Missouri State (6-1, 3-1 MVC)
at Valparaiso (3-5, 0-0 MVC)

Game No. 9 – Saturday, Jan. 9 – 1 p.m. CT
Game No. 10 – Sunday, Jan. 10 – 1 p.m. CT
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will return to the court on Saturday after 20 consecutive days without a game since the team’s most recent action on Dec. 19 at Toledo. A pause in team activities due to positive COVID-19 test results within the program led to the cancellation of the scheduled nonconference finale against Mount St. Joseph on Dec. 21 plus the postponement of the team’s first two scheduled MVC series, which were slated to be vs. Bradley (Dec. 28-29) and at Illinois State (Jan. 2-3). Valpo will jump back into action against a Top-100 team in the NET rankings as Missouri State checks in at No. 81.

Last Time Out: The sophomore duo of Donovan Clay (17) and Ben Krikke (16) combined for 58 percent of the team’s scoring and 67 percent of the team’s rebounds in a 71-57 loss on Dec. 19 at Toledo, a top-100 team in the Ken Pom rankings. Clay crashed the boards to the tune of a career-high 13 rebounds to notch his first collegiate double-double. Valpo trailed by one at halftime and only five with 3:36 remaining in the second half, but a late eight-point run expanded the gap to 13 and put the game on ice. 

Following Valpo Basketball: Video – ESPN3/+ – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and David Huseman (analyst)

Radio – WVUR (95.1 FM, Valparaiso) – Paul Oren (play-by-play), Jeromy Luebke (analyst, Saturday only) and Jamie Stangel (analyst, Sunday only)

Twitter updates - @ValpoBasketball

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

Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (76-65) is in his eighth season overall at Valpo and fifth as head coach in 2020-21. Just two years removed from finishing in last place and being knocked out in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as a first-year Valley member, Lottich’s team did more than hold its own in 2019-2020, ascending into a tie for sixth in the league standings before finishing as the conference tournament runner-up. Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness to reach the title game after playing in the opening round. Lottich, hired as the 22nd head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program in April 2016, graduated from Stanford University in 2004 and New Trier High School (Illinois) in 2000.

Valpo in Conference Openers

• Each of the last two years, the MVC opener has come down to the wire, with Valpo beating Illinois State 58-56 on a half-court buzzer-beater by Markus Golder on Jan. 2, 2019 and Loyola prevailing 66-63 on Dec. 30, 2019.
• This is the third straight season Valpo has started conference play at home.
• Valpo is 1-2 in league lid-lifters since joining The Valley and 2-2 under Matt Lottich.
• Valpo went 6-4 in league openers in its decade in the Horizon League.
• The Jan. 9 start to conference play marks Valpo’s latest since head coach Scott Drew’s team commenced the Mid-Continent Conference slate on Jan. 11, 2003 vs. Western Illinois.

Krikke & Clay Lead the Way

• Donovan Clay’s 13 rebounds on Dec. 19 at Toledo obliterated his previous personal best of nine established on Jan. 7, 2020 at Southern Illinois. He matched Javon Freeman-Liberty’s 13 at SIUE in November 2019 for the most rebounds by a Valpo player in a single game over the last two seasons.
• Ben Krikke established a career high for made field goals with eight against the Rockets, outdoing his previous best of seven set on Feb. 12, 2020 vs. Southern Illinois. It was Krikke’s third career game of 16 points or more and second against a Division-I opponent. His eight field goals came in efficient fashion as he took just 11 shots.
• Both sophomores have over doubled their scoring average in the first eight games of their second season compared to the first eight games of their rookie campaign. Clay leads the team through eight contests this year at 11.5 points per game, while a year ago he was eighth on the squad at 5.4 points per contest at this juncture. Krikke averaged 5.7 points per game at this stage last season and is currently averaging 11.1.
• Krikke has scored in double figures six times in the first eight games, while Clay has done so on five occasions.
• Clay’s 17 points and 13 rebounds at Toledo on Dec. 19 allowed him to join Derrik Smits and Javon Freeman-Liberty as the only Valpo players with double-doubles against Division-I opponents over the last four seasons.
• Clay became the second player in the MVC this season with 13 or more rebounds in a game, joining Dusan Mahorcic of Illinois State (13 at Ball State on Dec. 12).

