From: Jeff Febus (jfebus@calvin.edu)
Date: Mon Jan 13 2003 - 21:16:24 EST
REPORT FOR JANUARY 13, 2003
Veenstra Named MIAA Player of the Week In Men's Basketball
For the second time this year and for the 10th time in his career, Calvin
senior forward Jeremy Veenstra has been named MIAA Player of the Week in men's
basketball.
In receiving the honor for the 10th time in his career, Veenstra matches Steve
Honderd for the highest career total of MIAA Player of the Week citations in
Calvin men's basketball history. Honderd received the award 10 times between
1989-to-1993.
A native of Kalamazoo and a graduate of Kalamazoo Christian High School,
Veenstra helped Calvin open its MIAA season with a pair of victories last week
as the Knights defeated Kalamazoo 81-70 and Olivet 94-72. In the win over
Kalamazoo, Veenstra notched his 25th career double-double with 14 points and 12
rebounds. He then followed with 21 points and six rebounds in Calvin's win
over Olivet Saturday afternoon.
On the week, Veenstra was 13-of-29 from the floor, 1-of-4 from three-point
range, 8-of-13 from the free throw line and was credited with eight assists and
three steals.
With his efforts last week, Veenstra boosted his career scoring total to 1,714
points which is good for sixth place on all-time Calvin scoring list.
Calvin returns to action on Wednesday when it travels to Albion for a key MIAA
contest that is slated to start at 7:30 p.m. Albion will carry a 12-2 overall
record and like Calvin, a 2-0 MIAA mark into Wednesday's tilt. The Britons
have also won their last eight games. Calvin will then host rival Hope on
Saturday at 3:00 p.m. at the Calvin Fieldhouse. Saturday's game will feature
the 150th meeting between the two storied rivals.
SATELLITE ALUMNI AUDIENCES WILL AGAIN TAKE IN CALVIN-HOPE MEN'S BASKETBALL
RIVALRY
(Written by Phil de Haan, Calvin Director of Media Relations)
The Calvin-Hope men's basketball rivalry is widely regarded as one of the best
in NCAA Division III circles. It's been the subject of stories in everything
from Sports Illustrated to ESPN Magazine.
Like any good rivalry it features two dominant men's basketball programs.
Calvin and Hope, located just 35 miles apart in West Michigan, have won outright
or shared 45 of 48 MIAA titles since 1953. And either Calvin or Hope has won
every MIAA conference title since 1982. Both schools also excel at the national
level with Calvin owning two NCAA national championships in the last decade and
Hope having won an NCAA runner-up title.
Both schools rarely get the better of each other. In fact, over 149 games (the
teams will meet for their historic 150th meeting on January 18, 2003) Calvin
leads the series 77-72 and has outscored Hope by just 26 points.
The rivalry is so big to fans of the two programs that the schools team up
every year to broadcast the Saturday contest (each year one game is on a
Saturday afternoon and one on a Wednesday night) across the continent via the
wonders of satellite.
So, this year, on Saturday, January 18 over 2,000 Calvin and Hope fans will
gather at almost 50 sites to watch "The Game," as it's simply known now.
They'll be in Calgary, Phoenix, Los Angeles, Chicago, Palm Beach, Seattle,
Atlanta, Washington, D.C., New York City, Detroit, Ann Arbor, Kalamazoo and many
more locales, all gathered together to watch their alma maters go head-to-head
one more time. For the complete list See www.calvin.edu/thegame
At each of those sites they'll be drinking in a rivalry that once preempted a
president's state of the union address, a rivalry that once drew 11,442 people
to a game in downtown Grand Rapids at VanAndel Arena and established an NCAA
Division III single game attendance record that is not likely to be broken.
The Calvin and Hope alumni associations partner to make The Game possible on
satellite, sending the broadcast of WGVU TV, the Grand Rapids PBS affiliate (yes
PBS carries the game live in Grand Rapids!), to the various sites that sign up
for the event. At the satellite sites organizers hand out special game
programs, conduct trivia contests and generally create the same festive
atmosphere one might find at the Calvin Fieldhouse or the Holland Civic Center
(Hope's home court).
The Game was first sent out on satellite in 1999 and has been a staple of the
two school's alumni association programming ever since. Calvin and Hope also
make the radio feed of the contests available on their website and have a
special "The Game" website set up for fans who want to get the scoop on The Game
ahead of time.
Despite all the hype The Game continues to be marked by mutual respect and
sportsmanship. Many of the players know each other from summer ball, church
connections and high school careers. None of them are on athletic scholarships
(there are no such scholarships in Division III) and in attending Calvin and
Hope they've chosen two of the top academic schools in the midwest. So
basketball, while important, is an extracurricular activity.
"It's a special game," says Calvin alumni association director Mike VanDenend.
"Our partnership with Hope and WGVU to give the game wider distribution is an
annual highlight. Alumni from coast to coast are looking forward to another
great contest on January 18."
Contact Mike VanDenend at 616-957-6142
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