MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[MIdoubleA]

Does GVW begin thinking about using Van Solkema now?  I don't believe he can play Immink 30+ minutes per game in the
tournament for back to back games.  He needs to show some confidence in Partridge and let him play more or start to use
DVS if he wants to make a strong run at the elusive banner.

Who knows. Personally I think he ought to use Partridge more, once that kid gets acclimated to the 1-spot he's going to be good.

[Roughrider]

Purely My Opinion:

Whether your a Calvin fan, a Hope fan, or neither one, you must consider that the game-winning shot by freshman Caleb Veldhouse, faking fifth-year senior Greg Immink, stepping back, off-balance, and draining a three-ball with seconds remaining to snatch victory from defeat, was one of the greatest shots in the storied history of this great rivalry.  Congrats to the Knights.

Roughrider

[Civic Minded]

So, with all this talk of betting lines for the Hope/Calvin game, what sort of point spread would there be for this Saturday's game at Adrian?  20ish?  I'm personally HOPING that the Dutchmen are a bit hungover from yesterday's game when they roll into the newly refurbished Merillat Center.

How newly refurbished?  I thought it was pretty nice already...  Guess we'll see in a couple of days.

[pointlem]

Roughrider, even as a Hope fan, I agree . . . a spectacular, dramatic shot, and one that Caleb will enjoy the memory of to his grave.   Have to hand it to him.

And credit him, not the coaching from either side.  I smile to think back to the snide things being said here about Coach VandeStreek earlier in this year, and now by the fickle former Hope student after Coach Van Wieren suffers a loss (mindless that the same person recruited and coached the same team to a 30 point lead over Calvin in the last game before bringing in the third string . . . where was the coaching assessment after that game?).

The bottom line is that great coaches have great coaching records.  GVW has that for sure.  And, to boot, he strikes me as very loyal to and supportive of his varsity and former varsity players, and has built the #1 or #2 (after IWU?) fan base in all of the 390 or so DIII colleges.

[sac]

The Greg Immink quote I was thinking of was actually in the Holland Sentinel. 

"It was loud," Immink said. "It will toughen us up."

quote from the author of said article......
"The tighter games are coming. It's approaching tournament time.

The quality of competition goes up. So does the determination of the opponent.

Hope either must elevate its mental game or go home unsatisfied."

This goes with what I was saying about Hope looking and doing the same things they did at Albion.  They mentally took themselves out of the game when they had no reason too.

[bulldogalum]

How newly refurbished?  I thought it was pretty nice already...  Guess we'll see in a couple of days.

They didn't do a ton, mostly just added some color to the place.  On the North Wall, there is now a massive Bulldog logo, similar on the western wall, and they added new padding behind the basket that is larger and more...festive I guess.  I like the Merillat Center, and always have, but I'm glad to see them add some color to the place.  All the plain white walls got a little boring, but no more...

[big_yellow_hat]

Many of the resent posts have been claiming that the Calvin-Hope game was the best Calvin has played and could possibly have played.  I feel this underestimates the talent and the chemistry that this team has and is improving on every day.

As one of the few Calvin fans who saw both of the wins against Albion and Hope, while the Hope game was way more of a thriller I feel the Albion game was the best of the season for Calvin.

High points from each game:

Hope:
Good second half overall D
Quality low post D
Good game for Veldhouse along with an excellent last second 3

Albion:
Great D on Crawford (first time all year he faced tough d)
Great perimeter shooting all around
Consistent D for the entire game
Big games for the freshman-Smith and Zoerhof
No need for the last second win as the scoring came from a wide variety of players

I believe the potential (this year) for this team is quite scary if you combine the good factors from both games along with Chapel getting some good looks (4 for 4 from 3 at Adrian this past Sat.), Draayer doing what he does best, Snoeyink at full health (we started to see what he is capable of in the Hope game) and Meckes getting more aggressive down low.

Wow sorry for the long post just needed to get that off my chest.

[oldknight]

I smile to think back to the snide things being said here about Coach VandeStreek earlier in this year

I honestly can't remember any snide comments about VandeStreek earlier this year. The last standing critics of KVS's coaching abilities pretty much fell by the wayside last March after the Knights' rather improbable run to Salem. If there were any such comments earlier this year I must have ignored the poster's ignorance.

[Flea]

Let's keep in mind that Hope is still 20-2...That still has to count for something, right?

Certainly ... I do not see Calvin winning a rematch (if they get that far) in the MIAA tourney.

[Gregory Sager]

Of course, I may have missed some biased announcing whille making all of those trips to the kitchen for more ice cream! 

OK David, now disclose the answer to the 2 most important questions from last night. What flavor did you go with and was it from the the round pack or the square pack?

... and was Allah's name written in Arabic in the swirl on the lid?

[Flying Dutch Fan]

How newly refurbished?  I thought it was pretty nice already...  Guess we'll see in a couple of days.

They didn't do a ton, mostly just added some color to the place.  On the North Wall, there is now a massive Bulldog logo, similar on the western wall, and they added new padding behind the basket that is larger and more...festive I guess.  I like the Merillat Center, and always have, but I'm glad to see them add some color to the place.  All the plain white walls got a little boring, but no more...

Civic & I (and possibly sac and others) will be there - any chance of meeting after the game (say center court) - I always love the chance to put a face with a name

[bulldogalum]

Unfortunately, I won't be able to make it tomorrow.  I'm working on a federal appellate brief problem (first year of law school) that is due this Monday and, suffice it to say, I haven't exactly transferred my research onto paper just yet .  Enjoy the road trip to Scenic Lenawee County!

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Wow - that sounds about as pleasant as root canal - we'll have to enjoy the game without you.

[mustywetdog]

Guys, sorry my posts are not all warm and fuzzy.  Its good to shake things up...everything is so comfrotable here. 

[albinomascot19]

Word is out: Lonny Fulse is done for the season, with a herniated disc.  Look out for him next season, as he will be coming back with a vengeance.  By the way good luck to everyone on Saturday!  Go Brits!