Thursday, 1/10/11

Thursday was finally game day! The morning consisted of sleeping in, breakfast, Sportcenter, and sitting around the pool. After enjoying the sun our team went to the Nike outlet again (it’s a team favorite, apparently).  After going to the Nike store we went to Subway for the team pregame meal. We were all impressed by the one worker who managed to handle our football size team. After getting our fill, we headed to Florida Christian to get ready for our first game. It felt great to get back playing again and our energy really showed as we got off to a great start against Trinity. The game went exactly as we wanted to. Everyone got good minutes and we are all rested and ready for Florida Christian.  Aaron Schutte received Player of the Game honors and he was interviewed by Rick Cooper.  The J.V. and parents were great as they almost filled the entire gym which probably can hold up to 100 people.  After the game we headed off to Cici’s Buffet which is our team’s favorite post game meal.  After eating we went back and some players went to Old Town while others proceeded to watch basketball or Scared Straight. After a well fought battle we were all ready for bed and are very excited to take on the challenge of the #7 team in the country, Florida Christian. …SENIORS RULE!!! OUT

Twelve days between games and four days in the Florida sun created a winning remedy for the Tigers as they snapped their five game losing streak with a convincing 84-65 win over  Trinity College of Florida at Florida Christian College on Thursday night. The outcome of the game was not in doubt for long as Grace scored the first seven points and jumped out to a 19-6 lead before Coach Gary Bailey made his first substitutions at the 15:32 mark of the first half. The Tigers shot 56% from the field in the first half, holding Trinity to 38% as Bailey gave all fourteen players solid minutes and Grace held a 46-35 halftime lead.

“Three day tournaments are tough on teams,” said Coach Bailey. “Our goals coming in to this game were to spread out the minutes, work on some fundamentals, and stay free from serious injury. I’m happy we were able to do all of those.”

Every Tiger played at least ten minutes as the bigger and deeper Tigers wore down the opposition. Grace dominated the boards with a 50-24 rebounding advantage, led by Aaron Schutte, and Aaron Schutte and Cameron Cramer led the way in the Tigers 16-0 advantage in assists. Grace finished the game with 50.7% shooting from the field to Trinity’s 36.2%. Five Tigers scored in double figures led by Player of the Game, Aaron Schutte with 13. Cameron Cramer, B J Van Loo, Zach Schutte, and Luke McKian all had 10 points.

The Tigers will take on the host school, #7 Florida Christian College, Friday evening at 7 pm. All of the Tiger games in this tournament are broadcast LIVE on the Grace Sports Network. Rick Cooper will bring you play-by-play action for both remaining games: Florida Christian College (Friday 1/11 @ 7pm), and Multnomah University (Saturday 1/12 @ 9:30 am).

Each broadcast begins 20 minutes prior to the opening tip with the pre-game show. The pre-game show will feature an interview with Grace Head Coach Gary Bailey, a detailed scouting report of the opponent, the starting line-ups and much more.

Fans can listen to the games free of charge on their computers as well as on select handheld devices (Ipods, Ipads, etc.). Special thanks to Pioneer Construction and Sir Speedy Printing in Grand Rapids for being our exclusive sponsors of the broadcasts.

To Listen With Windows Media Player, Click Here

To Listen With All Other Players (Itunes, etc.), Click Here

Wednesday, 1/9/13

Jake Blauwkamp

It’s the third full day of enjoying our time here in beautiful Kissimmee, Florida. It was the day before our first game, and it would prove to be our best day yet. We started off the day earlier than most would have desired, as the bus left for practice at 7:30 am. We made it to the gym, where we had a shoot around for about an hour. At the end of practice was the legendary t-shirt 3 point shooting contest. Five t-shirts were on the line, purchased the day before from a surf shop in Cocoa Beach. At the end of the contest Nick Mascarro, Nick Van Loo, Greg Salmon, Coach Bailey, and I took home the t-shirts. Directly after practice we went off to Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure. It was a fantastic time filled with roller coasters, interactive rides, stuffed animals, and lots of foreigners. Majority of the time in the park I felt as though I was in a different country, as every person I came in contact with did not speak English. The day was filled with fun, and it ended perfectly, as most of the guys headed to the hot tub to wind down. It was a blessing to be able to have this experience with a great group of guys. I want to say thank you to the coaches, families, and everyone who supports our team. God Bless. Go Tigers.

Tuesday, 1/8/13

Kyle Zobel

This has to be one of the best Januarys I have ever had in my life. I mean how many college students can say that they went to Florida for a week during the winter months? Today the team voted on going to the beach, so we went to Cocoa Beach. One of our stipulations was that we had to go for a run while we were there; needless to say we went for a 3 mile run to a pier. For some of the guys it was their first time seeing the ocean, and for others it was their first time swimming in the ocean. It was an amazing experience, to say the least, to see the beauty of the beach and the way the water just ran over the sand. This was a very great team building experience; we were all building each other up and encouraging one another during our run. We then busted out the footballs and frisbees and just had a ball, laughing, smiling and just enjoying what God has blessed us with. Then later on that night most of the team went putt-putting at a local place close to our hotel. Needless to say, with the competitiveness in all of us we turned it into a tournament. Our senior captain Zac Schutte won this tournament on the eighteenth hole by one stroke over Cameron Cramer. This win was a great way to end the night for all of us guys. Florida is great!!

Monday, 1/7/13

Cameron Cramer

Monday morning found us back in the gym after two days of bus rides. We got after it as we prepared for our game on Thursday against Trinity College of Florida. After some sweat was shed, we all got ready to go to Disney Quest. For those that are not familiar with Disney Quest, it is essentially a paradise for the little kid in all of us. There are five stories of arcade games and simulations that entertained us for six hours. We were also able to walk around Downtown Disney if we pleased. After an intense hunt for somewhat affordable food in Disney, we returned to the games which included shooting virtual cannons and creating our very own roller coasters then riding on them in a simulator. A favorite of many of us, as can be expected, was the basketball shooting game, which sparked many a competition between the teammates. After the video game desires were met by all, we left Disney and retired to the Chinese Buffet close to our hotel. As a team, we literally emptied out the buffet and had to wait for seconds for the restaurant to replenish their food supply. After filling our faces, Coach Karnemaat led us in a powerful “Champions to the Core” that challenged us to uphold a Godly image and to recognize that God can take even the smallest amount we have, and use it to greatly further his kingdom. The BCS National Championship game awaited us after that and we retired to our rooms to prepare for another day in the Sunshine State.

Sunday, 1/6/13

Tom Smits

The second day of our journey to Florida was bittersweet. Waking up numerous times throughout the night from Travis (T-Bird) Rader’s feet greeting me in my face and the pleasant bumps that settle across the Georgia interstate. Finally after the 20+ hour journey I was awakened by the beautiful sunshine that Tim Tebow played under during his college days. Our room check-in wasn’t until 2 so we all went to the Nike store to blow off time. In a mad frenzy, everyone ran throughout the store where we all were ready to drop our hard earned money on the crazy low prices. Getting back to the hotel most of us couldn’t wait to go swimming in the gorgeous weather Florida offered us today. The pool area was incredible. Tropical flowers, bushes, and ferns surrounded the landscape of the pool with a couple large palm trees. Relaxing reggae flowed throughout the area making the whole experience perfect. Water fights and “jack pot” made strangers look at us a little oddly but I don’t think they understand the unique chemistry we all have. As everyone went back to their rooms to shower I stayed down by the pool and collected my thoughts with Zach Schutte. After a long bus ride and living easy in the sun the whole team went to Cici’s pizza buffet where we all stuffed our tummies with a ridiculous amount of pizza. Experiences like these remind me how blessed I am to be a part of this team and to be able to have a great relationship with these fellas.

