MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Updated data including Adrian below:

2011-12 Preseason

Team	Returning	Varsity Min	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Minutes
Adrian	7	7471	62.0%	56.7%	78.9%	73.1%	67.0%
Albion	9	3888	40.6%	40.1%	43.2%	47.0%	47.9%
Alma	10	6385	65.4%	50.3%	71.7%	63.1%	64.7%
Calvin	8	3914	45.1%	43.6%	55.7%	48.4%	47.7%
Hope	10	8141	54.1%	56.6%	75.8%	70.5%	58.5%
Kalamazoo	7	4857	59.3%	44.7%	52.1%	54.7%	51.5%
Olivet	7	2804	24.5%	29.0%	24.2%	28.3%	35.7%
Trine	7	5363	69.7%	63.7%	51.1%	52.7%	65.9%

2010-11 Preseason

Team	Returning	Varsity Min	Points	Rebounds	Assists	Steals	Minutes
Adrian	6	2881	54.5%	48.0%	58.8%	57.1%	52.9%
Albion	9	3865	59.6%	41.8%	50'6%	56.3%	53.9%
Alma	9	5416	64.8%	58.8%	71.9%	59.4%	65.9%
Calvin	9	5227	56.7%	49.5%	67.5%	67.7%	62.1%
Hope	11	8296	80.1%	70.7%	83.6%	74.7%	80.8%
Kalamazoo	14	7003	93.2%	81.8%	93.1%	93.3%	89.4%
Olivet	9	6564	78.6%	68.0%	79.9%	79.1%	71.8%
Trine	9	4864	61.9%	60.8%	66.3%	67.8%	58.1%

[almcguirejr]

Holland Sentinel article on Nate Van Arendonk:

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/sports/x1992153321/Nate-VanArendonk-very-happy-with-transfer-to-Hope-College-men-s-basketball-team

[KnightSlappy]

Apparently Allen Durham (formerly of Grace Bible) is becoming quite the Romanian hoops star.

video: http://www.tvr.ro/articol.php?id=113365&c=137

From Grace's athletic site yesterday: "Allen is leading the league in points at 25.6 and rebounds at 17 per game."

In other news, Grace dropped their exhibition game with Ferris yesterday 91-78. Box: http://www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com/sports/mbkb/2011-12/boxscores/20111102_dvmb.xml

[ziggy]

Holland Sentinel article on Nate Van Arendonk:

http://www.hollandsentinel.com/sports/x1992153321/Nate-VanArendonk-very-happy-with-transfer-to-Hope-College-men-s-basketball-team

That's a great piece of investigative journalism

[Stinger]

Here's more on the K vs. WMU game (it was awfully kind of the sports writer to spare a few sentences for Kalamazoo College. Sometimes I feel that the "Kalamazoo Gazette" forgets what it's first name is, but I digress...)

http://www.mlive.com/broncos/index.ssf/2011/11/from_immature_to_business-like.html

Sounds like Joe had an impressive game.  K needs him healthy all season long

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Coaches picks are up on MIAA.org.  Copied here as well

Men's Poll Results (First-place votes in parenthesis):
1. Hope (7) 7 pts
2. Calvin (1) 13
3. Adrian 24
4. Albion 30
5. Trine 31
6. Olivet 34
7. Kalamazoo 38
8. Alma 49

Pretty good agreement at the top and bottom, but 4-6/7 are tight.  If they are right, it could make for some interesting late season games battling for that last tournament spot. 

[ziggy]

Another way to look at it; total points divided by 7:

1.00 - Hope
1.86 - Calvin
3.43 - Adrian
4.29 - Albion
4.43 - Trine
4.86 - Olivet
5.43 - Kalamazoo
7.00 - Alma

Basically the coaches are saying that Hope is the favorite, Calvin is number two and they think Adrian might be the third best team but they aren't totally sure. They have no idea who the fourth best team is. They know Kalamazoo isn't the fourth best team but the Hornets are definitely better than Alma.

Follow up question. What do you find more surprising, the fact that the Calvin men cleaned up the remaining top votes or that someone voted the Hope Women third?

[hoopdreams]

after scanning the Grace/Ferris boxscore,  Jerrell Sanders, 07' Creston, played on the storm with Whitby, Payne, VanHarn, etc.......as well.  Too many guards not enough balls allowed at once for that squad.  Think that was the last year before the storm went to 2, and then 3 teams per age level.

Any word from the Hope Scrimmage?  I know they were shorthanded slightly with soccer still playing but curious about Holwerda and Wittenbach.  I'm confident PB more than held is own, even if a little "game" rusty.

Regarding an earlier post about Allen Durham, any word on Bowser?  Is he out for the year?  Heading back to Romania or already there?

[SBell]

Sanders was such a tease on those teams. Even in Ferris' game with MSU on Sunday, he was athletic as anyone out there save maybe Dawson.

[hoopdreams]

I don't recall the overlap in rosters but at one point Creston had Sanders, Jovonne Augustus, Cameron Bradfield (starting NFL LT and a heck of a hoopster), LJ Kilgore and Vicent Agnew ( D1 corner/safety) and I'm missing someone.  If Jerrell played up as an underclassman.......they probably should have dominated the City League, not even sure if they won it once though.

[ChicagoHopeNut]

  My heart just wants to put Kalamazoo ahead of Olivet, and I think they are the potential spoiler of dreams in getting the coveted 4th MIAA tourney slot and the right to get crushed at the De Vos.

Not sure what to make of that women's vote.  Could it be that a MIAA coach would play mind games?

I had totally forgotten they are moving to a 4 team tournament this year. 

[Flying Dutch Fan]

  My heart just wants to put Kalamazoo ahead of Olivet, and I think they are the potential spoiler of dreams in getting the coveted 4th MIAA tourney slot and the right to get crushed at the De Vos.

Not sure what to make of that women's vote.  Could it be that a MIAA coach would play mind games?

I had totally forgotten they are moving to a 4 team tournament this year. 

Based on both mens and womens soccer this fall, I will say that it does make some late season games between middle teams carry more weight and gives them a "playoff" feel.

[Civic Minded]

I wasn't able to be there, but it sounds like Hope's scrimmage with the Lakers went well, all things considered.  They played two 20-minute "games," with the Lakers coming out on top by 2 in the first one, and by 3 (with a buzzer beater 3-pointer) in the second.

From an earlier scrimmage and from watching summer league games, I'm excited to see how Holwerda is developing.  Wittenbach should put any Hope fan's fears of limited 3-point shooting to rest.  He's got a great shot and will be fun to watch.

As mentioned, Logan and Grant Neil are still involved with soccer and so weren't in attendance, and Overway will be out for a couple of weeks yet, I believe.  Considering that two likely starters were not in attendance, I'd say this was a nice night for Hope.

[KnightSlappy]

The coaches poll doles out 226 points when only 224 are possible. Someone must be listed with a mistake.

[KnightSlappy]

Coaches picks are up on MIAA.org.  Copied here as well

Men's Poll Results (First-place votes in parenthesis):
1. Hope (7) 7 pts
2. Calvin (1) 13
3. Adrian 24
4. Albion 30
5. Trine 31
6. Olivet 34
7. Kalamazoo 38
8. Alma 49

Pretty good agreement at the top and bottom, but 4-6/7 are tight.  If they are right, it could make for some interesting late season games battling for that last tournament spot.

I would have thought that the only thing keeping Olivet from the bottom was Alma. I might even consider voting Alma ahead of Olivet. It's not going to be a fun year for the Comets.