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Features

An in-depth look at
a piece of Division III

Posted Dec. 24, 2002

Van Wieren has
Hope back in
the spotlight
Hope's men's team executed a near-perfect game plan by legendary 26th-year head coach Glenn Van Wieren for an 84-66 win at Chicago, lifting the 11th-ranked Flying Dutchmen to 9-1 entering the holiday break.

Van Wieren's team committed only three turnovers in the entire game, and just one in the second half. His team's defense also held Chicago's 6-7 senior forward Derek Reich, a first-team All-American, eight points below his season average. He finished with 21 points, but on only 7-for-18 shooting.

That's pretty good for a coach who was reportedly replaced at the school according to an Associated Press report back on Nov. 26 — causing quite a stir among Hope basketball fans. In its transactions report that day, the AP announced that Hope had named an interim men's basketball coach for the remainder of the current season.

The announcement was intended to be about a coaching change at Hope International University, formerly Pacific Christian College of Hope in Fullerton, Calif.

According to AP staffers in New York City, the first dispatch identified the school only as Hope. A later dispatch correctly identified the school as Hope International University, but not before newspapers such as USA Today and the Chicago Tribune had published the wrong information.

Van Wieren and other college officials were inundated with inquiries from fans regarding his reported departure.

As the saying goes, the report of Van Wieren's demise was greatly exaggerated. Hope's winningest basketball coach, Van Wieren now has a record of 486-170 (.741). He began the season ranked fifth all-time among NCAA Division III coaches with at least 10 years experience in winning percentage — and second among active coaches (trailing only current UW-Madison head coach Bo Ryan's .788 percentage during his 17 Division III seasons), and eighth among active
head coaches in wins. Van Wieren was the 1995 Division III co-coach of the year by Basketball Times and has guided his program to a record 13 Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association championships, and appearances in 15 NCAA tournaments.

It turned out to be the performance of a player off the bench that made the difference in Van Wieren's latest win. Six-foot-one junior guard Jason Mejeur replaced 6-9 senior All-MIAA center Don Overbeek with outstanding defense against Reich. He also had six rebounds and a team-leading four steals.

Frustrated by a Hope switch to a zone defense, the host Maroons were never able to get Hope's 43-33 halftime lead below nine points in the second half.

Overbeek was in foul trouble most of the game, playing just 19 minutes before fouling out. He ended with 14 points and five rebounds. Sophomore guard Greg Immink also scored 14 points while freshman Andy Phillips added 11 and sophomore Kyle Kleersnyder 10.

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