A sad, sudden end to a highly satisfying season for the Knights, who needed to learn how to win without their medical redshirt and two-time league MVP Jaylen Overway. The 20-game win streak was exhilarating after a 0-5 and 1-6 start to the year. But Wisconsin Lutheran put to rest any dreams of another deep run in the national tourney this year.  The Warriors were terrific and their pressing/trapping defense effectively kept Calvin off-balance and uncomfortable throughout the game. WLC's bruising big man Ryan Broeckel was unstoppable both inside and out. The Knights had no answer for him.
Still, it was a season to remember and celebrate -- and pay tribute to those whose Calvin basketball days have come to an end:
League MVP Uchenna Egekeze, a defense-first dervish who developed into a skilled scorer over his 5 seasons in the maroon-and-gold uniform.
Ty Horky, the grad transfer from Kalamazoo College, who contributed important minutes off the bench and steady, heady ball handling under pressure.
Daane Harvey, typically inserted for his defensive prowess, who enjoyed one mystical game this season against the Comets of Olivet when he tossed in 6 of 8 from behind the arc.
And, most likely, this year's leading scorer Owen Varnado who, although a junior in athletic eligibility, will gain his undergrad degree from Calvin this spring and is currently weighing his graduate school options.
Thanks to all of this year's Knights and to Coach Bill Sall and his assistants for an exciting year. This Calvin fan is already looking forward to next season.


 

WLC also has a starter who played for Calvin alum Scott Plaisier at Timothy Christian High School in Elmhurst, IL. Looking forward to a very competitive game this afternoon.

Yes, hearty congratulations to Coach Bill Sall and his staff and hard-working team on a 14-0 MIAA campaign and 18 consecutive wins after a teetering 1-6 start. With Jalen Overway sidelined this year as a medical redshirt, the Knights had to find another way to win and a smothering, unrelenting defense proved to be the answer. Two more wins next week will assure the Knights of a chance to make some noise in the national tournament. Go, Calvin!

Felton fractured a bone in his hand. I heard today he will have another x-ray soon in hopes of returning to action. It would help to have him available when the Knights travel to Holland next week Wednesday.

I have been away from my laptop for the past day or two and only now am seeing the horrific news about the loss of Fred Garland. I join all those who have already pledged their prayers and offered expressions of condolence to the Garland family and our friends in the Trine community.

Rockford (MI) High School point guard Michael Dekuiper will enroll at Calvin.
https://x.com/MichaelDekuiper/status/1856852077839855906

Actually he's Little Tuna from Turkey. Will he melt the hearts of Calvin fans?

A few more Calvin recruits:
Nicky Johnson. 6-3 guard from Manteno. IL.
Tuna Teksen, 5-10 guard from Turkey
Tyler Carlson, 6-0 PG from Monarch, CO, High School.

Another transfer headed to Calvin, this time from D3 and a MIAA school. Tyler Horky, 6-2 guard from Kalamazoo College, will attend graduate school at Calvin University and use his COVID year to play for the Knights. He averaged 14.4 ppg for the Hornets in his senior season.

https://x.com/parkerswartz3/status/1791904466427326937?s=46&t=zoS57uOdd3tVFuTfqJsVdw
Huge pickup for Calvin's MBB. Parker Swartz, who will be a third-gen Knight, will transfer in after spending his freshman season at D2 Ohio Dominican. Coach Bill Sall heavily recruited Parker during his days at GR Northview. He's an athletic 6-7 and he'll arrive at the campus where his grandfather Ed Wiers was all All-MIAA basketball player in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as was his mother Stephanie Wiers in the mid-1990s on the Calvin women's squad. Parker will be a sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining.

https://x.com/parkerswartz3/status/1791904466427326937?s=46&t=zoS57uOdd3tVFuTfqJsVdw
Huge pickup for Calvin's MBB. Parker Swartz, who will be a third-gen Knight, will transfer in after spending his freshman season at D2 Ohio Dominican. Coach Bill Sall heavily recruited Parker during his days at GR Northview. He's an athletic 6-7 and he'll arrive at the campus where his grandfather Ed Wiers was all All-MIAA basketball player in the late 1960s and early 1970s, as was his mother Stephanie Wiers in the mid-1990s on the Calvin women's squad. Parker will be a sophomore with three years of eligibility remaining.

Losing your All-American big man for the upcoming season is a huge hit, but Calvin's Coach Sall was in a fine mood yesterday when he hosted a  luncheon on the campus for his staff, members of the team and their families, and key supporters of the program.
One reason for his upbeat mood was the announcement by senior Uchenna Egekeze that he will spend next season as a graduate student in the Calvin School of Business and will use his fifth and final year of eligibility. Egekeze's return for the bonus year has long been rumored, but he made his decision public on Saturday.
The Coach also disclosed that James Felton will be transferring to Calvin from D2 Davenport University this fall. Felton is 6-10 and arrives at Calvin with two more years of eligibility. He's a graduate of Lansing (MI) Christian High School and Coach Sall recruited him during his high school days. His stats at Davenport are well short of Overway's but he certainly has the size to help cushion the blow of losing Jalen for a year.

Quote from: Greek Tragedy on April 28, 2024, 12:24:07 PMSo, did Overway have any necessary surgery yet? Does he need it? Is there a timetable?

Jalen Overway will have his damaged ACL surgically repaired soon after he and his teammates return from a trip to Italy next month and he will recuperate and return for his final two years of eligibility, Deo Volente, for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 academic years.

One more fresh commit for Calvin, per X/Twitter:
6-6 PF Ben Heagel of Byron Center High School

Fort Wayne's War Memorial Coliseum will be transformed on Championship Saturday into a Thunderdome. Go Trine!