Union Street Hoops

TBT stands for Throwback Thursday, but it also stands for The Basketball Tournament. Former Valparaiso basketball players Jason Karys and Lexus Williams join Union Street Hoops for a throwback episode as they announce the formation of The CRU, Valparaiso's entry in the 2022 TBT.  Karys is currently raising funds for TBT at: https://www.gofundme.com/f/valpo-alumni-team-tbt Union Street Hoops host Paul Oren touches on Valparaiso's recent victories over Eastern Michigan and William & Mary along with a few Missouri Valley Conference nuggets.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify,iHeart, Stitcher, and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valparaiso University President Jose Padilla joins Union Street Hoops! Padilla talks about his upbringing in sports and how that has translated to Valparaiso. He covers a handful of topics such as the change from Crusaders to Beacons and his vision for athletic facility changes at Valparaiso.  Union Street Hoops host Paul Oren begins the podcast with a look at the Valparaiso volleyball team and the run to the NIVC championship. Oren also examines Valpo's 68-67 loss to Charlotte.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify,iHeart, Stitcher, and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The first quarter of Valparaiso's season is in the books and the Beacons are 3-5 overall and 0-1 in the Missouri Valley Conference. There are still more questions than answers about a team that is one game away from getting Kobe King on the active roster.  Union Street Hoops host Paul Oren takes an overview of the first eight games of Valparaiso's season before being joined by Missouri State beat report Wyatt Wheeler. Paul and Wyatt discuss the first round of Valley games, including Missouri State's shocking overtime loss to Illinois State that has Twitter on fire in Springfield.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valparaiso's exhibiton season came and went with a thud as the Beacons dropped both of their preseason games to non-DI programs. While players and coaches are staying the course inside the locker room, frustration is taking shape from the Valparaiso fanbase.  Union Street Hoops host Paul Oren breaks down the two exhibition games and tries to find some steady ground for Valpo fans to plant their flag in advance of Tuesday's season opener against Toledo.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The start of the 2021-22 college basketball season is less than a month away and Union Street Hoops is back for the annual Valparaiso Over/Under episode.  USH host and NWI Times beat reporter Paul Oren sets over/under lines for players and team accomplishments. The Voice of Valparaiso Athletics, Todd Ickow, joins the pod to try and land on the right side of the number.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valparaiso associate head coach Luke Gore joins Union Street Hoops to analyze the 2021-22 nonconference slate of games. Trips to Stanford and the Bahamas highlight a schedule that includes eight nonconference home games.  Gore also spends time breaking down the 2021-22 Valparaiso roster and reflecting on relationships built during his career in Northwest Indiana.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valparaiso Beacons.  Love it or hate it, the new nickname is here to stay. Union Street Hoops host Paul Oren talks through all things Beacons, including what the name means to the school, to the current athletes and the current logo.  Paul is then joined by designer Bryan Flynn, who took Valparaiso twitter by storm earlier this month when he released his own version of a new Beacons logo. Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

While the Valparaiso men's basketball team dealt with a great deal of roster turnover from last season, five scholarship players decided to run it back. Connor Barrett, Sheldon Edwards, Emil Freese-Vilien, Eron Gordon and Ben Krikke all join Union Street Hoops to discuss a long list of topics.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Thirty years ago, the Fab Five took the college basketball world by storm. Not a single member of Valparaiso's incoming transfer class was alive during that time, nor did any of the Big Ten transfers attend Michigan. Nevertheless, a group of five transfers have come together at Valpo with the hopes of taking the program back to the NCAA tournament.  In this episode of Union Street Hoops, Trevor Anderson, Kevion Taylor, Thomas Kithier, Joseph Hedstrom and Kobe King share their stories of how they came together in Northwest Indiana.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Storm. Beacons. Gold. Sparks. Lightning. Tempest. Dunehawks. Lightning Hawks.  Valparaiso is down to its final nickname choices and Union Street Hoops is here to break down all eight possibilities. Two friends of the pod, Jack Vita and Andrew Stem, join USH to discuss the list and where Valparaiso can go from here.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Zion Morgan has been known as a basketball player since he was five years old. He's now simply known as Zion Morgan.  The Chicago native wrote a letter to basketball on Monday and walked away from the game for good. On the latest episode of Union Street Hoops, Morgan explains why he is leaving basketball and he explains the faults with the system and the business of the sport.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

