MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[realist]

Not really second guessing KVS.  He is the first to admit what he has tried to do so far hasn't worked.  If something clearly isn't working than you come up with an alternate plan.  Doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting different results is insanity as someone pointed out Sat.  I merely offer up several options, and you might be right that my ideas suck.
Stick with 3 tired, frustrated, stressed, and underproducing guards, but don't expect some miracle to occur.   Calvin made a nice run to catch up, and pull ahead of Tri State last Sat.  Instead of being able to build a larger lead Calvin, simply put, sounded tired, and ran out of gas.

[HopeConvert]

KS:  My point is the 3 guards are playing too many minutes per game.  Just telling them to do something hasn't worked.  All the playing time has tired the guards out so much they are not capable of responding.  They hear KVS, but don't have the legs, and stamina to make crisp passes.  The clock runs down, and they throw up a shot using a tired body.  The more you rely on those 3 players (going forward) the more you will see their effectivness diminish.  A 3 guard strategy might work if you go 7 or 8 deep on decent guards, but it hasn't with only 5.  The other option is playing forwards with good ball handling skills to relieve the pressure.

No need to second guess KVS.  Based on past experience, my hunch is he will have them ready for the MIAA tournament.

Regarding the guards being worn out, you should have watched MSU Saturday night.  Drew Neitzel ran hard for 40 minutes and only became more effective as the game went on.  Playing 20 - 30 minutes a game isn't going to wear them out.

My guess is KVS will have them ready. This is what Hope fans fear (assuming, of course, they meet).

I noticed in the last two games the GVW is mixing up his lineups a little more. I think he has a plan.

[SKOT]

Hide the kids - unless you want them frightened.

Does this mascot wear wooden shoes to complete the outfit?

If he does, it will make my day.

If he doesn't wear wooden shoes I'd be devastated. I mean it would be missing the biggest part of the whole outfit!

If you take a look at the picture below, it looks as if he is wearing wood-type shoes (sorta like your partially hydrogenated cheese type product!)  I have never seen fuzzy wooden shoes before!  As a Hope fan, it saddens me.  But, at the same time, I would expect nothing more either...



bigger version here http://www.hope.edu/pr/pressreleases/content/view/full/12990

[Civic Minded]

Hide the kids - unless you want them frightened.

Does this mascot wear wooden shoes to complete the outfit?

If he does, it will make my day.

If he doesn't wear wooden shoes I'd be devastated. I mean it would be missing the biggest part of the whole outfit!

If you take a look at the picture below, it looks as if he is wearing wood-type shoes (sorta like your partially hydrogenated cheese type product!)  I have never seen fuzzy wooden shoes before!  As a Hope fan, it saddens me.  But, at the same time, I would expect nothing more either...



bigger version here http://www.hope.edu/pr/pressreleases/content/view/full/12990

Aw, he's not so bad in person, and the "wooden" shoes are a nice, appropriate touch.  As to scaring the kiddies, it didn't happen.  He did a meet and greet during both the women's and men's varsity games, giving out goodies.  Kids were flocking to him.  On Saturday at least, he was used more as a Disney character than a rah-rah mascot.  Fine with me (I found the introduction of the Knight embarassing enough...)   

[HopeConvert]

"Dutch" was fine, although given his minimum presence I'm not quite sure why he was even there. I think, given the cost of the outfit, the powers that be may be a little afraid of having condiments spilled on him.

In the future, I hope to see zany, though tasteful, highjinks from the mascot.

[sac]

In the future, I hope to see zany, though tasteful, highjinks from the mascot.

Like stealing banners.........or big yellow foamy hats

[GoKnights68]

In the future, I hope to see zany, though tasteful, highjinks from the mascot.

Like stealing banners.........or big yellow foamy hats

Oh no, the big yellow foamy hat story caused quite the tension in this board last season!  We even had the man that wore that hat come in here!

[sac]

15 of Hope's 30 point scoring margin advantage can be attributed to 3 point shooting where they're averaging 5 more 3's made per game than their opponents.


Hope won the first encounter with Olivet by 29, even though Olivet matched Hope  3 for 3 with a 12-25 performance to Hope's 11-22.  Sierminski and Way were 11-17 combined in a 2 man show.

Olivet has had by far the best performance from 3 against Hope in league play.  After last week Hope was allowing only 27% shooting from 3, takeing out the Olivet game, that percentage drops to below 25%.

In the last 4 games opponents have managed just 16-82 from 3, which is less than 20% shooting.........which is also ridiculous.  Some is just bad shots, but I've noticed Hope has played some pretty good perimeter D this year and they have a lot of long arms to try and shoot over.

In those same games Hope has shot 44-87, just over 50% ...........again ridiculous. 8)

[HopeConvert]

In the future, I hope to see zany, though tasteful, highjinks from the mascot.

Like stealing banners.........or big yellow foamy hats

Again - so long as there are no ketchup or mustard stains. It may be a sorry commentary on my life, but the stolen banner prank was a highlight of it.

