MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[sac]

Here is something that Pat sent me a couple of seasons back on this issue.  I assume it is still true for this year; I can't check the bylaw as the link requires a login.  It amounts to a limit of 19 weeks of activity between the start of practice and the end of the regular season.  So if you start practice on Friday Oct. 15 (thus making a "week" be Friday through Thursday) and don't take any "weeks" off, you have to close up shop on Thurs. Feb. 24, which is right before the MIAA semifinals and finals.  Your choices would be to have your first practice on, say, Sunday Oct. 17, so your weeks are Sun thru Sat and 19 weeks ends on Sat. Feb. 26 (the date of the MIAA final), or to start today and take a full Friday-to-Thursday week off sometime during the season (probably Dec. 24-30).

The deal is that the season remains 19 weeks long, so if you participate in practice starting on Oct. 15 you run out of weeks the third week of February. The postseason is exempt but you need to take a week off somewhere in there in order to not run out of time.

If a school had waited to start practices until the next Monday, Oct. 20, I believe they have satisfied that week off.

The 19-week reference is in bylaws:
https://web1.ncaa.org/LSDBi/exec/bylawSearch
17.1.4   Sports Subject to Segment Limitations.

Segment limitations are applicable to all team sports that are listed under Bylaw 17.02.12.1 and all individual sports listed under Bylaw 17.02.12.2. In those sports for which the National Collegiate Championship is the only NCAA championships opportunity (see Bylaw 18.3), an institution's playing season shall be limited to 19 weeks for winter and spring sports and not more than 18 weeks for fall sports.  Division III sports are subject to all Division III playing and practice seasons legislation, regardless of the championship opportunities (e.g., national collegiate championships, national governing body) available in those sports. (Revised: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/91, 1/16/93 effective 8/1/93, 1/14/02, 1/13/03, 1/12/04 effective 8/1/04)

Definition of a week:
17.1.9 General Regulations for Computing Playing Seasons. In determining the length of an institution's playing season, the following regulations shall apply: (Revised: 1/10/91 effective 8/1/92)
(a) Week. Practice or competition during any part of a week shall be counted as a full week. A week shall be defined as any consecutive seven-day period, regardless of the day on which the seven-day period begins (e.g., nine full weeks and one day shall be counted as 10 weeks);

(d) Holiday, Vacation, Exam Periods. In traditional and nontraditional segments, any practice or competition during published vacation, holiday and final-examination periods during the academic year shall be counted as part of the playing season. If practice or competition is not scheduled during any full week (seven consecutive days) that includes a vacation, final-examination period or holiday period, it neither shall be counted as part of the playing season nor shall constitute a break in a segment.

Thanks David, this is along the lines of what I was hoping someone would post.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Here's a Hope "preview" from the Holland Sentinel:

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/sports/x1404219437/High-hopes-for-Hope-mens-basketball-team

[GoKnights68]

I think Hope and Calvin are both going to have a tough time beating Davenport.

[Knight2Day]

It's easy to talk about winning a national championship run. It's a lot different actually doing it. Will Bowser and Peter Bunn need to be a contributing factor on a team that makes it out of the first round and actually wins a league title before they say anything about national championships. I can't wait to see them run into a Stevens Point, Wash U., or a Williams and see what those teams have to say about this bulletin board material.

[KnightSlappy]

It's easy to talk about winning a national championship run. It's a lot different actually doing it. Will Bowser and Peter Bunn need to be a contributing factor on a team that makes it out of the first round and actually wins a league title before they say anything about national championships. I can't wait to see them run into a Stevens Point, Wash U., or a Williams and see what those teams have to say about this bulletin board material.

I'm not sure why this would be considered bulletin board material for any team. They weren't dogging anyone else, they were just making it clear what their goals and expectations are. And, FWIW, I think Hope would handle Wash U pretty easily this year.

[Knight2Day]

Sorry KS, I have to say that in my time PLAYING basketball, anytime a team that had never experienced serious success start talking about winning a championship of any sort, we put that on the bulletin board. Especially a team with a lack of bench and post presence like Hope. Bunn, Bowser, and Krombeen might be good enough to win a NC, but sorry, Venema is a liability at best on defense, and despite what all the Hope supporters say, Holwerda still has stone hands and weighs no more than 10 lbs more than he did last year. He might have gained more, but he sure doesn't look it. And I'm not saying the Knights are going to be all that great this year, but one thing is for sure, Hope doesn't have the horses for a deep tourny run. I'll stick to that until the day of the national championship game.

