\n Story Links
\n
\n
\n
\n
<\/p>\n
Valparaiso (10-10, 4-5 MVC)
\nvs. Belmont (18-3, 8-2 MVC)
\nGame No. 21 \u2013 Wednesday, Jan. 28, 7 p.m. CT
\nAthletics-Recreation Center (5,000) \u2013 Valparaiso, Ind.
\n\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next Up in Valpo Basketball: The Valparaiso University men’s basketball team will finish out a stretch of three consecutive home games on Wednesday night as the Beacons host first-place Belmont at 7 p.m. at the Athletics-Recreation Center. After winning each of the first two games to further a four-game home winning streak, the Beacons will attempt to avenge a defeat from earlier in the season in Nashville and complete a perfect homestand. It’s Pack the ARC Night with seat surprise prizes scheduled to take place and the first 500 fans receiving a free promo item. This will mark Valpo’s second game against Belmont in a four-game span.
Midway Mark <\/p>\n
A Spark at the ARC <\/p>\n
Three is a Streak <\/p>\n
Nothing But NET <\/p>\n
KenPom Progress <\/p>\n
Rank\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Team\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Improvement
The League’s Leading Scorer<\/p>\n
Bench Boost <\/p>\n
Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 21 \u2013 Valpo 69, Southern Illinois 63 <\/p>\n
Dominant Defense <\/p>\n
Year\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Scoring Defense \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 FG% Defense\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 3pt%Defense
Beating The Preseason Top Two <\/p>\n
Turning Back Time <\/p>\n
Notes Wrapping Up Jan. 17 \u2013 Valpo 54, UNI 44 <\/p>\n
Close Calls <\/p>\n
Let’s Get Gritty Welcome, Rev. Konkol<\/p>\n
A Game-Changing Investment <\/p>\n
Who is Next? <\/p>\n
Growth Spurt<\/p>\n
One of Four<\/p>\n
A Look at the Schedule <\/p>\n
A Look Back at 2024-2025<\/p>\n
Breakthrough Wins in 2024-2025<\/p>\n
Inside the Roster\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meet the Team <\/p>\n
Beacon Bits
These Are a Few of My Favorite Things <\/p>\n
Inside the Assistants <\/p>\n
Tradition of Excellence <\/p>\n
\n\u00a0
\nLast Time Out: Valpo raced out to a 39-20 halftime lead and fended off a second-half Southern Illinois push to defeat the Salukis 69-63 last Wednesday at the ARC. Justus McNair<\/a> had a big first half and finished with 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting. The Beacon bench led the SIU bench 35-7, while starter Brody Whitaker<\/a> went 9-for-9 at the foul line on his way to 12 points. Valpo continued its strong 3-point defense, limiting the Salukis to just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from long range. Valpo had a bye weekend this past weekend as the other 10 conference teams were in action against one another.
\n\u00a0
\nGlancing Ahead: Valpo will play its first instate conference foe of the season on Saturday as the Beacons stay within state lines for a road trip to Terre Haute to take on Indiana State. The game tips at noon Central Time on Saturday on ESPN+.
\n\u00a0
\nFollowing the Beacons: Streaming \u2013 ESPN+ \u2013 Todd Ickow (play-by-play), Jamie Stangel (analyst) and Austin Amburgey (sideline)
\nRadio \u2013 WVUR 95.1 FM Valparaiso, TuneIn Radio App, ValpoAthletics.com \u2013 Jack Hutter and Eli Conklin \u00a0
\nX updates \u2013 @ValpoBasketball
\nLinks for video, audio and live stats will be available at ValpoAthletics.com.
\n\u00a0
\nHead Coach Roger Powell Jr.<\/a>: Roger Powell Jr.<\/a> (32-53) is in his third season as the head coach of the Valpo men’s basketball program. After helping guide Gonzaga to a 121-13 record during his four seasons as an assistant coach, Powell returned to Valpo, where he was part of head coach Bryce Drew’s staff from 2011-2016 and led the team to 124 wins in five seasons, including a program-record 30 victories and a National Invitation Tournament (NIT) title game appearance in 2015-16. He was part of head coach Mark Few’s Gonzaga staff as the Bulldogs reached the 2021 national championship game after winning their first 31 games of the season. During Powell’s first season on staff in 2019-20, Gonzaga was 31-2 at the time the NCAA college basketball season was halted due to COVID-19. The Bulldogs reached the Sweet Sixteen in each of his final three seasons on staff, including two Elite Eight appearances and the aforementioned trip to the 2021 national title game. Prior to his arrival at Gonzaga, Powell served as the associate head coach at Vanderbilt University under Bryce Drew from 2016-2019. During his stint as an assistant at Valpo, he was part of four Horizon League regular-season championships in a five-year period while also leading the 2012-13 and 2014-15 squads to Horizon League tournament titles and NCAA Tournament appearances. A product of Joliet West High School and a native of Joliet, Ill., Powell capped a prolific collegiate playing career at Illinois with a national title game appearance in 2005 before going on to a successful professional playing career. In the second season of the Powell Era in 2024-2025, Valpo over doubled its overall win total from the previous season and doubled its conference win output before earning a Missouri Valley Conference Tournament semifinal berth. The Beacons finished with 15 wins, the team’s highest total since 2019-20.
\n\u00a0
\nSeries Notes: Valpo is 10-9 all-time against Belmont including a 1-7 mark against the Bruins since they joined the Missouri Valley Conference prior to the 2022-2023 campaign. Valpo had lost seven straight head-to-head including all six MVC matchups prior to last season’s 101-86 victory on Feb. 12 at the ARC. The 101 points marked Valpo’s highest scoring output in a league game since 1998. The Beacons succumbed for the eighth time in the last nine showdowns on Jan. 13 of this season, falling 78-74 in Nashville.
