MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[gohope]

**NEWS** - Kalamazoo College Coach Rob Passage is leaving to go to Wilamette. 

Anybody have info on this??

[ziggy]

**NEWS** - Kalamazoo College Coach Rob Passage is leaving to go to Wilmette. 

Anybody have info on this??

Wow, that stadium light issue must be a bigger deal that I thought!

Here's the deets: http://www.willamette.edu/athletics/news/archive/2012/06/19_ATHL_Passage_Hired.php

From the possibly related department, Willamette participated in the Calvin Tip-Off tournament last season.

Also possibly related, Steve Bell has a source that is "doubling down" on his info stating that Albion alum Mike Thomas will be leaving K-Central. Things that make you say hmmm...

[Happy Calvin Guy]

**NEWS** - Kalamazoo College Coach Rob Passage is leaving to go to Wilmette. 

Anybody have info on this??

Wow, that stadium light issue must be a bigger deal that I thought!

Here's the deets: http://www.willamette.edu/athletics/news/archive/2012/06/19_ATHL_Passage_Hired.php

From the possibly related department, Willamette participated in the Calvin Tip-Off tournament last season.

Also possibly related, Steve Bell has a source that is "doubling down" on his info stating that Albion alum Mike Thomas will be leaving K-Central. Things that make you say hmmm...

Interesting move for Passage. Head coach at your alma mater ==> facilities manager in Oregon.  For what it's worth, I was impressed with the Willamette coach during the tourney in Grand Rapids last year.  I think the players enjoyed playing for him and he represented the school well. 

[Flying Dutch Fan]

**NEWS** - Kalamazoo College Coach Rob Passage is leaving to go to Wilmette. 

Anybody have info on this??

Wow, that stadium light issue must be a bigger deal that I thought!

Here's the deets: http://www.willamette.edu/athletics/news/archive/2012/06/19_ATHL_Passage_Hired.php

From the possibly related department, Willamette participated in the Calvin Tip-Off tournament last season.

Also possibly related, Steve Bell has a source that is "doubling down" on his info stating that Albion alum Mike Thomas will be leaving K-Central. Things that make you say hmmm...

Interesting indeed.  K-Central and Thomas are denying he is leaving:

http://www.mlive.com/sports/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/06/kalamazoo_central_basketball_c.html#incart_river_default

[Flying Dutch Fan]

And this story is also on the d3hoops front page:

http://www.d3hoops.com/notables/2012/06/kalamazoo-coach-takes-job-at-willamette

[sac]

Best of luck to Rob, this is a weird one for me because I saw Rob play for Kzoo around the same time I was at Hope. 


K's a good job, a tough one, but a good one.  I'm not privy to the inside workings of K athletics but from afar and just from things I've heard over the years I'm not sure Rob received the same kind of support that his predecessor received.  It always looked and felt like Passage was recruiting with one hand, or both, tied behind his back.  That kind of goes for all of Kalamazoo athletics.   Take the list of players Hope and Calvin try to recruit every year, cut it in half for academics then slice it some more for financial aide and it probably gives you an idea of what K faces each year.

Things are changing from an athletics point of view at K with some nice upgrades to facilities but not much for basketball other than some cosmetic work on the inside of Anderson.  Not sure about how admissions and financial aide is changing much if at all.  Either way the next coach has a challenge to get K back among the top 4 where they spent much of the Haklin era.  Its just a different more competitive league now.

[sac]

MIAA Head Coaching seniority  (or lack of):

Kevin VandeStreak, Calvin     16 years
Jody May, Albion 4 years
Mark White, Adrian  3 years
Matt Neil, Hope  2 years
Sam Hargraves, Alma 1 year
Brooks Miller, Trine 1 year
Chris Coles, Olivet  0 years

[sac]

The Champions of Character games are tonight and Thursday at Cornerstone University.

Here are the rosters for the high school games tonight: 
http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/06/introducing_the_rosters_for_th.html

Of note, the women's game features zero players who will be attending Hope or Calvin or any other MIAA school.

