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Post by humbleopinion on Feb 3, 2011 8:11:05 GMT -5
This morning's paper reported that Matt Kenney injured his hamstring near the end of the Butler game. We need all nine in the rotation to contribute tonight -- and a few minutes of Cameron absorbing some blows under the basket would help too.
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Post by bbtds on Feb 3, 2011 8:53:11 GMT -5
This morning's paper reported that Matt Kenney injured his hamstring near the end of the Butler game. We need all nine in the rotation to contribute tonight -- and a few minutes of Cameron absorbing some blows under the basket would help too. As for depth, Brandon Wood (hamstring) still is not 100 percent after his surprise 15-point performance against Butler. And Matt Kenney — one of VU’s most valuable players on both ends of the court — hasn’t practiced since he pulled his groin muscle in the Butler game. Drew made no promises that either would play, but given the magnitude of the game, it seems highly unlikely either would sit it out. “They don’t have to show us anything — we know the courage and toughness of both Matt and Brandon,” Drew said. “But if they can play, they will play.” posttrib.suntimes.com/sports/colleges/3621008-419/crusaders-game-cleveland-league-valparaiso.html Valpo (16-6, 8-2) practiced on Wednesday afternoon, and the only negative is the health of sophomore guard Matt Kenney. Kenney pulled a groin muscle in Saturday's 85-79 overtime victory against Butler. Kenney scored 16 against the Bulldogs, and ranks third on the team in scoring at 9.4 points per game. At 6-foot-3, Kenney is a key player at the top of Valpo's zone defense. "He hasn't practiced all week," Drew said. "He's a real concern, and it will be a game-time decision with him. When he's healthy, he's a really important part of our team." Drew said junior guard Brandon Wood, bothered by a hamstring that caused him to miss two games, has progressed this week. Wood was a surprise starter in the Butler game after not practicing for 10 days. "He did a little bit more in (Wednesday's) practice, so that's an encouraging sign," Drew said. The Crusaders will need everyone at full strength against the Vikings (20-3, 9-2), who have reached 20 wins faster than any other team in school history. www.nwitimes.com/sports/college/valparaiso-university/article_5062323f-dfa5-50bf-a995-fb020bcb1791.html
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Post by humbleopinion on Feb 3, 2011 8:57:07 GMT -5
Oops! Thanks for the correction.
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Post by bbtds on Feb 3, 2011 9:29:26 GMT -5
Cleveland Plain Dealer story on Tre Harmon who scored 21 against Valpo in their loss at the ARC in the 2nd half. www.cleveland.com/sports/csu/index.ssf/2011/02/cleveland_states_trevon_harmon.html CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Some things just happen. Some things are destined. Trevon Harmon believes he was destined to play basketball for the Cleveland State Vikings. "I truly believe, in my case, things happened for a reason," Harmon said of the recruiting experience that brought him from Pasadena, Calif., to Cleveland. Harmon had never been here before. But the dots that connected Harmon to Cleveland are many. While attending the 2008 NCAA Tournament, CSU assistant coach Jason Gee got into an argument with a waiter in a restaurant. A longtime Pasadena basketball coach who had seen Harmon play, Gamal Smalley, happened to be at the restaurant and overheard the exchange. He approached Gee and complimented him on how he had handled the situation. They talked, and Smalley said to Gee, "Hey, I've got a kid you might want to see." Soon after, Gee was in California on a recruiting trip and made the 90-minute drive from Los Angeles to Pasadena. "I hate traffic and I hate long drives, but I had the time, so I went," Gee said. He liked what he saw, but Harmon was on the radar of Pac-10 schools, with Arizona State and Oregon State among his strongest suitors. Harmon averaged 28.