Quote from: mrbasketballfan12 on August 11, 2015, 02:28:23 PM
Any early predictions for the league? I feel it's a good time since we now know the incoming freshman.

Mine are:
Hope-Didn't lose much
Calvin-Strong front court but no Brink
Trine- Will Dixon is the best guard in the league
Alma- Strong returning talent
Kazoo- My sleeper. Really good sophomore/junior class
Albion- Nobody knows who will end up playing, but Herron is good!
Adrian- Got some good pieces Ricky Jackson
Olivet- Who's even there head coach??

I would say this is a very fair assumption. Although I am quite biased, I would say Calvin had a strong enough year in recruiting, putting them a little bit higher than Hope.

With such a big backcourt recruiting class and a lack of usual frontcourt power, look for Calvin to change its strategy a little. Maybe they move to a running and gunning type of game plan. Don't be terribly surprised if KVS digs into his bag of tricks.

Quote from: MaroonKnighty on March 24, 2015, 01:52:00 PM
Anybody know if this kid is being recruited by any MIAA teams?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kSxiR-NKBCU#t=80

No. According to 247 Recruiting he has offers from Arizona, Kansas, Michigan State, Ohio State and Duke, to name a few. It would be a blessing if he ended up on this side of Michigan though.

Quote from: Knight2Day on March 01, 2015, 04:43:51 PM

Quote from: sac on March 01, 2015, 04:26:57 PM

Quote from: Knight2Day on March 01, 2015, 11:49:00 AM

Quote from: sac on March 01, 2015, 10:47:51 AM

Quote from: GoKnights68 on March 01, 2015, 10:35:53 AM

Quote from: sac on March 01, 2015, 12:59:25 AM
I hope this reaches the right people, and I'm asking for help of fellow posters and anyone else who might have been at the game tonight.


Hope and Calvin are in a position to be leaders on an issue that is getting more and more national attention.  As silly as it sounds, court rushes.  What happened at the end of this game was extremely dangerous.  I care too much about what goes on in this game to see it marred permanently by something that can be prevented.

I'm asking those of you in attendance tonight to let both the Hope and Calvin AD's know that you'd like a copy of the video sent to ESPN about what could potentially go wrong at the end of a game.  We were way, way to close to something very serious happening and its just not worth it.

It does not take much for a person to be crushed and seriously or permanently injured. 

Thanks.

Don't you usually have something to say about the actual game?

Pardon me for trying to turn what could have been a huge negative into something positive.

Sorry you don't share my concern for what happened last night.  When that horn blew I was disappointed in the outcome of a game, that immediately turned to concern for the safety of two players from both teams in a position to be trampled.  There were fans who came out of the stands to help, all it would have taken was one person interpreting that wrong and throwing a punch and then we have a big, big problem.

I don't want to be in the gym while a kid has to be resuscitated because they were crushed under a pile of bodies because someone tripped.  When I was in high school a class mate of mine took a hard foul on what would now be considered a flagrant foul.  He hit his head and bit his tongue which swelled blocking his airway.  I had to sit there with 1500 other people watching a kids face turn blue while we all helplessly waited an excruciating 4 minutes for an ambulance.  I don't want to ever see that again, not anywhere.

While I see where you're coming from, that's not even close to an apples to apples comparison. That's like comparing Wes Leonard's death to a concussion from a big football hit. One was a terrible freak accident and one is part of the game. While the story you told is very terrible and I can't imagine what it would be like in that position, the school administration and players did a pretty good job of getting Gardner up and out of the way and I think this situation was mildly blown out of proportion.

this is not blown out of proportion

I disagree, Scott, and so do most people.

All the kid had to do was pick his sorry butt off the ground, end of discussion. The loss must be disappointing but, if your so bitter about how the game ended or the teams conducted themselves, sulk silently in your orange and blue laden rooms.

This night's game was made close by 2 things. First, the obvious hype. The crowd was full of Scots, not just bodies, but loud, sometimes obnoxious fans. Even Alma's coach, Sam Hargraves, got in on the fun doing things like pumping up the crowd and firing up his players.

