MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[HopeConvert]

I thought one of the differences in last night's game was the guard play. Neither of Hope's guards could beat his man of the dribble, leading to a lot of bad passes, and Trine shut down Hope's 3-point shooting (Hope was 3-12 for the game). Trine played a very tough game defensively, constantly forcing Hope into uncomfortable situations.

Trine had no answer for Benson, however. He's a completely different player this year.

Every time Hope seemed as if it might go on a run, Trine answered. I was pretty impressed by them.

And, like SAC, I was impressed with what I heard while sitting behind Hope's bench. 

[HollandKnight]

Calvin was led, as usual by Jordan Brink, with 20, but he caused the already nearly comatose VNA "crowd" to faint when he missed the first MIAA competition free throw he took in his senior year. A federal investigation is being contemplated. Pretty good balance after that with 14 each from Dykstra and Daley, 13 from frosh VanderBrug and 12 from newcomer Cameron Denny. As realist correctly notes, Denny looks to be a very solid transfer and he surprised me. He helps Calvin immediately but clearly isn't the listed 6'7" program height. He appears to be 6'5" but that's fine with me because the kid really has skills. In addition to knowing how to shoot the ball, he's quick, appears to be a hardnosed defender and rebounder, and looks to be a terrific interior passer. Once his teammates realize that new guy will find a way to get them the ball when they don't think they're open you will see a lot of assists on the Denny resume. Even though he lacks the two inches the program gives him he should soon (as the ever farsighted and perceptive knightvision noted to me in an aside at the game) be given charge of the Calvin weightlifting program. Cameron's upper body is impressive.

The Delta State team picture -- where Denney played first semester -- provides a very handy brick-grid background if you want to measure pixels and compare listed heights.

http://www.gostatesmen.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

He's clearly taller than #3 and #32, both listed at 6-5, but maybe not quite as tall as #5 who's listed at 6-7.

Now whether or not any basketball roster height can be trusted is another matter altogether.

This transfer could warrant a great match-up 1 on 1 with Harrison Blackledge on Saturday. Connor VanderBrug was another I saw being a great fit to go head to head with the Hope forward. It will definitely be a fun Saturday.

[oldknight]

I thought one of the differences in last night's game was the guard play. Neither of Hope's guards could beat his man of the dribble, leading to a lot of bad passes, and Trine shut down Hope's 3-point shooting (Hope was 3-12 for the game).

Don't worry, Calvin is coming to town Saturday so your outside shooting will get healthy soon.

Just by looking at the box it did appear that Hope's three guard system underperformed and was the key reason for Hope's loss to Trine. I will be curious to see how Hope's three guards matchup against Calvin's. I am also very interested to see how Calvin's important newcomers--VanderBrug and Denney--will respond to their first Rivalry game and the intensity it brings.

[oldknight]

Calvin was led, as usual by Jordan Brink, with 20, but he caused the already nearly comatose VNA "crowd" to faint when he missed the first MIAA competition free throw he took in his senior year. A federal investigation is being contemplated. Pretty good balance after that with 14 each from Dykstra and Daley, 13 from frosh VanderBrug and 12 from newcomer Cameron Denny. As realist correctly notes, Denny looks to be a very solid transfer and he surprised me. He helps Calvin immediately but clearly isn't the listed 6'7" program height. He appears to be 6'5" but that's fine with me because the kid really has skills. In addition to knowing how to shoot the ball, he's quick, appears to be a hardnosed defender and rebounder, and looks to be a terrific interior passer. Once his teammates realize that new guy will find a way to get them the ball when they don't think they're open you will see a lot of assists on the Denny resume. Even though he lacks the two inches the program gives him he should soon (as the ever farsighted and perceptive knightvision noted to me in an aside at the game) be given charge of the Calvin weightlifting program. Cameron's upper body is impressive.

The Delta State team picture -- where Denney played first semester -- provides a very handy brick-grid background if you want to measure pixels and compare listed heights.

http://www.gostatesmen.com/roster.aspx?path=mbball&

He's clearly taller than #3 and #32, both listed at 6-5, but maybe not quite as tall as #5 who's listed at 6-7.

Now whether or not any basketball roster height can be trusted is another matter altogether.

When standing next to Michael Welch (who is listed at 6'8") Denney was clearly at least 2 inches shorter. No matter to me though because the young Hoosier plays big.

[pointlem]

--Brock Benson had to sit for most of the first half with two pretty tough calls early in the game.   I'm pretty sure the score is in Hope's favor when he's out there.

Well, he didn't have to sit.  Holmquist also had 2 first half fouls and played with 4 fouls in the second half--and finished with 31 minutes to Benson's 19 minutes.  But many coaches seem to prefer to have a star player play fewer minutes and be available at the game's end--when the points feel more decisive (though, as Tom D. noted in his after-game commentary, this was a game that was lost in the first half). 

