MVC Player of the Week for 1/15/17

[Da Coach]

PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Alize Johnson, Missouri State
NEWCOMER OF THE WEEK: Tywhon Pickford, UNI

http://www.mvc-sports.com/documents/2018/1/15//MVC_MBB_J15.pdf?id=1198

http://www.mvc-sports.com/news/2018/1/15/mvc-mens-basketball-weekly-notes-j15.aspx

[tornado]

I was just reviewing comments on all the MVC teams' message boards...and I was struck by something odd....

Everyone says this is a surprisingly stronger year in the MVC than was predicted...
There are numerous top players and even a couple getting NBA Draft mentions...

And yet - as I read the comments, I find that 9 of the 10 MVC teams have fans that are kind of unhappy...and it ranges all the way to hostile demands to fire the coach...are they expecting too much?

-things could change, but right now there's no dissatisfaction on the DRAKE board - fans seem pretty happy

-Bradley fans are showing a little dissatisfaction- mostly about the poor play on the road.

BUT even the other frontrunner teams like Missouri State (LINK - LINK) and ISU (especially after the loss to a depleted SIU) have current thread expressing dissatisfaction with how things are going and some at MSU even pushing for firing the coach!

Heck - who'd have ever thought we'd be seeing Northern Iowa fans quesitoning their coach and the players he has recruited?

-SIU has multiple threads about dumping their coach and Valpo, UNI and InSU people already starting to talk next year and giving up on this year....


so wonder why all the doom & gloom? I can see it from a few teams' standpoint....maybe even a little from our standpoint...

[Chibearsfan10125]

I think the reason there??™s so much doom and gloom is that the Valley is so wide open. There is no dominant team, so everyone feels like they can (and should) win the league. When they lose to a team they feel they are better than (right or wrong), they get upset and think they won??™t be able to beat anyone. People want to immediately become the next Wichita, and when they see their team struggle to win ???winnable??? games, it gets frustrating.

I think everyone is overreacting, but because everyone seems to think they??™ve got the best team in the league (Even UNI who is alone in last place), I understand why they are overreacting.

[tornado]

Missouri State fans just started yet another "Fire the Coach" thread and this one now even starts listing the candidates they might want to hire for their next head coach

I absolutely cracked up when I saw some of the names they are throwing out there...
...a Stephen F. Austin assistant and even a D2 coach from NW Missouri State - and even a hint at maybe a JUCO HEAD COACH!!!

but Missouri State will have to make some kind of decision...
2018-19 is the final year of Lusk's contract (with the buyout this spring dropping to only ~$300K) and it is unlikely they'd make him coach and recruit under those circumstances.

[pfcmsh]

Drake, Bradley, Bears, General Dissatisfaction

I do not wish anything bad for Drake. They are doing great in the MVC and it was not expected. The players aren't new, just the schemes and the coach are new this year. Once the MVC teams figure out what the new coach is doing, they will put in countermeasures. I think Drake will fade in the valley as this happens.

I am a huge Bears fan. The Bears are ascending, thank goodness. I still maintain that with a very strong schedule and a lot of close losses this past season, they are better than a 5-11 team. I think Nagy and Fangio will help a fast turnaround from 5-11 and maybe faster than most people think. Go Bears!

Bradley is also ascending. 3 years ago, we sure weren't talking about 20 wins or anything about post season except for playing on Thursday nights in St Louis. Coach Wardle will fix the road thing and I know that many of you have even suggested how it might be done because you understand the game so much more than I do. Something about playing sets instead of trying to get good shots. I wish I knew what that meant. Even after Coach Wardle applies corrections, I think road wins will still be rare for all MVC teams. Go Braves!

The NFL players just kind of turn me off. Yes, there are good ones. I really enjoyed watching how Foles handled the win last night. He seems like a solid citizen. In general though, the NFL has a thug mentality and the lack of patriotism is killing the attendance and the interest. I hate the muscle man displays of power after someone makes a loud defensive stop and their team is 20 points down. Its "look at me, me, me". Well, you know, I am tired of that!!! These guys are paid ridiculous money and some are just plain spoiled brats that are great athletes with a dim future after the NFL. My interest in the NFL is dropping except for the NFC North.

End of various rants.