\n\u00a0
\nJan. 13 \u2013 Belmont 78, Valpo 74: Valpo battled back from down 12 with 8:31 to go to tie the game with 1:26 remaining, but host Belmont improved to 16-3 overall and 6-2 in league play on Jan. 13 in Nashville by pulling out a 78-74 victory on a go-ahead shot with 11 seconds to go. The Beacons were led in scoring by fifth-year senior Owen Dease<\/a>, who poured in 24 points, while freshman Rakim Chaney<\/a> had his biggest game in league play with 17 points and fellow rookie JT Pettigrew<\/a> notched his first conference double-double featuring a career-high 12 rebounds. Valpo held a 34-29 advantage on the boards and outdid Belmont 14-5 on offensive rebounds and 22-4 on second-chance points. Chaney had a team-best plus-minus of +12 in 33 minutes, meaning Valpo was outscored by 16 in the seven minutes he was on the bench. The Beacons shot a season-worst 53.3 percent at the free-throw line, missing seven of their 15 attempts. The game featured 11 ties and eight lead changes.
\n\u00a0
\nScouting the Bruins <\/p>\n
\n\tRiding a five-game winning streak including an 80-69 win over Illinois State on Saturday.
\n\tLed in scoring by Tyler Lundblade at 15.0 points per game. He leads four Bruins averaging in double figures.
\n\tWith their win on Saturday and Murray State’s loss to UNI, the Bruins moved into a tie for first place in the Missouri Valley Conference.
\n\tHold the top KenPom rating in the Missouri Valley Conference at 64 and the top NET rating in the league at 61. \u00a0
\n\tCoached by Casey Alexander, who is in his seventh season at Belmont.
<\/p>\n
\n\tWednesday’s game vs. Belmont will be the 10th of Valpo’s 20-game Valley slate, meaning the Beacons are reaching the exact midway mark.
\n\tAlthough there are no easy games in the Missouri Valley Conference, the Valpo schedule is more favorable in the second half of conference play.
\n\tWhen the Beacons finish the first half of league play on Wednesday, they will have already played three of the league’s top four teams in the NET and KenPom twice each.
\n\tValpo will get to the midway mark of conference play without having faced Evansville, Indiana State and Drake, currently the bottom three teams in the league based on KenPom. \u00a0
\n\tWhen the second half of the conference season begins on Jan. 31, Valpo starts a stretch that includes six of its final 10 games against those three teams and only one more game against the league’s top four teams.
\n\tDespite the challenging schedule and an 0-3 start, Valpo has an opportunity to finish the first half of league play at .500. With a win on Wednesday, Valpo would own a record of .500 or better through 10 league games for the first time since 2019-20.
\n\tRegardless of Wednesday’s outcome, Valpo will have its best conference record through 10 games since 2020-21.
\n\tIf Valpo picks up its fifth league win on Wednesday, the Beacons would need only one more win to match last year’s conference win total.
\n\tValpo’s highest single-season conference win total since joining the league is nine (2019-20) and the team’s best MVC-only winning percentage also came that season (.500, 9-9).
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo currently owns a four-game home winning streak with victories over UIC (Jan. 4), Illinois State (Jan. 7), UNI (Jan. 17) and Southern Illinois (Jan. 21).
<\/p>\n
\n\tThis marks the team’s first four-game home winning streak since 2019-2020 (Drake, Indiana State, Evansville, Illinois State).
\n\tWith a win over Belmont on Wednesday, Valpo would own its longest home winning streak since starting the 2017-18 season 5-0 at home.
\n\tWith a win over Belmont on Wednesday, Valpo would own its longest home winning streak in league play since joining the Missouri Valley Conference.
\n\tThe last time the team won five straight league games at home was 2016-17, when Valpo won each of its final eight home Horizon League games before exiting the league.
\n\tWith a win on Wednesday, Valpo would improve to 10-3 at home this season, matching last year’s home win total. This season would tie with last season for the team’s most home wins since 2019-20 (12-2).
<\/p>\n
\n\tIn addition to the aforementioned home winning streak, Valpo will look to extend its overall winning streak to three on Wednesday vs. Belmont.
\n\tWith a victory, Valpo would own its second three-game surge of the season and first since beating Nicholls, Bryant and Cleveland State in November.
\n\tThis would mark Valpo’s first three-game winning streak in league play since the first three games of January 2025 \u2013 at Missouri State, vs. UNI and vs. Indiana State.
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo currently ranks 171 in the NET.
\n\tThis season, the Beacons have earned their top NET rating since finishing the 2019-20 season at 138.
<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Beacons have continued to climb the KenPom rankings, currently ranked 158.
\n\tThe Beacons started the season at 283, moving up 125 spots in the rankings since the season tipped off.
\n\tThe improvement of 125 puts the Brown & Gold sixth in the country in KenPom improvement.
\n\tThe full top six in KenPom improvement nationally is listed below.
\n\tValpo’s current ranking of 158 is its best of the Roger Powell Jr.<\/a> head coaching era and best since Dec. 12, 2020 (155).
<\/p>\n
\n1\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Central Arkansas\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 147
\n2\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Buffalo\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 146
\n3\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Stephen F. Austin\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 139
\n4\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Cal St Fullerton\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 138
\n5\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 UT Martin\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 126
\n6\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Valpo\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 125
\n\u00a0
\nDease Approaching 1,000 <\/p>\n
\n\tFifth-year senior Owen Dease<\/a> is approaching the 1,000-point milestone as he enters Jan. 28 vs. Belmont with 911 career points, all at the Division-I level.
\n\tDease scored 645 points over three seasons of action at Texas A&M Corpus Christi.
\n\tDease would become the first Beacon to score his 1,000th career point in a Valpo uniform during the Roger Powell Jr.<\/a> Era. The last Valpo player to reach that milestone was Kobe King (January 2023). Prior to that, it was Ben Krikke (November 2022) and Tevonn Walker (November 2017).
