MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[monsoon]

I really needed these games to be a bit closer to Chicago this weekend.  5:00/5:30 in Rock Island just isn't feasible on Friday.     Maybe Saturday if we get past Hanover, but that's iffy at best, too.

... me going to Rock Island on Saturday is the iffy-at-best part; not Hope getting past Hanover - I think that's a winnable game.

[DewCrewVett]

Well let me start by saying that Michael McClary is a tremendous player and clearly one of, if not the best, in the MIAA.

But, Ziggy, you make it sound like there is a world of difference in the conference stats, perceptions, and accolades of McClary and Bowser. When that is all not the case. (Since work is so slow, I thought I might do some quick research)

For example McClary averaged a superior 26.3 ppg, but it took him 20 shots per game to do it. And McClary's team also finished 8-6 and 13-13 overall, with no wins over the league champion, and losses to the 6th and 7th ranked teams. And they were upset in the first round of the MIAA tournament. To me an MVP has to accomplish something with his team to really be considered "valuable". And no offense to Olivet, but it was definitely an "under-achieving" season compared to what some people were expecting from the league outset.

Bowser on the other hand averaged 21.5 ppg in legaue play, that is the most points a Hope player has averaged in league play since Don Shinabarger in the 1972 season. And he was able to do this in 15 shots per game, about 5 less then McClary was averaging. And based on the talk of this board and the season outlook after Hope lost the whole kitchen in terms of personnel, Bowser literally put the team on his back and carried Hope to an extremely convincing conference championship and conference tournament championship, his fourth in a row! How many hope players can say they led their team to four straight AQ's?

It just seems from my admittedly bias Hope-end of things that Bowser got snubbed. The two players are clearly comparable in terms of stats, they both won player of the week 5 times, and one player is still practicing and preparing for a game, while the other never even got a taste of the NCAA tournament, let alone the conference championship. To me, there is really no comparison.

On a side note, through all my meaningless research in the last hour I discovered that with one game to go:

Bowser has accumulated 1,191 points, good for top 20 all time.
His 513 points this season so far is good for the 9th best scoring season of any Hope player ever.
He is 11 boards away from from 500, and the top 10 list in that category.
His 60 3P FG made is good for 7th all-time for one season
And of course the 46 points, which I am sure was discussed at some point on this board, doesn't need to be re-hashed.

In the end to me, it just seems like the choice was obvious.

Even though he didn't get the MIAA MVP, I can only hope that he is being considered for national awards.

And if you would like a point of reference, when I was watching college basketball on TV this past weekend, they were discussing possible Big East player of the year candidates, the clear statistical favorite is Marshon Brooks from Providence who scored 52 points in one game and is averaging 26.8 per contest. When the panel went around the table asking if he deserved the award, not a single one said he did, the difference was that his team just didn't win enough games. Now I know D1 and D3 are not comparable, but can you really reward the MVP to a 8-6, 13-13, and first conference tournament exit player? (Keep in mind my first statement please)

I apologize if all this seems really opinionated. I get the feeling that opinions are not really encouraged on this board! I might be over-stepping my bounds a bit as a "new" poster with such strong statements, but I cant hide the way I see things! Granted I only saw 4 Hope conference games this year, but I was and continue to be a huge fan and  a convicted box score junky!

I think I might be on my way to some negative karma.

[ziggy]

I apologize if all this seems really opinionated. I get the feeling that opinions are not really encouraged on this board! I might be over-stepping my bounds a bit as a "new" poster with such strong statements, but I cant hide the way I see things! Granted I only saw 4 Hope conference games this year, but I was and continue to be a huge fan and  a convicted box score junky!

I think I might be on my way to some negative karma.

If you were on this board earlier in the year you would have read that I thought Will Bowser deserved to be the lone MVP, forget the co- stuff. All I said was that I can understand McClary working his way into the picture because Olivet finished relatively strong. I think Will Bowser should have been on the top line all along, but I would have accepted co-MVPs in light of the season's finish. I never argued that MM was the lone MVP in my book.

no -k from me.

[sac]

Do people really equate most valuable player with best player?

I'm with you ziggy.  I don't get it.  I know I am going to repeat myself but McClary was the best player in the league but the most valuable has to be Bowser.  Bowser led his team to the regular season championship and a NCAA birth.  What more can you ask of a MVP?

This is not meant as a direct response to bogeyman but just an observation on how this argument has changed.

A few years ago I pointed how often the MIAA's MVP went to a player from the Championship winning team.  There were a few observations at that time that it was wrong to assume to the MVP came from the champion.

