MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[KnightSlappy]

I'm curious to know how well attended the games at Calvin were over the weekend.  The box scores for both games have it as 0.  I know it was nice out and all that...   

After a very nice Friday turnout (especially by students), the Saturday game was the most poorly attended Calvin men's home game I can remember. With it being a glorious November afternoon, a 1:00 pm start in a consolation game, and the Michigan/Ohio State game on TV, I was expecting a small turnout but I was still amazed to see an almost completely empty student section. A few came later but some were undoubtedly fans of Davenport and Grace--or maybe people who assumed Calvin played at 3 like they normally do.

I wonder how many Calvin fans have written this year off after the loss to Grace?

[Flying Dutch Fan]

I'm curious to know how well attended the games at Calvin were over the weekend.  The box scores for both games have it as 0.  I know it was nice out and all that...   

After a very nice Friday turnout (especially by students), the Saturday game was the most poorly attended Calvin men's home game I can remember. With it being a glorious November afternoon, a 1:00 pm start in a consolation game, and the Michigan/Ohio State game on TV, I was expecting a small turnout but I was still amazed to see an almost completely empty student section. A few came later but some were undoubtedly fans of Davenport and Grace--or maybe people who assumed Calvin played at 3 like they normally do.

I wonder how many Calvin fans have written this year off after the loss to Grace?

YIKES!!!  In my book, anyone who could desert a team that quickly should never be given the honor of being called a fan

[Knight81]

Trying to console myself after the Calvin loss to Grace Bible, and looking ahead to potentially another tough weekend for the Knights, would it be fair to rank the college basketball divisions this way:

Division I
Division II
NAIA DI
NAIA DII
Division III

Do NAIA schools give out athletic scholarships?

[KnightSlappy]

Trying to console myself after the Calvin loss to Grace Bible, and looking ahead to potentially another tough weekend for the Knights, would it be fair to rank the college basketball divisions this way:

Division I
Division II
NAIA DI
NAIA DII
Division III

Do NAIA schools give out athletic scholarships?

NAIA I and II schools can both give out athletic scholarships.

Rhodes Scholar has kept track of D3 records against the other divisions in years past and from his data I would rank:

Division I
Division II
NAIA I
Division III
NAIA II (NAIA II has been under .500 against DIII in 3 of the last 4 years, and that one season they were only 1 win above)
NCCAAI
NCCAAII
USCAA

Check out this thread: http://www.d3boards.com/index.php?topic=1167.1260

[realist]

K81 IMO one should consider the Calvin loss to Grace, and the GVSU loss to CU in about the same category.  That being on any given day the unexpected may happen.  A common thread in these contests is the fact NAIA (and some of the other alaphabets) start their season earlier than NCAA teams.  CU has lready played something like 7 games. and Grace had played quite a few games as well.  
I recall several years back when a good Hope team came into the HOF with no game experience, and paid the price.     Sorry Hope fans, it was the best example I could recall to make the point.
The only concerns I have about Calvin at this point is the shooting % at home hasn't improved like I thought it would, and rebounding needs to rebound.  If Calvin does what they did Sat. against Lake Forest, namely pound the ball inside most teams are going to have a problem handling Calvin's size.  What they need to stop are easy 3's, and missed switches on D.
NAIA 2 can give out 6 full time equivalent scholarships.  So one kid may get 75 or 100% while another gets only 25 or even less.  The coach pretty much gets to decide who gets what as I understand the process.  When you hear a kid is going NAIA for the money it probably isn't a full ride like D!.

[fire3rain3]

I'm curious to know how well attended the games at Calvin were over the weekend.  The box scores for both games have it as 0.  I know it was nice out and all that...   

After a very nice Friday turnout (especially by students), the Saturday game was the most poorly attended Calvin men's home game I can remember. With it being a glorious November afternoon, a 1:00 pm start in a consolation game, and the Michigan/Ohio State game on TV, I was expecting a small turnout but I was still amazed to see an almost completely empty student section. A few came later but some were undoubtedly fans of Davenport and Grace--or maybe people who assumed Calvin played at 3 like they normally do.

I wonder how many Calvin fans have written this year off after the loss to Grace?

YIKES!!!  In my book, anyone who could desert a team that quickly should never be given the honor of being called a fan

Like others have mentioned the game Saturday was sparse to say the least. I would hope no one has written off the season after a 1-1 start, and I agree with FDF, one would have to question fan loyalty after one loss to a pretty solid squad... Going back to Saturday's game, was anyone else around for the Grace/ Davenport showdown? I can only imagine how much more intense the end of that game would have been if goal tending HAD been called!

