Valpo's Schwieger returning to Beacons
MBB: The Missouri Valley Conference's Freshman of the Year is staying put
In the era of NIL and the transfer portal, when a freshman at a mid-major school has a great season, it is natural for bigger schools to come calling. Whether big schools actually made calls to Valparaiso’s Cooper Schwieger doesn’t really matter, because Schwieger made it clear today he’s not answering.
The 2024 Missouri Valley Conference Freshman of the Year announced today on social media he will be returning to Valparaiso for his sophomore season. This is the post Schwieger made on Instagram and X/Twitter:
Schwieger is the fourth Valpo player, and the first in 32 years, to be named conference Freshman of the Year. He was second on the team this season in scoring with 13.2 points per game, while leading the Beacons in rebounding with 5.4 boards a night. In Valpo’s 80-68 loss to Murray State on February 24th, Schwieger played all 40 minutes while leading all scorers with 26 points.
While Valpo finished the season 7-25 overall and 3-17 in the Missouri Valley, Schwieger’s return gives a massive piece to Roger Powell, who just completed his first season as Valpo’s head coach, to build around for the future.