The storyline for this game was that Olivet was indeed quite bad. I would have loved to see Calvin's defense lock down Olivet in the second half instead of allowing 38 points, but Coach Vande Streek was clearly spreading the minutes around, so it's definitely understandable.
It was a wonderful opportunity for Daniel Stout (16 minutes) and Tyler Dykstra (17 minutes) to get some extended playing time. I particularly enjoyed seeing Dykstra, Stout, and Tyler Kruis all on the court at the same time. That's a combination that could cause some havoc in this league for a good couple of years. We also saw some nice things out of Nate Van Eck, who chipped in eight points in a rare display of scoring touch.
It's really hard to glean a whole heck of a lot out of a 28 point win over a clearly inferior opponent, but it was wonderful to see Calvin "play the right way" for all 40 minutes -- especially on the offensive end. I'm sure it's easy to get lazy and start jacking up three pointers and early jump shots when you're up by 15+, but the Knights didn't fall into that trap. Even as they extended their lead, tThey continued to try to get the ball inside to the big men (center-ish players combined for 22 points), make the extra pass, and wait for a good shot opportunity. I'm searching for a "yeah but", but there's just no way I could complain about anything on the stat sheet.
Bullets
- Is there some sort of a way that this version of Tom Snikkers can be forever frozen? Tom eschewed the jumper tonight in favor of getting to the hoop. I just went back and quickly counted 12 points in the paint for Snikkers, plus 4 points at the line after drawing contact near the hoop. This is the version of Tom that is nearly impossible to stop.
- Bryan Powell is now the Bryan Powell that we expected out of Wyoming Park High School. Tonight's masterful 8-10 shooting performance has lifted Bryan's effective field goal percentage to .489 on the year. His points per weighted shot is up to 1.03. He's become a deadly assassin in the mid-range game.
- I'd still like to see more three point opportunities for Jordan Mast. The dude's shooting 47% from beyond the arc so just feed him the ball.
- I'm really starting to enjoy the brief flashes we get from Tyler Dykstra. He blends in a little bit more than perhaps a 6-8 player should, but he gave us a preview of some future scoring abilities this evening. He slipped free underneath the basket and was rewarded with the ball for an easy two handed slam, and also knocked down a couple of medium range jump shots. I really like the easy athleticism that he brings to the team -- he's seems to get more comfortable using it each game.
- Calvin's last three home games have all been 20+ point victories. I didn't expect that after seeing the team lose at home to Albion in the second conference game of the season.
