Like many of you, I kept the television on last night after watching Curt Cignetti crawl into a nuclear bunker in the second quarter and wait for the football game to end. I wanted to know if he goes on ESPN to talk about how great he is after games, or if that’s only a before–games thing. It seems like a better thing to do before games, if you’re going to coach big games like you’re Curt Cignetti.
Like many of you, I kept the TV on last night, tidying up the kitchen as Scott Van Pelt and assorted guests discussed Notre Dame’s victory. Then, we got to Van Pelt’s “Best Thing I Saw Today,” and holy heck, Justus McNair and Cooper Schwieger did some special things for Valparaiso basketball.
As an Indiana aficionado (it’s my favorite state), and as a fan of the National Invitation Tournament, a noteworthy performance from Valpo was all I needed to go searching for every bit of Valpo optimism available on God’s green internet. Could this be the year? Are the Crusaders back?? Is there any chance Valpo could go on a Cinderella NIT run, pack Hinkle Fieldhouse to the brim, and further sway the state of Indiana towards seceding from the NCAA T*urnament??
First of all, no. No, Valpo is not back. This team is 6–5, 6–4 of which came against a bad nonconference schedule. They already lost their home chance against Drake. Schwieger is shooting 22% on 3’s. Neither Schwieger nor McNair is from Indiana, which isn’t a bad thing but does not signify a Valpo who is back. These guys did somehow manage to schedule Central Michigan twice in one week, so good for them on that, but logistical feats are not the same as good basketball.
(UPDATE: Holy shit, I read “Western Michigan” and “Central Michigan” both as “Central Michigan” when I looked at Valpo’s schedule. I don’t know how this happened. They were right next to each other. Valpo did not play Central Michigan twice in one week. I’m gonna go sleep now.)
Second of all, aw jeez I forgot that they’re the Beacons.
I don’t need to relitigate the Crusades. I think every one of us has spent enough entire dinners with our friends hashing out the degree to which the Crusades were provoked, the angle through which the Crusades were a product of their time, the horrific behavior of many crusaders, etc.
But man.
The Beacons?
I know, I know. I’m a few years late on this. But I don’t think we talk enough about how thoroughly the switch to Beacons killed Valparaiso’s vibe.
Let’s check some numbers:
In even the five years preceding Valpo becoming the Beacons—and these were five bad years, following the legendary Drew Family Era in northwest Indiana—Valpo’s median final kenpom ranking was 150th in the country. Good? No. But respectable. In the four years since? If current trends hold, we’re looking at somewhere around 260th. 110 teams got better than the Beacons.
I think the worst part here is that Valpo could have been the Lighthouses. and they dropped the ball. I think the second-worst part is that this post about Justus McNair and Cooper Schwieger has devolved into nickname talk. Sorry, guys. If you were the Lighthouses, you’d be getting more respect.