<\/p>\n
\n\tIn conference-only games, Owen Dease<\/a> leads the Missouri Valley Conference with a scoring average of 18.22 points per game over nine games. Drake’s Jalen Quinn is second at 18.20.
\n\tThe fifth-year senior ranks among league leaders in conference-only field-goal percentage (.477, 11th), free-throw percentage (.843, eighth) and 3-point percentage (.452, second).
\n\tDease has scored 18 points or more in six of his last nine games and 17 or more in nine of his last 14. He has at least 20 points in five of his last nine games.
\n\tOverall for the season, Dease is shooting 49 percent from the field, 40 percent from 3 and 85 percent from the free-throw line. He is one of 12 players nationally averaging at least 14 points per game while meeting the aforementioned percentage thresholds.
\n\tThe last two Valpo players to finish a season at those marks were Alec Peters (2015-16) and Casey Schmidt (1992-93).
<\/p>\n
\n\tOver the last two games, Valpo’s bench has outscored the opponents’ bench 57-7.
\n\tOn Jan. 21 vs. Southern Illinois, the Beacons held a 35-7 edge in bench points. That reversed the first matchup between the two teams, when Valpo faced a 30-13 disparity in that category.
\n\tSix of the seven players who came off the Beacon bench against the Salukis had positive plus-minus numbers, while four of the five starters were in the negative. Sader Servilus<\/a> posted a team-best +13.
\n\tValpo held a 21-0 edge in bench points on Jan. 17 vs. UNI.
\n\tThe Beacons rank third in the Missouri Valley Conference and 73rd nationally in bench points per game at 28.3.
<\/p>\n
\n\tJustus McNair’s<\/a> 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting and 4-of-6 from 3 played a key role in the game’s outcome. He had his highest scoring output in league play and second highest of the season behind 21 on Nov. 19 at Cleveland State. McNair’s four 3s marked a season high.
\n\tBrody Whitaker<\/a> finished with 12 points, the bulk of which came at the free-throw stripe, where he went 9-for-9. He tied a career high for made free throws, leading to his third double-figure scoring output in his last four games.
\n\tIsaiah Barnes<\/a> scored eight points on 3-of-5 shooting and drained each of his two 3-point attempts. He had his highest scoring output in Valley play and highest since 10 points on Dec. 13 vs. UNCW.
\n\tFreshman Rakim Chaney<\/a> handed out six assists, tied for his most in league play and one shy of a personal best.
\n\tValpo’s strong 3-point defense continued as SIU finished the game just 3-of-14 (21.4 percent) from long distance.
\n\tBoth teams scuffled from the free-throw line with SIU at 60 percent (18-of-30) and Valpo at 66.7 percent (20-of-30).
\n\tThe Beacons improved to 9-3 at home and recorded their fourth straight victory at the ARC.
\n\tThis marked the second straight game where Valpo defeated a team after losing to them earlier in the season \u2013 reversing the results on both UNI and Southern Illinois.
\n\tThe victory was Valpo’s first home win over the Salukis since Feb. 12, 2020, ending a four-game home skid in head-to-head matchups.
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo’s defensive numbers are much improved from recent seasons.
\n\tSee below for more details on how this year’s Valpo “D” stacks up against that of earlier seasons in the Roger Powell Jr.<\/a> Era. National and MVC ranks are listed in parentheses.
\n\tValpo’s field-goal percentage defense is currently its best since 2017-18 (42.1), 3-point defense is its best since 1996-97 (30.5) and scoring defense is its best since 2020-21 (68.4).
<\/p>\n
\n2025-26\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 69.7 (3rd\/82nd)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 42.8 (7th\/133rd)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 30.5 (2nd\/56th)
\n2024-25\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 73.9 (9th\/234th)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 46.2 (11th\/306th)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 34.6 (6th\/245th)
\n2023-24\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 75.5 (11th\/273rd)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 47.8 (12th\/341st)\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 35.4 (11th\/295th)
\n\u00a0
\nRookie Rankings <\/p>\n
\n\tJT Pettigrew<\/a> is the only Missouri Valley Conference freshman averaging at least 10 points and five rebounds per game. The only MVC rookie to finish at those marks since 2019-20 was Valpo’s Cooper Schwieger<\/a> in 2023-24.
\n\tPettigrew is one of 30 rookies nationally at those marks.
\n\tValpo boasts two of the top five freshmen in the league in terms of scoring average with Pettigrew third at 10.9 ppg and Rakim Chaney<\/a> fifth at 9.7 ppg.
\n\tPettigrew leads all MVC rookies with 5.9 rebounds per game. He ranks 27th nationally in rebounding average among freshmen.
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo’s 54-44 victory over UNI on Jan. 17 flipped a double-figure loss from the first matchup (58-48 on Dec. 29) into a double-figure victory in the second matchup of the season between the two teams.
\n\tThis marked the first time Valpo flipped a double-figure defeat from earlier in the season into a double-figure victory over the same opponent since Indiana State in 2020-21.
\n\tThe win over UNI means that Valpo has defeated each of the top two teams in the league’s preseason poll this year as Illinois State was picked to win the league followed by UNI. This is the first time Valpo has defeated each of the projected top two in the MVC preseason poll in the same season since 2019-20 (Missouri State and Bradley).
\n\tThe Beacons improved to 3-1 in their last four matchups with the Panthers.
\n\tValpo’s 77-71 victory over Illinois State on Jan. 7 marked the team’s best win in quite some time.
\n\tIllinois State entered the game ranked 90th in the KenPom, making that Valpo’s first top-100 KenPom win since Nov. 27, 2023 vs. James Madison (98) and best win in terms of KenPom rating since knocking off nationally-ranked Drake 74-57 on Feb. 7, 2021, when the Bulldogs were 55th in the KenPom.
\n\tValpo snapped a nine-game losing streak in games against the team picked to win the Missouri Valley Conference, topping the league’s preseason favorite for the first time since Feb. 13, 2021 (W 70-57 at UNI). The Beacons improved to 3-14 against preseason favorites since joining the MVC.
<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Jan. 17 victory over UNI featured a score that made those who weren’t there wonder if the two teams had decided to go back to the days of playing with no shot clock.
\n\tWhile the shot clock was indeed running, Valpo won by a 54-44 score more reminiscent of the pre-shot clock era.
\n\tThe 44 points were the fewest allowed by the Beacons since holding Southern Illinois to 38 on Feb. 12, 2020. This marked only the second time in the last nine seasons that Valpo held an opponent to fewer than 45 points.
\n\tIt’s fitting that Valpo held the opponent under 45 on a day where Valpo’s legendary #45 was recognized. One of the program’s all-time greats, Ryan Broekhoff, was inducted into the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame that morning and recognized on the court at halftime as part of the Valpo Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2026.
\n\tFitting on a weekend of celebrating the past, the final score was identical to the 2015 Horizon League title game vs. Green Bay, when Valpo won 54-44 to clinch an NCAA Tournament berth, the team’s most recent NCAA appearance.
\n\tValpo was on a 33-game losing streak when scoring 55 points or fewer prior to the victory over the Panthers. It marked the team’s first triumph under those circumstances since the aforementioned 2015 title game.
<\/p>\n
\n\tIn addition to scoring 20 points or more for the fifth time in the last eight games, Owen Dease<\/a> had seven boards, matching his season high set on Jan. 1 at Southern Illinois.
\n\tThe Valpo bench outscored UNI’s bench 21-0. Justus McNair<\/a> at +18, Sader Servilus<\/a> at +16, Mark Brown Jr.<\/a> at +13, Carter Hopoi<\/a> at +11 and Isaiah Barnes<\/a> at +9 all had great plus-minus numbers in reserve roles.
\n\tBoth teams shot 33.3 percent from the field and Valpo was 26.3 percent from 3 to UNI’s 20 percent. Valpo outscored UNI 15-2 at the stripe as the Panthers shot just 28.6 percent at the free-throw line to Valpo’s 75 percent (15-of-20).
\n\tMcNair finished with eight points and five rebounds, while Servilus gobbled up five rebounds, his highest total against a Division-I opponent this season. JT Pettigrew<\/a> had five rebounds as well, meaning four Beacons had at least five. Valpo outrebounded UNI 40-37.
\n\tThe Panthers had the lowest field-goal percentage by a Valpo opponent in conference play this season and the second lowest 3-point percentage by a Valpo opponent this season behind UIC.
\n\tThe Beacons again took good care of the basketball, committing just seven turnovers, the team’s lowest total in league play this year and lowest since six on Dec. 13 vs. UNCW.
\n\tValpo had just four assists, the team’s fewest in a victory since beating UNCW 79-70 on Nov. 25, 2017.
<\/p>\n
\n\tThe Beacons have come oh so close to pulling off big wins on multiple occasions.
\n\tFive of the team’s last eight losses have come by six points or fewer.
\n\tValpo has dropped its last four games decided by five points or fewer.
\n\tThe Beacons have lost five of their last six games that were decided by six points or fewer, beating Illinois State (+6) but falling at Belmont (-4), at Southern Illinois (-5), vs. Murray State (-6), vs. UNCW (-3) and at Marquette (-3).
<\/p>\n
\nAfter each victory, the Valpo coaching staff hands out the coveted “Grit Chain” to the grittiest player in that game. Grit Award winners are listed below.<\/p>\n
\n\tOn Tuesday, Dec. 2, Valparaiso University announced Rev. Brian E. Konkol, Ph.D. as the institution’s 20th President.
\n\tRev. Konkol, who took over for retiring President Jose Padilla on Jan. 1, 2026, brings more than two decades of combined experience across higher education leadership, global service and mission-centered work.
\n\tRev. Konkol and his family have ties to athletics. He competed on the men’s basketball team as an undergraduate student at Viterbo University.
\n\tRev. attended the Valpo vs. CCSJ men’s basketball game on Saturday, Dec. 6. He was recognized and introduced to the crowd during a media timeout, and joined Todd Ickow on the ESPN+ broadcast at halftime before visiting the team in the locker room after the game to congratulate the players and coaches on the victory.\u00a0
<\/p>\n
\n\tThanks to the generosity of Jan Sievers ’59 Schrage and Paul Schrage ’57, the Valparaiso University men’s basketball program has received a significant boost to its recruiting and retention efforts.
\n\tThe couple has committed $1 million to establish the Paul D. and Janet C. Schrage Basketball Excellence Fund, in alignment with the recently-launched Men’s Basketball Excellence Fund, which provides resources to the program’s greatest areas of need, such as team travel, nutrition and new student-athlete benefits.
\n\tThis generous gift continues a lifetime of the Schrage family making a transformational impact on the University, athletic department and men’s basketball program. Since developing a close friendship with legendary Valpo men’s basketball head coach Homer Drew<\/a>, the Schrages have provided philanthropic support that has benefited every men’s basketball coach and student-athlete who has donned the brown and gold.
\n\tLongtime benefactors to the University and ardent supporters of the basketball program, the Schrages funded the Schrage Basketball Wing addition to the Athletics-Recreation Center, which houses the men’s and women’s basketball offices. Along with the gift to construct the addition, they established an endowment to provide ongoing support for the facility on an annual basis.
\n\tPaul Schrage earned a bachelor of arts in business administration from Valparaiso University, a master of science in advertising from the University of Illinois and an honorary juris doctor from Valpo. He served on the Valparaiso University Board of Directors from 1996-2004 and from 2009-2015.
\n\tSchrage’s 30-year career with the McDonald’s Corporation began in 1967 when Ray Kroc hired him to start the marketing department. By the time he retired in 1997 as a senior executive vice president and chief marketing officer of McDonald’s Corporation and member of its board of directors, he had made McDonald’s one of the most powerful brands in the world. In recognition of his career, Schrage was inducted into the American Advertising Hall of Fame in 1997. He is also a lifetime trustee and former chair of the Ronald McDonald House Charities Board of Directors.
<\/p>\n
\n\tA trio of incoming freshmen have signed to continue their basketball careers at Valpo during the November early signing period.
\n\t6-foot-4 guard Justin Curry II (Noblesville, Ind.), 6-foot-7 forward Hudson Scroggins (Lake Bluff, Ill.) and 6-foot-1 point guard Rajan Roberts will join the program next year.
\n\tCurry averaged 15.6 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game as a junior at Noblesville last season. He is a reigning Indiana Junior All-Star.
\n\tScroggins was a 1,000-point scorer in the high school ranks at Lake Forest (Ill.) and is spending this year at a prep school, Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire.
\n\tRoberts is a highly-rated prospect from Chicago and was considered one of the top available point guards on the west coast at the time of his commitment. He is among the highest-rated recruits in Valpo history, according to 247Sports. His high school stops include a year each at Proviso West, Kenwood, Prolific Prep (Miami, Fla.) and AZ Compass Prep (Chandler, Ariz.).
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo’s roster has gotten noticeably larger in terms of height this season, as the squad boasts its highest average height of the Roger Powell Jr.<\/a> head coaching era.
\n\tThe Beacons have seven players on the roster listed at 6-foot-8 or taller \u2013 Jayden Watson<\/a> (6-8), JT Pettigrew<\/a> (6-8), Owen Dease<\/a> (6-8), Tucker Tornatta<\/a> (6-8), Kobe Walker<\/a> (6-9), Shon Tupuola<\/a> (6-10) and Carter Hopoi<\/a> (6-11).
\n\tThis marks the first time during the program’s long Division-I history that the team has had seven players listed at 6-foot-8 or taller.
\n\tThe 1999-00, 2000-01, 2013-14 and 2022-23 teams each had six players listed at 6-8 or taller.
<\/p>\n
\n\tOnly four programs in the nation have had their league’s Freshman of the Year in each of the last two seasons \u2013 UConn, Baylor, Valpo and Harvard.
\n\tAll Wright<\/a> was named the Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year in 2024-2025, becoming the second straight Valpo player to earn the award after Cooper Schwieger<\/a> did so in 2023-24.\u00a0
\n\tThis marked just the third time since the award began in 1986 that a school has had back-to-back MVC Freshmen of the Year. Wichita State’s Markis McDuffie (2016) and Landry Shamet (2017) were the most recent duo to go back-to-back. Before that, it was Southern Illinois’ Tony Harvey (1989) and Ashraf Amaya (1990).
\n\tWright became just the fifth Valpo freshman to win a league Newcomer\/Freshman of the Year Award, joining Schwieger (2023-24), Lubos Barton (1998-99), Bryce Drew (1994-95) and Lance Barker (1991-92).
<\/p>\n
\n\tThe 11-game nonconference slate featured seven home dates and four road contests.
\n\tValpo played at Preseason AP No. 9 Kentucky, a Sweet 16 team from last season, on Nov. 7.
\n\tNicholls, the Nov. 12 opponent, was a 20-win team last season.
\n\tBryant, which was at the ARC on Nov. 16, went 14-2 in the American East and totaled 23 wins on the way to a conference tournament crown and NCAA Tournament appearance last season.
\n\tCleveland State, which hosted Valpo on Nov. 19, went 23-13 overall last year en route to an appearance in the Purple College Basketball Invitational.
\n\tBig East foe Marquette, the Dec. 2 opponent in Milwaukee, reached the NCAA Tournament and accrued 23 wins last season.
\n\tUNCW, the Dec. 13 opponent at the ARC, won the Coastal Athletic Association championship and totaled 27 wins on the way to an NCAA Tournament berth last season.
\n\tThe nonconference portion of the season concluded on Dec. 16 at Big Ten adversary Northwestern.
\n\tValpo had three road nonconference games against teams in the top 60 in the KenPom preseason ratings, including Kentucky, rated No. 4 by KenPom.
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo finished with 15 wins, the team’s highest total since capturing 19 victories in 2019-20.
\n\tThe program advanced to the semifinals of Arch Madness for the first time since 2020 and second time since joining the league.
\n\tThe Beacons played three or more conference tournament games in the same season for the first time since 2019-20 and just the second time since 2010-11.
\n\tThe program over doubled its overall win total from the previous season (seven) and doubled its Missouri Valley Conference win total from the previous season (three).
\n\tValpo was one of eight teams in the country that shot 78 percent or better at the free-throw line and had 10.0 turnovers per game or fewer.
\n\tValpo won or tied the turnover battle in 26 out of 34 games last season and had 24 games with 10 turnovers or fewer.
\n\tThe Beacons had a better free-throw percentage than their opponent in 25 out of 34 games last season.
\n\tValpo broke the modern program record for single-season free-throw percentage (.775 in 2016-17) by finishing at .790.
\n\tThe team led the Missouri Valley Conference and ranked 11th nationally in free-throw percentage.
\n\tValpo also broke a modern program record for fewest turnovers per game at 9.7, a number that led the Missouri Valley Conference and ranked 19th nationally.
\n\tValpo had three double-figure comebacks, coming from 10 down to beat Missouri State, from 16 down to beat Southern Illinois and from 22 down to beat Western Michigan. Prior to last year, Valpo had not rallied from 15 or more behind to win since 2019-20, but last season the team did so twice.
\n\tAccording to KenPom, Valpo’s win probability of beating SIU was 4.2 percent when trailing 65-55 with 9:24 to play.
