WBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletics Association

[TUAngola]

The 1st D3Hoops.com poll came out yesterday, the poll is limited to a Top Ten this year due to the limited number of D3 schools who are playing winter sports.  Hope is #1 and Trine #5.  Just about where both squads left off from last March in the cancelled D3 tournament.  Trine visits Hope tomorrow night.  It will be interesting to see where both teams are at.  We still haven't figured out the right mix yet at point with the graduation of Katy Steers.  Soph Makayla Ardis has been starting the last few games, but Jr Kaylee Argyle has started a few games as well.  Neither has performed to the level we need them too.  We have been so inconsistent offensively from our regulars, Wildman went scoreless against Adrian last game out and Bieniewicz has struggled with her shooting compared to last year.  If those 2 girls don't play well against Hope we have no shot to be in the game.  Both teams play stifling defense, but Hope's offense is so much better than Trine's right now that this will be the difference tomorrow night.   

[Pat Coleman]

The 1st D3Hoops.com poll came out yesterday, the poll is limited to a Top Ten this year due to the limited number of D3 schools who are playing winter sports. 

It's limited to a Top 10 this week but as the page on the website says, with the changing nature of the pandemic, the number of voters and teams voted for may change from week to week.

[NW Hope Fan]

Just heard, no tournament again this year. Pretty special team that Hope has. Huge bummer for those ladies!

[gordonmann]

Indeed. It's a bummer for all of us. Hope has a really, really great team and I wish we could've seen how far they could go.

Here's a little more from tonight's game.

https://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2021/02/hope-bittersweet-victory

[Flying Dutch Fan]

I too really feel for this team (and all the others) and another disappointment.  The record of this team, and specifically this senior class (thus far) is truly remarkable.

Won - Loss Record: 87-7 (.926)

Those 7 losses are to 3 teams - 4 times to Trine, 2 times to Thomas More, and once to Wartburg.  All of those losses were to teams that won at least 1 NCAA tournament that year, and often more than 1. 

The cummulative record of those opponents:

194-19 (.911) overall
18-6 (.750) in the NCAA tournament

[Flying Dutch Fan]

The last two Hope games its been pretty amazing to see what such a fabulous defensive team can do when they catch fire shooting the ball.   

Last Saturday they win 111-30 versus a very undersized Kazoo team (playing their first game of the season).  Hope shot 56% from the field and 32% from 3.  That 81 point margin is a Hope record.

Last night, Hope won 113-53 at Olivet while shooting 60.6% from the floor and 38.5% from 3.

7-0 on the season and averaging 89 point per game, while giving up 47 - that's a 42 point average margin of victory! 

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Hope vs Adrian games (men & women) are postponed for today (2/11)

Calvin vs Albion games (men & women) are postponed for today (2/11)

All teams currently showing scheduled games on Saturday...

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Curious if anyone knows the status of Ashleigh Thomas - she hasn't played since the Feb 6 game at Kazoo.  Just wondering if it is C19 related or an injury

UPDATE: Digging deeper I see Courtney Barnes, Jess Moorman and Mallory Gerber are also not playing - so I'd guess they're "in the protocol"

[HOPEful]

Wondering how many, if any, of Hope's 9 seniors intend to use the extra year of eligibility and return next season.

(I took more than 4 years to graduate personally, so I gotta think maybe 1 out 9 might be on the 5 year plan as well?)

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Wondering how many, if any, of Hope's 9 seniors intend to use the extra year of eligibility and return next season.

(I took more than 4 years to graduate personally, so I gotta think maybe 1 out 9 might be on the 5 year plan as well?)

Not to ruin the surprise, but there's an article heavily featuring the Hope wbb team coming out on your favorite Division III basketball news site in the next day or two.  The official word is, essentially, you never know what will happen, but they don't anticipate any of the seniors being back.


Anecdotally, as I've talked to coaches and players this year, it seems there are clear trend lines: male players seem eager to do whatever it takes to come back (on the whole, not universally), while female players seem much more content to move on to whatever is next.

Unless they were already planning to take a fifth year or had grad school at the same school lined up already, I'm not sure I've spoken to a single senior female who's changing plans to use that extra year.

[Roundball999]

Wondering how many, if any, of Hope's 9 seniors intend to use the extra year of eligibility and return next season.

