MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[oldknight]

Well, it's either going to be a great day for Calvin basketball or a bad day for the Snikkers family...

It's worse than you think. On Friday night, Carrie's younger sister Steffani drained three straight free throws with 8 seconds left to tie Hamilton High School, only to be whistled for a tough tripping call on the young lady Steffani was defending. With 0.6 seconds left the Hamilton player hit one free throw giving her team a one point win over Unity Christian. Three tough losses for Snikkers siblings in the space of 24 hours.

[wiz]

But, as usual, all three played exceptionally well and not one of them needs to hang their head.  All three are really great people and huge contributors for their teams.

[almcguirejr]

I thought the key point of the game was the last few seconds of the first half and the first 56 seconds of the 2nd half.  Danny Rodts hit a 3 to cut Hope's lead to 6 with 17 seconds to go in the 1st half.  Calvin plays good D forces Krombeen into a hurried 3 with 3 seconds but gives up an offensive rebound to Dickerson who hits a fadeaway at the buzzer.  Calvin now down 8.  Hope"s first possession of second half Snuggerud battles for an offensive rebound on his miss all the way out to midcourt and Tanis hits a 3. Calvin down 11.  Calvin misses on their next possession and Bowser hits a 3.  Calvin down 14.  Hope 8-0 in 55 seconds.

[HopeConvert]

I was talking to OK at halftime last night, and he was saying that Calvin HAD to do something about their turnovers. They did. They had 9 in the first half and only three in the second half. My concern was rebounding, and I thought Hope did a good job in the first half (indeed, both teams had 19 first half rebounds). In the second half, Calvin outrebounded Hope 22-14 (including 10-3 on the offensive glass) and had four less turnovers (OK had mentioned that if Calvin was going to come back they were going to need enough possessions to do so). Calvin had 15 field goals in the second half to Hope's 12, and had just as many FT's, even though they were intentionally fouling the Dutchmen toward the end. I guess all that explains how Calvin kept the game close. The difference for the Dutchmen was going 5-10 from 3 as opposed to Calvin's 2-11.

After being the difference against Albion, Schnyders went 2-10 from the floor against Hope. He is a mercurial player.

I'm amazed at the difference in Hope's perimeter defense between last night's game and the Jan 5 game at the DeVos. Calvin just wasn't able to get comfortable behind the arc. Part of that had to do with some unusual defensive matchups Neil put on the floor. For example, he had his son guarding Schuster for long stretches of the game. This was an effective move as the coach was obviously confident that Schuster wouldn't take his boy inside, and he knew that Logan would be able to harass Schuster on the perimeter. The latter only took two 3-pointers on the game, and the one he made was with Logan all over him, but Schuster's height made the difference there. Neil also realized early on there was no way Snuggeruud was going to be able to guard either Snikkers or Schnyders, and brought Ray in to cover them. Chris did an effective enough job. He's nowhere near strong enough to guard Snikkers one on one, but who is in the MIAA? Overwey completely took Salo out of the game. Bottom line: I thought Neil did a really good job creating defensive matchups which gave Calvin fits.

Given the difficulties of the job search last year, and given some of the reservations people might have had about Neil, I think last night showed that the program is in good hands. I was impressed by how Hope attacked the basket, and how they worked creatively on the offensive end. I've been really impressed with how this team has improved defensively. I've been impressed with the development of players such as Overwey. Mostly, I've been impressed with Coach Neil's demeanor. I haven't seen him berate a player all year. If a guy needs a talking to, Neil pulls him to the bench quietly talks to him, and then puts him back in the game. Players haven't been pulled when they make mistakes. Neil hasn't demonstrated excessive sideline histrionics. Last night, when Calvin made a run, he stayed calm and didn't panic, and I think that helped the players keep their composure.

When it became clear Bunn wasn't going to play this year, I just didn't think Hope had the talent to compete for the league crown. I didn't think they'd have enough scoring. It's a credit to this staff that they kept their composure and turned this group into regular-season and tournament champions. I, for one, am impressed and recant of my earlier reservations.

[AlwaysHope]

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/sports/sports_hope/x1365675446/Will-Bowser-Hope-mens-basketball-block-Calvins-upset-bid

"I suppose I get outcoached, you know, I'm not sure.  It's a fair question, I don't mean that at all.  I don't know."
  -Calvin Coach Kevin Vande Streek, as quoted in the Holland Sentinel.

A few observations on the game:

-It looked like the 12th graders playing the 9th graders, height-wise, but the 9th graders won.

-Why does Snickers get so limited on his minutes?  I was happy to see him sit on the bench for 16 minutes last night.  As posted by others, no one on the Hope bench can handle him one-on-one.  By contrast, Bowser and Krombeen played 36 and 35 minutes.

-Guard play by Hope last night was outstanding.  Tanis with 17 points on only 10 shots, and Krombeen, with a poor shooting night, but 9 assists (one less than Calvin's team total), many resulting in easy shots, compared to only one turnover.  And how about Overway!  Despite being the shortest player on the Hope bench, he leads the team with 6 rebounds. and gets 11 points on only 5 shots, plus 4 assists.  Probably the quickest player on the floor last night, with some key buckets and pressure free throws.

-The most improved player award for Hope goes to Overway.  He seemed very tentative at the beginning of the season, but you can tell his confidence has soared.  Now he is in at crunch time.  Next year we should be set at guard with Krombeen, Overway, and hopefully Bunn back.  However, again a shortage of height.  We could see a lot of small ball next year.

