MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[KnightSlappy]

HOPE ROSTER UP....................WOW

WOW indeed. By my count there are seven players who have never played one varsity minute, plus three others who averaged less than 7 minutes per game of varsity action last year. Hope has a talented and experienced front line of players but what happens in the backcourt is what will make or break the season for the Dutch whose guards last year were about as good as it gets in the MIAA. Between Krombeen, Bunn and Logan Neil they ate up 80 of the 200 available minutes each game and that's a ton of experience to replace. It's a cliche'--but nontheless true--to say you can't make a senior out of a freshmen.

Link: http://www.hope.edu/athletics/mbb/mbbrost.html

I count four non letter-winning sophomores. Are they new to the program, or former JVers?

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Parisi and McMahon played JV for Hope last year. Sneed is new to Hope, played football at Augustana (Sioux Falls - NAIA). Byers played 2 years of varsity ball at Spring Arbor, so eligibility wise I thinks he's a Jr.

[oldknight]

Parisi and McMahon played JV for Hope last year. Sneed is new to Hope, played football at Augustana (Sioux Falls - NAIA). Byers played 2 years of varsity ball at Spring Arbor, so eligibility wise I thinks he's a Jr.

Byers prepped at Allegan HS, playing for former Hope hoopster Travis Spaman who appears to have done a nice job resurecting a long dormant high school basketball program. While in high school one of Byers' teammates was Olivet center Matt El. I believe Byers to be a pretty good shooter from the arc because he went 26-54 from there last year while competing for Spring Arbor. A 6'5" forward, Caleb averaged 8 points and 5 boards per game during his second year in that program.

[sac]

Not really sure what people were expecting to see, Hope lost 4 Sr's and carried only 15 players on varsity last year so they had 5 open spots.  Two players from last year didn't make the cut this year, Cody Campbell and Craig Toren and they played 78 total minutes between them a year ago. 

So that makes 7 open spots to fill.

If you sat down and looked at the potential depth chart returning at guard it was Coltan Overway, Billy Seiler and then pretty much air.

There just wasn't any way Hope wasn't going to be young and inexperienced at the guard spots.

[sac]

The million dollar question already is this.....will the numerous "fairly talented or "lots of potential" athletes on the JV roster even have a chance to play varsity ball at Hope?  Or will they be passed over by another top crop of Frosh next year?  Well aware of the tough transition from hs to college, even D3, there are a few kids on that roster who can play fairly well.

Unless I'm counting wrong 7 or 8 of the 11 players currently on the varsity not freshmen and started their college careers at Hope spent time on Hope's Junior Varsity.


I am curious to know how many of last years JV actually tried out this year, my understanding was it wasn't many.

[sac]

I think its interesting that Hope lists 6-4 Steve Wittenbach as a G.  There's been a decent off-line back and forth between a couple of us about whether Steve could be a 2 or 3.

[pointlem]

I think its interesting that Hope lists 6-4 Steve Wittenbach as a G.  There's been a decent off-line back and forth between a couple of us about whether Steve could be a 2 or 3.

Sac (or any others), what do you see as the essential difference between a 2 and a 3?  (I see them as two wing/shooting guards, or does the 3 player go inside more?)

Also, you mentioned "Cody Campbell."  Will Campbell was on last year's varsity, and is on this year's roster as well.  Is that who you meant?

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Sac (or any others), what do you see as the essential difference between a 2 and a 3?  (I see them as two wing/shooting guards, or does the 3 player go inside more?)

Also, you mentioned "Cody Campbell."  Will Campbell was on last year's varsity, and is on this year's roster as well.  Is that who you meant?

In d3 there is often not much difference between the 2 & 3 IMHO  With the offense Hope runs, they really are similar - consider Seiler and Bunn last season.

William Campbell goes by Cody. He is not on the roster for this season (his name was listed there earlier today in error).

[Titan Q]

Sac (or any others), what do you see as the essential difference between a 2 and a 3?  (I see them as two wing/shooting guards, or does the 3 player go inside more?)

The "3" seems to be the position on the floor with the most variety.  From team to team at that spot you will see...

* A second SG (aka "2") in a 3-guard look

* A "slasher" - a guy who doesn't shoot it very well from the perimeter but who can dribble drive to the basket effectively

* A guy with more of a Power Forward (4) skill set who can dribble it and shoot it well enough to play the 3

* The "European wing" type guy - the big guy who can shoot the 3 but not do too much else

* A do-it-all type - a guy who can shoot it, put it on the floor, and play with his back-to-the-basket


I've always believed that having a great "3" is what separates good Division III teams from great ones.  I think having the 6-5 or 6-6 Small Forward who can do a lot of different things offensively is a huge advantage.  When IWU won the national championship in 1997 they had a 6-7 SF named Bryan Crabtree (national Player of the Year), who to this day I think was one of the toughest matchups I've ever seen in D3.  A few years ago IWU had 1st Team All-American Keelan Amelianovich, a 6-6 SF, who also provided huge matchup problems.

