MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Gregory Sager]

Trine 78 Albion 49

Trine came out guns a blazin' and withstood a mini rally by Albion in the 1st half that got them within 1pt, but Trine went on another run and the game was really never in doubt after that.  The "law firm" of Dixon Dodson and Daub put up pretty good numbers.  Dixon, he sure will be missed once he graduates, just like Holmquist is missed.  He just does so many things well.  I thought his passing was the best I've seen in his career, finished with 8 assists.  He consistently got Albion scrambling on defense and he found the open man when the Brits tried to double.  Daub really took advantage of the open looks created by Dixon. He's been on a tear lately.  Good to see Daub in his last year finally get in a groove, you can tell he's really put in the work.  Copeland played well inside and Cummings had some really huge blocks inside, finished with 6.

Albion, not sure what is going on with this team.  It's a team in dysfunction right now, so much so they tried to play with 6 guys at one point in second half.  Umm, you can't do that, sorry.  I know they are missing a couple guys, saw Douglas in a walking boot.  Granted I thought Trine's defense was the best I've seen from them this season, Albion just didn't get many open looks.  Actually I thought the Brits played best when Lowe was in the game.  The big guy is a challenging matchup if he gets the ball in the paint, and he can feed it back outside to open guys.  He had a nice dunk in the first half. Albion looked much better when I saw them play in November at Trine's weekend tournament. Maybe is just was a bad night for them.

I was at the game Albion against Ohio Wesleyan that first weekend and I can't disagree.  I thought Albion looked sharp that night and potentially pretty good.  One reason was an excellent game from Jaylen Fordham who has since really, really struggled shooting the ball.  The Brits have also had injury problems with starting PG Robert Ryan who's back playing but nowhere near 100%, Adam Davis is now out and Kurt Douglas has missed the MIAA portion of the schedule with a foot injury.  (box score says he played tonight, but you say he was in a boot).  They also lost Fr. 6-7 F Caden Ebeling after just 3 games, I think he could have made a real solid impact in the paint for them.

Since that first game I've seen them 6 or 7 times and they've never quite looked that good.   But I think they still factor into the 2nd half somehow.

Douglas was in street clothes and did not play.  Not sure how the name got in the box score, unless maybe someone else on the roster was wearing his uniform number?

Kirk Douglas isn't listed in the final box score on either the Albion site or the Trine site. I think that what you may have seen in looking at an earlier version of the box score is what live-stats operators call a placeholder. There's sometimes an extra minute that has to be accounted for in order for a team to have the requisite 200 minutes played, or there's a rebound unaccounted for among the individual players, etc. (Keep in mind that basketball is a fast game, and the live-stats operator often has to type at a furious pace in order to keep up; it's not an easy job, folks.) The live-stats operator will assign that stray minute or rebound or turnover to a player who is on the roster but is clearly not going to play in the game (injured players are particularly handy for that purpose), and thus that phantom player will appear in the box score until the operator has had a chance to either go over the PBP with a fine-toothed comb after the game to locate and change the discrepancy that necessitated the placeholder, or, if he or she is really diligent about the task, the operator may actually look at the game film itself to spot the flaw and correct it, thus removing the placeholder.

This is probably more than you care to know, but it not only explains Kirk Douglas's presence in the initial box score, it may clear up some confusion for you in a similar situation somewhere down the line when looking at a box score.

[Gregory Sager]

If there is a problem with the coach, I would see it far more in the area of recruiting than the in-game coaching and preparation of the team.

I'm agnostic on the issue of KVS, but I have to point out that recruiting is by far the most important aspect of a coach's job. If a coach isn't recruiting well, he can be the best teacher, practice supervisor, X's and O's tactician, and in-game manager that there is, and his teams will still flounder.

While there are any number of factors that go into winning basketball games, by far the biggest is to have better players walk onto the floor for your pregame shootaround than your opponent has for his pregame shootaround.