The second reason this game was closer than it should have been was because of confusion. The Scot's were so effective transitioning defenses, seemlessly going from a full-court man, a full-court zone, half court man or 2-3 zone. Also, it seemed as though there was no rhyme or reason to what position a player was playing. Doug Bradfield was playing a lot on the outside on both sides of the ball, also playing 6-3 Ethan Woelke mainly down low and at times it seemed like players were terribly out of position and they would perform at there highest level. Hargraves surprised me today, getting the most out of every single player in a Popovich-esk way. I noticed this will be the same team next year with not a single senior. It's going to be an interesting year with a great coach with the same team. The one thing I will leave is DO NOT COUNT THE SCOT'S OUT.

Seems like Trine has hit the "blah" streak as predicted, by only playing 6-7 players.

Quote from: MaroonKnighty on February 18, 2015, 05:49:54 PM

Quote from: Flying Dutch Fan on February 18, 2015, 03:06:36 PM

Quote from: HollandKnight on February 18, 2015, 01:12:25 PM

Quote from: sac on February 18, 2015, 01:01:29 PM
Daley played very little against Hope as a Freshmen, last year as a Sophomore in the first two games he scored 8 points and had 9 turnovers, and was visibly benched by KVS in the second game. 


He's been very good since the MIAA Tournament game last year.........something the Dew Crew can't say.

The reason for his atrocious 9 turnovers last year, was because last year he was the starting point guard, not small forward. Also, no disrespect but Carlson isn't starting material. Mitchell would be much better suited to start either Stuive or Otto, who I believe who could do special things with the right minutes.

Hmm - not starting material?  I certainly do not agree.  50 games into his career, Chad has the following stats (keep in mind that his roll is not to be a scorer, rather a true pass first, pass second kind of point guard).

50 games
920 min
161 pts (3.2 per game)
53 reb (1.1 per game)
81 ast (1.6 per game)
20 TO (0.4 per game) - his high game for TO is 2
4.05 A/TO
1 TO every 46 min of playing time - I compared this every other Hope point guard in history (Krombeen, Immink, Duistermars, Holstege, Elliot....)  They all averaged a TO every 8-15 minutes. In fact if you look at all Hope players who have more than 800 minutes played, the next closest is Logan Neil at 1 TO every 29 Min.

He does exactly what he is asked to do - be the primary ball handler, take care of the ball, make the rest of the team better.  I also think that Chad is a better than average defender.

I agree with FDF.  I really like Mitchell, let him keep doing what he's doing.

I respect Greg Mitchell and what he has done to the program. Not many coaches, in there first year, do as well as he has done.
I never said directly he isn't doing his job in the wrong way. What I was simply saying was that the 1-2-3 rotation of Gardner, Eidson and Stuive was a tough one to stop last year.

Quote from: Flying Dutch Fan on February 18, 2015, 03:06:36 PM

Quote from: HollandKnight on February 18, 2015, 01:12:25 PM

Quote from: sac on February 18, 2015, 01:01:29 PM
Daley played very little against Hope as a Freshmen, last year as a Sophomore in the first two games he scored 8 points and had 9 turnovers, and was visibly benched by KVS in the second game. 


He's been very good since the MIAA Tournament game last year.........something the Dew Crew can't say.

The reason for his atrocious 9 turnovers last year, was because last year he was the starting point guard, not small forward. Also, no disrespect but Carlson isn't starting material. Mitchell would be much better suited to start either Stuive or Otto, who I believe who could do special things with the right minutes.

Hmm - not starting material?  I certainly do not agree.  50 games into his career, Chad has the following stats (keep in mind that his roll is not to be a scorer, rather a true pass first, pass second kind of point guard).

50 games
920 min
161 pts (3.2 per game)
53 reb (1.1 per game)
81 ast (1.6 per game)
20 TO (0.4 per game) - his high game for TO is 2
4.05 A/TO
1 TO every 46 min of playing time - I compared this every other Hope point guard in history (Krombeen, Immink, Duistermars, Holstege, Elliot....)  They all averaged a TO every 8-15 minutes. In fact if you look at all Hope players who have more than 800 minutes played, the next closest is Logan Neil at 1 TO every 29 Min.

He does exactly what he is asked to do - be the primary ball handler, take care of the ball, make the rest of the team better.  I also think that Chad is a better than average defender.