Other Notes Wrapping Up Toledo (Dec. 19)

• The Rockets jacked up 31 3-point attempts, the most by a Valpo opponent since Utah State had 33 on Nov. 28, 2017.
• For the third time this season (Purdue, Vanderbilt, Toledo), Valpo shot at a higher clip than the opponent but lost. Entering the season, Valpo was 57-10 (.851) under Lottich when outshooting the opponent, but this season Valpo is just 3-3 (.500).
• Valpo was outscored 17-5 on free throws. The Brown & Gold are 0-5 when scoring fewer points at the foul line than their opponents, but 3-0 when outscoring opponents at the charity stripe.
• Toledo owned a 12-4 edge on the offensive glass and outscored Valpo 16-2 on second-chance points. Valpo has been outrebounded in three straight games, six of eight this season and 13 out of 17 dating back to last year, an area the team will look to shore up entering conference play.
• Valpo committed a season-low nine turnovers. The team entered the game averaging an MVC-leading 10.0 steals per outing, but had just one as the Rockets made only four turnovers.
• Valpo finished with a sub-.500 nonconference record for the first time since the 2009-2010 campaign. However, this year’s nonconference slate came under unusual circumstances with a shortened schedule and other pandemic-related challenges.

Success Inside the Arc (Part 1)

• Valpo owns a 2-point shooting percentage of 56.7 this season. That is up nearly 6 percent from last season, when Valpo finished at 51 percent inside the 3-point arc.
• Conversely, Valpo possesses a 3-point percentage of 27.2, which is down nearly 7 percent from last year’s 34 percent clip.
• Ben Krikke is shooting 61.4 percent from 2-point range (35-of-57), while Donovan Clay is at 60.4 percent (29-of-48).
• Freshmen Jacob Ognacevic and Connor Barrett are both shooting above 40 percent from 3-point distance, but the remainder of the team checks in at just 21.4 percent from long range.

Success Inside the ARC (Part 2)

• Valpo not only owns a six-game home winning streak dating back to last season, but all six triumphs have come by 12 points or more.
• Valpo went undefeated at home during the nonconference slate and has won eight straight nonconference home games dating back to Dec. 17, 2018 vs. Ball State.
• Valpo is off to a 3-0 home start for the fifth straight season, as the team owns a 15-0 record in the first three home games of the season since 2015-16. A win on Saturday over Missouri State would allow Valpo to start 4-0 at home for the second straight year.
• In contrast, Valpo has lost its first five road games of a season for the first time since 2004-05.
• Valpo started the season 2-0 at home for the 14^th consecutive year. Since a 65-62 home loss to No. 8 Marquette on Nov. 27, 2006, Valpo is 27-0 in the first two home games of the season.
• Valpo has now won the home opener for 16 consecutive seasons with 14 of those victories coming by double figures. The last time Valpo started the home slate with a loss was an 85-71 defeat to Charlotte on Nov. 27, 2004.
• Valpo continued its history of home dominance a year ago and hasn’t finished with a losing mark at the ARC since 1991-92, extending its streak to 28 seasons. Valpo achieved a double-figure home win total for the ninth time in the last 10 years.
• The Brown & Gold went 11-2 at the ARC last season, finishing with two home losses or fewer for the fourth time in the last eight years.

Inside the Bears

• Gaige Prim was named to the Preseason All-MVC Second Team after scoring 13.7 points per game a year ago.
• Picked sixth in the MVC Preseason Poll.
• Third-year head coach Dana Ford’s team has 10 newcomers on the roster and just three returnees.
• One of three MVC teams ranked in the Top 100 of the NET rankings, checking in at No. 81.
• Have won three of their first four MVC games including a sweep of Indiana State and a road split against preseason favorite UNI.
• Led in scoring by Isaiah Mosley at 22.1 points per game, while Prim is averaging 17.7 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds.

Series Notes: Missouri State

• Missouri State holds a 19-10 lead in the all-time series.
• Valpo topped the Bears 89-82 in last year’s MVC semifinal to reach the conference championship game.
• Valpo also won last year’s regular-season meeting in Valpo, picking up an 89-74 victory on Feb. 25, senior night at the ARC.

Takeaway Time

• Valpo squeezed 17 steals on Dec. 17 vs. Purdue Northwest, the team’s highest single-game steal total since Nov. 27, 2016 vs. Ball State (also 17).
• The visiting Pride committed 28 turnovers in the Dec. 17 contest, the most by a Valpo opponent since Northland turned it over 29 times way back on Jan. 27, 1997.
• Valpo leads the Missouri Valley Conference with 8.9 steals per game.
• Seven different Valpo players had multiple steals in the Dec. 17 game vs. Purdue Northwest.
• There have been four occasions this season where a Missouri Valley Conference team had 14 steals or more, and Valpo accounts for three of those. The Brown & Gold had 17 steals vs. Purdue Northwest, 16 vs. SIUE and 14 vs. Judson. Drake (14 vs. St. Ambrose) is the only other Valley team with a 14-steal game.
• Valpo has forced an average of 25.7 turnovers per game over the three home dates so far this season.

