MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[TUAngola]

Attached link is a video/interview of Emmanuel Megnanglo's academic/athletic journey from Benin Africa to Trine University.  Impressive young man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=624WbwDYb8M

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Attached link is a video/interview of Emmanuel Megnanglo's academic/athletic journey from Benin Africa to Trine University.  Impressive young man.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=624WbwDYb8M

Thanks for sharing - love hearing the stories of athletes and how and why they "landed" where they did.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Looking forward to a week full of MIAA tournament games (both men & women).  Interesting to see the same 4 schools in the top 4 spots for each, although certainly not a suprise.  Fully expect the top 4 (in both tournaments) to advance to the Friday games.  If that happens, then Hope would be hosting a M/W double header, just not sure what order they would play in, and if it would be a 2 ticket event or single ticket.

FWIW - Evan Thomas is sitting at 955 career points, so he has a shot to hit the 1000 point mark this week (and would set him up to have a good shot at top 10 all time at Hope).

[maroonandgold]

So apparently we are doing separate sites for the semi-final games at the higher seeds.  Which should be boo'd relentlessly.

I actually applaud that, Sac. It enables two schools to have home games (for themselves, their fans, and the revenue). And it precludes the chance of a tournament championship game before a near-empty house at a neutral site.

P.S. Is the Friday night separate sites for men only?

I totally agree.  I'm old enough that I prefer not to drive to away games at night, but I will go to home games.  I bet there are others in a similar situation for a variety of reasons.

[Ryan Scott (Hoops Fan)]

Semifinals at one site makes sense if travel is a factor, but if teams are going home Friday night anyway, it doesn't make much sense.

[HOPEful]

It really doesn't make sense when the men and women are both at the same site. You basically end up with games at 2, 4, 6, and 8. A semi-final at two in the afternoon on a Friday on a neutral court is WAY worse than just allowing the top seed to host every game.

[HOPEful]

Regional Rankings released today...

1. Marietta
2. Mount Union
3. Wabash
4. CWRU
5. Heidelberg
6. Hope
7. Calvin
8. Otterbein
9. Trine
10. Baldwin Wallace

[HOPEful]

Calvin could add two RROs by beating Trine in the semi-finals.

[ziggy]

And now the MIAA tournament really begins.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Evan Thomas selected as MIAA MVP. Full details via the link below. Now why would the league release this right as the 4 semi-final games are  tipping off?  Seems like very strange timing.

https://www.miaa.org/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/AllMIAA2022

[oldknight]

Evan Thomas selected as MIAA MVP. Full details via the link below. Now why would the league release this right as the 4 semi-final games are  tipping off?  Seems like very strange timing.

https://www.miaa.org/sports/mbkb/2021-22/releases/AllMIAA2022

I'm guessing the reason they did it this way, is to allow introductions at each of the four games of any player who received All-Conference awards, and be introduced to the fans, at whatever site each game was played. At the game at VNA, Luke Morrison and Cole Kleiver were brought out to center court just before the game began, as was Uchenna Egekeze, who was named MIAA Defensive POY. All 3 stood together at center court for an ovation, and a photo of them together was also taken at that time. I thought it worked well, and was a nice, more personal touch from the league to do it that way.

[oldknight]

Calvin ends Alma's season with a 91-70 win at VNA. Calvin never trailed but only led 46-40 at half, largely due to hot shooting from the arc by the Scots, who went 8-12 on threes the opening 20 minutes. Calvin started the second half with an obvious commitment to play up-tempo, quickly moved the lead into double digits, and were never challenged again.

Cole Kleiver is a really nice player, leading all scorers with 28, despite being guarded much of the game of the MIAA Defensive POY. The Scots are really going to miss Kleiver next year. Morrison led Calvin with 23 and Egekeze added 17.

[sac]

Hope 80 Kalamazoo 58  F

Two halves looked the same, Hope didn't make shots in half one, made shots in half two.  Unlike the last two Kzoo games the Hornets weren't able to put together those 5-6 point swings that kept the last two games relatively close.  Hope put some distance between these two early 2nd half and that was all she wrote.

Newly minted MIAA MVP Evan Thomas collected a double-double with the first rebound of the 2nd half, was on pace to break the MIAA tournament rebounding record with 14 and a ton of time left and then didn't get another.  A handful of 'wow' plays again.  He was great.

Weird moment of the game was K's Ty Horky picking up a 3rd personal foul early 1st half and it being only the 4th Kzoo team foul.



Hope:  Thomas 18, Dykhouse 16, George 14, Bikus 11
Kzoo:  Courtney 13


889 folks is going to be the lowest attendance for a Hope game in DeVos history.

[sac]

Albion 92 Olivet 69 F
Trine 92 Adrian 63 F

Friday's games
Albion at Hope
Trine at Calvin

We'll have to wait for the women's results for game times on Friday (at least in Holland)


FYI the bottom 4 teams in the MIAA went 2-34 vs the top 4, and many of them weren't really close.  Alma won both of those games.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Just got email that Hope has an updated spectator policy effective today. Masks are now optional.  Concessions will be open again starting on Friday Feb 25