MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Dark Knight]

Ask OldKnight. The Flying Dutchman is one of Wagner's operas. The overture figures prominently at the beginning of the Looney Tunes classic "What's Opera, Doc?" which features a blue-and-orange clad Elmer Fudd singing "Kill the Kni-ights!"

It's a ghost ship.

Yeah, we went over this last year. The use of the Flying Dutchman as a team name is intended to symbolize Hope's eternal doom of "sailing the seas of D-III basketball without being able to reach the shore of a national championship," as I recall.

[hope1]

i think   calvin will have there  hands full saturday vs tri state that schould be a really good game i think i will listen to the game while i am watching the hope girls and men play saturday  night

[northb]

The thing that really jumps out at me is the scoring. I realize Hope has been winning a lot of games handily but I can't remember a team that was scoring 13 more points a game than the next closest team, while giving up 9 points less a game than the next best defensive team. Keep it up Dutchmen, this stat should only get better after the Kalamazoo game on Saturday. 

Ahh, this is what we were hoping to see eventually.  Now Hope fans are starting to take for granted that the game will be a win, and all that is left is to see how many points they can win by.  This is the kind of overconfidence that winds up coming back to haunt you.

[NW Hope Fan]

BREAKING NEWS....


HOPE SPORTS REPORT -- Friday, January 26, 2007

Mascot Will Debut with Jan. 27 Home Games

HOLLAND - A new personification of a familiar nickname will debut during the
two home Hope College basketball games on Saturday, Jan. 27.

"Dutch," a new mascot developed through the efforts of the college's Student
Congress, will premiere during the women's and men's games with Kalamazoo
College at 3 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. respectively in the Richard and Helen DeVos
Fieldhouse. The character will debut by bringing out the ball for the 3 p.m.
women's game.

Can someonne post the picture of this mascot.  I remember seeing this a while back.  Is this the one that is going to look like a rowdy Hope frat boy with orange hair?

  NO... Blue!

[sac]

At the midway point of the MIAA season I like to come up with our midseason awards.  However this year I'm having a very difficult time coming up with a first team all-miaa

Derek VanSolkema and Steve Cramer from Hope are locks in my opinion after that I think there's a lot of room for debate, possitives and negatives with each player.

Isaac Smith, Alma and Tony Benford, TSU deserve a spot for their scoring.  Smith is basically carrying a poor Alma team on his shoulders, Benford is probably the toughest one on one matchup. 

Zak Silas, Albion---a slow start to the MIAA campaign but has come on in recent games. 

Caleb Veldhouse, Calvin-----I think he's still the most dangerous gaurd in the league when it comes to break out scoring and taking over a game.  However the Knights inconsistency in finding a 2nd and 3rd scorer have made Caleb easier to defend.  In his two outings vs Hope, he's looked more like a Freshman this year than last.

Brandon Way, Olivet-----underrated point gaurd, excellent quickness, difficult matchup for anyone in this league.  Brave 3 point shooter as well, he's quietly had a very solid first 7 game.

Andy Sierminski, Olivet-----My pick for  Freshman of the year, excellent outside shooter for his size.  With the lack of post play in this league he could be a dominant inside player in the coming years, esp if a couple other Comets develop.

Desmond Young, Adrian----had a great start to the MIAA season but Hope locked him down and he's seemingly struggled since as have the Bulldogs.  I'd say his stock is dropping but a solid second half will probably keep him in the top 8.


After seeing all 8 teams, the overwhelming theme has been youth and lack of what I would call historical average post play.  There just isn't much height in this league right now and it looks like it might take a couple years for it to return, all the current big guys seem to be happy on the perimeter like VanderHeide, Sierminski as examples.  It might not be to far fetched to say John Mantel is the best post player in the league already.

Those are my top 9 players right now......


Upset of the year.........I guess you have to say Adrian beating Calvin, I know I had serious questions after seeing Adrian in person.

Game of the year.........Hope/Calvin II was a gem as always, but there were 2 OT games  Adrian/Albion and Olivet/Adrian both won by Adrian that have had a big impact on the standings.

Freshman of the year.......Andy Sierminski, Olivet.......by a wide margin thus far  in my opinion.  A strong 2nd half from Mantel would get him in the picture.  On any other team Steve Kratz, Hope would be getting more minutes and play a more prominant roll, he could probably start for 6 of the MIAA's other programs.

Most Valueable.......gets a little tricky for me, I'd have to say Steve Cramer, Hope but Derek VanSolkema, Hope is quickly makeing a big impact on Hope's overall play, they've both been outstanding.  This should be a good duel down the stretch.  I'm not really sure anyone else stands out.   I suppose if a team rallies to catch Hope, they're best player would get consideration.

