MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[northb]

A timeout with a perfectly drawn play wouldn't have gotten us a better look at the basket.  We got a wide open look from three.  In that situation, you couldn't ask for more.

Well, making the shot would be more.     

[Hopecouple]

There is no objection MM had a great game and he has been doing great.

But come on 0 fouls by MM don't tell me that's a great forward? Did the refs miss anything... no I don't think so.  I never blame the refs for blowing a game.  But come on 0 fouls??  MM show me some elbow!!!  Give a little shove! LOL that's a little joking around.  I'm "Not trying to stir the mythical pot on this either." 

[Knightmare]

A question regarding McClary.  I saw him play back in high-school and he was completely dominant to one hand, good player but if they had chopped off his off-hand I don't think it would've affected his game much.  Has he changed since playing in college and developed or is it still the same?  My observation then was that, again while a good player, a decent defender of the same size could neutralize him by overplaying his strong hand and forcing him the other way.  I just never saw anyone make a conscious effort and try to do this.  It seems like basketball 101 but for some reason MM got away with it then.  Does he still, and if so, why aren't teams changing their defensive strategy against him now that he's been in the league multiple years.

[almcguirejr]

A question regarding McClary.  I saw him play back in high-school and he was completely dominant to one hand, good player but if they had chopped off his off-hand I don't think it would've affected his game much.  Has he changed since playing in college and developed or is it still the same?  My observation then was that, again while a good player, a decent defender of the same size could neutralize him by overplaying his strong hand and forcing him the other way.  I just never saw anyone make a conscious effort and try to do this.  It seems like basketball 101 but for some reason MM got away with it then.  Does he still, and if so, why aren't teams changing their defensive strategy against him now that he's been in the league multiple years.

He is very strong going to his left.  Calvin and Hope defended him the same way.
I didn't think either team did a good job of forcing him to the right.

[realist]

A question regarding McClary.  I saw him play back in high-school and he was completely dominant to one hand, good player but if they had chopped off his off-hand I don't think it would've affected his game much.  Has he changed since playing in college and developed or is it still the same?  My observation then was that, again while a good player, a decent defender of the same size could neutralize him by overplaying his strong hand and forcing him the other way.  I just never saw anyone make a conscious effort and try to do this.  It seems like basketball 101 but for some reason MM got away with it then.  Does he still, and if so, why aren't teams changing their defensive strategy against him now that he's been in the league multiple years.

Really?  A one handed rebounder?   Calvin wasn't anymore effective in controlling MM than Hope was.  MM is good enough that he is dictating how teams play him, and how teams play Olivet.  My thinking is both KVS, and GVW are willing to concede that MM is going to get 20-25 points, and probably double figures in rebounds.  You need to keep him from the 30 plus night, and at the same time focus your efforts on keeping Evans and Jennings et. al. from killing you.   Forcing a player to change his game is easier said than done.

[Knightmare]

A question regarding McClary.  I saw him play back in high-school and he was completely dominant to one hand, good player but if they had chopped off his off-hand I don't think it would've affected his game much.  Has he changed since playing in college and developed or is it still the same?  My observation then was that, again while a good player, a decent defender of the same size could neutralize him by overplaying his strong hand and forcing him the other way.  I just never saw anyone make a conscious effort and try to do this.  It seems like basketball 101 but for some reason MM got away with it then.  Does he still, and if so, why aren't teams changing their defensive strategy against him now that he's been in the league multiple years.

Really?  A one handed rebounder?   Calvin wasn't anymore effective in controlling MM than Hope was.  MM is good enough that he is dictating how teams play him, and how teams play Olivet.  My thinking is both KVS, and GVW are willing to concede that MM is going to get 20-25 points, and probably double figures in rebounds.  You need to keep him from the 30 plus night, and at the same time focus your efforts on keeping Evans and Jennings et. al. from killing you.   Forcing a player to change his game is easier said than done.

C'mon realist, obviously a literal translation of the original statement is going to have ramifications on his game, especially in other areas besides scoring, I said/typed it that way for the dramatic affect.  Where scoring is concerned I do stand by my statement/question, why don't more teams give him the right hand until he effectively proves that he can finish with it.  In general, if a player (any player) is uncomfortable with a certain skill, i.e. going left or right, 3pt. shooting etc., then that is what you should "encourage" them to do.  From what I saw in high school, and admittedly that may have changed with further development since that time, he was no threat at all to finish to the right.

Also, I am not singling out Hope (or Calvin) in their defense of him but more generally the league as a whole.  Also, I am more than willing to concede that he is a good player, he has proven that over time, but seems that teams could make life more difficult for him.

