MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[NW Hope Fan]

Just got back from a few days in Seattle and missed out on all the fun...

My take on the "comparison" was not that of Hitler but of George W Bush!   

And... Sieg Heil is a German phrase, which literally means "Hail [to] Victory." (Doesn't U of M sing something about that???)

Although saying the phrase in Germany today is a criminal offence punishable by up to three years of prison.

FDF- Thank goodness we're not in Germany! 

[bulldogalum]

"This isn't Russia.  Is this Russia?  This isn't Russia."

[KnightSlappy]

:::shrugs:::

Was trying to drop out of it -- you know better than most -- but a comparison of anyone to one of the most brutal dictators of history ... getting T'd up was an automatic.

Pat, I have been trying to leave it alone too but the darn website keeps logging me in and posting messages.

[northb]

Sac, I'm sorry you disagree but I think you know full well that on any other board a Hitler reference would've been dealt with in the same way. You've been outside the board enough to know.

Actually, that's not true -- on some other boards I might've banned the poster for a longer term for that kind of language, but the MIAA gets some latitude for its high level of discourse.

I didn't watch The View but I think Elisabeth Hasselbeck was less likely to invoke Hitler than Rosie O'Donnell.

oops--gotta ban yourself now, Pat

[sac]

This fall marks 10 years of D3hoops.com, and I thought it might be interesting to go back and look at some of the best MIAA teams of the past decade.

I'm going to use a stat rating system I use, so these are completely computer generated ratings.  Many things go into a teams rating, such as points, FG shooting, rebounding and opponents points, rebounding, shooting and overall winning percentage among others.  It tends to favor higher scoring teams and its certainly not perfect.  Its one flaw is it doesn't include a strength of schedule component.  You may not totally agree with the rankings, as I don't in a couple cases but I thought it might be a fun little thing to do this summer.


I want to start with the 5 teams that just missed out on the top 10.


#15  2004 Albion   20-7, 9-3  MIAA Finish 2nd,   Key players:  Michael Thomas, Travis DePree, Brandon Crawford   Key wins:  Calvin 77-71, @ Hope 76-60

Notes:   A bounce here or there and the Britons could have won 3 straight MIAA Championships, would probably rate higher but were upset in the MIAA tournament semi-finals, under the current NCAA selection would have been close to gaining an NCAA bid, but would have been behind Hope in the at large pecking order.    After starting out 1-2 in conference play, battled back to close within a game of leader Hope with their 76-60 win in Holland.  But Hope held on down the stretch.


#14  2001 Hope  16-10, 8-4  2nd  Key players:  Ryan Klingler, Don Overbeek, Chad Carlson   Key wins:  none


Notes:  The only team I don't feel really belongs in a discussion for top 15 teams based on record, but this was a very good offensive team and thats the primary reason this Hope team rates so highly.  Despite the early MIAA losses this team still had a shot tie for the conference title with a win at home vs Calvin.  The Knights walked away with an 84-82 win in OT and won the league by 2 games.  The season ended with a shock 94-88 OT loss to Adrian in the MIAA Semi's.


#13  2004 Calvin  19-10, 8-4  3rd    Key players:  Dan Aultman, Chris Prins, Ricky Shilts  Key wins: Albion 100-65,  Adrian 93-67 MIAA tournament Championship

Notes:  This Knights team is notable for their cinderella run at the MIAA Tournament Championship,  Started season 6-5, but showed potential by beating Ferris State.  Inconsistent and downright disappointing play in big early games vs Albion and Hope followed by a surprise double digit loss at Adrian left Calvin virtually out of the MIAA race by Jan 31.  Knights hung tough and finished the MIAA strong winning the next four MIAA contest by an average of 25+ and losing just one more game.  Big semi-final upset over Albion in MIAA Tournament.  Despite a 2-3 record vs teams ahead in the standing it was Calvin in the NCAA's losing to John Carroll 88-77.   Lost to Hope by 21 and 11.

