MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[HopeConvert]

News from the game:

1. "Dutch," the new mascot, is indeed wearing "wooden" shoes. No one bothered to find out whether it was boxers or briefs. Clinton has launched an investigation.
2. The second half was about as ugly and unentertaining a half of basketball as you could experience. The only thing that salvaged it for me was the delightful company around me. The play was physical, sloppy, often out of control, and with neither team able to make anything as simple as a layup (Reimink, for example, whiffing after receiving a beautiful feed). Cramer at one point looked as if he had about had it with the pushing (highlight of the game: at the end of the first half, K-zoo has the ball, and the Dew Crew counts down 3 seconds ahead of the actual clock; Cramer steals the ball with about four seconds left, but believes there is only one second left and so heaves a 3/4 shot that misses everything, and goes out of bounds with 2.4 seconds remaining; he looks at the Dew Crew and says something to them and shakes his head. Priceless). Star of the game: VanSolkema by a margin. He played wonderfully.
3. Reimink has to stop picking up cheap fouls.
4. Another good game by Jager.

Engelsma sounds like a handful. Why is he not on the varsity?

I saw a lot of recruits at the fieldhouse tonight. One guy from Ann Arbor, but don't know who he is. A bunch of kids from South Lyon were there. Overheard some talk about recruits being in the building, but couldn't pick up enough details as my wife was talking at the time, so I was busy dreaming about blueberry pancakes.

[HopeConvert]

One thing that has struck me the two times I have watched Calvin is how passive their guards are, even and maybe especially Veldhouse. Not good.

[pointlem]

Like most readers of this Board, I'm mostly a lurker.  But this season I've enjoyed this enuf to want to tip my hat (on behalf of other lurkers) to all of you who make it such fun reading.  Even the off-topic posts reveal intelligence and wit. 

Thank you Sac, HopeConvert, Civic Minded, Old Knight, Dark Knight, GoodKnight, Flying Dutch Fan, Stinger, bulldoglum, almcguirejr, Northb, Good Karma, diehardfan, the BB moms, andersdy, Realist, David Collinge, DCHopeNut, goKnights68, goHope, mjfasteenwolf, hope1, wizardry, Knights2000, AlwaysHope, Gregory Sager, kresgekrazy, Carl Yastrzemski, ziggy, doc, Mr. Ypsi, Pat Coleman, and other occasional contributors.   The information and stats are interesting, and even the teasing feels like good-natured fun.  Keep it coming.

[mjfasteenwolf]

Another great Saturday of basketball. Once again my Maize and Blue let me down, but at least the OSU v. MSU game was exciting. But on a brighter note, good solid predictable wins by both the Lady Dutch and the Flying Dutchmen.
Same story again for the Dutchmen today. Starters played solid, got the big lead, then brought in the 2nd and 3rd string to pull away even more.
I have really enjoyed watching Hopes complete and undeniable dominance over the league the past few weeks. On the same note though I am worried about what might happen when they actually have a close game. Other than the Calvin game they have not had a closely contested game since that very forgetable win over Rochester. Hopefully Glenn and the rest of the coaching staff is keeping these guys focused in practice despite the inability of the rest of the MIAA to give them a game.
I'm excited because in the next few weeks it will start to be time to discuss the upcoming NCAA tourney. Can't wait to see where the Dutchmen will end up. I am hoping their efforts in the MIAA season will earn them a couple of home games. But i'll try not to get too far ahead of myself here.
Nothing really surprising to me in the MIAA today, the wheels continued to fall off the bus for Calvin which is sad to see. I am just not used to seeing TSU as the 2nd place team in the league. Congrats to the Thunder, you've got a solid team this year, it didn't show on Wednesday, but it has the rest of the season. It is a nice change too see Calvin falling in the standings, but too a solid West Michigander such as myself, it just doesn't seem right. Hopefully those shady Knights are saving up all of their good play for that showdown coming up at the Devos.

[gohope]

Game thoughts from today/tonight:

*  CM and FDF:  "Real fans stay for the whole marathon, not just the 5k" - this is the quote I am suppose to pass on to you from LM!!  I know that it takes guts, but as the saying goes, "No guts, no glory!!"     And...what happened to the kid for the men's game?  Or.... was he DUTCH??!!!

*  GREAT JOB by the Dew Crew!  Coming home I heard the beginning of the game on the radio ("Tape Delay" due to the Kalamazoo Wings game), and you could really hear the cheering!  It does seem that we do the "Let's Go Hope" cheer alot!!!

*  K started the game pretty well, but then seemed to fizzle fast. I'm going to guess that Coach Passage wasn't too pleased, but then maybe that why some of the K players found themselves seated during the second half.