I've always found it curious that players could play early in the second half with three fouls, but not be allowed to play in the first half with two fouls.  I also wonder whether--if basketball, like hockey, had three periods--a player with two fouls would then be put back in the game at the start of the second period (after 13 minutes). 

I was pleased to see that Benson did get some more minutes in the first half, after a long break.  But if the 2-fouls-and-you-sit rule operates on Saturday, one can hope that he and Ben Gardner don't pick up more than one foul.

So, Sac and HopeConvert, what is it about Coach Mitchell's words that you appreciated?

[sac]

Is Brad Visser sick or injured or has he just been bumped out of the rotation the last couple games?

[oldknight]

Is Brad Visser sick or injured or has he just been bumped out of the rotation the last couple games?

He suffered an ankle injury over the Christmas break and didn't play at Finlandia. Visser did attend practice Tuesday and considered playing last night but it still wasn't ready to go. Rather than have the ankle be a long-term issue they decided to give him another game off and he was in street clothes last night.

[HollandKnight]

I thought one of the differences in last night's game was the guard play. Neither of Hope's guards could beat his man of the dribble, leading to a lot of bad passes, and Trine shut down Hope's 3-point shooting (Hope was 3-12 for the game).

Don't worry, Calvin is coming to town Saturday so your outside shooting will get healthy soon.

Just by looking at the box it did appear that Hope's three guard system underperformed and was the key reason for Hope's loss to Trine. I will be curious to see how Hope's three guards matchup against Calvin's. I am also very interested to see how Calvin's important newcomers--VanderBrug and Denney--will respond to their first Rivalry game and the intensity it brings.

Thinking that Hope will get uncontested 3's is wishful thinking. They guard combo of Parks, Brink and Daley is a formidable foe not only on the offensive end but they are become a great defensive threat as well.

[KzooHornet]

Well, he didn't have to sit.  Holmquist also had 2 first half fouls and played with 4 fouls in the second half--and finished with 31 minutes to Benson's 19 minutes.  But many coaches seem to prefer to have a star player play fewer minutes and be available at the game's end--when the points feel more decisive (though, as Tom D. noted in his after-game commentary, this was a game that was lost in the first half). 

I've always found it curious that players could play early in the second half with three fouls, but not be allowed to play in the first half with two fouls.  I also wonder whether--if basketball, like hockey, had three periods--a player with two fouls would then be put back in the game at the start of the second period (after 13 minutes). 

I was actually giving this a lot of thought the other day while watching another game.  Almost all of the coaches I played for growing up had the rule that you sit for the rest of the half as soon as you get your second foul.  My thoughts on that have changed recently.  You are purposely taking minutes away from a player to avoid the possibility of him fouling out and missing time later?  I think I would lean more toward limiting minutes, but not just sitting the player for the entire half.  Of course there are a lot of variables that would come into play - availability of reliable back-ups, way the game is being called, player's ability to avoid fouls, etc.

The case was made to me in the past that players would play too tentatively if they had 2 fouls in the first half.  I know that I actually worried more about getting my second, knowing I would come out, than I ever worried about getting my third. 

[oldknight]

I thought one of the differences in last night's game was the guard play. Neither of Hope's guards could beat his man of the dribble, leading to a lot of bad passes, and Trine shut down Hope's 3-point shooting (Hope was 3-12 for the game).

Don't worry, Calvin is coming to town Saturday so your outside shooting will get healthy soon.

Just by looking at the box it did appear that Hope's three guard system underperformed and was the key reason for Hope's loss to Trine. I will be curious to see how Hope's three guards matchup against Calvin's. I am also very interested to see how Calvin's important newcomers--VanderBrug and Denney--will respond to their first Rivalry game and the intensity it brings.

Thinking that Hope will get uncontested 3's is wishful thinking. They guard combo of Parks, Brink and Daley is a formidable foe not only on the offensive end but they are become a great defensive threat as well.

My comment was really more intended to be a smart-aleck, tongue-in-cheek poke at how I fear random variation may catch up with Calvin. It just seems that in recent Rivalry games Hope gets hot from the arc at just the wrong time, Eidson in particular, who has always been streaky. In last year's two Hope wins Eidson went 9-12 on threes, but in Calvin's 25 point win in the conference final he was 0-3 from the arc and 4-16 overall. Now that's random variation I could live with.

[HollandKnight]

Well, he didn't have to sit.  Holmquist also had 2 first half fouls and played with 4 fouls in the second half--and finished with 31 minutes to Benson's 19 minutes.  But many coaches seem to prefer to have a star player play fewer minutes and be available at the game's end--when the points feel more decisive (though, as Tom D. noted in his after-game commentary, this was a game that was lost in the first half). 

