MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[almcguirejr]

That is not me btw.

But, is that your handwriting?

[HopeConvert]

I believe this is the first Eric Elliot coached player Calvin has sneaked away from Hope College. May many more follow.

Oh they WILL, based on how current MIAA regimes are viewed in the Salad Bowl City..."according to sources"

Meaning?

[sac]

That is not me btw.

But, is that your handwriting?

My handwriting is much more elegant.


I suspect this morning a file folder arrived on the desk of Calvin's Minister of Rivalry containing a copy of "The Master Plan", a list of future College Game Day locations and suggestions on sign topics, all of them including a 4 letter word.

[SKOT]

That is not me btw.

But, is that your handwriting?

My handwriting is much more elegant.


I suspect this morning a file folder arrived on the desk of Calvin's Minister of Rivalry containing a copy of "The Master Plan", a list of future College Game Day locations and suggestions on sign topics, all of them including a 4 letter word.

Washington State already put together the manual for getting your sign/flag on College GameDay.  If someone could pass this on the proper authorities, I would greatly appreciate it.  This could be fun!

http://deadspin.com/5673853/inside-the-nations-dorkiest-fanbase-how-the-washington-state-cougars-flag-gets-on-gameday-each-week

[maroonandgold]

Quote from: devossed on Yesterday at 10:11:17 pm

    Quote from: oldknight on Yesterday at 07:23:41 pm

        I believe this is the first Eric Elliot coached player Calvin has sneaked away from Hope College. May many more follow.


    Oh they WILL, based on how current MIAA regimes are viewed in the Salad Bowl City..."according to sources"

[quote from Hope Concert ]Meaning?[/quote]

I am also wondering what this is about.  If it is accurate, it comes as a surprise and a reversal of a trend.

[KnightSlappy]

Quote from: devossed on Yesterday at 10:11:17 pm

    Quote from: oldknight on Yesterday at 07:23:41 pm

        I believe this is the first Eric Elliot coached player Calvin has sneaked away from Hope College. May many more follow.


    Oh they WILL, based on how current MIAA regimes are viewed in the Salad Bowl City..."according to sources"

Meaning?

I am also wondering what this is about.  If it is accurate, it comes as a surprise and a reversal of a trend.

[maroonandgold]

Knight Slappy, thanks for cleaning up  my messy post.  I had intended to hit "preview" and hit "post" instead. 

Isn't this the time of the year when someone who has the resources and time puts together a college by college list of all the freshman recruits of MIAA basketball players.  If that is soon available, it is always very interesting.

[ziggy]

Quote from: devossed on Yesterday at 10:11:17 pm

    Quote from: oldknight on Yesterday at 07:23:41 pm

        I believe this is the first Eric Elliot coached player Calvin has sneaked away from Hope College. May many more follow.


    Oh they WILL, based on how current MIAA regimes are viewed in the Salad Bowl City..."according to sources"

Meaning?

I am also wondering what this is about.  If it is accurate, it comes as a surprise and a reversal of a trend.

Must not be a Cosmo. "Stirring" would be replaced by a different verb.

[hoopdreams]

I can confirm the thoughts of not only coaches in the "Salad Bowl City" but other stops along WM, including at least two other OK Red schools.  Not at liberty to discuss reasons but there have been a few bridges burned, not that said bridges weren't already smoking prior to the recent coaching change....the odd thing is that the schools in question all have STRONG Hope ties with former players....

[devossed]

I can confirm the thoughts of not only coaches in the "Salad Bowl City" but other stops along WM, including at least two other OK Red schools.  Not at liberty to discuss reasons but there have been a few bridges burned, not that said bridges weren't already smoking prior to the recent coaching change....the odd thing is that the schools in question all have STRONG Hope ties with former players....

Sorry for the delayed follow-up, as I've been away a few days. To piggyback on what I said earlier, there are some people who dislike Kevin Vandestreek. There are some people who dislike Matt Neil. It just seems there are now more of the latter, especially as it relates to local West Michigan high schools.

Nobody is perfect. You'll always find discontents in every fan base. But WOTS is Neil has made more enemies in his 4 years than GVW ever did in his 30+ (though did you know, there were people in the Hope faculty/admin that despised GVW for his stubborn, railroading ways? Same with M. Turner @ Albion).

