Team Preview (And One): Valparaiso Beacons
Can Coach Powell bring another new group together?
2024-25 Record: (15-19 Overall, 6-14 11th in MVC)
Head Coach: Roger Powell, Jr. (3rd season head coaching & at Valpo, 22-44 overall, 9-31 in MVC play)
(Note: This preview is being delivered the morning after Valparaiso played at No. 9 Kentucky. I had planned to watch this game, but wasn’t able to do so because of the ongoing YouTubeTV / Disney squabble. So, all thoughts are based upon Valpo’s first game against Eastern Illinois.)
As tempting as it might be to tease about Valpo’s prospects this season as just “All Wright”, I want to avoid a cheap the joke.
The Beacons are what is actually wrong with college basketball in 2025. It’s not their fault, really. With all of the dollars being thrown around without any real checks and balances, it’s a situation where you want your team to be good but not too good because inevitably your best players are going to get swept up by other bigger programs.
Starting guard Jefferson De La Cruz Monegro GONE (to Cal St. Fullerton).
(Late Season) Starting forward Carson Schweiger GONE (to Queens).
His brother and the bigger force, 6-10 Cooper Schweiger GONE (to Wake Forest)
And of course, their star guard Andre All Wright Vargas (“All Wright” to the world) GONE (to Xavier).
Throw in the fact that Darius DeAviero graduated and there goes your entire starting five at the end of the 2024-25 season.
The situation is unsettling because the team had/continues to have a good coach with a Big Ten pedigree (Roger Powell).
Last Year
Their three games with Bradley really stuck out last year. There was the double OT game in Peoria as the second game of conference play. While any game that close can cause concern. But, remember where the Braves were at that point. They had just knocked off a really good San Francisco team and absolutely ran Canisius out of the building.
De La Cruz Monegro couldn’t hit anything (4-of-19) and Wright didn’t even hit a shot from the field (3 points, all from the line, 0-of-5 from the floor). Yet, even with two of their three best players not doing much, they still took Bradley to double OT ON THE ROAD!
I went back to my notes from that night and I recall that the referees were all over the place in that game - calling it loose for awhile, then really tightly. Both coaches were all over them and I gave them credit for not tossing out a bunch of technical fouls in a game that was really interesting.
But, the other aspect I wrote down about it is that Valpo scared me. I thought they were going to be way better than the preseason 10th place finish in the Valley.
For awhile, they proved me right, winning three in a row and had me wondering if they would truly contend for the upper half of the league. Shocking they lost their next nine games in a row. (For the most part, the Beacons just weren’t good enough on defense.)
Bradley had the return matchup late in the Valley season and I was still worried, regardless of the record. The game proved me correct as Valpo actually led by one at the half and it took another five minutes for Bradley to get the lead and gradually pull away in the end. I still just felt the collection of their big three guys could present anyone problems in the Valley tournament.
While I was wrong about them being in the upper half in regular season play, my inclinations proved right once in St. Louis. They crushed UIC by 17 and beat a really good UNI team by one to setup a semifinal game against Bradley. There’s a reason a play in team never wins the tournament as it’s just too taxing playing so many games in a row.
Even with their third game in a row, Valpo took Bradley to the wire after I was sure they would run out of gas. Yet, there they were with multiple chances to win it before the Braves knocked them out 70-65.
It’s fun to reminisce about that team because I enjoyed watching them play. From a Bradley perspective, I’m glad those guys aren’t back because they really could have been very good this year. But, still, this isn’t good for the league.
Starting Over (Again)
One name you didn’t hear me mention from last year’s recaps was senior guard Isaiah Stafford. He sat out the entire season with an injury. You might have expected him to use that redshirt to come back and lead Valpo for this season after averaging 16.9 points per game in 2023-24. As one final dagger to Valpo fans, he transfers over to another Valley school and is now going to start for the Southern Illinois Salukis.
Justus McNair (6’3”, 195, Sophomore, Guard; previous: Joliet West HS (Ill.))
Only one player remains who played almost any minutes at all, Justus McNair. The 6-3 guard played in all of Valpo’s games but only averaged about 11 minutes, 4.5 points and 1.3 rebounds per game. Nothing in his statistical profile jumps out that he’s going to take a huge step forward. Truly, I barely remember him and the stats bear it out - in the three games against Bradley he scored a total of three points combined. He’s certainly capable of good games (19 points at Belmont and four other double figure games) but also had 17 games where he played less than ten total minutes.
Powell thinks he’ll make a pretty big jump, using “dynamic” as a way to describe his ability. Having players who can win you games, even if it isn’t every night, is certainly something that is useful to have.
In finally getting a chance to really watch him against Eastern Illinois, it was evident what Powell likes. He had one really nice drive to the hoop for an and-one. Then the next possession he shows his awareness and jumping ability:
He forced two other turnovers and was involved when in the game. I was surprised he only got 12 minutes when he looked better than a few of the other guards. But, Powell had a big rotation in the first game and I would expect his time to increase as the season goes on.
Experience Needed. Experience Found.
Powell believes that last year’s team helped elevate the profile of the school and his coaching abilities.
