MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[scottiedawg]

I think Bunn has simply been taking what is given to him this year, and with Krombeen and Snuggeruud shouldering the majority of the scoring load, Bunn has not been "needed" as much. But as we've seen in past NCAA tournaments, the "best" players and most athletic players often shine when they are forced to play extended minutes in tough games (Cramer, VanderHeide, Reimink, Bowser). I have complete faith that if Hope needs instant offense, Bunn can create shots on his own and score in crucial situations.

[KnightSlappy]

I'm probably in the minority here, but David Krombeen is not the MVP of the league. I can't believe Snuggerud is getting ignored like he is. He's the league's leading scorer and has a shooting percentage around 64%. Not that Krombeen isn't deserving to be in the discussion, but if I had a vote, I'd go with Nate right now.

Snuggerud is having a great year.  I think the difference is Krombeen makes other players better and makes the Hope team go.  Snuggerud is a direct beneficiary of Krombeen's play and has played off him very well.

Or does Snuggs make the 'Been look better by converting when he gets the ball?

[sac]

Or does Snuggs make the 'Been look better by converting when he gets the ball?

It's a lot easier to see just how valuable Krombeen is to Hope when you watch every game. 

[northb]

Powell's dunk wasn't even the best shot of the day.   That belonged to MIAA Commissioner Dave Nielson who took a moment to twist the 'no Calvin football knife' one more time into the chest of outgoing Calvin President Gaylan Byker at halftime.   The commish has also shown the ability to rise to the occasion in the past, but I don't think anyone saw that coming.

That was a good line by Nielson.  He also stated that Calvin and Hope have combined for 9 National Championships during the tenures of each President.  Does anyone know how that breaks down?

From Miaa.org:


1998 - Calvin, women's cross country
1999 - Calvin, women's cross country

2000 - Calvin, men's basketball
2000 - Calvin, men's cross country
2003 - Calvin, men's cross country
2004 - Calvin, men's cross country
2006 - Hope, women's basketball
2006 - Calvin, men's cross country
2010 - Calvin, volleyball

[NW Hope Fan]

As usual some of the commentary was kind of strange...

Now granted, I was in a restaurant full of people including 6 under 9yrs old , but I swear I heard an announcer mention Neil and Demaagd and "water carriers" in the same breath. Water carriers, as compared to the starters they would carry the water for? RUDE! 

[sac]

MIAA records for points allowed.

POINTS ALLOWED
51.8  Calvin, 1979-80 (622 in 12 games)
55.0    Calvin, 1980-81 (660 in 12 games)
57.9    Adrian, 2010-11 (811 in 14 games)

Adrian is on track to crack the top 3 again this year.  Currently they are averaging 57.4 points,  their two remaining opponents scored 45 and 48 in the first meetings.


Theory----Adrian has become the new Albion.

Adrian puts a tremendous amount of effort into being a strong defensive team, that can take incredible amounts of energy.  One of the things noticeable with Albion was a late season fade over the years (sometimes, not always) which sometimes culminated in a poor showing at the MIAA semi-finals.  They sometimes looked worn out to me.

This is the 2nd straight year Adrian is going to experience a 2nd half fade after a promising start. Last year they went 2-5 the 2nd half of the MIAA schedule and with 2 games remaining they are just 2-3 this year.

[wiz]

I think its pretty clear Hope has the best guard and the best big man in the league.

I think it is pretty clear that Krombeen and Snuggerud are the two best players this year in the MIAA and co-MVP would be warranted. 

However, the best big man in the league is Tyler Kruis.  Hope touts Nate VanArendonk as their big man and in head-to-head competition he has clearly taken a back seat to Kruis.

Total   3-point      Rebounds Player      fgm-fga   fgm-fga   ftm-fta   off-def   tot   pf   tp   a   to   blk   stl   min Game #1 Kruis                  4-6    0-0    5-6    1-2    3    4    13    1    1    2    2    25 VanArendonk    3-5    0-0    0-0    0-0    0    3    6    1    1    1    3    19  Game#2 Kruis                 5-12    0-0    7-10    2-4    6    2    17    0    1    3    0    32 VanArendonk    3-4    0-0    2-3    1-5    6    4    8    0    2    1    1    26

It Will be fun to see these two go toe-to-toe the next couple of years.

I have watched a lot of Calvin basketball over the years and I firmly believe Kruis is becoming the best big man since Honderd.

[Civic Minded]

As usual some of the commentary was kind of strange...

Now granted, I was in a restaurant full of people including 6 under 9yrs old , but I swear I heard an announcer mention Neil and Demaagd and "water carriers" in the same breath. Water carriers, as compared to the starters they would carry the water for? RUDE! 

