The Hope College men’s basketball team topped the 2017-18 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association preseason coaches poll.
Coach Greg Mitchell’s Flying Dutchmen received four of seven possible first-place
votes and finished with a total of 45 points. Coaches could not vote for their own
team.
Alma College, which claimed two first-place votes, came in second with 40 points.
Calvin College also grabbed two first-place votes and was third with 39 points.
Hope repeated as MIAA regular-season championship last season en route to a 23-7 overall
record. The Flying Dutchmen also advanced to the NCAA Division III Tournament for
the second consecutive time.
Hope returns two starters: senior guard Dante Hawkins of Holland, Michigan (Holland
HS) and junior forward Teddy Ray of Fort Wayne, Indiana (Homestead). Hawkins is a
returning All-MIAA First Team player.
The Flying Dutchmen tip off the season on Friday and Saturday, November 17-18 at the
Great Lakes Invitational in Marietta, Ohio.
Hope’s home opener is Tuesday, December 5 against Grace Bible College at DeVos Fieldhouse.