*  I loved the "Circus" play at about the 4:00 mark in the first half. I know that I won't get the whole play exact, but  Hope brings the ball down, shoots, misses, gets the rebound, shoots again, misses, K rebounds, loses the ball, Hope gets the ball, shoots, misses, rebounds, K steals the ball, players coverege on the ball, somehow Hope gets the ball, passes it out to the side of the 3pt line where DVS is standing, he shoots, and "whoosh" right in front of K's Coach.

(highlight of the game: at the end of the first half, K-zoo has the ball, and the Dew Crew counts down 3 seconds ahead of the actual clock; Cramer steals the ball with about four seconds left, but believes there is only one second left and so heaves a 3/4 shot that misses everything, and goes out of bounds with 2.4 seconds remaining; he looks at the Dew Crew and says something to them and shakes his head. Priceless).

I too made note of that play, but you summed it up so well!  Even Glenn was chuckling after that play.  And who says the "6th" man isn't a presence in the game...

*  Stats for Marcus for the 1st half:  4 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 8 points. He seems to be much more of a leader, play maker and all-around player this season versus just a scorer that many of us saw last season.

*  2nd Half.  The beginning was....er....um...  just plain ugly.

*  SAC - we missed you. You could have been #3,239!

*  And kudos to Coach Passage for the conduct after the game.  Maybe you could share the good sportsmanship award to the coaches from Olivet and Tri-State.  Thanks.

[bulldogalum]

Adrian 71
Albion 64

F

Now that's more like it.

For the first time in, I think, 12 years, the Bulldogs have swept their regular season series with Albion.  They did it today by playing a very crisp game, coming up with timely shots, consistently strong defensive effort, and a persistent energy that I hadn't seen since before the Hope game (of course, I didn't see the Alma game, so I can't count that one).

Albion came out and played a very nice game.  They shot 44% from the floor, got a good game from Silas (14 pts) in his starting role, had a big performance from a bench player (Jim Cash, with 14 points).  Their half court defense remains the best in the MIAA year in and year out, although I know that comment will meet with some dissent on this board. 

If there was a weakness to Albion's game today, it was their general chill from three point range.  On the night, they were 4 for 18 from 3 point land, with three of those makes coming in a 2 minute spell around the 9 minute mark of the second half.  Many of these shots, however, were contested, so that low percentage was a function of both cold shooting and excellent defensive pressure.

As for Adrian, the Bulldogs didn't trail the whole game.  Throughout the game, even when the score was close, it always felt as though Adrian was in control, and would step up and make the big shot if needed.

In the first half, the Bulldogs were sparked by a fantastic performance coming off the bench from Ryan Gallus.  With 15 first half points, he was clearly a pivotal figure in opening up a bit of a lead over the Britons.

The second half belonged to Desmond Young, who came up with 15 second half points on his way to a game high 19. 

The Bulldogs shot 50% from the floor, and 43% from three point range for the game.

And, as if all this fun and excitement from the Merillat Sports and Fitness Center wasn't enough, the hearty fans were treated to a dazzling display of basketball when the alumni took to the floor after the current version of the Bulldogs had laid the Brits to rest.

I won't go into a detailed account of the alumni game, but suffice it to say that
1) Defense was not at a premium (the odd years beat the even years 110-109)
2)  Many of the players looked as though they had not lost a step.
3)  This poster was too busy reminiscing about the days when bulldogalum was bulldogstudent to recall any more details from the game.  Seriously, quite an entertaining afternoon of basketball.

Next up for the Bulldogs, and all-expense paid trip to Kalamazoo, where the Hornets will try to avenge a loss earlier this season.  Here's hoping the men in black and gold can jump out to an early lead and not relent.

[HopeConvert]

It was nice to see Marcus posting up a smaller defender for a change. I think something may have clicked in the Tri-state game, where he seemed to say to himself, "Wait a minute, I'm four inches taller than this guy. What am I doing out here? I should go inside and take him with me." His points last night came inside the paint, often with his back to the basket, and he improved his rebounding numbers as well. Reimink was a beast on the boards and defensively.

The Dew Crew was in good form last night. The look on Cramer's face after he heaved the ball and realized what had happened made the whole evening worthwhile.

It today's Press Glenn is quoted as saying that he is expecting things to be tougher the second time through the league, and that with a bunch of 6'4" and 6'5" guys, they know that it is hustle and determination that is going to produce victories. I expect that teams will respond better to Hope's defense a second time around - with the traps, the poke-from-behinds, the step outs, and the doubling-down - and that the games will be closer. Hope fans: let us be careful what we wish for.

[knights2000]

KVS said after the game that he thought Calvin had an advantage in the post because Tri-State was basically playing 4 guards.  He thought Post Guys were open but the guards were reluctant to pass them them the ball.  Hey, about we insist the ball go inside or you don't play.

This 3 guard lineup Calvin has used since league play began is not working in my opinion.  Our guards are very stagnant without the ball. 

