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Game 19—Ohio University


clarkwgriswold

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I echo the comments on Kostelac playing a great game.  Groce said on the post game he played horrible defense in the first half.  I watched him closely in the second half and he does a good job of help D and putting him in position to not really get screened.  There are times he needs to go up stronger for the boards but he was the energy tonight diving on balls, etc.

 

Kudos big Mark!

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As much as I enjoy watching this team in action, the bigger joy I get is when I close my eyes and imagine what this team will look like in 2 years.

At the end of previous games, I used to imagine what Parrish, Sayles, and Cotton will look like...today Kostelac earned a spot on that list too. Here's hoping that Patton will do the same soon.  

The future is bright, fellow Zippers :rock:

Edited by Valpo Zip
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On the emotional side, I would have been heartbroken with a loss tonight.  Like the BG game, you could feel the crowd willing the team across the finish line.  Those clutch free throws by Ivey and Cotton were pure class.

 

Also, thought the refs let them play tonight which made for a more enjoyable game for everyone.

 

Meanwhile NIU beat BG by 31??

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Really enjoyed the game tonight.  We are a young  and inexperienced team and we pulled out a win with Duvivier on the bench after he fouled out.  Great foul shots on the 1 and 1 from both Cotton and Ivey.  I cannot tell you how many times as a Zip fan I have seen us miss those foul shots.  Klac had a good game.  He dove for a ball late in the second half and the refs called a jump ball leading to our possession.  He scored 10 points and had a nice touch around the basket using the backboard.  Getting all this time is helping his game.

Ohio closed the gap starting the 2nd half when we started 1 for 6 from the 3 line.  It looked like we were rushing the 3 point shot.  Patton is a good rebounder but he was telegrahing his passes tonight and looked a little lost on D.  He just does not look confortable out there.

 

The stats were almost even.  Most importantly, we held our own on points in the paint.  This is about as good as we can play.  If we can keep shooting this well on the road we should be able to pull out a road win.  I still think there is a higher ceiling for this team.  Great to see a great team effort.  Half way to 20!! My prediction is still in play.  Go Zips!!

 

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17 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

Really enjoyed the game tonight.  We are a young  and inexperienced team and we pulled out a win with Duvivier on the bench after he fouled out.  Great foul shots on the 1 and 1 from both Cotton and Ivey.  I cannot tell you how many times as a Zip fan I have seen us miss those foul shots.  Klac had a good game.  He dove for a ball late in the second half and the refs called a jump ball leading to our possession.  He scored 10 points and had a nice touch around the basket using the backboard.  Getting all this time is helping his game.

Ohio closed the gap starting the 2nd half when we started 1 for 6 from the 3 line.  It looked like we were rushing the 3 point shot.  Patton is a good rebounder but he was telegrahing his passes tonight and looked a little lost on D.  He just does not look confortable out there.

 

The stats were almost even.  Most importantly, we held our own on points in the paint.  This is about as good as we can play.  If we can keep shooting this well on the road we should be able to pull out a road win.  I still think there is a higher ceiling for this team.  Great to see a great team effort.  Half way to 20!! My prediction is still in play.  Go Zips!!

 

 

I think he's the #1 candidate for a redshirt next year.

 

We all have to keep in mind that these results (the last two have been Ws) are without Poke & Sayles. Once we get Sayles back, we really could be firing on all cylinders. :rock:

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Tonight had every bit the feel of a traditional Akron/OU game. