MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[sac]

I once found an English soccer player who looked just like Stephen Cramer, last week I was watching an Aston Villa match and couldn't help notice their manager Paul Lambert looked an awful lot like a young Kevin Vande Streek.





His team is also ranked #17, though that's out of 20 and not good.

[HopeConvert]

Without Garner Small having played, Olivet still leads Hope at the half, 34-28. Hope is 0-6 from the arc and has committed 12 turnovers.

Snugs with 13 minutes.

And VanArendonk with a goose egg. He did manage to grab one rebound in zero minutes though. Put that in your TI calculator to come up with a 40 minute average and watch it explode.

EDIT: They just changed it and gave him 1 minuteof pt. Darn! I wanted to see fireworks.

And like a lot of games, he has 2 fouls in less than 1 minute of play

What, no follow up comments about 7 pts, 5 rebs in 11 minutes?

I don't usually go crazy over a second half of play of one individual in a loss.  However, it was a nice 11 minutes for NVA.  I mostly enjoyed the 5-6 from the FT line to raise his season FT percentage to 55.1 (27-49)

But you're excited enough to single out and criticize same player for a whole 1 minute of play in same loss?  Seems to me second half contributions are kind of important too in a game that went down to the wire, hmmmm?

Hmmmmmmmmm, absolutely, I single out trends that are consistent.  NVA is consistently in foul trouble, because he makes poor decisions defensively and get fouls in cheap spots.  He also is a below average FT, which has contributed to poor performances.  Those are facts and not disputable.  There is ample evidence to support it.  Plenty of game stats to review if u like.  Probably a big reason his PT has gone way down.  If you feel good in his 2nd half in a loss, that is fine.  Snugs had a good game too but hope lost.  So in my opinion it still hurts.  However, I realize some people like individual stuff or team and that is fine for them, but not for me.  If NVA, continues to play 11 min halfs like yesterday, it probably means more PT, and hopefully W's for hope.  The trend and history doesn't support it, but I will be one of the first to acknowledge him with positive affirmation if it does.  I will also be willing to refute to those, when he is in foul trouble and shoot close to 50 percent from the line.

Yup, no doubt he has foul issues, no news there.  But Seiler, Neil, Holwerda and Ray all have similar or lower FT % and I didn't see them singled out for criticism here.  Nor did I see positive affirmation for NVA still leading the team in rebounding and in blocks despite such limited minutes, or for scoring points per minute at a rate that is actually above the team's average.  Seems to me that sometimes players like NVA are criticized based on their perceived potential rather than their actual contributions.  Human nature I guess.

SAC mentioned this on his blog, and I agree with it: being big isn't a foul. I don't think I've ever seen more head-scratching calls go against a player than I have against NVA.

[Roundball999]

Had a teammate like that once.  He was huge.  On defense he'd stand still as stone near the low block with his arms in the air.  Someone would drive the lane and plow into him.  He wouldn't flinch; the offensive player would crumple to the floor.  Of course he'd get called for the foul, and it would have looked silly if he tried to flop. 

Not saying this is always the case with NVA, he appears capable of moving well enough but he needs to move his feet better and not swat quite so much.  To me, the biggest head scratchers are some of his offensive fouls.  His defenders have learned to play the refs, and the refs are being played.

[sac]

MIAA refs being played?  Say it isn't so.

[realist]

Had a teammate like that once.  He was huge.  On defense he'd stand still as stone near the low block with his arms in the air.  Someone would drive the lane and plow into him.  He wouldn't flinch; the offensive player would crumple to the floor.  Of course he'd get called for the foul, and it would have looked silly if he tried to flop. 

Not saying this is always the case with NVA, he appears capable of moving well enough but he needs to move his feet better and not swat quite so much.  To me, the biggest head scratchers are some of his offensive fouls.  His defenders have learned to play the refs, and the refs are being played.

For contrast watch T. Kruis when he is setting up, and is set up for defense.  Not totally stationary, but does not move towards the offensive player with feet, body, arms or hands.  The little tape I have showing NVA it appears his arms/hands move quite a lot.  The expression on Kruis's face is pretty emotionless, while many players exhibit a more agressive demeanor.  Glowering over a fallen competitor is not really a good idea, as refs seem to remember that.  I don't think of NVA as exceptionally agressive, but his sheer size may in fact play against him in some situations. 

Sac;  Which would you like to see, the short list, or the long list of Hope players that were quite good at playing the refs?  

[Roundball999]

Yes, good observations I think.

I took sac's comment as more of a non-partisan comment on the refs rather than on any one team's ability to play them

[realist]

Yes, good observations I think.

I took sac's comment as more of a non-partisan comment on the refs rather than on any one team's ability to play them

I was intending it as a compliment, as several should have won oscars.