\n\tIn the win over Western Michigan, Valpo trailed by 22 with 6:51 on the clock, tying the largest comeback in program history. The rally was the second latest in NCAA history when trailing by 22 points or more and the latest rally of 22 points or more to finish in regulation. The 22-point comeback also tied for the fifth largest in Missouri Valley Conference history. According to ESPN, Valpo had a win probability of 0.1 percent with under seven minutes remaining. KenPom gave the Beacons a 0.3 percent chance of winning.
\n\tValpo’s 83-79 win at Southern Illinois marked the program’s highest point total in a road Missouri Valley Conference game since joining the league and the team’s highest point total in any true road game since December 2019.
\n\tAll Wright<\/a> had a game-winning layup with two seconds remaining on Feb. 19 vs. Missouri State, and Justus McNair<\/a> made a buzzer-beater from nearly halfcourt to beat Western Michigan on Dec. 20. Valpo now has 24 game winners in the final five seconds since the start of the 1992-93 season.
\n\tValpo beat Belmont 101-86 on Feb. 12. The 101 points eclipsed 98 on Jan. 8 of this season as Valpo’s highest scoring output in league play since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. The Belmont game was Valpo’s highest point total against a Division-I opponent since a 117-108 triple overtime loss to Mercer on Nov. 11, 2013 and first time scoring 100+ in regulation against a D-I opponent since 103 on Dec. 21, 2010 at Oakland. It marked Valpo’s highest point total in league play since a 102-74 Mid-Continent Conference win at Chicago State on Jan. 31, 1998. The 101 points were the most allowed by Belmont since Dec. 15, 2004.
\n\tThe team finished with a nonconference winning percentage of .636 (7-4), the program’s best since 2017-18 (9-4, .692).
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo defeated UNI in both matchups last season, winning 80-73 on Jan. 4 at the ARC and 64-63 on March 7 in the MVC quarterfinal in St. Louis. Valpo won back-to-back games in the series for the first time ever in 40 all-time matchups between the two teams. Valpo was 2-0 last season against UNI after entering the season 5-33 all-time against the Panthers.\u00a0\u00a0
\n\tOn Feb. 14 vs. Belmont, Valpo snapped a seven-game head-to-head losing streak, beating the Bruins for the first time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference. That marked the team’s first win in the series since Dec. 3, 2015, a 61-57 nonconference triumph.
\n\tBy beating Indiana State on Jan. 8, Valpo snapped a four-game head-to-head losing streak and topped the Sycamores for the first time since Feb. 5, 2022 (79-72, 2OT).
\n\tWith that Jan. 8 victory, Valpo beat the defending conference regular-season champions for the first time since Feb. 13, 2020 and snapped a six-game losing streak against defending MVC regular-season champions.
\n\tThe 73-72 win at Missouri State on Jan. 1 ended a nine-game head-to-head losing streak as Valpo beat the Bears for the first time since the 2020 MVC Tournament semifinal.
\n\tValpo’s 80-73 win over UNI on Jan. 4 snapped a four-game head-to-head skid and abolished a 15-game losing streak against teams picked to finish in the top two in the Missouri Valley Conference preseason poll.
\n\tValpo picked up regular-season wins over Indiana State, Missouri State and UNI all in the same season for the first time since joining the Missouri Valley Conference.
\n\tValpo beat Missouri State 66-64 on Feb. 19, securing the team’s only time winning a season series from the Bears in a combined 16 seasons of shared league affiliation between the Missouri Valley Conference and the Association of Mid-Continent Universities.
\n\tValpo stopped a seven-game skid against Southern Illinois with an 83-79 victory on Feb. 22 in Carbondale.
<\/p>\n
\n\tThis year’s roster is comprised of 13 newcomers and four returning players.
\n\tRecruiting the Chicagoland area successfully has been key for the program. Eight of the 17 players hail from the state of Illinois.
\n\tThe Hoosier State is another recruiting hotspot for the Beacons. Six members of the team are playing college basketball in their home state, and 14 of the 17 players hail from either Indiana or Illinois.
\n\tThe three players from outside the Midwest call Arizona, Montreal and New Zealand home.
\n\tThe roster has five seniors, four of which are in their fifth season of college basketball. The Beacons also boast a pair of juniors, a trio of sophomores and seven freshmen (six true freshmen, one redshirt freshman).
\n\tOf the 13 newcomers, six are true freshmen and seven are transfers.
<\/p>\n
\n\tFreshman guard Rakim Chaney<\/a> spent the 2024-25 season at 212\u00b0 Sports Academy in Sarasota, Fla., where he averaged 25 points, seven rebounds and five assists per game and was named the Florida Sun Basketball League Player of the Year.
\n\tSophomore guard Justus McNair<\/a> is the team’s only returning scholarship letterwinner from last season. He was named MVC Freshman of the Week on Nov. 25, 2024. His rookie campaign is most remembered for his buzzer-beater from nearly halfcourt to lift Valpo over Western Michigan 76-73 on Dec. 20, 2024, completing an epic 22-point comeback.
\n\tFifth-year senior guard Brody Whitaker<\/a> is a transfer from the Division-II University of Indianapolis, where he spent the 2024-2025 campaign after beginning his collegiate career with three years at NAIA Marian University. He entered the 2025-2026 season with 1,385 collegiate points.
\n\tRedshirt freshman forward Jayden Watson<\/a> sat out as a redshirt last season, and suffered a preseason injury leading into 2025-2026.
\n\tFreshman guard Camden Webster<\/a> is a walk-on who attended nearby Kankakee Valley High School.
\n\tFreshman forward JT Pettigrew<\/a> averaged 16.0 points, 10.2 rebounds and 2.4 blocks during his senior season at Bolingbrook High School. A second team all-state honoree, he recorded just the second triple double (points\/rebounds\/blocks) in program history. He scored over 1,000 career points and finished as his school’s all-time leading scorer.
