MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[ChicagoHopeNut]

Potential Hope MVP candidates.

The obvious candidate is DVS. He can pass and shoot and without Cramer it is likely he will be shooting a lot more each game, hopefully, he keeps it under control.

I don't think Marcus has it in him to make a run. I think he has a lot of talent but he has never showed an ability to come up big game after game. I just don't have faith that he can produce consistently all year, I hope he proves me wrong though.

I think my dark horse candidate from Hope is Jess Reimink. He showed a couple flashes of brilliance in big games last year and I think its possible that he can produce at a high level every night.

[bulldogalum]

I agree that DVS is Hope's best candidate heading into the season.  I think he's got to be careful to not try too hard to carry this team now that Cramer is no longer there to shoulder the load (not to imply that Hope lacks talent, we certainly know this to be a falsehood.  Instead, I am only suggesting that as a leader of a team with high expectations, there is always a danger to try to do too much). 

Obviously, for Adrian, Desmond Young has to be viewed as a serious contender for league MVP.  To come in at midseason, as he did last year, and carry a team to a record that was much better than anticipated for the Bulldogs and to an all-league selection individually, he clearly made a name for himself.  I think coming into this year, he's in much better basketball shape and has some very nice pieces around him.  He could be poised for an excellent season.  I certainly hope this is so.

Any other strong MVP candidates out there?

[GoKnights68]

Matt Veltema - SO - Matt showed promise last year and I think he will be even better this year.  Matt needs to get better at creating for himself on the offensive side and he needs to improve his defensive game.  He could end up with Draayer's career three point record by the time he is done at Calvin.

He's already built a pretty nice lead on Draayer's record. Matt made 30 from beyond the arc his freshmen year--Andy made 2 his first year.

Yeah. Draayer was on JV just about his whole freshmen year.  It should be close when Velt's career is all said and done.

[KnightSlappy]

Matt Veltema - SO - Matt showed promise last year and I think he will be even better this year.  Matt needs to get better at creating for himself on the offensive side and he needs to improve his defensive game.  He could end up with Draayer's career three point record by the time he is done at Calvin.

He's already built a pretty nice lead on Draayer's record. Matt made 30 from beyond the arc his freshmen year--Andy made 2 his first year.

Yeah. Draayer was on JV just about his whole freshmen year.  It should be close when Velt's career is all said and done.

Actually now that I think about it I think Matt would be chasing Caleb's Calvin career three point record.  Caleb is already "on pace" to break Andy's record of 222.

[sac]

Any guesses on where the Knights might be ranked to start the year?

I don't expect the Knights will be ranked at all in the preseason rankings and, in my judgment, they shouldn't be.

Calvin's probably a lock for top 25 in the pre-season poll.  Right around the 15 to 20 range, conservatively.  If voters look past the graduation of Cramer, Hope probably starts in about the same range.  Whether either deserves to be is of course a matter of debate.

If Calvin and Hope get by with some wins in their early toughies, we could have some highly ranked matchups between the two this year.


My justification for Calvin being ranked would be their returning nucleous is excellent, they made the second round of the NCAA's last season and will be one of the 2 fav's to win the MIAA.  The MIAA fav. is almost always ranked.

Hope will probably be ranked based largely on finishing #5 in last spring's poll and again returning a number of key players.  Another good nucleous, and the voters do read about incoming freshman.

Frankly I like what both teams have to offer the D3 world this winter.

[Dark Knight]

Just some more thoughts I have on Calvin's upcoming team:

My Projected Starting 5:
Caleb Veldhouse - JR - Caleb needs to show that he can be a consistent scorer in the MIAA.  Caleb needs to improve his FG% by taking better shots.  His FT% also needs to come up from last year.  A LOT is expected from this kid this year.

Derek Griffin - SR - I thought he could have been the MVP last year.  Derek seemed a bit rattled in the first of the conference meetings against the Dutchmen but he came up big down the stretch for the Knights.  Derek can get into the lane or spot up a three.  He is also a very good rebounding guard.

Matt Veltema - SO - Matt showed promise last year and I think he will be even better this year.  Matt needs to get better at creating for himself on the offensive side and he needs to improve his defensive game.  He could end up with Draayer's career three point record by the time he is done at Calvin.

Tim Katt - JR - Tim is a hustle guy.  Not very much is expected offensively from Katt but I think he will with decent numbers.  Tim has good strength and should be excellent on the boards.

John Mantel - SO - John is my dark horse MVP pick for this season.  If he can lay off of the three pointers and stay down low he should end up with great numbers.  John showed good size and strength for a freshman last year and I look for that to improve this year.  Not very many teams will have a good match-up against John.

Sixth Man:
Dustin Smith - JR - Dustin showed great improvement in control last year.  His numbers won't dazzle but he has great energy and always seems to hit a big shot. (Maybe it's just me but that shot always seems to be right in front of Hope's student section)

I would expect to see Engelsma in the front court rotation, perhaps even starting at 4 if he's gained some muscle mass since last year.