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 8.9 assists in high school. "When my coach mentioned it to me, I'm like, 'Who's Cleveland State?'" Harmon recalled. So he wasn't initially feeling the Vikings, even as Gee was putting on the recruiting press. "He never, ever lost contact with me," Harmon said. "It was special. There are a lot of coaches out there who are going to feed you a lot of nonsense just to get you to their school, but he cared. We stayed in contact. He sent my mom mail. He sent my grandmother mail. He sent my sister mail. "It was crazy, and I still had the Pac-10 coaches coming to me. But he stayed with me." Then, toward the end of his senior year at Pasadena High School, things became "weird," as Harmon says. As the recruiting deadline came around, he discovered he needed an extra English class to be eligible for a scholarship. "I took a night school course, and got a B. I thought I was set," he said. But then it was determined the class didn't count for a whole credit, only half. Harmon was shocked. The Pac-10 schools started walking away, or tried to get him to go to prep school or junior college. "The only one that stuck with me was Cleveland State," he said. Teenagers doesn't just typically leave the sunshine of California for Cleveland with little more than a travel brochure as a reference. Yet Harmon's desire to get his college basketball career going made getting on the plane easier. "I was ready to play Division I basketball," he said. So telling friends and family he was headed to the small time instead of the big time was not disappointing for him. "Once I told them I signed with Cleveland State, they kind of gave me that hesitation, that look: 'Why did you pick Cleveland State,?'" Harmon said. "I told them it was for my best interest. Everything happens for a reason." Still, the transition from West Coast to Lake Erie's North Coast wasn't easy. The lifestyle change took some time to adjust to. And then there was the weather. "To come from L.A. to a smaller city, the culture is so much different," Harmon said. "You got this cold wind. That's what really had me worried. I'm the kind of person, I can get sick easy. It's not the snow, it's the wind. We're right by the water, so walking to practice, that wind coming off the lake ... but I adjusted to it. "I was homesick for a while. I could not practice or work out while they were getting through the NCAA rules and stuff. So I was just in my room. It was a long process and a tough experience, but the way it has turned out now, I couldn't ask for anything more." By the second semester of his freshman year in 2008-09, Harmon was eligible and would be a key bench contributor as the Vikings won the Horizon League Tournament and advanced to the 2009 NCAA Tournament. As a sophomore, Harmon stepped into the starting lineup and became the defensive specialist against opposing point guards and a 3-point-shooting threat. Now a junior, Harmon said his career has settled in. He is averaging 13.8 points and 3.8 rebounds in 31.5 minutes per game. "Tre has been our most consistent player all season," coach Gary Waters said -- high praise considering that Horizon League MVP candidate Norris Cole is in the same backcourt. Harmon has scored in double figures in four of his last six games. Next up is Wednesday night's first-place Horizon League showdown against Valparaiso at the Wolstein Center. In CSU's loss at Valpo on Jan. 9, Harmon dropped 21 points on the Crusaders, all in the second half. "This season has been big for me," Harmon said. "My first two years I've been trying to be consistent. Now, I've been making sure I've been consistent, both on and off the court -- being a good teammate, being a good leader. "Cleveland was the farthest place I had ever been. It was tough. Coming up here just off faith, it was scary. But I'm glad I did it." The Trevon Harmon file •Hometown: Pasadena, Calif. •Ht./wt.: 6-1 / 185 •Age: 21 •Year: Junior •Position: Guard. Averages 13.8 ppg, 1.2 assists, 3.8 rebounds. •Career best: 24 points vs. Illinois-Chicago, Jan. 1, 2011. •Did you know? Harmon was a four-year starter on Pasadena High teams that won three straight league titles and won 34 straight league games. ... Harmon is a communication major with a business minor. “I plan on being an ESPN radio talk host,” he says. — Elton Alexander Cleveland State vs. Valparaiso •Tipoff: Thursday, 7 p.m. at Wolstein Center. •Radio: WHKW AM/1220. •Notable: The Vikings (20-3, 9-2 Horizon) or the Crusaders (16-6, 8-2) will have a firm grip on the Horizon race after this one is over. Valparaiso won at home, so a victory would provide a tiebreaker edge at the end of the season. G Brandon Wood (16.0) and F Cory Johnson (15.8) are the focus of the Valpo offense. ... Freshman guard Jay Harris hit six straight free throws in the final seconds to complete Valparaiso’s Saturday win over Butler. ... Norris Cole leads the Vikings in scoring (20.1), assists (5.2) and steals (2.4). •Next for CSU: Saturday vs. Butler, noon.
