At least one family from Valparaiso won’t be rooting for the Crusaders at the Mid-Continent Conference tourney in Kansas City.

Instead, Dr. Larry McAfee and his wife will be cheering on their daughter Brooke, the Mid-Con defensive player of the year, and her IUPUI teammates. The No. 7 seed Jaguars open at 5 p.m. today against No. 2 seed Valpo, which routed IUPUI twice.

McAfee, a 6-foot-2 sophomore, earned the league honor usually bestowed on upperclassmen mainly because she led the nation (NCAA Division I) in blocked shots at 4.8 per game. The Valpo High grad is the shortest player in the top 10 nationally. Runner-up, at 4.2 blocks a game, is a 6-7 Amie Williams of Jackson State.

“We were shocked at the news. It’s neat,” McAfee said.

He credits Brooke’s shot-blocking prowess to “great anticipation and long arms. Her coach also lets her float on defense a bit to get more blocks. She became a shot blocker during her Valpo High days.” She also leads IUPUI at six rebounds a game.

Ironically, Brooke knows several VU players and is a good friend of coach Keith Freeman, having served as a VU ball girl for several years starting at age 7.

She chose IUPUI because she wants to become a veterinarian like her father who calls himself “a diehard Crusader men’s fan and good friend of coach Freeman. I called and got on him after reading (in the Post-Tribune) that he 'liked the draw.’ ”

McAfee set a school record with 75 blocks as a freshman and shattered it this season, with 125 entering tourney play. She set seven school and Mid-Con blocked shot records this season including 12 vs. Oral Roberts, fourth best in Division I history.

She averages 6.3 ppg. She started 19 games and played in 26 for the Jags (7-20).