My prediction:
Veldhouse, Griffin, Veltema, Engelsma, Mantel.

With at least three MVP candidates, it looks like a good team!   

Actually, I think Desmond Young could be a good candidate, but only if Adrian has a stronger supporting cast around him this year. The MVP rarely seems to come from a team that finishes below second or third.

[Mr. Ypsi]

2 comments:

Draayer being JV as a frosh reminds me of Keelan Amelianovich - also almost exclusively JV, before becoming CCIW POY as a soph and d3hoops first team AA as a junior and senior!  Sometimes I think coaches have too much of a tendency to see 'freshman' before they fully see 'talent'!  (I saw Draayer in the 2004 MIAA-CCIW challenge at Wheaton.  He made at least 6 3s, and it seemed like every one he was falling out of bounds and with a hand in his face!  Unbelievable game!)

I was wondering when anyone was ever going to mention Desmond Young as a POY candidate.  I saw him in what must have been his worst game (Hope @ Adrian), but could still tell the kid was a special talent.  But I'd agree that his teammates have to step it up.  Not necessarily so the team record improves (though that is probably a consideration), but so that he won't be double or triple teamed and so that someone will actually score on his passes (and make catchable passes to him)!

[Gregory Sager]

2 comments:

Draayer being JV as a frosh reminds me of Keelan Amelianovich - also almost exclusively JV, before becoming CCIW POY as a soph and d3hoops first team AA as a junior and senior!

North Park's Michael Harper, who was a three-time All-American and CCIW Most Outstanding Player and was also the NABC Player of the Year as a Viking during North Park's threepeat national championship era prior to his embarking upon a pro career in the NBA and Europe, was also almost exclusively a JV player as a freshman.

[Mr. Ypsi]

[Apologies to MIAAers for temporarily hijacking your board!]

Greg, I wondered about Harper.  A couple months ago I tallied up all the multiple all-CCIW players and found a number of three-time first-teamers who got nothing in their first (or last?) year.  Two others were Vikings: Keith McDonald (71-73) and Mike Starks (86-88) - transfers? late bloomers? caught behind a star senior as a freshman? injured?  Any info?

[billgull]

OK! I know that this is the b-ball section, but it appears that this is where
most of the MIAA action goes on. I have enjoyed reading this board for
over a year now. I really would like to get down to see a Calvin/Hope game
just off of what you all have talked about.

NEED HELP!!!
Will be coming down to Calvin for the Gt. Lakes D3 pre-regional X-C meet
this Coming Saturday (10/13). I have mapquested the route from where I
live in Northern Mich. to Calvin and I was on campus last Spring for the
MIAA T&F Field Day, where I got really, really lost. According to the Calvin
website the Start/Finish lines are located on the Gainey Athletic Soccer
Fields and the course runs thru the Calvin Nature Preserve. Fans and
Spectators must park in the Prince Conference Center parking lot and walk
in to the Start/Finish area. Question: Do I continue on E. Beltline past
Burton St. to get to the Prince Conference Center? And, approx. how many
stop lights, side roads, etc.

Thanking you in advance for your prompt reply!

Please keep it simple as I am an Albion fan.  (my daughter attends
Albion).

[wolverinekeith]

Just some more thoughts I have on Calvin's upcoming team:

My Projected Starting 5:
Caleb Veldhouse - JR - Caleb needs to show that he can be a consistent scorer in the MIAA.  Caleb needs to improve his FG% by taking better shots.  His FT% also needs to come up from last year.  A LOT is expected from this kid this year.

Derek Griffin - SR - I thought he could have been the MVP last year.  Derek seemed a bit rattled in the first of the conference meetings against the Dutchmen but he came up big down the stretch for the Knights.  Derek can get into the lane or spot up a three.  He is also a very good rebounding guard.

Matt Veltema - SO - Matt showed promise last year and I think he will be even better this year.  Matt needs to get better at creating for himself on the offensive side and he needs to improve his defensive game.  He could end up with Draayer's career three point record by the time he is done at Calvin.

Tim Katt - JR - Tim is a hustle guy.  Not very much is expected offensively from Katt but I think he will with decent numbers.  Tim has good strength and should be excellent on the boards.

John Mantel - SO - John is my dark horse MVP pick for this season.  If he can lay off of the three pointers and stay down low he should end up with great numbers.  John showed good size and strength for a freshman last year and I look for that to improve this year.  Not very many teams will have a good match-up against John.

Sixth Man:
Dustin Smith - JR - Dustin showed great improvement in control last year.  His numbers won't dazzle but he has great energy and always seems to hit a big shot. (Maybe it's just me but that shot always seems to be right in front of Hope's student section)

I would expect to see Engelsma in the front court rotation, perhaps even starting at 4 if he's gained some muscle mass since last year.

My prediction:
Veldhouse, Griffin, Veltema, Engelsma, Mantel.

With at least three MVP candidates, it looks like a good team!   

Actually, I think Desmond Young could be a good candidate, but only if Adrian has a stronger supporting cast around him this year. The MVP rarely seems to come from a team that finishes below second or third.

