WBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association

[realist]

In her final game for Hope versus Wash U. CS was 3-9 on 3 point attempts.
Perhaps that coach figured out it was better to let CS fire it up from outside as opposed to having to deal with her inside.  It is one thing to take advantage of a mismatch etc., and quite another to allow the opposing team to dictate play. 

She was 3-9 on 3-pt attempts and 6-13 on 2-pt attempts.

That's 1 pt. per three point shot, but only 0.92 points per two point shot.

Whatever!  All I know is Hope was 4 points short when the game ended.

[bballfan13]

Carissa Verkaik has been named a preseason 1st team All American by D3hoops.  She is the only junior on the 1st team.

http://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-americans/women/preseason-2012

[KnightSlappy]

Here's a link to DIII News' preseason poll:

http://depauwwbb.wordpress.com/2011/10/14/diii-news-preseason-poll-released/

The guru reliability of this particular poll is low, but probably still fun to look at.

Calvin comes in at #8 which is reasonable. They should have a shot to be a top-five team this year.

[oldknight]

I previously reported on the men's board that the women's team would have an "sneak peek" open practice on Saturday morning. Either I read the Homecoming schedule incorrectly or something changed because the current homecoming schedule shows the women's sneak peek practice is set for Friday afternoon/evening from 4-7 pm at Van Noord Arena.

http://www.calvin.edu/homecoming/schedule.html

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Coach Mo has his roster set:

http://www.hope.edu/athletics/wbb/wbbrost.html

[sac]

Coach Mo has his roster set:

http://www.hope.edu/athletics/wbb/wbbrost.html

I don't think I've ever heard of a JV roster with 8 sophomores.  13 total between the two teams.

[gordonmann]

I haven't looked at many JV rosters, but Hope has one of the largest I have seen. That's a sign of a strong program.

[D3GirlsHoopFan]

Any insights on how the Hope varsity is shaping up?  They lost some talented young ladies from last year.

[realist]

Coach Mo has his roster set:

http://www.hope.edu/athletics/wbb/wbbrost.html

I don't think I've ever heard of a JV roster with 8 sophomores.  13 total between the two teams.

Were most of those players on the roster as fr. last year?  About the only way all those so's could be a negative is if that were to indicate a smaller than normal fr. class.  Last year some Hope poster mentioned Hope was concentrating recruiting in IL., and that sure appears to have happened.

D3GHF:  As a Calvin fan I really don't expect to see that much of a difference in Hope's performance this year.  Granted more changes than normal, but with the depth your coach has they deserve to be ranked. 
Calvin has the luxury of returning all but two sr's from last years team, and those two averaged less than 15 minutes combined.  Calvin is much more dependant on the performance of their star player than Hope typically is on any one player.  If she plays at the level she has the last two years Calvin will be hard for most teams to beat.  IMO if Calvin wants to make a deep run in the torunament I think this may be the year to do it, as CV has a good/experienced supporting cast.

[hope81]

Hope is going to be a much different team this year I believe.  I think they will be shorter, but perhaps quicker.  They will have to be without the All American inside as an option.  The 3 pointer may become our friend.  I suspect Ellis might move to the 2 guard and Cerone might run the point for the starters.  That would likely move Burnett to the 3.  Kussmaul is probably a lock to start at the 5.  Kust probably has the inside track on the 4 spot.  However, the key to this team will likely be any major improvement from a couple of players from last year's JV team and this remains to be seen.  I will say that I heard frosh Hannah D. was recruited by Amhurst, but chose Hope.  This may be a suprise get for Hope.  I am not familiar with the other frosh, so perhaps something will arise there as well.  It is always a big jump from high school.

Calvin certainly has to be declared the favorite in the MIAA at this point.  But as we have seen in past years, injuries and surprise player development can change the landscape as the season progresses.  If CVK continues to be healthy, she may well put up numbers that go down in MIAA history.

[Dark Knight]

Calvin has the luxury of returning all but two sr's from last years team, and those two averaged less than 15 minutes combined.  Calvin is much more dependant on the performance of their star player than Hope typically is on any one player.

Verkaik gets a lot of press, but Calvin is much more than Verkaik.

For example, did you know that Calvin set the MIAA record for all-time best defense (fewest points allowed to MIAA opponents) last year, for seasons with more than 6 games?  Calvin allowed 45.8 points per game. Hope set the second-place record the same season, allowing 46.4. (Calvin was 5th nationally, just behind #4 Hope.)

Did you know that Ally Wolffis topped the league in field goal percentage, at 63%?

Did you know that Logan Marsh, Kelsey Irwin, and Jill Thomas took three of the top four spots in the league in assist-to-turnover ratio?

[realist]

Speakly highly of one player in no way denigrates the contribution of her team  mates.

[Dark Knight]

Speakly highly of one player in no way denigrates the contribution of her team  mates.

Implying that Calvin is highly dependent on the performance of their star player does tend to minimize the contribution of the rest of the team, imo.

[Roundball999]

I can see both points, but I think we can agree it's surely nice to have a star player assuming she's also a team player.

As a Hope fan, I think Hope81's assessment is spot on.  Without that star player, so much will depend on how the team gels and how the (previously) role players step up.  I also agree that Calvin should be really tough and has to be considered the MIAA favorite.  Tried to look up the three Hope frosh, it's great that they're all at least six footers.

Llorens and Siepker look like strong post players with versatility:
http://triblocal.com/grayslake/community/stories/2011/04/grayslake-central-senior-will-play-hoops-at-hope-college/
http://www.greggrantbasketballclub.com/BOENING-2010/profiles/siepker%20profile-2010-7.pdf

Doell looks more of a slasher, six footer who can run and defend perimeter:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4iQVG6IZffU

But it IS a big jump from HS to college, the speed of the game is much different, so you can't count on the frosh to have significant impact this year.

[realist]

Welcome rb999.  Plus k for showing up.  Please stick around.
Each of us has our own opinion.  God willing Calvin doesn't have to find out the hard way how much CV means to the team.

Granted it is a big jump from h.s., but it can be done.  I recall a fr. player just two years ago that justified her selection as MIAA mvp. 
Like you I expect Hope to be a very good team.  Having lots of interchangeable parts, and not having to rely to heavily on one player is a good thing.