On the boys side, a few players who's names hadn't made the board until now and some that had:

Jordan Dailey, 6-3 Grand Rapids Christian  -- Calvin
Luke Marble, 6-3 Sparta  -- Albion
Andy Slomski, 5-11 Grand Rapids West Catholic  -- Olivet

Alex Eidson, 6-2 Grand Haven  -- Hope
Eric Evans, 6-1 Jenison  -- Albion
Ivy Johnson, 6-5 Rockford  --  Alma*


*  I'm intrigued by Ivy Johnson playing basketball for Alma, big kid with a baby face

[KnightSlappy]

The Champions of Character games are tonight and Thursday at Cornerstone University.

Here are the rosters for the high school games tonight: 
http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/06/introducing_the_rosters_for_th.html

Of note, the women's game features zero players who will be attending Hope or Calvin or any other MIAA school.

On the boys side, a few players who's names hadn't made the board until now and some that had:

Jordan Dailey, 6-3 Grand Rapids Christian  -- Calvin
Luke Marble, 6-3 Sparta  -- Albion
Andy Slomski, 5-11 Grand Rapids West Catholic  -- Olivet

Alex Eidson, 6-2 Grand Haven  -- Hope
Eric Evans, 6-1 Jenison  -- Albion
Ivy Johnson, 6-5 Rockford  --  Alma*

Daley was named to the Bankhoops Class B 5th team this past year, and he was an MHSAA Scholar-Athlete Award recipient. He will be turning down acceptance to the University of Chicago to attend Calvin in the fall.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

MIAA Head Coaching seniority  (or lack of):

Kevin VandeStreak, Calvin     16 years
Jody May, Albion 4 years
Mark White, Adrian  3 years
Matt Neil, Hope  2 years
Sam Hargraves, Alma 1 year
Brooks Miller, Trine 1 year
Chris Coles, Olivet  0 years

WOW!!!

That's like 27 years total.  4 years ago the coaches at Hope, Adrian, and Albion alone had a combined 92 years.

[Civic Minded]

The Champions of Character games are tonight and Thursday at Cornerstone University.

Here are the rosters for the high school games tonight: 
http://www.mlive.com/sports/grand-rapids/index.ssf/2012/06/introducing_the_rosters_for_th.html

Of note, the women's game features zero players who will be attending Hope or Calvin or any other MIAA school.

On the boys side, a few players who's names hadn't made the board until now and some that had:

Jordan Dailey, 6-3 Grand Rapids Christian  -- Calvin
Luke Marble, 6-3 Sparta  -- Albion
Andy Slomski, 5-11 Grand Rapids West Catholic  -- Olivet

Alex Eidson, 6-2 Grand Haven  -- Hope
Eric Evans, 6-1 Jenison  -- Albion
Ivy Johnson, 6-5 Rockford  --  Alma*


*  I'm intrigued by Ivy Johnson playing basketball for Alma, big kid with a baby face

Just clarifying...high school games are tomorrow night, correct?  College games tonight, I thought.

[NW Hope Fan]

**NEWS** - Kalamazoo College Coach Rob Passage is leaving to go to Wilamette. 

Anybody have info on this??

Welcome to the PNW Coach Passage! Another reason the MIAA should spend Christmas break playing the NWC. (Still dreaming of a Hope trip to Washington or Oregon...)

[almcguirejr]

**NEWS** - Kalamazoo College Coach Rob Passage is leaving to go to Wilamette. 

Anybody have info on this??

Welcome to the PNW Coach Passage! Another reason the MIAA should spend Christmas break playing the NWC. (Still dreaming of a Hope trip to Washington or Oregon...)

http://www.mlive.com/sports/kalamazoo/index.ssf/2012/06/rob_passage_announces_departur.html

[knightvision]

WOTS, but not confirmed, is that Peter Zigterman will be the new Asst. Coach at Calvin.  Comes from Trinity Christian College in Illinois where he played and has served as an asst. coach for several years....

[sac]

To the kid in the stands, this dunk was apparently the sickest thing he's ever seen.  David Krombeen thinks 'yer no Victor Davis'.

larger version
http://photos.mlive.com/grandrapidspress/2012/06/champions_of_character_all-sta_38.html