MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[sac]

The next 4 games for Hope will dictate a lot about how I feel about their start.  All winnable, all losable games against similar teams.  I feel like they're a little ahead of last year but its difficult to tell.

[HOPEful]

The next 4 games for Hope will dictate a lot about how I feel about their start.  All winnable, all losable games against similar teams.  I feel like they're a little ahead of last year but its difficult to tell.

Agreed. This brings up a question I've been pondering. Is there any value in playing Aquinas and Cornerstone other than game experience? It seems to me to be a more risk than reward situation. Either they lose and have a loss as a blemish on the overall record... Or they win and the value is minimal since neither is an NCAA D3 team.

Then again, I'm sure scheduling games the Friday and Saturday after Thanksgiving is a tough sell for schools further away than GR.

[oldknight]

Calvin's had a rather ho-hum 74-56 victory over an overmatched Manchester team. Calvin broke away from an early 10-6 deficit by scoring the next 23 and it appeared the final score would be much wider than the final 18 point margin. It didn't happen largely because the Knights offense was rarely in sync. Other than Jordan Brink no one shot particularly well but it really wasn't because of Manchester's defense. The Knights had plenty of opportunities to get open looks but often took shots too early in the shot clock during the first half, and displayed some tentativeness for much of the second frame. Calvin's offense simply flows better when they realize the ball needs to be in the hands of their best player more often. As a frustrated KVS was heard saying to his squad at one point "We've got the best shooter in America on our team; it would be nice if we got him the ball once in a while." Brink is simply a phenomenal offensive force, scoring 23 more tonight on just 12 shots, despite sporting a patch to cover the three stitches needed to close the laceration he suffered Saturday. For the season Jordan has 91 points on only 51 field goal attempts. Brink is a patient player who knows when to test a defense and when to back off. The younger players should get a clue by observing the senior. Brad Visser and Connor VanderBrug combined to play 37 minutes--only six more than Brink--but took 10 more shots while shooting a poor 5-22. The youngsters seem to think the first open look is the one to take and that overeagerness doesn't make them look good on offense.

[wiz]

An interesting read.

http://www.mattneiltraining.com/

[arena]

An interesting read.

http://www.mattneiltraining.com/

. Those who can't do, teach?  Seriously, looks like a nice enterprise for him.

[sac]

Good win for hope over short handed cornerstone (6-8 lanning).  An excellent 2nd half.

The ability of Aquinas to stick with teams that are better than them the last few years in this tournament is admirable.

[pointlem]

A new look for Hope tonight . . . and one that bodes well.  Ben Gardner started at the #2 position, thus enabling Hope to exploit the talents and speed of Chad Carlson and Dante Hawkins at the point position.  Carlson and Steve Wittenbach both had what I believe were career nights (13 and 10 points).  In their 45 combined minutes they together made 5 of 6 threes and committed zero turnovers.  Wittenbach, who is a leaper, also snagged 4 rebounds.  Dante Hawkins, a bulldog on defense, was only credited with one steal (I counted three, but some of those perhaps were credited as forced turnovers, and he also recorded zero turnovers).  Although his shots didn't fall tonight, he also on a couple occasions showed his ability to spin or quick step past whomever was guarding him.

Hope led in the first half by six, until sitting three of its starters with 2 fouls each . . . and regained the lead when they returned. 

Kyle Steigenga cannot be guarded one-on-one, and when Hope would double on him he would draw fouls or give assists.  What a great player he is going to be for CU. Kevin VS surely has a game-plan for dealing with him tomorrow night . . . but perhaps Tyler Dykstra will be the perfect matchup against him?

[oldknight]

Pretty good night for the MIAA tonight, going 2-0 against the WHAC. I only saw the last 15 minutes of Hope's win but I thought the Flying Dutchmen looked quite solid. Of course you always look better when the ball is going in the basket but Hope looked like a disciplined, well-coach team which is no surprise. Greg Mitchell gained much respect over the years with what he did at Laingsburg HS.

I don't know what surprised me more about the Calvin/Aquinas game: the pace of first half play, or the nature of music I heard during breaks in the action. Doesn't anyone vett the lyrics at Aquinas? Pretty embarrassing I thought for an institution of higher learning, especially one featuring the name of one of the church's great minds.

Calvin ran their offense and shot the ball pretty well when they weren't turning the ball over. The Knights competed better on defense and the boards than we've seen up to this point, holding the Saints scoreless for 10 minutes of the second half to pull away to a 73-64 win. AQ did a nice job on Jordan Brink, holding him to 17 points and 6 rebounds. Credit to Jordan though for not getting frustrated with all the body contact he absorbed without getting calls.

