Game 12- Missouri State

It was a perfect night last time out for Valparaiso, in more ways than one. First off, the Crusaders rolled over Chicago State 71-53, improving to 9-2 on the year. But there were other modes of perfection. Alec Peters would be perfect from downtown, hitting all six of his three-pointers and finishing with 26 points. Peters added seven rebounds, a steal and a block. Darien Walker chipped in 12 points, three rebounds, four assists, two steals and a block. Seven players coming off the Crusader bench combined for 19 points, led by Shane Hammink with seven. Tevonn Walker again didn't play for Valpo with an injury. On the defensive side, Valpo held the Panthers to just 39.6% shooting from the floor. Only one Chicago State player broke double digits, with Kieran Woods scoring 14 off the bench. Trayvon Palmer added eight points and 10 boards. The battle of brothers would be won by Valpo's Jubril Adekoya (6 points, 6 rebounds) over his brother Jawed (5 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist).

Today, the Crusaders will welcome the Missouri State Bears (4-6, 0-0 MVC) into the ARC. The Bears are coming off of a 85-66 victory over Oral Roberts on Wednesday night, while Valpo hasn't played in over a week (because of finals). Missouri State did defeat Oklahoma State 64-63 in Stillwater, but went 0-3 at the Puerto Rico Tipoff and lost in the MW/MVC Challenge.
-This will be just the third true road game for the Bears this season.
-Missouri St. is led by Camryn Boone (14.3 ppg, 6.7 rpg) and Obediah Church (7.1 ppg, 6.2 rpg).
-Center Tyler McCullough (6'11") is the tallest player on the Bears' roster. Guard Dequon Miller stands just 5'10".
-Both Valpo and Missouri St. were founding members of the Association of Mid-Continent Universities, playing in the league together from 1982-1990,
-The Bears lead the all-time series 14-5. Valpo won the most recent matchup, a 62-54 victory in 2012.
-With a Valpo victory, the Drew family (Homer, Scott, Bryce) would reach 1,000 career victories. The win would be Bryce Drew's 104th.
-Today's game will be televised on ESPN3 and on the radio at WVUR (95.1 FM). Todd Ickow, David Huseman, and Brandon Vickrey will have the call on both platforms.
-Valpo is currently ranked third in the Collegeinsider.com Mid-Major Top 25.
-This will be the final home game of 2015 for the Crusaders, who won't return to the ARC until January 2, 2016 against UIC.

Game 11- @ Chicago State

Once again, it took a classic defensive effort for Valparaiso to pull out a 69-63 road win last night at Indiana State. The Crusaders locked down on defense in the first half, holding the Sycamores to 19% shooting from the floor, and leading by 10 at the break, although the lead had been as high as 12. In the second half, it was offense that Valpo needed, and though ISU would take a lead midway through the half, it was only by one, and Valpo would come back to put away a tough road victory. Free throw shooting down the stretch nearly doomed the Crusaders, but they would hit on all of their attempts in the final minute, finishing 23-32 on the game, for the win. Alec Peters was again the driving force for Valpo, tallying a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds while adding two steals. E. Victor Nickerson, again starting in place of the injured Tevonn Walker, picked up 15 points as well, adding seven rebounds, an assist, and two steals, while Darien Walker and David Skara chipped in 12 points apiece. Four Crusaders combined to score 18 points off the bench, led by Skara with 12. For Indiana State, much of their damage was done by just two players. Matt Van Scyoc and Brenton Scott combined for 36 points, putting up 20 and 16, respectively. No other Sycamore scored more than six, although the ISU bench contributed 27 points. Tevonn Walker was again out for Valpo with injury.

Tomorrow night the Crusaders travel across the state line to take on the Chicago State Cougars (3-6, 0-0 WAC). The Cougars have lost five straight games, most recently falling 96-72 at DePaul on Saturday night. Chicago State has yet to beat a Division I team this season. The Cougars are led by junior guard Elliott Cole (14.3 ppg, 3.3 apg) and senior guard Kieran Woods, who leads the WAC with 2.8 steals per game. The Cougars roster also includes senior guard/forward Jawad Adekoya, the brother of Valparaiso forward Jubril Adekoya.
-Chicago State took part in the Emerald Coast Classic earlier this season, finishing 0-4 but losing their last three games by three points or less.
-The game will take place at the Jones Convention Center, which seats 7,000. The largest home crowd Chicago State has seen this season was 510 for a game against Illinois Tech.
-Valparaiso leads the all-time series between the two teams 28-3. The last meeting came as part of the Joe Cipriano Nebraska Classic in 2012, with Valpo claiming a 67-46 victory.
-The game can be streamed online at the WAC Digital Network. It will be on the radio on WVUR 95.1 FM in Valparaiso, with Todd Ickow and David Huseman on the call.
-This will be Chicago State's first home game since November 21, against Trinity International. They will begin a stretch of five games in 10 days with the game against Valpo, but won't be at home again until December 19.

