MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Flying Dutch Fan]

I doubt there will be any scapling for that game.  If it's gonna happen around here, it would be for either of the Hope/Calvin games.  In fact, a couple of years back some Calvin students were arrested for getting their free tickets and trying to scalp them

[aplayerhater]

answers to picks
Hope: best team top to bottom (most players on bench would start at other schools) with a former MVP and possibly the best 6th man in the country (if cramer doesn't start)
Calvin: Great shooting and a moster shot blocker in the post.  Always plays great team defense, coast through season then turn it on during tournment time
Albion: Leagues best offensive post player, good point guard and shooter on the wing. But can they get Crawford the ball.
Olivet: tall wing players provide mismatches(Pruitt).  tallest team in league, new offense should make team exciting. File would have made them a lock in this spot.
The Zoo: hard nose point guard an average but tall center, and a good but not great scorer on the wing.
Adrian: not enough help for Collins, and who knows if Lewis is going to play. Not very skilled in the post.
Alma:  Barnes may have a sophmore slump without Jones to draw double teams. Murphy will be there best player but doesn't have any defense like the rest of the team. And Kohtala is still the coach.
Tri-state: subs never get into a rythme and if they do they come right out the game

[oldman_crenshaw]

Mmmm, Hope tickets.  I better get mine tomorrow.  Ok, not to get too far off topic... Speaking of the Devos Fieldhouse is anyone else hearing statements like "Why did they only put in 3100 seats"?  Come Come now, Does anyone know if Calvin has a hard time filling their 4200 seats in their fieldhouse ??

Some of the 'talk of the town' in Holland for years has been how "hard it is to get season tickets to the Hope games."   I'm not a math major but 100+ bucks for season tickets seems like you'd want all the seats you could possibly fill. 

Don't get me wrong I'm looking forward to being in the best D3 field house in the nation this season!

[Flying Dutch Fan]

I have to admit I wondered the same thing - why not 5000?  I think part of it was to keep it feeling close like in the Civic.  I hope they have some kind of plan in place (built into this place) for future expansion - should they ever decide they want to go bigger.

I do know (from personal experience) that Knollcrest is only a sell-out for Hope games (all you got to do is look at the fact that Hope has been out-drawing them).

[Flying Dutch Fan]

The MIAA coaches preseason poll is out

2005-06 MIAA Pre-Season
Coaches' Men's Basketball Poll
1. Hope (7) 7
2. Albion (1) 13
3. Calvin 19
4. Adrian 28
5. Olivet 33
6. Alma 34
7. Tri-State 42
8. Kalamazoo 48

[sac]

Guess we know who GVW voted for, and wow not much love for Kzoo.

I can tell you from personal experience, if your just willing to get to the gym early (like JV halftime early) you'll get a very good seat.  The ONLY game you will have major trouble with is Calvin, unless your incredibly lucky as I have been for a few seasons.  Calvin is the only game Hope could fill with 5,000 seats.

Albion and Kzoo always draw well as does the "Winter Happening" game, not sure which one that is this year.  So I make sure I get there a little earlier.

However, this season will be a whole new ballgame.  First, its a brand new facility and I'm sure there will be an increase in attendance just because of curiosity.  Plus I believe Hope is planning some doube-headers with the women's team (who will again be excellent) and that should also give a little bump in attendance.

It will be interesting to see the impact a new place has on attendance.  Personally 3100 seems about 500 too few but really there are only 3 schools in all of D3 that can fill a gym that size on a regular basis.  Hope, Calvin(sometimes) and Illinois Wesleyan.

I'll put the over/under on Hope's average attendance at 2950.

[diehardfan]

Lol... like the nerd that I am, I'm still following the construction of the DeVos on the Hope website...

http://www.hope.edu/pr/gallery/devos.html

Note how Hope is crushing Calvin on the latest scoreboard...  Now that is someone having fun with the scoreboard! 

Scott, it would seem from the pics, that Hope could add overflow seating into the practice gym for big games... or does 3100 include that?

[gerald]

K-zoo in last place is ridiculous.  Yeah, they lost a lot of scoring with Ryan Konwinski and Tony Wichmann, but their backcourt has to be one of the most experienced and talented in the league.   (Herman, Kyle, and Worst).  Weaver's been a key player since his freshman year and he's got the experience to step up big this year.  Add Clancy, Garfield, Brinkman, Krohn and you've got the makings of what should be at least a middle-of-the-pack team.  Plus I've heard the new crop of freshman elephants will be looking to contribute right away.

Last year K-zoo hung tough with Western 'till the end.  This year they'll be used to the spotlight.  If K-zoo wins on Saturday do they get a Sportscenter shout-out?

[Civic Minded]

For clarification, that's 72-56 Hope on the scoreboard, not 2-56.     I panicked the first time I saw it...then wanted to hunt down the miscreant who put it up there.   

I've not seen the same number for DeVos seating more than twice...I was under the impression, though, that the seating was more like 3,400.  Maybe just optimism on my part.  There will be bleachers in the open end of the "u" shape, according to our season ticket map.  I think there are something like 600 seats there.

Now if the city fathers could pull there heads out regarding parking...   If you want to see a game at DeVos, don't worry about getting there early enough for tickets.  Worry about getting there early enough to park within a 5 mile radius!

[benoitwi]

To those of you that made preseason rankings I am curious what was your reasonings for putting teams where you did.  Do all of you really think tri state is the worst team in the league?

Yes I wanted my post on this board.  I just don't know how to delete it from the previous page.

[ScotsFan]

Do all of you really think tri state is the worst team in the league?

Apparantly, the coaches don't think TS is the worst team in the league.  Just 2nd worst.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

I have opened a poll where you can vote for who you think will win the MIAA this year.  It is located in the Great Lakes Region area.  You can only vote once, and after you vote, you can see the results.

[Civic Minded]

Rumor has it that Tri-State won't be playing, um, "in their usual manner" this season. Could be that they'll look different and make a bigger impact this year. 

[Dark Knight]

Meckes has shown the ability to dunk -- sometimes spectacularly, like the time he dunked from the free-throw line over the top of a Hope defender. He combines toughness and quick, high leaping. With Aultman and Hoekstra out, he'll be called on to score more.

Does he have what it takes to develop into another Tooobergen -- a crowd-pleasing, slam-jammer?

[sac]

Re: Parking

I'm sure the old Wendy's parking lot will be a favorite for some people, Lincoln in front of the soccer fields, 10th, 11th even 12th streets etc.  There are also some student lots out there that don't always look full.

Lets not forget the reason DeVos exists is BECAUSE  the city fathers COULDN'T get there collective heads out of you know where.  Thank goodness for generous donors.   I actually applaud Hope for using the space in front of DeVos as open space......something sorely missing from the Hope Campus and badly needed.  Parking will work itself out and will be a minor inconvenience.

Now if we could only do something about our city fathers' silly idea for a traffic circle at 8th, Chicago and Lincoln. (In front of DeVos)