Converting the Freebies

• Free-throw shooting was a strength on Dec. 12 and Dec. 17, as Valpo went a combined 46-of-56 (82.1 percent) at the stripe against Central Michigan and Purdue Northwest.
• The 26 made free throws and 32 free-throw attempts vs. Purdue Northwest on Dec. 17 marked season highs, while the team’s best single-game percentage of the season was 83.3 at Central Michigan on Dec. 12.
• The 26 made free throws were the most by Valpo in a single game since 27 in an overtime affair on Feb. 19, 2019 vs. Indiana State. The 26 made free throws were the most in a regulation contest since making 28 on Nov. 6, 2018 vs. Concordia Chicago.
• Valpo had just eight free-throw attempts and five makes in a road loss at Toledo on Dec. 19.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Purdue Northwest (Dec. 17)

• Valpo scored a season-high 89 points in the victory.
• Ben Krikke had 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds, while Donavan Clay had nine points and seven boards.
• Krikke’s eight caroms tied a career high that was established on Feb. 1 of last season vs. Illinois State.
• Clay also blocked five shots, shattering his career best in that area. He became the first Valpo player with five rejections in a game since Jaume Sorolla on Jan. 26, 2019 vs. Drake. In addition, Clay became the first Missouri Valley Conference player with five blocks in a game this season.
• Connor Barrett (12) and Jacob Ognacevic (11) both reached double figures for the third time in their first seven collegiate games.
• Valpo shot 53.7 percent including 66.6 percent from 2-point distance. The team shot 64.3 percent overall in the opening half before going 1-of-8 from 3 after halftime.
• Valpo outscored PNW 26-8 at the charity stripe.
• Purdue Northwest’s Vincent Miskiewicz had a double-double of 17 points and 16 rebounds, becoming the first Valpo opponent with 15+ rebounds in a game since UNLV’s Shakur Juiston had 19 on Nov. 28, 2018. Seven of Miskiewicz’s boards came on the offensive glass.

Close Losses, Lopsided Wins

• Three of Valpo’s five losses this season have come by seven points or fewer.
• Conversely, all three wins have come by 18 points or more.
• In fact, the wins over Judson (Dec. 6) and SIUE (Dec. 9) were Valpo’s first set of back-to-back wins by 20+ points since a string of five such victories to start the 2017-18 season.
• Overall this season, Valpo has outscored opponents 572-540.

A Look Back at 2019-20: Just two years removed from finishing in last place and being knocked out in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as a first-year Valley member, head coach Matt Lottich’s team did more than hold its own, ascending into a tie for sixth in the league standings before finishing as the conference tournament runner-up. Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness to reach the title game after playing in the opening round. 

Preseason Picks

• Sophomore Donovan Clay was named to the Preseason MVC Second Team.
• Valpo was picked to finish eighth in the preseason poll based on a survey of the conference’s head coaches, media members and sports information directors.
• Valpo exceeded preseason expectations a year ago after being picked to finish ninth. The Brown & Gold tied for sixth in the regular-season standings and went on to finish as the conference tournament runner-up.

Who’s Back, Who’s New?

• This year’s team features 11 returning letter winners (nine scholarship, two walk-on) to go along with six newcomers (four scholarship, two walk-on).
• Three letter winners departed from last year’s team.
• Valpo returns 59.2 percent of its scoring and 64.3 percent of its rebounding from last season. Both numbers are up from a year ago, when Valpo returned just 40.1 percent of its scoring and 35.7 percent of its rebounding from 2018-19.
• Last season, the entire roster was from either Indiana, Illinois or outside the United States. This year, Valpo has added three additional states to the mix in Minnesota, Wisconsin and Florida.
• Still, six players hail from Illinois and four from Indiana. The six Illinois natives are the most since 2015-16.
• Coincidentally, Valpo’s last player from the state of Florida before Sheldon Edwards shares the same last name. Lakeland native Richie Edwards played for the Brown & Gold during the 2011-2012 campaign.
• Goodnews Kpegeol is the first Valpo player from the state of Minnesota since Cory Johnson’s final season on campus in 2010-2011.
• Jacob Ognacevic is Valpo’s first player from Wisconsin since Andrew Ferry in 2008-2009.

