Valparaiso (9-10, 2-5 MVC)
at Indiana State (8-9, 1-4 MVC) 

Game No. 20 – Saturday, Jan. 22, Noon CT
Hulman Center (9,000) – Terre Haute, Ind.

Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will look to continue the momentum from Tuesday’s home victory as the squad hits the road for an instate showdown with Indiana State on Saturday afternoon. The Beacons have battled through a challenging start to conference play where five of their first seven league games came against teams projected to finish in the top four in the MVC standings. Now, the team hopes to build upon an overtime victory over a sound UNI team during a weekend trip to Terre Haute.

Last Time Out: Valpo trailed by as many as nine and led by as many as seven in regulation on a night where neither team would go away. Ultimately, overtime would be required as the Beacons fended off visiting UNI 83-80 behind a 22-point effort from Kevion Taylor. Thomas Kithier enjoyed a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double, while Trevor Anderson (16) and Kobe King (13) made it four players in double figures.

Following the Beacons: Streaming – ESPN+ – Brian Jennings (play-by-play) and Matt Renn (analyst)

Valpo Radio – 95.1 FM, WVUR, ValpoAthletics.com, TuneIn Radio App – Todd Ickow (play-by-play) and Brandon Vickrey (analyst)

Twitter updates - @ValpoBasketball

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

Head Coach Matt Lottich: Matt Lottich (92-88) 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 35-55 record in an all-times series that goes back to 1936-37. Most recently, the two teams split a pair of matchups at the ARC to round out the 2020-2021 regular season with Indiana State winning 58-43 on Feb. 26 before Valpo flipped the script for a double-digit victory of its own at 70-58 the next day. Since Valpo joined the Missouri Valley Conference prior to 2017-2018, the Beacons are 4-5 in nine matchups with the Sycamores.

To Regulation & Beyond: Since the calendar year flipped to 2022, half of Valpo’s six games have gone beyond the regulation 40 minutes. The 83-80 victory over UNI on Jan. 19 improved the team to 2-1 in overtime in MVC play and 2-2 overall in OT this season. Valpo also topped Illinois State 81-76 in OT on Jan. 2 and lost 81-74 at Loyola in double overtime on Jan. 11. This is the second time in the last three seasons that Valpo has had four overtime games. Three OT affairs in regular season conference play is already the team’s most since 2010-2011 and there are still 11 league games remaining. The Beacons have 10 losses this season, but five of them have come by four points or fewer, or in overtime, or both.

Reversal of Fortunes: Just two weeks after a 92-65 loss in Cedar Falls, Valpo reversed the result in an 83-80 overtime victory over UNI on Jan. 19. The last time Valpo beat a team that it had lost to by 27 or more earlier in the season was 1953-1954, when head coach Kenneth Suesens’ team beat Western Michigan 63-62 after having loss to WMU 103-70 earlier that year.

Century Mark in Sight: Valpo head coach Matt Lottich earned his 92^nd career win on Jan. 19 vs. UNI. He needs just eight 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 one more to tie Gene Bartow for fourth.

Righting the Rebounding

• Valpo was outrebounded in 11 of its first 13 games against Division-I opponents this season, but the Beacons have now won the rebounding battle in three of the last four games – Jan. 8 vs. Southern Illinois, Jan. 11 at Loyola and Jan. 19 vs. UNI.
• During that time, Valpo outrebounded Southern Illinois 33-29 on Jan. 8, Loyola 36-28 on Jan. 11 and UNI 37-26 on Jan. 19.
• In the Jan. 19 game against UNI, Valpo permitted just three UNI offensive rebounds, tying a season best (East West, SIU) despite playing an extra five minutes.
• The +11 rebounding margin against UNI was Valpo’s largest against a D1 foe since outrebounding Indiana State by 17 in last year’s regular season finale.
• The +11 against UNI was a key turnaround after Valpo was -10 on the glass in the Jan. 4 matchup between the two teams in Cedar Falls. Before winning the battle on the boards on Jan. 19, Valpo had been outrebounded by UNI in each of the previous six meetings between the two squads.
• The +8 rebounding margin against Loyola was Valpo’s best rebounding margin in a head-to-head matchup with the Ramblers since joining the MVC.
• The successful rebounding performance came against a Loyola team that is strong on the glass. Valpo snapped Loyola’s stretch of outrebounding the opponent in seven straight outings. Valpo became just the second team this season to outdo Loyola by eight or more on the glass, joining Auburn (+10).

