Valparaiso Crusaders Men's Basketball
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The Valparaiso Beacons men's basketball team represents
Valparaiso University Valparaiso University (Valpo) is a private university in Valparaiso, Indiana. It is a Lutheran university with about 3,000 students from over 50 countries on a campus of . Originally named Valparaiso Male and Female College, Valparaiso Universit ...
in
Valparaiso, Indiana Valparaiso ( ), colloquially Valpo, is a city and the county seat of Porter County, Indiana, United States. The population was 34,151 at the 2020 census. History The site of present-day Valparaiso was included in the purchase of land from the ...
. The
basketball Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appr ...
team competes in the
Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...
, having joined that league in 2017 after 10 seasons in the
Horizon League The Horizon League is an 11-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region. The Horizon League founded in 1979 as the Midw ...
. The Beacons play in the Athletics-Recreation Center, which has a nominal capacity of 5,432. The record capacity 5,444 was reached on March 23, 2016, in the NIT Quarterfinal. The team last played in the
NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament The NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament, branded as NCAA March Madness and commonly called March Madness, is a single-elimination tournament played each spring in the United States, currently featuring 68 college basketball teams from ...
in
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
. Formerly named the Crusaders, the university dropped that name and associated mascot and logos in 2021, because of the "negative connotation and violence associated with the Crusader imagery", and because of its use by certain hate groups. On August 10, 2021, the school announced that its sports teams would be known as Beacons.


History


The beginning

The Crusaders' first game was in 1917 as an independent school.


The tallest team

Valpo's "World's Tallest Team" was actually a collection of teams that gained Valparaiso national recognition during World War II and began in 1942 when a pair of Michigan City, Indiana brothers,
Don Don, don or DON and variants may refer to: Places *County Donegal, Ireland, Chapman code DON *Don (river), a river in European Russia *Don River (disambiguation), several other rivers with the name *Don, Benin, a town in Benin *Don, Dang, a vill ...
and Wally Warnke, joined Valpo when their high school coach, Loren Ellis, was hired as head coach. At tall, the Warnke brothers were ineligible to be drafted into the service. Ellis found several other tall players, including Milt Schoon. Valparaiso did well with the Warnke brothers before Wally was able to enlist and fight in World War II. In 1943, his brother, Don, stayed and was joined by a group of newcomers, including Schoon, Bob Dillie, John Janisch and Alvin Schmidt, as they finished with 17 wins, including a win over No. 1 DePaul in which Schoon held
George Mikan George Lawrence Mikan Jr. (; June 18, 1924 – June 1, 2005), nicknamed "Mr. Basketball", was an American professional basketball player for the Chicago American Gears of the National Basketball League (NBL) and the Minneapolis Lakers of ...
to nine points. Warnke would graduate following the season, but would return as an assistant coach and later the head coach after Ellis left. In the 1944–45 season. The team won its first 11 games, including a program-defining victory over
Long Island Long Island is a densely populated island in the southeastern region of the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, part of the New York metropolitan area. With over 8 million people, Long Island is the most populous island in the United Sta ...
at Madison Square Garden. Despite finishing 21–3 on the season, the Crusaders were held out of the National Invitation Tournament, with their spot likely going to Midwest powers DePaul and/or
Bowling Green A bowling green is a finely laid, close-mown and rolled stretch of turf for playing the game of bowls. Before 1830, when Edwin Beard Budding of Thrupp, near Stroud, UK, invented the lawnmower, lawns were often kept cropped by grazing sheep ...
. The iconic photograph of Valparaiso's players standing outside Madison Square Garden is displayed just outside the Athletics-Recreation Center court to this day. The team was inducted into the Valparaiso University Hall of Fame in 2004.