Arrow Pointed Up

• Valpo made its first conference championship appearance since 2015, doing so after being picked to finish ninth in the preseason poll.
• Valpo reached the conference title game as only a third-year Missouri Valley Conference member. When Valpo transitioned from the Mid-Continent Conference to the Horizon League prior to the 2007-2008 season, the program didn’t reach the conference championship game until Year 5 and followed by winning its first Horizon League Tournament title in Year 6.
• The men’s basketball program became the first Valpo team in any sport to reach the Missouri Valley Conference championship game during the department’s young tenure in the prestigious league.
• Valpo accepted a postseason tournament invitation for the first time since joining The Valley, agreeing to a CollegeInsider.com Tournament berth before the event was canceled due to the coronavirus.
• The program had its largest win increase from the previous season (four) since jumping from 18 wins in 2013-14 to 28 in 2014-15.
• Valpo finished with a winning record during the nonconference portion of the season for the 10^th straight year. In addition, Valpo continued its history of home dominance and hasn’t finished with a losing mark at the ARC since 1991-92, extending its streak to 28 seasons. Valpo achieved a double-figure home win total for the ninth time in the last 10 years.

2019-20 Team Statistical Feats

• Led the Missouri Valley Conference in assists per game at 15.2, the first time Valpo led a conference in that area since pacing the Horizon League in 2011-2012. The 15.2 assists per game was Valpo’s highest total since 2010-11 (15.8 apg) and the team’s second-highest output over the last 13 seasons. The squad ranked 29^th nationally in assists per game and 12^th in total assists.
• Averaged 7.7 steals per game to rank second in the MVC and totaled 270 steals, a number that ranked 18^th The team had its highest steals average since 2010-11 and the second-highest over the last 16 seasons.
• The team averaged 72.3 points per game, second in the MVC. That was the team’s second-highest scoring average over the last eight seasons. In addition, the team jumped 5.5 points per game from 2018-19 to 2019-20.
• Valpo made 287 3-pointers, the team’s second-most since 2008-09 and the third-most over the last 30 years.
• The team had 922 made field goals, its third most over the last 30 years.
• Valpo committed just 12.7 turnovers per game, the team’s lowest total over the last 30 seasons.

2020 Arch Madness Accomplishments

• The Valpo/Loyola quarterfinal was the 18^th overtime game in MVC Tournament history and the 20^th game decided by a single point. It was the first one-point game in the MVC Tournament since Indiana State’s 51-50 victory over Evansville in 2013.
• Valpo’s 89 points in the MVC semifinal against Missouri State were the seventh-most in a game in the 30-year history of Arch Madness. It was the highest scoring output in any MVC Tournament contest since Creighton put 99 on Evansville on March 3, 2012.
• Valpo scored 287 points in the MVC Tournament, the third most in the history of the event and the most since Indiana State scored 310 in 1978.
• The team’s 138 rebounds were the fourth most in MVC Tournament history and the most since Tulsa had 143 in 1978.
• The 107 made field goals were the third most in MVC Tournament history and the most since Indiana State in 1978.
• The 29 made 3-point field goals tied for the second most in MVC Tournament history (despite going 0-for against Evansville), joining 2009 Illinois State (32) and 1999 Evansville (29).
• The 90 3-point field goal attempts shattered the previous tournament record of 76 (Drake 2008, Illinois State 2009).
• Valpo made 10 3-pointers in the conference championship game, tying for the fourth most in the history of the MVC Final just a few days removed from hitting no 3s in a win over Evansville. Valpo became the first team to make zero 3s in an MVC Tournament Game since Southern Illinois went 0-for-6 on March 5, 1994 vs. Missouri State.
• Valpo’s 29 3-point attempts in the MVC final tied for the second most in the history of the title game, joining Illinois State in 2009 (35 vs. UNI 2009) and Illinois State in 2012 (29 vs. Creighton).
• Only one team since 1994 had made 15 or more field goals in the first half of an MVC title game (Drake 16 vs. Illinois State in 2008), and Valpo and Bradley had 15 apiece in the first half of this year’s championship game.
• Valpo made seven 3s in the first half of the title game against Bradley, tying the MVC Tournament title game record of seven set by Southern Illinois on March 7, 1989 vs. Creighton. Valpo set the conference title game record for 3-point attempts in the first half with 16, eclipsing the previous mark of 15 set by Illinois State on March 8, 2009 vs. UNI.
• Ryan Fazekas’ 21 3-point attempts in the MVC Tournament tied for the ninth-most in the history of the event.

