MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Nation - you are right about the 500th being at Ablion during the MIAA tournament.  I was there for that one, as well as the 400th, which happened at the CC - but I don't remember who the opponent was.

[SKOT]

I hadn't that about this yet, but who takes the tipoffs for Hope with their star 2 guard gone?  Its still weird to think about Cramer taking tips last year (not to mention how many he won over MUCH bigger men!)

[ChicagoHopeNut]

Nation - you are right about the 500th being at Ablion during the MIAA tournament.  I was there for that one, as well as the 400th, which happened at the CC - but I don't remember who the opponent was.

Hope beat Calvin in a great OT game in the semi-finals for win 499. Win 500 was the next evening in the MIAA Tourney Championship game against Albion.

[HopeConvert]

My prediction for order of finish:

Calvin
Hope
Adrian
Tri-State
Albion
Kzoo
Alma


Olivet


With all due respect, I don't see MVH having a breakout year. I see him remaining consistently inconsistent. Either Mantel or Griffin will be league MVP. And, I hate to say this (boy do I hate to say this) - Calvin may well go through the league and tournament undefeated.

Stinger - I hope you do get more recruits. It would be great to have this board not so dominated by Hope and Calvin fans.

[sac]

I was at the 400th and 500th win games.  I wonder how many other posters were, too? 

  I don't know how many games Mr. DeVette still gets to, but to have his predecessor and former coach present when he reaches such a milestone, I'm sure would be big for GVW.

I was at 400 and 500, along with the acknowledgement of GVW coaching his 500th game at Hope.  I don't recall there being much ado about #300 but it happened within my timeframe as a fan.  #200 occurred my freshman year, probably while I was takeing his Health Dynamics class.

I think what scares me more than anything is that now in his 31st season I have seen over half his Hope coaching career.


I believe  Russ DeVette returns to the Russ DeVette Tournament each year, he's usually out on the floor to hand out the hardware.  Yes, it would be totally appropriate for it to happen then.  Of course it would also mean Hope would be 10-0.  I can live with that.

[sac]

My  main hope for the miaa this season is for it to improve on last years dismal non-conference performance.  But after looking at this years rosters and all the new faces, I think it might be tough to expect any big improvement.  I'll settle for just a handfull more wins.

Probably last years biggest disappointment out of the gate was Albion, we all probably severly underestimated the losses they took to graduation the year before.  This year they return just about everyone, and finished last season strong.  I think they'll be better to start the year, but they also play a pretty ambitious schedule.  Albion has Hillsdale, Spring Arbor and John Carroll plus they finish off with a tournament at Otterbein with Ohio Wesleyan and Hanover in the building.  Its going to be tough for them to be better than .500 come MIAA time.

Hope and Calvin's biggest chance at improvement comes during CCIW/MIAA weekend where last season they went 0-4.  It would be nice to get a couple wins that weekend.  But both teams have tough weekends that may be a bit tougher than last season.  Calvin could get #1 WashU right off the bat, while Hope's Florida trip is no gimme with Elmhurst and Roanoke.  FWIW the championship of the two Hope tournaments could be tough matchups with Aquinas and Mt. Vernon Nazarene.  Calvin's trip out East could be tough, but a strong Calvin team should come home with that trophy.  Neither Hope nor Calvin should overlook Aquinas.

Adrian and Tri-State's rosters seem almost one and the same, solid starting 5's with potential but I couldn't name a bench player for either team.  Adrian should definately improve on last years start where they were 0-8 before Desmond Young suited up.  It seems at least the Bulldogs have some teams they can handle, but Oakland is a loss, and the Case Western tournament will challenge them as will the trip to Centre.  TSU is in the same boat, they've got some intrigueing games namely a date with an improved North Park, and games with Elmhurst and UW Oshkosh.   They finish with a nice tournament in Defiance with Thiel and Loras.  A trophy there would be a nice entry in to the MIAA.

Kzoo will be young, and they play another ambitious schedule opening at the Wheaton tournament which also has Benedictine and Wittenberg.  They follow that up with a game against Grand Valley State.  Following that is Defiance and their annual clash with Chicago and another D2 in Northwood.  The schedule finally eases up around Christmas but I think Kzoo will find the wins hard to find.