Game 10- @Indiana State

When the second-largest home crowd of the season enters the ARC, and the only giveaway is a winter hat to the first 500 fans, you just know that the opponent for Valparaiso warrants attending. Thursday night was one of those games. The Belmont Bruins entered town, ranked 9th in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Top 25, as the first of a home-and-home series between the Bruins and Crusaders. It turned out to be the high-quality game everyone expected, but not the shootout, high scoring, break-the-scoreboard game that has been common for Belmont. Instead, it was a close, tense, defensive affair, just the way that Valpo likes to play. The Crusaders certainly didn't play perfect, hitting just 35.4% from the floor and 6-25 (24%) on threes, but were able to grind out a 61-57 win, coming back from being four down at the under-eight timeout and scraping out the victory. Valpo was, as usual, led by Alec Peters, who put up a quiet 17 points to go along with five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. Keith Carter was also strong, with 14 points, four rebounds, an assist, and a steal on the day. As has become a Bryce Drew custom in close games, the Crusaders only played eight players total, with David Skara, Shane Hammink, and Jubril Adekoya combining for 15 points off the bench. Skara had perhaps the biggest possession of the game with under four minutes to go, rebounding a missed free throw, then a missed runner in the lane, and finally hitting the and-one layup to help keep Valpo on top. The Crusaders defense held Belmont under 70 for the first time on the season, which looks more impressive considering the Bruins had scored 105 just two days before. Belmont was led Craig Bradshaw's 12-5-4-2-1 line, and Evan Bradds added 11 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. For the Crusaders, Tevonn Walker sat out with injury, joining Derrik Smits in the tracksuits for the day.

Next up for Valpo will be a Wednesday night fixture in Terre Haute against Indiana State. These two teams have met 79 times in their history, with ISU holding a 50-29 all-time advantage. The Crusaders and Sycamores last met in 2004, a meeting won 70-68 in OT by Indiana State. The Sycamores enter 3-4 (0-0 MVC) on the season. The Sycamores most notably beat Wyoming in the MVC-MW Challenge and went 2-1 at the U.S. Virgin Islands Paradise Jam. However, they have since lost their last two games, falling to Eastern Illinois, and then on the road at nationally ranked Butler on Saturday by a 85-71 score. Indiana State is led by guard Devonte Brown (14.4 ppg, 4.0 rpg) and guard/forward Khristian Smith (12.1 ppg, 6.6 rpg). The Sycamores do give up height in the middle, as their tallest player is just 6'9". The tallest player to have started a game for the Sycamores is Brandon Murphy (6'7", 5.4 ppg, 2.4 rpg, 0.14 bpg), who has started all seven games. The game will be at the Hulman Center, seating 10,200; the largest crowd to see a game in the arena this season, however, was just 4131. This will be Indiana State's first home game since November 16, a span of 23 days. The game can be streamed on ESPN3 and will be on the radio in Valparaiso on WVUR 95.1 FM. Todd Ickow and Aaron Leavitt will have the radio call, while the live stream will be called by Jason Pensky and Jim Waugh of WTWO in Terre Haute.

Game #9-Belmont

It's been a while since Valpo was beating up on non-D1 teams in the Beaver Showcase. Since cruising over IU Kokomo, the Crusaders have gone 2-2, with victories over Trinity Christian and Oregon State in the Showcase, but also losses to Oregon and Ball State. This four-game run began at home against the Trolls of Trinity Christian, and was a thorough no-contest. The Crusaders would become the first team in the nation to win five games, in emphatic fashion, leading by 21 at the half and cruising to an 89-42 victory. Valpo was led by Darien Walker, who had a double-double with 20 points, 10 rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Vashil Fernandez also had a double-double, scoring 11 points to go with 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals, and a block. Off the bench, Max Joseph and Lexus Williams each had nine points. Valpo held TCC to just 15 second-half points. The Trolls would be lead by Jordan Perry, who would put up 17 points, four rebounds, an assist, and a block, but Caleb Jonkman (10 points) was the only other player who scored in double figures for Trinity Christian. The game was official for Valpo, but was an exhibition for Trinity Christian.  David Skara sat out for Valpo with an injury, while Shane Hammink served the final of a two-game suspension.