Staff Sidebars

• Associate head coach Luke Gore is in his 19^th year on staff and has served under four different head coaches. The Valpo veteran has helped the team to eight postseason berths in the last 10 years and was on staff for the three winningest seasons in program history. He oversees the team’s post players in addition to leading Valpo’s scheduling and scouting efforts.
• Assistant coach Rob Holloway is back for his third season after spending the previous two years on staff at Eastern Illinois, his alma mater.
• Assistant coach Matt Bowen returned to Valpo’s staff in 2018-19 after previously spending four seasons with the Brown & Gold from 2002-2006. He was the head coach at the University of Minnesota Duluth from 2012-2018. Bowen coordinates the team’s offense.
• Director of Basketball Operations Jason Karys is in his second season in that capacity, but has been around the program in a variety of roles, spending two years as a graduate assistant, one as a walk-on player and three as a manager.
• Bob Brooks is in his 17^th year as Valpo Director of Strength & Conditioning at Valpo and has returned to oversight of men’s basketball strength & conditioning in 2020-21. He has worked with Valpo teams since 1994.
• Graduate Assistant Peter Funk is in his second year in that role after three years as an undergraduate manager.
• Athletic trainer Ken DeAngelis is in his second season full-time at Valpo after previously earning his master’s degree from the University in 2012 while spending two years as a graduate assistant athletic trainer.

Tradition of Excellence

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

#0 Goodnews Kpegeol, R-So. (St. Paul, Minn.)

• Had the first double-figure scoring output of his collegiate career with 10 points on Dec. 9 vs. SIUE.
• Scored his first collegiate points and finished with nine in 27 minutes of action on Dec. 4 at Purdue.
• Made his Valpo debut in the Nov. 27 season opener at Vanderbilt.
• Joins the program as a junior college transfer after averaging 12.0 points and 5.8 rebounds at Southwest Mississippi in 2019-20.
• Started the 2018-19 season at Taylor Made Prep in Pensacola, Fla., then transfered to Kansas State at the semester break and sat out the remainder of that season due to transfer rules.
• Was a four-year letter winner at North High School in St. Paul, leading his team to a 22-5 overall mark and 15-1 conference record as a senior.
• Played his high school basketball for Damian Johnson, who played collegiately at the University of Minnesota before going on to a professional career from 2010-2016. Johnson was teammates with Valpo head coach Matt Lottich when both played for the Oita Heat Devils in Japan in 2010-2011.
• First name comes from his parents’ belief that he could bring something good into the world.

#1 Sigurd Lorange, So. (Trondheim, Norway)

• Appeared in nine games in 2019-20 before having his rookie season cut short by a hip injury.
• Averaged 2.9 points per contest while shooting a robust 60 percent (6-of-10) from 3-point land in limited action.
• Played all kinds of sports as a child. His best three sports were soccer, handball and basketball. There were phases of his life where he wanted to pursue soccer or handball, but eventually figured out that basketball was the most fun sport for him.

#2 Zion Morgan, R-Sr. (Chicago, Ill.)

• Appeared in 28 games during his first season at Valpo in 2019-20.
• Joined the program as a junior college transfer after two seasons at Wabash Valley College.
• Started his collegiate career by playing in 27 games and making five starts at UNLV in 2016-17.
• Was teammates with Valpo’s Nick Robinson at Kenwood Academy in Chicago.

#3 Steven Helm III, R-So. (Valparaiso, Ind.)

• Handed out a team-high five assists and scored his first collegiate points in the Dec. 6 victory over Judson.
• Made his Valpo debut on Dec. 4 at Purdue and recorded a plus-minus of +12 to lead the team.
• Spent the last two years in Japan serving a mission for his church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Started his collegiate career at Carroll College, where he competed in both basketball and track & field.
• Connected at a 47.1 percent clip from 3-point range and a 94.2 percent clip from the foul line.
• Qualified for nationals in track & field and helped his basketball team to the national tournament while at Carroll.
• Transferred to Valpo and sat out the 2017-18 basketball season while competing in track & field that spring.
• Led his Valparaiso High School team to a 20-7 record as a senior, averaging a team-high 16.1 points/game along with 3.5 assists/game.
• Mother is an Associate Professor of Kinesiology at Valpo. Father Steve Jr. was an NAIA Third Team All-American at Montana State University-Northern and went on to play for the American Basketball Association’s Indiana Legends after his collegiate career. Steve Jr. followed his playing days with a coaching career that featured four seasons as an assistant on the Valpo women’s basketball staff.
• Considers himself a "movie buff" and "Star Wars nerd." Saving Private Ryan and Star Wards Episode 3 are his favorite movies.

#4 Daniel Sackey, Jr. (Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada)

• Finished with his highest assist total since his nine-dime effort on Dec. 18, 2019 by handing out eight helpers on Dec. 9, 2020 vs. SIUE. Also swiped four steals, matching a career high with his second career four-steal effort.
• Put together a balanced line of six points, five rebounds and six assists in the Nov. 27 season opener at Vanderbilt - the first time in his collegiate career that he’s had five or more in all three categories in the same game. Also swiped four steals, equaling a career high.
• Ranked fifth in the MVC and second among sophomores at 3.6 assists per game… Had a team-high 121 assists to go along with 6.3 points per game, 2.5 rebounds per game and 35 steals while averaging 25.5 minutes over 34 contests (25 starts) as a sophomore in 2019-20.
• Made a buzzer-beater to upstage Canadian powerhouse Carleton in overtime in August 2019, making an appearance on SportsCenter’s Top 10 plays at No. 9 that evening.
• Has been a drummer since elementary school. The basement of his family’s home in Canada includes a small recording studio. He has a deep passion for music.
• Became just the sixth Manitoban to earn a scholarship in Division-I men’s basketball since the NCAA reorganized into its current competitive format in 1973.