No Dave Hammer sighting at the game and I have no idea why not.

[knightvision]

Pretty good night for the MIAA tonight, going 2-0 against the WHAC. I only saw the last 15 minutes of Hope's win but I thought the Flying Dutchmen looked quite solid. Of course you always look better when the ball is going in the basket but Hope looked like a disciplined, well-coach team which is no surprise. Greg Mitchell gained much respect over the years with what he did at Laingsburg HS.

I don't know what surprised me more about the Calvin/Aquinas game: the pace of first half play, or the nature of music I heard during breaks in the action. Doesn't anyone vett the lyrics at Aquinas? Pretty embarrassing I thought for an institution of higher learning, especially one featuring the name of one of the church's great minds.

Calvin ran their offense and shot the ball pretty well when they weren't turning the ball over. The Knights competed better on defense and the boards than we've seen up to this point, holding the Saints scoreless for 10 minutes of the second half to pull away to a 73-64 win. AQ did a nice job on Jordan Brink, holding him to 17 points and 6 rebounds. Credit to Jordan though for not getting frustrated with all the body contact he absorbed without getting calls.

No Dave Hammer sighting at the game and I have no idea why not.

I don't know the exact nature of the problem, but Coach Hammer reportedly has a pretty serious eye/vision issue.

[sac]

Adrian is currently abusing Franklin.  At the half its Adrian 63 Franklin 29


The 63 points in one half are more points than the Bulldogs scored in 19 full games last season.

[AppletonRocks]

Adrian is currently abusing Franklin.  At the half its Adrian 63 Franklin 29


The 63 points in one half are more points than the Bulldogs scored in 19 full games last season.

How could Adrian score under 4 points a game?  That would have to be a record. 

[kzoo99]

Kalamazoo 63 Manchester 58...  The Hornets only shot 3 of 16 for threes so they are glad just to get the win.  Adam Peters did have 24 on 12 of 19 shooting.  Unfortunately the rest of the team was only 12 for 29 from the floor.

[SBell]

Pretty good night for the MIAA tonight, going 2-0 against the WHAC. I only saw the last 15 minutes of Hope's win but I thought the Flying Dutchmen looked quite solid. Of course you always look better when the ball is going in the basket but Hope looked like a disciplined, well-coach team which is no surprise. Greg Mitchell gained much respect over the years with what he did at Laingsburg HS.

I don't know what surprised me more about the Calvin/Aquinas game: the pace of first half play, or the nature of music I heard during breaks in the action. Doesn't anyone vett the lyrics at Aquinas? Pretty embarrassing I thought for an institution of higher learning, especially one featuring the name of one of the church's great minds.

Calvin ran their offense and shot the ball pretty well when they weren't turning the ball over. The Knights competed better on defense and the boards than we've seen up to this point, holding the Saints scoreless for 10 minutes of the second half to pull away to a 73-64 win. AQ did a nice job on Jordan Brink, holding him to 17 points and 6 rebounds. Credit to Jordan though for not getting frustrated with all the body contact he absorbed without getting calls.

No Dave Hammer sighting at the game and I have no idea why not.

I don't know the exact nature of the problem, but Coach Hammer reportedly has a pretty serious eye/vision issue.

Could be stress-induced, so advised not to be in gym.

[sac]

Interesting halftime score from Big Rapids.

Albion 34  Ferris State 18.....Ferris shot under 20% in the first half.
http://portal.stretchinternet.com/ferris/stats.htm?eventId=187492&streamType=stats


UPDATE:  Ferris hits a 3 with :02 left to win 54-52

[oldknight]

A disappointing 65-60 loss tonight for the Knights against Cornerstone. Calvin shot poorly, a stat that might be partially random variation--Jordan Brink shot an uncharacteristic 4-12 from the field and 1-5 from the arc--but not totally. The Knights also hurt themselves badly from the stripe hitting only 12 of 20. Even the infallible Jordan Brink missed one and dropped to 21-22 for the season. Calvin's offense seems to be based on a series of handoffs around the arc and tonight that ran straight into the teeth of Stoners' defenders who jumped out at every opportunity to double the handoff and stall the offense right there. Hope has done that to Calvin the last few years too and that tactic has often given the Knights fits just as it did tonight. Calvin needed to take full advantage of what Cornerstone gave them which meant getting the ball to Jordan Daley in the blocks more often. When they did, he scored. All in all it was pretty disappointing because I really don't think the Golden Eagles are better than the Knights, though they were tonight. One positive from the evening is that my pleas for less offensive musical offerings seem to have been heard by the powers that be at this Dominican rooted college. Nary an obscenity laced song was noticed by me during breaks in the action. Ah, the power of the board.