MBB: Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference

[badgerwarhawk]

It's really nice alright but  judging by the pictures, which admittedly isn't a very good way to go about it, I still like Hope's arena better.  Of course I've been to Hope and haven't been to Calvin so who knows.

Regardless it's super nice and bound to be a big asset in recruiting. 

[frankiet]

How bad is Dwight Hill's ankle sprain? Is he going to be back for Saturday's game at Oshkosh?

[bgbacker]

Hill was in a "boot" last night ... but I wouldn't be surprised to see him back for the weekend.

As for Sup's win last night, they came out with playoff-like intensity right from the start. Since they were staring oh-and-four in the face, it's not surprising. A 15-0 run early in the 2nd half was the difference....that and EC turnovers. Oh, and did I mention Culy was on fire in the 2nd half! Blugolds did not get it in to Beyer and Probst as much as they had been in recent games.

[phoenix_rising]

I'm thinking it took Culy the better part of a half to catch on to carrying the point in LaCrosse, and Dustin Ritchie now understands the difference between high school and college basketball. Take Dwight Hill's leadership off the court in addition to those on-the-job learning kind of experiences and you have a semi-perfect storm for a let down. Dwight, as a junior who plays twice his size, may provide as much confidence on the court as skill. I would like to think the LaCrosse outcome would have been different if Hill had been healthy.

I think Culy likes playing in Eau Claire; it's like family night. Certainly, it's homecoming for Shane Manor.

Which brings me to a big complaint: I couldn't get an audio feed for the LaCrosse game and had to jump around to hang onto live stats. What's with that? is there a secret code word I have to type in somewhere to hear a game? And then, I thought I could watch Superior women and listen to Superior men and my own radio station let me down. I'm not a conspiracy theorist--wait, I really think I am a conspiracy theorist...

[janesvilleflash]

Radio stations across the country are struggling because stoutguy is out of the country,

[titan2000]

It's really nice alright but  judging by the pictures, which admittedly isn't a very good way to go about it, I still like Hope's arena better.  Of course I've been to Hope and haven't been to Calvin so who knows.

Regardless it's super nice and bound to be a big asset in recruiting. 

Who pays for these things?   Maybe we need Alexander Gymnasivm II.    

[frodotwo]

It's really nice alright but  judging by the pictures, which admittedly isn't a very good way to go about it, I still like Hope's arena better.  Of course I've been to Hope and haven't been to Calvin so who knows.

Regardless it's super nice and bound to be a big asset in recruiting. 

Who pays for these things?   Maybe we need Alexander Gymnasivm II.    

Looks like a few rich people: http://www.calvin.edu/sports/news/comments/basketball-teams-excited-to-finally-call-van-noord-arena-home/

"The Van Noord Arena is part of the multi-million dollar Spoelhof Athletic Complex which features the Huizenga Tennis and Track Center, the Venema Aquatic Center, the Hoogenboom Health and Recreation Center and the Marian Hoogenboom Health Services. "

[Mr. Ypsi]

It's really nice alright but  judging by the pictures, which admittedly isn't a very good way to go about it, I still like Hope's arena better.  Of course I've been to Hope and haven't been to Calvin so who knows.

Regardless it's super nice and bound to be a big asset in recruiting. 

Who pays for these things?   Maybe we need Alexander Gymnasivm II.    

Looks like a few rich people: http://www.calvin.edu/sports/news/comments/basketball-teams-excited-to-finally-call-van-noord-arena-home/

"The Van Noord Arena is part of the multi-million dollar Spoelhof Athletic Complex which features the Huizenga Tennis and Track Center, the Venema Aquatic Center, the Hoogenboom Health and Recreation Center and the Marian Hoogenboom Health Services. "

Yeah, and the De Vos at Hope is largely the gift of the founders of AmWay.

[Stout survivor]

Does anyone think that a WIAC school could keep filling a gym like those of Hope and Calvin? Maybe Point?  I would love to see the WIAC as a whole make upgrads to their athletics aside from UWW.

[John Gleich]

It's really nice alright but  judging by the pictures, which admittedly isn't a very good way to go about it, I still like Hope's arena better.  Of course I've been to Hope and haven't been to Calvin so who knows.

Regardless it's super nice and bound to be a big asset in recruiting. 

Ya know, I agree BW.  It has a warmer feel... a homier feel.  Not that Calvin's isn't nice, it's really nice, one of the top arenas in the country, hands down.  But I don't think that it tops De Vos.







I think the fact that DeVos is just one level makes it more intimate

Hope used to have a panorama on their site, but I can't find it...  That was a really neat shot too.

If you compare that to Calvin:



... it seems like you could just plop any old name on the floor and make it your home court.  And the upper deck seems really far away from the action.

Now, I don't know if that is really the case... if you are in the last row at Timken Gym at Wooster:



or Gus Young Court at Gustavus Adolphus:

(pics posted here at d3hoops)



... which are two of the bigger capacity gyms in D-III, you're really high up.  And GAC has a gap between the floor and the stands.  'Course, when the place is packed to the gills like it was back in '03-'04, it's a much different feel than if it has under 1000, I'm sure... but I digress...

I'm partial to Hubert Arena at Rose Hulman:



I watched the UWSP women win a national championship there, so it might skew my view...

And you can't forget the Shirk Center at Illinois Wesleyan:

(from Titan Q's site)





These are great facilities... the tip top of the D-III world.  Calvin, Hope, and IWU are almost always 1,2, and 3 in attendance year in and year out.  In fact, Hope (9 times, including the last 6 years in a row), Calvin (11 times), and IWU (once), have led in attendance every year since 1988.  That's 21 straight seasons, and they'll likely be tops again... Hope is averaging 2558 and Calvin 2212.

UWSP has held their own...  this year Point's averaging 1438, and the attendance figures in January and February are always higher than those in November and December.  Point led the country in '82 and '85 (2919 and 2313) and has been in the top 7 in attendance for a bunch of years in a row.

Re: if Point could fill a bigger stadium... technically, Point doesn't fill Quandt.  Capacity is about 2800, and Point has only had crowds over 2000 20 times in the last 9 seasons, and they've had about 15 home games per year.  It certainly is a great place to see a game, and the people do come out... but I don't know if they'd fill a 3500 seat arena.

[John Gleich]

On second thought... it doesn't make sense that UWSP led D3 in attendance in '82 and '85... because the WSUC didn't become a DIII conference until '96-'97 and Point was decidedly playing in NAIA national tournaments in those years too.

But that's what it says HERE.  Odd, too, that in '90-91, the Wisconsin State University Conference is listed as the top attended conference.

[titan2000]

The plastic bleachers at Quandt don't form well to my posterior.  They are a gaudy color combination though, which is nice. 

[Greek Tragedy]

Any Pointer fans going to Platteville?  How's the weather over there?

[Pioneer Hoops Fan]

Any Pointer fans going to Platteville?  How's the weather over there?

It's all done snowing, or it actually has been for quite some time.  My wife had practice this morning and said that Highway 151 was much better at 9:00 this AM than it was at 6:30.  Mind you, she is only driving a 6 mile stretch of it.

check your route here

[phoenix_rising]

AAAAAAANNNNNDDDDD Superior plays dead, again.