MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Pat Coleman]

Our Tri-State schedule and results page says what year of provisional membership they are in.

[devossed]

Would've liked to post sooner, but a wedding last night in kzoo and a b-day party in St. Clair today kept me away....

A February wedding that's non-Valentine's-related? Impressive...Of course, having gotten married during the winter months once before, I can appreciate the boldness of the decision, and how much people really do stink when they specify they want you to have it in the summertime to fit their warm-weather needs. But I digress...

Anyway, I think that Calvin is playing their best ball of the year right now, but it won't be enough this Wednesday. They have overachieved all season, while Albion has underachieved during the same span. Despite playing neck-and-neck with the "lesser" Hornets, I think that Albion will dig in and find the intestinal fortitude to compete in this season-making outing. Having tremendous respect for Mr. Turner as one of the top all-time coaches in D-3, I know he'll have the Brits up for it and ready to play. Plus, they always seem to sneak one in at Knollcrest. I wouldn't be surprised if Turner snuck Brett Quayle in the back door when entering they gym...

And I wouldn't exactly count out those "lesser" Hornets either. Passage seems to be cut in the mold of KVS when getting the most out of his players, talent or not. The Albion game gives them confidence that they can play with the big boys, and after getting past Olivet--I see them ready to play the Knighties tooth-and-nail as well, thus staking their claim as a solid #4 seed heading into tourney time.

What a great week this is shaping up to be!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[devossed]

After nearly blowing this week's grocery budget on Mt. Dew and Visine, I've come to the conclusion that I don't know much about D-3 Hoops. However, I'd like to reasonably think I can predict how the new regional rankings will shape up come Wednesday:


1) Wooster: 18-1, 22-1
2) Baldwin-Wallace: 19-2, 21-2
3) Wittenberg: 16-2, 21-2
4) Hope: 14-2, 20-2
5) Calvin: 9-1, 18-5
6) Carnegie Mellon: 14-3, 18-4


*****************

If this is accurate, it means a lot of things to a lot of people:

1) Wittenberg finally gets some modicum of respect, having only lost twice to regional and national consensus #1 Wooster. This sets them up in a better position for a Pool C slot should they lose to Wooster once more in the conference tourney.

2) Nobody moves in, nobody moves out. Presumably, Albion remains at the ORV #7 (10-2, 18-4), desparately salivating over a chance to claim that #6 spot with a win at Knollcrest Wednesday night.

3) BIGGEST MEANINGFUL THING OF ALL: Hope remains ahead of Calvin! Now, if Calvin should win on Wednesday, this makes everything moot. However, if Calvin should lose (and beat Kzoo) and Hope wins out in the Alma/TriState combo, they would tie for 1st in the conference. This is huge because Hope would then get the #1 seed to the MIAA tourney based on the #3 tiebreaker of having the higher-ranked regional record. This is even huge-er because Hope would have a Kzoo/TriState semi, thus avoiding the dreaded "Albion-then-Calvin" path to the NCAAs. This is plausible only because I can't see ranking Calvin ahead of Hope with only 9 regional wins to Hope's 14, but I'm not exactly on par with the NASA-like intellects of the almighty NCAA committee...

[oldknight]

3) BIGGEST MEANINGFUL THING OF ALL: Hope remains ahead of Calvin! Now, if Albion should win on Wednesday, this makes everything moot. However, if Calvin should win (and beat Kzoo) and Hope wins out in the Alma/TriState combo, they would tie for 1st in the conference. This is huge because Hope would then get the #1 seed to the MIAA tourney based on the #3 tiebreaker of having the higher-ranked regional record.

I hate to remind you devossed  but the Knights are currently in first place. If they win out this week I think they remain in first place and get the #1 seed to the MIAA tourney. In fact, during Doug Wentworth's post game interview with KVS Saturday it was mentioned that Wednesday's game with Albion is for all the marbles with Calvin able to lock up the conference championship with a win over the Brits. Remember that if Calvin wins over Albion that would mean that the Knights would have defeated the 3rd place team twice while Hope has lost to them once. Under the first tie breaker rule the Knights get to host the conference tournament.

[oldknight]

I bumped into Matt Veltema this weekend. After complimenting him on his choice of seating arrangements last week Wednesday (right behind the Calvin bench) I had the following conversation with him:

ME: "Hey Matt, you know that Draayer and Trewhella are seniors this year don't you?"

MATT (with a sheepish smile): "Yeah, I know."