[sac]

Hope and Calvin also aren't very good defensively when compared to more recent versions of the same programs.

[sac]

There is no objection MM had a great game and he has been doing great.

But come on 0 fouls by MM don't tell me that's a great forward? Did the refs miss anything... no I don't think so.  I never blame the refs for blowing a game.  But come on 0 fouls??  MM show me some elbow!!!  Give a little shove! LOL that's a little joking around.  I'm "Not trying to stir the mythical pot on this either." 

Michael McClary has never been a big fouler, through 2 1/2 seasons he's fouled out of 2 games, and this year is right on pace to hit his career avg of 63.5 fouls for the entire season.

Shot blocking aside, I've never thought of Michael as a great defensive player, he could probably challenge more shots but given how important he's been to Olivet and the Comet's general lack of depth......he's to important to have on the floor for him to be overagressive on defense.

Also against Hope, he's rarely going to have to play defense with a player backing into him.  Hope's current offense is almost totally devoid of back to the basket type of plays.  Everything is cutting and passing, less likely to draw fouls.

This is one of the few Hope teams that gets to the FT line fewer times than their opponents.  In fact in the 20 or so years I've been following I'm not sure I've ever seen one.

[Dark Knight]

Interesting stats:

Calvin has played 15 games. The first five they played with a Massey power rating averaging about -8.7, or #226 in the country. For the last 10 games, Calvin's power rating has been 3.5, corresponding to #44 in the country. (I predicted they'd be playing with a power corresponding to about #15 by the end of the season. That may be a bit of a stretch, but they've still got a shot at it.)

Hope played their first 5 games with a Massey Power rating of 6.8, or #28 in the country. For the remaining games they've played with an average power rating of -2.8, or #121 in the country.

[ziggy]

Hope and Calvin also aren't very good defensively when compared to more recent versions of the same programs.

What does this mean?  I'm being serious, I'm not sure I get it.

Hope and Calvin haven't played as well defensively this year as they typically have in the past.

[BogeyMan]

Hope and Calvin also aren't very good defensively when compared to more recent versions of the same programs.

What does this mean?  I'm being serious, I'm not sure I get it.

Sac, I don't want to try and explain what you meant, but I agree that Hope and Calvin are not as good defensively as I have seen in past years.  However, they are as good and probably better than anyone else in the league.  I thought Sac's observation was right on!

[sac]

Hope and Calvin also aren't very good defensively when compared to more recent versions of the same programs.

What does this mean?  I'm being serious, I'm not sure I get it.

Sac, I don't want to try and explain what you meant, but I agree that Hope and Calvin are not as good defensively as I have seen in past years.  However, they are as good and probably better than anyone else in the league.  I thought Sac's observation was right on!

Statistically Adrian is the best defensive team in the league by a pretty wide margin, whether that holds up through conference play remains to be seen.  Kzoo despite their poor record is #2 after that its really pretty even among the other squads.

Whats separated Hope/Calvin/Albion and Olivet from the others has been their offensive abilities.

I've been tracking this stuff for 12 years and currently Hope's defensive rating is on track to be the lowest of those 12 for Hope teams.

[Happy Calvin Guy]

I think the best measure of defense is points allowed per possession.  This controls for the tempo that a team plays so that an up-tempo team doesn't get penalized for allowing more total points just because there are more possessions.  Here's the rankings for the MIAA teams thus far in points allowed per possession:

1.  Adrian 0.912
2.  Hope 0.993
3.  Trine 1.008
4.  Albion 1.012
5.  Olivet 1.013
6.  Kalamazoo 1.026
7.  Calvin 1.055
8.  Alma 1.058

[realist]

I am sure every coach in the MIAA would love to have a player that was capable of shutting down MM.  Since none of them do you are seeing a variety of strategies employed to contain him as best a coach can with the players he has.  Every coach in the MIAA knows that if you spend too much defensive effort on stopping MM the rest of that team is going to kill you. 

HCG:  As long as Calvin keeps winning the games I really don't care if they end up dead last in defense points allowed per possesion.

Play as much defense as you want, just remember to win you only have to score one more point than you allow.

[Happy Calvin Guy]

Here's the same analysis but for the offense, points per possession:

1.  Hope 1.071
2.  Calvin 1.061
3.  Olivet 1.006
4.  Albion 0.998
5.  Adrian 0.991
6.  Trine 0.935
7.  Alma 0.935
8.  Kalamazoo 0.839