Valparaiso basketball has had an offseason like few other college basketball programs. Matt Lottich’s current team doesn’t look anything like last year’s version. They are bigger, more experienced and they don’t even have the same team name!
Valpo’s squad went 10-18 last year and they had nine players depart via transfer and graduation. Lottich and his staff worked the transfer portal like Jerry Lewis telethon phone workers and remade the roster in spectacular fashion.
During last year’s campaign Valparaiso dropped the ‘Crusaders’ moniker and during the offseason the Brown and Gold were rebranded as the ‘Beacons’. This Beacons’ team will be the most veteran squad Lottich has coached during the school’s brief time in the Missouri Valley Conference.
Four Big Ten transfers and one prolific Division II transfer have come to Northwest Indiana. Two highly sought freshmen were also part of the offseason haul. Five different players are participating in at least their fourth year of playing college basketball. That doesn’t include ‘sit out’ years several of them endured.
Three Wisconsin transfers, Trevor Anderson, Kobe King and Joe Hedstrom were part of the Badgers’ 2020 Big Ten regular season championship season. Former Michigan State Spartan, Thomas Kithier was part of Sparty’s 2019 Final Four team.
Those four bring a toughness, size and enormous experience to Valpo. Beacons’ players are budding with enthusiasm and confidence during offseason practices. Valley third teamer Ben Krikke leads a talented group of returners. Sheldon Edwards was part of the MVC’s all-freshman team and Connor Barrett may have been on that rookie squad if his season hadn’t been cut short by injury.