Five MVC Hopes For 2021

Flipping the Calendar/Flipping the Script

(St. Louis, MO) – As we flip the calendar to 2021, will we be flipping the script? With ‘herd immunity’ on the way, here are my ‘Five MVC Hopes for 2021’. Over 19 million people have contracted the Coronavirus and over three million have now been vaccinated. Perhaps better days are ahead!

My ‘five hopes’ are tied to, but not exclusively related to covid concerns, but we all have those very real issues to consider.

No More Covid Cancelations

While I care about Valley teams getting their games in, my greater concern and thus my greatest hope, is that none of our ‘Tier One’ personnel contract this virus! We care about the welfare of the coaches, players, trainers, administrators, etc. Their health is our main concern!

We don’t know if Florida’s Keyontae Johnson’s recent collapse had anything to do with his previous corona infection, but that cautionary tale reminds us this thing can be damaging and deadly. As of this writing, 337,419 Americans have died in connection with covid-19. Yesterday (12/30) was the deadliest day on record.

No covid cancelations would mean none of these people that we cheer for, write about and talk to would end up sick!

Secondly, these student-athletes would be able to advance their education and compete in the sport they love. One of our ‘MVC hopes for 2021’ is that these young lives could have some sense of ‘normal’ and selfishly, we want to watch them play!

Hopefully the rest of this conference season can be played without interruption and MAYBE Valley teams could make up some of the previously postponed games.

Arch Madness Played With Fans

The infection rates are dropping in the Missouri Valley Conference footprint. There was a massive surge of cases in Valley represented states in early and mid-November.  Those statistics have radically changed.

There was a recent time, when Iowa and Illinois were consistently the worst American states for rate of infection. As recently as December 8^th, Indiana was the third most infectious state. Each state in the ‘Missouri Valley Union’ is in better shape. The infection rates in Missouri and Illinois are half of what they were in mid to late November. Iowa is currently at a rate that is one third of where it previously stood. Indiana is at roughly two-thirds of its previously highest rate of infection.

So, let’s have Arch Madness! Businesses and restaurants in the St. Louis area are operating at a 25% capacity limit. If that number stays consistent and Valley leadership can construct a seating arrangement, we could hopefully see 5,000 fans attending Arch Madness games.

Perhaps that is overly enthusiastic, but even if the Enterprise Center (and the City of St. Louis) allowed 2 to 3,000 fans, the atmosphere would be euphoric.

Local hotels could house players and staffs separate from fans and those traveling could participate by providing enough personal information for ‘contact tracing’.

The last ‘normal’ sports thing we did was Arch Madness 2020. Imagine if we could have some close proximity to ‘normal’ at Arch Madness 2021!

NCAA Success For Doug Elgin

MVC Commissioner Doug Elgin is retiring. The best ‘farewell’ he could receive would be two teams playing in the NCAA Tournament and at least one of them winning a game or two. Commissioner Elgin has worked tirelessly to promote, build and broaden the Valley. In this, his final year, he should be rewarded.

This may be the most ardent of my five MVC hopes for 2021. I have the utmost respect, admiration and affection for our Commissioner. If the power brokers that decide March Madness invitations don’t comply, then I trust our one entrant will do significant damage during the Big Dance to reward our veteran leader.

All Ten Valley Coaches Return Next Year

Certainly if all the players can have an extra year of eligibility all the coaches should return next season. While I realize Indiana State’s Greg Lansing is at the end of a contract and Loyola’s Porter Moser, Bradley’s Brian Wardle and Northern Iowa’s Ben Jacobson could be hot commodities, I want all of our coaches back.

Don’t you want to see what ‘Jake’ can do when A.J. Green returns in Cedar Falls? Aren’t you intrigued by what Moser’s Ramblers will do with all those returning players, even if Cameron Krutwig isn’t one of them? Wardle might be the most logical to take a job at a larger school, but I hope he stays. Bradley is where we want him!

Lansing is what the Valley is all about. His kids graduate. They are competitive every night. Sycamore players and staff members are respectful of others and do things the right way. Now that the Hulman Center is complete, I believe Lansing deserves a chance to take that program into its next era of success. ISU, don’t mess this up!

Accolades and Records

Three seniors are finishing very decorated careers. Bradley’s Elijah Childs, Indiana State’s Tyreke Key and Loyola’s Cameron Krutwig are scratching their names all over their individual programs’ record books. By season’s end, these three will cement their place in Valley and school history.

Childs has missed some time due to injuries, but his 736 rebounds are 9^th on the all-time list at Bradley. If the Braves complete most of their Valley schedule, he could finish seventh. He is currently fourth on the all-time ‘blocked shots’ list (143) and should finish second or third. His 1,167 points rank him in the illustrious program’s top 35.

Childs has been named to the league’s ‘Freshman’ and ‘Most Improved‘ teams. He was a third-team all-conference pick once and landed on the second team twice.

Key was on that same ‘all-freshman’ team with Childs and Krutwig and was also on that season’s third team with the Bradley lefty. He moved to the second team in 2019 and was a first-teamer last season. His 1,344 points rank him fourteenth on the Sycamores’ all-time list. With any luck he will surpass such greats as Matt Renn and Duane Klueh and finish in ISU’s top ten.

Krutiwg was the 2018 ‘Freshman of the Year’ and joined Key and Childs on the league’s third-team. He has been a first-teamer ever since. He is one of only six Loyola players to have scored 1,400 (1,507) points and to have snared 700 rebounds (783). ‘King Krut’ will go down as one of the greatest big men in Rambler history and should finish in the top six in scoring, in the top ten in both rebounding and assists.

During his time at Rogers Park the Ramblers have won two conference championships, one Arch Madness title and went to the 2018 Final Four. During Krutwig’s three, plus seasons, LUC has accumulated 79 wins.

These three deserve every honor imaginable. All three have been scholar athletes, model leaders and gigantic producers.

I will be pushing my five MVC hopes for 2021, the rest of the season. May you and the people in these programs we follow, know blessing and joy in this coming year.

Do Good