TD Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Jan. 10, 2006 VALPARAISO In 1998, after Valpo beat Buffalo for the seventh straight time in the Mid-Con Championship, Tim Cohane, their coach, called the Crusaders the ?Yankees of the Mid-Con.? It was the fourth straight Mid-Con Tournament Valpo had won. You had to be there to feel the sarcasm dripping out of his voice. Cohane didn?t like the Crusaders very much. His insincerity was transparent. This is how some people saw it then if you played in the Mid-Con against Valpo. You had a do-gooder coach with one of the best point guards in the country ? his son Bryce. His other son, Scott, was the best assistant coach in the league. They were the nicest family in the world ? until they got you on the basketball court. Then, if you were a Mid-Con team, they generally pounded you into submission. They had better players, better coaches and better teams. Valpo didn?t brag about its success. They proved it, night after night on the floor. In 10 seasons, Homer Drew has racked up a Mid-Con record of 119-41 ? and won seven championships. This sort of achievement raises the competitive metabolism of a league. In the last year or so, the Valpo Mid-Con dynasty appeared to slip. With Scott Drew gone, the recruits aren?t rolling in as plentifully. Last year, the Crusaders were under .500 for the first time since 1993 ? and they finished in third place in the Mid-Con. Now, Homer can?t call on Bryce to bail him out in a tight situation. He sat next to dad in a dark suit Monday, dutifully charting the game as his assistant. Some teams, like Oral Roberts, the preseason favorite, are just better. They sense the Crusaders? vulnerability. And, well, it?s not a stretch to say the two teams are intense rivals. Monday, Valpo didn?t play like it had forgotten its past. They didn?t look at all like a team that lost 75-62 at home to UMKC. The Crusaders came out firing against the Golden Eagles, the upstart in the Mid-Con ? the same team that beat them twice last year. It was just like old times for Valpo in an 80-60 victory. The gym was rocking, filled to the brim with more than, 4,000 people and the Crusaders treated them to a classic Valpo win. Just about everyone contributed. Dan Oppland, their warrior, finished with 23 points and 11 rebounds. Ali Berdiel, who has struggled coming back from a plantar fasciitis, had his best game of the year, scoring 10 points and dishing out three assists. And Ron Howard and Jarryd Loyd were in double figures, scoring 19 and 12 points, respectively. They started to snuff out the wounded Golden Eagles, who were playing without their second leading scorer, Ken Tutt, with a 22-9 run at the end of the first half that was spurred by a Drew time-out when he switched from man-to-man to zone. It was never close after that. The Yankees were back ? at least for one night. **************************************************************** I, for one, truly believe the old "Yankee" Crusaders are back. Of course that is the dominant Yankees of the 90's. It will be up to ORU to match their skill level for the Mid-Con championship. Unfortunately it will only last one year and took too long to get here. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr. Cornelius Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 I, for one, truly believe the old "Yankee" Crusaders are back. I knew Valpo was evil... now we have the proof! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orustatboy Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 I, for one, truly believe the old "Yankee" Crusaders are back. Of course that is the dominant Yankees of the 90's. It will be up to ORU to match their skill level for the Mid-Con championship. Unfortunately it will only last one year and took too long to get here. Can you really be considered a "Yankee" program if you're only back for one year? Comparing a team or organization to the Yankees means you're there every year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlh Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 When was the last time the Yankees won the championship, or even the pennant.....HMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orustatboy Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Didn't say I agreed or disagreed with TD ... just thought there was a contrast between his comparison (between VU and the NYYs) and the rest of his statement ... if this is the last year Valpo is to compete, than the Yankee comparison doesn't fit ... plus TD was referencing the 90's Yankees ... winners of three of the decade's last four WS titles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Unfortunately it will only last one year and took too long to get here. Two things: one, don't count ORU out of the picture because you beat us at home. I wouldn't coronate your team just yet! Two, I'm glad that at least one Valpo fan is seeing the handwriting on the wall regarding next season. With six seniors graduating, which represented 72% of the scoring in the game against us on Monday, AT BEST Valpo will be in rebuilding mode next season. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Yeah, take that Valpo fans! NEXT YEAR! NEXT YEAR! NEXT YEAR! NEXT YEAR! NEXT YEAR! All funnies aside, I think I'm getting sick of the words.....NEXT YEAR. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rlh Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Maybe we're the CUBS of the Mid-Con....oh, that can't be right...we've won in the last 100 years....seriously guys, this is what sports is all about....just think a few years ago we couldn't have this conversation because no one in the Mid-Con as it now exists could compete with us...I personally think it's great that there are 4 or 5 teams that really have a chance to win and get to the tournament....it makes the season much more fun overall....(I still want the Crusaders to win though....that's even more fun....) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Yeah, take that Valpo fans! NEXT YEAR! NEXT YEAR! NEXT YEAR! NEXT YEAR! NEXT YEAR! All funnies aside, I think I'm getting sick of the words.....NEXT YEAR. I didn't say AYTHING about US next year, voice ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ValpoRick Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 I didn't say AYTHING about US next year, voice ! Are you ready for IUPUI? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted January 13, 2006 Share Posted January 13, 2006 Maybe we're the CUBS of the Mid-Con....oh, that can't be right...we've won in the last 100 years....quote] Yes you have. As has, SUU, IUPUI, & Oakland. Every time I think of the fact that those three programs have made the NCAA tourney more recently than us, I get sick at my stomach, literally sick at my stomach. But alas...we'll get 'em NEXT YEAR!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TrueBlue82 Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 Unfortunately, being the "Yankees of the Mid-Con" is the same as being the "Royals of the NCAA". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tmh8286 Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 But alas...we'll get 'em NEXT YEAR!!! Uhhhh, three games into the conference season and you're giving up on our chances, voice? What's up, man? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oruvoice Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 No, I'm not giving up on us. Just VERY disappointed in our play to this point versus our expectations before the season. Several "insiders" thought we had Top 25 capabilities. We were getting mentions from Dick Vitale and other pundants. I never in my wildest dreams/nightmares would have thought we'd be 8-8 at this point. I still have hope, but if we don't find some point guard play and consistent outside shooting, we are in BIG trouble. I am not an expert, but from my seat in seems like Mr. Fowlkes, Mr. Ehambe, and Mr. Vealy need a lot more minutes and some of our veterans need to be relegated to 'role players' for the time being. Also, I never thought I'd say it this year, but.....where is Andrew Meloy when we need him? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ORUIsbig Posted January 14, 2006 Share Posted January 14, 2006 "Dan Oppland, thier warrior" I seem to have heard that before.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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