I like Englesma, too.  In HS he was an incredible rebounder and that continued last year on JV.  I suspect (hope? think?) he's just one of those kids that "gets it" on how to rebound and scrap underneath, despite his frail frame.  If he could get up to 220 or so, that would be very helpful for Calvin.  He and Katt can rotate next to Mantel.  

KnightSlappy - I wonder if Strunk will steal Chappell's minutes?  They're similar players, although Strunk can play PG and Chappell can't.  

Anyone know anything about any of the other freshmen at Calvin?  I can't wait until they post the rosters in a couple weeks.  

[bulldogalum]

I would expect to see an improvement from the surrounding cast this year for Adrian.  The Bulldogs return a majority of the starters from last year (either 3 or 4, depending on the game--Kubish was always a starter, Thornton an occasional one, and a key player off the bench when he didn't start), meaning that many of the key players will be a year more mature, and with plenty of game experience.  Add to that the return of a player or two that had been facing injuries last season, and a nice group of incoming freshman, and this is has the potential to be one of the deeper Adrian teams in recent memory.

Obviously, they'll have to show up to play, and they'll probably have to finish in the top 3 of the league for Young to get serious MVP consideration, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't optimistic about the potential to do just that.  Time will tell, of course.

[wolverinekeith]

OK! I know that this is the b-ball section, but it appears that this is where
most of the MIAA action goes on. I have enjoyed reading this board for
over a year now. I really would like to get down to see a Calvin/Hope game
just off of what you all have talked about.

NEED HELP!!!
Will be coming down to Calvin for the Gt. Lakes D3 pre-regional X-C meet
this Coming Saturday (10/13). I have mapquested the route from where I
live in Northern Mich. to Calvin and I was on campus last Spring for the
MIAA T&F Field Day, where I got really, really lost. According to the Calvin
website the Start/Finish lines are located on the Gainey Athletic Soccer
Fields and the course runs thru the Calvin Nature Preserve. Fans and
Spectators must park in the Prince Conference Center parking lot and walk
in to the Start/Finish area. Question: Do I continue on E. Beltline past
Burton St. to get to the Prince Conference Center? And, approx. how many
stop lights, side roads, etc.

Thanking you in advance for your prompt reply!

Please keep it simple as I am an Albion fan.  (my daughter attends
Albion).

Do not go past Burton to get to the Prince lot.  It sounds like you'll be coming from the North on the EBL.  After the Lake Drive light (the road on the north of campus), turn right into campus (you'll be on the west side of the EBL...opposite the Prince), turn left immediately, make a left at the first stop sign (the roads aren't labelled, but I always call it 'dorm road'), turn left again at the 4-way stop and head underneath the EBL, go right at the fork and the road will curve up and around and the Prince will be on your left and the campus apartments on your right.  

If you hit Burton, you've gone too far, although if you do that, you can simply make a u-turn on the EBL and turn right (east) into campus, stay straight and the road will curve up and around with the Prince on your left and the apartments on your right.  

Another thing....The Prince Conf. Center basically shares its parking lot with the DeVos Comm. Center, and people speak of them somewhat interchangeably, so park wherever.  

I hope that helps.  

The official Gainey entrance is on East Paris Ave., so don't look for signs for that.  

http://www.calvin.edu/map/

[bball223234]

I would expect to see Engelsma in the front court rotation, perhaps even starting at 4 if he's gained some muscle mass since last year.

My prediction:
Veldhouse, Griffin, Veltema, Engelsma, Mantel.

I like Englesma, too.  In HS he was an incredible rebounder and that continued last year on JV.  I suspect (hope? think?) he's just one of those kids that "gets it" on how to rebound and scrap underneath, despite his frail frame.  If he could get up to 220 or so, that would be very helpful for Calvin.  He and Katt can rotate next to Mantel. 


I know Engelsma personally so obviously I wish to see him on the team and starting.  Although I'm doubtful about him starting b/c he's only 190 as of right now.  There's no doubt he'll be on the team and get playing time, but I think he needs to gain some more weight and get stronger if he wants to play considerable minutes.

[hoopdreams]

In response to W-K'eith's prior post about chappell, I think that he definitely will, and there will be games where he plays significant minutes.  Jimmy's offensive package is far superior to Micah's, and there will be times when he will be unstoppable-from deep, pull-ups, etc... the knock on him is that it happens too inconsistantly, an average ball handler, and poor defensively.  he has the same "moxie" as Griffin.  he will be a very nice addition if he learns to play within the system.

Tanis will play more SG, but showed that he can distribute as well over the summer.  They have 2 other PG's that have an opportunity to get some minutes.  Not watching much league play the past couple of years, I will go out on a limb and say that Kelvin Carter(frosh)- will be one of the top athletes in the conference- uptempo pg, lock down defender???

I'm guessing that Hope will have 5 freshman on their roster this season- 3 guards, a wing, and a 4-man.  don't know the status of snikkers either. Anyone know his scenario?