Southern Illinois (8-5, 1-0 MVC)
at Valparaiso (8-7, 1-2 MVC)

Game No. 16 – Saturday, Jan. 8, 6 p.m. CT
Athletics-Recreation Center (5,000) – Valparaiso, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will return home on Saturday night to welcome a Southern Illinois squad that will swing into action for the first time since Dec. 28 after having its last two games postponed. The Beacons will attempt to sustain their recent home success as they’ve won three straight home contests and five of their last six. Please note that all spectators, media members and event staff personnel are required to wear a mask at all home Valpo athletic events until further notice. Click here for game scorecard.

Last Time Out: UNI got 20 points from Noah Carter and 17 from Trae Berhow on its way to a 92-65 victory over Valpo on Wednesday night at the McLeod Center in Cedar Falls, Iowa. The Beacons were led by 17 points from Kevion Taylor, while Kobe King (14) and Ben Krikke (10) also finished in double figures. Valpo improved a 35 percent shooting clip in the opening half to 50 percent over the final 20 minutes, but the Panthers shot nearly 60 percent for the game and outscored the guests 48-14 in the paint.

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

Valpo Radio – 95.1 FM, WVUR, ValpoAthletics.com, TuneIn Radio App – Zach Collins (play-by-play)

Twitter updates - @ValpoBasketball

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

Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (91-85) is in his ninth season overall at Valparaiso University and sixth as the head coach of the men’s basketball program in 2021-2022. The 2020-2021 season saw Valpo improve its Arch Madness seeding for the fourth straight year as the program continued to make positive strides in each season as a Missouri Valley Conference member. The team earned a first-round bye in the State Farm MVC Tournament for the first time since joining the prestigious league. Valpo upset previously-undefeated Drake, the nation’s No. 25 team, 74-57 on Feb. 7, 2021 at the ARC, the fourth win over an AP Top 25 team in program history and second under Lottich. The Bulldogs were one of three undefeated teams in the nation prior to that setback, joining Gonzaga and Baylor. Just two years removed from finishing in last place and being knocked out in the first round of the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament as a first-year Valley member, Lottich’s team did more than hold its own in 2019-2020, ascending into a tie for sixth in the league standings before finishing as the conference tournament runner-up. Valpo became the first team in the history of Arch Madness to reach the title game after playing in the opening round. Lottich, hired as the 22nd head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program in April 2016, graduated from Stanford University in 2004 and New Trier High School (Illinois) in 2000.

Series Notes: Valpo holds a 7-5 advantage over Southern Illinois in a series that dates back to 1928. The two teams split a pair of down-to-the-wire affairs last season in Carbondale with the Beacons picking up a 66-65 victory on Feb. 21 before SIU returned the favor with a 67-64 triumph the following day. Valpo is 5-3 against the Salukis since joining The Valley and the two teams have split the season series in three of the four campaigns. Valpo is a perfect 3-0 at home against Southern Illinois during the MVC Era. Prior to Valpo joining The Valley, the two teams hadn’t met since 1980. SIU’s most recent visit to the ARC was Feb. 12, 2020, when Valpo prevailed 55-38, setting a program record for fewest points allowed to a Division-I team since the advent of the shot clock in 1985-86.

Milestone Watch: Kevion Taylor enters the Jan. 8 game vs. Southern Illinois four points away from 1,800 for his collegiate career (split between D-I and D-II). He will become just the 30^th active player at all levels of NCAA college basketball to reach the 1,800-point threshold. Taylor will become just the 16^th active player in the NCAA (all three divisions) with 1,800 points and 600 rebounds.  

Taylor Tossing in Treys

• Kevion Taylor has made multiple 3-pointers in 11 out of 15 games this season. He’s hit at least one triple in all 15 contests. The 15 straight is the longest stretch of games with a made 3 for a Valpo player since Javon Freeman-Liberty’s 19 in 2019-20.
• Taylor is the first Valpo player since at least the start of the 1989-90 season (nearly all the way back to the addition of the 3-point line) to make a 3 in each of his first 15 games of a season. He surpassed the program’s previous longest season-opening streak of 14 by Larry Barker in 1994-95. Three other Valpo players made a 3 in each of the first 13 games of a season – Bryce Drew (1995-96), Casey Schmidt (1992-93) and Mike Jones (1989-90).
• Taylor is currently on a streak of six straight games with multiple made 3s after opening the season with a stretch of five in a row with multiple triples. The last time Valpo had a player make multiple 3s in six straight was Ryan Fazekas in the 2019-20 season. Javon Freeman-Liberty also made two or more treys in nine consecutive games earlier in that season.
• Taylor has scored 15 points or more five times this year and three of them have come in the team’s last four games.
• Overall, he has made a 3 in 78 consecutive contests dating all the way back to Dec. 15, 2018 while playing for Winona State in a game at Concordia St. Paul. The highest of the NCAA records (Division I, Division II or Division III) for consecutive games with a made 3 is 93 and belongs to Daniel Park of D-II Rollins from Jan. 26, 1994 to Feb. 28, 1997. However, Taylor’s streak would not be recognized in the NCAA record book should it reach that point since it is split between Division I and Division II.
• If Taylor’s streak came in all D-I games, it would rank third in Division-I history. The D-I record is held by Mack Smith, who Valpo played against on Dec. 5 at Western Michigan. Smith set the record while at Eastern Illinois. Second is Corey Bradford of Illinois (88).