“It’s definitely a lot more confidence around campus with our team,” Powell said. “Then also it helps us go out and recruit some high level dudes.”
Isaiah Barnes (6’7”, 210, Redshirt Senior, Guard; previous: Tulsa/Michigan)
From a pedigree perspective, Barnes should be the guy we most pay attention to from the transfer class. For starters, he was a four-star recruit out of high school which landed him at Michigan. He didn’t play much there (a redshirt season and 15 appearances in his second year) and transferred to Tulsa.
He was a major contributor there starting all but three of his games and averaged 8.2 and 9.3 PPG in the two seasons there.
Powell noted that his experience with a lot of Div. I games under his belt will be really helpful for the young players. His profile includes a high amount of athleticism, a strong defender & rebounder and someone who can finish both at the basket but also can shoot.
He showed that finishing ability here in the first game against Eastern Illinois:
He was also super active defensively with 10 rebounds and a steal in the opener. Barnes led the team in minutes (32) and also had 10 rebounds.
Owen Dease (6’8”, 200, Redshirt Senior, Forward; previous: Texas A&M Corpus Christi)
In getting Dease, Valpo gets another experienced player who was a multiyear starter at a school who went to the NCAA tournament. If there’s one aspect that stands out is Dease’s shooting ability. His last season he shot nearly 92% from the line and 37.8% from behind the three-point line.
“Dease can really score the ball; really shoot the ball,“ Powell said. “His length and his size [are] really going to help us.”
With Barnes and Dease, the Beacons will be much bigger on the floor than in past seasons.
“We got some wings with size and athleticism. You know, we really haven’t had guys of that caliber since I’ve been here,” Powell said.
In the game against Eastern Illinois, we didn’t really see much scoring out of him. Dease had a putback basket and played good defense but wasn’t that notable. I’ll be watching to see if he has more influential games coming soon.
Mark Brown Jr. (6’0”, 190, Junior, Guard; previous: Snow College)
It can be interesting finding all of these junior colleges that product Div. I athletes these days. Snow College definitely was one of them.
It’s in Utah and they really had an incredible season last year, going 31-1 heading into their version of the NCAA Tournament. They got a bye out of the first round and faced Connors State College (a 17 seed in the NJCAA tournament).
You can already see where this is going. Snow lost by one to Connors State: Box Score
This wasn’t your usual “once in a lifetime” upset though. Connors State went 32-4 on the season and lost the national championship game. Imagine that story if it was on the NCAA level, with a school like UMBC going to the national title game.
Anyway, Brown was one of the key players on that standout team and would likely serve as the team’s point guard to start the season. He was ranked as a top 60 Juco player in the country last year. He’s got scoring ability to go along with facilitating on offense. The question is always for these junior college guys is how quickly they can assimilate to Div. I, especially defenders.
Valpo was pretty lousy against Eastern Illinois from the 3-point line but Brown did knock down two. Brown looked to get a shot but was a bit off (2-of-9) and his backup had a much bigger influence on the game. Let’s see how those point guard minutes go as the season progresses.
Beyond the Watch List Transfers
Shon Tupuola (6’10”, 245, Junior, Forward; previous: Saint Mary-of-the-Woods (Ind.))
He fits the profile of the big body rim protector that we see often in the MVC. A lot of his highlights are dunks and simple post moves, so I’m curious to see if his offensive game will translate against better competition. He does have college level experience playing at a successful NAIA program for two seasons.
“He’s an athlete, has good strength, adds rim protection and physicality we haven’t had here,” Powell said.
He got two very early fouls and barely played the first half against Eastern Illinois. But here’s that rim protection:
This could have been a personnel thing (smaller EIU lineup). He’ll definitely be a contributor, though, especially against some of the bigger Valley teams.
Brody Whitaker (6’3”, 195, Fifth Year, Guard; previous: University of Indianapolis / Marian)
There’s definitely offensive talent here both as a pull up shooter as well as from 3-point range. I am not sure how much he’ll be able to create in the paint against quicker defenders in the Valley, but the clip reel is intriguing.
No defensive parts to the clip. Will he be able to stay on the floor? He jumps out to me very much like Connor Dillon was for Bradley last year. He could do some great things on the offensive end but often let you down on the other end and it wasn’t always a net positive having him on the court.
Valpo definitely must see something in him as he’s been part of press conferences (or maybe because he’s older) leading up to the season.
The EIU game confirmed much of these thoughts - shooter, not a ton else yet, but did grab five rebounds.
Tucker Tornatta (6’8”, 235, Sophomore, Center; previous: University of Indianapolis)
I’m adding in Tornatta here as someone who barely played against EIU but Powell does seem to be testing him out as a rotational player. Wait and see on Tornatta.
The Powell Way: Freshmen
Finding someone from the massive transfer portal can be complicated in 2025 with so many players changing teams. At Valpo, Powell is trying to zig where others zag, trying to find more freshman.
This section is where I expect at least one or two guys to emerge as key contributors, even if it’s not completely clear who it might be before the real games begin.
The Beacons have seven freshmen and profiling them without game film would be a waste of time, so I look forward to revisiting these guys more later. I’m singling out a few who could be contributors (or at least, have interesting stories behind them):
JT Pettigrew (6’8”, 220, Freshman, Forward; previous: Bolingbrook High School, Lisle, Ill.)