-Finally, how about Coach Neil!  He inherits a program from a legend, loses 5 players including his pre-season All-American guard and his starting center, plus a key player off the bench.  He then goes to his JV team to complete the roster, goes 2-4 to start the season, and ends up winning the regular season and the conference championships with a record of 22-6.  Well done Coach Neil.

[oldknight]

I, for one, am impressed and recant

I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.

Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms (1521)

[HopeConvert]

I, for one, am impressed and recant

I cannot and will not recant anything, for to go against conscience is neither right nor safe.

Martin Luther at the Diet of Worms (1521)

Like last night, I was rooting for the home team in that matchup.

[wwjjdd]

Given the difficulties of the job search last year, and given some of the reservations people might have had about Neil, I think last night showed that the program is in good hands. I was impressed by how Hope attacked the basket, and how they worked creatively on the offensive end. I've been really impressed with how this team has improved defensively. I've been impressed with the development of players such as Overwey. Mostly, I've been impressed with Coach Neil's demeanor. I haven't seen him berate a player all year. If a guy needs a talking to, Neil pulls him to the bench quietly talks to him, and then puts him back in the game. Players haven't been pulled when they make mistakes. Neil hasn't demonstrated excessive sideline histrionics. Last night, when Calvin made a run, he stayed calm and didn't panic, and I think that helped the players keep their composure.

I think you hit the "Neil" right on the head.  I particularly find pleasure in what I emboldened.  His next challenge is to recruit, being hired too late to do much last year.  I have renewed faith and interest in the Hope men's program due to Matt Neil.  Well done!

[sac]

-The most improved player award for Hope goes to Overway.  He seemed very tentative at the beginning of the season, but you can tell his confidence has soared.  Now he is in at crunch time.  Next year we should be set at guard with Krombeen, Overway, and hopefully Bunn back.  However, again a shortage of height.  We could see a lot of small ball next year.

Some might think I'm a little crazy but I think Coltan Overway might be the best pure point guard in the league, with the caveat that I didn't see Ian Jackson of Trine this year.   

He's been outstanding, and his speed has been a tremendous asset to this team..........the play where he chased down that long pass and out-muscled the Calvin player and then hit the quick layup was simply unreal.   

[sac]

I thought the key point of the game was the last few seconds of the first half and the first 56 seconds of the 2nd half.  Danny Rodts hit a 3 to cut Hope's lead to 6 with 17 seconds to go in the 1st half.  Calvin plays good D forces Krombeen into a hurried 3 with 3 seconds but gives up an offensive rebound to Dickerson who hits a fadeaway at the buzzer.  Calvin now down 8.  Hope"s first possession of second half Snuggerud battles for an offensive rebound on his miss all the way out to midcourt and Tanis hits a 3. Calvin down 11.  Calvin misses on their next possession and Bowser hits a 3.  Calvin down 14.  Hope 8-0 in 55 seconds.

Those who were at the womens games might have noticed how similar the start of the second half affected the outcome of each game.

[sac]

If you are wondering about possible opponents for Hope in the tournament, the two closest in the tournament for sure at the moment are Benedictine, IL and Manchester, IN.

Concordia, WI will probably get a bid.  Making those 3 schools the closest.



Other possible opponents within reasonable travel distance

From the Midwest/West where Hope has been paired 7 of the last 8 NCAA Tournaments

Benedictine
Manchester
St. Norbert
UW-Stevens Point or UW River Falls(if they receive a Pool C bid)
Augustana
Concordia, WI (if they receive a Pool C bid)
Hanover (if they receive a Pool C bid)

IF the NCAA chose to place Hope in a Great Lakes bracket

Wooster
Marietta
Bethany
Centre, KY
PSU-Behrend (if they receive a Pool C bid)
Wittenberg (if they receive a Pool C bid)
Thiel (if they receive a Pool C bid)



So much will depend on where the first two rounds will be played.  DeVos Fieldhouse seems like it might be available next weekend and with an 18-2 in-region record Hope could certainly host.

Hope is also within 500 miles of Marietta, OH, if Marietta were to host its possible some teams from Virginia, Maryland and Pennsylvania could be pulled into that pod very easily.

If Hope is sent to Augustana, you could see teams from Iowa and Minnesota.

Last season's trip to Stevens Point was the furthest an MIAA team had been sent in the NCAA tournament for the opening rounds I believe.   I don't think UWSP is an option this year because their women's team will likely host.

[devossed]

I'm happiest for Coaches Neil, Davelaar, and Carlson.  I can't imagine what its like to succeed someone who meant so much to Hope basketball and all the inherent pressure, questions and such that have come with being the new guys(even though ya'know they aren't exactly new).  Whether those questions were silent or loud, they were there and I'm sure they had their moments of doubt no matter how strong and confident they might have appeared. 

They inherited a team that was maybe expected to do a lot, yet they never got to coach that team.  Not a single game.  All of their years of experience were put to the test this year probably in ways that few of us will ever truly understand or comprehend. 

Let's not forget coaches Aldrich and Kopas, who have been there a while themselves.

[ziggy]

That James Franco in a dress thing wasn't a joke, that is just the way they do it in Hollywood

[Dutch_Man]

Looking back at all the Hope vs. Calvin games since the 05/06 season (the year I met my now wife) Hope has gone 15-6 against Calvin....

I think I will keep her around!

Dutch_Man + Dutch_(wo)man = Love 

[oldknight]

One our own--KnightSlappy--got some shoutouts and love from Dave McHugh and our friends at Hoopsville, who highlighted KS's bracketology skills and speculations. Congratulations Matt! Great work all season long on your blog.