#12  2003 Kalamazoo  18-6, 7-5 3rdtie    Key players:  Dirk Rhinehart, Erik Rhinehart, Nate Burns   Key Wins:  @ Wooster 79-72, Calvin 74-59

Notes:   In any other MIAA season this was a title contending Hornet team, but the MIAA was very strong in 2003 with Albion and Hope spending much time in the D3hoops top 25.   Kazoo came into MIAA 9-1 with its only loss in 2OT's.   What makes this team a bit odd after pulling off a huge momentum building 89-82 OT win vs Albion, the Hornets dropped an embarrassing 65 point loss in Holland, then turned around 3 days later and beat Calvin.  Kzoo came into the final 2 games of the year 1 game back of Hope and Albion and both remaining of the schedule.   However back to back losses ended the Hornets chances of a surprise MIAA title.   The season ended even worse in the MIAA tournament with an opening round loss to Adrian.  A season of what could have been.


#11  2003 Albion  22-5, 10-2  MIAA Co-Champion    Key players:  Brett Quayle, Michael Thomas, Travis DePree   Key wins:  Beat Calvin twice, @ Hope 69-55

Notes:   Most noted for being the first MIAA team not named Hope or Calvin to win a piece of the MIAA Championship since 1981.  The Britons were leading the MIAA early on when Hope came to Albion and won a 57-52 defensive slugfest, 3 days later a 2OT loss to Kzoo suddenly found Albion a game behind.   They would get that game back 3 weeks later with a convincing and dominating 14 point win in Holland.  The Brits would host the MIAA Tournament for the first time based on a coin flip, however the season ended in disappointed with a 61-48 home loss to Hope.  Under the current NCAA selection process the Brits most certainly would have  qualified for the NCAA tournament.   But 2003 broke barriers and instilled belief that Albion could compete with Hope and Calvin.

[sac]

I hope to make the top 10 a little more indepth, and I'll reveal a team or two over the next few days.

.......unfortunately I'm going away this weekend so I'll leave you hanging a bit.

[MIdoubleA]

For any or all of you that mentioned Cabrini Baseball earlier...

http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/news/story?id=2912882&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab2pos1

[realist]

Sac:  Very interesting what you've done so far, and KARMA for getting us back on the MIAA, and bball.      I do find it strangely curious that a team that goes 18-6 rates higher than a team that goes 19-10, and makes the final four.   Granted I am biased, but imho it means more if a team improves during the year, and over performs at the end than if they peak early than bomb.  What good is all the potential if they don't deliver in the end?   Calvin losing to Defiance in 99 was a disapointment.  While that 99 team had potential, and quality players they couldn't/didn't deliver when it really counted.

[northb]

Yes, Sac, nice redirection for the board.  I'm looking forward to your next installment.

[sac]

Sac:  Very interesting what you've done so far, and KARMA for getting us back on the MIAA, and bball.     

Only to be taken away within minutes by the karma fairy! 


You've mixed up your Calvin teams, 2005 went to the final four, 2004 lost to John Carroll in round one as the write up indicates.

Like I said its a computer ranking and not necessarily how I'd rank them personally..........and there is one team left off the list that will probably shock some people............and probably draw more spiteing.


I was sort of surprised when I put it together, how some teams rank compared to others but the truth is, they're all so close another win here or there puts a team higher up the chart.    Tournament success doesn't necessarily get you a higher ranking either.

[sac]

#10   2006  Albion


20-6, 10-4 3rd  Final D3Hoops ranking #23

Starting Five

G Mike Bailey
G Zak Silas
F Garret Gibbons
F Evan Way
C Brandon Crawford

Bench:  D.J. Mocini, Rick Palmer, Jim Cash, Drew Yancy, Andrew Ruddick, Dean Raven

Expectations were high coming into 2006, but questions abounded for the Britons.  Gone from graduation were All-MIAA Michael Thomas and league MVP Travis DePree from a team, arguably the best in Albion's history.  2 MIAA titles in 3 seasons and 3 straight 20 win seasons had garnered a great deal of respect around the MIAA.  Now that respect and notoriaty had extended to the national stage as the Brits would open the 05-06 season ranked #8.

