There will be no shortage of mutual respect when Valparaiso and Oakland meet at the Athletcs-Recreation Center during a nationally televised Horizon League contest tonight.
On one side will be longtime Oakland coach Greg Kampe. On the other will be the player that he has been trying to stop for the last three seasons, Valparaiso star Alec Peters.
Kampe has long devised game plans to try shutting down Peters, and the coach has often been successful, holding the Valparaiso senior to just 12.3 points per game in six career meetings with the Grizzlies. On the flip side, the Crusaders are 4-2 in those contests with Valparaiso going on to win the last two regular-season titles.
?Oakland and Valpo games are always important,? Kampe said. ?We put a little more time into preparing for them, and they probably put a little more time in preparing for us. Coaches aren?t supposed to say that, but it?s true.?
Much of Kampe?s preparation over the years has been looking for ways to shut down Peters. As a freshman, Peters averaged 12.5 points per game in two meetings, while the teams each held serve on their home court.
As a sophomore, Peters was hounded by defensive stalwart Dante Williams and was limited to 9.0 points in two games that were also won by the home team. Last season, Peters scored 15.5 points per game in two Valparaiso victories. The two teams have yet to meet in the Horizon League tournament.
?We?ve game planned for Peters in each of his three years,? Kampe said. ?His freshman year, he was a role player and we knew it was imperative to stop him. As a sophomore and junior, he?s been the man and we felt to win the game that we needed to stop him. We do some game planning and we have some special little things. Valpo knows us and we know them about as well as someone can know each other.?
Whatever Kampe and the Grizzlies have in store for Peters tonight, the preseason Horizon League Player of the Year is looking forward to battling against a team that has held him to just 8.3 shots per game in six meetings. Peters has averaged more than 12 shots per game during the rest of his career.
?I invite it,? Peters said. ?(Kampe) is going to have a good game plan. He?s going to try to shut me down. Shut a lot of the things we do down. It?s a good challenge for us. Every time we play them it?s like a fight. It?s almost like a brawl.?
While Oakland has held Peters to his least amount of points against a conference opponent, Tevonn Walker has shined against the Grizzlies, averaging 17 points in four meetings. Walker scored 24 points in a blowout win at Oakland last season and scored 22 points against the Grizzlies as a freshman.
?On the flip side of Peters is Walker, and he always has his best games against us,? Kampe said. ?He?s a big-game guy. He?s a guy that can go 10 minutes without doing anything and then he says ?It?s time to win? and he flips that switch. I have tremendous respect for Walker.?
?It?s flattering,? Walker said when told of Kampe?s comments. ?It?s just a matter of all the work that I?ve been putting in. It?s a team sport and the rest of my guys make it easy for me to do well on the court.?
Oakland won its first two conference games over Wright State and Northern Kentucky last weekend, while Valparaiso opened up Horizon League play with a road victory over Illinois-Chicago. The two teams finished at the top of the conference and appear set for another season-long collision course. The winner of tonight?s game will stay undefeated and take the early advantage in the race for the top overall seed in the conference tournament.
?It?s not just one of 18 games, because history shows it?s going to be a great game and that one of us, if not both of us will be fighting for the league championship,? Kampe said. ?Neither team has to talk about the rivalry, because we?ve both got veteran teams that have been through it before. This game will be one of the most physical games we play all year. Every possession will have an importance to it.?
On one side will be longtime Oakland coach Greg Kampe. On the other will be the player that he has been trying to stop for the last three seasons, Valparaiso star Alec Peters.
Kampe has long devised game plans to try shutting down Peters, and the coach has often been successful, holding the Valparaiso senior to just 12.3 points per game in six career meetings with the Grizzlies. On the flip side, the Crusaders are 4-2 in those contests with Valparaiso going on to win the last two regular-season titles.
?Oakland and Valpo games are always important,? Kampe said. ?We put a little more time into preparing for them, and they probably put a little more time in preparing for us. Coaches aren?t supposed to say that, but it?s true.?
Much of Kampe?s preparation over the years has been looking for ways to shut down Peters. As a freshman, Peters averaged 12.5 points per game in two meetings, while the teams each held serve on their home court.
As a sophomore, Peters was hounded by defensive stalwart Dante Williams and was limited to 9.0 points in two games that were also won by the home team. Last season, Peters scored 15.5 points per game in two Valparaiso victories. The two teams have yet to meet in the Horizon League tournament.
?We?ve game planned for Peters in each of his three years,? Kampe said. ?His freshman year, he was a role player and we knew it was imperative to stop him. As a sophomore and junior, he?s been the man and we felt to win the game that we needed to stop him. We do some game planning and we have some special little things. Valpo knows us and we know them about as well as someone can know each other.?
Whatever Kampe and the Grizzlies have in store for Peters tonight, the preseason Horizon League Player of the Year is looking forward to battling against a team that has held him to just 8.3 shots per game in six meetings. Peters has averaged more than 12 shots per game during the rest of his career.
?I invite it,? Peters said. ?(Kampe) is going to have a good game plan. He?s going to try to shut me down. Shut a lot of the things we do down. It?s a good challenge for us. Every time we play them it?s like a fight. It?s almost like a brawl.?
While Oakland has held Peters to his least amount of points against a conference opponent, Tevonn Walker has shined against the Grizzlies, averaging 17 points in four meetings. Walker scored 24 points in a blowout win at Oakland last season and scored 22 points against the Grizzlies as a freshman.
?On the flip side of Peters is Walker, and he always has his best games against us,? Kampe said. ?He?s a big-game guy. He?s a guy that can go 10 minutes without doing anything and then he says ?It?s time to win? and he flips that switch. I have tremendous respect for Walker.?
?It?s flattering,? Walker said when told of Kampe?s comments. ?It?s just a matter of all the work that I?ve been putting in. It?s a team sport and the rest of my guys make it easy for me to do well on the court.?
Oakland won its first two conference games over Wright State and Northern Kentucky last weekend, while Valparaiso opened up Horizon League play with a road victory over Illinois-Chicago. The two teams finished at the top of the conference and appear set for another season-long collision course. The winner of tonight?s game will stay undefeated and take the early advantage in the race for the top overall seed in the conference tournament.
?It?s not just one of 18 games, because history shows it?s going to be a great game and that one of us, if not both of us will be fighting for the league championship,? Kampe said. ?Neither team has to talk about the rivalry, because we?ve both got veteran teams that have been through it before. This game will be one of the most physical games we play all year. Every possession will have an importance to it.?