Balanced Scoring

• Valpo has featured incredible balance among its scorers this season with six players averaging in double figures through 15 games – Kobe King, Ben Krikke, Sheldon Edwards, Kevion Taylor, Trevor Anderson and Thomas Kithier.
• The last time Valpo finished a season with five or more players averaging in double figures was the 2007-2008 campaign – Shawn Huff, Jarryd Loyd, Urule Igbavboa, Brandon McPherson and Samuel Haanpaa.
• Valpo hasn’t had six players finish a season averaging in double figures since at least 1988-89.

Turnover Streak Snapped

• Valpo uncharacteristically committed 18 turnovers on Jan. 5 at UNI, the team’s second-highest total of the season behind 19 on Nov. 17 at Stanford.
• The game in Cedar Falls snapped an impressive streak of eight straight games in which Valpo won the turnover battle. That was the team’s longest such stretch over the last 28 seasons, outlasting a seven-game streak during the 2015-16 campaign.
• The Beacons have given it away 10 times or fewer in nine out of 15 games this season.
• Despite the aberration from the norm in the game against the Panthers, the Beacons lead the league in fewest turnovers per game at 11.1 (39^th nationally). They also lead The Valley in steals with 112 and steals per game at 7.5.
• Valpo is 7-3 when winning the turnover battle and 1-4 when losing it this season.

Avoiding Whistles: Valpo has been called for just 13.0 fouls per game this season, the fifth fewest nationally. A pair of Valpo opponents from earlier in the season also rank among the national leaders in that area – Charlotte (t-1^st, 12.8) and UNI (fourth, 12.9). Only two Valpo players have fouled out of a game this season (Kithier and Krikke once each).

Success at the Stripe

• Valpo went 17-of-21 (81 percent) at the foul line on Jan. 5 at UNI, the team’s second straight game and third this season with 16 or more made free throws. The 17 total makes were the team’s second most this year behind 18 on Nov. 22 vs. Jacksonville State.
• Trevor Anderson is one of two players in the MVC shooting 90 percent or better at the foul stripe this season (Isiaih Mosley of Missouri State is the other). Only one player in the history of the program has finished a season at 90 percent or better at the foul line with a minimum of 75 attempts – Casey Schmidt (92.6 percent) in 1993-94.
• Valpo enjoyed a perfect 16-of-16 performance at the free-throw line in the Jan. 2 overtime win over Illinois State. That marked the second time in a four-game stretch that the Beacons had gone unblemished at the foul stripe after a 14-of-14 showing on Dec. 11 vs. Charlotte.
• The Charlotte game was Valpo’s first perfect day at the stripe since February 2018 vs. Evansville (5-for-5) and first with at least 10 attempts since Nov. 17, 2016 at Oregon (14-of-14).
• Valpo became just the sixth team in the nation with a perfect free-throw shooting game with 15 or more attempts. The Beacons joined Villanova, Montana, Detroit Mercy, Purdue Fort Wayne and Charleston Southern on the list of teams that had achieved this feat.
• Valpo had two perfect games at the free-throw line with more than seven attempts before any other team in the MVC had turned the trick once.

Beacon Bounce Back?

• Valpo will try to bounce back from a 92-65 setback at UNI on Wednesday in Saturday’s game vs. SIU. Despite the loss to the Panthers, Valpo is 5-2 in the last seven games. The defeat snapped a three-game winning streak.
• The Beacons played without starter Thomas Kithier on Wednesday due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols. The team is 1-4 this season in games when only one of Kithier or Krikke plays. When both big men are available, Valpo has a 7-3 mark.
• Trey Woodyard was also out against UNI due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
• When Kithier returns, he figures to give Valpo a rebounding boost, as he has six or more rebounds in each of his last six games and leads the team at 6.5 per contest.
• The 92 points allowed on Jan. 5 at UNI represented a Valpo rarity as it marked the first time the Beacons surrendered more than 90 points in a game during the Matt Lottich Era. It was the most points Valpo has given up in a contest since March 7, 2016, a 99-92 overtime loss to Green Bay in the Horizon League Tournament in Detroit.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 5: UNI 92, Valpo 65

• Kobe King hauled in a career-high nine rebounds to pace the team on the boards. That topped his previous personal best of seven vs. Eastern Michigan on Dec. 20 of this season. He also scored 14 points, the fifth time in his six Valpo games that he’s scored a dozen or more.
• Kevion Taylor (17) led the team in scoring for the third time this season while turning in his eighth double-figure scoring output of the year and the 89^th of his collegiate career.
• Sheldon Edwards swiped three steals, his second straight game with three and his third time this season reaching that number.
• Edwards made multiple 3s for the third straight game and the 10^th time in 15 outings this season. He has made at least one 3 in 14 of 15 games and had a streak of 11 straight to open the season.
• Ben Krikke scored 10 points for his eighth double-figure scoring day of the season and the 37^th of his career.
• Krikke had a season-high four assists, tying a career high with his fourth career four-helper performance.
• Preston Ruedinger nailed a 3-pointer for his first collegiate basket.
• Valpo held MVC Preseason Player of the Year AJ Green to just nine points on 3-of-7 shooting.

