2019–20 Valparaiso Women’s Basketball Preview
The game of basketball is changing. Throughout the sport, at all levels, teams are expanding their offenses, relying on three-point shooting more than ever before. Rather than fighting that trend, Valparaiso and head coach Mary Evans are embracing it and even taking it to the next level.
“In the long run, I think it’s going to give us a better opportunity to win games than if we’re just trying to do what everyone else does. And I think the analytics prove it,” Evans said.
Valparaiso in the midst of an offensive evolution. And perhaps no team in the entire country changed their offense more drastically than Valpo did last season.
In 2017–18, the team scored just 27.7% of their points from three-point territory. They relied on pounding the ball inside and scoring at the free-throw line. In many senses, they were a traditional, old-school offense.
Last season, in Evans’ first year as coach, Valparaiso went a different direction. They embraced the three-point line and used it at every turn. Over 40% of the Crusaders’ points came from beyond the arc, the most in the Missouri Valley Conference and the 8th most in the entire country.
But the Crusaders aren’t just changing where their shots come from; they’re learning an entirely new way to play basketball. They’re playing with five players on the perimeter, in a style that doesn’t rely on traditional positions.
“We’re gonna teach you how to be a basketball player,” Evans said. “We don’t teach you to be a guard, a post, or a wing. You’re just a basketball player.”
It’s a difficult process. Anyone can learn a few plays. Re-teaching a game you’ve played your entire life is a different challenge, and Evans knows that. “We don’t have a ton of things. We don’t have a huge playbook,” she said. “But what we do, I think takes a lot of time to figure out and time to learn and time to understand. And I do think there’s some complexity to it. It’s not easy.”
The goal for any coach in year one is to establish an identity, and for whatever challenges they faced as a team last year, they did just that. Valpo enters next season knowing exactly how they want to play and exactly what they want to accomplish.
However, just as Valparaiso knows the style they will be playing next season, so will their opponents. Every scouting report will emphasize defending the three-point line. Valpo will need to work harder to open the same looks they generated last season.
And as with any new style, Valparaiso saw challenges in last year’s system. The team’s rebounding fell off a cliff, finishing in the bottom three of the conference in both offensive and defensive rebounding rate.
Due to their playing style, Evans knows Valparaiso is never going to lead the MVC in rebounding. “We’re always gonna struggle rebounding the basketball,” she said. However, if they want to be successful, they’ll need to improve on last year’s figures. “We just got to get rid of these games when we’re getting outrebounded and giving people 15, 16, 17 offensive rebounds. Those are the rebounds I am really worried about.”
With a year of experience in Evans’ system under their belt, Valpo can focus on those areas and try to strike a balance between its new perimeter-oriented system and the fundamentals which every team needs to create a winning culture.
In year two, there is no offensive system to implement, players know the playbook heading into camp, and the team knows the style it wants to play. Now, the team can focus on the little things. The areas which get lost in the shuffle as you try to implement a new system. The details that often decide the difference between winning and losing.
One of the things that will help them find that balance is the players returning to the court. Three of the team’s four leading scorers, Grace Hales, Shay Frederick, and Addison Stoller, return next season. Nicole Koincezy, a key contributor as a freshman on the 2017–2018 team, is returning after playing only one game in 2018–19 due to injury. Valparaiso is looking healthier, deeper, and more prepared than they were last season.
Evans knows depth was a problem last season. “Last year we played teams that could get up and pressure Shay, and after Hannah [Schaub] went down, you know she was playing 38 minutes per game,” she said. “And I think she was pretty worn down by the end of the year so [we’re] trying to lower her minutes.”
This season, she is committed to playing a deeper rotation. “One thing I learned is that you can’t survive in The Valley if you can’t play ten deep,” she said.
With key contributors returning, the new coaching staff’s first full recruiting class, and multiple players coming back from injury, Valparaiso’s increased depth will help them stay fresh throughout the season, particularly at the end of the year, in conference play. With a full year of experience under their belt, they’ll be more prepared. The next step is translating that into on-the-court success. We’ll see if Valparaiso is ready to do that this season.
Valpo begins its season on November 10th, with a neutral site matchup in Springfield, Ohio against Ohio State University. The home opener is November 24th against Bowling Green.
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