MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[gohope]

Hope's game tonight was another nail biter.  I told several folks that prior to the next game I will be attaching an AED to keep my heart going.  Not much to say beyond whats been already been said, other than the game ball belongs to Brandon Bosch.  The stat line won't show this, but he really shut down Gruppen for Trinity in the second half.  Gruppen had 22 at half time.  Brandon came off the bench in the second half (did not play 1st half) and joined Gruppen inside his uniform for the next 10-12 minutes.  During that time, Gruppen scored 0 (he finished with 32 points).  On top of that, Brandon out hustled everyone else on the floor, including running full court to dive and save a ball.  Another great example of senior leadership.

And from Today's Holland Sentinel:  ...""If I'm giving out a game ball tonight, it's going to Brandon Bosch," Van Wieren said. "He did an awesome job on Gruppen in the second half."


Plus Karma to you FDF!!! 

[KnightSlappy]

I've said this before, but Danny Rodts should have been on varsity last season in my opinion.  He adds a nice scoring threat to the forward spot, something Calvin struggled last season with.

I probably need to see more games, but it appears Calvin's offensive scheme has changed a little bit from last season?

Rodts has been a real treat so far.  I don't think he will be the most athletic or quickest guy on the floor but he has played some very smart basketball so far.  He has shown a great ability to score and has played with good intensity on defense.  Danny is averaging 10.5 PPG on 8-10 from the filed (including 3-3) from beyond the arc.  He's a good scorer who won't force his own shot.  On offense he moves well without the ball and is good at finding open space whether that is under the hoop or out on the wing.

To me the offensive scheme looks the same but the Knights have shown better movement and execution.

[goodknight]

Danny Rodts is silky smooth and will open up some shots for his teammates this year.  I concur that he was good enough to be on the varsity last year, but he would have struggled to find enough PT to make it the right choice. 
I think the offensive schemes are unchanged from the last several seasons, but Calvin's players are moving more, and even setting some effective screens.  With Trent Salo handling and distributing the ball, his teammates know that finding a slivver of open space will result in a pass their way.
On the defensive end, Calvin is switching well, doubling effectively, and talking non-stop.
Eager to see if the Knights can keep the momentum building this coming weekend in Holland.

[oldknight]

I've said this before, but Danny Rodts should have been on varsity last season in my opinion.  He adds a nice scoring threat to the forward spot, something Calvin struggled last season with.

Rodts has been a real treat so far.  I don't think he will be the most athletic or quickest guy on the floor but he has played some very smart basketball so far.  He has shown a great ability to score and has played with good intensity on defense.  Danny is averaging 10.5 PPG on 8-10 from the filed (including 3-3) from beyond the arc.  He's a good scorer who won't force his own shot.  On offense he moves well without the ball and is good at finding open space whether that is under the hoop or out on the wing.

Rodts is a classic example of how we tend to overlook and/or underrate the value of JV basketball. We also tend not to respect the skills those newcomers who are added to the varsity roster after a full JV season. The fact that Rodts could play a lot of minutes for a full season at a brand new school in a brand new system is important to the development of a college player. Sometimes I think we unconsciously assume that a player who spends his entire freshmen year on JV is destined to be nothing more than a career role player on varsity, but it's not that uncommon to see a kid come off a JV season and become an important player at the varsity level. In recent years both Kevin Broene and Kyle Trewhella have become varsity players who made an impact after spending their freshmen year on JV.  Right now, even though Rodts is only a sophomore, he is showing great senior leadership--enough to make any Calvin fan drool.

[ChicagoHopeNut]

Happy to see Hope get another victory but that's two games in a row that were a lot closer than I would have liked or expected in years past. I think there may be some real challenges ahead.

[hoopdreams]

in response to DC's post, to see them in person, one must acknowledge that they are a work in progress.  In my estimation, they are 10 practices behind many schools ( started tryouts 4 days later than most and 5 practices/1 scrimmage cancelled to the virus), and played 2 teams with several games under their belt.  Throw in the fact that they are essentially a complete different team from a year ago, 8 new faces? it will take time.

not really going out on a limb here, but the next 2 weekends could be really humbling.  2-2 may be optimistic.

That being said, I bigger games when the # of players used will be shortened, as always, they will be fine.  Venturing a guess that the starters in the first two games, before any subs, outscored the opposing teams 30ish to 6-8.  The first 5 have looked outstanding together.

[goodknight]

A Sunday afternoon split with the Albion Brits continuing their winning ways with an home-cooked thrashing of Madonna (there's a punch line in there somewhere), while the Adrian Bulldogs fell to Marietta 66-65 on a last-second three-point dagger.  Evidently, the Dawgs coughed up a 10-point lead in the final minutes. 

[SKOT]

After seeing Arena's wretched avatar, I decided it was finally time to find him/her/it (I'm not sure you can classify Cubs' fans as male or female or human for that matter) a new avatar. 

Arena, I think you should use the one i just started using.  I find it extremely appropriate considering their most recent playoff experiences...

[Dark Knight]

How the first week went

You can score a game according to how strong the opponents are and the margin of victory. If you average game scores, you get a strength rating. I computed strength ratings for MIAA teams for the first week of competition.

