MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[HopeConvert]

Calvin also needs to have Kruis in the game as much as possible. They are just a far better team when the big kid from Grandville is manning the post. His lengthy absence for foul issues was one reason Ferris dominated most of the first half.

Kruis left the first half after picking up his second foul with 9:45 left on the clock. Calvin was down by 5 at the time, but Ferris went on a 22-7 run to finish the half. Kruis played 14 minutes in the second half and didn't pick up another foul. Another example of why sitting a player in "foul trouble" is a bad idea. If he fouls out, he fouls out. The only way to maximize his playing time is to allow him to do so. By sitting him, you're enforcing the foul-out penalty upon yourself prematurely. That was 6-7 minutes of Kruis (clearly Calvin's most important player) lost for no reason.

Amen! I couldn't agree more.

[ziggy]

Calvin also needs to have Kruis in the game as much as possible. They are just a far better team when the big kid from Grandville is manning the post. His lengthy absence for foul issues was one reason Ferris dominated most of the first half.

Kruis left the first half after picking up his second foul with 9:45 left on the clock. Calvin was down by 5 at the time, but Ferris went on a 22-7 run to finish the half. Kruis played 14 minutes in the second half and didn't pick up another foul. Another example of why sitting a player in "foul trouble" is a bad idea. If he fouls out, he fouls out. The only way to maximize his playing time is to allow him to do so. By sitting him, you're enforcing the foul-out penalty upon yourself prematurely. That was 6-7 minutes of Kruis (clearly Calvin's most important player) lost for no reason.

Basketball coaches seem to suffer from a high rate of premature ejection.

[pointlem]

Amen to HopeConvert's Amen.  Coaches seem to suffer the illusion(a "temporal contiguity" illusion)  that points at the game's end are more determinative of the outcome than points scored with 9 minutes left in the first half.  Thus rather than maximize Kruis's minutes and impact, many a coach would prefer to sit him but be confident of having him at the game's end.  Better, they seem to think, to have him play 20 minutes and be available for the last 5 minutes than to play 30 minutes and foul out ("when the game is on the line"). 

(To anticipate criticism:  I'm not disputing sitting for a couple minutes to rest and refocus after 2 fouls.)

Calvin also needs to have Kruis in the game as much as possible. They are just a far better team when the big kid from Grandville is manning the post. His lengthy absence for foul issues was one reason Ferris dominated most of the first half.

Kruis left the first half after picking up his second foul with 9:45 left on the clock. Calvin was down by 5 at the time, but Ferris went on a 22-7 run to finish the half. Kruis played 14 minutes in the second half and didn't pick up another foul. Another example of why sitting a player in "foul trouble" is a bad idea. If he fouls out, he fouls out. The only way to maximize his playing time is to allow him to do so. By sitting him, you're enforcing the foul-out penalty upon yourself prematurely. That was 6-7 minutes of Kruis (clearly Calvin's most important player) lost for no reason.

Amen! I couldn't agree more.

[maroonandgold]

I'm still pretty concerned about this team's ability to be effective from the arc. Other than Brink (who was 2-7 on threes) I don't see one player on this team ready to step up and become a consistent threat from downtown. In today's college game you just can't be a good team unless you have several deep threats and right now they don't have anyone else but Jordan. I also noticed that Tyler Dykstra started. I don't think he's ready for that role yet. Mickey De Vries is a far more well rounded player and needs to play major minutes right from the get go. Mickey was excellent for the Knights and was a major reason Calvin outrebounded Ferris. When teamed with Tyler Kruis, the Knights have a formidable D3 front line.

Calvin also needs to have Kruis in the game as much as possible. They are just a far better team when the big kid from Grandville is manning the post. His lengthy absence for foul issues was one reason Ferris dominated most of the first half.

For some reason, last night's (Knights) exhibition game sneaked up on me.  I had not looked at the calendar carefully and was thinking the game was tonight.  I found Old Knight's comments and insights very helpful in giving an idea where the team is at this point.  It is particularly interesting to see who is doing what with the new team.  By looking at the box score and play-by-play, I see confirmation of much of what Old Knight said.  It looks as if Tyler Dykstra is still primarily a good defensive player and rebounder but not yet much of a scorer.  Clearly we need to improve both our outside shooting and free throw shooting.  It appears that we are stronger at backup center with Stout than we were with last year's combinations.  He did seem to rebound and block effectively from what I could read into the figures.  For those who did actually see the game, is it true that even though we still decidedly drop off after Kruis leaves we still have a stronger backup than we  had last year?  What was also striking is that Mast was not even in the game (is he healthy?) and De Boer not only did not start but played a small role.  I recall that De Boer got off to a slow start last year and then became one of our top scorers and probably our most consistent mid-range shooter.  How does he look at this point?

