Four Hope College men's basketball teams that
captured Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIA)
championships will be honored by the college's alumni H-Club as
part of homecoming festivities on Saturday (Oct. 10).
The championship teams of 1958, 1968, 1988 and 1998 will be
honored during the annual H-Club luncheon which will begin at
11:30 a.m. in the Maas Center Auditorium. It has been a
tradition of the H-Club to honor past teams.
The 1958 and 1968 teams were coached by Russ DeVette while
the 1988 and 1998 squads were coached by Glenn Van Wieren. Both
coaches will be part of Saturday's program.
The 1958 team has the distinction of being the first Hope
basketball squad to qualify for the NCAA tournament. The 1998
team finished second in the nation among NCAA Division III teams
last winter. The 1968 team was part of an amazing period in
which Hope captured nine league championships over a 12-year
span. The 1988 team was the highest scoring in Hope basketball
history eclipsing the 100-point mark six times that season.
Four Hope College men's basketball teams that
captured Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIA)
championships will be honored by the college's alumni H-Club as
part of homecoming festivities on Saturday (Oct. 10).
The championship teams of 1958, 1968, 1988 and 1998 will be
honored during the annual H-Club luncheon which will begin at
11:30 a.m. in the Maas Center Auditorium. It has been a
tradition of the H-Club to honor past teams.
The 1958 and 1968 teams were coached by Russ DeVette while
the 1988 and 1998 squads were coached by Glenn Van Wieren. Both
coaches will be part of Saturday's program.
The 1958 team has the distinction of being the first Hope
basketball squad to qualify for the NCAA tournament. The 1998
team finished second in the nation among NCAA Division III teams
last winter. The 1968 team was part of an amazing period in
which Hope captured nine league championships over a 12-year
span. The 1988 team was the highest scoring in Hope basketball
history eclipsing the 100-point mark six times that season.
57-58 MIAA Champs EarnedFirst NCAA Tournament Bid
The Flying Dutchmen, led by coach Russ De Vette, captured top
honors in the MIAA, compiling an outstanding 18-2 regular season
berth and gaining a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first
time.
The team returned all five of the previous year's starting lineup
and added two junior transfers, Darrell Beernink and Wayne
Vriesman, whose outstanding playing helped put together a
basketball powerhouse that could not be stopped.
Senior Dwayne "Tiger" Teusink captained the team to its
championship performance. In this he was aided by Paul Benes,
Hope's leading scorer and two-time All-MIAA first team player;
sophomore Warren Vanderhill, an All-MIAA second team honoree;
sophomore Ray Ritsema, whose untiring defense, outstanding
rebounding, and scoring ability brought him the MIAA Most
Valuable Player award and a spot on the All-MIAA first team; and
Jun Buursma, a junior, who consistently showed his ability, both
in scoring and defense.
The Flying Dutchmen defeated rival Calvin twice in a season for
the first time since the 1949-50 season. In a 96-77 victory over
Hillsdale, Benes scored a school-record 39 points.
Playing in the NCAA Small College Division Great Lakes Regional
tournament, the Flying Dutchmen defeated Northern Illinois 101-
95, but bowed to Wheaton in the championship game 104-93.
1957-58 Team
Daryl Siedentop '60
Dwayne "Tiger" Teusink '58
Wayne Vriesman '59
Albert Bursma '59
Roland Schut '60
Darrell Beernink '59
Robert Thomson '60
John Kleinheksel '60
Ray Ritsema '60
John Hood '59
Warren Vander Hill '60
Paul Benes '59
John Kempker '58
Coach
Russ DeVette '45
Jayvee Coach
Gordon Brewer '48
Manager
Dave Clark
1967-68 Team Claimed NinthMIAA Title In Tweleve Years
The Flying Dutchmen claimed Hope's ninth MIAA championship in
12 seasons.
Two-time MIAA Most Valuable Player Floyd Brady inspired the
team with his tenacious rebounding. His 32-point league
average led him to become just the fifth Michigan college
basketball players in history to score more than 2,000 career
points.
Gary Rypma complemented Floyd's inside power with much needed
outside sharp-shooting. Anchoring the center position
throughout the season was big Bruce Van Huis.
The season's home fans were delighted by a Hope victory over
Calvin and a title-cinching overtime thriller against Kalamazoo.
Coach Russ DeVette registered pleasant surprise at this
year's 17-6 record, attributing it to the team's ability to
use Floyd's skills advantageously. Friend and foe alike
counted the 67-68 season a most successful one.
1967-68 Team
Bill Bekkering '70
Floyd Brady '68
Rick Bruggers '69
John Leenhouts '69
Bruce McCreary '70
Randy Nyberg '70
Tom Pelon '68
Gary Rypma '68
F. Barry Schreiber '71
Dave Utzinger '71
Bruce Van Huis '69
Bob Veeneman '70
Ted Zwart '70
Coach
Russ DeVette'45
Assistant Coach
Bill Vanderbilt '61
Junior Varsity
Glenn Van Wieren '64
Trainer
Lawrence Green
1987-88 Team Was Highest ScoringIn Hope Basketball History
With a veteran-laden squad, the Flying Dutchmen won the
MIAA championship for the seventh time in eight years en
route to a 19-6 overall record.
