|
For the first time in four decades the Hope College men's basketball
program had a new leader in 2010-11. Coach Matt Neil had a spectacular first season guiding the
Flying Dutchmen to a conference championship and a berth in the NCAA tournament.
A standout Hope player in the early 1980s and a member of the Hope coaching staff since 1985, Neil succeeded legend Glenn Van Wieren who retired after the 2009-10
season after coaching the Flying Dutchmen for 33 years. He became just the fourth Hope men's basketball head coach over the past 62 seasons and the tenth in school history dating back more than a century.
Neil's path to head coach paralleled that of Van Wieren who excelled as a
Hope player, served on the coaching staff after graduation and was
named to the top spot upon the retirement of his mentor.
Neil served as the program's junior varsity coach for nine years (1985-1994) and was a varsity assistant coach with responsibilities for post players from 1995-2010.
Neil's involvement in Hope basketball extends beyond coaching. He
founded Hope's popular student cheering section, The Dew Crew, in 1996 and continues to grow that popular student activity. He is in demand as a clinician and speaker at basketball coaching clinics throughout the Midwest and helps coordinate both the team and youth basketball camps during the summer.
A 1982 graduate of Hope College, Neil was an all-conference (MIAA) forward as both a junior and senior and was named the league's most valuable player his senior season.
He received his M.B.A. from Grand Valley State University in
1992. Neil was employed in the Holland Public Schools system from
1982-2010 last serving as a middle school mathematics teacher. He has
the academic rank of Assistant Professor of Kinesiology at Hope . Along with teaching, Coach Neil assists with game management for other sporting events in the off-season.
Neil and his wife Kim have four children. Kendra is a 2009 Hope
graduate who is a kindergarten teacher in Tegucigalpa, Honduras. Sons
Logan and Grant are both Hope students and members of the basketball program. Daughter Ellary is a sophomore at West Ottawa High School.
See Photo Gallery of Coach Neil's Career
Milestone Games Under Coach Neil
First Game Coached - at Davenport 81, Hope 67, 11/23/10
First Win as Coach - Hope 92, at Aquinas 69, 11/27/10
First Home Victory - Hope 104, Purdue-North Central 78, 12/11/10
First Win in MIAA - Hope 91, at Trine 86, 1/8/11
First Win vs. Calvin - Hope 76, at Calvin 70, 1/29/11
Clinched First MIAA Title - at Hope 65, Olivet 60, 2/9/11
First Game in NCAA Championships - Hope 73, Hanover, Ind. 70, 3/4/11
Hope College Men's Basketball Coaches
(through 2010-11 season)
| |
Years |
Seasons |
Won |
Lost |
Pct. |
| George DeKruif |
07-08, 10-12 |
3 |
25 |
12 |
.676 |
| Carl Bowen |
15-16 |
1 |
10 |
7 |
.588 |
| Jack Schouten |
16-17, 19-31 |
13 |
120 |
116 |
.508 |
| Miner Stegenga |
17-18 |
1 |
6 |
6 |
.500 |
| Clarence Lokker |
18-19 |
1 |
8 |
4 |
.667 |
| Milton "Bud" Hinga |
31-48 |
15 |
185 |
73 |
.717 |
| John Visser |
51-56 |
5 |
47 |
25 |
.653 |
| Russ DeVette |
48-51, 56-77 |
24 |
329 |
221 |
.598 |
| Glenn Van Wieren |
77-10 |
33 |
660 |
219 |
.751 |
| Matt Neil |
2010-11 |
1 |
23 |
7 |
.767 |
(Hope College started playing basketball in 1901-02, but
there was no coach in several of the early years. Years in which there
was no coach are 1901-02, 1903-04, 1904-05, 1906-07, 1908-09, 1909-10,
1912-13 and 1914-15. During some of these years the team's affairs, such
as scheduling, were handled by a student manager.)
|
