Mt Union is a really interesting matchup for Calvin.  Without watching any tape, they're not huge (6'5, 6'4, 6'4, 6'2, 5'11) and their bigs shoot really well.

Stout isn't the most mobile guy, so I wonder if Calvin goes with a little more athletic big man to chase the MU bigs around the perimeter.  That said, it also may be an opportunity to pound the ball inside on offense, especially as MU doesn't appear to be very deep (6'3 G is the biggest bench player to get more than 10 minutes in the blowout last night).  If Calvin can get Ruffin (or Griffin) into foul trouble, that could dramatically change MU's approach, and especially their ability to handle Calvin inside. 

Going to need a big defensive night from Tyler Dykstra.  Get those long arms in the face of a shooter. 

Quote from: Happy Calvin Guy on March 31, 2010, 11:51:32 AM

Quote from: wolverinekeith on March 30, 2010, 04:11:59 PM

Saw the final 2 Calvin games at VanNoord in the tourney this year and I have questions about who will be the Alpha Dog next year with Mantel & Veltema gone. 

Mantel and Veltema were great, talented players for 4 yrs at Calvin but I don't think that either embodied the "Alpha Dog" mentality.  No knock on them, probably just not in their personalities.  I think that the team needs someone to step up and be that visible vocal leader and I'm not sure who that would be.  I can see Trent Salo having the fire to do it in his senior year but you also want that player to be a go-to offensive option with the game on the line and Salo has a hard time creating for himself.  I'd like to see Danny Rodts take that leap in his senior year--I'm very impressed with his game on both ends of the floor and his decision making and the team could use his leadership next year if he chooses to embrace that role.

Thanks to everyone posting about the incoming Calvin recruiting class. It seems like a solid incoming class for the Knights.  Would love to see some more info from around the MIAA if it's available.

Yeah, any info on Hope?  I always figure they're expecting a D1 transfer or two, plus a couple springy 6'5" kids from schools I've never heard of.   

Quote from: goodknight on March 30, 2010, 05:56:09 PM

Quote from: wolverinekeith on March 30, 2010, 04:11:59 PM
Anyone have a full list of the Calvin recruits?  I scanned the last 8-10 pages and see Bouma, Kruis & Vallie.  Anyone I'm missing? 

Bouma and Kruis are confirmed, as is Jacob Greene from Rockford.  Vallie is unconfirmed, but "probably" headed to Calvin, per Stephen Bell. 

Thank you! 

I used to keep up on MI HS bball a lot, but moved to Chicago a few years ago and don't have a real firm grasp on it anymore.  Of those guys, who is considered the best?  Vallie?  Are any of these kids huge recruiting grabs?

Kruis is a big kid.  I like to see that. 

Quote from: KnightSlappy on March 26, 2010, 01:13:54 PM

Quote from: Knight81 on March 26, 2010, 12:02:07 PM

Quote from: oldknight on March 23, 2010, 09:46:49 PM

Quote from: sac on March 23, 2010, 09:13:23 PM
Ann Arbor Huron beat Saginaw Arthur Hills, making K-Central an even bigger favorite.

Huron v Southfield

K-Central v Detroit Denby in the A Semi's.

Denby eliminated the defending champs Detroit Pershing last week, that should be a good matchup.

I might have to make time to go to the A semi involving Ann Arbor Huron, one of the largest schools in the state. The River Rats are said to be a well balanced team that includes Jalen Bouma, a tough minded point guard apparently headed to Calvin this fall, who consistently scores about 10 per game. Beating a perennial power like Saginaw Arthur Hill--led by Maurice Jones, one of the state's top players--says something good about Huron's talent level.

I really like what I'm hearing about Bouma and Tyler Kruis and their performances in the high school tournament. If both end up at Calvin next year, as rumored, they will be the foundation for another very strong recruiting class. Recruiting seems to have picked up the last couple years.

Facilities, facilities, facilities.

Anyone have a full list of the Calvin recruits?  I scanned the last 8-10 pages and see Bouma, Kruis & Vallie.  Anyone I'm missing? 

Saw the final 2 Calvin games at VanNoord in the tourney this year and I have questions about who will be the Alpha Dog next year with Mantel & Veltema gone.  Role players are fine but they don't win too many titles or NCAA tourney games. 