(I took more than 4 years to graduate personally, so I gotta think maybe 1 out 9 might be on the 5 year plan as well?)

Not to ruin the surprise, but there's an article heavily featuring the Hope wbb team coming out on your favorite Division III basketball news site in the next day or two.  The official word is, essentially, you never know what will happen, but they don't anticipate any of the seniors being back.


Anecdotally, as I've talked to coaches and players this year, it seems there are clear trend lines: male players seem eager to do whatever it takes to come back (on the whole, not universally), while female players seem much more content to move on to whatever is next.

Unless they were already planning to take a fifth year or had grad school at the same school lined up already, I'm not sure I've spoken to a single senior female who's changing plans to use that extra year.

I have no inside knowledge but I would think there's a small chance any would be back.  Hope is primarily a 4 year undergrad college.  Hope's WBB team almost always has one of the best team gpas in the country, these are really excellent and motivated students.  Several are Nursing students with clinicals and so forth that are designed to transition directly into a Nursing career.  Maybe someone would be interested in returning for a 2nd BS degree but Hope is not inexpensive so another year of tuition and adding in a year of potential lost wages, it would be a very expensive decision.  Hope has a wonderful basketball community and experience, and these young women are driven athletes, but I suspect they will move on to bigger and better things.

[Roundball999]

Wondering how many, if any, of Hope's 9 seniors intend to use the extra year of eligibility and return next season.

(I took more than 4 years to graduate personally, so I gotta think maybe 1 out 9 might be on the 5 year plan as well?)

Not to ruin the surprise, but there's an article heavily featuring the Hope wbb team coming out on your favorite Division III basketball news site in the next day or two.  The official word is, essentially, you never know what will happen, but they don't anticipate any of the seniors being back.


Anecdotally, as I've talked to coaches and players this year, it seems there are clear trend lines: male players seem eager to do whatever it takes to come back (on the whole, not universally), while female players seem much more content to move on to whatever is next.

Unless they were already planning to take a fifth year or had grad school at the same school lined up already, I'm not sure I've spoken to a single senior female who's changing plans to use that extra year.

Ryan, really excellent article.  Though the focus is Hope WBB, it reminds us of what many college athletes - all sports and both male and female - have lost during this pandemic.  But is also reminds us of the bigger picture and how just maybe these challenges are making these student/athletes even stronger and more resilient through the rest of their lives.  Thank you.

[HOPEful]

I have no inside knowledge but I would think there's a small chance any would be back.  Hope is primarily a 4 year undergrad college.  Hope's WBB team almost always has one of the best team gpas in the country, these are really excellent and motivated students.  Several are Nursing students with clinicals and so forth that are designed to transition directly into a Nursing career.  Maybe someone would be interested in returning for a 2nd BS degree but Hope is not inexpensive so another year of tuition and adding in a year of potential lost wages, it would be a very expensive decision.  Hope has a wonderful basketball community and experience, and these young women are driven athletes, but I suspect they will move on to bigger and better things.

Agreed completely. I was more wishfully thinking that perhaps one was already on the 4.5 year plan and would want to tweak their schedule to play, not make a major change to stay in school a whole another year.

[HOPEful]

Anecdotally, as I've talked to coaches and players this year, it seems there are clear trend lines: male players seem eager to do whatever it takes to come back (on the whole, not universally), while female players seem much more content to move on to whatever is next.

I feel like this is pretty true typically. It seems the average male player, basketball has been a big part, or even the primary part, of their identity since middle school. And for the most part, their female counterparts tend to be much more well rounded. For whatever cultural reason, a parent is much more likely to introduce their son as, "This is my son _____, he plays bball for Hope!" and their daughter as, "This is my daughter _______, she is a Civil Engineering major and Spanish minor at Hope. And she made dean's list and has a job lined up already for when she graduates. Oh, and she starts on the basketball team!"

[pointlem]

Not to ruin the surprise, but there's an article heavily featuring the Hope wbb team coming out on your favorite Division III basketball news site in the next day or two.  The official word is, essentially, you never know what will happen, but they don't anticipate any of the seniors being back.

Fantastic article, Ryan Scott. Just a great piece of writing, one that points to lessons beyond BB.