[tornado]

Drake has been a little of a success story so let's see how well they do the final part of the season...

one thing for sure, tho, they have a complete rebuild ahead of them next year with practically every significant player graduating and seven NEW incoming freshmen
I got a feeling their 2018-19 is gonna be a lot like our 2015-16

[Da Coach]

I do not wish anything bad for Drake. They are doing great in the MVC and it was not expected. The players aren't new, just the schemes and the coach are new this year. Once the MVC teams figure out what the new coach is doing, they will put in countermeasures. I think Drake will fade in the valley as this happens.

I am a huge Bears fan. The Bears are ascending, thank goodness. I still maintain that with a very strong schedule and a lot of close losses this past season, they are better than a 5-11 team. I think Nagy and Fangio will help a fast turnaround from 5-11 and maybe faster than most people think. Go Bears!

Bradley is also ascending. 3 years ago, we sure weren't talking about 20 wins or anything about post season except for playing on Thursday nights in St Louis. Coach Wardle will fix the road thing and I know that many of you have even suggested how it might be done because you understand the game so much more than I do. Something about playing sets instead of trying to get good shots. I wish I knew what that meant. Even after Coach Wardle applies corrections, I think road wins will still be rare for all MVC teams. Go Braves!

The NFL players just kind of turn me off. Yes, there are good ones. I really enjoyed watching how Foles handled the win last night. He seems like a solid citizen. In general though, the NFL has a thug mentality and the lack of patriotism is killing the attendance and the interest. I hate the muscle man displays of power after someone makes a loud defensive stop and their team is 20 points down. Its "look at me, me, me". Well, you know, I am tired of that!!! These guys are paid ridiculous money and some are just plain spoiled brats that are great athletes with a dim future after the NFL. My interest in the NFL is dropping except for the NFC North.

End of various rants.

I liked your "rants" and I agree with everything you said.

I am also a Bears fan most of my life. I was a Chicago Cardinals fan as a youth, until they moved away from Chicago after the 1959 season, then I switched to the Bears. Probably a lot of people today don't know the Cardinals NFL team started in Chicago and was a charter member of the new league when it was founded in 1920. They weren't very good in their last few years and could not compete with the Bears, so the owners moved them to St. Louis in 1960, then to Arizona in 1987.

With all the protests this season, I was happy to see that the Bears were one of only a couple teams that did not have a single player kneel or disrespect the flag or national anthem the entire season.

[pfcmsh]

I liked your "rants" and I agree with everything you said.

I am also a Bears fan most of my life. I was a Chicago Cardinals fan as a youth, until they moved away from Chicago after the 1959 season, then I switched to the Bears. Probably a lot of people today don't know the Cardinals NFL team started in Chicago and was a charter member of the new league when it was founded in 1920. They weren't very good in their last few years and could not compete with the Bears, so the owners moved them to St. Louis in 1960, then to Arizona in 1987.

With all the protests this season, I was happy to see that the Bears were one of only a couple teams that did not have a single player kneel or disrespect the flag or national anthem the entire season.

Great minds think alike.

I remember the Cardinals. I saw a game or 2 on tv when I was a tyke. My Dad was crazy for the Bears. I had to sit by his chair and go get him a beer when he wanted one. I also had to crawl on the floor to the tv and change the channels for him because there was no remote. LOL. I am glad to know that none of the Bears kneeled. I had wondered if they did so I am glad for that news.

[tornado]

This week's

Player of the Week - Loyola's Donte Ingram
Newcomer of the Week - Loyola's Cameron Krutwig

I can't argue - Loyola won both games last week but you can't count that game vs. Bradley where Krutwig was so good, since that happened the week before.
even so - he had a good week - Krutwig's two games this week were 18 pts/9 reb and 10 pts/7 reb
Donte Thomas had two really nice double-doubles and Elijah Childs had two good games, but Bradley's gotta win both games if we're gonna get our guys the recognition.

** but there's a reason our guys do not have their names on the backs of their jerseys this year -
and it because they are trying to downplay the individual accolades and build the team concept

[tornado]

Donte Thomas and DLO mentioned as leading unsung heroes in MVC play...

http://www.valleyhoopsinsider.com/noticing-unsung-heroes/

[tornado]

This week's awards are not yet released...

Elijah Childs had two good games this past week and Bradley won both
vs. Missouri State 12 pts/12 rebs and vs. InSU 10 pts/7 rebs
Krutwig had two good games and Loyola is riding high but I am pulling for Elijah to bring the Newcomer of the Week award home!

Nate Kennell might get some consideration for Player of the Week for such an outstanding game yesterday, but his first game earlier last week against Missouri State, he only went for 4 pts..