Second De’Andre Enters Horizon
by Jay Pearlman
VALPARAISO, Ind. – For a second straight Saturday night this writer ventured over the border into Indiana, again to a gym I’d never been to before. This time, it was in the bedroom community of Valparaiso in the suburban Chicago section of Indiana known as the Region. And once again I somehow forgot the religion basketball is in the state of Indiana, as 3,500 fans turned out for last night’s exhibition game against Division III Elmhurst College. Valpo won the game 85-63.
Just one year removed from leaving the Mid-Continent for the Horizon (they were still a member for a summer month after the Mid-Con changed its name to the Summit League), the atmosphere at Valpo is unique among arenas I’ve visited. Containing a gym that seats only 5,000, the ARC (Athletics-Recreation Center) is as much a recreation building as it is a basketball arena, and the building still has the feel of the Division II program it long housed. Despite closing in on 600 wins, youthful Coach Homer Drew adds to the low-key, informal atmosphere, dressing in a Valpo polo for this exhibition game, smiling virtually all evening, and seconds before tip walking up and introducing himself to this writer new to press row. And yet, they’ve been remarkably successful, including a first-round win over the University of Washington in last year’s inaugural College Basketball Invitational.
In their first season in the Horizon, last year’s Crusaders tied for 4th at 9-9, making it to a conference tournament semifinal game before being selected for the CBI. But four of the six best scorers last season are gone now, including 43 percent three-point shooter Samuel Haanpaa, who returned to his native Finland to play professionally after completing his sophomore year. Also, returning senior guard Brandon McPherson has yet to practice due to injury.
So it’s a largely new group you’ll see on the floor this season for Valpo, joining senior guards McPherson and Jake Diebler, and senior forward and the conference’s second leading rebounder, 6-8 Urule Igbavboa (second to seven-footer Scott VanderMeer of Illinois-Chicago).
While there were whispers on press row about freshman guard Erik Buggs from Memphis (not just about him being four inches shorter than his listed 6-0), two other newcomers excelled for the Crusaders this night. First, there was 6-7 forward/center Benjamin Fumey from Germany (a name no two reporters pronounced the same, and which all agreed didn’t concern Fumey in the least). One of four college players around the country who played with paid players in Germany before arriving in college last fall, an NCAA ruling forced Fumey to sit out last season, and to forfeit one year of college eligibility. That makes him a sophomore with zero college basketball experience. That said, Fumey is older than other newcomers, thick and strong with good flexibility and touch, and possesses a back-to-the basket game not common at this level this side of Butler’s Matt Howard. Ben scored 13 on 5-6 shooting, and grabbed three rebounds, his minutes limited to fifteen by fouling. This season, Fumey should be a terrific complement at forward to senior Igbavboa from Minnesota (and also should partner well with forward Cory Johnson, also from Minnesota, when he becomes eligible in 2009-10).
But the star this night, the unexpected jewel that brought a smile to every face in the gym, was smooth shooting (and himself oft-smiling) 6-4, 190-pound freshman guard De’Andre Haskins from Long Beach, California, who prepped a year at LaPorte (40 miles east of Valparaiso). Having watched some practices this fall at Cleveland State, I’ve previously focused on just one D’Aundray in the conference (spelled differently), CSU’s athletic sophomore guard D’Aundray Brown from Youngstown. A wonderfully athletic 6-4, I’ve heard CSU coach Gary Waters say that based on that athleticism, D’Aundray is his best defender, particularly in pressure defense. Well, now there are two players by that name that we need to watch.
Haskins didn’t start this night against Elmhurst, and as good as he was in the first half, as is his custom Drew did not adjust his lineup to start him in the second half. A broad-shouldered 6-4, Haskins showed ball-handling skills and superb left-handed long range shooting. In quite a display of shooting, in just 22 minutes Haskins scored 15 points on 5-5 shooting, 3 from behind the arc, along with 2-2 from the line. He didn’t rebound much this night – just grabbing two boards – but with that body he surely will (just as soon as his coach tells him that that’s also his job). But for a team desperate to replace departed scoring, what a tremendous surprise to see Haskins filling the goal from the outside.
I’m not sure who was smiling more at the post-game news conference, Haskins or Drew (and somehow, unlike those of us seated at press row, I don’t think either of them was all that surprised).
Horizon news and notes
- Nine days into exhibition games, Butler is 2-0 (adding a victory over Oakland City on Saturday night to last week’s over Marian), UW-Green Bay is 2-0 (defeating Minnesota-Duluth and Wisconsin-Eau Claire), UW-Milwaukee is 2-0 (defeating the Milwaukee School of Engineering and Wisconsin-Parkside), Loyola defeated Robert Morris (Ill.), Detroit beat Tiffin, and Valpo beat Elmhurst. The exhibition schedule concludes with just three games this week, John Carroll at Cleveland State and St. Edward’s (Texas) at Wright State on Monday, and Aurora at Illinois-Chicago on Tuesday. Then everything counts, beginning with four games Friday November 14: Loyola hosting Rockhurst, UIC at Bradley, Detroit at Purdue, and Milwaukee vs. Loyola-Marymount at the World Vision Classic at Iowa State in Ames.
- In Friday’s USA Today College Basketball Preview section, that publication named Wright State as its favorite to win the Horizon. Well, what a relief that must be for the folks at Cleveland State, as most other publications (including both Hoopville and the conference’s own preseason poll) named CSU as the favorite.
- Some of you know that when a writer is new to a conference, there is a period during which he or she hasn’t yet seen all the teams play. Well, having to date seen only Butler and Valpo (also some CSU practices), two thoughts: first, I better try to get down to Wright State at my earliest. Second, having watched just three teams thus far, I’ve already seen what could be a pretty darn strong conference All-Newcomer team: Valpo’s Haskins and Fumey, Butler’s Gordon Hayward and Shelvin Mack, and CSU guard Trevon Harmon (eligible December 13). There are seven more teams to catch before I can express that opinion with any confidence.