It just seems to me that any team can throw two SG's out there, and most teams can throw one of those "combo forward" types out there - the kid who is typically more 4 but is asked to play the 3 because having his size out there seems like a tempting idea on paper.  But not every team has that big, versatile guy out on the wing.  In my opinion it's a huge different maker -- a lot of the great teams I've seen in Salem over the years have had that guy.

[sac]

One other thing I find interesting is Hope has 7 players from out of state.  I'm pretty sure this is the most by far Hope's ever had.  Last year was probably the previous most with 4.

It's nice to see Hope becoming more 'international'.

Counting Jordan Denham, Hope has 8 guys from outside of the typical 'West Michigan' area.

[SBell]

Parisi and McMahon played JV for Hope last year. Sneed is new to Hope, played football at Augustana (Sioux Falls - NAIA). Byers played 2 years of varsity ball at Spring Arbor, so eligibility wise I thinks he's a Jr.

Byers prepped at Allegan HS, playing for former Hope hoopster Travis Spaman who appears to have done a nice job resurecting a long dormant high school basketball program. While in high school one of Byers' teammates was Olivet center Matt El. I believe Byers to be a pretty good shooter from the arc because he went 26-54 from there last year while competing for Spring Arbor. A 6'5" forward, Caleb averaged 8 points and 5 boards per game during his second year in that program.

If Allegan wins two games this season, they'll have doubled their win total ...

[oldknight]

Parisi and McMahon played JV for Hope last year. Sneed is new to Hope, played football at Augustana (Sioux Falls - NAIA). Byers played 2 years of varsity ball at Spring Arbor, so eligibility wise I thinks he's a Jr.

Byers prepped at Allegan HS, playing for former Hope hoopster Travis Spaman who appears to have done a nice job resurecting a long dormant high school basketball program. While in high school one of Byers' teammates was Olivet center Matt El. I believe Byers to be a pretty good shooter from the arc because he went 26-54 from there last year while competing for Spring Arbor. A 6'5" forward, Caleb averaged 8 points and 5 boards per game during his second year in that program.

If Allegan wins two games this season, they'll have doubled their win total ...

Spaman left Allegan last year to take the athletic director's position at Fennville HS so he got out of Dodge in time to avoid that debacle. (hat tip to sac)

[maroonandgold]

The Calvin 2012-13 varsity roster:

Jordan Brink      Junior       G
Ryan Nadeau    Soph    G   
David Rietema    Senior   G   
Mickey DeVries    Junior     F   
Bryan Powell    Senior    G   
T.J. Huizenga    Soph     G/F   
Tom Snikkers    Senior    F   
Tyler Dykstra    Soph         F
Daniel Stout    Soph     F/C   
Tyler Kruis    Junior     C   
Matt DeBoer    Senior    G/F   
Jordan Mast    Junior     G/F
Mitch Vallie        Junior       G/F
Jordan Daley     Freshman   G/F

Having seen the Calvin roster as posted by Goodknight, it immediately raised a few questions:  Doesn't the Calvin roster almost always include 15 players rather than 14?  What is latest news as far as Austin Parks and Jalen Brinks?  It would seem that both of them have skill Calvin really needed last year (shooting and ball handling)?

[ziggy]

Having seen the Calvin roster as posted by Goodknight, it immediately raised a few questions:  Doesn't the Calvin roster almost always include 15 players rather than 14?  What is latest news as far as Austin Parks and Jalen Brinks?  It would seem that both of them have skill Calvin really needed last year (shooting and ball handling)?

The return of Jordan Brink is the biggest possible improvement in the shooting and ball handling departments.

[KnightSlappy]

The Calvin 2012-13 varsity roster:

Jordan Brink      Junior       G
Ryan Nadeau    Soph    G   
David Rietema    Senior   G   
Mickey DeVries    Junior     F   
Bryan Powell    Senior    G   
T.J. Huizenga    Soph     G/F   
Tom Snikkers    Senior    F   
Tyler Dykstra    Soph         F
Daniel Stout    Soph     F/C   
Tyler Kruis    Junior     C   
Matt DeBoer    Senior    G/F   
Jordan Mast    Junior     G/F
Mitch Vallie        Junior       G/F
Jordan Daley     Freshman   G/F

Having seen the Calvin roster as posted by Goodknight, it immediately raised a few questions:  Doesn't the Calvin roster almost always include 15 players rather than 14?  What is latest news as far as Austin Parks and Jalen Brinks?  It would seem that both of them have skill Calvin really needed last year (shooting and ball handling)?

Calvin's roster has typically started off with 14 players, but has expanded to 15 in recent years due to injuries.

Jalen Brinks is not a person that I'm aware of. 

Jordan Brink is on the team. Jalen Bouma transferred to Calvin from Eastern Michigan (where he played baseball), but it is not known to me whether or not he went out for the team.