MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[David Collinge]

Crap. Promised my daughter a trip that weekend to colonial Williamsburg and was going to use the trip to see Randolph-Macon at Virginia Wesleyan.

"See how they dip the candles in the hot wax, honey?  Isn't that fascinating?  Now sweetie, you just watch them dip the candles, and Daddy'll be back in, oh, 3 hours or so." 

[NW Hope Fan]

the new polls are out hope stayed number   4 albion dropped to number 6

And Calvin "moves up" with 21 votes as well.

[MIdoubleA]

If only players could shoot better percentages at the charity stripe.....they aren't being guarded, hence being called a "free throw."  I have always connected guys that can hit 3 pointers as being the best free throw shooters.   I know that when shooting free throws, its not like there is complete silence, people try to get into your head, to break your focus.  However the great free throw shooters out there, block all that out, and for them, its just, the basketball hoop and themselves, everything else is taken out of the equation.  Some players shoot free throws with ease, while others tend to struggle.  I don't know why some people tend to shoot better when there is a hand in their face, compared to just shooting a free throw, never really understood it.  I knew in high school, they made us run suicides, every time we missed a free throw, and it basically motivated everyone not to miss (or else everyone has to run, even if you were the only one that missed it).

Until very recently Hope has struggled big time with free-throws, literally all season long. I'm not sure what has changed but they seem to be doing better in that regard. As far as this officiating stuff goes... let's not beat dead horses (or zebras?). Nobody ever likes officials no matter what so let's move past it and get on with something else...

[BogeyMan]

I have seen games in the OAC, NCAC and the MIAA this year and in the last several years.  In my opinion the MIAA officials are the weakest.   After meeting the assignor for the MIAA a few years ago I firmly believe that is where the problem exists.  He is still a baseball man and really doesn't know much about basketball offiiciating mechanics or philosophies.  League officiating can only be as good as the person who chooses his staff and assigns the staff that he chooses.  I have seen the Albion/Hope game and the Calvin/Albion game and in my opinion five of those six officials could work in the OAC and NCAC.  The Albion/Hope game was well officiated.  Two of the three officials in the Calvin game were way above average.  Ernie's name always comes up when talking about officiating in the MIAA.  No matter whether I saw Kalamazoo/Adrian or Hope/Calvin, Ernie was completely out of it.  He would of been cut in the OAC or NCAC several years ago.

Did I hear right that Hope asked for Ernie and Huff for the Elmhurst game this year?  I heard Hope wanted to honor both of them for their service to the MIAA.  I wonder if Elmhurst knows the officials were picked instead of assigned?  Elmhurst had no chance!

[realist]

For all you guys who like to rag on the refs a word of advice.  Once or twice during the game when the ref makes a good call against your team say something like:  "good call, or dang you got that one right, or good eyes".  Trust me this does more for your influence  than singing the same refrain to your tired song on every call.  Once I learned this simple trick it went a long ways towards actually helping to establish a more satisfying relationship with the officals.  Even Cryer, and Hofman liked (responded to) the ocassional compliment

[bulldogalum]

I always try to compliment the officials when they make a particularly good call against the Bulldogs.  I also make a point of starting the game by saying "Sir, you were always my favorite official."  Some might actually believe it, but even if they call me a liar, I get a laugh out of them.

[Civic Minded]

  If you need every call to go your way to win a game then you didn't play a good enough game.

Amen! And if I could give you Karma, I would.

I've certainly done my fair share of griping about calls, and have occasionally complemented a call that went against my team when I felt it was accurate.  

I would caution us all to think about this:  a couple of years back at the VanAndel tournament they were using the instant replay.  Several of us sitting together felt that there were some really crummy calls against Hope.  "Upon further review" however (getting a chance to see it from another angle in instant replay) we found that very few of the calls that we thought were botched were actually wrong.  The vast majority were actually acurate.  I try to keep that in mind now, even though passion still gets in the way on occasion.

Right or wrong (the officiating, that is) a team still has to play above it.  As others have said, if the refs can determine the outcome, then you weren't playing well enough to begin with.

[KnightSlappy]

Any chance that Dick Bavetta will leave the NBA to officiate the MIAA.

[bulldogalum]

Dick Bavetta would fit right in.

[albinomascot19]

A quick question, if at the end of the regular season, if there is a 3 way tie for first place, who would host the MIAA Tournament?   Would they still use a coin toss or something?

[KnightSlappy]

My guess is overall record.

[hope1]

i think it goes head to head 

[dren]

A quick question, if at the end of the regular season, if there is a 3 way tie for first place, who would host the MIAA Tournament?   Would they still use a coin toss or something?

Because all 3 teams share the same loss it would be a coin flip if the season ended today... (they have all one loss to the 1st place team)

To make it easier to understand lets make a hypothetical finish (This can't happen because all 3 must play each other again but bear with me)....say all 3 were 12-2 with Hope losing to both Albion and Kalamazoo(5th place); Albion losing to Calvin and Hope; and Calvin losing to Hope and Tristate (4th place).

All three would be declared MIAA champions
Hope would be 3-1 vs 1st place teams and 2-0 vs 4th place teams and would get the #1 seed.
Calvin would be 3-1 vs 1st place teams and 1-1 vs 4th place teams and would get the #2 seed.
Albion would be 2-2 vs 1st place teams and would be the #3 seed.

My guess is overall record.

I don't believe overall record is used for determining #1 seed in any MIAA sport only league record applies.  The tie breakers to vary sport to sport and have been determined by the coaches of said sport.

http://www.miaa.org/commcup/alldeter.html#fb

[Carl Yastrzemski]

I have to like Albion's chances with a coin toss. With Albion Alum Dave Neilson bringing the coin and making the toss, the Brits might hold the edge.

I believe a couple of years ago it came down to a coin toss when Albion tied for the league title. It was the first time the MIAA tourney was ever held someplace besides the four letter school to the west, and Calvin. It was Veenstra's senior year if I am correct.

For a second there I thought I was on the brand new www.d3refs.com. The sooner people realize they have no control over the refs and their calls, the lower their blood pressure will be.

Speaking of coin tosses, did anyone see the Lions overtime game last night. Clear as day, the visiting team called tails. However, the ref thought they said heads. When it landed on tails, he allowed the Lions to choose what they wanted.

Nate, the last time Albion had an epedemic on their hands was when the Hong Kong Flu sent 6 ATO's to the hospital for overnight stays.

[AndersDY]

As it's the topic of the day, had two ref questions, both about the two big names retiring this year. First, I've always had trouble figuring out what the consensus around the league was about Ernie. Because he seemed most recognizable, I got the (perhaps misguided) impression that he was the most liked and respected official. Other times I hear him referred to as the most notable of the officials who miss calls. Was he once looked at as one of the more respectable and declined in later years? Has he always been disliked? Or is he just bold and take-charge so he is the most likely official to create strong opinions in both directions?

From my own perspective, I recognize several MIAA officials who have been around and when I had seen Ernie working games, his presence didn't remind of numerous blown calls I could remember so he was never an official that would make me groan when I saw him working a game. Maybe my opinion was the exception though.

On the other outgoing ref, Tom Hoffman: during the game when he was honored at DeVos, I heard a supposed story that Tom also has worked as a Big 10 official for football and had become notable by hosing UM on some non pass-interference call. Is he the ref who watched Desmond get tripped by MSU in 1990 or was this another blown call? I couldn't find that tidbit by searching online but was curious if anyone else knew about that.