Quote from: pointlem on January 17, 2009, 07:51:56 PM
Three other observations:

• 
  
• Win or lose, "the rivalry" is a happening . . . an intense, packed crowd . . . even good student chants right off the bat:   "This is our house."  "Our house is bigger."  "We fill our house [or something to that effect]." 
  

But, of course, the best chant remains "where's your banner?"  (And I'm not talking about women's hoops  .)

Quote from: oldknight on December 06, 2008, 09:41:34 AM

Quote from: goodknight on December 05, 2008, 09:46:44 PM

Watching the video feed and listening to the Wheaton announcers.  They're whining a good bit about the physicality of Calvin's defense.  I've been whining for years about it, too.  As in, where it is?
Evidently, it's in the western suburbs tonight.

The Thunder student section was whining too. Even though their team shot 27 free thows to Calvin's 9, the sixth man in the Wheaton end zone was constantly complaining. In the second half Zoerhof made a spectacular block of Raymond from behind on a fast break, getting all ball, but just nicking Raymond on the way down and sending him sprawling right in front of the students. The student section became unglued, apparently thinking Calvin was on a mission to take cheap shots at their excellent guard. Get a life guys. Apparently the Wheaton students aren't the only ones in the world who think the home team should get every call.

Despite the fact that Calvin's offense struggled mightily the entire second half, I was encouraged by the fact that the Knights' defense played hard to the end. In fact, it kept Calvin in the game who never trailed by more than the final 12 point margin. To me, one play in the second half typified the game and demonstrated why Calvin wasn't going to win this one. With the score 48-44, a streaking and wide open Zoerhof was recipient of a nice feed along the baseline. I thought he was in a position to dunk it as he usually does but he chose to try and lay it in, only to miss. Wheaton immediately took the ball downcourt and just seconds later, Raymond quickly scored an easy transition jumper in the lane. An apparent 48-46 deficit had promptly become 50-44. Stuff like that happened several times.

Wheaton plays outstanding defense and with Raymond in the game, their transition offense is dynamite. I do think the Thunder's half-court offense needs some work though, and I don't think they have the depth of weaponry I observed from WashU when Calvin upset the Bears at Knollcrest last year (with a healthy Sean Wallis). If Calvin can bring back to Michigan the physical defense from the western suburbs  the Wheaton announcers saw, Calvin has a good shot at winning the conference this year. The Knights's do suffer though when Mantel leaves the game. I'm now noticing that Engelsma's ability to provide Calvin quality minutes off the bench is being sorely missed.

The be fair, it's the entire point of the student section to over-react to stuff like that.  They're playing their role in providing home court advantage.  Can't fault them for it. 

Anyone else going to the Calvin game Friday?  I'll be in town to see the folks for the holiday and my dad already got some tickets.  AQ is looking weak so far.  Hopefully Calvin has no trouble with them this year. 

Quote from: realist on November 10, 2008, 10:42:56 AM
CHN:  You are essentially correct.  When an outbreak occurs you want to limit the possible circle of potential victims.  To do this you lock down students, cancel away and home sports events, cancel classes etc.  The health officals really did not want students to leave campus as that widens the circle. 
The basketball team will probably recover rather quickly from missing some practices, but not the same for volleyball, and other teams or individuals with tournament events this weekend.
One can't help but feel sorry for the teams and individuals that have worked so hard only to see their seasons (possibly) end on such an unpleasant note.

I ran into some Hope students over the weekend in Chicago.  They said that while no one ever used the word "quarantine" they were strongly encouraged to stay on campus. 

Quote from: goodknight on October 30, 2008, 06:41:38 AM




BTW, I've heard that the Knights' big freshman, Ryan Scharps, pulled a hamstring early in the tryouts, so couldn't show his full ability.  It would not be surprising to see him suited up with the varsity before the season is over.

Good to know.  I was kinda surprised to see him listed on JV.  The Knights could use his size and (presumably) his talent down low. 

Any of the Calvin folks here get a chance to see any of the new guys on varsity?  Specifically, Salo (Northwood transfer), Schnyders (GRCC transfer) or Campbell (GRCC transfer).  Any of these guys have a shot at starting? 

