Kevin Bailey – Page 11

Power Rankings – November 2017

As we progress further and further into the fall semester, the college dodgeball season continues to heat up! Already this year we have seen some fantastic games, and a few very surprising outcomes. We even had our first event on the west coast when Gonzaga and Oregon State met for a double header.

Since it is the start of a new month, it is time to reveal the new power rankings. This month, the list was compiled by fellow NCDA Executive Board member Jacob Leski and myself. We both produced a top 20 list and combined them to make the final composite power rankings that you see below (any tie between two schools would go in favor of the team with the higher win percentage). Leski and I both leave brief comments below for each team.

Let us know what you think about the current power rankings, and what you expect will change before December rolls around.

*These Power Rankings have no impact on the league’s official standings.

1) Central Michigan

Central Michigan is without a doubt worthy of the #1 ranking based on how they have done so far this year. Their home tournament on Saturday will be a HUGE test for them. Continue reading “Power Rankings – November 2017”

Weekend Recap – Winners & Losers

Anyone who follows college dodgeball closely knows that this past weekend featured a number a great events across the country. This past Saturday, Penn State hosted James Madison, Maryland, and Towson in an East Coast tourney that would provide more insight into where each of those teams are at. Also on Saturday, one of college dodgeball’s newest rivalries took place on the campus of Georgia Southern. UNG and GSU battled it out with a double-header, in the South Region’s first event of the season. Then, on Sunday, Grand Valley hosted their Gauntlet tournament with every Michigan school (plus Kent State) in attendance.

The results from those tournaments can be found here. I’m going to jump right to the analysis. Here are the major winners and loser from this past weekend:

Continue reading “Weekend Recap – Winners & Losers”

Gauntlet Tournament Preview

This Sunday, a handful of historically strong college dodgeball teams will congregate at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena on the campus of Grand Valley State University for the ‘Gauntlet’ dodgeball tournament. As has become the norm, GVSU will be hosting a fall tournament that will provide much more clarity to where each Michigan school stands at this point in the year, because all four Michigan teams will be in attendance. Along with these four squads from the state of Michigan, we also will see Kent State University in the building on Sunday. Before I get into my preview, the schedule for this weekend’s clash in Allendale, Michigan is listed below:

	Main Court	East Court	West Court	Ref
11:15	GVSU v Kent	CMU v MSU		SVSU
12:30	GVSU v CMU	SVSU v Kent	Comb-JV v GV-JV	MSU
1:45	CMU v SVSU	Kent v MSU		GVSU
3:00	GVSU v SVSU	GV-JV v MSU		CMU

Continue reading “Gauntlet Tournament Preview”

BOTM: 2017 September

The one thing lacking in Michael Riley’s game, is that he doesn’t have any good dodgeball action shots. Someone bring a camera to CMU’s next tournament and fix this…

Michael Riley – Central Michigan

The Baller of the Month for September goes to one of the most well known players in the league: Michael Riley. Taking over as captain for Central Michigan University this year, Riley has had a very successful start to his tenure. The Chippewas currently are undefeated with a 6-0 record. Not only that, but they have avenged their title game loss to Grand Valley State with an early season 4-2 win over the defending champs.

Riley has made a name for himself over the years both for his impressive on court skills, as well as for his abundance of confidence. He has developed into an all-around star player for the Chippewas, and is one of my early favorites to take home league MVP at the end of the season.

I had the privilege of interviewing one of dodgeball’s most talented (and outspoken) stars. My conversation with Michael hit on many topics, including his take on CMU’s early season success, his leadership style, what his go-to pregame meal is, who he would least want to fist fight in the NCDA, and how much money he lost thanks to an ill-advised preseason bet that he made… Check out our interview below: Continue reading “BOTM: 2017 September”

Power Rankings – October 2017

We are one month into a new year of collegiate dodgeball competition, so I felt it would be fitting to put together a “power rankings” so we can see where each team stands at this point in the season. Below is my list of the top 15 teams in the country as of the start of October (my plan is to provide this list at the start of each month throughout the entire dodgeball season).

Please note, this list is my own opinion on where teams stand right now, and it has no effect on the actual NCDA standings, or Nationals seeding. Also note, I have only ranked teams that have competed in a game so far this season. Those teams who have yet to play a match are not listed. This list is based on merit (what you’ve done this year), so if you’re offended with where your team stands, do something about it and win more games! Enjoy…

Central Michigan

Easy choice at number one. Central Michigan is sitting pretty at 6-0. They already hold wins over three of the other top five teams in my power rankings. Very impressive start to the year. Continue reading “Power Rankings – October 2017”

Storylines to Follow this Weekend in East Lansing

Michigan State University will open the college dodgeball season this weekend, hosting a tournament with six schools in attendance. All four Michigan teams will make their way to IM West on MSU’s campus this Sunday, along with two Ohio schools: Akron and Bowling Green State.

This will certainly be an interesting mix of teams, as we finally get to jump back into dodgeball with this being the first tournament since Nationals 2017. There are many intriguing storylines to follow at this event.