Albion opened the season with in-state NAIA foe UM-Dearborn......THUD!  a convincing 88-77 loss at home and the questions were mounting already.  However the Brits righted their ship quickly and after a tough 75-72 victory over perenial OAC challenger BW the Brits remained on the national scope at 4-1.  By Christmas Albion had rolled off 7 straight wins, but the story was becoming Brandon Crawford.  After 8 games the Sr center had 8 double-doubles!

By MIAA opening day, the Britons were 9-1 and quietly rolling.  Brandon Crawford had chalked up a 23.9 pts and 13.5 rebound per game start to the season.  A 2-0 start to the MIAA season was exactly what the Brits had hope'd for and now they headed for a showdown with Hope.   Hope had started 13-0 and rocketed up the D3hoops top 25 all the way to #2, even surpassing the Britons.   It would be the highest rankings matchup for 2 MIAA teams in the D3hoops poll era.   #2 Hope @ #4 Albion.

Quite simply the game didn't live up to the hype.......the year before the two teams had won games on the others floor and this group of Britons was just simply not going to be denied a victory.  Led by Mike Bailey's quickness the Brits ran all around the Dutchmen, shooting 64% in the first half and holding the Dutchmen well below their average.  It was 40-20 at the half and for all purposes, over.  The final would be 76-58, and the Brits had served notice they were a team to be reckoned with, in a game no Albion player will probably ever forget.

Only 3 days latter, Albion would be scared silly by Alma pulling out a 3 point win.   The cracks were starting to show.

Just a week after their big win over Hope, the Brits had climbed to #3 and another showdown was coming.   Calvin!   A year earlier the Knights broke the hearts of the Britons with their win in the NCAA quarterfinal matchup.  Calvin was coming in trying to keep their MIAA season alive, with one loss a win at Kresge would give them an all important road win and a chance to hold serve at home for the MIAA title, quite simply the Knights were sneaking in under the radar.  It was a chance for Albion to solidify thier MIAA title credentials.  In the end a big 2nd half offensive surge by Calvin led to another tough to take 69-66 loss at home.

The wobbly Brits, did win their next 2 games comfortably, it was now February and little did the MIAA world know, but the next 8 days would prove to be the pivotal moments of both the conference race and Albions season.  The Britons were off to Tri-State, were they looking ahead to their Saturday rematch with the Dutchmen?  Hard to say, but the scoreboard didn't lie   Tri-State 77 Albion 72.  It was the massive upset of the MIAA season.  The Britons wouldn't recover 3 days latter when a record crowd at the new DeVos Fieldhouse willed the Dutchmen to a revenge 74-55 trouncing.  The Britons were out of the MIAA title hunt.

The final week of the MIAA campaign was over and Albion headed to Calvin for one final chance at redemption for what may have been a disappointing MIAA season.  Laying in wait was Hope College, talented, deep, angry and hungry for redemption themselves.   The anticipated matchup at Calvin resulted in a 76-65 loss.  Albion's promising season was over.   



Notes:
The 2006 Britons finished a string of 4 seasons, where the Britons went 88-22 won an outright MIAA title, shared another and went to the NCAA quarterfinals.  Possibly the best 4 year string in their history.  They had gained a tremendous amount of respect around the league in that time.  Under a different set of NCAA qualifiers, Albion could have gone to 4 straight NCAA tournaments.  Except for one year Albion seemed just one win away from makeing the dance.  They really were not far from winning 4 MIAA titles in a row.