Hope guys - who do you expect to be the starters?  I figure Osburn & Reimink, being captains, are good bets.  What about the guards?  Tanis?  Bunn?  Carter? 

Quote from: sac (in exile) on September 02, 2008, 06:01:05 PM
It was a big recruiting day for UM, and later as we were down at field level inside the big construction site inspecting the troops (better, but not there yet), a number of recruits walked by, football, baseball, basketball.  No hockey that I could see, but then its probably a wise idea to avoid 85 degree days with Canadians.  One recruit caught my eye and that was Colin Voss of East Grand Rapids who was there on a visit for basketball I assume.  Interesting to say the least.


So that was what I can only assume would be my one and only encounter with John Beilein.

Voss was there as a football unofficial visitor (ie, free tickets but no red carpet treatment...UM does this for 30-50 HS juniors for pretty much every football game).  He's a decent TE (or possibly OL) prospect and is on UM's radar. 

Quote from: Gregory Sager on August 05, 2008, 09:12:48 AM
Inoffensive neutrality is not an endemic North Dakota trait. I know a retired Covenant pastor who grew up in the small North Dakota farming community of Cooperstown. It consisted of about a thousand people, half of them German-Americans and the other half Norwegian-Americans. Everyone in Cooperstown was a Lutheran, but the village nevertheless had two Lutheran churches. He swears that the reason why is because the German-Americans believed that it was OK to drink beer but that women shouldn't wear makeup in church, while the Norwegian-Americans were against beer drinking but believed that it was OK for women to wear makeup in church.

That right there is why I stopped going to church. 

Quote from: realist on July 18, 2008, 03:58:48 PM
wk:  I understand your point about Calvin seemingly being out recruited than I just think about last year,   Remember all the "superstars", "fab 4 or 5 fr", etc.  talk we heard about Hope getting last year, and than I recall who was getting all the pt at the end of the year for them.  I wouldn't worry too much until the whistle blows at a possible HOF game in Nov. or Jan 17th.  Unless of course Hope figures out how to play more than five guys at once, or they find their other "ball" (I told hd this was just to easy, and I am weak, and yielded unto temptation)  
Frankly, at this point in time I see Hope doing much better in the MIAA next season than Calvin, and for that matter everyone else as well.  

Recruiting is a numbers game.  Bring in 4-6 highly regarded players every year and simple rules of probability shows us you're going to get a couple guys who really succeed. 

Calvin, as of late, has been in the tougher position of absolutely needing their recruits to pan out.  Scharps, for instance, is, as far as I'm aware, the only big man in his class, along with a wing and the guard from Cadillac (I forget their names...they're posted a couple pages back).

Seems like there's not as much pure competition for kids between the schools as there used to be, too.  Hope scours the state while Calvin seems to have a slightly more developed national recruiting base (well, in all the Dutch enclaves, of course) plus looks at the kids in metro Grand Rapids. 

Quote from: hoopdreams on July 18, 2008, 09:46:15 AM
i was asked if i knew anything about Hope getting a big man last minute.  Had heard he was from out west of something.  Anyone know about this rumor?  I'm starting to wonder if Hope will have to play with two balls to keep everyone happy next year.  Offensively, they are going to be exceptional once they gel and learn how to win without wolfe, dvs, marcus, and klein carrying them. 

If all these players are actually coming, their jv team would finish in the top half of the MIAA

For those of us out of the loop on these things, can you enlighten?  Bunn & who else?  I'm continually amazed at how Hope consistently slaughters Calvin in recruiting. 

Quote from: Flea on July 17, 2008, 02:14:50 PM

Quote from: hopefan on July 14, 2008, 07:34:00 AM
When I was in Holland - I remember quite the disappointment / disgust with a kid from Ohio named Tim Dennison - this would have been mid 80's - he had some big games his freshman year, but never molded in as a team player and left sometime during his sophomore year  -   FDF - do you remember him - am I correct?

From what I know he left school during baseball season, around spring break.  His time in MIAA was a 'dark day' in the history of  Knight fans.  The Calvin students taunted him by chanting "Pedro" (in reference to his dark skin and black hair) and threw pizza boxes on the floor when he was introduced (in reference to an alleged robbery) .  Stupid stuff no one deserves.

Pizza boxes?  Oh come on....that's funny.

Scharps =