The Hope College men’s basketball team is projected to contend for an MIAA title this season.
The Flying Dutchmen finished third in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, totaling 19 points.
Hope trailed preseason favorite Calvin University, which received all seven possible first-place votes and seven points, and second-place Trine University, which earned one first-place vote and 13 points. Coaches could not vote for their own team.
The Flying Dutchmen finished ahead of fourth-place Alma College (34 points), Kalamazoo College (35), Albion College (37), The University of Olivet (38), and Adrian College (41).
Led by head coach Greg Mitchell, Hope is coming off a 20-10 season where the Flying Dutchmen reached the second round of the NCAA Division III Tournament and won the MIAA Tournament.
The Flying Dutchmen finished with a 20-10 overall record and a 10-4 mark in MIAA play.
Hope won at Calvin twice in 10 days last season, handing the Knights their lone loss in regular-season league play on February 15 and defeating them again on February 25 in the MIAA Tournament championship game.
The Flying Dutchmen return four starters, including 2023 All-MIAA Second Team selections Clayton Dykhouse and Gabe Quillan.
Dykhouse, who is returning for a fifth year, is a two-time All-MIAA guard. The 5-11 Dyhouse was the league leader with 29 steals and finished in the top five with 457 minutes, 32.6 minutes per game, 54 free throws, a .794 free-throw percentage, and 51 assists.
The 6-9 Quillan was the runner-up in several categories last season as a sophomore, including field-goal percentage (.556), offensive rebounds (40), total boards (112), and rebounds per game (8.6).
Hope tips off the 2023-24 season on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. at DeVos Fieldhouse against Manchester University (Ind.).
The Flying Dutchmen’s MIAA opener is Thursday, Jan. 4, at 7 p.m. at The University of Olivet.
Comments