I've always found it curious that players could play early in the second half with three fouls, but not be allowed to play in the first half with two fouls.  I also wonder whether--if basketball, like hockey, had three periods--a player with two fouls would then be put back in the game at the start of the second period (after 13 minutes). 

I was actually giving this a lot of thought the other day while watching another game.  Almost all of the coaches I played for growing up had the rule that you sit for the rest of the half as soon as you get your second foul.  My thoughts on that have changed recently.  You are purposely taking minutes away from a player to avoid the possibility of him fouling out and missing time later?  I think I would lean more toward limiting minutes, but not just sitting the player for the entire half.  Of course there are a lot of variables that would come into play - availability of reliable back-ups, way the game is being called, player's ability to avoid fouls, etc.

The case was made to me in the past that players would play too tentatively if they had 2 fouls in the first half.  I know that I actually worried more about getting my second, knowing I would come out, than I ever worried about getting my third.

Regardless, Trine had no shot if they weren't a little aggressive with playing Holmquist.

[sac]

Trine did sit Holmquist for a few minutes in the second half, but it was over the course of around 6 substitutions, many offense/defense to protect him.   Not sure Hope really has that option with Benson.

[KnightSlappy]

I'm trying to work on component defensive efficiency numbers for MIAA teams -- and I don't have it right yet -- but it is looking like Calvin's inability to force turnovers has been as troublesome for their defense as their inability to prevent points on three-point attempts.

Other than that it looks like they're a top-two defense when it comes to preventing points on two-point attempts, limiting opponents' free throw attempts, and rebounding.

[realist]

I thought one of the differences in last night's game was the guard play. Neither of Hope's guards could beat his man of the dribble, leading to a lot of bad passes, and Trine shut down Hope's 3-point shooting (Hope was 3-12 for the game).

Don't worry, Calvin is coming to town Saturday so your outside shooting will get healthy soon.

Just by looking at the box it did appear that Hope's three guard system underperformed and was the key reason for Hope's loss to Trine. I will be curious to see how Hope's three guards matchup against Calvin's. I am also very interested to see how Calvin's important newcomers--VanderBrug and Denney--will respond to their first Rivalry game and the intensity it brings.

Thinking that Hope will get uncontested 3's is wishful thinking. They guard combo of Parks, Brink and Daley is a formidable foe not only on the offensive end but they are become a great defensive threat as well.

Going back over the box scores of Calvin games so far this year one finds instances which call the defensive ability of the above under lined "formidable foe" into question.   Unless you consider allowing opposing guards to score: 35 pts Anderson; 30 pts Waynesburg; 29 pts OWU; 28 pts Wheaton; 26 pts Carthage; Ripon 38 pts; UWO 24 pts; and 22 points Alma okay.   
Going into Sat's game it isn't a mater of "if" a Hope guard is going to go off on Calvin it's more "which one".
Remember last Jan. 11th when Mr. Eidson went 6/7 3's, and totaled  a game high 23 points?

[sac]

I'm trying to work on component defensive efficiency numbers for MIAA teams -- and I don't have it right yet -- but it is looking like Calvin's inability to force turnovers has been as troublesome for their defense as their inability to prevent points on three-point attempts.

Other than that it looks like they're a top-two defense when it comes to preventing points on two-point attempts, limiting opponents' free throw attempts, and rebounding.

Before last night I had.

Opponents TOV% -- turnover creation
Trine 23%
Adrian 19%
Hope 17.9%
Olivet 17.9%
Alma 17%
Albion 16%
Kzoo  15.1%
Calvin 13.9%

Overall I think MIAA teams are probably on the low end of creating turnovers (which might reflect overall quality of opponents who turn the ball over less)  In a 70 possession game you would expect Trine's opponent to maybe turn it over 16 times,  10 for Calvin at these rates.


For FT rate defense I had Calvin and Hope tied at 20.6% 2nd best behind Albion.  Calvin was the best in the league last year but at a rate of 17.7%, that's around a half dozen or so FT attempts more per game this year.

Calvin's foul rate is also up,  last year 1 foul every 2.8 minutes, this year 1 foul every 2.1 minutes.  That's the difference between opponents reaching the double-bonus and barely reaching the 1 for 1 each half.



For turnovers   --(your steals/Opp turnovers)

Trine  59.9%
Olivet 58.9
Hope  52.6
Calvin 52.3
Adrian  51.5
Albion  50.4
Alma  46.0
Kzoo   44.4

When they do get a turnover, 52% of them are credited to Calvin's defense as a steal, that seems ok


One of the reasons I've been fixated on Hope turnovers is that at the moment only 48.6% of their turnovers are credited as steals by their opponent, meaning most of the time its self inflicted.  Right now 3rd worst in the league.