2022-23 Men's Basketball Preview

The Hope College men's basketball team is starting this season on stronger footing.

With three returning starters, including last season's MIAA MVP, guard Evan Thomas, the Flying Dutchmen are aiming to build a successful 2021-22 campaign that featured a return to the NCAA Division III Tournament and MIAA regular season and tournament titles.

Head coach Greg Mitchell likes where the Flying Dutchmen stand heading into the Friday, Nov. 11, season opener against the University of Wisconsin-Stout at DeVos Fieldhouse.

"We had a season where we weren't sure what was going to happen. Guys bought into the collective goal and found a way to win a championship, which is great," Mitchell said. "But at the same time at the end of the season, it's a group that realized at the end of the season that we did not find our (full) potential. It's almost like we have an unfinished mentality. We've got a lot of guys back, but it's got to be a team that scratches and claws its way to find its potential."

Flying Dutchmen Breakdown

Coaching Staff

Head coach: Greg Mitchell '88, ninth season (140-67)

Assistant Coaches: Chad Carlson '17, Ken George, Tom Davelaar '71, Ryan Klingler '01, Craig Kopas '99

2022-23 Roster

Guard Evan Thomas is the top returning men's basketball player in the MIAA and one of the top players in the nation. The 6-4 senior from Okemos, Michigan (Okemos HS) earned MIAA MVP honors and National Association of Basketball Coaches Association All-America honors for the first time last season after producing a career-high 19.6 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Thomas was named one of 26 Preseason All-Americans by D3hoops.com.

Point guard Clayton Dykhouse forms a dynamic 1-2 punch with Thomas. The senior from Zeeland, Michigan (Zeeland East HS) joined Thomas as an All-MIAA First Team selection last season. The 5-11 Dykhouse was Hope's second-leading scorer last season at 14.4 points per game.

Forward Tanner Wiegerink embraced a large role last season, starting 23 of 26 games he played and recording career-highs with a team-leading 26 total blocks. The 6-7 junior from Holland, Michigan (West Ottawa) also contributed 6.0 points and 3.7 rebounds per game.

Forward TJ McKenzie Jr. proved to be a valuable reserve last season. The 6-3 McKenzie chipped in 5.8 points and 2.0 rebounds per game. A two-sport standout, McKenzie (North Muskegon, Michigan / North Muskegon) is a starting wide receiver on the Hope football team.

Sophomore center Gabe Quillan (Ada, Michigan / Forest Hills Central) and junior forward Devin Cheaney (Batavia, Illinois / Batavia) are poised to take expanded roles in the post for the Flying Dutchmen. Junior guard Eli Schoonveld (Zeeland, Michigan / Holland Christian) is a key returner for Hope. Freshman guards Marcus Wourman (Lansing, Michigan / East Lansing) and Justice Mims (Rochester Hills, Michigan / Adams) are aiming to contribute in the backcourt as well.

2022-23 Schedule

The Flying Dutchmen tip off their season on Friday-Saturday, Nov. 11-12, with back-to-back home games at DeVos Fieldhouse against the University of Wisconsin-Stout and the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, respectively. Oshkosh is ranked third in the D3hoops.com preseason poll.

Hope's first road game is Wednesday, Nov. 16 at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater. It is the Flying Dutchmen's third consecutive opponent from the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference to open the season.

Of Hope's 11 non-conference opponents, one is new - Babson College (Mass.) on Thursday, Dec. 29, at DeVos Fieldhouse.

The Flying Dutchmen tip off MIAA play on Wednesday, Jan. 4, at Trine University. Hope will play four of its first five league games on the road, with the exception of a Wednesday, Jan. 11, showdown against Calvin University in The Rivalry.

Six MIAA teams will qualify for the league tournament that runs from Wednesday, Feb. 22 through Saturday, Feb. 25. The top two teams earn first-round byes. The MIAA Tournament champion claims the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Division III Tournament.

MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll

Hope is a unanimous favorite in the MIAA Preseason Coaches Poll, recording all seven possible first-place votes. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.

With seven points, the Flying Dutchmen finished ahead of runner-up Trine University (15 points, 1 first-place vote) and third-place Calvin University (17).

Finding Hope

Hope is ranked fourth nationally in NCAA Division III men's basketball history with 1,678 wins. After 117 seasons, the Flying Dutchmen have a .674 winning percentage with a 1,678-813 record.

The Flying Dutchmen are bidding to repeat as MIAA champions for the 22nd time in team history and earn their 42nd league title overall. Hope last went back-to-back in the MIAA in 2018 to cap a run of three consecutive titles.

Evan Thomas became the Flying Dutchmen's 18th All-American last season when he was honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches. The guard also received MIAA Most Valuable Player honors, the 30th time for a Hope student-athlete.

Clayton Dykhouse doubled his career scoring average last season to 14.4 points. The point guard also dished out a career-high 3.4 assists per game as a junior.

The Flying Dutchmen are approaching 200 wins at DeVos Fieldhouse since the facility opened for the 2005-06 season. Hope is 194-41 all-time at DeVos Fieldhouse for an .827 home-court winning percentage.

Coach's Outlook

"Both Evan and Clayton have been getting so much better every year. Evan has grown so much as a leader. He's a real cerebral player with an incredibly high IQ. When he shares that with our team, he's encouraging them to find their potential. He's a special player. Nobody puts in more time in the gym than Clayton. He has really evolved as a scorer. He's great with the basketball in his hands, but he can be great without the ball coming off screens and being ready to shoot. He can really be an asset for us. We feel our bigs this summer put themselves in position to take that next step. I like our front court. We've got a lot of guys in the mix who are fighting for reserve minutes. The line is thin in practice. When you have competitive practices, you have a chance to develop depth." — Greg Mitchell

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