Bolingbrook is a big school so he definitely was playing against some of the better competition in the Chicago suburbs. He averaged more than 16 points and 10 rebounds per game in both his junior and senior seasons of high school.
Bradley connection alert!
He’s the brother of Trey Pettigrew. Don’t remember him? Most Bradley fans probably do not at this point. Trey was an exciting transfer prospect from Nevada that never played a game at Bradley. He was practicing with the team in the summer before the 2023-24 season and then decided to leave the team and eventually went to Eastern Michigan.
It’s not fair to lump JT in with his brother of course, but that particular situation didn’t leave a lot of Bradley fans with a very good feeling about Trey. Here’s hoping JT isn’t a malcontent or expecting something he hasn’t earned.
In terms of the real basketball, he didn’t do much in the first half against Eastern Illinois. But, he sure made a dynamic play for his first basket to beat a 1-3-1 zone:
He was solid defensively as well and had some key moments down the stretch:
He had the biggest play in the game with 11 seconds left as Coach Powell ran the play through him down two and he scored with a foul to flip the game (64-63).
Camden Webster (6’3”, 185, Freshman, Guard; previous: Bosco Institute, Kankakee Valley (Ind.))
It’s always intriguing reading about players who break school scoring records. Webster did that at Kankakee Valley. Looking at the enrollment (995 students), this wasn’t a tiny school, even though it’s somewhat in the middle of nowhere between Valparaiso and Lafayette.
The interesting part here is that he didn’t go to college after a really successful high school career. He went to the Bosco Institute, which I admittedly hadn’t heard of before reading about Webster. From what it appears, it’s sort of like a faith-based basketball springboard for basketball players after high school.
The players do have to take college courses in order to play, but at a different place (Ivy Tech Community College). The whole concept is really interesting and they have quite a track record of getting guys to Div. I schools.
Just last season they had two players land at Big Ten schools, along with Webster at Valpo and other various smaller colleges:
I wonder if this is a way for someone to get college experience on an organized team without using up eligibility since the Bosco Institute isn’t really a school itself. Regardless, with this background, Webster should almost be treated like a sophomore, since he’s got this extra experience.
Of course, I find this interesting story about Webster and then he doesn’t play at all in game one.
Carter Hopoi (6’11”, 220, Freshman, Forward; previous: Mount Maunganui College (New Zealand))
Here’s Hopoi for three, aw, yeah!
He played on the New Zealand U18 team, so there’s a starting point against at least some decent competition in international play.
It’s always a wild card with overseas players, but if you watch Hopoi shoot, he’s clearly got a touch from beyond the arc. Sometimes these inside-out big men really struggle with defense when they come to the USA, but you can see why Valpo recruited him.
Powell noted during the MVC press day that one of the freshman had 24 points and 8 rebounds during the secret scrimmage. Hopoi seems like the most probably candidate from the crew, but that’s pure speculation.
Hopoi played a lot against Eastern Illinois as he’s quicker than Tupuola. He wasn’t all that involved offensively but rebounded well (6) and played good defense.
Other Freshmen
Before the first game, I wrote this section. I led it with the following:
Inevitably, I’ll be wrong and someone in here will be a big contributor. We’ll see:
Ho boy (not Hopoi), this was sure omnipotent.
Rakim Chaney (6’3”. 185, Freshman, Guard; previous: 212° Sports Academy / Rockford Auburn (Ill.))
Chaney played 25 minutes in game one and was the best point guard on the floor. Even though he’s a freshman, he look to take the ball to the basket nearly immediately upon entering the game:
His defense was even better:
He also hit two big 3-point shots around the 10 minute mark of the second half when Eastern Illinois had trimmed their lead to one. He immediately goes on my initial list of MVC All-Freshman team candidates.
Kobe Walker (6’9”, 270, Freshman, Center; previous: Normal Community (Ill.)) (Didn’t play game one)
Sader Servilus (6’4”, 225, Freshman, Guard; previous: Fort Erie International Academy (Canada)) (Played a couple minutes game one)
Non-Conference Schedule
This will shape up to be one of the best in the Valley, at least for name recognition. True road games at Kentucky, Northwestern and Marquette will be huge tests, but it will be a good measuring block for this newly formed team. One more true road game at Cleveland State (predicted middle of the pack in the Horizon League). Aside from UNC Wilmington, there’s not a lot on the home slate to get really excited as a resume builder, but it will likely help build confidence heading into Valley play.
Outlook
I believe in Roger Powell as a coach. He’s consistently made his teams better throughout the season. The mix of youth and experience could work although it’s really hard to know for sure until they’ve played a few games.
The Eastern Illinois game helped solidify that as the individual parts of the team I really liked (Barnes, Pettigrew, Chaney) but in the end, they almost lost at home to EIU. So, this might take some time.
I’m putting them in the play-in team group for now, but could easily see them moving up into the middle of the pack in the Valley.
Prediction: Play-in team
References: Quotes from Roger Powell were taken from the Field of 68 and MVC Media Day interviews.