT, 10.0 ppg in conference play
Player Team PPG FG% FT%
Cooper Schwieger Valpo 14.6 51.9 82.2
Robbie Avila Indiana State 18.5 54.9 87.0
Cade Tyson Belmont 16.4 51.0 88.0
Malevy Leons Bradley 14.3 51.6 85.2
Ja’Kobi Gillespie Belmont 18.0 58.6 82.5
MVC Rookie Ranks – Cooper Schwieger Among Valley Freshmen – MVC Only
Category Value MVC Freshman Ranking
Points/G 14.6 1st
Rebounds/G 5.7 1st
Assists/G 1.3 3rd
Blocks/G 0.7 3rd
Field Goal% 51.9 2nd
Free Throw% 82.2 3rd
MVC Rookie Ranks – Cooper Schwieger Among Valley Freshmen – Overall
Category Value MVC Freshman Ranking
Points/G 13.2 1st
Rebounds/G 5.3 1st
Assists/G 1.0 t-7th
Blocks/G 0.8 2nd
Field Goal % 51.0 4th
Free Throw% 78.4 4th
Historical Notes on Valpo Rookie Honors
- Entering this year’s postseason awards, Valpo has never won the MVC Freshman of the Year Award, but the team is well positioned to have at least one MVC All-Freshman Team honoree for the fifth time in the last six seasons.
- Prior to last season, Valpo had a streak of four straight years with a member of the MVC All-Freshman Team – Javon Freeman-Liberty in 2018-19, Donovan Clay in 2019-20, Sheldon Edwards in 2020-21 and Preston Ruedinger in 2021-22.
- The last Valpo rookie to win major award hardware was current Valpo Director of Recruiting and Player Development Lubos Barton, who was named Mid-Continent Conference Newcomer of the Year in 1998-99.
Valpo Freshmen to Win League Freshman/Newcomer of the Year
Name Year Award
Lubos Barton* 1998-99 Mid-Con Newcomer OTY
Bryce Drew* 1994-95 Mid-Con Newcomer OTY
Lance Barker 1991-92 Mid-Con Newcomer OTY
*indicates Valpo Athletics Hall of Famer
Stafford Going Strong
- Isaiah Stafford scored 20 points or more in three of his final five games of the regular season.
- Stafford has 11 games this season with 20 points or more. He is one of five players in the MVC with 11 or more 20-point games, joining Drake’s Tucker DeVries, Southern Illinois’ Xavier Johnson, Indiana State’s Robbie Avila and Belmont’s Malik Dia.
- Stafford ranks seventh in the MVC in scoring at 16.8 points per game, and finished fourth in the MVC in league-only scoring average at 17.6.
- Although points scored at the junior college level are not officially recognized, Stafford surpassed 1,000 points as a college basketball player on Feb. 14 vs. UNI 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 469 this year with the Beacons. All told, he has scored 1,108 points as a college basketball player entering Arch Madness.
Number of 20-Point Games by MVC Players in 2023-24
Rank Player School Number of 20-Point Games
1 Tucker DeVries Drake 18
2 Xavier Johnson SIU 17
T-3 Isaiah Stafford Valpo 11
T-3 Robbie Avila Indiana St 11
T-3 Malik Dia Belmont 11
DeAveiro in the Record Book
- Junior point guard Darius DeAveiro finished the regular season with 168 total assists, lifting his career total to 286.
- He ranks third in program history for assists in a single season, behind only John McIlvain (1982-83, 197) and Ali Berdiel (2003-04, 185).
- DeAveiro’s career assist total ranks 17th in program history.
- DeAveiro is 14 assists away from becoming the 15th player in program history to get to 300.
Single-Season Top 5 in Program History – Assists
Rank Player Year Assists
1 John McIlvain 1982-83 197
2 Ali Berdiel 2003-04 185
3 Darius DeAveiro 2023-24 168
4 John McIlvain 1983-84 165
5 Bryce Drew 1995-96 164
Career Assists – No. 14-18
Rank Player Years Assists
14 Keith Carter 2013-16 301
15 Milo Stovall 1998-02 295
16 Jared Nuness 1997-02 290
17 Darius DeAveiro 2021-pres. 286
18 Tim Hostetler 1974-78 284
Darius Delivering
- Darius DeAveiro ranks 29th nationally and second in the MVC with 168 total assists and ranks 33rd in the country and second in the league at 5.4 assists per game.
- DeAveiro has scored in double figure 12 times this season. Prior to this year, he had played 54 collegiate games over his first two seasons and scored no higher than eight points.
- DeAveiro’s scoring numbers have taken a considerable leap from last season to this season.
DeAveiro’s Junior Jump
2022-23 2023-24 Increase
Overall PPG 1.8 7.9 6.1
MVC PPG 1.4 9.3 7.9
Other Individual Trends & Tidbits
- Jerome Palm started the final five games of the regular season after coming off the bench in the previous 10. He is averaging 10.0 points per game over his last four contests after entering that stretch at 3.4 points per game for the season.
