MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[sac]

According to today's GR Press, Steve Wittenbach, a Forest Hills Central senior, has verbally committed to play for the Flying Dutchmen this fall.  As a 6' 4"senior he scored 30 or more points three different times, and averaged 20.9 points and 7.1 rebounds a game.  He also shot 33% beyond the arc, and 70% from the charity stripe.

Here's a story about his family:  
http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2010/12/forest_hills_central_basketbal.html

Anybody know anything else about him?

a small bit from Stephen Bell's mlive blog

Stephen Wittenbach  6-4  Sr  Forest Hills Central
...... Of course, a player improving and having a monster senior year under FHC coach Ken George isn't surprising as all. Wittenbach is an inside-outside threat whose scoring has shot up from 13 points a game last season to 21.5 as a senior.

[sflzman]

While I was looking for the Saginaw BV highlight I saw this one.  This is Detroit Rogers beating Bellaire in the state championship game on a 4 point play with 2seconds to go.  Michael and Brandon McClary (fear the fro) are on the floor for Bellaire.  I was sitting in the corner where this play happened.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oGN6Dg5mZZg&feature=related

Wow. I had never seen that shot....that was flat-out amazing....

[almcguirejr]

Tri-Unity Chr. 62 
Eben Junction Superior Central 49
Final

[sflzman]

Fulton has amazing comeback (down 14 with 5:57 left) to win by 4 and advance to the state finals.

That's pretty cool since we see a lot of Fulton grads here at Alma....

[sac]

The Fulton boxscore complete with play-by-play.........

http://www.mhsaa.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=5Fx0OXy3qnY%3d&tabid=104

Detroit Westside Christian only scored 2 points in the final 6 minutes, those came late with Fulton up 4.

Fulton is known as a football school (not to far from Lansing, go North on 127 and turn left at the corn, its the about the 4th block of corn on the left in Middleton which shouldn't be confused with Perrinton, which looks basically the same, just past the ominous sounding Pompeii), they've been a nice feel good story all season on the Friday night basketball blitz shows.

Back in my day they referred to it as Fulton-Middleton High School, I guess they dropped the Middleton which makes sense since there is no place called Fulton.

[sflzman]

It's Fulton Township. It includes Middleton, Maple Rapids (home of the great Jeremy Stephens), and more....

What I heard is that last years team had two good guards, but no size. This year the high school got a new principle who brought along his son (a 6-4 beast) that just put them over the top and completely out of reach of any team up here....

[almcguirejr]

The Fulton boxscore complete with play-by-play.........

http://www.mhsaa.com/LinkClick.aspx?fileticket=5Fx0OXy3qnY%3d&tabid=104

Detroit Westside Christian only scored 2 points in the final 6 minutes, those came late with Fulton up 4.

Fulton is known as a football school (not to far from Lansing, go North on 127 and turn left at the corn, its the about the 4th block of corn on the left in Middleton which shouldn't be confused with Perrinton, which looks basically the same, just past the ominous sounding Pompeii), they've been a nice feel good story all season on the Friday night basketball blitz shows.

Back in my day they referred to it as Fulton-Middleton High School, I guess they dropped the Middleton which makes sense since there is no place called Fulton.

DWS 9 turnovers from the 5 minute mark to the 1 minute mark in the 4th quarter. :


2 more fantastic finishes in HS tournament history with Calvin connections:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8C1BGUR6M9U

#44 for Calvin Christian is Rob Velthouse who went on to play for Calvin.  DiAllo  Johnson the FT shooter played football at UM.  # 4 for OLSM is David Bowens who started out with UM football program and left.  He has been in the NFL for the last 11 years.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DyRDAsuVtlM&feature=related

You can figure out the Calvin connection here

[ziggy]

Nate Van Eck is the Calvin slam dunk contest champion: http://vimeo.com/21455751

[KnightSlappy]

Nate Van Eck is the Calvin slam dunk contest champion: http://vimeo.com/21455751

Did I spy Ron (of omlette bar fame) on the judging panel?

[ziggy]

Nate Van Eck is the Calvin slam dunk contest champion: http://vimeo.com/21455751

Did I spy Ron (of omlette bar fame) on the judging panel?

Your crazy eyes do not deceive you

[Gregory Sager]

Further quotes from S Bell: "Let's be honest, it's hard to get up for Jenison. It's a bland, forgettable burg without the basketball history to temporarily hide the blahs. This is the O-K Red, after all, where fun basketball is counterintuitive to the Calvinist urges that somehow have escaped the teams at the local Christian schools and colleges. Not even the neon uniforms of the dance team could hide the drab old floor those donning them strutted upon."

http://bankhoops.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=235:o-k-red-just-ok-rockford-a-bucket-better-than-jenison&catid=18:hs&Itemid=67

Is he saying Calvin/Hope do or do not play a basketball style consistent with an appropriately Reformed world and life view?  I need exegetical help. . . . discuss.

"Fun basketball" is a clear example of the total depravity of humankind.

[hoopdreams]

I'm not sure what "fun basketball" is but the OK Red definitely doesn't play it.  I am more curious as to what constitutes a "basketball history"?  If state chamionships are the barometer, there are very few WM  boys teams that can boast this accomplishment in the last 20 years (South Christian, a fluke year for Ottawa Hills), not including class D programs, of which there are about 6 quality ones in the entire state.  Tri-unity beating up such powerhouses as Holland Calvary Baptist of Poor doesn't impress much..... EK had a heck of a run back in the 80's and early 90's, ending coincidently when Phelps left for Holland Christian, Holland was one of the best teams in the nation when Werley was at the helm ( at least that's what he'd tell you) EGR with the Grady clan, a back gap, the Thompkins experiment, back a huge gap to Garde Thompson days (7 great years out of 25), Calvin  Christian did have a great run with Kooikers, Verbeeks, Canans, Bosma, Overbeek.  There is a tradition rich program except for recent history but have they done much recently?  Rockford the last 10 years but they were God awful before Coach M arrived minus the Polkowski years and a 2 year stint in the mid 80's- Sluiter and the stoner PG.   West Ottawa ( already spewed distain for that laughingstock) The city had Union back in the early 80's with Sutton and Sims with fast eddie at the helm, the same guy who led the tradition-less wildcats to 6-7 conference titles almost in a row, before doing his thing with Grady Elite.  I guess there really isn't much  basketball tradition in WM.

[Knightmare]

Are there any known MIAA recruits to keep an eye on when watching the Michigan boys basketball state finals tomorrow on TV?  The announcers all make sure to drop the colleges of the DI (and sometimes DII) guys but we don't hear them ever mention if so and so is going to a DIII.  So if you know of any playing tomorrow please share for the rest of us to be able to keep an eye on.

[northb]

I was dreaming when I wrote this...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnuijDieOvY

[Pat Coleman]

Been having some fun covering the Division III men's hockey championships this weekend. Check out D3sports.com for game stories and photo galleries.

http://www.d3sports.com