Coach of the year.........Van Wieren.........this Hope team has hit a level of dominance the league hasn't seen possibly in its history.  30.5 points average margin of victory.  There was a very noticeable and definite change in this teams focus and attitude coming off the Holiday tournament win over Rochester.  I jokingly said the other day, I think Glenn has done a great job keeping the scores under 40 and they go out and plaster TSU by 40+ and it could have been 50.  Hope's starters have barely played 20 minutes in a league game except Calvin.   It takes a great deal of motivation skills to get a team to play as hard as Hope has 1 thru 16 against teams they know are outmatched.   30 point wins typically lend itself to some minutes of sloppy play and its been very hard to find any such minutes that qualify as sloppy form Hope.   Relentless is a word you'll get really sick of hearing me use.  You've had to see it to believe it, this team has been on a mission since the opening tip of MIAA play.

It will be very interesting to see how Hope approaches the second meetings against teams they've dominated.  I suspect a number of them will be much closer. 

[diehardfan]

In regards to the mascot, I also heard that he:

*  is a transfer

*  can dunk like no-one has ever seen

*  in his spare time wears khaki pants and a blue blazer

*  Loves John Stott

*  and puts both ketchup and mustard on his "Big Pig"


Have a GREAT weekend everyone! 

Yeah, but does the mascot have a clear memory of the contents of Augustine's City of God?

And, more importantly, is he/she/it supersweet? 

i think   calvin will have there  hands full saturday vs tri state that schould be a really good game i think i will listen to the game while i am watching the hope girls and men play saturday  night

This definitely has the potential for a good game. Here's hoping Calvin wins... cause I picked them! 

[HopeConvert]

The thing that really jumps out at me is the scoring. I realize Hope has been winning a lot of games handily but I can't remember a team that was scoring 13 more points a game than the next closest team, while giving up 9 points less a game than the next best defensive team. Keep it up Dutchmen, this stat should only get better after the Kalamazoo game on Saturday. 

Ahh, this is what we were hoping to see eventually.  Now Hope fans are starting to take for granted that the game will be a win, and all that is left is to see how many points they can win by.  This is the kind of overconfidence that winds up coming back to haunt you.

I think the bigger issue here is not whether Hope will get overconfident - one thing that impresses me about this team is the way they play hard 40 minutes every game; and besides, it's not bragging if you can do it - but instead the fact that they simply aren't being tested. If anything haunts this aimless ghost ship of a team never reaching the shores of a championship, it won't be overconfidence. It will be a combination of not having played enough close games and an inability to match up with a big, athletic team.

As to Veldhouse, I'm not as impressed with him this year as I was last. He seems more passive to me. DVS and Cramer are both having better years, and are bigger socring threats.

[ScotsFan]

this Hope team has hit a level of dominance the league hasn't seen possibly in its history.  30.5 points average margin of victory. 

It could also be argued that the league as a whole hasn't been this down in a while.  Even Calvin is considerably down this year and they are arguably the 2nd best team in the MIAA this year.  Also, look at Adrian.  They are tied with Calvin for 2nd in the league with a 5-2 record, but are only 1-8 in nonconference competition.  From where I'm sitting as an outsider, Hope should be dominating the MIAA like never before, because, frankly, it's not a very good league this year.  I'll be the first to admit that I haven't been following the MIAA that closely but for the last 8-10 years or so and I can't recall the league as a whole being this bad. 

BTW, I'm also the first to admit that the NCAC has never really been even a decent league, sans Wittenberg and Wooster, but I think we might at least be equal to or slightly better than the MIAA this season.

[AndersDY]

The thing that really jumps out at me is the scoring. I realize Hope has been winning a lot of games handily but I can't remember a team that was scoring 13 more points a game than the next closest team, while giving up 9 points less a game than the next best defensive team. Keep it up Dutchmen, this stat should only get better after the Kalamazoo game on Saturday. 

Ahh, this is what we were hoping to see eventually.  Now Hope fans are starting to take for granted that the game will be a win, and all that is left is to see how many points they can win by.  This is the kind of overconfidence that winds up coming back to haunt you.

I hope you're referring to over-confidence being an issue when the next Calvin game comes up. You aren't actually suggesting the Stingers might sneak up and sting Hope tomorrow, are you? The same Kalamazoo team that was 0 for the first half of the season, in THIS year's MIAA? I'm pretty sure that Cramer, DVS, and VanderHeide could all get lost on the way to The Dick tomorrow and the game would still be boring. Now when Calvin comes to visit, then no, Hope cannot afford to get over confident based on their complete dissection of the rest of the conference. 