#5 Donovan Clay, So. (Alton, Ill.)

• Became the second MVC player with a 13-rebound effort this season on Dec. 19 at Toledo, in the process securing his first career double-double and the first by a Valpo player in 2020-21. He scored a team-high 17 points to complement his effort on the glass.
• Became the first Missouri Valley Conference player with a five-block game this season on Dec. 17 vs. Purdue Northwest, also becoming the first Valpo player to stuff five shots in a game since Jaume Sorolla on Jan. 26, 2019 vs. Drake.
• Enjoyed his first 20-point output of the season and the third of his collegiate career to lead the team on Dec. 12 at Central Michigan. That marked his first 20-point effort in a road game at the collegiate level.
• Led the team in scoring with 12 points on Dec. 1 at UIC.
• Named to the MVC Preseason Second Team
• Leading into the season, put a lot of time into his shot, agility and being able to run faster and jump higher.
• Was one of two Valpo players to compete in all 35 games and made 33 starts during his freshman campaign.
• Was third on the team in scoring (9.4 ppg) and second in rebounding (4.6 ppg) while leading the team in blocked shots with 36 in 2019-20.
• Earned a place on the MVC All-Freshman Team in 2019-20.
• Scored in double figures on 19 occasions including eight outputs of 15+ points and two of 20+ points. He scored in double figures just once over his first seven games and then did so in 18 of the next 28.
• Is a high-level video game player, following in the footsteps of former Valpo sharp-shooter Ryan Fazekas. Enjoys playing NBA 2K games online all the time. Also enjoys tossing a football or baseball in his spare time.

#10 Eron Gordon, R-Sr. (Indianapolis, Ind.)

• Posted the eighth double figure scoring output of his Valpo career and his first of the season with 10 points on Dec. 9 vs. SIUE.
• Made his first start of the season, his fifth overall at Valpo and his first since Jan. 29, 2020 at Bradley in the Dec. 4 game at Purdue.
• Led the team on the glass for the first time in his Valpo career by squeezing a career-high eight rebounds in the Nov. 27 season opener at Vanderbilt.
• Was one of two players on the team who appeared in all 35 games in 2019-20.
• Made the go-ahead layup with three seconds left in overtime in Valpo’s 74-73 upset win over Loyola in the MVC quarterfinal to help the Brown & Gold complete an 18-point rally. That was the 25th time since the start of the 1992-93 season that Valpo prevailed on a game-winner in the final five seconds.
• Became the third Valpo player to hit a game-winner in the final five seconds of a conference tournament or postseason game since 1992-93, joining Ryan Broekhoff (2013 vs. Green Bay) and Bryce Drew (1998 vs. Ole Miss).
• Joined the program in 2018-19 but sat out due to transfer rules. Appeared in 48 games over his two years at Seton Hall.
• Oldest brother Eric was the seventh pick of the 2008 NBA Draft and has played 11 seasons in the NBA. Father Eric is one of the Top 20 all-time scorers at Liberty. Brother Evan is playing in the CBA after scoring over 1,300 points at the Division-I level at Liberty, Arizona State and Indiana.
• Enjoys filming and editing videos and podcasting.
• Enjoys travel and features his destinations on one of his YouTube channels.
• Future plans include playing professional basketball, pursuing broadcast journalism and contributing to the family business, E3 Basketball Academy.

#11 Emil Freese-Vilien, Fr. (Copenhagen, Denmark)

• Appeared in 16 games and averaged 6.6 minutes per contest while totaling 16 points, four blocked shots, five assists and 15 rebounds (six offensive boards) during his rookie campaign in 2019-20.
• Started playing basketball in November 2014 after playing badminton during his younger years.
• Played for Denmark at both the U16 and U18 FIBA Euro Championships in 2015 and 2017, respectively.
• Shortly before coming to Valpo, played for Vaerlose in the Danish Basketligaen, the highest professional league in Denmark.
• Majoring in civil engineering
• Has been very interested in drawing for many years. Wanted to become an architect for a long time and still has that dream in the back of his mind. Spends a lot of time drawing blueprints and houses.

#12 Tyler Fricke, Fr. (Arlington Heights, Ill.)

