MBB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

Started by sac, February 19, 2005, 11:51:56 AM

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Mr. Ypsi

Quote from: sac on December 03, 2010, 12:58:51 AM
That....six year itch?

It doesn't seem possible but it is, every 1st weekend of December for the last 6 years Hope, Calvin, Carthage and Wheaton have spent this particular weekend playing basketball together.  In 2004/05 it was the first one, and from the day of the original announcement a year or two earlier I had made plans to be there one way or another.  As my shaky memory recalls I left straight from work in Holland, with just enough time to make the 3 1/2 hour trip to arrive at Wheaton probably during warmups, thanks mostly to the time change.  As December days go it was a pretty decent one, clear driving and not very cold.

Prior to 2004/5 I don't remember traveling much to see the Dutchmen, or rather the Dutchmen didn't travel much to give me much of a reason to go see them.  There was a trip to Univ. of Chicago at the old Crown Fieldhouse a couple years earlier that I enjoyed, but for several years between the 1998 final four in Salem, and the 2005 season there just weren't many road trips.  Hardly any NCAA tournaments...I missed both the NCAA trips to St. Norbert and Carthage in 2002 and UW-Oshkosh at home in 2003 because of my neice's birthday.  In fact I'm not  so sure I had even been to all the MIAA gyms at that point.

The 2004/05 season for Hope (and the MIAA) was a memorable one.  4 months later I would watch 2 MIAA teams battle each other for the right to go to Salem, that may never happen again.   For Hope it was the string of misfortune that struck the team before the season even began.  Greg Immink had gone down with a season ending knee injury before it even began, several players would start the season suspended for indiscretions of the underage drinking kind......latter on Andy Phillips would hurt a finger, yes a finger that would leave him out of the lineup for a good chunk of the season.  So at Wheaton, Hope fielded a shadow of the team they had planned on having.  (eerily sounding familiar)

I don't remember exactly how, but I got lost.....very lost, and ended up with a self guided tour of what turned out to be Glen Elyn and part of Lombard, at least the Christmas lights were nice.  You see I had failed to get directions to Wheaton College before I left, and realized this somewhere on the I-80/90 mess, but I knew if I found Main Street I could find Wheaton.....who knew Glen Elyn also had a Main Street, and that's where the trouble began.  My journey through the burbs I hate so much, was probably profanity laced and full of a lot of clock-watching and sighing.  I finally got my bearings right but somehow ended up on toll road going way far away from Wheaton and things went from bad to worse.

I finally strolled into King Arena just in time to see the final 45 seconds, Hope lost by 5.  I was later consoled by other posters that Hope had made a good showing.  This was where I met Greg Sager for the first time and several other Wheaton posters who's real and posting-up names escape me.  I remember having good conversations about basketball and we all watched in amazement as Andy Draayer went 8-12 from 3 and 26 points, some pretty ridiculous, as  Calvin lost to Wheaton by 4 in OT in the second game.  Calvin would get their revenge later that year beating Wheaton by 1 in the NCAA tournament.



While lost in suburbia, I stumbled across a soccer store, one I stopped at after the games and bought a couple items.  At this time in my life, I was getting a budding interest in English soccer and happy to purchase a couple items, one for myself and one for a friend.   The other day, I ran across one of those items....






I don't even like Manchester United, but I was happy to own something from an English Premier League club.  On a trip up North the next fall I ran into an English gentlemen in Munising and he frowned at my ManU shirt......but it struck up a conversation and I learned he was from Leeds, and he learned that at that time my favorite player was not David Beckham as he had grumbled, but Michael Owen.  His eyes lit up and for a brief moment I think he was happy to meet an American who knew much more about 'football' than David Beckham.  It was a pretty interesting 15 minutes that for some reason I remember frequently.

The shirt has long been relegated to the 'I don't care how crappy it looks but I'm cold and I'll wear it when nothing else is clean' pile.  It, like me has seen better days, much better days.  Its material is thinned, also like me has now permanent wrinkles that won't go way.  Its cuffs are nearly shredded, and also like me its shape is now stretched and baggy in places it shouldn't be.  I always remember how, where and the circumstances that I came about that shirt.  So long ago now.

I stayed with a friend that night, near Riverside, and returned for the final two games on Saturday.  Calvin won the first game, again in OT over Carthage, Hope was no match for Wheaton. 

Looking at the names of players who took part in these games this week, it occured to me that nearly everyone who will play in them this weekend was in high school then, and even some not yet in high school.  I imagine the Neil kids were probably chucking up halftime 3's even then.

So much has happened and changed since then,  2 new coaches replacing long time legends.  A couple Final Four's and a couple other deep tournament runs.  Conference championships for each team involved, all-americans etc, etc........and for me numerous trips and miles to see the Dutchmen play.

I recall 2004/05 very fondly, it was a great season in many ways.  It was the year I met most of the people who I've met from the board, my love of the NCAA tournament chases was rekindled by unnecessary kindness from the folks at Albion.  It was a happy time in my life, or at least happier.  Looking back and just remembering what that basketball season and overall year was like has made me kind of long for those days again.  Hence the 6 year itch.



I won't be in Kenosha this weekend, I made that decision several weeks ago......I'm tired these days, really tired.  It has been a very, very long and eventful year none of it having to do with things that made me happy, like Hope basketball.  This has become an escape, a few moments of habit, something to take the mind off things you don't want to think about.  I'm pretty grateful for all the great moments I've seen on the court, and off these last few years....the people I've met, communicated with, ate with, laughed with and even cried a little with. 