- Connor Barrett closed the regular season with a season-high nine points by draining three 3s on March 3 vs. Illinois State during his Senior Day game. He was 3-for-25 this season before going 3-for-6 against the Redbirds. Barrett started the year 1-for-15 from 3-point territory but is 6-for-16 over his last five games.
- Sherman Weatherspoon IV’s last 16 shots have all come from 3-point range. He last attempted a 2-pointer with 6:11 to go in the first half on Feb. 21 vs. Indiana State.
- Cooper Schwieger has scored 20 points or more in three of his last four games.
- Isaiah Stafford has scored 20 points or more in four of his last six. Stafford has not attempted a free throw in his last three games.
Team Trends & Tidbits
- Valpo outrebounded Illinois State 31-26 in the March 3 regular-season finale, snapping a streak of 11 straight games being outrebounded. Not-so-coincidentally, Valpo also snapped an 11-game losing streak by beating the Redbirds.
- Valpo improved to 5-2 this season when outrebounding the opponent, but the Beacons are just 3-21 when being outrebounded or tied on the glass. Valpo is giving up a height disadvantage in most matchups as the Beacons are the second shortest team in the MVC, per KenPom, and rank 322nd nationally in height.
- Valpo had won the turnover battle in nine straight games prior to Feb. 27 at UNI. The Beacons lost the turnover battle in each of the final two regular-season games.
- Valpo has committed 12 turnovers or fewer in 12 of the team’s last 13 games.
- Valpo had permitted 80 points or more in six straight and eight out of nine prior to holding the opponent under 80 in each of the final two regular-season games (68 at UNI, 72 vs. Illinois State).
- Valpo had a higher 3-point percentage than its opponent in each of the final three regular-season games.
- Valpo shot single-digit free throws in five of its final nine regular-season games. The Beacons shot more than 13 free throws just once in that stretch.
- Valpo had more 3-point attempts than its opponent in eight of the final nine games of the regular-season. The Beacons shot at least 24 3-pointers in seven of their last eight games.
Beating the Birds
- Valpo yet again defeated Illinois State on March 3 at the ARC, securing a season sweep of the Redbirds with a 75-72 victory.
- Valpo improved to 11-1 in the last dozen meetings with Illinois State and 11-2 in the 13 matchups that have occurred since Valpo joined The Valley.
- In the last dozen faceoffs, Valpo’s only setback came in overtime.
- Five of the last seven games between the two teams have been decided by five points or fewer.
- Valpo has won the last six matchups that have occurred at the ARC.
Notes Wrapping Up March 3: Valpo 75, Illinois State 72
- Cooper Schwieger scored a career-high for his second straight game, pouring in 28 points.
- Schwieger and Connor Barrett returned to action after missing the Feb. 27 game at UNI due to illness.
- Barrett drained three 3s in a game for the first time since Dec. 18, 2022 at Elon and scored a season-high nine points on Senior Day.
- Jerome Palm posted eight points on 4-of-7 shooting, his third time in the last four games with eight points or more.
- Isaiah Stafford squeezed a team-high eight rebounds to go along with his 20 points. That marked his highest rebounding effort in conference play and his most in any game since Nov. 25 vs. Southern.
- Valpo brought an 11-game skid to a halt.
- Valpo snapped a skid of 11 straight losses in games decided by four points or fewer. This marked the team’s first win in a game decided by four points or fewer since Nov. 27, 2022 vs. James Madison.
- Jaxon Edwards did not play as he was suspended by head coach Roger Powell Jr. for a violation of team rules.
Other Notes Wrapping Up Feb. 27: UNI 68, Valpo 54
- Cooper Schwieger and Connor Barrett did not make the trip to Cedar Falls due to illness. Schwieger had started each of the first 29 games of his freshman season prior to this absence.
- Isaiah Stafford grabbed seven rebounds, his highest total in his last 20 games.
- Darius DeAveiro tied a career high with four steals.
- Jerome Palm tied a career high with 14 points and was joined in double figures by Jahari Williamson, who put together his best showing of the last four games with 13 points.
- Kaspar Sepp had nine points and 11 rebounds. He played over 39 minutes and went 4-of-5 from 2-point territory.
- Valpo was just 1-of-11 from 3 in the first half but knocked down 6-of-13 from behind the arc over the final 20 minutes.
- UNI outscored Valpo 42-16 in the paint and 23-5 on the fastbreak. The Beacons made an uncharacteristic 18 turnovers, the team’s highest total since Jan. 3 and second highest of the season.
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 15th nationally at 2.30 in experience and went to the NCAA Tournament, and the 2015-16 group, which ranked 48th 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 338th 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.
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.
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. Several editions have been released.
- 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 A.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 14th 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.
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.