Saturday, 1/5/13

Nick VanLoo

Saturday was the first travel day on the trip to the Sunshine State.  The bus departed at ten am sharp and the rotating tires signaled the beginning of our adventure.  A hodgepodge of people occupied the bus interior.  However, the mood was light and everyone was excited to head south.  I was in the back of the bus where we settled in, watched basketball highlights, and disputed which player was the best point guard in the NBA.  The front of the bus began their first game of “Up and Down the River”.  For those of you who don’t know, this game holds big time bragging rights in the Grace basketball world and the desire to win is high.  Coach George is the reigning all time leader with 15 championship bracelets. The first restroom break was two hours in at a rest stop on the Indiana/Michigan Border.

On the bus it was comfortable.  Traveling down the middle aisle involved stepping over, under and around a tangled mess of legs, arms, bags, and blankets.  We stopped at Golden Corral for lunch where we enjoyed a wide selection of food.  Everyone settled back in on the bus and movies came out, the card games continued, and the bus kept rolling down the road.  The team was surprised when a dollar eating  game at a random gas station involving a key fitting into a hole provided the whole team with excitement.  Aaron “The Dragon” Schutte literally slept the entire first day.

Senior Zach Schutte

The Tigers lost their 5th consecutive game tonight falling to Cornerstone University 85-75 in a packed Aldrich Center.  The Tigers and Golden Eagles battled for a full forty minutes.  Grace went into the locker room with a 40-36 lead only to see it vanish in the first two minutes of the second half.  “The last thing I told our guys before we left the locker room was that we know that Cornerstone would make a good run in the second half,” said Coach Bailey.  “I challenged the team to stand their ground and not panic and let the game slip away.”  The Golden Eagles did make an early run but the Tigers could not make a run of their own to expand their lead.  The score battled back and forth until CU went ahead to stay on three straight long three’s.

“I was amazed at how far some of those shots were but they fell.  We knew they were a good shooting team but I was impressed with their range tonight.  Cornerstone is one of the best teams in the NAIA every year and they showed why tonight.  I was really proud of our kids and the way they played a full 40 minutes.  That is our goal for the second half of the year and we met that goal tonight,” said Bailey.

CU connected for 8 of 13 three’s in the second half and 11 of 21 for the game.  CU put four players in double figures with Jake Plite and Wes Hudson leading the way 18 each.  The Tigers were led by Zach Schutte with 17 and Nick Mascorro with 16.  Freshman BJ VanLoo added 10.  BJ VanLoo pulled down a team high 7 rebounds for Grace while Nick Mascorro dished out 5 assists.

The Tigers won the battle on the boards 39-32.  The Tigers shot 46% from the floor compared to 51% for Cornerstone.

The Tigers leave for Orlando, FL after the new year to play in the Florida Christian University Holiday Tournament on January 10-12.

The Tigers game against Cornerstone University on Saturday, December 29th will be broadcast live on WBBL with Bret Bakita at 3:00pm.  The pregame show will begin at approx. 2:45pm.  To listen live on the internet, go to www.wbbl.com.

Evart, MI – Each year the coaches and players from Grace travel north to Evart, Mi to take part in the annual Christmas party at Pineview Boys Home.  The home was started in 1967.  “This is one of my favorite parts of the season,” said Coach Gary Bailey.  “I worked at this home many years ago and it is amazing what the Derscheid family has done over the last 45 years there.  I am always excited to hear the stories from our players when we get back on the bus or in practice the next week after our visit.  I think our team gets as much or more out of it as the boys at the home.”

The Tigers took gifts including Grace basketball t-shirts to the kids and signed media guides, posters, and the t-shirts.  The team took part in numerous games and had a great meal.  After dinner, the boys opened their gifts from the staff and local community.  Prior to the party, the team arrived two hours early to play video games, basketball, and watch movies with the boys.

The team handing out t-shirts and signing them for the kids.

BJ VanLoo competing to keep three balloons in there air the longest.

Zach Schutte and Nick VanLoo participating in a game of stacking Starbursts.