The Crusaders then hit what might be their toughest test this regular season, a game at the #25 Oregon Ducks in Eugene. It was an admirable effort from Valpo, but one that would come up just short in the end by a final score of 73-67. The Crusaders had a two-point halftime lead, but would be outscored by eight in the second half to be defeated. Valpo was lead by Tevonn Walker, who tallied 14 points to go along with three rebounds and two assists. Alec Peters added 13 points, three rebounds, two assists, and a steal, and Darien Walker stuffed the stat sheet with 11 points, four rebounds, an assist, and three steals. Off the bench, Shane Hammink had 10 points in his first game back from suspension. David Skara still didn't return from an ankle injury suffered against IU Kokomo. For the Ducks, Dillon Brooks would be the star, tallying a double-double with 26 points and 13 rebounds, adding in a steal as well. Tyler Dorsey added 21 and Elgin Cook had 13 points. The deciding factor in the game would be free throws, as Valpo attempted six, making five, while Oregon shot 17-24 from the stripe to send the Crusaders to their first loss of the season.

Valpo would conclude its West Coast swing with the de facto championship game of the Beaver Showcase against the Oregon State Beavers at Gill Coliseum. Valparaiso would lead nearly start-to-finish, leading by as much as 17 in the second half and never trailing by more than two. The Crusaders pushed to a nine-point halftime edge, and although they nearly allowed a late Oregon State comeback, Valpo hung on for a 63-57 victory. The Crusaders were led by Tevonn Walker and Shane Hammink, who tallied 15 points each. Alec Peters made an impact inside, picking up a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds, adding an assist, a steal, and a block. Valpo largely limited Oregon State's offense outside of Gary Payton II, who had a double-double with 25 points and 11 rebounds, but needed 25 field goal attempts and three free throws to get his points. The next-highest scoring Beaver was Stephen Thompson, Jr., who scored nine off the bench. With the victory, Bryce Drew earned his 100th victory as Valpo head coach, joining his father, Homer, and J.M. Christiansen as the only coaches in school history to hit that mark.

Valparaiso would wrap up the three-game road swing back in Indiana, playing at the Cardinals of Ball State. The Crusaders would see the return of David Skara from a injury he suffered earlier in the season, but were without the services of Tevonn Walker, who was injured earlier in the week. He was replaced in the starting lineup by E. Victor Nickerson, who would contribute 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two steals in return. The effort to come back from a six-point halftime deficit and a Ball State lead that ballooned to 12 in the second half, the largest deficit faced by Valpo this season, was led by Alec Peters. He would score a season-high 28 points to go along with five rebounds and an assist, but it wouldn't be enough to complete the comeback. Keith Carter would miss on a last-second three, and the Cardinals would escape with a 69-66 victory, dropping Valpo to 6-2. Ball State was led by 15 points from Bo Calhoun, and Franko House added 14 and eight boards. The Crusaders would be done in by poor free throw shooting, as they shot just 13-21 for the game.

Tonight, the Crusaders will be hosting the Belmont Bruins (5-3, 0-0 OVC) in the first game of a home-and -home set. Belmont has won three of their last four games, including a 105-89 win over Lipscomb on Tuesday night. The Bruins are ranked 9th in the CollegeInsider Mid-Major Top 25 and sit 76th in ESPN's RPI. Belmont is led by Evan Bradds (19.5 ppg, 8.1 rpg) and Craig Bradshaw (17 ppg, 48.1 3P%). Valpo leads the all-time series between the two teams 8-1, but the Crusaders and Bruins last met in 2002 at the ARC, an 83-65 Valparaiso victory. Belmont's only victory came in 2001 at the Curb Event Center. The game can be live-streamed on ESPN3.com and will be on the radio at WVUR (95.1 FM) out of Valparaiso. Todd Ickow and David Huseman will be on the call for both mediums. Tipoff from the ARC will be at 7:00 PM.