2006 lies somewhere in the gray area between great season and what could have been.  A career ending injury to Lonnie Fulse and the sitting out of a talented Frosh for medical reasons could have prevented the Brits from being "the" team in the MIAA.

Brandon Crawford's 2006 will simply go down as one of the best by a big man.  He led the MIAA in scoring, becoming the first Briton to do so in 37 years.  He was named MVP averaging 22.1 pts and 11 rebounds overall and had an astounding 17 double-doubles in 27 games.

I have little doubt the 2006 Britons could compete with anyone I saw in the NCAA tournament, they were good.   By the 2nd half of the MIAA campaign, the league had 3 National caliber teams.  Ultimately losing a close one at home to Calvin and the upset to Tri-State kept the Britons from a more satisfying finish.

[Pat Coleman]

Sac:  Very interesting what you've done so far, and KARMA for getting us back on the MIAA, and bball.     

Only to be taken away within minutes by the karma fairy! 

Kneejerk reaction autosmite from elsewhere in the Rivalry.

[sac]

#9  2004 Hope


21-5, 10-2  MIAA Champion   Final D3hoops ranking #24


Most played starting 5.

G Greg Immink
G Daane Griffeth
C Kyle Kleersnyder
F Travis Spaman
F Andy Phillips

Bench:  Matt Taylor, Jason Mejeur, Stephen Cramer, Jeff Carlson, Scott Richardson

After back to back trips to the NCAA tournament and with just 2 Seniors, the young Flying Dutchmen had a heap of expectations placed upon them early, preseason D3hoops #16 and picked to win the MIAA.  After 3 down years by Hope standards, 2002 and 2003 had brought Hope back to the NCAA's, nothing less than a conference championship and return to the big dance would satisfy this young team.  They'd had a taste and they wanted more.

The season started with a trip to play sister schools Central, Ia and Northwestern, Ia, both were easy 38 and 33 point wins.  The home opener proved another blowout 33 point win over  Finlandia.  Were the Dutchmen really this good?   The Dutchmen were thrust back into reality with a tough 71-58 loss to D2 Grand Valley State, followed by a loss to Cornerstone in the Hall of Fame Classic and Hope was out of the top 25.

By the end of the non-conference slate, Hope had rolled off 6 more wins, 5 at home.   Questions still lingered, the competition was mediocre but the on court play was terrific.  Conference play opened for everyone else while Hope would entertain the circus of Tri-State makeing their first appearance as an MIAA member in a game that would not affect the standings.  TSU had adopted the Grinnell style and those in attendance at the Civic had rarely seen anything like it.   Andy Phillips put on his best performance as a Dutchmen, benefitting from the style of play with 45 points, and 16 rebounds.  The second highest point total by a Hope player.

The official opener took the Dutchmen to Adrian, the Bulldogs were determined to shock the MIAA world that season.  Sporting the top Bulldog team in a couple decades Adrian pulled of the memorable 77-71 upset, sending the favorites back to Holland with questions.  The next Wednesday, Hope began answering those question with a 10 point and crucial win over highly touted Albion at Kresge.

By the time the first Calvin game rolled around Jan 24, the MIAA race was off to a wild start but it was Hope 4-1 vs Calvin 4-1.  It was the day the ultimate question would be asked, Are you good enough to beat Calvin, are you good enough to win the MIAA.  In front of a usual packed house in the Civic Center Hope rolled over the Knights shooting 61% for game winning 96-75 in one the most lopsided wins in the series for Hope in long time.  Questions had been answered and 2724 left the Civic feeling the promises of the season would be fulfilled.

By the start of February Hope was in command of the MIAA but by just a slim game, Adrian was coming to town just 1 game back.  On Feb 4, the top 4 in the MIAA met, Adrian at Hope, Albion at Calvin.  Hope would gain a measure of revenge for their earlier loss to Adrian, with a hard fough 87-83 come from behind victory.   It left many players and fans exhausted.  At the same time Calvin was thumping Albion 100-65 and at the end of the day, Hope had a full 2 game lead in the standings.  One step closer to a Championship.