My only explanation for this and other comments about "stars" of the team and other seemingly ignorant drivel was that he must watch a lot of NBA basketball, and that's about it.  Clearly he didn't do enough research to understand Hope's (and Calvin's for that matter) emphasis on team, and Hope's very talented bench.  He had another comment about Hope, referring to a "strange line-up on the floor."  Hope's done this all season (mixing starters and a wide variety of bench players), and has the ability to interchange many key players.  Nothing strange about using talent in a variety of ways.  His choice of words is kind of a shame; for those who follow either team closely he just looked foolish on several occasions.

The good news (I remind myself) is that the game is televised at least!

[sac]

I think its pretty clear Hope has the best guard and the best big man in the league.

I think it is pretty clear that Krombeen and Snuggerud are the two best players this year in the MIAA and co-MVP would be warranted. 

However, the best big man in the league is Tyler Kruis.  Hope touts Nate VanArendonk as their big man and in head-to-head competition he has clearly taken a back seat to Kruis.

Total   3-point      Rebounds Player      fgm-fga   fgm-fga   ftm-fta   off-def   tot   pf   tp   a   to   blk   stl   min Game #1 Kruis                  4-6    0-0    5-6    1-2    3    4    13    1    1    2    2    25 VanArendonk    3-5    0-0    0-0    0-0    0    3    6    1    1    1    3    19  Game#2 Kruis                 5-12    0-0    7-10    2-4    6    2    17    0    1    3    0    32 VanArendonk    3-4    0-0    2-3    1-5    6    4    8    0    2    1    1    26

It Will be fun to see these two go toe-to-toe the next couple of years.

I have watched a lot of Calvin basketball over the years and I firmly believe Kruis is becoming the best big man since Honderd.

Kruis also played 12 more minutes than NVA in the two games.

Matt Neil clearly stated in the post game interview on WGVU he thinks Snuggerud is the best big man in the league, so apparently Hope doesn't tout VanArendonk as their big man.

I also look forward to the day Van Arendonk is a bigger focus of Hope's offense.  Comparing Fr. year to Fr. year NVA has doubled up Tyler Kruis.

[KnightSlappy]

I think its pretty clear Hope has the best guard and the best big man in the league.

I think it is pretty clear that Krombeen and Snuggerud are the two best players this year in the MIAA and co-MVP would be warranted. 

However, the best big man in the league is Tyler Kruis.  Hope touts Nate VanArendonk as their big man and in head-to-head competition he has clearly taken a back seat to Kruis.

Total   3-point      Rebounds Player      fgm-fga   fgm-fga   ftm-fta   off-def   tot   pf   tp   a   to   blk   stl   min Game #1 Kruis                  4-6    0-0    5-6    1-2    3    4    13    1    1    2    2    25 VanArendonk    3-5    0-0    0-0    0-0    0    3    6    1    1    1    3    19  Game#2 Kruis                 5-12    0-0    7-10    2-4    6    2    17    0    1    3    0    32 VanArendonk    3-4    0-0    2-3    1-5    6    4    8    0    2    1    1    26

It Will be fun to see these two go toe-to-toe the next couple of years.

I have watched a lot of Calvin basketball over the years and I firmly believe Kruis is becoming the best big man since Honderd.

Kruis also played 12 more minutes than NVA in the two games.

Matt Neil clearly stated in the post game interview on WGVU he thinks Snuggerud is the best big man in the league, so apparently Hope doesn't tout VanArendonk as their big man.

I also look forward to the day Van Arendonk is a bigger focus of Hope's offense.  Comparing Fr. year to Fr. year NVA has doubled up Tyler Kruis.

OK, match up Snuggerud with Kruis for a game and see who comes out on top. Or rewatch the portion of the game where both NVA and JH left due to foul trouble. Kruis absolutely abused him on two straight possessions, and MN brought Holwerda back in.

I think the best big men are:

1. Kruis
2. Prepolec
3. VanArendonk

I'm not sure Snuggerud could defend any of these three with any regularity.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

I think the best big men are:

1. Kruis
2. Prepolec
3. VanArendonk

I'm not sure Snuggerud could defend any of these three with any regularity.

Here is Prepolec's line when Hope played at Kalamazoo.  FYI- He was guarded the entire game by Nate Snuggerud

                                TOT-FG  3-PT              REBOUNDS
## Player                 FG FGA FG FGA FT FTA OF DE TOT PF  TP  A TO BLK S MIN

50 Joe Prepolec........ *  2  5   0  0        1  3    2  5     7   3    5   2  4    1   3  30


And FWIW - NVA had 18 and 11 that game.

[sac]

I guess its just semantics.

I'll watch the game again but I really don't think NVA and Kruis were up against each other as much as you might think.  I know Kruis scored 5 while NVA wasn't even on the floor and I'm fairly sure he scored 2 on Chase DeMaagd when Hope got caught in a bad switch.  With those we're down 10-8 head-to-head, though I'm unsure on who was on the floor when NVA scored, I didn't look at that.