[sac]

Grace Bible has accumulated some nice scalps the last couple seasons........Baldwin-Wallace, Ferris State, Calvin.  NCCAA National Championship

They have an interesting trip in December with games against Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks........the very next weekend they play at Hawaii Pacific and Hawaii-Hilo.   All D2's


GBC is an NCCAA II division team, but only about half of their schedule will end up being against teams in their own division.



Could be a pretty good year for small college hoops around GR.   Besides good teams at Hope, Calvin, Grace Bible,  Aquinas and Cornerstone...........Davenport is unbeaten right now.

[wiz]

Interesting article on Hope's website about a Hope College sports icon.

Hope Coaching Legend Russ DeVette Dies

Russ DeVette, teacher and coach at Hope College for four decades, died Monday, Nov. 23, at Hospice House in Holland, Mich. following a long illness. He was 86 years of age. DeVette taught and coached at Hope for nearly 40 years, from 1948 until retiring in 1988 as professor emeritus of physical education.

"Russ DeVette is a man I greatly respect and admire. For many of us who had the privilege of playing for him and coaching with him, he was a father figure of pervasive positive influence," said Hope College president James E. Bultman. "While his athletic and coaching achievements are legendary, I'll always remember him as a man who lived his life with extraordinary Christian convictions. I'll miss him."

An outstanding basketball player at Hope in the 1940s, he was the first recipient of the most valuable player award from the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).

At times in his Hope career he coached three sports in the same school year. He coached the men's basketball team from 1948-51 and from 1956 to 1977. He was also the head football coach from 1955 to 1969. He remained on the football coaching staff as defensive coordinator through 1987. He also served as head coach in both baseball and women's track. The teams combined to win 14 MIAA championships.

In 2007 the Hope College Alumni H-Club presented him the "Hope for Humanity Award." A holiday men's basketball tournament is named in his honor. The main basketball gymnasium in the college's DeVos Fieldhouse honors him and his wife Doris who survives him.

[hope1]

that is really said

[fire3rain3]

Any predictions looking ahead to the Hall of Fame Tournament?  8)

[sac]

Saginaw Valley State 75 Olivet 62

Evans 18, Jennings 11, Clark 11, McClary 10 for the Comets

Olivet led for about 12 min of the first half, and was within 5 with 7 1/2 to go in the game.

[hope1]

maybe   hope calvin   game 1     of many this year

[KnightSlappy]

Any predictions looking ahead to the Hall of Fame Tournament?  8)

Sounds like a good poll question.

I'll say Calvin and Hope meet in the early game on Saturday.

[thealmascots]

The discussion about where D3 ranks with NAIA schools is an interesting one to me.  Having gone to college in the early 90's, it is really hard for me to admit that D3 ranks below NAIA D2 (ie. Cornerstone, Aquinas).  If Hope or Calvin had lost to Aquinas or Cornerstone (tecnically known as GR Baptist at the time) in those years it would have been a bigger upset than Calvin losing to Grace the other day.  There was no comparison in the quality of play or the depth of the rosters.  That being said, it's hard to really convince myself that it's the case anymore.  Hope and Calvin, in my opinion, have not been able to maintain the talent level that they had in the 90's (Calvin in the early 90's, Hope through the whole decade) and the style of play has made it even tougher to maintain the high level.  However, I don't think its just a Hope and Calvin issue.  The entire MIAA is way down from its level of 15/20 years ago.  I can recall Kalamazoo teams from 91, 92 and 96 that all would have been favored to win the MIAA if they were playing this year.  There are Albion teams of the past that you could probably say the same about and possibly Adrian as well.  Taking that a step further, I think NAIA D2 has taken a lot of kids around the midwest who traditionally would have gone D3.  The status of a scholarship is there , but also the allure of money is too great and maybe it's hard to argue with them with the cost of tuition at most D3 schools, but it is impossible to argue that it has caused the quality of D3 basketball to go down.   

[RFMichigan]

Interesting article on Hope's website about a Hope College sports icon.

Hope Coaching Legend Russ DeVette Dies

At times in his Hope career he coached three sports in the same school year. He coached the men's basketball team from 1948-51 and from 1956 to 1977. He was also the head football coach from 1955 to 1969. He remained on the football coaching staff as defensive coordinator through 1987. He also served as head coach in both baseball and women's track. The teams combined to win 14 MIAA championships.

I am amazed  today at how the coaches in "the old days" (dating myself) usually coached two or three sports, taught a full load of classes, chaired a committee or two, were in charge of "recruiting' (different today than it was then), did the laundry, and goodness knows what else. They were just giants. And didn't they leave a lasting impression?  Plus, if they weren't "experts" in a sport they coached they became experts by reading or asking or watching.  

I didn't know Coach DeVette personally (I would have missed playing against one of his teams by a year or two), but I know of a number of coaches that he is in a fraternity with . . . and I'm sure he will be missed.