If he was truly a pass first, pass second point guard he would have more than 2 assists per game, regardless of how many times he turns the ball over. Judging from experience, playing Ben Gardner at point will stretch your defense. Proven by his freshman year were he nearly forced Coach Vandestreet to put a hole in the floor with the amount of frustration he caused the Knights defense.

Quote from: sac on February 18, 2015, 01:01:29 PM
Daley played very little against Hope as a Freshmen, last year as a Sophomore in the first two games he scored 8 points and had 9 turnovers, and was visibly benched by KVS in the second game. 


He's been very good since the MIAA Tournament game last year.........something the Dew Crew can't say.

The reason for his atrocious 9 turnovers last year, was because last year he was the starting point guard, not small forward. Also, no disrespect but Carlson isn't starting material. Mitchell would be much better suited to start either Stuive or Otto, who I believe who could do special things with the right minutes.

The second go around of Calvin vs. Hope, at Calvin, the Hope students began chanting,"We Want Daley". At first I was puzzled, by then they were 5 minutes into the game and he had something around 7 points. Then I realized, they wanted a transfer, being that he would be a good fit, being more of a true 3 than Eidson.  That's the only other reason I could ponder. Anyone have insight on the situation?

Did the a team not from Michigan gain supremacy in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association? A mind boggling game as a Calvin fan...

Quote from: KnightSlappy on January 11, 2015, 02:06:43 PM

Quote from: oldknight on January 11, 2015, 12:53:35 PM

Quote from: knightvision on January 11, 2015, 12:11:58 PM
Didn't get to watch on DVR til late last night and didn't know the result going in.  Some thoughts/reactions:

1) Jordan Brink:  WOW!  Especially because I thought that Hope defended him pretty well--he hit some tough shots.
2) Harrison Blackledge:  Very Impressive!
3) Parks, Stout, and Huizenga:  Don't overlook their contributions--really solid.
4) Why doesn't Sam Otto play 25 minutes a game?  Every time I've seen this kid play I've been impressed with his stroke and floor game.  Went to look at the season stats and he shoots it at a high percentage and doesn't seem to force shots.  I'd have a hard time not playing this kid--a lot.
5) Mitchell's half time comments coming out of the half time locker room were telling.  Pretty clear he didn't think his guys had stuck to the game plan of pushing tempo (saw him in the background windmilling his arm more than once cajoling them to push it), attacking and looking inside (even if to go inside then out), and felt they "settled" far too often. I'll attribute some of Hope's difficulties to Calvin's defense, but also to the fact that Mitchell is still sorting out the pieces and figuring out how to put them all together.  What goes along with this dynamic is guys trying to prove they should be one of the pieces, which can lead to some of what it seemed like we saw--some forced shots and not sticking to the game plan.  I have little doubt that Hope/Mitchell will get this figured out...
6) Had to smile when Tom Cleary noted he was going to send it down to Ryan Terpstra for the halftime interview with Tim VanDyke--and then was surprised to see that KVS was joining Terp!  I noted on here last year that for a variety of reasons I thought KVS should be doing this, and I was glad to see him do it.

Thanks to KV for not adding number 7) "Who was the doofus in the third row who mangled the catch of that first half blocked shot?" I was texting during the game when a Calvin defender--I think Tyler Dykstra--swatted the ball into the endzone seats. If I hadn't looked up the ball would have hit me in the face but I reached up with both hands. Quite honestly it was an easy grab (I have visions of taking game ball home). Unfortunately, my cell phone was still in my left hand and I couldn't close my fingers around the ball, causing the sphereoid to drop directly on top of the head of the lady seated right in front of me. My first fear was not for her wellbeing but for a slew of texts from "friends." Apparently it didn't make instant replay because no one bothered to let me know I seemed destined for Sportscenter. A clear example of why one should never text and spectate at the same time.

An enterprising weblogger took it upon himself to investigate the existence of a replay.

I think for the best of the community to spread this video to everyone is for someone to place this as there bottomline. I might consider it.

Quote from: sac on January 10, 2015, 11:26:11 PM

Quote from: wiz on December 30, 2014, 09:34:15 PM
Will not be surprised if Hope takes the league crown this year.

Quote from: wiz on January 10, 2015, 05:27:08 PM
I too am not impressed with Hope this year.