[ziggy]

Amen to HopeConvert's Amen.  Coaches seem to suffer the illusion(a "temporal contiguity" illusion)  that points at the game's end are more determinative of the outcome than points scored with 9 minutes left in the first half.  Thus rather than maximize Kruis's minutes and impact, many a coach would prefer to sit him but be confident of having him at the game's end.  Better, they seem to think, to have him play 20 minutes and be available for the last 5 minutes than to play 30 minutes and foul out ("when the game is on the line"). 

(To anticipate criticism:  I'm not disputing sitting for a couple minutes to rest and refocus after 2 fouls.)

I don't see any reason to criticize. It makes perfect sense to send a guy to the bench after a second foul if he's near a spot where he'd get a break anyway. Try to "steal" a few minutes and get him back in there, especially if the game takes a turn. The problem is immediately ruling him out for the rest of the first half.

Based on what happened last night the argument can be made that Calvin would have beaten Ferris had Kruis been allowed to play even four extra minutes in the first half (that would have given him a total of 25 minutes for the game). The big problem is that this isn't a KVS issue, it's a prevailing issue throughout college basketball.

[KnightSlappy]

The big problem is that this isn't a KVS issue, it's a prevailing issue throughout college basketball.

But you need that scrappy guy in the two-spot that can handle the bat and bunt the runner over.

[Roundball999]

D3Hoops pre-season All-American team is out.  Hope's Snuggerud (3rd team) is the only MIAA player listed.

http://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-americans/men/preseason-2013

[sac]

D3Hoops pre-season All-American team is out.  Hope's Snuggerud (3rd team) is the only MIAA player listed.

http://www.d3hoops.com/awards/all-americans/men/preseason-2013

Also the only Great Lakes Region guy.

[Happy Calvin Guy]

I'm still pretty concerned about this team's ability to be effective from the arc. Other than Brink (who was 2-7 on threes) I don't see one player on this team ready to step up and become a consistent threat from downtown.

There is one guy that comes to mind.  He shot 46.2% from behind the arc last year and made more treys than any other returning player on Calvin's roster.  And he got zero minutes of PT last night.  Thoughts on that idea?  Or would that "disrupt the flow" too much to have more than a 9 man rotation?  I'll defer to the wisdom of those who were able to observe the game in person.

(By the way, thank you thank you OK and everyone else who consistently posts informative and entertaining summaries of games that not everyone is able to attend.  That is the #1 reason to visit this board and is so much more helpful and interesting than mere "box score analysis")

[KnightSlappy]

It appears that we are stronger at backup center with Stout than we were with last year's combinations.  He did seem to rebound and block effectively from what I could read into the figures.  For those who did actually see the game, is it true that even though we still decidedly drop off after Kruis leaves we still have a stronger backup than we  had last year?

Yes, but 18 minutes is too many for Dan right now. I would say Kruis is ideally handling 27-28 minutes and Stout is only having to go for 12 or 13 (or even 10 with DeVries filling in as the 'center' for a couple of minutes per game).

[KnightSlappy]

I'm still pretty concerned about this team's ability to be effective from the arc. Other than Brink (who was 2-7 on threes) I don't see one player on this team ready to step up and become a consistent threat from downtown.

There is one guy that comes to mind.  He shot 46.2% from behind the arc last year and made more treys than any other returning player on Calvin's roster.

Things may have looked differently if Vallie had been healthy all season. He shot the three with a slightly higher frequency than Mast, and still made over 42% of his attempts (1.2 made per game, most on the team).

[oldknight]

I'm still pretty concerned about this team's ability to be effective from the arc. Other than Brink (who was 2-7 on threes) I don't see one player on this team ready to step up and become a consistent threat from downtown.

There is one guy that comes to mind.  He shot 46.2% from behind the arc last year and made more treys than any other returning player on Calvin's roster.  And he got zero minutes of PT last night.  Thoughts on that idea?  Or would that "disrupt the flow" too much to have more than a 9 man rotation?  I'll defer to the wisdom of those who were able to observe the game in person.

(By the way, thank you thank you OK and everyone else who consistently posts informative and entertaining summaries of games that not everyone is able to attend.  That is the #1 reason to visit this board and is so much more helpful and interesting than mere "box score analysis")

I really can't tell you why Mast didn't play other than to use the cliche' that he's "caught up in the numbers game" right now. Calvin played 10 last night and Mast wasn't one of them. I don't watch the Knights practice and have no inside information on how he stacks up this year but I can tell you that when I saw Mast play in the CC scrimmage last week he didn't play all that well. Vallie did shoot over 40% from the arc last year in his few games of action but in the two scrimmages Calvin has played the last week, his shot has deserted him. His shot selection appears hurried and its trajectory a bit too flat. If either of these guys can step up their game that certainly would help but for the moment its Brink and a lot of thin air when it comes to Calvin's three point shooting--though Mickey did step out and drop a triple last night.