I'm not putting Kruis down, I think he's a good looking player. 

[almcguirejr]

I thought Kruis was very good yesterday.  I think NVA was handcuffed by foul trouble in the second half.  Neil thought the refs were calling it too close.

[sflzman]

I think its pretty clear Hope has the best guard and the best big man in the league.

I think it is pretty clear that Krombeen and Snuggerud are the two best players this year in the MIAA and co-MVP would be warranted. 

However, the best big man in the league is Tyler Kruis.  Hope touts Nate VanArendonk as their big man and in head-to-head competition he has clearly taken a back seat to Kruis.

Total   3-point      Rebounds Player      fgm-fga   fgm-fga   ftm-fta   off-def   tot   pf   tp   a   to   blk   stl   min Game #1 Kruis                  4-6    0-0    5-6    1-2    3    4    13    1    1    2    2    25 VanArendonk    3-5    0-0    0-0    0-0    0    3    6    1    1    1    3    19  Game#2 Kruis                 5-12    0-0    7-10    2-4    6    2    17    0    1    3    0    32 VanArendonk    3-4    0-0    2-3    1-5    6    4    8    0    2    1    1    26

It Will be fun to see these two go toe-to-toe the next couple of years.

I have watched a lot of Calvin basketball over the years and I firmly believe Kruis is becoming the best big man since Honderd.

Kruis also played 12 more minutes than NVA in the two games.

Matt Neil clearly stated in the post game interview on WGVU he thinks Snuggerud is the best big man in the league, so apparently Hope doesn't tout VanArendonk as their big man.

I also look forward to the day Van Arendonk is a bigger focus of Hope's offense.  Comparing Fr. year to Fr. year NVA has doubled up Tyler Kruis.

OK, match up Snuggerud with Kruis for a game and see who comes out on top. Or rewatch the portion of the game where both NVA and JH left due to foul trouble. Kruis absolutely abused him on two straight possessions, and MN brought Holwerda back in.

I think the best big men are:

1. Kruis
2. Prepolec
3. VanArendonk

I'm not sure Snuggerud could defend any of these three with any regularity.

I know this is going to be criticized, but hang in there with me for a moment while a plead my case. You can make a case for Tommy Erickson as the best big in the conference. Now let me back it up. He's averaging almost 12 points per game in an offense that is designed to push the ball and jack up threes. Not big man friendly at all. Erickson is fourth in the conference in blocked shots, and 3rd in defensive boards. That's higher than prepolec. Higher than snuggerud. Higher than nva. And tied with kruis. Erickson is also only 6-2. Yes, he's listed at 6-4. He's not. I'm a short 5-11 and my eyes are at his nose. So not only is he right up there stat wise with the top bigs in the league, but he's doing to being 4-8 inches shorter than all of them. Do you have a different mindset than when you read that sentance up there that said tommy erickson could be the best big in the conference? Cuz really, why not? Give me a reason to believe if those guys were 6-2 if theyd actually be better than tom. I really don't see how you can tell me that.

Just my opinion of course. But give it a thought. There's no reason why he's not on that los with prepolec kruis nva and snuggerud.     

[goodknight]

I think its pretty clear Hope has the best guard and the best big man in the league.

I think it is pretty clear that Krombeen and Snuggerud are the two best players this year in the MIAA and co-MVP would be warranted. 

However, the best big man in the league is Tyler Kruis.  Hope touts Nate VanArendonk as their big man and in head-to-head competition he has clearly taken a back seat to Kruis.

Total   3-point      Rebounds Player      fgm-fga   fgm-fga   ftm-fta   off-def   tot   pf   tp   a   to   blk   stl   min Game #1 Kruis                  4-6    0-0    5-6    1-2    3    4    13    1    1    2    2    25 VanArendonk    3-5    0-0    0-0    0-0    0    3    6    1    1    1    3    19  Game#2 Kruis                 5-12    0-0    7-10    2-4    6    2    17    0    1    3    0    32 VanArendonk    3-4    0-0    2-3    1-5    6    4    8    0    2    1    1    26

It Will be fun to see these two go toe-to-toe the next couple of years.

I have watched a lot of Calvin basketball over the years and I firmly believe Kruis is becoming the best big man since Honderd.

Kruis also played 12 more minutes than NVA in the two games.

Matt Neil clearly stated in the post game interview on WGVU he thinks Snuggerud is the best big man in the league, so apparently Hope doesn't tout VanArendonk as their big man.

I also look forward to the day Van Arendonk is a bigger focus of Hope's offense.  Comparing Fr. year to Fr. year NVA has doubled up Tyler Kruis.

Here's NVA's line from his freshman year at CMU:
12 VanARENDONK, Nate..  3-0    12  4.0   0-0    .000   0-0    .000   0-0    .000    0   2    2  0.7   1  0   0   2   0   0    0  0.0