Valpo decided they were going to take the leap into Division One for better or not a few years ago and it did not go well.  Things changed for the better when they took a chance on a young coach from Bethel, a small little Christian NAIA college (see the connection) just down the road from Valpo.  Homer Drew, first from St. Louis, has done what so many other coaches dream of.  He has come to a small college and done things his way and built this program into a consistent power to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future as long as Valparaiso remains a ‘family town.’ And in the Summit League.  How does a team jump from a lower division program and become a conference power so quickly?  Well for Coach Drew in the words of Sly Stone you turn it into a family affair.  Not only did Drew use nepotism to bring Mr. Basketball Indiana (his son Bryce) to Valpo over the Big Ten Schools but his primary assistant was his other son Scott.  That was before he left to build his program down in Waco Texas.  Well, for Coach Drew’s team it was fun being able to have his kids in his program but it was no accident that this team won more with the Drew family on board. It does not hurt having some guys who know how to play basketball on his roster that were not named Drew as well. 

There was not much expected of the Crusaders as they entered last season.  Projected to be in the middle of the pack even in the low Mid Continent Conference Drew had a slew of carryover players from the Glory days of NAIA.  Drew knew he had to bring in some fresh talent to play at this higher level of Division One but then again he did not want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. Drew is intent on scheduling tough teams but nothing out of the realm of teams they could not beat. Long-time rival and neighbor Notre Dame was no longer scheduling lowly Valpo with their move from Independent to the big time of the Big East.  DePaul also skipped on a repeat matchup with the Crusaders after big man Milt Schoon outplayed George Mikan and held him to 9 points in an upset for the ages.  Fellow Indiana schools Purdue and Indiana had no room at the table to feed their much smaller sibling with some seed money as the potential of losing to these guys was not worth the risk.  The Crusaders had plenty of rivals who dated back to the ‘old days’ with many coming from the Hoosier state but several other Midwestern schools as well.  Drew had decided the best route to get some attention was to win games and he scheduled accordingly with some solid mid-majors coming to the small but friendly confines of the legendary Hilltop Gym which has recently been added on and now seats almost 5500 fans.  This is one of the oldest basketball Gyms in the country for a Division One program and is a huge advantage to the Crusaders.  Drew was smart in his first year by starting some home and homes with some mid-majors and going on the road to them in his difficult first year.  This year will be the return trip so we shall see how that plays out. Even with his wunderkid of a son coming in to play for him Drew will still rely on experience to lead the way to glory.

A group of seniors went into the season as the leaders of this Crusader team and with their experience and size looked as if they would be the guys.  The aforementioned ‘World’s Tallest Team’ might have worked in the NAIA but does not quite make it in Division One even in the Mid Continent.  Bob Dille, John Janisch and Milt Schoon were eager to show that they could play with the big boys.  And that they did indeed belong!  Schoon is an intimidator inside with his size and strength especially at the level he was coming from.  This kid from just up the road in Gary is big at six eight and 230 and showed in the past he can match up with the big boys.  He had some growing pains last year as his offense was wildly inconsistent.  He scored 42 in a huge game versus Western Illinois but never came close to that kind of productivity the rest of the season.  He did average over twelve points a game which was helped immensely due to that game and was solid on the boards but his best asset was his defense.  He can hang with anyone (just ask big George) and knows how to use his body to maintain his position and keep his opponents out of the key or basically anywhere else they wanted to go.  He is not afraid to lay a lick on someone either as Mikan and others found out.  Janisch is a wing who showed he can put the ball in the hole and always seems to be in the right place at the right time.  He is a true garbage man who hangs around the basket looking for tipins and getting after loose balls.  He does not seem like a star but he will get a shot somewhere at the next level.  Janisch has the skills wherever he goes to produce.  Dille is not big for a forward at six three but he showed that he can score. He was the offensive star of this team before Drew got here and early on he showed some of this.  Dille is much older than most of his teammates at 26 and has a wife and works full time so he had much on his plate besides just basketball. Some other teams have complained but he was deemed eligible when he enrolled and has had a great career for Valpo.

Fellow Seniors Chuck Kriston and Bruce Lindner split time as the wings early on and both can do one thing well. They can score. Dick Jones is another wing who could score but he has a better career path in baseball as a pitcher and did not even play his Senior year to concentrate on that sport. These two put the ball in the hoop and loved that Drew is going to emphasize the three point shot.  Big Don Bielke at six seven and about 240 got some early minutes down low for the Crusaders and can bang in the paint. He and his sidekicks showed they were not afraid to mix it up with the big boys they were playing now.  This was Division One however and these boys took their lumps.  They were not ready for the speed or athleticism of the players they were matched against though as the season progressed Coach Drew knew he would have to go to underclassmen to compete. 

The only two juniors on the roster are a couple of post players who help on the boards.  John Wolfenberg came on strong at the four as he has some height at 6’8 but needs to put on some weight.  This 185 pounder played well when given the chance but needs to come back stronger and thicker.  Joel Olberman is a board guy but has not played much on varsity. The first-class Drew coached here featured a bunch of wings including Harry Bell a 6’4 stud who really came on strong.  Jim Ford and Jeff Simmons are solid forwards as well and played well on the JV team together.  John McIlvain and Mikes Jones were the same in the back court but none of these guys are game changers.  Drew has one of those coming in with his son and his other son has left a gift of some wonderful recruits form overseas as the Crusaders try to regain their moniker as the ‘Tallest team in the World.’