[sac]

Travis Spaman was excellent, he had good form, audible grunt, and was way to big to be knocked over by the people who were knocking him over.

[neilrocks]

Even though every game counts the same in the standings.  I am of the opinion that Hope's game tonight against Trine will most likely determine the remaining direction of their season.  Three straight MIAA loses and a home loss, at that, would be almost crippling as far as regular season title hopes are concerned.

It will be interesting to see how Ian Jackson plays.  Hope has had success against him in the past with their tough, aggressive, in your face D.  However, we all agree that Hope's D this year does not match the last few years.  My thought is Billy Seiler will get the primary assignment and I believe he will be up to the task.

Trine is only shooting 30.1% from 3 land, and Hope will need to keep them from carving them up from outside as Calvin and Olivet did.  Nick Tatu has taken 90 three's for Trine.  Colton or Alex will need to keep close eye on him.

I think the wildcard for Trine and Hope is Scott Rogers.  He is an explosive and streaky player.  At 6'4" he is a leaper and I'm not sure Hope has a good match up for him on D.  My guess is Chase DeMaagd gets some extra minutes on him, as well as Grant Neil.  Not sure that Snuggs, Byers or Benson match up well on the D end, although they may have an advantage on the O end.

[Bulldog#1fan]

I would just like to thank Hope Colleges coaching staff for sending Truman State University a gift three years ago, in the form of a 6'9 PF Mike Carlson. Carlson who was apparently not good enough to play on Hope's JV Squad has turned into one of the best players in the Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA D2 Basketball). We appreciate your generosity and stupidity, how could you have a player of his caliber at your school for a whole year and not realize it? Add him to Hope's team last year and you potentially could have another National Championship banner in DeVos, but instead Carlson has come to MO and is helping turn Truman State BBall around. The funny thing is our new current coach at Truman almost threw Carlson away as well, by looking at him at a slim but muscular 6'9 you wouldn't think he can play but the boy can ball.

http://tmn.truman.edu/theindex/2012/11/29/carlson-emerges-as-offensive-leader/


Here is a article that pretty much sums it all up!

[neilrocks]

I would just like to thank Hope Colleges coaching staff for sending Truman State University a gift three years ago, in the form of a 6'9 PF Mike Carlson. Carlson who was apparently not good enough to play on Hope's JV Squad has turned into one of the best players in the Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA D2 Basketball). We appreciate your generosity and stupidity, how could you have a player of his caliber at your school for a whole year and not realize it? Add him to Hope's team last year and you potentially could have another National Championship banner in DeVos, but instead Carlson has come to MO and is helping turn Truman State BBall around. The funny thing is our new current coach at Truman almost threw Carlson away as well, by looking at him at a slim but muscular 6'9 you wouldn't think he can play but the boy can ball.

http://tmn.truman.edu/theindex/2012/11/29/carlson-emerges-as-offensive-leader/


Here is a article that pretty much sums it all up!

First of all, congrats to the kid for pursuing his dream and putting the work and effort in to make it happen.

But, to the poster, shame on you, create an account, make one post, call out a group of people, who you obviously have no idea who they are.  And then, cowardly delete your account.

Hopefully, the admin will do the same with your post.  Keep the article, delete the troll's trash.

BTW, it appears from article, the Hope coaches were not the only ones who told the young man he needed to improve things.  His current coach did too.

Best wishes to you Mike Carlson!  Good riddance, Bulldog#1fan!

[HopeConvert]

I would just like to thank Hope Colleges coaching staff for sending Truman State University a gift three years ago, in the form of a 6'9 PF Mike Carlson. Carlson who was apparently not good enough to play on Hope's JV Squad has turned into one of the best players in the Mid America Intercollegiate Athletics Association (MIAA D2 Basketball). We appreciate your generosity and stupidity, how could you have a player of his caliber at your school for a whole year and not realize it? Add him to Hope's team last year and you potentially could have another National Championship banner in DeVos, but instead Carlson has come to MO and is helping turn Truman State BBall around. The funny thing is our new current coach at Truman almost threw Carlson away as well, by looking at him at a slim but muscular 6'9 you wouldn't think he can play but the boy can ball.

http://tmn.truman.edu/theindex/2012/11/29/carlson-emerges-as-offensive-leader/


Here is a article that pretty much sums it all up!

Of everything in your post, I suspect it is the word "another" that will generate the most commentary.

[Gregory Sager]

NR, you are wasting your time. The Truman fan is obviously a hit-and-run poster. You're reacting to someone who will never read your response, because he'll never be on this site again. You're just shouting back at thin air.

[northb]

Awww, we can't even smite him!

[Mr. Ypsi]

Awww, we can't even smite him!

That IS the frustrating part - he'd probably be -37 by now!