Full reversal with a pike inverted twist.

Is there a like button or something?

Quote from: oldknight on January 10, 2015, 08:36:00 PM
Pretty easy to know how to start this conversation--it's with Jordan Brink who was clearly the best player on the floor today. Plays the game at an unhurried pace, takes great shots, rebounds, defends and involves his teammates wonderfully (4 assists). Enjoy this kid's year Calvin fans because you're watching one of the finest guards to ever play for maroon and gold. Jordan was so good it's easy to ignore the exceptionally solid floor game of Austin Parks who almcguirejr correctly commended. Combined with today's peerless play by Brink, the Calvin backcourt simply dictated how this game was to be played. Shooting well always helps--and Hope can certainly shoot better than they did this afternoon--but the quality of shots the Knights took had something to do with the difference in shooting percentage, and a mere 8 turnovers in a Rivalry game on Hope's floor is always a recipe for success. I happened to be seated right behind Austin Parks' dad and near the end of the game I tapped on his shoulder to praise the play of Calvin's point guard. Mr. Parks, a former head basketball coach at Niles HS, also appreciated his son's floor game.

Other game notes:

--completely agree with maroonandgold's post noting that Calvin seemed to be deeper than Hope today. It's not that there was any spectacular performance off the pine, it's just that the subs did nothing to hurt their team's chances to win. I thought TJ Huizenga in particular was quite effective--a 6'4" guy with quickness, defends like crazy, and has a bit of scoring ability. His 3 steals and constant interruption of passing lanes appeared to frustrate Hope.

--Nice use of Calvin's bench by KVS I thought. Minutes were about right though I was surprised Brink only got 28 On the other hand, on more than on occasion the fifth year senior looked gassed so you know he was playing hard.

--good thing Harrison Blackledge played tonight. He distinguished himself in a game when none of his teammates did.

--watch out for freshman Luke Dreyer some time down the road. He only played five minutes but I mentioned in the offseason that he might be the best unknown small college-level player coming out of the West Michigan high school hoops scene last year.

TJ Huizenga showed what he could really be this year in this past game. He got off to particularly slow start after breaking his hand early in the year. His athleticism and slippery scoring ability will be nice off the bench as we go deeper into a long season. He's the kind of guy that can play either a 2 or 3 type of role giving that needed depth to the Calvin bench.

Quote from: realist on January 09, 2015, 01:27:36 PM

Quote from: HollandKnight on January 09, 2015, 12:48:48 PM
Anyway.... This may catch you as a surprise but does anyone see a starting lineup change by KVS's Knights. (gasp!!!) I know that he will rarely change his starting five under any circumstances but, what would you see as a better match-up, Benson on Stout or Benson on Denney, Vander Brug or Dykstra? Of course, Stout is a better defender than all the previous mentioned, but the latter doesn't offer the offensive firepower that the other 3 have under there sleeve. Maybe the D2 transfer and the freshman out of Chicago won't start in there first rivalry game, but as always, this is just a speculation. A concept that us Knights need to wrap our minds around.

I wouldn't expect KVS to make a starting line up change, but do expect the minutes to be spread around differently.  Stout does not hurt Calvin when he is in the game, and he shoots .625% (highest on the team of guys playing more than 5 games).  He is not asked to be the go to guy for scoring, but does okay if he stays away from shooting 3's.  At this point in time Calvin enjoys the luxury of having almost too mcuh size and talent on the front line.  The best way to use this is a rotation that keeps fresh legs and bodies on both offense and defense.  Hope's biggest problem this year is lack of depth up front, and Calvin should use this to it's advantage.  I think both Denney and Vander Brug are going to get their minutes, but just need to temper it to allow for smooth transition.
It was interesting the comments that KVS made in his post game comments about Denney, and his coming to Calvin.  It almost happened last fall.  Apparently he decided to leave Delta, and in that process he had scholarship dollars offered so there is no question about his skill sets.  KVS was, wisely, concerned about the chemistry changes that would happen when bringing in a player mid season, and needs to manage that aspect.

One of his few, yet memorable pregame lineup switches was taking senior forward Mickey Devries out in place of Jordan Daley last year in the Rivalry game in which Calvin ended up winning fair handily. That starting five is the one he is still using to this day... or will he?