MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[NW Hope Fan]

I wonder if anyone out there will end up with a solid one foot "line", with the women needing to shoot from behind the front edge and the men from behind the back... instead of two lines.

[Pat Coleman]

I don't know if that'll fly, though it's an interesting thought.

[NW Hope Fan]

I don't know if that'll fly, though it's an interesting thought.

Too hard for the refs to pick up where the shooter is???

[sac]

Hope's 07-08 schedule is up

http://www.hope.edu/pr/athletics/mbb/

Not particularly helpfull for non-conference opponents.  I believe Hope starts with Aquinas then get either Cornerstone or Calvin.  The next week they start with Wheaton then Carthage.  After that I don't know.   I'm also guessing that since the Hall of Fame tournament is listed as at Cornerstone we aren't returning to Van Andel Arena anytime soon.

The Florida tournament is 3 games I think, same one Albion played in last year.

Its going to be odd to start the MIAA season with Albion.

[Ralph Turner]

Hope's 07-08 schedule is up

http://www.hope.edu/pr/athletics/mbb/

Not particularly helpfull for non-conference opponents.  I believe Hope starts with Aquinas then get either Cornerstone or Calvin.  The next week they start with Wheaton then Carthage.  After that I don't know.   I'm also guessing that since the Hall of Fame tournament is listed as at Cornerstone we aren't returning to Van Andel Arena anytime soon.

The Florida tournament is 3 games I think, same one Albion played in last year.

Its going to be odd to start the MIAA season with Albion.

I see 14 conference (in-region) games.  I assume that the Cornerstone tourney is not likely to have an in-region opponent.  The key is how many in-region games are in the remaining 9 games.

[Pat Coleman]

Three games in Florida against D-III opponents will go a long way.

[diehardfan]

I see 14 conference (in-region) games.  I assume that the Cornerstone tourney is not likely to have an in-region opponent.  The key is how many in-region games are in the remaining 9 games.

Well, at least two of them, both Carthage and Wheaton, are regional. Thanks to the ferry.

I totally need to build two strategic ferry ports along Lake Michigan so that Calvin and Wheaton can become regional.

[sac]

In-region games for Hope

14 conference games plus 3 conference tournament games (you aren't makeing the NCAA's if you don't make your conference championship game)

thats 17

plus Wheaton and Carthage

plus potential Calvin matchup at Cornerstone.

Thats 19 possibly 20 plus the unknown opponents in the two home tournaments in Holland and the Florida tournament.


I'm a little disappointed the other tournament opponents aren't announced, usually those are already known.  History would show maybe 1 more D3 in those tournaments but I really don't know.  The Florida tournament should be all D3's but last year Albion played Buffalo St and Elmhurst.....neither would be in-region, so there is no garuntee there.


Ralph---Calvin is in the Hall of Fame tournament with Hope, Aquinas and Cornerstone.  Remarkably Hope and Calvin have met only once in the 10 year history of the tournament.  I'd guess they'll be favorites to meet in the final this year, although Aquinas should have a solid team.  C'stone will be average.

[diehardfan]

The Florida tournament should be all D3's but last year Albion played Buffalo St and Elmhurst.....neither would be in-region, so there is no guarantee there.

Well, although I'm sure they're not regional for Albion, Elmhurst is obviously totally in-region for Hope, so I suppose it's possible. There's no guarantee, but it does give some secondary criteria for selection Sunday, albeit not as helpful as a regional game at all.

It's too bad that regional game against Wheaton early on will have to be tagged as an early loss since you have so few in-region nonconference games.

[hopefan]

Well...  with my "extensive" schedule data base, I can tell you that no other school that has currently posted their schedule is playing in the Orlando tournament, so don't bother going through those postings... if I come across any before Hope announces it, I'll post it here.   And Sac, very disappointed you didn't hit "my" site with this announcement   -   I get no respect!!!

[Flying Dutch Fan]

A couple of points on the schedule. 

First, no chance that Hope & Calvin meet in the "Bank of the Year" classic.  That tournament has been modified to be like the MIAA/CCIW tourney (its the MIAA/WHAC tourney).  Hope plays Cornerstone one night, and Aquinas the next (and obviously the opposite for Calvin).

The RDV (as in Rich DeVos) tournament in Florida last year did have a total of 6 DIII teams, but each team only played 2 games.  I would expect the same this year.

[Flying Dutch Fan]

And some interesting (at least to me) stuff about attendance:

Hope leads the nation with average home attendance of 2923.  Second is Wooster at 1943, and Calvin is third at 1891.  The MIAA leads the nation as a conference, with average home attendance of 1100.

The "interesting stuff":

- Hope's average attendance over all games (home, road, neutral) is 2075, still high enough to lead the nation.  Obviously Hope draws well on the road as well as at home.

- Hope's attendace would have placed them 5th in DII and 164th in DI.  That's higher than 161 DI teams.

- Someone did this last year, and compared attendance to % of enrollment.  Here are the numbers for the MIAA (Albion is the shocker for me)

School - Enrollment - Attendance - Percentage

Hop               2893          2923           101.03%
Calvin            4330          1891             43.67%
TSU               1110            659              59.37%
Kalamazoo    1265            447              35.34%
Olivet              940            395              42.02%
Adrian             978            320              32.72%
Albion            1852            275              14.85%
Alma              1249            266              21.30%

[sac]

First, no chance that Hope & Calvin meet in the "Bank of the Year" classic.  That tournament has been modified to be like the MIAA/CCIW tourney (its the MIAA/WHAC tourney).  Hope plays Cornerstone one night, and Aquinas the next (and obviously the opposite for Calvin).

That is welcome news, I think a couple of us suggested that a year ago.  The Hope/Calvin game in last years tournament was the most pointless Hope/Calvin game I'd ever witnessed.   

So then is this now a rotating gig, and will the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame be traveling to Holland?

[hope1]

i have been gone for  1 week and nothing  have happened about time  they posted the hope schedule 

[Flying Dutch Fan]

First, no chance that Hope & Calvin meet in the "Bank of the Year" classic.  That tournament has been modified to be like the MIAA/CCIW tourney (its the MIAA/WHAC tourney).  Hope plays Cornerstone one night, and Aquinas the next (and obviously the opposite for Calvin).

That is welcome news, I think a couple of us suggested that a year ago.  The Hope/Calvin game in last years tournament was the most pointless Hope/Calvin game I'd ever witnessed.   

So then is this now a rotating gig, and will the Grand Rapids Sports Hall of Fame be traveling to Holland?

I would guess that the tournament will be rotating, but that's just my guess.

Another item of interest - Stephen Cramer debuted as a member of the Holland Blast IBL team on Friday (I didn't see the game, but heard from others that he played).