Below are a few storylines that I think we should all keep an eye on. But, before I get ahead of myself, here is the schedule / format for the event: Continue reading “Storylines to Follow this Weekend in East Lansing”

Michigan Region 2017-18 Season Preview

College Dodgeball, welcome back… you’ve been missed! The 2017-18 season will be underway soon. In the meantime, let’s kick off a series of articles previewing each NCDA Region one by one. Today I’ll briefly preview what to expect this season in the Michigan Region. Enjoy:

Continue reading “Michigan Region 2017-18 Season Preview”

2017-18 MVP “Short List”

The start of a new season of dodgeball is just around the corner. As we gear up for another year of rubber balls flying at our face at 70mph, let’s take a quick look at what players are on my MVP “short list”. There are so many great players in the league this year. In fact, I think we enter this year with more established names than we do most seasons. With that said, there is a top tier of players who have a legitimate shot to win MVP this year, and they are the only ones who made it on my short list. In no particular order, here are a few players to keep your eye on this season:

Michael Riley (Central Michigan)

Michael Riley was 6th on last year’s All-American list.

I predicted this man would be 2017 MVP at the start of last season, and while he didn’t get the #1 spot due to a rough first semester for himself and his team, Riley did come on strong in the second half of the season. That strong finish to the NCDA season, along with a great summer of Elite Dodgeball, gives me reason to believe he is once again poised to be in the MVP race in 2018. Continue reading “2017-18 MVP “Short List””

College Dodgeball’s Winning Formula – Part One: Play Elite Dodgeball

No automatic alt text available. — Looking for dodgeball outside the NCDA? Look no further than Elite Dodgeball.

As we inch closer and closer to the start of another National Collegiate Dodgeball Association (NCDA) season, I plan to begin a series of articles on “College Dodgeball’s Winning Formula”. From my experience as a player and board member within this league, there seems to be no shortage of enthusiasm or commitment among players. But that has not transitioned to on-court success for some teams, especially those in their first year or two as a program.

My goal with this series is simply to provide some insight into what it takes to be a championship level dodgeball player/team in the NCDA. It is no secret that building a club sport at your school is a difficult task. Competing against programs with far more experience makes that process even more trying. This series should help expedite that improvement process. Future topics in this series will be about recruitment of players, practice formats, etc., but this first portion is a bit unique. The reason I am writing about Elite Dodgeball right now is because the Elite season just ended, and I am more convinced now than ever before that this is something NCDA players NEED to be involved in. Now, time for Part One: Play Elite Dodgeball! Continue reading “College Dodgeball’s Winning Formula – Part One: Play Elite Dodgeball”

Which Region is Most Likely to Take Down Michigan?

Image may contain: 18 people, people smiling, people playing sports and basketball court — People are getting pretty sick of seeing this… but who are the most likely teams to take down the state of Michigan?

A new season of College Dodgeball is only a few short months away. As we gear up for another year of the best sport known to man, I want to take a quick look at where each region stands when it comes to their chances to take down the Michigan Region.

We all know Michigan is the dominant state in Collegiate Dodgeball. 11 consecutive National Titles is hard to ignore. With that said, the streak must come to an end at some point. Some out of state team will eventually steal it from the Michigan Region. Let’s take a quick dive into that discussion today. Which region is most likely to achieve that feat, and what team might it be? Here are the three most likely regions in my eyes… one region at a time:

Continue reading “Which Region is Most Likely to Take Down Michigan?”

2017 All-Michigan Team

We’ve got a special treat for all of those in the Michigan Region today! Just as each team throughout the nation voted in their All-American list a few weeks ago, each team in the Michigan Region also sent in a list for the (first ever) All-Michigan Team. Well, the votes are in, and here are your results (including a tie for 1st on the list!): Continue reading “2017 All-Michigan Team”

2017-18 Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25

Nationals 2017 came to a close just over a week ago, but that doesn’t mean we can’t start looking forward to next season. As we enter the off-season, I figured I might as well begin the discussion on the 2017-18 version of NCDA Dodgeball. Listed below is my way-too-early top 25 rankings for next year, with some brief explanations for each team.

Continue reading “2017-18 Way-Too-Early Preseason Top 25”

2017 College Dodgeball All-American Team

Another year of college dodgeball is in the books. While we continue to recover from what was another exciting year playing the best sport on earth, we do have some big news to share.

Listed below are the 15 individuals selected as 2017 College Dodgeball All-Americans. Each of these players did an outstanding job on the court this season, and are more than deserving of this recognition.

Along with each name on this list is a brief description, written by a member of the NCDA Content team. Congratulations to each of these athletes for etching their name into the NCDA history books as College Dodgeball All-Americans!

Also, please note that we will be releasing the second team (players ranked 16-30) later this week. Stay on the lookout for that.

Without further ado… here are your 2017 All-Americans:

Continue reading “2017 College Dodgeball All-American Team”

Nationals 2017 Review

Well folks, another season of NCDA Dodgeball has come and gone. Another year of this amazing thing we call college dodgeball.

Nationals 2017, hosted by University of Kentucky, was one of the best final tournaments in our league’s history. Listed below are some initial takeaways that I had (starting with the top finishing teams, and wandering around from there). Also here are the results from the tournament: Continue reading “Nationals 2017 Review”

Nationals 2017: Snapchat Geofilters

Well folks, as we gear up for Nationals 2017, I have some great news. The NCDA Content Team has been working hard to integrate more social media channels into our overall media plan. The NCDA will be very active on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram throughout the season’s final tournament.

But here is the big news for today:

Thanks to the designing skills of new content team member Brett Hadwin (CMU Alumni), the NCDA is proud to announce our first ever tournament Snapchat Geofilters:

(Click on each image separately for a larger image)

If you aren’t very knowledgable on what a geofilter is, here is a quick explanation: Continue reading “Nationals 2017: Snapchat Geofilters”