[sac]

Trine 78 Albion 49

Trine came out guns a blazin' and withstood a mini rally by Albion in the 1st half that got them within 1pt, but Trine went on another run and the game was really never in doubt after that.  The "law firm" of Dixon Dodson and Daub put up pretty good numbers.  Dixon, he sure will be missed once he graduates, just like Holmquist is missed.  He just does so many things well.  I thought his passing was the best I've seen in his career, finished with 8 assists.  He consistently got Albion scrambling on defense and he found the open man when the Brits tried to double.  Daub really took advantage of the open looks created by Dixon. He's been on a tear lately.  Good to see Daub in his last year finally get in a groove, you can tell he's really put in the work.  Copeland played well inside and Cummings had some really huge blocks inside, finished with 6.

Albion, not sure what is going on with this team.  It's a team in dysfunction right now, so much so they tried to play with 6 guys at one point in second half.  Umm, you can't do that, sorry.  I know they are missing a couple guys, saw Douglas in a walking boot.  Granted I thought Trine's defense was the best I've seen from them this season, Albion just didn't get many open looks.  Actually I thought the Brits played best when Lowe was in the game.  The big guy is a challenging matchup if he gets the ball in the paint, and he can feed it back outside to open guys.  He had a nice dunk in the first half. Albion looked much better when I saw them play in November at Trine's weekend tournament. Maybe is just was a bad night for them.

I was at the game Albion against Ohio Wesleyan that first weekend and I can't disagree.  I thought Albion looked sharp that night and potentially pretty good.  One reason was an excellent game from Jaylen Fordham who has since really, really struggled shooting the ball.  The Brits have also had injury problems with starting PG Robert Ryan who's back playing but nowhere near 100%, Adam Davis is now out and Kurt Douglas has missed the MIAA portion of the schedule with a foot injury.  (box score says he played tonight, but you say he was in a boot).  They also lost Fr. 6-7 F Caden Ebeling after just 3 games, I think he could have made a real solid impact in the paint for them.

Since that first game I've seen them 6 or 7 times and they've never quite looked that good.   But I think they still factor into the 2nd half somehow.

Douglas was in street clothes and did not play.  Not sure how the name got in the box score, unless maybe someone else on the roster was wearing his uniform number?

Kirk Douglas isn't listed in the final box score on either the Albion site or the Trine site. I think that what you may have seen in looking at an earlier version of the box score is what live-stats operators call a placeholder. There's sometimes an extra minute that has to be accounted for in order for a team to have the requisite 200 minutes played, or there's a rebound unaccounted for among the individual players, etc. (Keep in mind that basketball is a fast game, and the live-stats operator often has to type at a furious pace in order to keep up; it's not an easy job, folks.) The live-stats operator will assign that stray minute or rebound or turnover to a player who is on the roster but is clearly not going to play in the game (injured players are particularly handy for that purpose), and thus that phantom player will appear in the box score until the operator has had a chance to either go over the PBP with a fine-toothed comb after the game to locate and change the discrepancy that necessitated the placeholder, or, if he or she is really diligent about the task, the operator may actually look at the game film itself to spot the flaw and correct it, thus removing the placeholder.

This is probably more than you care to know, but it not only explains Kirk Douglas's presence in the initial box score, it may clear up some confusion for you in a similar situation somewhere down the line when looking at a box score.

Kurt's name did appear in last nights boxscore, that scoreline has been changed to Arshawn Parker today.

When I saw the earlier post and name in the boxscore I was surprised since it was my understanding, Douglas had a recently correctly diagnosed stress fracture dating back to December and will be out a couple more weeks.

[oldknight]

Kirk Douglas isn't listed in the final box score on either the Albion site or the Trine site. I think that what you may have seen in looking at an earlier version of the box score is what live-stats operators call a placeholder. There's sometimes an extra minute that has to be accounted for in order for a team to have the requisite 200 minutes played, or there's a rebound unaccounted for among the individual players, etc. (Keep in mind that basketball is a fast game, and the live-stats operator often has to type at a furious pace in order to keep up; it's not an easy job, folks.) .

Particularly if you're employed by Grinnell College. I don't know how much that guy gets paid but I'm pretty sure it's not enough.

[oldknight]

If there is a problem with the coach, I would see it far more in the area of recruiting than the in-game coaching and preparation of the team.