\n\tJunior guard Mark Brown Jr.<\/a> averaged 13.3 points and 4.3 assists per game in 2024-2025 at Snow College, where he totaled 669 points, 220 rebounds and 215 assists over the last two seasons. He was ranked No. 61 among JUCO players nationally according to JUCORecruiting.com.
\n\tRedshirt senior guard Isaiah Barnes<\/a> spent the last two years at Tulsa after starting his career with two seasons at Michigan. He started 54 games and made 57 appearances in his two seasons with the Hurricane after playing on a Michigan team that went to the 2022 NCAA Tournament.
\n\tRedshirt senior forward Owen Dease<\/a> spent his first four collegiate seasons at Texas A&M Corpus Christi, where he redshirted as a freshman before playing in 85 games and making 50 starts over the last three seasons. He was part of the program as a redshirt in 2022 when the team reached the NCAA Tournament and then played on the 2023 team that won a game in the Big Dance.
\n\tFreshman forward Carter Hopoi<\/a> played at the FIBA U18 Asia Cup in September 2024 and has played with the New Zealand NBL’s Tauranga Whai.
\n\tFreshman center Kobe Walker<\/a> averaged 19.1 points, 12.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game as a high school senior at Normal Community, earning all-state honors. He broke his school’s rebounding record, which had stood for 52 years.
\n\tSenior Joe Vick<\/a> is in his fourth year in the program as a walk-on.
\n\tFifth-year senior Kyonte Thomas<\/a> tallied 1,325 points and 513 assists in his four-year career at the NAIA level, playing at Trinity International, University of Pikeville and Southeastern.
\n\tJunior center Shon Tupuola<\/a> averaged 14.5 points and 12.2 rebounds per game for NAIA Saint Mary-of-the-Woods last season, playing a key role on a team that won regular-season and conference titles before beating nationally-ranked opponents in each of the first two rounds of the NAIA National Championship.
\n\tSophomore guard Nick Lombardi<\/a> is in his second season in the program as a walk-on.
\n\tSophomore Tucker Tornatta<\/a> was named to the Great Lakes Valley Conference All-Freshman Team in 2025 while playing at the University of Indianapolis.
\n\tFreshman guard Sader Servilus<\/a> averaged 18 points, five rebounds and four assists in 2024-25 for Fort Erie International Academy. He earned National Preparatory Association Defensive Player of the Year honors, helping his team to a 30-3 record.
<\/p>\n
\nRandom facts on each Valpo player. <\/p>\n
\n\t#0 Rakim Chaney<\/a> \u2013 Father Bo played high school basketball and went on to play at the junior college level at Parkland. Both his maternal and paternal grandfathers have been involved with high school basketball in the Chicagoland area over the years.
\n\t#1 Justus McNair<\/a> \u2013 Went to the same high school as Valpo head coach Roger Powell Jr.<\/a> (Not at the same time, obviously.)
\n\t#3 Brody Whitaker<\/a> \u2013 Hopes to stay around sports in the future\u2026 Was teammates with Valpo’s Tucker Tornatta<\/a> last year at the University of Indianapolis.
<\/p>\n
\n\t#4 Jayden Watson<\/a> \u2013 Brother Elijah played five seasons of college basketball \u2013two years at West Liberty University in West Virginia, two years at Wayne State College in Wayne, Neb. and one year (2024-25) at Northwood University in Midland, Mich.
\n\t#5 Camden Webster<\/a> \u2013 Loves going to the lake, wakeboarding, skiing, tubing, being outside, being in the water, listening to music and going to his grandmother’s house. His eighth-grade team went to the Jan. 2, 2019 game when Valpo rallied from double figures down with less than two minutes remaining to beat Illinois State 58-56 on a half-court buzzer-beater by Markus Golder.
\n\t#7 JT Pettigrew<\/a> \u2013 Mother Bonnie Bremner-Pettegrew was an All-American, Big Ten Player of the Year and Big Ten Freshman of the Year during her volleyball career at Penn State, where she was the setter for a national championship team. His father Titcus Pettigrew played football and basketball for the Nittany Lions. His brother Trey also played college basketball and has made stops at Nevada, Bradley and Eastern Michigan.
\n\t#10 Mark Brown Jr.<\/a> \u2013 Older brother Brandon began his career in the JUCO ranks at Phoenix College, where he won a national title as a freshman and lost in the semifinals as a sophomore before going on to play two seasons at the NCAA Division-I level at Loyola Marymount\u2026 Mark enjoys clothing and putting on outfits in his spare time. He also likes sightseeing and going on adventures.
\n\t#11 Isaiah Barnes<\/a> \u2013 Older brother Daniel played at Eastern Michigan (2008-09) and UIC (2010-13). He attended games at Valpo to watch Daniel play in the Valpo\/UIC Horizon League matchups. He enjoys spending time with his dog. He graduated from Tulsa in 2025 with a degree in organizational study and is pursuing a master’s degree at Valpo.
\n\t#12 Owen Dease<\/a> \u2013 Enjoys spending time with his daughter Cohen, who was born in 2024\u2026 Graduated from Texas A&M Corpus Christi in May 2025 with a degree in kinesiology\/exercise science\u2026 Pursuing a master’s degree at Valpo.
\n\t#13 Carter Hopoi<\/a> \u2013 Growing up, played various sports including soccer, cricket and volleyball.
\n\t#15 Kobe Walker<\/a> \u2013 Enjoys going to church, golfing and watching movies\u2026 Played AAU for Gavin Sullivan, who is close with Valpo legend Alec Peters.
\n\t#20 Joe Vick<\/a> \u2013 Son of Julie Vick<\/a>, the administrative assistant for the Valpo men’s and women’s basketball programs.
\n\t#22 Kyonte Thomas<\/a> \u2013 Favorite hobby is bowling with a top score of 278\u2026 Graduated with a degree in business management and is pursuing a master’s in sports administration at Valpo.
