MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[GoKnights68]

So who do people think will be in the running for the job at Hope? 

Will it be a member of the current staff?  Davelaar, Carlson
Will it be a former player?  Elliott, Mitchell, Bosma, Bray (and I am sure there are plenty more)
Will they go outside the local area?  Van Haaften from BVU

My first phone call...Clayton Bates at WMU, just to see if he would be interested...

I am hearing Derek Van Solkema is a being considered

[MaroonKnighty]

So who do people think will be in the running for the job at Hope? 

Will it be a member of the current staff?  Davelaar, Carlson
Will it be a former player?  Elliott, Mitchell, Bosma, Bray (and I am sure there are plenty more)
Will they go outside the local area?  Van Haaften from BVU

My first phone call...Clayton Bates at WMU, just to see if he would be interested...

I am hearing Derek Van Solkema is a being considered

He would be a good fit

[HOPEful]

My first calls would be Eric Bridgeland at Whitman and Marcus Kahn at Cabrini. Neither has any reason to leave, but hey, aim high.

[sac]

Just occurred to me that whoever the next coach is their first game will likely be against defending national champion UW-Whitewater.  Then UW-Stevens Point.

[sac]

My first calls would be Eric Bridgeland at Whitman and Marcus Kahn at Cabrini. Neither has any reason to leave, but hey, aim high.

Marcus Kahn took the Mary Washington job.  There was a bit of drama involved there as well.

[HOPEful]

My first calls would be Eric Bridgeland at Whitman and Marcus Kahn at Cabrini. Neither has any reason to leave, but hey, aim high.

Marcus Kahn took the Mary Washington job.  There was a bit of drama involved there as well.

Obviously, I need to get caught up on off season moves...

[sac]

4 tweets from Holland Sentinel reporter Michael Applegate


Michael Appelgate ‏@mappelgate206 20m
Former Hope bball coach Glenn Van Wieren "I'm very sorry that this has happened to Matt and Hope college... (1/3)

"He was everything I wanted in an assistant and when he became head coach I was very excited... (2/3)

This is something they decided between the two of them (Hope & Matt Neil)." (3/3) #Hopebasketball

Van Wieren was adamant he has no idea why Neil left, and said that information deserves to be private. #Hopebasketball

[Knight2Day]

Curious..very curious....It always drives up curiosity and speculation when the go to response is "could not be reached for comment"

[Happy Calvin Guy]

4 tweets from Holland Sentinel reporter Michael Applegate


Michael Appelgate ‏@mappelgate206 20m
Former Hope bball coach Glenn Van Wieren "I'm very sorry that this has happened to Matt and Hope college... (1/3)

"He was everything I wanted in an assistant and when he became head coach I was very excited... (2/3)

This is something they decided between the two of them (Hope & Matt Neil)." (3/3) #Hopebasketball

Van Wieren was adamant he has no idea why Neil left, and said that information deserves to be private. #Hopebasketball

If GVW has no idea what is going on, how does he know that the information is of a nature that needs to be private? 

My conclusion is that this was initiated by the college and not Coach Neil.  When an employee/coach resigns on their own, the communication always sounds very different that this.  Also, it seems that there was nothing so serious/scandalous that it couldn't wait until the academic year and commencement were complete before making this move. I have no idea what Coach Neil's relationship with President Knapp is like, but this is quite coincidental with the conclusion of the president's first year on campus.  Obviously at a place like Hope the men's BB coach is a high profile position that represents the school to the school's constituents and needs to be on the same page with the president and board.  The final three games of the MN era end up being three embarrassments for Hope, all at DeVos.  At a high profile D1 school this may be a factor for a forced resignation of the coach, but I can't imagine that the team's performance had anything to do with it.  Overall, his four years at the helm were quite successful in the W-L column and in tourney bids.  On the surface to me as a casual fan, I would say that MN has represented Hope very well and I wish him well both personally and with any future coaching career.

[arena]

Miss a minute, miss a lot.

[KnightSlappy]

4 tweets from Holland Sentinel reporter Michael Applegate


Michael Appelgate ‏@mappelgate206 20m
Former Hope bball coach Glenn Van Wieren "I'm very sorry that this has happened to Matt and Hope college... (1/3)

"He was everything I wanted in an assistant and when he became head coach I was very excited... (2/3)

This is something they decided between the two of them (Hope & Matt Neil)." (3/3) #Hopebasketball

Van Wieren was adamant he has no idea why Neil left, and said that information deserves to be private. #Hopebasketball

If GVW has no idea what is going on, how does he know that the information is of a nature that needs to be private? 

My conclusion is that this was initiated by the college and not Coach Neil.  When an employee/coach resigns on their own, the communication always sounds very different that this.  Also, it seems that there was nothing so serious/scandalous that it couldn't wait until the academic year and commencement were complete before making this move. I have no idea what Coach Neil's relationship with President Knapp is like, but this is quite coincidental with the conclusion of the president's first year on campus.  Obviously at a place like Hope the men's BB coach is a high profile position that represents the school to the school's constituents and needs to be on the same page with the president and board.  The final three games of the MN era end up being three embarrassments for Hope, all at DeVos.  At a high profile D1 school this may be a factor for a forced resignation of the coach, but I can't imagine that the team's performance had anything to do with it.  Overall, his four years at the helm were quite successful in the W-L column and in tourney bids.  On the surface to me as a casual fan, I would say that MN has represented Hope very well and I wish him well both personally and with any future coaching career.

I think the fact that no one's saying anything tells us all they're trying to keep it private.

I don't think results of a sporting event -- especially in the midst of a rather successful year/run of years -- should be considered an institutional embarrassment.

