Quote from: knightvision on October 27, 2020, 11:27:32 AM
Interesting read on the MIAA and the challenges facing the Presidents re: decisions re: sports--should be interesting to see what transpires for winter sports as has been noted earlier on this board. If the anonymous insiders are to be believed, it sounds like it got pretty acrimonious. Interesting note that despite accusations of "poaching athletes" by schools who were playing fall sports from those who were not playing that there was no proof of schools trying to steal athletes and no last second transfers.   (Please note:  I am posting the link to the article but not sure if it will be accessible--this article was a "for subscribers only" article on the Detroit Free Press--their not so subtle way of "encouraging" us to pay for online access.  FWIW, they had (still have?) a 3 month subscription for 99cents a month for the first three months.)

https://www.freep.com/story/news/education/2020/10/27/play-not-miaa-decision-split-member-colleges/3629635001/

It told me $5 for 3 months now...I guess I'll have to take your word for it now 

Quote from: formerd3db on March 01, 2020, 12:49:49 AM

Quote from: KnightSlappy on February 29, 2020, 02:16:32 PM

Quote from: pointlem on February 29, 2020, 01:59:51 PM

Quote from: HoopsCoach on February 29, 2020, 12:24:32 PM
The only semi far fetched one I've heard is Finlandia. They want in (and are for football). But imagine that drive either way in Jan/Feb?! Really not sure anyone else around is a fit or would want to because that would be a move up from NCCAA or, arguably due to lack of scholarships and a move down for NAIA.

Adding Finlandia for football may have made the MIAA big enough to have an automatic NCAA qualifier--but at the expense of an extra day away for student athletes . . . and to play in a (so-far) meaningless lopsided game. Surely, for the reason HoopsCoach mentions, the MIAA won't want to add Finlandia for BB.

Alma is 455 miles from Finlandia. The rest of the schools are 500+, for what it's worth.

Quote from: pointlem on February 29, 2020, 01:59:51 PM

Quote from: HoopsCoach on February 29, 2020, 12:24:32 PM
The only semi far fetched one I've heard is Finlandia. They want in (and are for football). But imagine that drive either way in Jan/Feb?! Really not sure anyone else around is a fit or would want to because that would be a move up from NCCAA or, arguably due to lack of scholarships and a move down for NAIA.

Adding Finlandia for football may have made the MIAA big enough to have an automatic NCAA qualifier--but at the expense of an extra day away for student athletes . . . and to play in a (so-far) meaningless lopsided game. Surely, for the reason HoopsCoach mentions, the MIAA won't want to add Finlandia for BB.

Actually, the MIAA was already had met the required minimum number of schools even without adding Finlandia  (7 schools).  For sure, though, it would be a tough situation for the drive for basketball.  However, the GLIAC schools do it and also, Finlandia really doesn't have much options.  They have to travel "the other way" i.e. Wisconsin for their other sports including hockey, so it would be a "wash" for them either way, even if they and the MIAA decided to add them for the other sports.  I agree with you, though, that I, too, don't really see other schools in the state as being options.  I doubt that any of the NAIA schools in Michigan (particularly the ones that also have football would be "a fit" for the MIAA overall and, as you indicate, it is unlikely they would want to give that status up given their current football affiliation.   So it will be interesting to see what this supposed "expansion", if it is really being considered, might involve and/or for that matter, if would really ever come to fruition.  Just my thoughts.

A lot of courting being done by the GLIAC to the NAIA schools in Michigan - especially the ones with football - also, so I'd think it very unlikely that any of those schools would choose to make the jump to D3 with the offer to jump to D2 instead.

4 - Alma

Might as well try to get a couple points   

Quote from: sac on January 13, 2020, 04:45:53 PM
Long time college official across Michigan, did many MIAA games over the years.

https://www.lansingstatejournal.com/story/news/2020/01/13/bart-wegenke-dies-haslett-high-school-principal-referee/4452649002/?fbclid=IwAR2cXro2F4BKLjOG7AMuDSX7dXYcnruweRiAD1tygcNkWgzlZmgOLKqRQ5w

Glad you shared this here. Always kind of a running joke on the score tables at any of the schools I've worked at was "is this Bart or Brett today?"

Was always an enjoyable official to have. Would always come over to the table pre-game and joke around with you. The MIAA, GLIAC, and MAC schools here in the state lost a good one.

4 - Trine
3 - Olivet
2 - Calvin
1 - Alma

4 - Albion
3 - Adrian
2 - Olivet
1 - Alma

Here’s to hoping I can remember to do this every week this year! 

Wednesday, January 8

4 - Trine
3 - Albion
2 - Alma
1 - Olivet (in Hargraves, we still trust)

http://almascots.com/sports/mbkb/2019-20/roster

The old "change the year" trick works for an Alma roster right now.  Only surprising one that's missing is Amari Hudson

I went on StubHub today to see if there was anything tempting me to drive to Happy Valley next Saturday for the night game...after seeing tickets starting at around $200 I quickly decided no.

