My Thoughts:
The Refs: I am pretty sure that Tim Donaghy (http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=2943095 ) was out there last night and had his money on Calvin. The calls were so one-sided it was unbelievable. Hope was getting called for ticky-tack fouls while Calvin was free to have a hack-fest on Bowser. 10-4 fouls in the second half says a lot. It says lop-sided.

Calvin's Mascot: It looks better than the old one..... There should have been a tech. called on the mascot as he/she ran down the floor during play. Ignorance shouldn't be an excuse. Even the "galloping chaplain" knows better.

The Scoreboard: After the highlights reel was played Calvin's student section chanted, "You can't do that!" I don't think I really care. The scoreboard couldn't do much else than that apparently.

The New Arena: Walking into VanNoord Arena I was impressed by the pool, fitness room and climbing wall. The basketball section however was a different story. It is so frickin' boring. The only way I would be able to describe it as "awesome" is if I were describing it as a grain silo or a poll barn. Lots of concrete and cinder blocks. It as if Calvin was acting like our current congress and spent the money extremely poorly. There is no creativity to the basketball stadium. At least it has more seats though, right? Quite a few of which I noticed to be empty. A sellout crowd apparently does not equal a packed house.

Quote from: northb on March 18, 2008, 03:18:18 PM
Who is taking odds on GVW for Coach of the Year?

He should be a lock if they win the tournament. With that and reaching the milestone 600 wins this season, how could he not?

why the NCAA  would put the 2 undefeated teams in the same bracket to meet up in the elite eight is beyond me. These two should have met up in Holland next Saturday. Here's to great decision making!

Quote from: northb on March 15, 2008, 12:52:54 PM

Quote from: Erm Schmigget on March 15, 2008, 12:34:33 PM
Reasons why I think Hope has a better chance of winning tonight:

Home crowd.  Last night, the crowd participation was AWESOME!!!  Only one old lady turned around early and told my brother-in-law she thought he was kind of loud.  She quickly learned that she was in the minority, and kept her thoughts to herself the rest of the night.  And hats off to the OWU crowd for bringing a spirited fanbase as well.  They were just over powered by us Hope fans.

Scoring balance.  Limit Raymond, and you only have 2 others that might pose a scoring threat.  Klein's defense lately has been covered, so 'nuff said.  Wiele had a clear advantage in size and height last night, but only scored 7 points on 2-7 shooting.  MVH only gives up 1" and 0# to him, and has outplayed plenty of other opponents' low posts.   But who does Wheaton focus on?  Hope's last 4 games have been led by 4 different starters, with at leats 24pts each time.  And the 5th (Klein) has led with >20pt efforts of his own twice this season.

Defense.  I mentioned it above.  Klein has shut down Hope's opponents' biggest guns in this post season run, and MVH is doing his part in the post.  With only 2-3 real scoring threats any given night, Hope's defense will be too much for Wheaton to handle.  With the ball, Hope has been challenged by some tough defenses this year as well.  But they got the job done last night, and if Wheaton plays like "nice boys" again tonight, they may see the game slipping away early.

Team.  The Hope team that we see this year has that something extra that will earn them a trip to Salem.  Like the Hope ladies, this team is about the team.  There is no single superstar carrying the team on his shoulders.  They pull together and use their abilities collectively to produce a win...then move on to the next project.  Together.  They have faced teams featuring superstars like Nate Stahl, and exposed their weaknesses.  That's what they will do tonight.

I'll be the first to admit that I am a fan, so my view is a bit slanted.  But I've seen them win so many different kinds of games this season, in many different ways, I feel confident that my observations are pretty close to the mark.

Go HOPE!!

I'm a Calvin fan, but I would agree with you, Erm.  I see no reason why the National Championship tally will not go to 2-1.

Actually, the record could go to 3-1. The women won it back in 1990 in the Civic Center

Good Job Hope!
Hope Plays, Hope Wins!

Quote from: realist on February 29, 2008, 08:49:02 PM
DCHN:  You might very well be right.  Adrian leading on the boards is a big advantage.

Is that why Osburn is in this early?

We are getting killed in Offensive rebounding

Attendance
@ Hope 1110
@ Albion 356
@ Calvin 557
@ Tri-State 255
TOTAL = 2278

Was Calvin's attendance "standing room only" too for their final game at the Fieldhouse? I sure hope their next stadium is bigger.

I have heard the same thing.  I think this will affect more than the Hope game, if Calvin
is doing any marketing at all.  I would think the last home game at Knollcrest will also be a sell out.  They should be honoring some of the great teams of the past 40+ years
that have played there.  Bring out some throwback uniforms and promote Calvin basketball and get some buzz going in that place.  If Calvin handles this last year correctly they could lead DIII in attendance.
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I don't forsee Calvin beating out Hope in attendance this year. Marketingf or not, Calvin fans don't seem to get up for any games besides the Hope one.

Quote from: Civic Minded on May 11, 2007, 04:20:58 PM
Dear Mr. Renner,

I know you've got Hope's schedule for '07-'08.  Throw us a bone, man and put it up on the website -- please?  We're hungry for something half-way intelligent to talk about!      (And would like to start making vacation request plans, if needed!)   

Quote from: Civic Minded on May 11, 2007, 04:20:58 PM
Dear Mr. Renner,

I know you've got Hope's schedule for '07-'08.  Throw us a bone, man and put it up on the website -- please?  We're hungry for something half-way intelligent to talk about!     (And would like to start making vacation request plans, if needed!)  

Word on the street is that Hope/calvin games are going to be just about every other game. 12 in all or so.

I can still remember the backboard exploding at the Civic Center as two Hope guys hit it together. I was right up front across from the bench. It was a beautiful sight to see the glass just fly. I still have pieces of it

Quote from: KnightSlappy on February 26, 2007, 09:37:08 PM

Quote from: sac on February 26, 2007, 08:58:41 PM
Oh yeah, and I had a good time at the Hope women's game Saturday, its always fun to play home games at Calvin. 

I had a fun time at the men's game.  Boy the nets at the DeVos come down nice and easy.  Although it was a little chilly in there.  It seemed that as soon as the final buzzer sounded there was a stiff cold breeze like someone left the doors open, or maybe just a couple thousand people leaving.

or Hell freezing over

Quote from: sac on February 26, 2007, 06:05:16 PM
Steve Cramer's MVP marks the 25th time a Hope player has taken home the MVP award, he's the 19th different Hope player to do so.  He joins a nice list of the who's who of Hope basketball.

Steve has accumulated some pretty heady stats that when compared to other players stack up very positively.

I'll give a full rundown of his stats at the end of the season, but to me the most impressive is that Stephen has played in 111 of 111 games in his Hope career.  Thats pretty amazing, esp. when you consider Hopes history with injuries

(Sac is currently knocking on all the wood he can find in his office  )

Cramer is definately a very special player for Hope. He has been impressive since he started playing. Hope will miss him and the leadership he brings to the team. He is one who can step up and carry that team. Good Luck in the tourney.

I had considered that as a potential problem too but after further reflection I don't think it would be much of an issue for the following reason. If Aurora requires two (identical) tickets for admission to each of two separate sessions and if you are a Hope fan with only one ticket, which game are you going to? Ditto for Aurora, Calvin, and Chicago fans. You can still go to the second game after the gym is cleared but you'll need a new ticket to gain reentry.
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Unless you sneak into the bathroom between games. You have to beat the system.

Quote from: KnightSlappy on February 26, 2007, 05:37:36 PM
If Calvin and Hope each get 1/6 of the tickets then each they will each get 366 based on the d3hoops.com listing of 2200.

Still far too few tickets between the both of them.