• Made his collegiate debut and scored his first points with a pair of free throws in the Dec. 6 victory over Judson.
• Joined the Valpo program as a walk-on for the 2020-21 season.
• Father Scott coached Valpo head coach Matt Lottich at New Trier High School during Lottich’s playing days.
• Brother Zach pitches for the Valpo baseball team.

#13 Sheldon Edwards, Fr. (West Palm Beach, Fla.)

• Poured in a personal-best 20 points on an efficient 7-of-9 shooting with eight rebounds on Dec. 9 vs. SIUE.
• Reached double figures for the first time in his Valpo career with a 10-point showing on Dec. 6 vs. Judson.
• Became the seventh Valpo freshman in the last 20 years to start the season opener on Nov. 27 at Vanderbilt.
• Averaged 21.2 points and 7.6 rebounds as a senior at Palm Beach Lakes High School in 2018-19.
• Spent a postgraduate year at TLAP Sports Academy in Port St. Lucie, Fla. during the 2019-20 season, averaging 32 points per game and five rebounds per contest while turning in two games of 40+ points.
• Favorite NBA player is Steph Curry, but he models his game after the likes of Devin Booker, Jayson Tatum and Bradley Beal. When he’s not playing basketball, the Valpo freshman spends much of his free time watching it.

#15 Luke Morrill, So. (Lombard, Ill.)

• Joined the program as a walk-on prior to the 2019-20 season.
• Saw action in five games, totaling nine minutes and accruing five points and two rebounds during his first season on campus.
• Majoring in computer engineering.
• Considers Valpo teammate Donovan Clay "like a brother" to him after the two were roommates as freshmen and during the spring 2020 COVID-19 quarantine.
• Enjoys fishing and wakesurfing, which is surfing in the boat’s wake without being directly pulled by the boat.

#21 Brock Pappas, Jr. (Valparaiso, Ind.)

• Made his season debut on Dec. 6 vs. Judson.
• Nursing major who joined the program as a walk-on in 2018-19.
• Is a Valparaiso, Ind. native and a graduate of nearby Washington Township.
• Mother (Lisa) has worked on Valpo’s campus for 32 years, currently serving as an administrative assistant in the Department of Education. Brother (Bryce) and father (Steve) are both Valpo graduates.
• Is the first boys basketball player in Washington Township High School history to play at the Division-I level.
• Grew up attending Valpo games and remembers being a young child who looked up to Valpo basketball players.
• Has always been interested in working with kids. Initially wanted to be a teacher but decided pediatric nursing is the field for him.

#22 Mileek McMillan, Sr. (Merrillville, Ind.) 

• Drained four 3s on his way to a team-high 18 points on opening night at Vanderbilt on Nov. 27, when he finished two points shy of a career high and equaled a personal best with seven made field goals.
• Was named to the MVC Most-Improved Team after upping his scoring average from 2.8 points per game as a sophomore to 8.8 points per game as a junior in 2019-20.
• Started all 34 games that he played as a junior after making just one start and averaging 8.1 minutes per game as a sophomore.
• Over doubled his rebounding average from the previous season, going from 1.5 to 3.2 in 2019-20. After making 10 3-pointers as a sophomore, he made 40 during his junior campaign and shot 42.3 percent from distance during conference play.
• Enjoys playing with his dog, roller skating and playing chess... Likes to look at the sky, especially prior to rainfall or during a sunset... Is a big fan of nature and the sound of trains.
• Twin brother Mahqueese attends Cal State Los Angeles.
• Was cut from his middle school basketball team in seventh grade, made the "B" team in eighth grade and missed his freshman year of high school with an injury.

#23 Ben Krikke, So. (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada)

• Posted 16 points and seven rebounds on 8-of-11 shooting in the Dec. 19 game at Toledo. The eight field goals marked a career high and the 16-point game was two shy of a personal best.
• Tied a career high with seven rebounds on Dec. 17 vs. Purdue Northwest.
• Had his fourth double-figure scoring output in the season’s first six games with 12 points to go along with a career-high three blocked shots on Dec. 12 at Central Michigan. He became the first Valpo player with three blocked shots in a game this season.
• Scored in double figures in each of the first two games of the 2020-21 season (at Vanderbilt, at UIC), the first set of back-to-back double-figure outputs in the sophomore’s collegiate career. His second straight double-figure showing featured 11 points on an efficient 4-of-5 shooting on Dec. 1 at UIC.
• Made his second career start and first against a Division-I opponent in the Nov. 27 season opener at Vanderbilt. Finished with 13 points, all in the second half, in a career-high 34 minutes.
• Leading into the season, spent time working on improving his shooting and hitting shots at a higher rate, especially from 3. Also worked on bulking up and improving his strength, dribbling and ball-handling. Hopes to be versatile enough to play on the perimeter if needed.
• Appeared in 33 games and made one start during his freshman season… Averaged 6.7 points per game and 2.9 rebounds per contest while blocking 15 shots, coming away with 15 steals, shooting 79.2 percent at the foul line, draining 14 3s and handing out 22 assists… Shot 55.0 percent from the field, finishing fifth in the conference and second among freshmen in field-goal percentage.
• Hails from Edmonton, a very devout hockey city, but says basketball there is on the upswing.
• Never played ice hockey, but did compete in badminton, volleyball and various track & field events.
• Loves to go fishing in the summer. Also enjoys mountain biking and chess, which he learned from his grandfather.

