MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Knight2Day]

5'11 G Ben Gardner (2012) of Carmel H.S. has committed to DIII Hope College (MI)...helped lead Carmel to the 4A title  -Scouting Indiana

As the above tweet from Scouting Indiana states, Carmel won the Indiana 4A Championship, Gardner broke Greg Oden's Championship game record with 31 points.  17 of those from the FT line.

Here's a highlight video of Carmel's season focusing on a couple Sr's.  Gardner is #3, the lefty.

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


Ben is going to be one of the few kids on Hope's campus that can say his high school was bigger and mean it.  Carmel has 4,400 students and has been racking up the Indiana  state championship trophies in multiple sports.

Gardner is of course a solid Dutch name, how else do you think they get those tulips in the ground.

Carmel is probably most known in college basketball circles for sending former number one overall recruit Josh McRoberts to Duke.

Carmel is probably one of the bigger basketball powers in the state of Indiana. This is a great get for Hope.

[ziggy]

5'11 G Ben Gardner (2012) of Carmel H.S. has committed to DIII Hope College (MI)...helped lead Carmel to the 4A title  -Scouting Indiana

As the above tweet from Scouting Indiana states, Carmel won the Indiana 4A Championship, Gardner broke Greg Oden's Championship game record with 31 points.  17 of those from the FT line.

Here's a highlight video of Carmel's season focusing on a couple Sr's.  Gardner is #3, the lefty.

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


Ben is going to be one of the few kids on Hope's campus that can say his high school was bigger and mean it.  Carmel has 4,400 students and has been racking up the Indiana  state championship trophies in multiple sports.

Gardner is of course a solid Dutch name, how else do you think they get those tulips in the ground.

Carmel is probably most known in college basketball circles for sending former number one overall recruit Josh McRoberts to Duke.

Carmel is probably one of the bigger basketball powers in the state of Indiana. This is a great get for Hope.

I would say they are known more for being a football power but their basketball success can't be denied. Truth be told, their marching band is actually the extracurricular with the most competitive success but I'll refrain from pushing that argument at this time.

[sac]

While we're on the subject of state championships......I became aware of Ben's interest in Hope (or Hope's interest in Ben) just before the Indiana playoffs began so I was able to watch highlights and even a couple games of their tournament run including the championship game.  Along with browsing around for game write-ups and box scores.

One thing notable is that Carmel really didn't have a superstar 'stud' player bound for D1 this year like most mid-west state champions have.  I think Volovic was their best player and he has yet to make a college choice, but I don't think he was a D1 recruit.   One of the teams Carmel beat just prior to the tournament was Hamilton Southeastern who boasts a roster with Michigan State bound Gary Harris, and future Michigan player Zak Irvin.  They actually thumped them pretty good 81-63.

Carmel was just an all around good team playing a good team concept and Ben seemed to play a big part in that.  He just takes good care of the ball and never seemed to force things.

I don't know where exactly he'll fit in Hope's roster, but he seems like a player who maybe plays above his physical capabilities and to borrow a line from Clark Kellogg he seems to be a very 'cerebral' player.

[Knight2Day]

5'11 G Ben Gardner (2012) of Carmel H.S. has committed to DIII Hope College (MI)...helped lead Carmel to the 4A title  -Scouting Indiana

As the above tweet from Scouting Indiana states, Carmel won the Indiana 4A Championship, Gardner broke Greg Oden's Championship game record with 31 points.  17 of those from the FT line.

Here's a highlight video of Carmel's season focusing on a couple Sr's.  Gardner is #3, the lefty.

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


Ben is going to be one of the few kids on Hope's campus that can say his high school was bigger and mean it.  Carmel has 4,400 students and has been racking up the Indiana  state championship trophies in multiple sports.

Gardner is of course a solid Dutch name, how else do you think they get those tulips in the ground.

Carmel is probably most known in college basketball circles for sending former number one overall recruit Josh McRoberts to Duke.

Carmel is probably one of the bigger basketball powers in the state of Indiana. This is a great get for Hope.

I would say they are known more for being a football power but their basketball success can't be denied. Truth be told, their marching band is actually the extracurricular with the most competitive success but I'll refrain from pushing that argument at this time.

It's true that their football team is quite spectacular along with Warren Central and Ben Davis. I just remember playing against the boys from Carmel during summer tournaments and they were always top tier along with the other Indianapolis schools and the boys from East Chicago and Munster.