Game 5-Trinity Christian

Three more games, three more wins for Valpo. After the season-opening victory over IPFW, Valpo has beaten Iona, Rhode Island, and IU Kokomo to become the first team in Division I to four official (not counting exhibition) wins on the season. Shockingly, the victory over Iona on Sunday afternoon, in the first game of the Beaver Classic, was the easiest. The Gaels entered the game 6th in the Mid-Major Top 25 from collegeinsider.com, but were shut down by the Valpo defense. The Crusaders played possibly their best game of the Bryce Drew era, with shutdown D and firepower on offense leading to the win. Valparaiso opened the game quick, led 18-2 at one point, and never let the lead drop below 15 the rest of the way. Tevonn Walker led the Crusaders with 17 points, 3 assists, and a steal, while Shane Hammink chipped in a career-high 16 points to go with 7 rebounds off the bench. Shockingly for Valpo, Alec Peters didn't take a shot until after the under-4:00 media timeout in the first half and only scored 12 points, but added 7 rebounds, 3 steals, and an assist and block. Valpo shut down the preseason MAAC Player of the Year AJ English of Iona to just 12 points on 2-7 shooting. He scored 8 of his 12 on free throws.

As if that wasn't enough, Valpo went on the road for the first time this season, traveling to Kingston, RI to take on the Rams of Rhode Island, another mid-major garnering votes in the AP Top-25 poll at the start of the year. As part of the Tip-Off Marathon on ESPN networks, this game began at 9:00 AM Central Time. The Crusaders seemed to be affected by the early start, and possibly the big stage, with the game being televised on ESPN2. Valpo was down 20-18 after the first half, and it probably should have been more. Ouch. No initiative to score, no fight, and none of the drive that has been common from the Crusaders the last two years. Luckily, that was missing from the Rams as well, opening the door for Valpo to take advantage in the second half. Led by strong guard play from Keith Carter and Tevonn Walker, who each had 12 points, Vashil Fernandez, who also added 12, and Alec Peters, with a team-high 14 points, Valpo pushed the lead as high as 9 in the second half before hanging on in the final seconds to pull out the win. Only four players saw action off the bench, with Shane Hammink scoring 2 points and Jubril Adekoya 4, but that still bettered Rhode Island's four total bench points from three players. Although it was a win, Valpo will lose the services of Darien Walker for a spell. He scored just 2 points in 24 minutes and seemed affected by some injury, just as he had in the first two games. David Skara didn't make the trip with an injury, joining Derrik Smits on the injury list.

Last night, the Crusaders cruised in an uneventful Beaver Classic victory over the Cougars of IU Kokomo. Valpo sat three players, as joining Derrik Smits in sweats were Darien Walker, David Skara, and Shane Hammink (who served the first of a two game suspension). The only time the Crusaders didn't lead was at 2-2, as Valpo would lead 53-18 at the half. In the second half, Valparaiso would play zone defense and run a stall offense, not running a play until there was less than :15 on the shot clock. IU Kokomo would only be outscored 25-22 in the second half, but it made no real difference on the outcome of the game. Valpo would be led by Jubril Adekoya, who had a career-high 20 points to go with 8 rebounds and an assist. Off the bench, Nick Davidson had a career-high 13 points, and chipped in 2 rebounds, 4 assists, and a steal. Valpo only played eight players, with Vashil Fernandez and Keith Carter not appearing in order to get rest. Chandler Levingston Simon took advantage of that to make his Valpo debut, fouling out after 11 minutes of action with 4 points and 4 rebounds. The biggest news of the game came postgame, when it was announced that Derrik Smits will be out for the season with two torn ligaments in his ankle. The freshman center will redshirt and return next season as a redshirt freshman.

Tonight, the Crusaders play the final of three games in three days, this one also at the ARC. The Trinity Christian Trolls (4-2) come to town out of the NAIA, fresh off of a loss to Olivet Nazarine University last night.

Game #2-Iona

Yes, the Crusaders are 1-0. No, it wasn't terribly pretty. IPFW fought hard, tied the game a couple of times in the second half, and never really went away until the final two minutes. Valpo took care of business, which is good enough at this time of year. Alec Peters would lead the Crusaders with 24 points, 7 rebounds, and a steal. David Skara chipped in 14 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 blocks, and a steal off the bench, and Shane Hammink and Keith Carter added ten points apiece. Valpo never trailed by more than two points, and the Crusaders never trailed in the second half, eventually pushing their lead to 14 inside of the final minute. The biggest news coming out of the day was freshman center Derrik Smits suffering a potentially long-term foot injury. He was in a walking boot and sweats during the game, and will be out against Iona.