I was told there are 4-5 Hope grads on staff at H-ville (including JV/Fr/etc)...privately, not one of them will really endorse Neil. Reports have surfaced that they seem to actually like KVS better, and that the recent Stuive commitment has more to do with his family ties to the school, and compatibility with the campus -- than it does with any potential connection he had with Neil.

As HD mentioned, there are other OK coaches that have vocalized their dislike (but more than just Red; we're talking multiple reports from Blue, White, Gold, Green, etc). Some have even said things to the effect of "my son will never play for him."

I have been around MIAA basketball for the better part of 20 years, and have strong familial ties to Calvin, Albion, and Hope - as well as ties to the hoops programs at each. So I'm not making this up, or stirring the pot unnecessarily. As a fan of Hope, it concerns me that relationships with traditional "pipeline" schools are being neglected and suffering. (But as an ardent fan of Calvin, I'm simultaneously overjoyed -- what's one to do???)

So if this holds, I see this Van Loo-to-Calvin thing as more the start of an inevitable trend in the next 3-5 years, rather than just an aberration.

[sac]

Meanwhile doors that weren't open to players from areas Hope never bothered to recruit before have been opened.

[sac]

Pretty serious storms rolled through Albion last evening causing enough damage to close the college until Monday.

http://www.mlive.com/news/jackson/index.ssf/2013/09/major_storm_closes_albion_coll.html

[ziggy]

I can confirm the thoughts of not only coaches in the "Salad Bowl City" but other stops along WM, including at least two other OK Red schools.  Not at liberty to discuss reasons but there have been a few bridges burned, not that said bridges weren't already smoking prior to the recent coaching change....the odd thing is that the schools in question all have STRONG Hope ties with former players....

Sorry for the delayed follow-up, as I've been away a few days. To piggyback on what I said earlier, there are some people who dislike Kevin Vandestreek. There are some people who dislike Matt Neil. It just seems there are now more of the latter, especially as it relates to local West Michigan high schools.

Nobody is perfect. You'll always find discontents in every fan base. But WOTS is Neil has made more enemies in his 4 years than GVW ever did in his 30+ (though did you know, there were people in the Hope faculty/admin that despised GVW for his stubborn, railroading ways? Same with M. Turner @ Albion).

I was told there are 4-5 Hope grads on staff at H-ville (including JV/Fr/etc)...privately, not one of them will really endorse Neil. Reports have surfaced that they seem to actually like KVS better, and that the recent Stuive commitment has more to do with his family ties to the school, and compatibility with the campus -- than it does with any potential connection he had with Neil.

As HD mentioned, there are other OK coaches that have vocalized their dislike (but more than just Red; we're talking multiple reports from Blue, White, Gold, Green, etc). Some have even said things to the effect of "my son will never play for him."

I have been around MIAA basketball for the better part of 20 years, and have strong familial ties to Calvin, Albion, and Hope - as well as ties to the hoops programs at each. So I'm not making this up, or stirring the pot unnecessarily. As a fan of Hope, it concerns me that relationships with traditional "pipeline" schools are being neglected and suffering. (But as an ardent fan of Calvin, I'm simultaneously overjoyed -- what's one to do???)

So if this holds, I see this Van Loo-to-Calvin thing as more the start of an inevitable trend in the next 3-5 years, rather than just an aberration.

Meanwhile doors that weren't open to players from areas Hope never bothered to recruit before have been opened.

I feel like this is a story I've heard before...

[sac]

When Tom Davelaar starts rubbing stuffed animals in people's faces I'll make that connection.



PS this man was just hired by Texas.......good luck with that.

[knightvision]

I can confirm the thoughts of not only coaches in the "Salad Bowl City" but other stops along WM, including at least two other OK Red schools.  Not at liberty to discuss reasons but there have been a few bridges burned, not that said bridges weren't already smoking prior to the recent coaching change....the odd thing is that the schools in question all have STRONG Hope ties with former players....

Sorry for the delayed follow-up, as I've been away a few days. To piggyback on what I said earlier, there are some people who dislike Kevin Vandestreek. There are some people who dislike Matt Neil. It just seems there are now more of the latter, especially as it relates to local West Michigan high schools.