[sac]

I've learned more about Indiana high school athletics in the last 4 months than I ever thought I would.  Carmel's  recent athletic success is simply ridiculous, the only school in Michigan I think compares in overall number of state championships is probably East Grand Rapids.  They've been killing it the last 3 years with something close to 20 state championships.


Carmel's basketball title was only their 2nd ever, but we also have to realize Indiana didn't break into 4 divisions like Michigan until sometime in the last decade or so.   

[Knight2Day]

I've learned more about Indiana high school athletics in the last 4 months than I ever thought I would.  Carmel's  recent athletic success is simply ridiculous, the only school in Michigan I think compares in overall number of state championships is probably East Grand Rapids.  They've been killing it the last 3 years with something close to 20 state championships.


Carmel's basketball title was only their 2nd ever, but we also have to realize Indiana didn't break into 4 divisions like Michigan until sometime in the last decade or so.

1997 to be exact. Luke Recker was Mr. Basketball that year. Following the split (which was highly contested by the purists in Indiana and the "Hoosier Hysteria" has definitely taken a hit because of the 4 class split) schools such as Pike, Lawrence North and schools from Bloomington have won the 4A class regularly. Only a few schools from the Gary area have won or come close, EC with E'twaun Moore, Gary West Side featuring Brandon Cameron, and recently Munster which was number 1 all year before bowing out in the semi's 2 years ago.

I had the privilege of experiencing Indiana high school basketball and it truly is second to none even now with the 4 separate classes. Can't imagine what the state tournament was like with only 1 class.

[ziggy]

I've learned more about Indiana high school athletics in the last 4 months than I ever thought I would.  Carmel's  recent athletic success is simply ridiculous, the only school in Michigan I think compares in overall number of state championships is probably East Grand Rapids.  They've been killing it the last 3 years with something close to 20 state championships.


Carmel's basketball title was only their 2nd ever, but we also have to realize Indiana didn't break into 4 divisions like Michigan until sometime in the last decade or so.

I was trying to think of a Michigan comparison and EGR was the first thing that came to my mind although you would have to multiply it by four. People from EGR love EGR and people from Carmel love Carmel. It's a simple way to put it but I'm sure many of you will know what I mean.

Rockford might be another decent example based on scale, athletic prowess as well as community factors. Other than that it is hard to find a public school Michigan comparison.

I spent a couple years residing on the Indy side of 96th street just a stones throw from Carmel and likely would have bought a house there had I stayed in the area longer. Unfortunately I only made it out two one Carmel athletic event, the opening game of the Greyhounds' 2007 football season that ended with a state championship. The quarterback from that team is now at Kentucky (Morgan Newton) and they had a handful of others that went on to play at the DI level.

Edit: I'll also admit to failing to get out to see Eric Gordon play as a senior in high school despite the fact that his school was also about a five minute drive from my apartment. :/

[Knight2Day]

I've learned more about Indiana high school athletics in the last 4 months than I ever thought I would.  Carmel's  recent athletic success is simply ridiculous, the only school in Michigan I think compares in overall number of state championships is probably East Grand Rapids.  They've been killing it the last 3 years with something close to 20 state championships.


Carmel's basketball title was only their 2nd ever, but we also have to realize Indiana didn't break into 4 divisions like Michigan until sometime in the last decade or so.

I was trying to think of a Michigan comparison and EGR was the first thing that came to my mind although you would have to multiply it by four. People from EGR love EGR and people from Carmel love Carmel. It's a simple way to put it but I'm sure many of you will know what I mean.

Rockford might be another decent example based on scale, athletic prowess as well as community factors. Other than that it is hard to find a public school Michigan comparison.

I spent a couple years residing on the Indy side of 96th street just a stones throw from Carmel and likely would have bought a house there had I stayed in the area longer. Unfortunately I only made it out two one Carmel athletic event, the opening game of the Greyhounds' 2007 football season that ended with a state championship. The quarterback from that team is now at Kentucky (Morgan Newton) and they had a handful of others that went on to play at the DI level.

Edit: I'll also admit to failing to get out to see Eric Gordon play as a senior in high school despite the fact that his school was also about a five minute drive from my apartment. :/

I'll say this about Eric, he was a spectacular player and athlete, but he was not the nicest kid on the block off the court

[Civic Minded]

As a Hoosier gal born not very far from Carmel, and someone who also watched the championship game, I'm pretty darn excited to have Ben Gardner coming on board for the Dutchmen.  As my Grandma taught me, there's nothing quite like Indiana h.s. basketball.   

