Former Valpo coaches offer Powell advice

MBB: Powell will serve as head coach for the first time on Wednesday night

College basketball is back at TheVictoryBell.com. I’m going to try something out of the box this evening. Substack allows the use of something called “threads” for paid subscribers. Think of it like a chat room (not like Threads, the failed Instagram twitter knockoff) I’ve never used a thread on Substack before, so tonight will be trial and error. I’ll launch the thread at 6:45 p.m. central and I’m guessing an email will go out inviting you to join. Since there is no video stream tonight, join me in the thread chat or whatever it’s called and we’ll have some fun. You’ll need to be a paid subscriber to participate, so if you’re not one, get on that! - PO

When the ball is tipped shortly after 7 p.m. on Wednesday night, Roger Powell Jr. will truly feel what it is like to be a head coach for the first time.

Sure, Wednesday’s game against Saint Mary-of-the-Woods is only an exhibition for the Valparaiso men’s basketball team, but it will provide a glimpse into the kind of coach that Powell is and will become.

Will he clap his hands and smile like Homer Drew or kill the referees with kindness like Scott Drew? Will Powell burn through all of his timeouts in the first half or remove his suit jacket like Bryce Drew? Will he avoid getting a technical foul or wear nothing but black and white Valpo gear like Matt Lottich?

Time will tell what the defining characteristics of a Powell-coached game will become and those characteristics will surely evolve throughout the 2023-24 season. Just as they did for the last three men who started their head coaching careers at Valparaiso.