The Flying Dutchmen launch the second century of Hope College basketball in the most spectacular way as the team inaugurates the new Richard and Helen DeVos Fieldhouse.
The teams's first game will be Saturday, November 19 against Elmhurst, Ill. before a sellout crowd of more than 3,200 fans. Tipoff will be 7:30 p.m.
It will mark the first time in 75 years that Hope will play its regular season home games in an on-campus facility. The last time was in 1930 at the now removed Carnegie-Schouten gymnasium. From 1930-54 the team called the Holland National Guard Armory their home and from 1954-05 they played at HollandCivicCenter.
Coach Glenn Van Wieren begins his 29th season at the helm of the Flying Dutchmen. He enters this historic season ranked ninth among all-time NCAA Division III coaches with a 536-191 record. He is the winningest coach in MIAA basketball history with 15 conference championships.
The 101st year of Hope basketball will be especially exciting on the homefront with three tournaments scheduled for December and a total of 15 home dates, highlighted by the nationally televised Saturday, Jan. 14 game with rival Calvin.
The pre-season roster of 15 players includes eight returning letterwinners. There are no freshmen on the team. Unique to a Hope roster are four players who have transferred from other basketball programs.
Three seniors have been varsity letterwinners since they were freshmen. Serving as co-captains will be Jeff Carlson of Holland, Mich. (Holland HS), Greg Immink of Hudsonville, Mich. (Hudsonville HS) and Andy Phillips of White Pigeon, Mich. (Sturgis HS).
A fifth-year senior, Immink was sidelined by an ACL injury in the third game a year ago. In his first season Immink was named to the Division III national freshman team.
Phillips also missed a major portion of the 2004-05 season with a broken finger. He was voted the MIAA's most valuable player as a sophomore (03-04). Carlson played on Hope's MIAA champion soccer this fall, a good sign that he has recovered from an ACL injury suffered back in 03-04. Phillips is also a two-sport player who has received all-conference honors in tennis.
Other returning letterwinners include junior Stephen Cramer of Akron, Mich. (Unionville-Sebewaing HS), junior Brett Jager of Kalamazoo, Mich. (Kalamazoo Christian HS), junior Scott Richardson of Flint, Mich. (Carman Ainsworth HS), senior Eric Voisin of Suttons Bay, Mich. (Suttons Bay HS), and junior Patrick Woolpert of Jenison, Mich. (Jenison HS).
New to Hope but not to collegiate basketball are four players who have transferred from other schools - sophomore Evan Hare of Grand Rapids, Mich. (Coopersville HS), from NAIA II Evangel, Mo.; junior Tim Partridge of Saline, Mich. (Saline HS), from NCAA I Charleston, S.C.; sophomore Tyler Wolfe of Cedar Springs, Mich. (Cedar Springs HS), from NCAA II Ferris; and sophomore Marcus VanderHeide of Grandville, Mich (Calvin Christian HS), from NCAA I Canisius, N.Y.
Joining the varsity after spending their freshman year on the jayvees are sophomores Jay Creighton of Owosso, Mich. (Owosso HS), Dan Holt of Spring Lake, Mich. (SpringLakeHS) Ryan Klein of Burr Ridge, Ill. (Timothy Christian HS).