Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball

Infobox CBB Team
name = Valparaiso Crusaders

---

logo_size = 150
university = Valparaiso University
conference = Horizon League
conference_short = Horizon League
division =
city = Valparaiso
stateabb = IN
state = Valparaiso, IN
coach = Homer Drew
tenure = 18th
arena = Athletics-Recreation Center
capacity = 5,000
nickname = Crusaders
color1 = Brown
color2 = Gold
hex1 = 964B00
hex2 = FFD700
a_pattern_b=
a_body=FFD700
a_shorts=FFD700
a_pattern_s=_whitesides
NCAAchampion =
NCAAfinalfour =
NCAAsweetsixteen = 1998
conference_tournament = 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, 2004 (Summit League)
conference_season = 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004 (Summit League)

The Valparaiso Crusaders Basketball team is the basketball team that represent Valparaiso University in Valparaiso, Indiana. The school's team currently competes in the Horizon League. The team last played in the NCAA Division I Men's Basketball Tournament in 2004. The Crusaders are currently coached by Homer Drew, who is in his 18th year. The Crusaders play in the Athletics-Recreation Center, which has a capacity of 5,000.

History

The beginning

The Crusaders' first game was in 1917. Under the coaching of Sidney Winters, the team lost to Chicago. The team would finish 7-2 that year [http://www.valpo.edu/athletics/assets/mediaguides/MBB-2006-2007-01.pdf]

The tallest team

The 1944-1945 team was billed as "The World's Tallest Team." [http://www.valpo.edu/athletics/assets/mediaguides/MBB-2006-2007-01.pdf] That year, they defeated Long Island University in a game played in Madison Square Garden.

Conference affiliation

The Crusaders would join the Indiana Collegiate Conference for the 1950-1951 season. The Crusaders advanced to the NCAA tournament for the first time in 1961-1962. In 1968-1969, they hosted an NCAA tournament game for the first time.

Division I

The Crusaders joined Division I before the 1978-1979 season. After four years as an independent, they became charter members of the AMCU.

NCAA tournament

Under coach Homer Drew, the Crusaders became a conference power. They won their first Mid-Continent championship in 1995, led by star player Bryce Drew. However, the team was not invited to the NCAA Tournament. The Crusaders won the 1996 conference championship and received their first invitation to the Division I NCAA Tournament. In the 1998 Tournament, the Crusaders won their first Tournament game, defeating the University of Mississippi with the shot. The Crusaders would go on to win their second round game against Florida State University before losing in the Sweet 16 to the University of Rhode Island. The Crusaders would win the Mid-Continent Conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament every year until 2001, when Southern Utah University won the conference tournament. In Coach Scott Drew's only year as head coach, the team advanced to the National Invitation Tournament where they lost to the University of Iowa in their first game televised by ESPN. They would play in the title game of the Mid-Continent Conference Tournament every year between 1995 and 2004.

All time tournament results

The Crusaders have appeared in seven NCAA Tournament. Their combined record is 2-7.

Radio

All Crusader games are broadcast for free on the Valparaiso website at www.valpo.edu/athletics and on WVUR-FM.

=Crusaders in the NBA=

*Don Bielke
*Bob Dille
*Bryce Drew
*John Janisch
*Milt Schoon

ee also

*Valparaiso Crusaders
*The Shot (Valparaiso University)
*2007-08 Valparaiso Crusaders men's basketball team
*Valparaiso University

External links

* [http://www.basketball-reference.com/colleges/valpo.html Players who attended Valparaiso]
* [http://www.valpo.edu/athletics/ Valparaiso University athletics web site]