The Hope College Men’s Basketball Team was ranked 3rd in the NCAA Division III Great Lakes Region standings posted on February 28th.
The Flying Dutchmen finished the NCAA Tournament with an overall record of 23-7. Hope College met Augustana in the NCAA Tournament and fell 88-80.
The Flying Dutchmen’s Season
The Flying Dutchmen ended their season in the second round of the NCAA Tournament with a loss to Augustana 88-80. Hope was down by 10 at halftime, but fought their way back to be up by 2 points with 2:45 left in the game.
Eventually Augustana forced overtime with a three-pointer. The Flying Dutchmen were unable to get a lead in overtime. This season was still successful for the Flying Dutchmen as they won 23 games, were the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association champions, and made it to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Head Coach Mat Neil leads the Flying Dutchmen but relies on Will Bowser and David Krombeen to make the team successful.
About The Team
Head Coach Mat Neil is in his first season at Hope College and has made it one to remember. Neil is no stranger to the Hope College program as he was a standout athlete in it in the early 1980’s and joined the coaching staff in 1985.
He succeeded Glenn Van Wieren who coached the Flying Dutchmen for 33 years. Neil led the team to the second round of the NCAA Tournament, had a 23-win season, and was the MIAA champion. His involvement goes beyond coaching, as he founded the popular student cheering section, the Dew Crew, is a clinician and speaker at basketball coaching clinics, and helps coordinate both the team and youth basketball camps during the summer.
Senior Will Bowser was named to the All-MIAA First Team, D3Hoops.com All-Great Lakes Region First Team, and NABC All-Great Lakes Region First Team. Bowser was also chosen as one of the three team’s captains this season and his leadership shows both on and off the court.
He averaged 18.7 points per game, 5.1 rebounds per game, and 1.5 assists per game. Junior David Krombeen was named to the All-MIAA Second Team. Krombeen also joined Bowser as team captain that helped guide the Flying Dutchmen to much of the success it saw this season. Krombeen averaged 11.4 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game, 1.5 assists per game, and 3.1 steals per game.
About The School
Hope College is located in Holland, MI and is a distinguished, four-year, liberal arts, undergraduate college, affiliated with the Reformed Church in America. Its great religious heritage is expressed through a dynamic Christian community of students and professors vitally concerned with a relevant faith that changes lives and transforms society.
Hope is a place of open inquiry, acceptance of intellectual challenge, rigorous engagement with hard questions, and vigorous but civil discussion of different beliefs and understandings. There are over 87 majors and outstanding pre-professional trainings for the over 3,200 students to choose from.
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