[NW Hope Fan]

In regards to the rumors:

"Has there been any attrition — ineligibility or transfers — from last year's team?
Neil: "We're all good. They're all back, ready to get going, barring injury."

Is this the truth or coach speak... Everyone who is eligible is eligible.

[Gregory Sager]

It's easy to talk about winning a national championship run. It's a lot different actually doing it. Will Bowser and Peter Bunn need to be a contributing factor on a team that makes it out of the first round and actually wins a league title before they say anything about national championships. I can't wait to see them run into a Stevens Point, Wash U., or a Williams and see what those teams have to say about this bulletin board material.

I'm not sure why this would be considered bulletin board material for any team. They weren't dogging anyone else, they were just making it clear what their goals and expectations are. And, FWIW, I think Hope would handle Wash U pretty easily this year.

While I agree with you that Knight2Day's implication that Wash U is going to be a national powerhouse alongside UWSP and Williams this year is likely off-base -- you just can't simply reload and carry on at the same level when you've lost a first-team All-American and a third-team All-American -- I wouldn't be so quick to put the words "pretty easily" into that last sentence, O Dean. The Bears still have plenty of talent and experience left in the larder.

[Gregory Sager]

In regards to the rumors:

"Has there been any attrition — ineligibility or transfers — from last year's team?
Neil: "We're all good. They're all back, ready to get going, barring injury."

Is this the truth or coach speak a lie... Everyone who is eligible is eligible.

Fixed that for you. Coachspeak may involve bending the truth in interesting ways at times, but it doesn't involve out-and-out lying.

Even though I don't know Matt Neil, given what I know of Hope and the sort of people who represent it I highly doubt that he would flat-out lie about the eligibility status of his players.

[sac]

What has been the biggest adjustment for you so far in transitioning from assistant to head coach?


Neil: "I think one of the things that I truly was not aware of was the scheduling piece. I've been working hard at getting next year's schedule locked in. ... It's new for me, so it's been something I've enjoyed doing. I've talked to probably 150 coaches, so that's been fun."

[sac]

I think Hope and Calvin are both going to have a tough time beating Davenport.

Speaking of Davenport.  How did the Panthers manage to get Hope, Calvin and Kzoo to all play at Davenport this year?

[Pat Coleman]

Excellent -- here's hoping some of those conversations paid off.

[realist]

FDF:  Thanks for the link.  Hope should get a pretty good idea what it's chances are when they play in the MIAA/CCIW challenge.    

Calvin's 99-00 team had no record in the Tournament, and made it all the way.  It can be done.  I am not sure this years Hope team has that level of talent, and expecting that much luck is expecting a lot.

[hoopdreams]

if Hope plays to their strengths, gets quality D from their post players-rotating help included, and rebounds as a team, they can make a run in the tourney.  Of course, they have no control who they play, who is playing well at tourney time, or health issues.  Are there many more quality post players in D3 better than MM from Olivet?  Unless you have an absolute stud in the post, who could/should have been playing at a higher level, hoops is still a guard game.

FWIW- Fans need to support all the time ( not the people on this board of course!!!), not just whenever Hope goes on a run.  Nothing is more embarrassing than being able to hear some old coot complaining in the comfy seats because the rest of the crowd is sleeping- they don't only need your support when they're playing well but when they're,  in infamous words of a loaded Broadway Joe Namath on Monday Night Football....."struggling", Krombeen hopefully has extended his range or find people who can knock it down, and when someone does get the hot hand....ride them until THEY want to come out of the game.  Hello??? catch lightning in a bottle whenever you can,  their offense needs to be "less predictable", they need to extend the floor on both sides and use their athletic ability, they need to give their role players an opportunity to grow into their roles not play 30 seconds a half or go 3 games without playing and expect miracles because it rarely occurs, they have to rebound better as a unit, they need to play with a sense of urgency, every minute of every game not waiting until game #14, they need to bury an opponent whenever possible ( I miss those 45 point thrashings) enough of this letting them hang around crap-go for their throat and snap it, send a message that you're not f'ing around anymore.

Wow, that felt good, kind of cathartic.  Is that the word I'm looking for? Games can't come soon enough!!!!!!!!!!

[ziggy]

Wow, that felt good, kind of cathartic.  Is that the word I'm looking for? Games can't come soon enough!!!!!!!!!!

Probably in the emotional sense of the word rather than the medical definition:

In medicine, a cathartic is a substance which accelerates defecation. This is in contrast to a laxative, which is a substance which eases defecation, usually by softening the stool.