#25 Nick Robinson, R-Sr. (Chicago, Ill.)

• Scored a career-high 21 points on Nov. 17 vs. Purdue Northwest while also notching his fourth career three-steal game, shooting at an efficient 7-of-8 clip and drawing seven fouls.
• Led the team in scoring for the first time in his Valpo career with 15 points on Dec. 4 at Purdue. That marked his highest scoring output since Dec. 30, 2019 vs. Loyola (15) and was four shy of his career high (Nov. 12, 2019 at SIUE). He also squeezed six rebounds to share the team lead.
• Pulled down a team-high six rebounds on Dec. 1 at UIC, leading the team in rebounding for the fourth time in his collegiate career and first since Dec. 8, 2019 (9 vs. Central Michigan).
• Played in 25 games and made 19 starts while missing nine games due to a back injury.
• Joined the program as a transfer in 2018-19 and sat out due to transfer rules after playing two seasons at Saint Joseph’s and appearing in 62 games, starting 30 times.
• High school teammate of Valpo’s Zion Morgan at Kenwood.
• Enjoys taking photos of nature in his spare time.
• Has his own small business that involves buying and selling shoes, is a stock investor and plans to start investing in real estate.

#34 Jacob Ognacevic, Fr. (Sheboygan, Wis.)

• Went off for 20 points in the home opener on Dec. 6 vs. Judson. This marks the seventh consecutive year that at least one Valpo player has scored 20+ points in the home opener. He and Connor Barrett became the first freshman tandem to each score 17+ points in the same game in over 20 years.
• Drained four triples in just 14 minutes of action to achieve double figures for the first time in his collegiate career with 12 on Dec. 4 at Purdue.
• Made his collegiate debut in the Nov. 27 season opener at Vanderbilt, knocking down a 3 with his only shot attempt of the game to account for his first career points.
• Named to The Associated Press All-State First Team following his senior season at Sheboygan Lutheran in 2019-20 while also earning Herald Times Player of the Year, All-Big East Conference Player of the Year and Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association All-State First-Team status.
• Was a finalist for Wisconsin Mr. Basketball.
• Led his team to a 27-2 record and the state championship in Wisconsin Division 5 during his junior season in 2018-19 and was on the way to a repeat before the 2019-20 season was cut short due to COVID-19.
• Became the 38th player in the history of Wisconsin high school basketball to accumulate 2,000 career points, reaching the milestone on Jan. 23, 2020 with a 54-point game against Ozaukee
• Shattered the Sheboygan Lutheran scoring record that was previously held by Sam Dekker, who played in the NBA from 2015-2019 with the Houston Rockets, Los Angeles Clippers, Cleveland Cavaliers and Washington Wizards…
• Is a big fan of mixed martial arts and roots for all Boston professional sports teams.

#35 Connor Barrett, Fr. (Chicago, Ill.)

• Scored 14 points on Dec. 12 at Central Michigan, his second double-figure scoring output in a three-game span. That effort was highlighted at the foul line, where he went 6-for-6.
• Knocked down five 3s in the home opener vs. Judson on Dec. 6, becoming the first freshman with five treys in a game since 2013-2014 and the first Valpo player to do so in the first four games of his freshman season since 2006-07.
• Accrued his first collegiate points (3), rebounds (3) and assists (2) on Dec. 1 at UIC. His 3-pointer marked Valpo’s lone made triple of the contest.
• One of three Valpo freshmen to make his collegiate debut on Nov. 27 at Vanderbilt.
• Spent a postgraduate year at Brewster Academy in New Hampshire during the 2019-20 season.
• Averaged 11.9 points and 3.7 rebounds per game at Loyola Academy as a high school senior during the 2018-19 season while knocking down 64 3-pointers and shooting at a 37.9 percent clip.
• Led his high school team to back-to-back regional championships and sectional final appearances. Winning roots go back to his middle school days, when his team won three straight championships in sixth, seventh and eighth grades. Says winning at a young age helped him mature for the next level.
• Is an avid golfer whose best score is 73.