Olivet changes coaches and as usual will have a number of new faces.  I'm really interested in the McClary brothers, I think they could be terrific MIAA players.  Olivets schedule is a mix of toughies and cupcakes to start.  Franklin, Andrews and Northwood in the first 5 days of the season.  1-2 seems likely.  They'll take two tournament trips to usual D3 powers Wittenberg and Hanover, they seem out of their league at Witt with LaCrosse, Witt, and Marian but they did scare the dickens out of a good Witt team last season.

Who knows what we'll get with Alma this season.  They lost their top scorer and are going through another coaching change.  Their early trip to Case Western looks like it will be tough to get a W, they are certainly likely to be the hosts target on opening night.  Then its either Earlham or D2 wanna be's Lake Erie.  I don't see a win there.  Then for some reason they host D2 Ferris State.  Then its Elmhurst and Aquinas untill finally a game at Madonna but even there they'll be the underdog.  Finally they matchup with Oberlin, perhaps the two least winningest program of the region for quite some time.  Their home tournament features Davenport, Finlandia and Purdue-Calumet.  I'll take Purdue-Calumet.


All in all I think the MIAA faces some pretty tough matchups.  Unfortunately even if the league is indeed better it may not show in the win/loss column.  But some awefully young MIAA teams are playing some tough games, no doubt it will do them good to get ready for the MIAA season.  But I think a couple have bitten off a little more than they should have.  I'll be very pleased if we get above .500, but I'm not counting on it.

If the preseason doesn't get you going, how about Jan 9. when it all kicks off for real.    Albion at Hope,  TSU at Calvin............maybe the top four going at it on night 1.

[GoKnights68]

I'll post a quick random thought for Calvin.  My hope is that they run a crisp offense that involves moving without the ball.  At the end of last season, Calvin may have gotten a lot better than the beginning by winning the MIAA tourney, but their offense was not run that well, even in their win against Hope in the miaa finals.  Obviously it wasn't run well in their loss to Hope that knocked them out of the ncaa tourney either.  The problem I noticed was they just ran an offense where one big guy stood down low with 4 guys standing around the perimeter barely moving.  That only seemed to work in the MIAA finals because Calvin shot the lights out.

I also really hope Calvin can get off to a better start in the beginning of the year.  For the last two years, while both respectable seasons, Calvin has had rough starts to the season.  Two years ago, it started ugly right away, although I think that was largely due to a lot of new players on the roster.  Last season Calvin laid a huge egg against Hope in the Thanksgiving Bank One tourney against Hope, and struggled after that for a while.  I just hope Calvin comes out with more fire.

[Erm Schmigget]

Nation - you are right about the 500th being at Ablion during the MIAA tournament.  I was there for that one, as well as the 400th, which happened at the CC - but I don't remember who the opponent was.

From the Hope website:

Milestone Games Under Coach Van Wieren
First Victory - at Hope 87, Concordia 53, 12-3-77 (Also his first game as coach)
First Win in MIAA - Hope 81, at Olivet 67, 1-18-78
First Win vs. Calvin - at Hope 65, Calvin 57, 2-6-80
Clinched First MIAA Title - at Hope 85, Albion 82, 2-24-82
First NCAA Tournament Win - at Hope 77, Wittenberg 60, 3-5-82
Victory #100 - at Hope 96, Concordia, Mich. 62, 2-4-84 (150th game)
Victory #200 - Hope 82, at Olivet 79 (ot), 2-15-89 (282nd game)
Victory #300 - at Hope 83, Kalamazoo 71, 1-29-94 (403rd game)
Became Winningest Hope Coach (#324) - Hope 95, at Kalamazoo 84, 1-28-95
First NCAA Final Four Appearance - Hope 76, Franklin & Marshall 57, 3-15-96
First National Championship Game - Rowan 100, Hope 93, 3-16-96
Victory #400 - at Hope 96, Alma 78, 1-21-98 (523rd game)
Second NCAA Final Four Appearance - Hope 81, Wilkes, Pa. 61, 3-20-98
Second National Championship Game - Wisc.-Platteville 69, Hope 56, 3-21-98
Victory #500 - Hope 61, at Albion 48, 3-1-03 (672nd game)
First DeVos Fieldhouse Game - at Hope 70, Elmhurst 53, 11-19-05

