Old Man Darius DeAveiro

Leading the Young Beacons

(St. Louis, MO) – Valparaiso guard Darius DeAveiro is the ‘old man’ on the Beacon roster. He’s not yet 22, but playing point guard on one of the youngest teams in America makes him ‘Old Man Darius DeAveiro’. Coming into the season with five career starts and 52 appearances in college games, DeAveiro became the de facto leader.

First year head coach Roger Powell Junior named him as a team captain and DeAveiro has gladly accepted that responsibility. While Valpo hasn’t experienced great on-court success yet (5-13, 1-6), the growth in the young Beacons is noticeable and the Old Man is proud of his young teammates.

After winning four of their first six games, the Beacons ran into the reality of the difficulty of winning college basketball games with such a young team. A ten game losing streak could have challenged the confidence of a first year coach, starting point guard and the sixth youngest team in college hoops.

The energetic Powell and the ‘coach’s kid’ point guard wouldn’t let the youngsters get down.

Old Man DeAveiro & Coach’s Son

Despite his limited college experience DeAveiro has a wealth of basketball experience on which to rely. His father David is the head basketball coach at McGill University (Montreal) and the younger DeAveiro has played internationally for his native Canada. So, taking over a leadership role for this ‘pass-first’ point guard was a natural step to take.

Being constantly around the game and playing internationally has helped him understand the sport and what has to happen for teams to be successful.

 

 

DeAveiro never considered leaving Valparaiso after the firing of former coach Matt Lottich. He wanted to start and finish his career as a Beacon and wanted to graduate from Valparaiso. When Powell was hired and then chose to recruit mostly younger players, it made DeAveiro, Jerome Palm and Connor Barrett the only Beacons with true Missouri Valley Conference experience.

Wearing a new number (Number Six for LeBron and Toronto), DeAveiro took on old man status and has enjoyed trying to teach his younger teammates valuable college basketball lessons.

 

 

Young, Talented and Learning to Win

After finally winning their first Valley game, Valpo is learning how to win. They have seven single digit losses, with five of those coming on the road. Their road win at Illinois State was also their first road win of the season.

Valpo’s top four scorers are newcomers and experiencing their first true Division 1 basketball playing experience. Junior college transfer Isaiah Stafford (17.1 points per game) leads the team in scoring and freshman Cooper Schwieger (10.7 ppg and 5.5 rebounds) is the leading rebounder. Another freshman and DeAveiro’s fellow Canadian, Jahari Williamson (8.4) and Murray State transfer Jaxon Edwards (8.3) are getting their first taste of D1 playing time.

Old Man DeAveiro leads the team in minutes played (33.6 per game) and is second in the Valley in assists (5.5 per game). He says claiming their first conference victory was satisfying and he is proud of his teammates. DeAveiro says his young teammates are demonstrating great character and fight by being competitive in every game and now they are starting to learn how to win.

 

 

Schwieger has won the league’s ‘Freshman of the Week‘ award twice and Williamson once. Stafford has been the league’s ‘Newcomer of the Week‘ one time. Sherman Weatherspoon and Kaspar Sepp are other freshman seeing extensive time in the Beacon lineup.

DeAveiro believes his young teammates can develop into all-conference type players and Stafford is a very talented offensive player.

 

 

Powell has instituted the ‘Grit Chain’ award where players compete to be the grittiest player at practice and during games. That attention to effort and toughness is paying dividends. Powell is a passionate and caring coach. DeAveiro says he has a unique and close relationship with the former University of Illinois star.

Finishing Strong

DeAveiro is a ‘pass first’ point guard because he’s always believed in ‘getting great shots, rather than good ones’. He wants to get his teammates the ball in ‘the shooting pocket’ where they don’t have to think, they can just catch and shoot.

With 13 games left in the regular season, the young Beacons will have more opportunities to learn and to win. DeAveiro says his job is to know when to be an energizing force or a calming influence. He says the difference between winning and losing is staying focused for a full 40-minute game, by breaking it down into small time segments.

 

 

The old man of Valparaiso basketball wants to be a basketball coach some day. This season he is receiving great ‘on-the-job’ training. As this team’s point guard and established leader he is seeing the game in a very unique way. The Beacons are improving and DeAveiro is a vital cog in the Valpo progress.

You can watch this entire interview on YouTube or listen to it at Valley Hoops Insider Podcasts.

Do Good

 

Editor: Cover photo courtesy of valpoathletics.com.