Both Hope basketball teams have received pre-season attention on a national level.
Practice for the 2010-11 season begins on Monday, Oct. 18. A special pre-season Midnight Madness featuring both teams at DeVos Fieldhouse will be held Friday, Nov. 5.
The Flying Dutch open their season at home hosting Rochester, Mich. on Tuesday, Nov. 16. The Flying Dutchmen will play their first five games on the road, beginning Tuesday, Nov. 23 at Davenport.
Women's DIII News
The Flying Dutch are ranked second in the pre-season poll of NCAA Division III teams and
senior center Carrie Snikkers (Jenison, Mich./Unity Christian HS) has been named the
pre-season National Player of the Year. Snikkers a year ago was voted the NCAA Division
III State Farm/WBCA Player of the Year by the Women's Basketball Coaches Association
(WBCA)
Top-ranked in the women's poll is Amherst, Mass. MIAA rival Calvin is ranked 19th. A year ago the Flying Dutch finished second in the nation and posted a 32-2 season record. The Flying Dutch are also the pre-season favorite in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) with Calvin and Saint Mary's picked second and third respectively.
Men's DIII News
The Flying Dutchmen are ranked 14th in the pre-season poll of NCAA Division III teams
and senior guard Peter Bunn (Lansing, Mich./Lansing Christian HS) has been named an
honorable mention pre-season All-American. Bunn was a first team all-conference honoree
as a junior.
The top-ranked men's team is defending national champion UW-Stevens Point. Hope is also the pre-season pick to win the championship of the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) with Olivet and Calvin picked second and third respectively. No other MIAA team is in the men's pre-season national ranking. The Flying Dutchmen a year ago posted a 21-8 record and advanced to the NCAA championships for the 21st time in school history.