30 seconds later . . .

ME: "Hey Matt, you know that Draayer and Trewhella play the 3 and the 2 at Calvin and they're both graduating don't you?"

MATT (smiling broadly): "Yeah, I know."


30 seconds later . . .

ME: "Hey Matt, you know the 3 and the 2 positions do a lot of the shooting in VandeStreek's offense don't you?"

MATT (now laughing out loud): "Yeah Yeah, I know."


Just doing my part in the recruiting wars. Thought you all would like to know.


By the way, Matt did say that he would not make any decision on where he will go to college until after his basketball season ended.

[albionbritfan]

Devossed-
I'm not quite sure I would agree that Albion has underachieved because it depends on what your expectation was for this team.

I certainly wasn't sure what this team was going to be like and agreed with the coaches when they picked Hope as the preseason favorite.  You lose Thomas and Depree of the top, then Champine doesn't return, then Lonny Fulse is injured, and Andrew Holmes is hurt in the preseason as well (Andrew could very well have been the best freshman in the league this year so I will be very excited to see him suit up in an Albion uni next year).  Albion lost to UMD to start the season, but then beat BW and Hope, so go figure.  The only loss that really hurt was the TriState game, and sometimes you just get outplayed (see this weekend's CCIW results if you need further proof that that occurs).

Now Calvin certainly has exceeded expectations and in doing so has moved past Albion in the MIAA standings.  So in a relative sense maybe you are right, but if you are looking at Albion in isolation, then I don't think calling their season an underachievement is accurate.  Everyone on this board was speechless when Albion was picked in the top 10 to start the season on d3hoops.  So that fact that Albion has a good chance at another 20-win season and has stayed in the top 10 for the entire season is a credit to them.

[devossed]

3) BIGGEST MEANINGFUL THING OF ALL: Hope remains ahead of Calvin! Now, if Calvin should win on Wednesday, this makes everything moot. However, if Calvin should lose (and beat Kzoo) and Hope wins out in the Alma/TriState combo, they would tie for 1st in the conference. This is huge because Hope would then get the #1 seed to the MIAA tourney based on the #3 tiebreaker of having the higher-ranked regional record.

I hate to remind you devossed  but the Knights are currently in first place. If they win out this week I think they remain in first place and get the #1 seed to the MIAA tourney. In fact, during Doug Wentworth's post game interview with KVS Saturday it was mentioned that Wednesday's game with Albion is for all the marbles with Calvin able to lock up the conference championship with a win over the Brits. Remember that if Calvin wins over Albion that would mean that the Knights would have defeated the 3rd place team twice while Hope has lost to them once. Under the first tie breaker rule the Knights get to host the conference tournament.

Thanks--I fixed my booboo with an edit just now--what I meant to say is that if Calvin lost, it would set up the tie...not enough sleep I guess...

[AndersDY]

No its right, TSU is in year 2 of provisional status.  Second year as a member of the MIAA, they are not eligible for NCAA play but can win the MIAA Championship.

Which by the way brings up another issue, why are they allowed to compete in the conference tournament if they can't accept the AQ.

I was just about to raise that question. What kind of craziness ensues heading into the NCAAs if we see TriState waste the MIAA automatic bid by winning the conference tournament? Or is an automatic bid then given to the runner up that loses to TriState? I have to think that Hope is in the NCAAs with no more than one more loss in the conference tourney. Wednesday obviously changes Calvin and Albion's standings in the region a lot: a win and Albion may have life to get in without the automatic bid while Calvin probably gets themselves into the NCAAs if they can finish the conference season with only 1 loss.

It appears the region is going to be a wrecking crew again this year though, so I've got to believe the chances of seeing three MIAAs in the national tourney are pretty slim. Baldwin Wallace (shudder...) appears to be right up there with Woo/Witt now. The MIAA teams with hopes of the national tourney have to be huge fans of those three teams when their respective conference tourneys come around because an automatic bid in the OAC or NCAC going to someone besides those three could create a huge mess (ditto if a non-top 3 wins the MIAA tournament obviously). Looking at the path through this region, I think I'm rooting for Hope to get moved out of region even if they then don't get to host.

Of course this is all premature speculation, but it makes this time of year fun. The settling of all this on the court should be interesting to watch.