I'm agnostic on the issue of KVS, but I have to point out that recruiting is by far the most important aspect of a coach's job. If a coach isn't recruiting well, he can be the best teacher, practice supervisor, X's and O's tactician, and in-game manager that there is, and his teams will still flounder.

While there are any number of factors that go into winning basketball games, by far the biggest is to have better players walk onto the floor for your pregame shootaround than your opponent has for his pregame shootaround.

Therein lies the concern among those holding muskets--and even with some who don't.

[HopeConvert]

If there is a problem with the coach, I would see it far more in the area of recruiting than the in-game coaching and preparation of the team.

I'm agnostic on the issue of KVS, but I have to point out that recruiting is by far the most important aspect of a coach's job. If a coach isn't recruiting well, he can be the best teacher, practice supervisor, X's and O's tactician, and in-game manager that there is, and his teams will still flounder.

While there are any number of factors that go into winning basketball games, by far the biggest is to have better players walk onto the floor for your pregame shootaround than your opponent has for his pregame shootaround.

Therein lies the concern among those holding muskets--and even with some who don't.

You'd probably see more accurate shooting from whisky-addled musket men than you would from Calvin's starting five. That was brutal.

[realist]

SAC you can talk about loving the whole of the MIAA but we all know you rock blue and orange undies.

I don't think SAC has ever hidden his allegiance.  There is literally a link to the donation page on Hope's website on his profile.

As for KVS, I don't understand why NOW everyone is jumping on the hate train. This season has gone pretty much exactly as you should have expected given the pieces. If anything, KVS has gotten more out of this team than the sum of its parts (I sure didn't expect them to go 5-2 in the first half of MIAA play!)...

I thought I should really make of point of responding to this sensible comment since I find myself in the rare situation of agreeing far more with a Hope fan than with the severe critics of KVS.  The improvement of Calvin teams over the course of many seasons from hsaky beginnings to much stronger teams by the time the league starts and their toughness at the end of the the season in so many cases, and the numerous times of almost unbelievable comebacks make me think KVS is doing a good job.  While I agree the team just does not have the horses to dominate, I see a lot more offensive movement than a few years ago and a much better job of covering the outside shot than was true a few years ago.  We are getting quite a good number of good looks almost every game, but we need better shooters than we have had for the most part in recent years (Brinks being a notable exception).  If there is a problem with the coach, I would see it far more in the area of recruiting than the in-game coaching and preparation of the team.  Some of the responsibility has to go the players for their shooting and passing decisions.  But I have seen so many teams in recent years with weaknesses in the area of shooting guards that I do wonder about the recruiting aspect.

Stronger by the time MIAA play starts?  Top teams are ready to play when the season starts.  Calvin may only appear better/stronger in MIAA play because it is a weak conference.  I see a team not being ready to play at the start of the season, and not ready for other games in the season a coaching weakness.
"Unbelievable comebacks":  This would mean that a team has fallen behind by a sizable score.  Wouldn't it be much better to avoid the need for a "comeback" using better game management/coaching"  Another coaching weakness much like not being able to hold/ maintain an early lead.
In last nights game you saw a coach who had his team ready when the season started.  He had his team ready for the game last night, and when he had a chance to build a sizable lead his team did it, and then held that lead.  Sadly it wasn't the coach with over 25 years coaching at this level, but the one with only a few years at this level. 
If you are happy with KVS that is fine with me.  Personally I am disgusted having to watch a Calvin team coached by a person just putting in time to retirement, and doing even that poorly.   

[Gregory Sager]

Trine 78 Albion 49

Trine came out guns a blazin' and withstood a mini rally by Albion in the 1st half that got them within 1pt, but Trine went on another run and the game was really never in doubt after that.  The "law firm" of Dixon Dodson and Daub put up pretty good numbers.  Dixon, he sure will be missed once he graduates, just like Holmquist is missed.  He just does so many things well.  I thought his passing was the best I've seen in his career, finished with 8 assists.  He consistently got Albion scrambling on defense and he found the open man when the Brits tried to double.  Daub really took advantage of the open looks created by Dixon. He's been on a tear lately.  Good to see Daub in his last year finally get in a groove, you can tell he's really put in the work.  Copeland played well inside and Cummings had some really huge blocks inside, finished with 6.