[NW Hope Fan]

15 of Hope's 30 point scoring margin advantage can be attributed to 3 point shooting where they're averaging 5 more 3's made per game than their opponents.


Hope won the first encounter with Olivet by 29, even though Olivet matched Hope  3 for 3 with a 12-25 performance to Hope's 11-22.  Sierminski and Way were 11-17 combined in a 2 man show.

Olivet has had by far the best performance from 3 against Hope in league play.  After last week Hope was allowing only 27% shooting from 3, taking out the Olivet game, that percentage drops to below 25%.

In the last 4 games opponents have managed just 16-82 from 3, which is less than 20% shooting.........which is also ridiculous.  Some is just bad shots, but I've noticed Hope has played some pretty good perimeter D this year and they have a lot of long arms to try and shoot over.

In those same games Hope has shot 44-87, just over 50% ...........again ridiculous. 8)

So, as has been talked about before... What happens when/if Hope makes it into a game in post season against a team with a true big man, and and inside/outside game? Or is it, that Hope's D on the 3 is attributed to good defense inside and out? I've only seen the Calvin game on a little screen in a bar, so I don't have much to base an opinion on.

[northb]

So we have granted the Dutchmen the league championship, and see only one minor roadblock to the MIAA tournament championship (a reconfigured Calvin team, currently 4th place inthe league???).  Who is ready to lay odds on a Dutchment National championship banner?  Does this team have the talent to go all the way?  Too early to tell?

[HopeConvert]

So we have granted the Dutchmen the league championship, and see only one minor roadblock to the MIAA tournament championship (a reconfigured Calvin team, currently 4th place inthe league???).  Who is ready to lay odds on a Dutchment National championship banner?  Does this team have the talent to go all the way?  Too early to tell?

I'll assume nothing at this point; but I think Hope certainly has to be favored to win the league championship. Calvin may be in fourth place, but they have given Hope the closest game to date, and I think the general tenor of the discussion on the board is that the Knights are currently underachieving. That being the case, and given the sorts of matchups problems they could potentially present, it would seem they would be best suited to give Hope a run for their money come tournament time. Other than the Tri-state game in Angola, it is tough to see any other team having a chance to beat the Dutchmen.

I still believe Hope is vulnerable to a team with a big, athletic front-line. I'll be surprised if there is a team in the country with better guard play, but this isn't a big Hope team, and our biggest player (MVH) hasn't been too keen on mixing it up in the paint. Until I see them play a team with some big men producing on the inside, and maintain the kinds of defensive stats sac demonstrated, I have my doubts about their ability to hang a banner. The fact that they haven't been moving too quickly up the poll (9th this week) indicates that, despite the eye-popping statistics and margins-of-victory, voters remain unconvinced as well.

[AndersDY]

If you take a look at the picture below, it looks as if he is wearing wood-type shoes (sorta like your partially hydrogenated cheese type product!)  I have never seen fuzzy wooden shoes before!  As a Hope fan, it saddens me.  But, at the same time, I would expect nothing more either...



bigger version here http://www.hope.edu/pr/pressreleases/content/view/full/12990

The maintenance crew in The Dick already needs an announcement after every game to chase the dang youngins and their sneakers off the precious hardwood floor. I think they might have a coronary watching Dutch klomp out there in true wooden shoes.

Northb: I think the verdict for Hope can't come in until we actually hit tournament time. It would be hard to look more impressive than they have ever since the Calvin game and yet we know that because of the strength of the conference this year, this stretch doesn't tell us much about how Hope will keep up with national contenders. Even if Hope beats Calvin handily in Part III (and perhaps Part IV), we'll know that this is a Calvin team that currently sits in only 4th place. Unless one of the other contenders finishes the season impressively, we don't have much of a measuring stick available during MIAA play or the conference tourney. At this point, the idea is to just keep winning and let that figure itself out when it comes (and if a trip to Ohio comes up this year, let's pack an offense this time).

[ChicagoHopeNut]

In the future, I hope to see zany, though tasteful, highjinks from the mascot.

Like stealing banners.........or big yellow foamy hats

Again - so long as there are no ketchup or mustard stains. It may be a sorry commentary on my life, but the stolen banner prank was a highlight of it.

As someone closely involved in the "stolen" banner prank you all bring back the fondest of college memories. Go Hope!

[realist]

As Sac points out Hope's guards are doing a heck of a job defensively.  At this point I think they will  handle most opposing guards.  Calvin (and other teams) have worked to get the ball inside with mixed results.  Like it or not, Hope has to be the odds on favorite for the MIAA championship, and tournament.  It is possible some other MIAA team might upset them, but doubt we will see that.  Yes, a team with a good inside game is going to give Hope some problems.  Especially if they have guards capable of dealing with the pressure they will be facing, and can actually get the ball inside.  An issue Calvin is repeatedly learning is "easier said than done".  All GVW needs to say to keep his teams feet on the ground are words like Carthage, and Wheaton.