The championship performance gained Hope a berth in the
NCAA Division III Great Lakes Regional tournament. Hope
opened the tournament by defeating Muskingum, 80-75, sending
the Dutchmen to the finalsagainst host Ohio Wesleyan. But
in a nail-biting, heart-wrenching double overtime game,
Hope was eliminated from post-season play by the Battling
Bishops, 110-107. Ohio Wesleyan would go on to win the
national championship.
It was a season for the record books, though, as the 1987-88
squad became the highest scoring team in school history. The
Flying Dutchmen averaged 89.3 points per game, scoring more
than 100 points on six occasions.
Senior Bill Vanderbilt became the first Hope player to
appear in more than 100 varsity games, ending his career at 101.
Senior Matt Strong also earned a spot in the league's
record books. He set an MIAA career record for free throw
shooting average at 86.9 percent. He was also voted the
MIAA Most Valuable Player for the second year in-a-row.
Senior Jim Klunder and Vanderbilt were voted to the
All-MIAA second team. Klunder and junior Jack Holman were
also selected to the all-tourney team at the Great Lakes
Regional.
As the season ended, Klunder and Strong joined the
elite group of Hope players who scored more than 1,000
points during their careers. Strong tallied a total of 1,027
points while Klunder scored 1,019.
1987-88 Team
Eric Elliott '91
Justin George '90
Jack Holman '89
Dan Klunder '90
Jim Klunder '88
Tom Livingston '89
Todd Marsman '88
Greg Mitchell '89
Matt Strong '88
Bill Vanderbilt '88
Bruce VanderKolk '90
Tim Van Liere '89
Coach
Glenn Van Wieren '64
Assistants
Tom Davelaar '72
Tod Gugino '85
Matt Neil '82
Student Assistant
Mike Perkins '90
Trainer
Richard Ray
Equipment Manager
Norm Japinga
1997-98 Team FinishedSecond In The Nation
Expectations were high before season began and the Flying
Dutchmen did not disaapoint. Hope won its fourth consecutive
MIAA championship, Glenn Van Wieren '64 recorded his 400th
coaching victory, the team swept the season series with
rival Calvin and the Flying Dutchmen were national runnersup
for the second time in three years.
The Holland Civic Center was filled for nearly every regular
season game, and fans lined up outside the Dow Center in a
late winter storm for hours before the start of NCAA
tournament games.
It was a season of emotion that went beyond victory and defeat.
Leading scorer David Meulenberg was lost to the team midway
through the league season with a broken leg. It took several
games for the Flying Dutchmen to regroup, but they did with
spectacular play in the NCAA. There was a special moment
during the national semi-final game when Meulenberg, who was
in uniform for the first time since being injured, sank two
free throws after a teammate had to leave the game with an
injury. There was not a dry eye in the Salem Civic Center.
The nation's best small college basketball rivalry -- Hope
versus Calvin -- didn't disappoint Hope fans. The sweep of
the Knights extended Hope's domination to 10 consecutive
games and tied the storied series at 70 victories for each
college.
The Flying Dutchmen finished with a 26-5 record, extending
their streak of 20-plus winning campaigns to a school-record
five in-a-row.
The magic of their tournament successes ended in the national
tournament game as the Flying Dutchmen were defeated by
Wisconsin-Platteville 69-56. Platteville (31-0) finished as
the nation's only undefeated men's college basketball team.
Senior Joel Holstege culminated an outstanding career as he
was named a first team Division III All-American by the
National Association of Basketball Coaches. He and teammate
Kris Merritt had the distinction of playing on four consecutive
MIAA championship teams. Hope's record during their careers
was 105-14.
1997-98 Team
Kyle Phelps '00
Joel Holstege '98
Josh Canan '00
Chris Formsma '00
Mark Bray '00
Pat Stegeman '99
Dan Van Hekken '98
Kris Merritt '98
Brandon Goodyke '99
Leif Sporck '01
Kevin Van Timmeren '00
Chris Vander Slice '99
Brian Paul '00
Coach
Glenn Van Wieren '64
Assistants
Tom Davelaar '72
Matt Neil '82
Tim Schoonveld '96
Student Assistants
Tim Bekkering '99
Tyler Jansen '00
Zach Jonker '00
Jay Leitz '00
Jason VanderWoude '98
Charles Wyngarden '00
Trainers
Richard Ray
Ray Rodriguez
Student Trainers
Adrienne Christopher '99
Tasha Guild '99
Equipment Manager
Gordon Vander Yacht