MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[Mr. Ypsi]

Constrained?  Not so much,
Compelled?  Absolutely.

Early leader for 'best zinger directed at GS'.  +k

[sac]

if next year's Hope team is going to go by "baby dutch"?

baby die Nederlanders vliegt

I'd rather they went by de baby Nederlanders van de verrassingskampioen when everything was said and done.

[Flea]

.... a Chicago Christian team that advanced to the supersectional before ....

How many teams in the super sectional?

[Flying Dutch Fan]

if next year's Hope team is going to go by "baby dutch"?

baby die Nederlanders vliegt

I'd rather they went by de baby Nederlanders van de verrassingskampioen when everything was said and done.

Let's not forget that they could also be vliegende Nederlandse toddlers

[arena]

.... a Chicago Christian team that advanced to the supersectional before ....

How many teams in the super sectional?

I believe the super sectional is sweet sixteen.  IIRC, after the super sectional, the remaining teams go to the state tourny site.

[wiz]

Calvin will have a solid group of seniors next year and can make a good run if one individual steps up his game.  Mantel is not playing to his ability and needs to get much tougher and start to carry an attitude if he is going to be a dominating force in the paint.  If not, he may lose his starting position and take a back seat to those with a little more mental toughness.  In my mind, Engelsma passed him by this year and there are others that want to play down low as well.

We're all happy to get another year out of Veldhouse and Smith and they will need to be the leaders.  The #3 spot is still questionable, but several are capable of filling the position.

The Knights will have two new home courts to get used to, first at GR Christian and then in the VanNoord beginning in January.

The new recruits will be a bonus and hopefully they will develop into varsity contributors in the next year or two.

The 3 pt line will be extended next year but should not be a factor with the returning Calvin players.  In fact, it should spread things out a bit more and be a real help to the Knights.

[goodknight]

Calvin will have a solid group of seniors next year and can make a good run if one individual steps up his game.  Mantel is not playing to his ability and needs to get much tougher and start to carry an attitude if he is going to be a dominating force in the paint. 

I'd add two more names of Calvin players with far more potential for impact than they've shown thus far: Matt Veltema and Tyler Zoerhof.  One of them should start next year, and the other should be a valuable 6th man.

[scottiedawg]

After perusing graduating seniors across the nation, I slot Calvin easily in the preseason top 10, if not top 5.  (Hope may crack the top 25 if they're lucky).  Expectations will be high once again, just as they were before this disappointing season. 

Josh Engelsma was brilliant late in the year, showing a bevy of low-post moves and offensive aggressiveness that Knight fans can only hope rubs off on Mantel.

After a wonderful freshmen year, Mantel was saddled with unrealistic expectations, but produced solid numbers in erratic minutes.  Late in the year, his consistency improved and together with Engelsma were the lone bright spots in the Hope games.

Many MIAA fans would guess Veldhouse had a ho-hum year, but his stats were anything but.  I think the graduation of Griffin will do wonders for Caleb's game.  It's his team to run, and he was a better leader than Griffin anyway. 

Dustin Smith is what he is and will continue to be that.

Tyler Zoerhoef continues to confound with raw athleticism and zero polish.  Nothing better is expected.

Veltema struggled mightily with his shot during his sophomore campaign.  While a below-average defender, and limited offensively, a return to good shooting will spell daggers for opponents. 

Excluding an incoming impact freshmen (Kamp?) Calvin is not likely to get much help from the young guys (VanHarn, Strunk, Systsma, and other JV's)  Nothing like Engelsma coming out of JV last year. 

A starting five of Veldhouse, Smith, Veltema, Engelsma, and Mantel possesses obvious talent.  And as much as I cringe to say it, breakout campaigns by Veltema and Mantel could be the ingredients for a deep NCAA run.  However, maddening inconsistencies in timeouts and substitutions by KVS, lack of team play, lack of desire, and a stagnant offense plagued the Knight's this year and no obvious change has taken place that spells improvement. 

[hope1]

how about   holland baby dutch

[Pat Coleman]

After perusing graduating seniors across the nation, I slot Calvin easily in the preseason top 10, if not top 5.  (Hope may crack the top 25 if they're lucky).  Expectations will be high once again, just as they were before this disappointing season. 

At 16-11 this year it might be tough to put Calvin in next year's Top Five before they play any other games. Pollsters were burned by Calvin last year and will want to see something on the floor, I'm guessing.

[scottiedawg]

After perusing graduating seniors across the nation, I slot Calvin easily in the preseason top 10, if not top 5.  (Hope may crack the top 25 if they're lucky).  Expectations will be high once again, just as they were before this disappointing season. 

At 16-11 this year it might be tough to put Calvin in next year's Top Five before they play any other games. Pollsters were burned by Calvin last year and will want to see something on the floor, I'm guessing.

While I think Calvin's talent merits it (I'm not voting), I too highly doubt the voters would put them that high.

At the same time, teams like Brandeis and Rochester shouldn't get preferential treatment after their great seasons this year; they both graduate over 60% of their offense.  That said, the voters have a tough job and do it well.

[Pat Coleman]

Agreed. It'll be a really tough preseason poll next year.

[hope1]

dont worry i dont think calvin should be ranked in the top 5 maybe number  20-25 they lost 1 starter   then maybe hope 25

[Flea]

For the Calvin men to make a big impact in the MIAA or NCAA they may need to do more of this ::

Smith Weight Training Center

[oldknight]

Excluding an incoming impact freshmen (Kamp?) Calvin is not likely to get much help from the young guys (VanHarn, Strunk, Systsma, and other JV's)  Nothing like Engelsma coming out of JV last year. 

Scottie makes many good points in his post but I wouldn't be too quick to consign one JV player--Sytsma--to non-impact status. This kid is very versatile, is deceptively strong, has great hands, finishes well, and has a soft and deadly outside shot. With so many familiar varsity players back he could very well benefit from opposing coach's tendencies to concentrate their defenses on the more well known Knights.

The fact that Calvin defeated the reigning national champs (with Sean Wallis) shows that the Knights have enough talent to be a very good team. But Pat's correct that you can't really put them in that category until they improve on last season's disappointing 11 loss record.