The next game brought Albion to Hope, the Britons were furious after their embarassment just 3 days earlier.  The Britons dominated from start to finish and walked out of Holland with a 16 point 76-60 win led by Marcus Gill's career best 20.  Once again the title that seemed so sure was up for grabs again.

A hard fought 6 point win at always tough Kalamazoo was followed by a  17 point win at home to struggling Olivet.   The foundation was shaken however, cracks were showing, and the biggest test in any Hope season was on the horizon, Calvin at Calvin.   Hope had never enjoyed great success on the Beltline and at this point in the series Hope had won just 1 game of the previous 6 visits to Calvin, throw in consecutive conference tournament losses to Albion, Defiance and Adrian from 99 to 01 on that floor and Hope fans everywhere had to be feeling the hex.   But in 2002 maybe Hope had lifted that hex, with come from behind huge rallies to win the 2002 MIAA tournament over Kzoo and Calvin, there was confidence in the Hope camp.

It was here that this Hope team would prove itself, Calvin was by no means world beaters in 2004 but they were a solid, if young ball club.  A balanced Hope attack would prove to be too much for the Knights,  Matt Taylor had 9 and Fr. Scott Richardson had 10 off the bench in key rolls as 4 other Hope players hit double digits.  Leaving the Fieldhouse Hope fans were feeling sky high, Hope had clinched a share of the MIAA Champioship for a second straight season and had done so on their most difficult floor to win.

On the final day of the season Hope rolled to an easy 88-70 win over last place Alma.  Hope had won its first outright basketball Championship since 1998, 5 long years, that for Hope felt like 10.  They were MIAA Champions alone again.

The 2004 MIAA tournament would end up being one of the most notable.  Third seeded Calvin would upset second seed Albion in the opener of semi-final night.  But it was the nightcap that finally brought down Hope's solid foundation they had built.

No one on Hope's 2004 MIAA schedule played the Dutchmen tougher than Adrian, a 6 point loss and 4 point win was a precurser to a fantastic and epic semi-final clash.   Adrian was not going to be denied on this night, with Billy Collins and Brian Schaefer draining 3's all night, and Adrians starting 5 all playing over 30 minutes and scoring double digits.   Hope's furious second half rally and the thunderous noise of the Civic Center was just a little shy of what was needed.  Adrian 86-82........Hope's season was over, its dream of a 3rd straight NCAA appearance gone.   


Notes:   The 2004 Hope team was a very entertaining bunch to watch, they were able to play over the difficult loss of Jeff Carlson to a knee injury in mid-season.  Notable for only having two Sr's, this team had solidified the excitement in Holland that had come from 2003.  They were probably one more 3 point sniper away from being a serious top 10 threat.

The two Hope/Adrian games in Holland were 2 of the best games I've seen in person, they were absolute battles of wills.

The 48 team NCAA field and small pool c group left Hope with no chance to make the tournament.  Under todays system, this team would have had a very good shot at a Pool C bid.

Andy Phillips was the MVP of the league that season with one of the finer Sophomore seasons on record at Hope.  He may not have been the best player in the league but he was the best player on the best team.

Unfortunately I feel this teams legacy is always a little forgotten and maybe stained by what would happen the following fall.  Key injuries and suspensions left the 2005 Hope team dead in the water, all the momentum of 2002 to 2004 was lost.  With 8 returning starters and a solid JV group moving up and 2 incoming transfers, 2005 had even higher expectations.  I think people forget how good this 2004 team really was sometimes.

[hope1]

sac that is very good what you are doing   and have fun golfing today now such a nice day

[hoopdreams]

Did anyone happen to take in the Champions of Character games at cornerstone last night?  Future dutch, knight, saints, and golden eagles were on display.  Not much D played, but it was fun to watch.