Now we get an MVP who didn't win the Championship(actually 2 years in a row) and the argument seems to have swayed the other way.

very interesting.



I think most people know my feelings on this, Michael McClary was the best player in this league and imo the toughest defensive matchup.  I didn't see anyone else garner the attention he did from opposing defenses.  But I also admit, out of the most frequent posters on this board I saw Olivet play 5 times vs probably no more than 2.

Maybe lending a little historical perspective could help.  McClary averaged 26.2 points in league games, that's the highest per game average in 24years when Eric Nordman of Alma averaged 26.8 and tied with Dan Davis of Calvin in 1989.   That's better than Honderd, Elliot, Bosma, Holstege or Crawford just to name a few.  His rebound average was probably the best in this league in the last 30 years (can't verify, no stats).

For a good chunk of this season McClary was flirting with having a scoring average better than anyone since Floyd Brady, Hope in 1968.   He had 8 double-doubles in 14 league games and missed 2 others by 1 rebound I think.  That's just incredible.

I would have been happy and agreed with either choice as MVP, but the McClary dude was a pretty special player to watch these last couple years.

[sac]

Michael McClary is Olivet's 5th MVP joining Mike Maciasz 1972, Randy Morrison in 1983, 1984 and himself in 2010.


McClary joins such recent MIAA greats as Jeremy Veenstra-Calvin, Aaron Winkle-Calvin, Joel Holstege-Hope, Duane Bosma-Hope, Steve Honderd-Calvin, Eric Elliot-Hope, Bill Sall-Calvin, Dan Davis-Calvin, Matt Stong-Hope.....to win 2 MVP awards.

Pretty nice list.

[sac]

I think I might be on my way to some negative karma.

Gave you a welcome +1 last night, but its been taken away......its an awesome board.

[sac]

On the front page of d3hoops.com there's a place to vote for a fans choice to play in the all-star game in Salem.  (the one Mantel played in last year)

You can vote for McClary along with others.

[gohope]

On the front page of d3hoops.com there's a place to vote for a fans choice to play in the all-star game in Salem.  (the one Mantel played in last year)

You can vote for McClary along with others.

C'mon everyone!! Let's send MM to Salem!!   

Vote early and often!!  (And I'm not even from Chicago!!)

[ziggy]

On the front page of d3hoops.com there's a place to vote for a fans choice to play in the all-star game in Salem.  (the one Mantel played in last year)

You can vote for McClary along with others.

C'mon everyone!! Let's send MM to Salem!!  

Vote early and often!!  (And I'm not even from Chicago!!)

I got my vote in. You won't hear an argument from me that MM isn't the league's best player.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

On the front page of d3hoops.com there's a place to vote for a fans choice to play in the all-star game in Salem.  (the one Mantel played in last year)

You can vote for McClary along with others.

C'mon everyone!! Let's send MM to Salem!!   

Vote early and often!!  (And I'm not even from Chicago!!)

I got my vote in. You won't hear an argument from me that MM is the league's best player.

My vote is in too

[oldknight]

I think I might be on my way to some negative karma.

Gave you a welcome +1 last night, but its been taken away......its an awesome board.

I forgot to award my standard +k for newbies but I just rectified the oversight.

[wiz]

I think everyone knows that the league MVP does not have to come from the championship team.  Let's be realistic, when a team doesn't win, it's the coaches fault.  

[Flying Dutch Fan]

I think everyone knows that the league MVP does not have to come from the championship team.  Let's be realistic, when a team doesn't win, it's the coaches fault.  

Nicely played, you're a wizzard with words

[oldknight]

In the FWIW Department:

If you see the MVP award as the equivalent of the Most Outstanding Player award, then McClary wins. I don't see MVP and MOP awards that way though. While I wouldn't say you have to come from the conference champion to win the MVP, being the most important player on the championship team counts for a lot in my book.

The most important stretch of games during Hope's season came right in the middle, when they played and beat Albion, Kalamazoo and Calvin, with only the game against the Hornets at home. Hope trailed every one at half and Bowser was instrumental in all three wins scoring 21, 46 and 26, for a total of 93 points--all in games Hope would have lost absent great play from their best player. He dominated play in the OT win over Kalamazoo and then single handedly kept the Flying Dutchmen in the game at Van Noord when his team was on the verge of being blown out. To me, that's MVP worthy stuff.

[almcguirejr]

MVP or not Bowser made himself into a very good player.  I liked his leadership on the court and his competitiveness.  When your best player leads by example you're going to have success.  Jesse Reimink and Bowser are 2 players that looked liked they dedicated themselves in the summer to becoming better players and leaders and their team benefitted.