Scouting the Salukis

• Only MVC game to date was a 54-52 victory at Evansville on Dec. 1.
• Haven’t played since beating Grambling State 75-64 on Dec. 28. Each of the program’s last two games were postponed due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
• Hold a 6-2 record over their last eight and have won three of their last four games with the lone loss coming to one of the nation’s best mid-major teams on the road (San Francisco).
• Hold a 6-0 home record but just a 2-5 mark in games played outside of Carbondale (road and neutral site).
• Picked to finish fifth in the MVC preseason poll with Marcus Domask on the MVC Preseason Second Team and Lance Jones on the third team.
• Domask leads the team in scoring at 15.2 points per game and rebounding at 4.8 per contest. Lance Jones (14.7 ppg) and Ben Coupet Jr. (12.0 ppg) are also averaging in double figures.

Century Mark in Sight: Valpo head coach Matt Lottich earned his 91^st career win on Jan. 2 vs. Illinois State. He needs just nine more to become the fourth head coach in program history to reach 100 career victories, joining Homer Drew, Bryce Drew and J.M Christiansen. Lottich currently ranks fifth in program history for career head coaching victories and needs just two more to tie Gene Bartow for fourth.

Gordon Goes Off

• Eron Gordon went off for a season-high 13 points – all in the first half – to help Valpo to the Jan. 2 victory over Illinois State. He did his damage at an efficient 5-of-8 shooting clip while knocking down three of his six 3-point tries.
• Gordon had been held scoreless in six of his first 13 games and held to three points or fewer in 11 of the 13 contests, so the 13 points represented a significant breakthrough.
• Gordon also pulled down a season-high eight rebounds, leading the team on the glass for the first time this season after doing so 11 times a year ago. He added four assists to his strong performance against the Redbirds.

Other Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 2: Valpo 81, Illinois State 76 (OT)

• Valpo boasted five players in double figures – Ben Krikke (18), Trevor Anderson (14), Eron Gordon (13), Kobe King (12) and Sheldon Edwards (12). This marked the first time Valpo had five players in double figures this season and first since Jan. 28, 2021 vs. Bradley.
• Valpo prevailed despite playing shorthanded with two players including one starter unavailable due to COVID-19 health and safety protocols.
• Valpo played its second overtime game of the season and improved to 1-1 in such contests. The last OT win for the Beacons prior to Sunday was the aforementioned Jan. 28, 2021 game vs. Bradley, a 91-85 victory.
• Valpo extended its head-to-head winning streak against Illinois State to eight. Valpo is 8-1 against the Redbirds since joining The Valley. Three of the last four matchups have been decided by five points or fewer.
• Krikke’s 18 points marked the sixth time in 11 games this season that he has finished with 17 or more. Krikke scored 12 of his 18 before halftime.
• Anderson’s 14 points allowed him to finish in double figures for the third time in four games, the seventh time in a nine-game span and the ninth time overall this season. He went 5-of-6 on 2-point shots.
• King had 12 points or more for the fourth time in five games, while Edwards enjoyed his 11^th double-figure scoring output of the season.
• Krikke led the team in scoring for the team-high fifth time this season and the 17^th time in his career.
• Anderson tied a season high by handing out a team-high six assists for the second consecutive game. He also had six helpers in the final outing before Christmas on Dec. 22 vs. William & Mary.
• Illinois State pulled down 18 offensive rebounds, the most Valpo has given up in a game this season.
• Valpo held Illinois State to just 5-of-21 (23.8 percent) from beyond the arc including 0-of-4 in overtime.
• Antonio Reeves (24) and Sy Chatman (23) accounted for 62 percent of Illinois State’s scoring.

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

#ChampionsInCommunity

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

Beacon Bits

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

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

Forward Trajectory

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

More on 2020-21

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

2021-22 Preseason Picks

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

Sustained Home Success

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

Home-Heavy Schedule

• The historic home success is good news for Valpo this season, as the team will play 17 home games.
• The nonconference slate will be comprised of eight home dates, two road games and three neutral-site contests.
• Valpo most recently played 17 home games during the 2016-17 season. This will mark the team’s busiest home calendar since joining the Missouri Valley Conference.

Big Ten U

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

Who’s Back

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

Staff Sidebars

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

Tradition of Excellence

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