Oakland at Centenary
Matchup: Oakland University 9-16, 4-9 Mid-Continent Conference; Centenary 4-21, 2-12.
Tip-off: 8 p.m., Gold Dome, Shreveport, La.
Overview: Oakland needs a victory or two to secure a spot in the conference tournament. Centenary beat the Grizzlies, 75-66, four weeks ago at Rochester. Forward Chris Watson leads the Gents in scoring at 14.1.
Staying third UMKC’s top priorityThe Kansas City Star
Struggles continue for Leathernecks
MEN’S BASKETBALL: Senior salute for six Crusaders--The Post-Tribune
Feb. 18, 2006
By Justin Breen / Post-Tribune deputy sports editor
Valparaiso’s six seniors will finish their home careers tonight against Niagara.
For Dan Oppland, Ali Berdiel, Ron Howard, Seth Colclasure, Jim Hooper and Mohamed Kone, it will mark on final time to play under the ARC lights.
With the exception of Hooper, the seniors are the top five scorers for VU in 2005-06. Kone (8.0 rpg) and Oppland (7.6 rpg) also are the top two Crusaders rebounders.
The Crusaders (15-9), who are 9-2 at home this season, are coming off a 70-64 victory over Chicago State on Thursday.
Niagara lost 82-81 in overtime to Manhattan College on Monday.
The Purple Eagles (10-14) have won 4-of-6 games and are led by Lorenzo Miles (14.9 ppg), Clif Brown (13.2 ppg, 7.8 rpg), J.R. Duffey (11.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg) and James Mathis (10.0 ppg, 5.9 rpg).
The game is one of 50 pool games pitting potential BracketBusters candidates.
n n n
There have been rumors lately stating Valpo recruit Keaton Frye will attend a prep school next season.
Dave Wessel, Frye’s coach at North Scott High School in Eldridge, Iowa, said those rumors likely aren’t true.
“I would not put much credence in it myself,” Wessel said Friday. “Anything can happen, but I’ve never heard such a story.
“I know he’s excited about Valparaiso. He’s very excited about Valpo.”
Frye, a 6-foot-3 senior guard, is averaging a Mississippi Athletic Conference-best 18.3 ppg for North Scott.
Last season, he averaged 16.5 ppg and 9.7 rpg.
Contact Justin Breen at 648-3122 or jbreen@post-trib.com
Valparaiso men
vs. Niagara
Records: Valparaiso 15-9, Niagara 10-14
When: 7:05 p.m. today
Where: Athletics-Recreation Center
TV: Ch. 56 (Merrillville); Ch. 46 (South Bend)
Radio: 95.1-FM, 95.9-FM,
1500-AM
Valparaiso women
vs. Chicago State
Records: Valparaiso 14-9, 8-4 Mid-Con; Chicago State 11-12, 6-6
When: 2:05 p.m. today
Where: Athletics-Recreation Center
JOHN MUTKA COLUMN: Missouri move a successful one for former VU basketball coach
Feb. 18, 2006
Eighteen years after he left Valparaiso University, basketball coach Tom Smith continues to develop his legacy at Missouri Western.
Most of Smith’s 532 victories have come with the Griffons, where he ranks as the No. 1 winner in the Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletic Association.
“It’s been a great run,” says the Gary native, who has guided the Division II school to 10 national tournaments, five MIAA championships and four tournament titles.
Only the seventh active coach in Division II history to top 500 victories, Smith is shooting for 600 which should take no more than five years.
His wife will be close by as he shoot for that milestone. Patsy’s in her seventh year as assistant athletic director, where her duties include finances and budgets.
“She’s in charge of seven of our 10 sports, not including basketball,” Smith says.
Complete freedom makes coaching at Missouri Western fun for Smith, who played for Gene Bartow at Valparaiso University, then coached there from 1980-89.
“Almost all my kids come from junior colleges,” Smith said. “I probably haven’t had more than 12 kids come in directly from high school.”
Though his roster undergoes a complete transition every two years, Smith has produced at least 20 victories 12 times.
That’s a far cry from his
84-138 record at Valparaiso.
Flashing the dry wit I remember him by, Smith jokingly refers to VU as “my eight years in purgatory.”
Valparaiso was still a Division I infant when Smith replaced Ken Rochlitz, who bolted for Northwest Community College in Wyoming after four years.
Back then, the Mid-Continent Conference was much more formidable than the current watered-down version. Its members included Southwest Missouri State, Northern Iowa, Wisconsin-Green Bay, Cleveland State and Illinois-Chicago.
“I was going up against coaches like Dick Bennett, Charlie Spoonhour and Kevin Mackey,” Smith says.
The former Mann star refers to his VU coaching experience as a case of bad timing.
“They weren’t ready to make the commitment. I don’t think they understood what was needed to compete at that level.”
Handicapped by a limited budget, Smith lost 24 players in eight years, suggesting they left because VU did not create a Division I image.
A limited budget handicapped recruiting. So did the overall approach.
“I’m thinking $40,000 to $50,000,” Smith estimates. “We didn’t even take buses. We traveled by vans.
“When we dedicated our gym (the ARC) against Notre Dame we didn’t even identify ourselves. The scoreboard read Notre Dame vs. HOME.”
Smith’s son, Todd, now an assistant coach at Rice, played for him from 1985-89.
“I like to kid him about giving my first-born (to Valparaiso),” Smith chuckles. “It wasn’t good enough.”
It was an ironic comparison to current coach Homer Drew and his son, Bryce, who led the Crusaders to their only NCAA victories in 1998 and is expected to be VU’s next coach when his dad decides to step down.
E-mail John Mutka
at jandgmutka@msn.com.
Last call for three VU seniors--The NWI Times
Scouting VU men's basketball--The NWI Times
Hooper inspires VU teammates--The NWI Times
Kangaroos and T-Birds To Meet At Municipal On Saturday--UMKC Kangaroos
Thunderbirds Meet UMKC With A Share Of Third-Place On The Line--SOUTHERN UTAH THUNDERBIRDS
VALPO TO HONOR SENIOR CLASS SATURDAY AT ARC--www.valpo.edu
Men's Basketball Hosts Chicago State Saturday Night--Western Illinois Athletics
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