[almcguirejr]

It has been fascinating to watch how Van Wieren has handled
the Derek Van Solkema situation.  He has had more responses
to this than John Kerry had about  Iraq in the 2004 election.
He first said DVS would not play with the team this year.  He then said he would practice only.  He then allowed him to start suiting up for games. And now he is getting PT. 

GVW stated he didn't want to disrupt chemistry.  I guess a 1 point, last second shot loss, to your archrival, throws chemistry out the window.  GVW has basically thrown Partridge under the bus.  He's told him and a lot of his teamates that even though you've been practicing since Oct. 15 at Hope, step aside because I've brought in somebody better.  Chemistry, forget it about it.  Its all about a champiohship because GVW is running out of time and this could be his last best shot.

[Civic Minded]

It has been fascinating to watch how Van Wieren has handled
the Derek Van Solkema situation.  He has had more responses
to this than John Kerry had about  Iraq in the 2004 election.
He first said DVS would not play with the team this year.  He then said he would practice only.  He then allowed him to start suiting up for games. And now he is getting PT. 

GVW stated he didn't want to disrupt chemistry.  I guess a 1 point, last second shot loss, to your archrival, throws chemistry out the window.  GVW has basically thrown Partridge under the bus.  He's told him and a lot of his teamates that even though you've been practicing since Oct. 15 at Hope, step aside because I've brought in somebody better.  Chemistry, forget it about it.  Its all about a champiohship because GVW is running out of time and this could be his last best shot.

You're funny.

[oldknight]

It has been fascinating to watch how Van Wieren has handled
the Derek Van Solkema situation.  He has had more responses
to this than John Kerry had about  Iraq in the 2004 election.
 

GVW stated he didn't want to disrupt chemistry.  I guess a 1 point, last second shot loss, to your archrival, throws chemistry out the window.  GVW has basically thrown Partridge under the bus.  He's told him and a lot of his teamates that even though you've been practicing since Oct. 15 at Hope, step aside because I've brought in somebody better.  Chemistry, forget it about it. 

Does this mean Glen voted for team chemistry before he voted against it?

[MIdoubleA]

Just out of curiosity, how would you guys react if you were on Hope's team with the whole VanSolkema thing?

[NW Hope Fan]

I think it stinks. Glen should have stuck to his guns, and let the kid work out with the team, and that's it. The positives just don't seem to outweigh the negatives. Recently I defended Glen's "recruiting practices". And while I still feel like I was correct in saying that Glen "over-recruits" just like everyone else. I think there is a difference between recruiting a guy to campus, who tries out like the rest of the hopefuls, and either gets cut, plays JV or sits the bench, and bringing in a guy "mid" season who takes someones PT... Just not right.

I'd like to think/hope that the team/captains approached Glen and encouraged him to play DVS. That would make for a nicer ending 

[kresgekrazy]

I think you guys are letting your personal feelings for some of these players get in the way.  GVW will play the kid that is the best player.  I don't think that you can blame him for playing Vansmoke if he is clearly the better player.  People were saying the same thing about Rick Carlilse when the stones canned him for Larry Flint Brown.  In my mind, VanWieren knows his team better than anyone else. the H_ _ _ kids can either accept their new roles and move on or become "cancer" and ruin what could possibly be an outstanding season. 

It's just my opinion on the matter.  But it seemed like at the beginning of  all this VanStokemup talk that you guys wanted this kid to be part of the team because he is better!  Am I wrong?

To maintain inner peace, Brandon Crawford eats Buddhists!  WOW!

I would like to nominate Michelle Kwan into the supersweetness hall of fame.  We are currently beginning a new wing to the SSHOF for speedskaters and ice-dancers.  Current exhibits include Nancy Kerrigan's 911 phone call tape "WHYYYYYYYY!!!?"  (why does anyone care about skating is my question), and Joey Buttafucos sweaty wife-beater that he wore when beating the living pooop out of Tanya "the pitbull" Harding.  Check it out

Nate

[oldknight]

I think you guys are letting your personal feelings for some of these players get in the way.  GVW will play the kid that is the best player.  I don't think that you can blame him for playing Vansmoke if he is clearly the better player.  People were saying the same thing about Rick Carlilse when the stones canned him for Larry Flint Brown.

I think these comments miss the point. The question is not whether VanSolkema is a more capable player than anyone else on the roster. The question, in my judgment,  is whether as a matter of coaching integrity (as well as concern for team chemistry) GVW should allow a mid season transfer play any minutes at all on this year's team. Before making any further comments on that issue I am most interested in hearing more from the Hope posters.