Albion, not sure what is going on with this team.  It's a team in dysfunction right now, so much so they tried to play with 6 guys at one point in second half.  Umm, you can't do that, sorry.  I know they are missing a couple guys, saw Douglas in a walking boot.  Granted I thought Trine's defense was the best I've seen from them this season, Albion just didn't get many open looks.  Actually I thought the Brits played best when Lowe was in the game.  The big guy is a challenging matchup if he gets the ball in the paint, and he can feed it back outside to open guys.  He had a nice dunk in the first half. Albion looked much better when I saw them play in November at Trine's weekend tournament. Maybe is just was a bad night for them.

I was at the game Albion against Ohio Wesleyan that first weekend and I can't disagree.  I thought Albion looked sharp that night and potentially pretty good.  One reason was an excellent game from Jaylen Fordham who has since really, really struggled shooting the ball.  The Brits have also had injury problems with starting PG Robert Ryan who's back playing but nowhere near 100%, Adam Davis is now out and Kurt Douglas has missed the MIAA portion of the schedule with a foot injury.  (box score says he played tonight, but you say he was in a boot).  They also lost Fr. 6-7 F Caden Ebeling after just 3 games, I think he could have made a real solid impact in the paint for them.

Since that first game I've seen them 6 or 7 times and they've never quite looked that good.   But I think they still factor into the 2nd half somehow.

Douglas was in street clothes and did not play.  Not sure how the name got in the box score, unless maybe someone else on the roster was wearing his uniform number?

Kirk Douglas isn't listed in the final box score on either the Albion site or the Trine site. I think that what you may have seen in looking at an earlier version of the box score is what live-stats operators call a placeholder. There's sometimes an extra minute that has to be accounted for in order for a team to have the requisite 200 minutes played, or there's a rebound unaccounted for among the individual players, etc. (Keep in mind that basketball is a fast game, and the live-stats operator often has to type at a furious pace in order to keep up; it's not an easy job, folks.) The live-stats operator will assign that stray minute or rebound or turnover to a player who is on the roster but is clearly not going to play in the game (injured players are particularly handy for that purpose), and thus that phantom player will appear in the box score until the operator has had a chance to either go over the PBP with a fine-toothed comb after the game to locate and change the discrepancy that necessitated the placeholder, or, if he or she is really diligent about the task, the operator may actually look at the game film itself to spot the flaw and correct it, thus removing the placeholder.

This is probably more than you care to know, but it not only explains Kirk Douglas's presence in the initial box score, it may clear up some confusion for you in a similar situation somewhere down the line when looking at a box score.

Kurt's name did appear in last nights boxscore, that scoreline has been changed to Arshawn Parker today.

When I saw the earlier post and name in the boxscore I was surprised since it was my understanding, Douglas had a recently correctly diagnosed stress fracture dating back to December and will be out a couple more weeks.

Kirk.



(He probably answers to "Spartacus" as well. )

Seriously, though, that's another explanation for an apparent box-score glitch: A simple uniform number change. Parker wore Douglas's #22 last night.

[Gregory Sager]

Kirk Douglas isn't listed in the final box score on either the Albion site or the Trine site. I think that what you may have seen in looking at an earlier version of the box score is what live-stats operators call a placeholder. There's sometimes an extra minute that has to be accounted for in order for a team to have the requisite 200 minutes played, or there's a rebound unaccounted for among the individual players, etc. (Keep in mind that basketball is a fast game, and the live-stats operator often has to type at a furious pace in order to keep up; it's not an easy job, folks.) .

Particularly if you're employed by Grinnell College. I don't know how much that guy gets paid but I'm pretty sure it's not enough.

That poor guy probably still has his fingers moving in his sleep the night of a Grinnell home game.

Sometimes schools put an extra spotter at the scorer's table when Grinnell pays a visit, and the extra spotter tracks the subbing for the Pioneers.