Caveat: strengths are based on Massey's ratings of last year, so they are not very accurate for this year -- but the averaging over multiple games helps.

Team	This Week	Last year
Calvin	14	3
Albion	9	6
Trine	6	-5
Hope	2	14
Olivet	-2	-6
Kazoo	-6	-8
Adrian	-12	-6
Alma	-17	-13

Over all, the league was slightly stronger than last year, with Calvin and Trine responsible for most of the improvement.

For comparison, using this system, the #1 team last year had a rating of 16 and the #25 team 9.

[arena]

After seeing Arena's wretched avatar, I decided it was finally time to find him/her/it (I'm not sure you can classify Cubs' fans as male or female or human for that matter) a new avatar. 

Arena, I think you should use the one i just started using.  I find it extremely appropriate considering their most recent playoff experiences...

I wouldn't take the Sox's choke so badly, but, most White Sox fans are negative, so, the avatar if appropriate.  Stay Blue, stay positive.

[goodknight]

After seeing Arena's wretched avatar, I decided it was finally time to find him/her/it (I'm not sure you can classify Cubs' fans as male or female or human for that matter) a new avatar. 

Arena, I think you should use the one i just started using.  I find it extremely appropriate considering their most recent playoff experiences...

I wouldn't take the Sox's choke so badly, but, most White Sox fans are negative, so, the avatar if appropriate.  Stay Blue, stay positive.

As a lifelong Pale Hose partisan, I resemble those remarks.
White Sox fans are no more negative than Cubbie fans.  They're just more aware of their team's frailty (due in good measure to actually paying attention to the game on the field).
Chisox fans are the Calvinists of baseball.  Hope still springs...but not without some depravity thrown in.  Like totally. 

[Flying Dutch Fan]

After seeing Arena's wretched avatar, I decided it was finally time to find him/her/it (I'm not sure you can classify Cubs' fans as male or female or human for that matter) a new avatar. 

Arena, I think you should use the one i just started using.  I find it extremely appropriate considering their most recent playoff experiences...

I wouldn't take the Sox's choke so badly, but, most White Sox fans are negative, so, the avatar if appropriate.  Stay Blue, stay positive.

As a lifelong Pale Hose partisan, I resemble those remarks.
White Sox fans are no more negative than Cubbie fans.  They're just more aware of their team's frailty (due in good measure to actually paying attention to the game on the field).
Chisox fans are the Calvinists of baseball.  Hope still springs...but not without some depravity thrown in.  Like totally. 

And us Cubs fans (yes I'll admit I'm one of them) are like the children of Israel, wondering in the desert for... 

Holy cow! We've been waiting for 2.5 times as long as the children of Israel wondered in the desert?  Makes me thirsty, just to think about it - how about a Budweiser?

[goodknight]

After seeing Arena's wretched avatar, I decided it was finally time to find him/her/it (I'm not sure you can classify Cubs' fans as male or female or human for that matter) a new avatar. 

Arena, I think you should use the one i just started using.  I find it extremely appropriate considering their most recent playoff experiences...

I wouldn't take the Sox's choke so badly, but, most White Sox fans are negative, so, the avatar if appropriate.  Stay Blue, stay positive.

As a lifelong Pale Hose partisan, I resemble those remarks.
White Sox fans are no more negative than Cubbie fans.  They're just more aware of their team's frailty (due in good measure to actually paying attention to the game on the field).
Chisox fans are the Calvinists of baseball.  Hope still springs...but not without some depravity thrown in.  Like totally. 

And us Cubs fans (yes I'll admit I'm one of them) are like the children of Israel, wondering in the desert for... 

Holy cow! We've been waiting for 2.5 times as long as the children of Israel wondered in the desert?  Makes me thirsty, just to think about it - how about a Budweiser?

I've always wondered what the beverage of choice might be for people who wonder aimlessly in the desert of Cubdom.    

[ScotsFan]

After seeing Arena's wretched avatar, I decided it was finally time to find him/her/it (I'm not sure you can classify Cubs' fans as male or female or human for that matter) a new avatar. 

Arena, I think you should use the one i just started using.  I find it extremely appropriate considering their most recent playoff experiences...

I wouldn't take the Sox's choke so badly, but, most White Sox fans are negative, so, the avatar if appropriate.  Stay Blue, stay positive.

As a lifelong Pale Hose partisan, I resemble those remarks.
White Sox fans are no more negative than Cubbie fans.  They're just more aware of their team's frailty (due in good measure to actually paying attention to the game on the field).
Chisox fans are the Calvinists of baseball.  Hope still springs...but not without some depravity thrown in.  Like totally. 

And us Cubs fans (yes I'll admit I'm one of them) are like the children of Israel, wondering in the desert for... 

Holy cow! We've been waiting for 2.5 times as long as the children of Israel wondered in the desert?  Makes me thirsty, just to think about it - how about a Budweiser?

I've always wondered what the beverage of choice might be for people who wonder aimlessly in the desert of Cubdom.    

Wouldn't this be the beverage of choice in the desert of Cubdom?



8)

[Flying Dutch Fan]

Wouldn't this be the beverage of choice in the desert of Cubdom?



8)

Not when this guy is leading you