Thinking this might be a reason d3 football is so attractive (in line with the similar arguments for minor league baseball).

Quote from: sac on September 22, 2019, 11:17:01 PM

Quote from: formerd3db on September 22, 2019, 10:10:42 PM

BTW, sac, taking a "timeout" here and briefly switching to a basketball question, what do you think about Albion scheduled to play Michigan State in basketball at Breslin for a season opening Exhibition game?   Was it 2012 when Hope played the Exhibition at Indiana?  I can't remember the exact year right off hand.

I think its great.  But that game is only happening because MSU's Cassius Winston's two younger brothers play at Albion.  Really nice of Izzo to make it happen. 

Hope played at Indiana Nov. 1 of 2016.

I feel like those d3/d1 exhibitions always have some story line/connection behind them. I know in recent memory Alma played at Indiana (when Tom Crean, who started his collegiate coaching career at Alma, was the head coach) and at Central Michigan (when Kevin Gamble Sr. was coaching at Central and Jr. was playing at Alma).

I know the question comes up every now and then around the boards with the argument of d3 starter vs d2/d1 walk on.

With sticker prices like this in the MIAA it would make turning down that walk on spot at SVSU, Lake State, etc. a pretty difficult decision for a lot of kids I would assume. Especially when you throw in the two new non-Michigan GLIAC additions Purdue Northwest (which offers Michigan residents a variation of in-state tuition) and UW Parkside (which also is nowhere near the bottom of the MIAA when it comes to full costs) I really think that the MIAA schools will start to lose out more and more often to those schools.

And not even just for them to take walk on spots, for them to just decide to pass on collegiate athletics at all. The tuition rates across the MIAA are just crazy.

Quote from: KnightSlappy on August 28, 2019, 08:23:07 PM

Quote from: Knight2Day on August 28, 2019, 08:08:19 PM

Quote from: Jameswys on August 26, 2019, 01:26:56 PM

Quote from: Knight2Day on August 25, 2019, 06:16:28 PM

Quote from: Gregory Sager on August 24, 2019, 02:42:11 AM
Looks like Calvin vs. Olivet games are going to get a whole lot spicier for the next four years.

Hey, can't turn down a full scholarship and a bag full of money.

Any proof?

Let's put it this way, with the players that have suddenly picked to go to Olivet in the last 2 years, I don't think anyone will be surprised if an ncaa violation comes out.

I would be rather surprised if Sammy jumped at the job knowing that things weren't on the up and up. I get the sense that Olivet does a lot more for students' financial aid than Alma did (athletes and non athletes). Still probably not cheap though.

When you look at it that way everything's a better option than Alma, which is pushing towards $50k a year right now with little financial help without very very high GPA/test score combinations.

Quote from: HOPEful on July 16, 2019, 09:36:00 AM

Quote from: sac on July 15, 2019, 07:06:05 PM
Weird but Eric Dougal's first 3 years in Kzoo had 25 wins, Smith finishes ahead of Dougal by .017 in the record books.

But, the next guy is going inherit a roster with more promise and talent than Kzoo has probably had in 15 years.  This might have been a fun year for Smith, but Ann Arbor is nice too.  K hasn't had a winning record since 2003, this might be the year even with a new coach.

This.

Much like Bill Sall and his overall records at Ferris and NMU or Steve Ernst at Olivet, you can't just look at Smith's overall record, but the state of the program upon entering and upon leaving. When Smith arrived, Kalamazoo basketball (the entire athletic program really) was bleak and smack dab in the middle of dealing with NCAA infractions. The turn around Smith was able to accomplish may not have translated into a significantly higher number of wins, but I'm confident that everyone around the league will attest to the fact that Kalamazoo is in MUCH better shape as a basketball program than they were 3 years ago. Olivet clearly had more success (wins) than Kalamazoo over the last three seasons. But you could argue that Steve left the program in worse condition than when he arrived (or not, seeing as Hargraves found it to be a more desirable coaching location than Alma).

I would speculate that this has much more to do with the state of things in Alma than the state of things in Olivet but point taken.

Quote from: sac on May 20, 2019, 01:32:53 PM
They're refinishing and repainting the floor at Alma.  Looks nice.

https://twitter.com/AlmaScotsWBB/status/1130509095109369857

Too bad the "A" is still upside down 🙄

Quote from: sac on May 08, 2019, 10:18:17 PM
Shawn Pardee  5-11  G  Millington HS will attend Olivet

Shawn is a 2016 Millington graduate and was 2nd team Class C his Sr. year.  I believe he attended Mott JC for a couple years though there are no archives to confirm that.  Last Winter would have been his 3rd year and probably not eligible to play JC ball so not sure where he was this year.

5-11 is generous.

Kids a hell of a shooter though.