Around the Valley News

[sevelev711]

We went from "Dang the Valley might have four at-large teams!" to "Alright, it's us and MSU, time to go 17-1 at worse!" in an amount of time that can only be described as Valley-like.

[DownGoesKansas]

I would still expect Drake to be really good. DeVries has done that good of job. Robbins last year was a bigger loss than this.

Yesufu probably wasnt even going to start. (You could argue if he should but...). It still a big loss dont get me wrong.

[PantherAlum09]

The Yesufu news yesterday was unexpected for sure. Even with everyone returning, it was pretty clear he was going to get a ton of minutes. Horne's was less unexpected just because Illinois State has struggled to keep just about everyone this year. Either way, this stinks. I feel for Drake fans, but they are so deep they should be fine.

[SteinPizza]

I would still expect Drake to be really good. DeVries has done that good of job. Robbins last year was a bigger loss than this.

Yesufu probably wasnt even going to start. (You could argue if he should but...). It still a big loss dont get me wrong.

Yesufu is an exciting player. That said, he was behind Roman Penn before he got hurt. Penn is a hard nosed, intelligent, crafty player and he and Hemphill will be POY candidates next year. The threesome of Penn, Hemphill, and Tremell Murphy makes Drake awfully tough, assuming all are back and all stay healthy. If everyone returns for UNI, we’ll have some real battles with them.

[DownGoesKansas]

Yesufu is an exciting player. That said, he was behind Roman Penn before he got hurt. Penn is a hard nosed, intelligent, crafty player and he and Hemphill will be POY candidates next year. The threesome of Penn, Hemphill, and Tremell Murphy makes Drake awfully tough, assuming all are back and all stay healthy. If everyone returns for UNI, we’ll have some real battles with them.

And Tucker DeVries, A big time MVC commit. Drake will still be good.

As I have mentioned before, they just need to play a real non conference schedule and win some of the them.

[sivert]

Yesefu leaving is disappointing - my initial thought was, What a stinker.
But the more I think about it, it makes sense. Especially with the way the NCAA tournament played out. Against USC, the points for the starters was 6,6,26,4,5. There were stretches where it seemed like nobody could score on USC except Y.
It would be normal for a kid, after losing that game to think to himself, I am the man! I wonder how far I could go with a better supporting cast?
Plus, with Penn returning Yesefu will come in off the bench.

[DownGoesKansas]

Yesefu leaving is disappointing - my initial thought was, What a stinker.
But the more I think about it, it makes sense. Especially with the way the NCAA tournament played out. Against USC, the points for the starters was 6,6,26,4,5. There were stretches where it seemed like nobody could score on USC except Y.
It would be normal for a kid, after losing that game to think to himself, I am the man! I wonder how far I could go with a better supporting cast?
Plus, with Penn returning Yesefu will come in off the bench.

I am genuinely curious to see how his career plays out. He was electric but also a volume scoring. Not saying he has to be that just interested to see how he develops.

[BCPanther]

Feels like he's headed to Illinois. Adam Miller is transferring out and Dosunmo is going Pro so there are lots of minutes there.

Rayvonte Rice Part Deux

[PantherAlum09]

Sounds like Moser is the leading candidate for the Oklahoma job. Considering a 6 year offer or staying at Loyola.

There may be a report saying North Carolina is talking to him as well. That would be a surprise to me. But great for him if that's the case.

[BCPanther]

Sounds like Moser is the leading candidate for the Oklahoma job. Considering a 6 year offer or staying at Loyola.

There may be a report saying North Carolina is talking to him as well. That would be a surprise to me. But great for him if that's the case.

Good for Porter. Strike while it's hot.

I have zero faith in him succeeding at the next level but go get that cash.

This is your periodic reminder that Porter's career record without Krutwig and Williamson is 140-180.

[SteinPizza]

Feels like he's headed to Illinois. Adam Miller is transferring out and Dosunmo is going Pro so there are lots of minutes there.

Rayvonte Rice Part Deux

Rice is a good analogy. I know a lot of people here hate Drake, but if you’re one of their fans you’d feel pretty “snake bit” over their basketball fortunes. Key players on recent good teams with season ending injuries, key players transferring with eligibility left, etc. It’s similar to some of the “black cloud over us” posts I’ve seen here, and understandable on both sides.

If Hemphill didn’t get hurt, he’d probably be an in demand “transfer up” player, just like Yesufu. He led them in scoring and rebounding before he broke his foot. Against USC, he played 26 minutes before his foot crapped out. In those 26, Drake played USC to a tie.

[MNpanthers]

Not sure how Moser could turn this down, only for North Carolina I reckon

[Gboom23]

Time to see how deep the pockets of the Loyola boosters are combined with how much Porter wants to stay at home. Will be interesting.

[CyCarp]

I think he's going to Oklahoma, but some are doing Loyola is ponying up to try keeping him...

Reports are surfacing that Porter Moser is going to be the next head coach at Oklahoma.
Two sources have made contact to CBS Sports to articulate that a deal is not done yet.

I’m told Loyola has made a huge offer to keep him, and the decision has been extremely tough.

[MNpanthers]

He's gone, and it's gonna be very interesting to watch how Loyola goes forward with hiring a new coach.

Do they shell out big bucks to try and keep their upward momentum?