Six years is long time, here's to six better years ahead and hopefully another memorable weekend of MIAA/CCIW challenge basketball.

Scott, I had no idea that was your first meeting with Greg and others (and also didn't remember that you missed almost all the Hope game); that was also the first time we ever met. ;)

[I later PM'd April that you seemed 'shy', (assuming you already knew everyone else there, while I knew no one) - yet another example of 'ass-u-me'.] :-[

goodknight

I know this board attracts at least a few diehard followers of Chicago's National League ballclub, so it seems appropriate to mention the passing last night of Ron Santo at the age of 70.  Santo was the Cubs' third baseman in the 60s and 70s and more recently has been a color commentator well known for bleeding Cubbie blue in the WGN radio booth.  Santo died of complications from bladder cancer, according to the Chicago Tribune report today. 

Dark Knight

Wheaton blew out an average Chicago team a couple of nights ago by 28 points, and this score isn't yet reflected in Massey's ratings. Wheaton's last three games have been big wins against two below average teams and one good team, UW-Whitewater.

My estimate of the now-likely outcome of the Wheaton vs. Calvin game based on each team's last three games is Wheaton by 4.

Wheaton has a potent inside game (50 points in the paint vs. Whitewater, 44 against Chicago) from players led by Tim McCrary, 6'6" forward, who scores 17.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game, with a .714 field goal shooting percentage.  Calvin has some quick, athletic interior defenders; if Calvin can hold down Wheaton's points in the paint, they may have a shot at this game.

realist

If, and it might be a big if, Calvin can play anywhere near the defense they did on CU against Wheaton I think their chances look very good.  A key thing for Calvin is going to be defensive rebounding, and denying easy shots in the paint.   One advantage Calvin is going to have in many games is going to the bench they really aren't giving up much in size, and ability. 
I really expect the "hot streak" the home conferences have been on Friday nights to come to an end tonight. :) 
"If you are catching flack it means you are over the target".  Brietbart.

Dark Knight

#26644
Quote from: realist on December 03, 2010, 12:51:22 PM
If, and it might be a big if, Calvin can play anywhere near the defense they did on CU against Wheaton I think their chances look very good.  A key thing for Calvin is going to be defensive rebounding, and denying easy shots in the paint.   One advantage Calvin is going to have in many games is going to the bench they really aren't giving up much in size, and ability.  
I really expect the "hot streak" the home conferences have been on Friday nights to come to an end tonight. :)  

Wheaton, on the other hand, doesn't have much depth. Only seven players average more than 10 minutes per game, and the last two average 6.4 and 3.6 points, 2 and 1.6 rebounds per game.

The other 10 players on the roster have combined for a total of 39 points and 25 rebounds on the season.

Intangir

Just a heads up that it looks like there will be a video stream of tonight's action from Carthage's website:

http://www.carthage.edu/library/webcast/

Anyone else enjoy living in the future?  I do! ;D

ziggy

Quote from: Intangir on December 03, 2010, 06:19:46 PM
Just a heads up that it looks like there will be a video stream of tonight's action from Carthage's website:

http://www.carthage.edu/library/webcast/

Anyone else enjoy living in the future?  I do! ;D

You're in the future? Lucky, I'm stuck in the present! It's not all bad, we have streaming video here too.

Intangir

Quote from: ziggy on December 03, 2010, 06:38:42 PM
Quote from: Intangir on December 03, 2010, 06:19:46 PM
Just a heads up that it looks like there will be a video stream of tonight's action from Carthage's website:

http://www.carthage.edu/library/webcast/

Anyone else enjoy living in the future?  I do! ;D

You're in the future? Lucky, I'm stuck in the present! It's not all bad, we have streaming video here too.

Well, relative to that post, it's the future now....

Back to basketball though - good luck to all the teams tonight!

SKOT

Quote from: sac on December 03, 2010, 12:58:51 AM
.....who knew Glen Elyn also had a Main Street

You would be glad to know that there are big signs that call it Main Street Glen Ellyn now (don't forget the second L!)

Its not every day I see my home town mentioned on the MIAA boards!

ziggy

#26649
The thing about babies is that sometimes they crap themselves.

Wheaton 86, Calvin 64
Wheaton shoots a higher percentage from behind the arc than at the free throw line.

Flying Dutch Fan

Thats a pretty good description ziggy.  Final score 86-64 Wheaton after only leading 41-39 at the half. 
2016, 2020, 2022 MIAA Pick 'Em Champion

"Sports are kind of like passion and that's temporary in many cases, but academics - that's like true love and that's enduring." 
John Wooden

"Blame FDF.  That's the default.  Always blame FDF."
goodknight

wiz

Well, this is the night that I thought would be iffy.  Brutal or punishing might be better adjectives.  KVS said, in a gross understatement, that they didn't play like a team.  Certainly the defense wasn't as good as last weekend, but they outrebounded Wheaton and the threes were falling in from everywhere with 56% field goal shooting which, incidentally, was better than the Thunder's free throw shooting.  We'll find out very quickly tomorrow if they learned anything tonight.  If they didn't, it will be over early.  But, they are young and I'm looking forward to a strong MIAA showing out of the Knights.

Hopester

Its a great day to be a Dutchman!

realist

"If, and it might be a big if,"  turns out it was a bigger if than I thought it would be.  I liked our odds at  41-39............................... :)
"If you are catching flack it means you are over the target".  Brietbart.

wiz

This one might be even uglier than the first game. 

By the way, the answer to the old "where's the beef?" question is "in the paint in Kenosha".