Josh Meckes 3-3 on 3pt FG's.  The rest of the team 2-16.

We have had a slow start in just about every league game except the Hope game, but we keep starting the same guys.  Insanity = doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result.

The three guard look is indeed not working on offense, but defensively it is a much better lineup than the previous one.

Sitting in my courtside seat at Hershey Hall, right behind the Calvin bench, I listened in to KVS at time-outs, where he repeatedly emphasized getting the ball down low. Calvin ran ball picks for their guards, and made nice rolls to the basket, but the guards did not give them the ball. From my view, it looked like these passes were there all day, and should have been made all day, but Calvin was, like said earlier, reluctant to give the ball to the posts.

Meckes played 27 minutes, and for about 26 of them he was constantly grimacing. Hopefully he isn't hurting too much.

[realist]

HC:  I agree on being careful about what you wish for.  I do think Hope will be tested more the second half of the MIAA than the first.     All it will take is for one or two opposing players to get super hot some game, and Hope could have it's hands full. 
Almcgjr:  "The three guard look is indeed not working on offense, but defensively it is a much better lineup than the previous one."  I can not agree on that.  B&B scored 28 points in the first meeting at the fieldhouse.  Yesterday B&B scored 39 points. The first game Tri State scored 64 points, and yesterday 68.  If anything the 3 guard offense, and 3 guard defense are equally negative.  Playing a 3rd guard  while a 6'8", several 6"6", and even more 6'4"  players sit on the bench hasn't produced the intended results.  Hard to defend 29 minutes playing time for Griffin when he gets 0 rebounds, and scores only 7 points.  Same is true for Veldhouse who plays 32 minutes, scores 7 points, and gets 3 rebounds.  The smallest of these three guards (Smith 5'9") plays 29 minutes, gets 6 rebounds, and scores 12 points. 

[Civic Minded]

Game thoughts from today/tonight:

*  CM and FDF:  "Real fans stay for the whole marathon, not just the 5k" - this is the quote I am suppose to pass on to you from LM!!  I know that it takes guts, but as the saying goes, "No guts, no glory!!"     And...what happened to the kid for the men's game?  Or.... was he DUTCH??!!!

Hey now!     We stayed for as much of the two women's games as was possible, then ducked out quickly to bring junior chipmunk to his first school semi-formal dance.  After ironing his shirt, helping with his tie, and dumping him on his girlfried's parents, we returned shortly before the start of the men's varsity game.  (And you thought we didn't have our priorities straight!)   8)   (So, is dear son Clark Kent, aka Dutch, or is this story true...hmmm)   

[NW Hope Fan]

Just took a look at the league stats, and as this IS a team game, it is interesting, but not surprising to see Hope lead every team category but Offensive rebounding. And lead no individual category but 3-point %.

[KnightSlappy]

The three guard look is indeed not working on offense, but defensively it is a much better lineup than the previous one.

Sitting in my courtside seat at Hershey Hall, right behind the Calvin bench, I listened in to KVS at time-outs, where he repeatedly emphasized getting the ball down low. Calvin ran ball picks for their guards, and made nice rolls to the basket, but the guards did not give them the ball. From my view, it looked like these passes were there all day, and should have been made all day, but Calvin was, like said earlier, reluctant to give the ball to the posts.

Meckes played 27 minutes, and for about 26 of them he was constantly grimacing. Hopefully he isn't hurting too much.

It seemed like every timeout KVS was calling for more passes into the post.  It did seem like the guards were scared to throw it down there.  It seemed like they passed up inside opportunities for bad outside shots.  Poor shooting day for the whole team, especially Caleb Veldhouse.  I have no way of knowing this for sure but it seems like Caleb's concentration level has decreased.  He is way off the mark on many of his shot attempts and his FT % is down considerably from last year.

I dont know what the deal is with Meckes.  He looked in pain for most of the game and even seemed uncomfortable when sitting down which may be why he elected to stand while not in the game.

[David Collinge]

(So, is dear son Clark Kent, aka Dutch, or is this story true...hmmm)   

If Superman had rocketed to Earth as an infant and landed in the Netherlands (or southwestern Michigan), wouldn't he have been Claark vanKent?

[almcguirejr]

Meckes played 27 minutes, and for about 26 of them he was constantly grimacing. Hopefully he isn't hurting too much.

I dont know what the deal is with Meckes.  He looked in pain for most of the game and even seemed uncomfortable when sitting down which may be why he elected to stand while not in the game.

Josh Meckes was having severe back spasms yesterday.

[almcguirejr]

*  And kudos to Coach Passage for the conduct after the game.  Maybe you could share the good sportsmanship award to the coaches from Olivet and Tri-State.  Thanks.

What did he do?  I always thought he conducted himself with class.