3 Fun Facts About Valpo (That Aren't Bryce Drew's Shot)

When I say the word “Valpo,” one play immediately comes to mind for every college basketball fan. You’ve seen it hundreds of times, and it never gets old.

Valparaiso was a No. 13 seed, trailing No. 4 seed Ole Miss by two points with 2.5 seconds left in the opening round game of the 1998 NCAA Tournament. Valpo needed a full-court prayer to win it, and it was answered by Bryce Drew.

“He did it! Bryce Drew did it! Valpo has won the game! A miracle!”

The Drew name is synonymous with the Valpo basketball program. Homer Drew led the program to seven NCAA Tournaments in nine years from 1996-04. His son’s shot propelled Valpo to the Sweet 16, the school’s best-ever finish in the NCAA Tournament.

Bryce returned to his alma mater to succeed his Dad and went to the Big Dance twice in four years before climbing the coaching ladder.

It’s impossible not to associate this program with the Drew family. But then what? We’re answering those questions with a few facts about Valparaiso before Kentucky hosts the team Friday night at Rupp Arena.

Valpo is no longer the “Crusaders”

The Crusaders are no longer crusading. In the summer of 2021, the school announced a change in its longtime nickname after the moniker was embraced by hate groups. There was a lot of murdering in the crusades a thousand years ago, which made it a debated nickname for a while. Once the KKK began using Crusade symbolism, the school decided it was time to drop its masquerading knight.

Now known as the Valparaiso Beacons, the name was chosen because it “directly connects to the University’s motto, ‘In Thy Light We See Light,’ and represents the Valparaiso University community in many ways.” We can all admit that it’s a stupid nickname, but they did do one thing right. If you’re going to have a stupid nickname, at least have a cool mascot. They got two new ones, a golden retriever named Beacon and a chocolate lab named Blaze.

Not to nitpick, but you couldn’t just have two live dogs running around at games? Make it happen, STAT.

Valpo is in the Missouri Valley Conference

The Valpo I know was a force in the Mid-Continental Conference, and continued to be a pesky team in the Horizon League. The one in the Missouri Valley Conference just stinks.

Valpo joined The Valley when the mid-major was hemorrhaged by departures for the Big East. It hasn’t worked out well for their basketball program. Valpo has just one winning season since it joined The Valley in 2017 and has not sniffed the NCAA Tournament.

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Of Course There’s a Drew Connection

Sorry, there had to be at least one Bryce Drew connection when discussing Valpo basketball, but that’s not the most interesting thing about head coach Roger Powell. Entering his third season in Northern Indiana, Powell previously worked as an assistant for Bryce Drew.

If that name is not ringing a bell, allow me to jog your memory. Remember Deron Williams, Dee Brown, and Luther Head? Of course you do. That 2005 Illinois team was incredible. They started the season 29-0, losing by one in a heartbreaker in the season finale at Ohio State. It was their only loss before falling to Sean May and North Carolina 75-70 in the National Championship in St. Louis.

You probably only remember the three stars of that team. Roger Powell was no chump, either. The 6-foot-6 forward started in all 39 games for that sensational Illinois team, and averaged 12 points and 5.7 rebounds per game. One of the best games of his career was actually in their final win of the season. The Valpo head coach had 20 points in a 15-point win over Louisville in the Final Four.