[realist]

Not even sure what to say about the Alma game... Olivet had a game and Alma didn't help by committing 21 turnovers, many of them unforced. I guess this is the downside of playing five freshmen, but it was a let down of the whole team. Still like Alma's chances of getting at least the 2-seed in the tourney and that starts by playing well against K-Zoo Saturday! This parody in the league isn't doing my Pick 'Em any favors.

Yes, definitely the Alma education.

*parity, geeze, I knew I was gonna mess this up somehow after making that comment haha

+ k for being a good sport.

[iwumichigander]

Kirk Douglas isn't listed in the final box score on either the Albion site or the Trine site. I think that what you may have seen in looking at an earlier version of the box score is what live-stats operators call a placeholder. There's sometimes an extra minute that has to be accounted for in order for a team to have the requisite 200 minutes played, or there's a rebound unaccounted for among the individual players, etc. (Keep in mind that basketball is a fast game, and the live-stats operator often has to type at a furious pace in order to keep up; it's not an easy job, folks.) .

Particularly if you're employed by Grinnell College. I don't know how much that guy gets paid but I'm pretty sure it's not enough.

That poor guy probably still has his fingers moving in his sleep the night of a Grinnell home game.

Sometimes schools put an extra spotter at the scorer's table when Grinnell pays a visit, and the extra spotter tracks the subbing for the Pioneers.

And as one who kept stats before live stats, or computers or game film placeholders and extra help at the scorers table have been used for years.  Placeholders often result in great debate as to whom to attribute a stat.  Often it is resolved, other the matching to a scorers book, to the player most likely to get a rebound or a put back in a crowd.

[HopeKnight]

Hope v. Calvin

Attended both games - Hope's Varsity & JV beat Calvin at Calvin easily. Hope had two more gears and could have won easily by more. Calvin simply can't compete and there was no comparison. Calvin lacks athleticism, lacks shooters, lacks ball-handlers, lacks speed and lacks passion. Very painful brand of basketball to watch including terrible shot selection - both Denney & Wilks look to shoot every time they touch it and the guards were completely overmatched. Other than Wolterink on JV, there is very little talent at the JV level either. Tough to win against any good teams with very little talent. Not sure Coach K could win with these players - clearly Coach KVS cannot.

HK

[HOPEful]

both Denney & Wilks look to shoot every time they touch it

It's difficult to tell your only two players that can shoot, to do so less often.

As for all the doom and gloom... I think the future at calvin is a little more promising than it seems. Tony Canonie is a good ball handler and a pretty decent defender. IMO, calvin's core of Canonie, DeWitte, Bykerk, and Wilkes is just as promising for future seasons as Hawkins, Ray, Towns, and a bunch of underclassmen guards for Hope. Without Brink, Daley, Vanderbrug, etc. and no one really to fill those voids other than Denney and Wilkes, realistic expectations for the knights this season were that of a "rebuilding" year. DeWitte and DeVries should grow into quality 4 year players.

[HopeKnight]

Just an FYI - Trewhella left Calvin at the break and will be playing elsewhere.

[oldknight]

Hope v. Calvin

Attended both games - Hope's Varsity & JV beat Calvin at Calvin easily. Hope had two more gears and could have won easily by more. Calvin simply can't compete and there was no comparison. Calvin lacks athleticism, lacks shooters, lacks ball-handlers, lacks speed and lacks passion. Very painful brand of basketball to watch including terrible shot selection - both Denney & Wilks look to shoot every time they touch it and the guards were completely overmatched. Other than Wolterink on JV, there is very little talent at the JV level either. Tough to win against any good teams with very little talent. Not sure Coach K could win with these players - clearly Coach KVS cannot.

HK

To clarify, the Hope varsity won easily, but the JV game went into overtime so I wouldn't say that Hope's second squad won easily. With regard to who is the best player on Calvin's JV team, I believe it's Alex Bos, not Wolterink, though I admit, reasonable people could differ on that.

As for Wilks, I think he should shoot more. He's Calvin's most reliable scorer so I don't know why he should shoot less.