[northb]

The thing that really jumps out at me is the scoring. I realize Hope has been winning a lot of games handily but I can't remember a team that was scoring 13 more points a game than the next closest team, while giving up 9 points less a game than the next best defensive team. Keep it up Dutchmen, this stat should only get better after the Kalamazoo game on Saturday. 

Ahh, this is what we were hoping to see eventually.  Now Hope fans are starting to take for granted that the game will be a win, and all that is left is to see how many points they can win by.  This is the kind of overconfidence that winds up coming back to haunt you.

I hope you're referring to over-confidence being an issue when the next Calvin game comes up. You aren't actually suggesting the Stingers might sneak up and sting Hope tomorrow, are you? The same Kalamazoo team that was 0 for the first half of the season, in THIS year's MIAA? I'm pretty sure that Cramer, DVS, and VanderHeide could all get lost on the way to The Dick tomorrow and the game would still be boring. Now when Calvin comes to visit, then no, Hope cannot afford to get over confident based on their complete dissection of the rest of the conference. 

Hey, I'm just looking for any chink in the armour.

[CalvinChelseaMom]

At the midway point of the MIAA season I like to come up with our midseason awards.   

Hi Sac.  Just wondering, since I wasn't around last year, what you are referring to when you say "I" like to come up with "our" midseason awards.  Is this an unofficial board thing that people give input about and your thoughts are a starting point?  In other words, is it just another thing that everyone is musing about and responding to or is it something else?

On another note, Chelsea is now 10-0!  Go Dawgs!

[sac]

ChelseaMom----at the end of the last few years I've put together a "posters MIAA awards" by taking votes from our fellow posters.

The content above is basically the same, and my post is my own personal opinion, anyone's invited to give their own opinions, I guess you could think of it as a starting off point.

[sac]

It could also be argued that the league as a whole hasn't been this down in a while. 

A few weeks ago I posted the non-conference records of the league going back about 10 years, this was the only year the MIAA was below .500.  No one will argue the league isn't down.

Also, look at Adrian.  They are tied with Calvin for 2nd in the league with a 5-2 record, but are only 1-8 in nonconference competition.

Adrian's not the same team they were in Nov/Dec., Desmond Young transferred in at the semester break, prior to his arrival they were 0-8, after they are 6-2, any Adrian fan will tell you he's made a big difference, I'm sure they'd have won a few of those 8 games with DY in the lineup.


Granted the league is down, but no one should be doing whats Hope's been doing.   

Hey, I'm just looking for any chink in the armour.

You may bash Dutch all you want, I voted for the squirrel

[Stinger]

The thing that really jumps out at me is the scoring. I realize Hope has been winning a lot of games handily but I can't remember a team that was scoring 13 more points a game than the next closest team, while giving up 9 points less a game than the next best defensive team. Keep it up Dutchmen, this stat should only get better after the Kalamazoo game on Saturday. 

Ahh, this is what we were hoping to see eventually.  Now Hope fans are starting to take for granted that the game will be a win, and all that is left is to see how many points they can win by.  This is the kind of overconfidence that winds up coming back to haunt you.

I hope you're referring to over-confidence being an issue when the next Calvin game comes up. You aren't actually suggesting the Stingers might sneak up and sting Hope tomorrow, are you? The same Kalamazoo team that was 0 for the first half of the season, in THIS year's MIAA? I'm pretty sure that Cramer, DVS, and VanderHeide could all get lost on the way to The Dick tomorrow and the game would still be boring. Now when Calvin comes to visit, then no, Hope cannot afford to get over confident based on their complete dissection of the rest of the conference. 

Andersdy, the Stingers are a now defunct fan group of the Kalamazoo basketball team that peaked in the mid 90's. 

Also, your words stink of the overconfidence and cockiness that Hope is well known for.  That post really pisses me off.  It only reaffirms what I've thought since I started following this league.   

Shock the world. Beat Hope

[Dew Nation]

I know that I am just a rookie poster on this site but I saw some numbers on the MIAA website that I found to be quite amazing (expanding on sac's earlier post):

Hope's Average Score in League Play:  87.6
Next best:  Calvin with 74.6
Margin:  13 point

Hope's Average Opp. Score in League Play:  56.7
Next Best:  Calvin with 65.9
Margin:  9.2

Hope is winning by an average of 31.1 points per game.

That being said, do any of the MIAA historians on the forum have information concerning when another team has had such amazing numbers through half a season? Ideas?