The 400th, vs Alma, was celebrated much the same way as the 500th.  SID Renner had the number 400 printed on 11x17 card stock and passed them around to the Hope fans, and when the final buzzer sounded, we all held them up in a visual display of appreciation/congratulations.  Simple in its approach, but not at all subtle.  I'm sure #600 will be similar.

I just hope that it happens at home.  Alternatives: @ Olivet, with a record of 10-2; @ Alma, 10-5; @ Calvin, 10-6.  I don't like any of those options.  Olivet and Alma are farther away than most Hope fans will travel, and the atmosphere would be kind of anticlimactic with a small Hope crowd.  And I just don't want to think of Hope being at 10-6 after the Calvin game, win or not.

[KnightSlappy]

sac, I think last season's MIAA was stronger than you give credit.  Adrian is a good team with Young in the lineup, they didn't have him for the first eight games or so.  Calvin and Hope both made the tournament and Hope had a good run. (Maybe some day two MIAA teams will be able to have a good tournament run in the same year if the NCAA committee allows it).  And Albion struggled early replacing some BIG talent.

I think that the MIAA ended up much stronger than it appeared record wise.  I guess that is why you mentioned the preconferenceseason record as being poor.

With all due respect to Kzoo, Alma, and Olivet, you can't count on the bottom tier MIAA teams for many notable out of conference wins.

[oldknight]

From the Hope website:

Milestone Games Under Coach Van Wieren
First Victory - at Hope 87, Concordia 53, 12-3-77 (Also his first game as coach)
First Win in MIAA - Hope 81, at Olivet 67, 1-18-78
First Win vs. Calvin - at Hope 65, Calvin 57, 2-6-80
Clinched First MIAA Title - at Hope 85, Albion 82, 2-24-82
First NCAA Tournament Win - at Hope 77, Wittenberg 60, 3-5-82
Victory #100 - at Hope 96, Concordia, Mich. 62, 2-4-84 (150th game)
Victory #200 - Hope 82, at Olivet 79 (ot), 2-15-89 (282nd game)
Victory #300 - at Hope 83, Kalamazoo 71, 1-29-94 (403rd game)
Became Winningest Hope Coach (#324) - Hope 95, at Kalamazoo 84, 1-28-95
First NCAA Final Four Appearance - Hope 76, Franklin & Marshall 57, 3-15-96
First National Championship Game - Rowan 100, Hope 93, 3-16-96
Victory #400 - at Hope 96, Alma 78, 1-21-98 (523rd game)
Second NCAA Final Four Appearance - Hope 81, Wilkes, Pa. 61, 3-20-98
Second National Championship Game - Wisc.-Platteville 69, Hope 56, 3-21-98
Victory #500 - Hope 61, at Albion 48, 3-1-03 (672nd game)
First DeVos Fieldhouse Game - at Hope 70, Elmhurst 53, 11-19-05

In the interest of advancing this Coach Van Wieren lovefest, I thought I would mention a couple of other milestone games the Hope website seems to have missed.

First DeVos Fieldhouse loss (men's games) - Calvin 77, Hope 71; 02-07-07
First DeVos Fieldhouse MIAA tournament loss - Calvin 78, Hope 76; 02-24-07

[ChicagoHopeNut]

From the Hope website:

Milestone Games Under Coach Van Wieren
First Victory - at Hope 87, Concordia 53, 12-3-77 (Also his first game as coach)
First Win in MIAA - Hope 81, at Olivet 67, 1-18-78
First Win vs. Calvin - at Hope 65, Calvin 57, 2-6-80
Clinched First MIAA Title - at Hope 85, Albion 82, 2-24-82
First NCAA Tournament Win - at Hope 77, Wittenberg 60, 3-5-82
Victory #100 - at Hope 96, Concordia, Mich. 62, 2-4-84 (150th game)
Victory #200 - Hope 82, at Olivet 79 (ot), 2-15-89 (282nd game)
Victory #300 - at Hope 83, Kalamazoo 71, 1-29-94 (403rd game)
Became Winningest Hope Coach (#324) - Hope 95, at Kalamazoo 84, 1-28-95
First NCAA Final Four Appearance - Hope 76, Franklin & Marshall 57, 3-15-96
First National Championship Game - Rowan 100, Hope 93, 3-16-96
Victory #400 - at Hope 96, Alma 78, 1-21-98 (523rd game)
Second NCAA Final Four Appearance - Hope 81, Wilkes, Pa. 61, 3-20-98
Second National Championship Game - Wisc.-Platteville 69, Hope 56, 3-21-98
Victory #500 - Hope 61, at Albion 48, 3-1-03 (672nd game)
First DeVos Fieldhouse Game - at Hope 70, Elmhurst 53, 11-19-05

In the interest of advancing this Coach Van Wieren lovefest, I thought I would mention a couple of other milestone games the Hope website seems to have missed.

First DeVos Fieldhouse loss (men's games) - Calvin 77, Hope 71; 02-07-07
First DeVos Fieldhouse MIAA tournament loss - Calvin 78, Hope 76; 02-24-07

Wow, you couldn't just let us enjoy our day! Haha I can't say its all ok we lost because I am still disappointed by the losses but I am sure Hope will get its retribution later this season.

On another note, I also posted this on the women's board but I don't think everyone checks that as regularly. Hope has announced tickets to the 2008 Women's Final Four have gone on sale today at DeVos Fieldhouse. With Calvin and Hope returning strong teams it might be worth getting tickets.
http://hope.edu/pr/athletics/

[KnightSlappy]

KnightSlappy's Preseason MIAA Poll

Calvin
Hope
Adrian
Tri-State
Albion
Olivet
Kalamazoo
Alma

The Calvin/Hope could be a very good one but like Calvin of a few years ago, the young talent will have to prove itself.

I didn't see Adrian a whole lot last year but I liked what I saw.  They made me stay for the second half of the MIAA semi-finals last year against Hope at the DeVos when they held it close at the half.  Tri-State could challenge Adrian for the three spot.

Albion is not nearly as good as they were 2 and 3 years ago.  They may have a hard time finding a big scoring threat without Silas.

Olivet/Kzoo: take your pick

Alma is just not a very good team.

[realist]

MIAA picks.
Hope Calvin tie. 
Adrian and Tri State tie.
Albion
Olivet
Kalamazoo
Alma
Defending home court is critical.  It shouldn't surprise anyone to see a Calvin or Hope lose at either Tri-state or Adrian.  At this point look for Hope to have home court for tourney, and that is a big factor in their favor. 
I also expect the "baby dutch" to gell faster than most fans expect.

[Civic Minded]

In the interest of advancing this Coach Van Wieren lovefest, I thought I would mention a couple of other milestone games the Hope website seems to have missed.

First DeVos Fieldhouse loss (men's games) - Calvin 77, Hope 71; 02-07-07
First DeVos Fieldhouse MIAA tournament loss - Calvin 78, Hope 76; 02-24-07

What, couldn't find your bran flakes today, oldknight?   

[oldknight]

In the interest of advancing this Coach Van Wieren lovefest, I thought I would mention a couple of other milestone games the Hope website seems to have missed.

First DeVos Fieldhouse loss (men's games) - Calvin 77, Hope 71; 02-07-07
First DeVos Fieldhouse MIAA tournament loss - Calvin 78, Hope 76; 02-24-07

What, couldn't find your bran flakes today, oldknight?   

I hate bran flakes! Give me some good old Sugar Frosted Flakes anytime. They're Grrreeeaaat. 

After reviewing the old applause-o-meter it appears that someone took umbrage. It's a good thing I didn't mention that Hope's first ever B-ball loss in DeVos was to the Lady Knights.