Nobody is perfect. You'll always find discontents in every fan base. But WOTS is Neil has made more enemies in his 4 years than GVW ever did in his 30+ (though did you know, there were people in the Hope faculty/admin that despised GVW for his stubborn, railroading ways? Same with M. Turner @ Albion).

I was told there are 4-5 Hope grads on staff at H-ville (including JV/Fr/etc)...privately, not one of them will really endorse Neil. Reports have surfaced that they seem to actually like KVS better, and that the recent Stuive commitment has more to do with his family ties to the school, and compatibility with the campus -- than it does with any potential connection he had with Neil.

As HD mentioned, there are other OK coaches that have vocalized their dislike (but more than just Red; we're talking multiple reports from Blue, White, Gold, Green, etc). Some have even said things to the effect of "my son will never play for him."

I have been around MIAA basketball for the better part of 20 years, and have strong familial ties to Calvin, Albion, and Hope - as well as ties to the hoops programs at each. So I'm not making this up, or stirring the pot unnecessarily. As a fan of Hope, it concerns me that relationships with traditional "pipeline" schools are being neglected and suffering. (But as an ardent fan of Calvin, I'm simultaneously overjoyed -- what's one to do???)

So if this holds, I see this Van Loo-to-Calvin thing as more the start of an inevitable trend in the next 3-5 years, rather than just an aberration.

Meanwhile doors that weren't open to players from areas Hope never bothered to recruit before have been opened.

I feel like this is a story I've heard before...

You know it's been too long time since you last  posted when you can't remember your password....wow!  Given my increasing dependence on glasses, deteriorating hearing (and some might also add "listening"), body parts that hurt that I don't remember hurting before, and the growing sense (oft observed in the elderly) that my way of thinking is right and everyone else is just plain wrong, methinks one of my worst fears is coming to pass-- I am becoming (an) oldknight.

In my era, the knocks on area coaches went something like this: Vroon didn't really recruit at all (though some received typewritten letters); GVW made outlandish promises that each and every recruit was going to be the building block of the Hope program;  Larry Randall (Aquinas) was just plain ornery; Tom Villemure (GVSU) was goofy (I swear he smoked about two packs of cigarettes during a 90 minute campus tour), and Douma didn't recruit (much less even communicate) with the traditional Christian feeder schools.  And this was during a time when the vast majority of kids, parents, and high school coaches didn't have an outlandish sense of self-importance and need to be told how special they were--not to mention that college was much more affordable.

Insert your own example here (my most recent favorite is the parent of a new MIAA freshman player who is reportedly blaming/badmouthing  the high school coach for his failure to promote their child and help them secure a scholarship), but the reality for nearly all college coaches today is that they (and their entire staff) must devote far more time recruiting than ever before.  Most will tell you that they have to start when players are younger, they have to speak Facebook, Twitter, and other foreign languages, and that they text recruits far more than they would care to.  Some embrace it, some tolerate it, some avoid it.  Like it or not, it seems that there is ever increasing pressure for all coaches to be able to sell themselves, their program, and their school, and that is probably magnified for coaches at non-scholarship schools with the aforementioned escalation of college costs.

The strategies and focus of recruiting for MN, KVS, and any other MIAA coach is something that I'm sure requires nearly constant adjustments based on the strength/depth of "local" recruiting classes, the overlap of kids being recruited by competing schools, etc., etc., ad infinitum.  I have no reason to question the report that Hudsonville's staff isn't enthusiastically endorsing MN--but in general I think kids/parents today are far more likely to make a college decision independent of what their high school coach thinks about a particular coach or school.  Personal connection with the coach and current players, style of play and the opportunity to play, and the ever elusive "feel" they get from the school, coaches and players in my opinion play a far more significant role for kids today.  As such, I for one am less inclined to interpret Mr. Van Loo's decision to transfer to Calvin as indicative of the start of a trend.  I guess time will tell....

If I were in the business of defending MN, I'd point to his success in recruiting Benson (IL) and Gardener (IN), both of whom were significant contributors last year and look to be the type of players you can build upon.  Are ardent Hope fans concerned about MN's recruiting?  Seems like he feels he may have more success out of state, and if in fact that is the plan, one would be hard-pressed to argue with the results at this point. 

Is it basketball season yet??!!