Success in the 1950s and 1960s

The Crusaders joined the
Indiana Collegiate Conference The Indiana Collegiate Conference (ICC) was a college athletic conference in the United States from 1951 to 1978. It consisted solely of schools in Indiana. The charter members of the conference were Indiana State University, Butler University, ...
for the 1950–51 season. The Crusaders advanced to the Division II NCAA tournament for the first time in 1962. In 1964, Gene Bartow took over as head coach at Valpo and led the Crusaders to their greatest stretch of basketball in school history. They would advance to the Elite Eight that season before losing to
Sacramento State California State University, Sacramento (CSUS, Sacramento State, or informally Sac State) is a public university in Sacramento, California. Founded in 1947 as Sacramento State College, it is the eleventh oldest school in the 23-campus California ...
. In 1966, the Crusaders returned to the NCAA Division II tournament, losing in the Regional semifinals. In 1967, Valpo returned to the NCAA Division II tournament, beating
Southern Colorado South-Central Colorado is a region of the U.S. state of Colorado. It can be roughly defined by Chaffee County in the northwest, El Paso County in the northeast, Las Animas County in the southeast, and Conejos County in the southwest. Some notab ...
(now Colorado State–Pueblo) and again advancing to the Elite Eight before losing to
Southwest Missouri State Missouri State University (MSU or MO State), formerly Southwest Missouri State University, is a public university in Springfield, Missouri. Founded in 1905 as the Fourth District Normal School, it is the state's second largest university by enr ...
(now Missouri State). In 1969, they hosted a Division II NCAA tournament game for the first time, beating Concordia (IL) before losing to
Illinois State Illinois State University (ISU) is a public university in Normal, Illinois. Founded in 1857 as Illinois State Normal University, it is the oldest public university in Illinois. The university emphasizes teaching and is recognized as one of th ...
. In 1970, Bartow would leave Valpo to coach
Memphis State } The University of Memphis (UofM) is a public research university in Memphis, Tennessee. Founded in 1912, the university has an enrollment of more than 22,000 students. The university maintains the Herff College of Engineering, the Center for Ea ...
. In 1973 under Bill Purden, the Crusaders notched their final appearance in the Division II tournament, advancing to the Regional finals before losing to
Kentucky Wesleyan Kentucky Wesleyan College (KWC) is a private Methodist college in Owensboro, Kentucky. The college is known for its liberal arts programs. Fall 2018 enrollment was 830 students. History Kentucky Wesleyan College was founded in 1858 by the Kent ...
.


Division I

The Crusaders joined Division I before the 1978–79 season. After four years as an independent, they became charter members of the
Association of Mid-Continent Universities The Summit League, or The Summit, is an NCAA Division I intercollegiate athletic conference with its membership mostly located in the Midwestern United States from Illinois on the East of the Mississippi River to the Dakotas and Nebraska on the W ...
, which would go on to be known as the Mid-Continent Conference before becoming The Summit League. Valpo struggled mightily in their early years of Division I play, never having a winning record until 1994.


Homer Drew and sons' Valpo dynasty

In 1988,
Homer Drew Homer Walter Drew Jr. (born September 29, 1944) is an American former college basketball coach and administrator who coached at Washington State Cougars men's basketball, Washington State, LSU, Bethel College (Indiana), Bethel College, Indiana-So ...
took the job as head coach. That first season included a win over 19th-ranked Notre Dame in a game that came to be known as "The Lutheran Miracle". After struggling early under coach Homer Drew, the Crusaders became a conference power beginning with the 1993–94 season where they finished second. The Crusaders won their first Mid-Continent championship in 1995, led by star player Bryce Drew. However, the team was not invited to the NCAA tournament. The Crusaders won the 1996 conference championship and received their first invitation to the Division I NCAA tournament. In the 1998 tournament, the Crusaders won their only Tournament games, defeating Ole Miss on a last second shot by Bryce Drew. The shot would go on to be an iconic play in NCAA Tournament history. The Crusaders won their second round game against
Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...
before losing in the Sweet Sixteen to
Rhode Island Rhode Island (, like ''road'') is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is the List of U.S. states by area, smallest U.S. state by area and the List of states and territories of the United States ...
. The Crusaders won the Mid-Continent Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament every year from 1996 through 2000. In 2001, though the Crusaders won the regular season championship, they lost to
Southern Utah Southern Utah University (SUU) is a public university in Cedar City, Utah. Founded in 1897 as a normal school, Southern Utah University now graduates over 1,800 students each year with baccalaureate and graduate degrees from its six colleges. ...
in the conference tournament. Valpo returned to the NCAA tournament the following year, losing to Kentucky in the First Round. Homer Drew resigned the following season and his son, Scott Drew, an eight-year assistant under his father, was named head coach. Scott would lead the Crusaders to another regular season championship, but failed to win the conference tournament and settled for an NIT appearance. After one year as head coach, Scott was hired to take over as coach at Baylor following that school's basketball scandal. Homer Drew returned to coach the team to the NCAA Tournament again in 2004. In 2007, Valparaiso became a member of the
Horizon League The Horizon League is an 11-school collegiate athletic conference in the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I, whose members are located in and near the Great Lakes region. The Horizon League founded in 1979 as the Midw ...
. The Crusaders played in the title game of the Mid-Continent Conference tournament every year between
1995 File:1995 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: O.J. Simpson is O. J. Simpson murder case, acquitted of the murders of Nicole Brown Simpson and Ronald Goldman from the 1994, year prior in "The Trial of the Century" in the United States; The ...
and 2004. After three more years as head coach, Drew resigned again and his son and former Valpo star Bryce Drew was named head coach. In five years as coach for the Crusaders, Bryce led them to a postseason appearance every year, including the NCAA Tournament in
2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...
and
2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...
. Following the 2016 season, Bryce was hired to take over at Vanderbilt. Under Homer, Scott, and Bryce Drew, the Crusaders won 13 regular season conference championships and 10 conference tournament championships. The Crusaders appeared in nine NCAA Tournaments, three NITs, two
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was an American men's college basketball postseason tournament founded by Collegeinsider.com. The tournament was oriented toward schools that did not get selected for the NCAA Division I men's ...
s, and one
College Basketball Invitational The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI s ...
in 26 years.