Game 2, however, becomes much tougher as Valparaiso welcomes the Iona Gaels (0-0) to the ARC today as part of action in the Beaver  The Gaels are the preseason pick to win the MAAC, with 119 of 121 possible votes. The Gaels also are receiving a vote in the AP Top 25. Easily the best player for Iona is AJ English, the preseason pick for MAAC Player of the Year, after being First Team All-MAAC the last two seasons. He averaged 20.1 ppg and 5.1 apg last season in leading Iona to the NIT last season. The Gaels depth consists of Schadrac Casimir (14.5 ppg), a preseason pick to First Team All-MAAC and last season's MAAC Freshman of the Year, as well as Isaiah Williams(13.3 ppg, 6.1 rpg), a preseason Second Team All-MAAC pick. Iona is being projected into the NCAA Tournament by both ESPN and CBS Sports.

Valpo will possibly see the return of E. Victor Nickerson after offseason wrist surgery. He will be in uniform, but there are questions as to if he will play or not. 

The game can be viewed at ESPN3.com, and will be on the radio at WVUR (95.1 FM). Todd Ickow, David Huseman, and Tommy Mantice have the call on both platforms.

Valparaiso MBB Season Preview

After going 28-5, winning both the Horizon League regular season and tournament titles, the Crusaders return to the court for 2015 with the bullseye on their backs. Valpo loses only one senior, David Chadwick (8.8 mpg, 2.3 ppg, 1.3 rpg), and returns every other player from that team. Added to the mix are Lexus Williams, who returns after missing 2014-15 with a knee injury, recruit Derrik Smits (Zionsville HS, Zionsville, Ind.), and two transfers who had to sit out last season in Shane Hammink (LSU) and Chandler Levingston Simon (UMKC), who have two and three years of eligibility remaining, respectively. After primarily using an eight-man rotation last season, there are 14 players vying for playing time on a stacked Crusaders roster.


Alec Peters (16.8 ppg, 6.7 rpg) is still the unquestioned leader of this team. He was First Team All-Horizon League and NABC First Team All-District 12, as well as earning MVP nods at the Challenge in Music City and the Horizon League Championship. Possibly his biggest achievement was reaching the 1,000 point mark in the NCAA Tournament versus Maryland, becoming the first player in program history to hit that mark by the end of his sophomore season. Before this season has fully started, Peters has already picked up where he left off, being named to the watch list for the Karl Malone Award and earning a nod to the Preseason All-HL First Team. In the exhibition game against Indianapolis, Peters had a career-high 34 points to go with six rebounds, an assist, and one block.

The Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year, Jubril Adekoya (4.7 ppg, 4.2 rpg), should once again make a large impact for the Crusaders off the bench this year. His role is projected to be diminished with Vashil Fernandez being granted a fourth year of eligibility, but Adekoya should still make a mark on the team. The Tinley Park, Ill. native had a career-high 14 points last season against Youngstown State and added 10 points against UIC earlier in the season. Adekoya scored four points and added six rebounds against Indianapolis.

The only region product on the Valparaiso roster is Nick Davidson (1.9 ppg, 0.5 rpg), from Andrean High School in Merrillville. He appeared in 15 games for the Crusaders last season, tallying a career-high eight points in a win at James Madison. He would be named to the Horizon League Academic Honor Roll. Davidson didn't score in under a minute of action in the exhibition against Indianapolis.

As the only freshman on the Valpo, roster, Derrik Smits might feel overshadowed, even at 7'1". It doesn't help that his father, Rik, played 12 NBA seasons and was an All-Star in 1998. Derrik, however, is making a pretty big name for himself. He was an Indiana All-Star last year at Zionsville High School, where he averaged 14.9 points, 5.8 rebounds, and 2.6 blocks per game his senior season. In his first game at Valpo, he scored four points and added three rebounds, an assist, and a block against UIndy in the exhibition matchup.

Lexus Williams returns to the court after missing all of last season with an injury. He does still have three seasons of eligibility. In his freshman year of 2013-14, Williams would be named to the HL All-Freshman Team. He averaged 6.5 points and 2.4 assists per game, as well as leading the team with 35 steals. He scored a career-high 22 points in a February win at Detroit.

Vashil Fernandez (6.9 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 2.9 bpg) was granted a fourth year of eligibility by the NCAA, allowing him to return for what becomes his second senior season with the Crusaders. Fernandez was named as the HL Defensive Player of the Year last season, as his 2.9 blocks per game ranked 11th nationally, and his block percentage of 12.97% was sixth in the nation. He set a Crusader single-game record with eight blocks against Goshen in December, and had a program-record 98 blocked shots last season. Fernandez scored a career-high 15 points last season against UIC. He started the exhibition game with Indianapolis, scoring seven points and tacking on six rebounds and four blocks. Vashil has represented the Jamaica national team since 2012.