[maroonandgold]

4 tweets from Holland Sentinel reporter Michael Applegate


Michael Appelgate ‏@mappelgate206 20m
Former Hope bball coach Glenn Van Wieren "I'm very sorry that this has happened to Matt and Hope college... (1/3)

"He was everything I wanted in an assistant and when he became head coach I was very excited... (2/3)

This is something they decided between the two of them (Hope & Matt Neil)." (3/3) #Hopebasketball

Van Wieren was adamant he has no idea why Neil left, and said that information deserves to be private. #Hopebasketball

If GVW has no idea what is going on, how does he know that the information is of a nature that needs to be private? 

My conclusion is that this was initiated by the college and not Coach Neil.  When an employee/coach resigns on their own, the communication always sounds very different that this.  Also, it seems that there was nothing so serious/scandalous that it couldn't wait until the academic year and commencement were complete before making this move. I have no idea what Coach Neil's relationship with President Knapp is like, but this is quite coincidental with the conclusion of the president's first year on campus.  Obviously at a place like Hope the men's BB coach is a high profile position that represents the school to the school's constituents and needs to be on the same page with the president and board.  The final three games of the MN era end up being three embarrassments for Hope, all at DeVos.  At a high profile D1 school this may be a factor for a forced resignation of the coach, but I can't imagine that the team's performance had anything to do with it.  Overall, his four years at the helm were quite successful in the W-L column and in tourney bids.  On the surface to me as a casual fan, I would say that MN has represented Hope very well and I wish him well both personally and with any future coaching career.

Thinking about the strange nature of the announcement from Hope, I found my self wondering whether the last three games of an overall successful season and 4 years had anything to do with the change.  Sometimes fans are overly demanding and hard on a coach when success unexpectedly turns to disappointment.  Hope had a great year, but they ended on a sour note.  Comments were even made (possibly accurately) that in the last Calvin-Hope game KVS outcoached coach Neil.  Sometimes fans are too hard on a coach when there are disappointments.  Coach KVS has experienced his share of that.  But I cannot imagine an administration would initiate a coaching change over that kind of an issue.  It certainly does not make sense to blame the coach every times there is a disappointment.  When a local sportswriter and radio host always blamed Jim Leyland for every failure, I always thought he was off base, too, even though I do like this year's Tigers team overall makeup and approach better.

[SKOT]

4 tweets from Holland Sentinel reporter Michael Applegate


Michael Appelgate ‏@mappelgate206 20m
Former Hope bball coach Glenn Van Wieren "I'm very sorry that this has happened to Matt and Hope college... (1/3)

"He was everything I wanted in an assistant and when he became head coach I was very excited... (2/3)

This is something they decided between the two of them (Hope & Matt Neil)." (3/3) #Hopebasketball

Van Wieren was adamant he has no idea why Neil left, and said that information deserves to be private. #Hopebasketball

If GVW has no idea what is going on, how does he know that the information is of a nature that needs to be private? 

My conclusion is that this was initiated by the college and not Coach Neil.  When an employee/coach resigns on their own, the communication always sounds very different that this.  Also, it seems that there was nothing so serious/scandalous that it couldn't wait until the academic year and commencement were complete before making this move. I have no idea what Coach Neil's relationship with President Knapp is like, but this is quite coincidental with the conclusion of the president's first year on campus.  Obviously at a place like Hope the men's BB coach is a high profile position that represents the school to the school's constituents and needs to be on the same page with the president and board.  The final three games of the MN era end up being three embarrassments for Hope, all at DeVos.  At a high profile D1 school this may be a factor for a forced resignation of the coach, but I can't imagine that the team's performance had anything to do with it.  Overall, his four years at the helm were quite successful in the W-L column and in tourney bids.  On the surface to me as a casual fan, I would say that MN has represented Hope very well and I wish him well both personally and with any future coaching career.

Hope's spring term ended May 2nd and commencement was May 4th.

[GoKnights68]

4 tweets from Holland Sentinel reporter Michael Applegate


Michael Appelgate ‏@mappelgate206 20m
Former Hope bball coach Glenn Van Wieren “I’m very sorry that this has happened to Matt and Hope college... (1/3)

"He was everything I wanted in an assistant and when he became head coach I was very excited... (2/3)

This is something they decided between the two of them (Hope & Matt Neil)." (3/3) #Hopebasketball

Van Wieren was adamant he has no idea why Neil left, and said that information deserves to be private. #Hopebasketball

If GVW has no idea what is going on, how does he know that the information is of a nature that needs to be private? 

Thinking about the strange nature of the announcement from Hope, I found my self wondering whether the last three games of an overall successful season and 4 years had anything to do with the change.  Sometimes fans are overly demanding and hard on a coach when success unexpectedly turns to disappointment.  Hope had a great year, but they ended on a sour note.  Comments were even made (possibly accurately) that in the last Calvin-Hope game KVS outcoached coach Neil.  Sometimes fans are too hard on a coach when there are disappointments.  Coach KVS has experienced his share of that.  But I cannot imagine an administration would initiate a coaching change over that kind of an issue.  It certainly does not make sense to blame the coach every times there is a disappointment.  When a local sportswriter and radio host always blamed Jim Leyland for every failure, I always thought he was off base, too, even though I do like this year's Tigers team overall makeup and approach better.

Yeah you definitely can't criticize him for his record again Calvin.    It was very nice.



Edit: New Update from mlive has come out, mainly highlighting GVW's reaction to the matter:  http://www.mlive.com/smallcolleges/grandrapids/index.ssf/2014/05/basketball_coach_matt_neil_wil.html#incart_river_default

[KnightSlappy]

Comments were even made (possibly accurately) that in the last Calvin-Hope game KVS outcoached coach Neil. 

Scandalous!