The post-Drew years

On April 7, 2016, the school promoted former assistant coach Matt Lottich to the head coach position following Bryce Drew accepting the head coaching position at Vanderbilt on April 6, 2016. For the first time since 1988, a Drew was not the head coach at Valpo. In Lottich's first season, the Crusaders earned a share of the Horizon League regular season championship, but lost in the Horizon League tournament. They received a bid to the NIT where they lost in the first round. Following the season, Valparaiso agreed to join the
Missouri Valley Conference The Missouri Valley Conference (also called MVC or simply "The Valley") is the third-oldest collegiate athletic conference in the United States. The conference's members are primarily located in the midwest. History The MVC was established ...
after 10 years as a member of the Horizon League. The Crusaders were invited to replace
Wichita State Wichita State University (WSU) is a public research university in Wichita, Kansas, United States. It is governed by the Kansas Board of Regents. The university offers more than 60 undergraduate degree programs in more than 200 areas of study in ...
which left the league to join the
American Athletic Conference The American Athletic Conference (The American or AAC) is an American collegiate athletic conference, featuring 11 member universities and five affiliate member universities that compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association's (NCAA) ...
.


Postseason


NCAA tournament results

The Beacons have appeared in nine NCAA Tournaments. Their combined record is 2–9.


NCAA Division II tournament results

The Beacons have appeared in the NCAA Division II tournament five times. Their combined record is 7–5.


NAIA tournament results

The Beacons have appeared in the NAIA tournament two times. Their combined record is 1–2.


NIT Results

The Beacons have appeared in the National Invitation Tournament (NIT) four times. Their combined record is 4–4.


CBI Results

The Beacons have appeared in the
College Basketball Invitational The College Basketball Invitational (CBI) is a men's college basketball tournament created in 2007 by The Gazelle Group. The inaugural tournament occurred after the conclusion of the 2007–08 men's college basketball regular season. The CBI s ...
(CBI) one time. Their record is 1–1.


CIT Results

The Beacons have appeared in the
CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament The CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament (CIT) was an American men's college basketball postseason tournament founded by Collegeinsider.com. The tournament was oriented toward schools that did not get selected for the NCAA Division I men's ...
(CIT) two times. Their combined record is 0–2.


Radio

All Beacon games are broadcast for free on the Valparaiso website at valpoathletics.com.
WVUR-FM WVUR-FM, The Source 95 is the student-run college radio station of Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. It broadcasts at 95.1 MHz FM and streams online at WVUR's website. The station features a range of students, staff, members of the ...
, the student-run campus radio station, also broadcasts select Beacon games on 95.1 FM and on the station's website.


Retired numbers


Beacons in the NBA

* Don Bielke *
Bob Dille Robert Orville Dille (July 2, 1917 – December 10, 1998) was an American professional basketball player and championship high school coach. Dille was an All-American forward at Valparaiso, where he was a member of "The World's Tallest Team" an ...
* Bryce Drew * John Janisch * Milt Schoon *
Alec Peters Alec Peters (born April 13, 1995) is an American-born naturalized Bosnian professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for Valparaiso University, where he was an All- ...
*
Ryan Broekhoff Ryan Broekhoff (born 23 August 1990) is an Australian professional basketball player for the South East Melbourne Phoenix of the National Basketball League (NBL). He played college basketball at Valparaiso University in the United States, where ...


References


External links

* * * . {{DEFAULTSORT:Valparaiso Beacons Men's Basketball