[oldknight]

  It looks as if Tyler Dykstra is still primarily a good defensive player and rebounder but not yet much of a scorer.  Clearly we need to improve both our outside shooting and free throw shooting.  It appears that we are stronger at backup center with Stout than we were with last year's combinations.  He did seem to rebound and block effectively from what I could read into the figures.  For those who did actually see the game, is it true that even though we still decidedly drop off after Kruis leaves we still have a stronger backup than we  had last year?  What was also striking is that Mast was not even in the game (is he healthy?) and De Boer not only did not start but played a small role.  I recall that De Boer got off to a slow start last year and then became one of our top scorers and probably our most consistent mid-range shooter.  How does he look at this point?

My gut tells me that DeBoer will come off the bench this year now that everybody is back, particularly given how well Mickey DeVries has looked. Matt is not a bad option for that kind of duty in part because he is primarily a scorer and it's nice having a sub come in who can put the ball in the basket. Tyler Dykstra still seems to be more of a specialty player, a long, tall drink of water who can come out of no where to swat away balls when you least expect it. He does that better than anyone else on Calvin's team (he blocked three last night) but his game does not yet appear to be well rounded enough to justify a starting spot yet. Stout is coming along but Tyler Kruis is clearly the big dog and needs to play the large majority of minutes in competitive games. It's nice to see that Kruis has been able to ditch the brace he wore last year and it seems he is moving better because of that.

[KnightSlappy]

  It looks as if Tyler Dykstra is still primarily a good defensive player and rebounder but not yet much of a scorer.  Clearly we need to improve both our outside shooting and free throw shooting.  It appears that we are stronger at backup center with Stout than we were with last year's combinations.  He did seem to rebound and block effectively from what I could read into the figures.  For those who did actually see the game, is it true that even though we still decidedly drop off after Kruis leaves we still have a stronger backup than we  had last year?  What was also striking is that Mast was not even in the game (is he healthy?) and De Boer not only did not start but played a small role.  I recall that De Boer got off to a slow start last year and then became one of our top scorers and probably our most consistent mid-range shooter.  How does he look at this point?

My gut tells me that DeBoer will come off the bench this year now that everybody is back, particularly given how well Mickey DeVries has looked. Matt is not a bad option for that kind of duty in part because he is primarily a scorer and it's nice having a sub come in who can put the ball in the basket. Tyler Dykstra still seems to be more of a specialty player, a long, tall drink of water who can come out of no where to swat away balls when you least expect it. He does that better than anyone else on Calvin's team (he blocked three last night) but his game does not yet appear to be well rounded enough to justify a starting spot yet. Stout is coming along but Tyler Kruis is clearly the big dog and needs to play the large majority of minutes in competitive games. It's nice to see that Kruis has been able to ditch the brace he wore last year and it seems he is moving better because of that.

Mickey played 24 minutes to Dykstra's 18, so he's playing starter's minutes.

[oldknight]

  It looks as if Tyler Dykstra is still primarily a good defensive player and rebounder but not yet much of a scorer.  Clearly we need to improve both our outside shooting and free throw shooting.  It appears that we are stronger at backup center with Stout than we were with last year's combinations.  He did seem to rebound and block effectively from what I could read into the figures.  For those who did actually see the game, is it true that even though we still decidedly drop off after Kruis leaves we still have a stronger backup than we  had last year?  What was also striking is that Mast was not even in the game (is he healthy?) and De Boer not only did not start but played a small role.  I recall that De Boer got off to a slow start last year and then became one of our top scorers and probably our most consistent mid-range shooter.  How does he look at this point?

My gut tells me that DeBoer will come off the bench this year now that everybody is back, particularly given how well Mickey DeVries has looked. Matt is not a bad option for that kind of duty in part because he is primarily a scorer and it's nice having a sub come in who can put the ball in the basket. Tyler Dykstra still seems to be more of a specialty player, a long, tall drink of water who can come out of no where to swat away balls when you least expect it. He does that better than anyone else on Calvin's team (he blocked three last night) but his game does not yet appear to be well rounded enough to justify a starting spot yet. Stout is coming along but Tyler Kruis is clearly the big dog and needs to play the large majority of minutes in competitive games. It's nice to see that Kruis has been able to ditch the brace he wore last year and it seems he is moving better because of that.

Mickey played 24 minutes to Dykstra's 18, so he's playing starter's minutes.

Understood. But they both played 11 minutes in the first half. I want Mickey on the floor from the opening tip and getting more than 24 minutes a game. Kenny Brown played 36 for Ferris and other starters got 31 and 28. Even one of the Bulldog reserves got 26 minutes, which is one more than any Calvin player got. Maybe I'm too old school (a possible board name change?) but I want one of my best players putting in more than 24 per game.