With the 2020-21 season in the rearview mirror, Union Street Hoops takes a look ahead as incoming Valparaiso freshmen Darius DeAveiro, Cameron Palesse, Trey Woodyard and Keyondre "Slim" Young join the podcast to discuss a host of topics.  USH host Paul Oren briefly looks at Valparaiso's outgoing transfers and takes a quick look at the 2021 NCAA tournament bracket.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Arch Madness is nearly upon us and Union Street Hoops will be providing daily content from St. Louis as Valparaiso looks to shock the Valley with three wins and return to the NCAA tournament for the first time in six years.  Valparaiso nearly did the unthinkable last season by becoming the first team to advance to the title game after playing on Thursday night. One of the key pieces of last season's run, John Kiser, joins the pod to discuss those four days in St. Louis.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valparaiso is heading back to St. Louis where it hopes to capture some of the same magic that defined its run to the Arch Madness title game one year ago.  The Brown and Gold will take on Missouri State on Friday night and Wyatt Wheeler of the Springfield News-Leader joins Union Street Hoops to discuss all things Missouri State.  Later in the pod, former Valparaiso marketing administrator Scott Ochander will discuss the 2011 rebrand of the Crusader mascot and whether or not the school considered moving away from the nickname at that time.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valparaiso Student Body President Kaitlyn Steinhiser joins Union Street Hoops to discuss the retirement of the Crusader as well as some of the feedback she has received over the decision.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valparaiso announced on Feb. 11 that it was retiring the Crusader nickname. Nearly a week later and emotions are still high on both sides of the debate. Former Valparaiso football players Kris Serra and Kyle Padgett join the pod to share their differing views on the Crusader mascot.  Union Street Hoops host Paul Oren takes a look at several points of contention regarding the announcement and the reactions surrounding the news. Oren looks back at the Uhlan mascot that was retired in 1941 and how cancel culture isn't just a 21st century occurrence. Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Valparaiso men's basketball program is out of quarantine and getting ready for the start of Missouri Valley Conference action.  Ben Krikke joins the podcast to talk about being in quarantine seven times and the struggles of getting back to the court after starting and stopping so many times in the last 10 months.  Brett Kramer of Indiana Sports Corp also joins the pod to discuss bringing the entire NCAA tournament to Indianapolis this March.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy Holidays from Union Street Hoops!  We've got a loaded episode as three very special guests join the pod. Valparaiso manager Morgan Fifield shares her experiences with the program as well as working through a COVID-19 landscape. Todd Ickow, the voice of the Crusaders, takes us through the nonconference season and what to expect from Valparaiso in Missouri Valley Conference action. Finally, former Valparaiso star Shawn Huff joins the pod to talk basketball and his quest for public office.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valparaiso's season has gotten off to a rocky start with losses at Vanderbilt and UIC to drop the Crusaders to 0-2 for the first time since 2009. NWI Times beat reporter and Union Street Hoops host Paul Oren takes a look at the opening two games of the season.  Former Michigan and Purdue guard Spike Albrecht joins the podcast. The Crown Point native talks about coming out of the Region and what it means to "bet on yourself." Valparaiso will take on Purdue and former Region stars Brandon Newman (Valparaiso) and Sasha Stefanovic (Crown Point on Friday).  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Valparaiso athletic director Mark LaBarbera joins Union Street Hoops to talk about a host of topics, including how COVID-19 has impacted the athletic department, spectator plans for the 2020-21 season and how things may proceed this season.  Union Street Hoops is a podcast dedicated to Valparaiso basketball and the Missouri Valley Conference. The pod can be heard on ApplePods, Spotify and NWI.com. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.