[SBell]

5'11 G Ben Gardner (2012) of Carmel H.S. has committed to DIII Hope College (MI)...helped lead Carmel to the 4A title  -Scouting Indiana

As the above tweet from Scouting Indiana states, Carmel won the Indiana 4A Championship, Gardner broke Greg Oden's Championship game record with 31 points.  17 of those from the FT line.

Here's a highlight video of Carmel's season focusing on a couple Sr's.  Gardner is #3, the lefty.

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


Ben is going to be one of the few kids on Hope's campus that can say his high school was bigger and mean it.  Carmel has 4,400 students and has been racking up the Indiana  state championship trophies in multiple sports.

Gardner is of course a solid Dutch name, how else do you think they get those tulips in the ground.

Carmel is probably most known in college basketball circles for sending former number one overall recruit Josh McRoberts to Duke.

That Duke hype job is bout the last person I think of -- has he added a post move yet? Just one?

Carmel basketball is defined by one name, Shepherd.

[Happy Calvin Guy]

5'11 G Ben Gardner (2012) of Carmel H.S. has committed to DIII Hope College (MI)...helped lead Carmel to the 4A title  -Scouting Indiana

As the above tweet from Scouting Indiana states, Carmel won the Indiana 4A Championship, Gardner broke Greg Oden's Championship game record with 31 points.  17 of those from the FT line.

Here's a highlight video of Carmel's season focusing on a couple Sr's.  Gardner is #3, the lefty.

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


Ben is going to be one of the few kids on Hope's campus that can say his high school was bigger and mean it.  Carmel has 4,400 students and has been racking up the Indiana  state championship trophies in multiple sports.

Gardner is of course a solid Dutch name, how else do you think they get those tulips in the ground.

I realize you can only tell so much from a highlight video, but I'm impressed with his skills and court presence.  Seems like a great catch for the Dutchmen.  The Carmel HS gym has a bit of a DeVos-like feel to it as well. 

With three key members of the Hope backcourt graduating, I wonder if he will have a shot at varsity/significant playing time as a freshman.  I can see him filling the Krombeen's big shoes fairly well over time, and he seems to already have a more developed outside touch than Krombeen had at that age.

[sac]

Among the things I learned this spring is the IHSAA has been conducting "town meetings" across the state specifically about whether there is interest to return to a single class, more specifically about basketball.  As you might expect the movement seems to be from the old timers and the general public 'townies' or fans of high school basketball. 

http://www.highschoolsports.net/sports/preps/basketball/story/2012-05-29/Fans-in-Indiana-poll-favor-one-class-basketball-tournament/55261386/1

The above seems to conclude the public wants single class basketball, but the article also points out the meetings weren't attended very well.  So the voting they show probably isn't terribly accurate.  My guess is they stick with multi-class basketball.


This is also a good read
http://www.crimsonquarry.com/2012/5/1/2953473/one-class-high-school-basketball-in-indiana-will-it-return-should-it

[sac]

Marian University (played Hope and Kzoo last season, NAIA II, Mid-Central Conf.)  has hired former Iowa and Butler coach Todd Lickliter to lead their program. 

http://www.muknights.com/article/2636.php

Really interesting hire at the small school level.  All 3 of Todd's son's either graduated or currently attend Marian.

[OC_SID]

Marian University (played Hope and Kzoo last season, NAIA II, Mid-Central Conf.)  has hired former Iowa and Butler coach Todd Lickliter to lead their program. 

http://www.muknights.com/article/2636.php

Really interesting hire at the small school level.  All 3 of Todd's son's either graduated or currently attend Marian.

Now, I see why Marian's SID posted on Twitter last night that today was going to be a crazy day for him!

[KnightSlappy]

The Kalamazoo schedule is up. I don't remember if it had been posted or not.

http://www.kzoo.edu/sports/mb/mb12-13/mbschd12-13.html

Pretty much the same schedule we see from them every year. Non-conference contains winnable games versus Earlham, Oberlin, Manchester, Case Western Reserve, and Bluffton.

They'll probably have a hard time with Defiance, Chicago, and DePauw, and there's no way they beat North Central.

I'm always interested to see tournament matchups. Kzoo will play at the Rhodes tournament in December. The host school would is in-region in this case.