\n\t#23 Shon Tupuola<\/a> \u2013 Was a boy scout as a child and enjoys being outdoors including water rafting, extreme downhill biking and four-wheeling. He also enjoys amusement parks and hopes to at some point try skydiving.
\n\t#32 Nick Lombardi<\/a> \u2013 Is interested in pursuing a career as a play-by-play sports broadcaster and is a huge fan of sports cars.
\n\t#35 Tucker Tornatta<\/a> \u2013 Has been watching the Missouri Valley Conference since he was a kid going to games at the University of Evansville\u2026 Enjoys playing golf, watching NBA games and swimming in his spare time.
\n\t#44 Sader Servilus<\/a> \u2013 Enjoys watching Anime\u2026 Originally played soccer as a child, but transitioned to basketball because all of his cousins were playing the sport.
<\/p>\n
\n\tFavorite Song
\n\t
\n\t
\n\tFavorite Movie
\n\t
\n\t
\n\tDream Vacation or Favorite Summer Destination
\n\t
\n\t
\n\tFavorite Dish
\n\t
\n\t
\n\tFavorite Sports Team
\n\t
\n\t
<\/p>\n
\n\tAssistant coach Pat Baldwin<\/a> brings head coaching experience to the staff as he spent five seasons at the helm at Milwaukee before serving as an assistant coach under Patrick Ewing at Georgetown during the 2022-23 season. He also worked under Chris Collins as an assistant during a successful run at Northwestern, so he has stops in the Big Ten and Big East to go along with head coaching experience. This marks his third season on Valpo’s staff.
\n\tAssistant coach Matt Gordon<\/a> spent two years in the Big 12 Conference at Oklahoma as Director of Recruiting and Special Assistant to head coach Porter Moser. He joined Moser in Norman, Okla. after they previously worked together for a decade at Loyola. Gordon knows what it takes to win in the Missouri Valley Conference as he played a key role in a turnaround that saw the Ramblers post a 156-80 (.661) record during his seven seasons as an assistant coach. He helped the team to two Sweet Sixteen appearances in a four-year period including a historic run to the Final Four. This marks his third season on Valpo’s staff.
\n\tAssistant coach Jesse McClung<\/a> is in his first year on staff after a successful two-year run as the head coach at Saint Mary-of-the-Woods, where he posted a 53-15 overall record and a 30-4 mark in River States Conference (RSC) play in a two-year stint leading the Pomeroys program. Under his leadership, SMWC made back-to-back NAIA men’s basketball national championship appearances, the only two in school history, highlighted by a Round of 16 appearance. He was named the 2024 RSC Coach of the Year.
\n\tAssistant coach\/General Manager Quintin Garrison<\/a> served as the associate head coach at Trinity International University from 2018-2023. He was promoted to his current position prior to the 2025-26 seasons after spending two years as Special Assistant to the Head Coach.
\n\tRecruiting & Player Development Coach Lavonte Dority<\/a> is in his first season on the coaching staff at his alma mater, where he finished his collegiate playing career in 2014. He was head coach Roger Powell Jr.<\/a>‘s first recruit during Powell’s first stint on Valpo’s coaching staff. He played professionally for eight years in Europe and prior to joining Valpo’s staff, he worked with Adidas Basketball. Dority was the 2012-13 Horizon League Sixth Man of the Year, earned first-team all-league honors in 2013-14 and garnered All-District 12 Second Team status that season. He was part of the 2013 Horizon League championship team and was a senior on a young team in 2013-14 that featured Alec Peters as a freshman.
\n\tAssistant Player Development Coach Sean Taylor<\/a> served as SIUE’s graduate assistant\/video coordinator from August 2021 to May 2023. He is in his third season on staff.
\n\tCreative content guru Jacob Lindsey<\/a> (third season) and former Valpo football and basketball player Anthony Sciarroni<\/a> (first season) serve as the program’s graduate assistants.
\n\tSeamus Glennon<\/a> is in his second season as the team’s sport performance coach. He previously served as a strength & conditioning assistant for the VCU men’s basketball program, a position he held for the last two seasons. He also spent time at Temple and Clemson.
\n\tCaleb Moreau is in his first season as the team’s athletic trainer. He earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology from Virginia in 2023 before going on to earn his master’s in athletic training from Virginia in May 2025.
<\/p>\n
\n\tValpo has 14 NCAA Tournament appearances and four NIT berths in the program’s proud history, with the team’s postseason success highlighted by a Sweet Sixteen run in 1998.
\n\tThe program has produced nine All-Americans, won 15 regular season conference championships and 10 conference tournament crowns.
\n\tValpo also boasts eight NBA players, 10 conference players of the year and 20 20-win seasons.
\n\tNine of the team’s NCAA appearances have come since 1996.
\n\tValpo has developed a myriad of professional basketball players over the last quarter century, most notably a pair of recent NBA players. Ryan Broekhoff (class of 2013) signed a contract with the Dallas Mavericks in the summer of 2018 after spending five seasons playing internationally in Russia and Turkey. Alec Peters (class of 2017) was the 54th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns. Peters appeared in 20 games for the Suns in 2017-18, highlighted by a 36-point performance in the season finale against Dallas \u2013 a new single-game high by a Valpo alum in the NBA. He has gone on to a successful career overseas with CSKA Moscow (2018-2019), Anadolu Efes (2019-2020) and Kirolbet Baskonia (2020-2022) and Olympiacos (2022-present).\u00a0
\n\tValpo has produced over 50 professional players in the last three decades.
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Story Links
Valparaiso (10-10, 4-5 MVC)
vs. Belmont (18-3, 8-2 MVC)
Game No.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":560250,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3724],"tags":[7],"class_list":{"0":"post-560249","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-basketball","8":"tag-basketball"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/115956960771405440","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560249","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=560249"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/560249\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/560250"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=560249"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=560249"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=560249"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}