Strength of Schedule

• Valpo may hold a 2-5 mark in conference play, but five of the team’s seven games have come against the programs picked to finish in the top four in the MVC preseason poll. All five of Valpo’s league losses have come against teams projected to finish in the top half of the Valley standings.
• Leading into Jan. 19 vs. UNI, Valpo had dropped five of its first six MVC games, but four of those defeats came against teams that owned a combined 18-5 conference record.
• Although the parity in the league has been evidenced by the number of close games, Valpo now reaches a point in the schedule where its next six games are against teams predicted to finish five through 10 in the preseason poll.

Taylor Tidbits

• Kevion Taylor scored a season-high 22 points on Jan. 19 vs. UNI, the seventh time this season he’s scored 15+ points and the 10^th time he’s reached double figures. He also tied season highs in made field goals (7) and made 3s (5).
• Although it was Taylor’s first time with 20+ points in a Beacon uniform, that marked the 37^th time Taylor has scored 20 points or more in a collegiate contest.
• During the Jan. 8 game vs. Southern Illinois, Taylor surpassed 1,800 points for his collegiate career (split between D-I and D-II). He became just the 32^nd active player at all levels of NCAA college basketball to reach the 1,800-point threshold. Taylor became just the 16^th active player in the NCAA (all three divisions) with 1,800 points and 600 rebounds.
• Furthermore, Taylor has scored more collegiate points than Michael Jordan (1,788).

Double-Double Details

• Thomas Kithier had his third double-double of the season and his second in the last four games with a 15-point, 11-rebound showing on Jan. 19 vs. UNI.
• Both Kithier’s point and rebound totals against the Panthers were his highest in conference play this year.
• The Valpo center has squeezed nine or more rebounds in three of his last four games and six or more in 10 of his last 11.
• Kithier is the first Valpo player with three or more double-doubles in a season since Derrik Smits had four in 2018-19. Alec Peters (16 in 2016-17) and Tevonn Walker (three in 2016-17) are the only other players to achieve that feat during the Matt Lottich Era.
• Kithier has owned or shared the team lead in rebounding in 11 out of the 17 games he’s played this season.
• One streak Kithier would like to reverse is that he’s fouled out in three straight games after doing so just once in his first 14 Valpo contests.

Taylor Tossing in Treys

• Kevion Taylor has made a 3 in 82 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).
• Taylor has made multiple 3-pointers in 14 out of 19 games this season. He’s hit at least one triple in all 19 contests.
• 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 19 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).
• On Jan. 15 vs. Missouri State, Taylor snapped a streak of eight 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 eight straight was Javon Freeman-Liberty (9, 2019-20).

Starter Shuffle

• No Valpo player has started every game this season.
• Valpo has used nine different starting lineup combinations this season.
• The last time Valpo used the same lineup in back-to-back games was Dec. 20 and Dec. 22 against Eastern Michigan and William & Mary.
• The only three players who have played in all 19 contests are Kevion Taylor, Sheldon Edwards and Eron Gordon.
• Gordon has played in all 82 Valpo games since the beginning of the 2019-20 season.
• The latest player to debut in the starting lineup is true freshman Preston Ruedinger, who made his first collegiate start on Jan. 8 vs. SIU and started again on Jan. 11 at Loyola. Ruedinger became the second nonscholarship player to start a game for Valpo during the Matt Lottich Era as John Kiser started on March 4, 2017 vs. Milwaukee at the Horizon League Tournament in Detroit as a freshman walk-on before earning a scholarship prior to his sophomore campaign.