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Post by bbtds on Feb 3, 2011 9:41:22 GMT -5
Cleveland News-Herald story on the Valpo game. www.news-herald.com/articles/2011/02/03/sports/nh3598485.txt?viewmode=2 "At this point, I think Valpo is better than Butler," Montgomery said. "They score the ball and shoot one of the best percentages in the nation. Coached by Homer Drew, owner of a 364-299 record in 21 years at Valpo, the Crusaders shoot 48 percent from the field and feature a balanced scoring attack led by junior guard Brandon Woods (15.4 points per game) and senior forward Cory Johnson (15.3). CSU's two league losses this season were in consecutive road games at Butler and Valparaiso in January. "They've proved they can play with everybody," CSU junior guard Trey Harmon said of the Crusaders. "I feel they didn't get our best the first time around, but we're very prepared for them." "Our pressure and defense will be a key (tonight). If we hold them to a low percentage, the game will be ours to handle," Harmon said. CSU coach Gary Waters is an admirer of Homer Drew and this Valparaiso team. "They're under the radar. They can play without any stress," Waters said. "I had some teams like that at Kent, where you could sneak out games because people didn't realize how well you do what you do. With Valpo, people don't know how good they can do what they do on the offensive end." The games tonight and Saturday are expected to attract some of the largest crowds in recent years at the Wolstein Center.
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Post by valpocleveland on Feb 3, 2011 17:13:35 GMT -5
Hoping to see some fellow fans at the game tonight. I went 2-3 years ago and somehow bought tickets in the CSU student section. They did not appreciate someone in the student section rooting for the away team. I am not in the student section this year but every CSU fan around me will know who I am rooting for! Go Crusaders!
Valpo in a close, defensive game: 62-60.
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Post by wh on Feb 3, 2011 18:34:48 GMT -5
Hoping to see some fellow fans at the game tonight. I went 2-3 years ago and somehow bought tickets in the CSU student section. They did not appreciate someone in the student section rooting for the away team. I am not in the student section this year but every CSU fan around me will know who I am rooting for! Go Crusaders! Valpo in a close, defensive game: 62-60. Hang tough, valpocleveland - we're with you in spirit!
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Post by valpo84 on Feb 3, 2011 18:57:19 GMT -5
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Post by agibson on Feb 3, 2011 19:01:03 GMT -5
From the pre-game, sounds like we plan to go nine deep. So, apparently injuries won't keep anyone out of the game entirely.
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Post by dylanrocks on Feb 3, 2011 19:01:31 GMT -5
Good luck, Crusaders! Just know that CSU is going to scratch, claw, poke, prod, fight, flop and hit you in the mouth ... and probably play a little basketball, too. ... And then Waters is going to wail about the disparity in fouls at the end of the game.
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Post by dylanrocks on Feb 3, 2011 19:09:36 GMT -5
You need a stabilizer.
Rowdy, maybe?
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Post by dylanrocks on Feb 3, 2011 19:35:57 GMT -5
I don't think that it's Howard's wrist that's injured.
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Post by gopanthers33 on Feb 3, 2011 19:51:22 GMT -5
1 point game at the half...
Unfortunately Panthers aren't playing but this is still a very good game
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Post by valpofan56 on Feb 3, 2011 19:53:36 GMT -5
Great to see Cam playing well when Cory and Kevin are playing stupid. Glad to have that 3rd option in the post!
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mj
Bench Warmer
Posts: 124
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Post by mj on Feb 3, 2011 19:53:54 GMT -5
Nice to see the guys come back to make this a game. The bench really saved us.
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