Valpo – Building Up & Fitting In

Lottich’s Best Team Yet

(St. Louis, MO) – After two, less than successful Missouri Valley Conference seasons, Valparaiso has been building up its roster with hopes of truly fitting in. Fourth year coach Matt Lottich has assembled his best team yet.

After an uncertain offseason that saw four key players leave the Crusader program, the starting lineup has never looked better. Gone are 7-footers Derrick Smits and Jaume Sorolla, Markus Golder and Micah Bradford. They will be missed.

Lottich dodged a bullet when All-Freshman team member Javon Freeman-Liberty changed his mind about transferring and stayed with the team.

Key Returners

Freeman-Liberty is an elite defender, led the Valley in steals and was named to the league’s All-Defensive team. He averaged 11.0 points and 4.3 rebounds per game. His return is critical to this year’s squad.

Senior Ryan Fazekas is the team’s leading returning scorer (11.8 ppg) and three-point shooter (42.3%). Injuries caused the Providence transfer to miss 13 games last season and crippled the Valpo offense.

Sophomore Daniel Sackey returns to the Valpo backcourt. He started 18 games and averaged 4.1 points per game.

Transfer Talent

Lottich had two high-level transfers sitting out all last season. Nick Robinson (St. Joseph’s) and Eron Gordon (Seton Hall) spent the season learning the Crusader system.

Robinson averaged 6.4 points and 4.4 rebounds over two seasons with the Hawks and Gordon played in 48 games with the Pirates. Robinson (Chicago) and Gordon (Indianapolis) are players that have made moves to play closer to home.

(For more on Robinson and Gordon read ‘Missouri Valley’s Top Five Impact Transfers‘)

Those transfers join returners Freeman-Liberty, Fazekas and guard Daniel Sackey. Lottich says his team’s solid nucleus made use of a foreign trip to get to know one another.

 

 

Zion Morgan was a high school teammate of Robinson, played at UNLV and Wabash Valley College. The 6’5 junior adds athleticism and versatility to the squad.

Freshman Class

Valpo signed five freshmen including Alton, Illinois’ Donovan Clay, Canada’s Ben Krikke and Denmark’s Emil Freese-Vilien. Clay was one of the State of Illinois’ top players, while both Krikke (6’9) and Freese-Vilien (6’10) played internationally. They are also the two tallest players on this year’s team.

Sigurd Lorange is another player with international experience. The 5’11 guard averaged 18 points per game for Norway’s U18 team.

Losing 7-footers but adding more balance to the lineup could be a successful math equation. A healthy Fazekas, a more open floor mentality and the addition of Clay will make Valpo a new look team. Lottich believes this re-tooled roster could do a better job of fitting in the Valley.

 

 

New World Recruiting

There are four Division 1 transfers and five freshmen on this year’s team. Lottich says there isn’t just one way to recruit. He says the key is to find those players that truly fit the university, the team’s culture and goals.

 

 

The Schedule

The Crusaders open the season by hosting Toledo, Tuesday (Nov. 5) and then travel to Saint Louis and Southern Illinois Edwardsville. A home game (Nov. 17) with North Dakota precedes their visit to the US Virgin Islands for the Paradise Jam.

The starting five might represent Lottich’s best team yet. However, depth will determine whether the Crusaders can be successful during conference play. Veterans John Kiser and Mileek McMillan will help the newcomers acclimate.

Valpo has Valley star power. If Lottich can get production from Clay, Morgan and the international additions the Crusaders will be doing more than just fitting in.

Do Good

Editor: Featured photo courtesy of valpoathletics.com.