Turnover Talk

• Valpo won the turnover battle in eight straight games prior to Jan. 5 at UNI, the team’s longest stretch of winning the turnover battle over the last 28 seasons.
• However, Valpo has lost the turnover battle in three of the last five games (at UNI, at Loyola, vs. UNI) and tied in turnovers against Missouri State.
• The Beacons have committed 10 turnovers or fewer in 12 of their 19 games this season.
• The 19 turnovers on Jan. 11 at Loyola tied a season high set on Nov. 17 at Stanford. Valpo uncharacteristically lost the turnover battle 19-9 against the Ramblers, as -10 represented the team’s worst turnover margin of the season. In fact, the last time Valpo lost the turnover battle by double figures was in 2017 against Northwestern (21-7).

The Rookie Report

• Freshman point guard Darius DeAveiro scored a season-high eight points on Jan. 15 vs. Missouri State. He knocked down three of his five shot attempts.
• In the contest against the Bears, DeAveiro logged over 20 minutes in a game for the first time since Dec. 7 vs. East-West and the first time against a Division-I foe since Nov. 13 vs. UIC.
• DeAveiro also saw a spike in his rebounding output as he squeezed four boards after having one in his previous six games combined.
• DeAveiro continued to see increased playing time on Jan. 19 vs. UNI by receiving 26 minutes of run, his second-highest total against a D-I foe this season.
• In the game against the Panthers, DeAveiro dished out six assists, his third game this season with six or more but first time with more than two against a D-I opponent.

Kobe’s Kingdom?

• After missing the first nine games of the season in order to gain NCAA eligibility, Kobe King is averaging a team-high 14.5 points per game in 10 contests (nine starts).
• He’s scored at least eight points in every outing, including eight appearances in double figures. He’s been in double figures in six of his last seven games, entering Jan. 22 at Indiana State.
• King has scored 16 points or more in five of his first 10 games in a Valpo uniform.
• King finished with 18 points on Jan. 8 vs. SIU, doing the bulk of his damage in the second half. He scored 13 second-half points including eight in the final four minutes of the game.
• Also on Jan. 8 vs. SIU, King tied a rebounding career high that was set in the previous game. He did not reach nine rebounds in any of his first 68 career games, but did so in consecutive contests (Jan. 5 at UNI, Jan. 8 vs. SIU).

Other Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 19: Valpo 83, UNI 80

• Valpo outscored UNI 34-24 on points in the paint after the Panthers owned a 48-14 advantage in that area on Jan. 5 in Cedar Falls.
• Valpo handed UNI, picked third in the MVC Preseason Poll, just its second loss in league play as the Panthers slipped to 5-2. The Beacons prevailed despite a valiant 33-point, 10-rebound effort from UNI’s Noah Carter. Carter’s 33 points were the most by a Valpo opponent since Southern Utah’s Randy Onwuasor’s 35 on Nov. 11, 2016.
• Valpo shot right at 50 percent (30-of-60), its second time in the last three games shooting 50 percent or better and the team’s fifth time overall this season at 50 percent or above.
• Valpo went 41.7 percent from 3 by draining 10 of its 24 attempts. The 3-point percentage was the squad’s best in Valley play this year and second-best overall this season behind 54.5 percent on Dec. 22 vs. William & Mary.
• The Beacons shot 86.7 percent at the foul stripe (13-of-15), shooting better that 80 percent from the charity line for the seventh time this season. That helped Valpo bounce back after a season-worst 53.3 percent free-throw mark on Jan. 15 vs. Missouri State.
• Valpo trailed by as many as nine, the third time this season Valpo has chased by nine or more and come back to win. For the fourth time this season, Valpo prevailed after trailing at halftime.
• Valpo improved to 5-29 when allowing 80 points or more during the Matt Lottich Era.

Scouting the Sycamores

• Enter this game at 1-4 in MVC play, but two of their five conference outings have come against Loyola, a team that is currently in the Top 25 nationally.
• Beat Bradley 76-71 on Jan. 2 before a pair of postponements were followed by a three-game skid that remains active entering this weekend.
• Fell 80-74 in overtime at UNI, 64-56 vs. Loyola and 63-55 at Southern Illinois.
• Four players are averaging in double figures, led by Cooper Neese at 14.9 points per game.
• Under the direction of first-year head coach Josh Schertz.
• Picked to finish ninth of 10 in the MVC preseason poll.

#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.