David Skara (5.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg) returns for his second season with Valpo. Last season, he would be named to the All-Tournament Team at the Horizon League Championship, where he led the Crusaders with 12 points in their title game victory over Green Bay. He scored a career-high 17 points against IU South Bend last season. Against Indianapolis, Skara had two points, three rebounds,  and an assist off the bench.

The second of four seniors on the Valparaiso roster, Darien Walker (10.7 ppg, 4.6 rpg) has made a major impact on the Crusaders after just one season. He would be a national finalist for the Riley Wallace Award and would earn All-Tournament Team honors at the Challenge in Music City. Darien would be the second-leading scorer on the team, behind only Alec Peters, and led VU in scoring four times, including a season-high 21 in both games against Detroit. Darien previously played one season apiece at Arizona Western College and John A. Logan College, both community colleges. He scored nine points with eight rebounds, three assists, a steal, and a block against Indianapolis.

One of two products of Canada's Vanier College, along with Tevonn Walker, Valpo's Max Joseph (1.8 ppg, 1.0 rpg) will look to break full-time into the rotation of coach Bryce Drew this season. He appeared in 28 games last season, scoring a career-high nine points in a win over UIC. While Keith Carter was injured, Joseph committed just nine turnovers in 164 minutes of action over 10 games. In the exhibition opener against Indianapolis, he scored two points and added four rebounds and a steal.

The other Vanier College product at Valpo is Tevonn Walker (10.3 ppg, 3.4 rpg). He provided the highlight-reel moment of last season with a SportsCenter Top 10 dunk at Milwaukee. That would be part of the reason why Tevonn was named as the Lou Henson Award National Player of the Week, as well as the same honor in the Horizon League for his 12 point, six rebound effort. Tevonn would be named to the Horizon League All-Freshman Team and led the Crusaders with 37 steals. He had a career-high 22 points at Oakland in the conference opener. Tevonn had three points with two rebounds, an assist, and two steals in the victory over Indianapolis.

E. Victor Nickerson (6.2 ppg, 2.2 rpg) will be out temporarily at the start of the season after wrist surgery in September. Last season, his first of eligibility after transferring from Charlotte, he would lead the Crusaders in scoring three times, including a season-high 16 in a win over Oakland. He would be named to the HL All-Tournament Team after scoring 11 in the title game victory over Green Bay. Nickerson would wind up second on the team with 64 assists. He did not appear in the exhibition matchup with Indianapolis after recovering from wrist surgery.

Keith Carter (8.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg) returns for a full season after missing 10 games with a foot injury last season. He still averaged a team-high 3.7 assists per game and was second on the team with 30 steals. He had his first career double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a win over Youngstown State. Carter transferred from Saint Louis, where he played his freshman season, and made his Valpo debut after the first semester of 2013-14. He will be a senior this season. In the exhibition game against Indianapolis, Carter scored eight points to go with three rebounds, two assists, and a block.

Valparaiso also adds in two transfer players who become eligible this season. Shane Hammink previously played two seasons at LSU, appearing in 47 games and totaling 74 points and 64 rebounds. In his Valparaiso debut against Indianapolis, Hammink scored two points with three rebounds and one assist, steal, and block. He has appeared for the Netherlands national team, mostly at the youth level, although he has played for the senior national team since last summer. Hammink's father, Geert, played 11 years of professional basketball after being a first-round NBA draft pick.

Chandler Levingston Simon also becomes eligible this season for the Crusaders after transferring from UMKC. He will have three years of eligibility. Levingston Simon appeared in eight games his freshman season with the Kangaroos. He did not play against Indianapolis, for unknown reasons. Levingston Simon's father, Cliff Levingston, played 11 seasons in the NBA and won two titles. His siblings David and Kelsey both played Division I basketball as well.


Valparaiso is the favorite to repeat in the Horizon League, after they received 36 of 43 first-place votes in preseason polling, followed by Oakland, Milwaukee, and Detroit. CBS Sports, in a poll of 11 writers, unanimously picked the Crusaders to win the league, and also ranked them as the 41st best team in the nation. Valpo will open the regular season at home this Friday, November 10, against IPFW. Horizon League play opens Saturday, January 2 hosting UIC, and the Crusaders welcome conference newcomer Northern Kentucky to the ARC on Thursday, February 11. For the first time ever, the Horizon League Championships will be at a neutral site, Joe Louis Arena in Detroit, Mich.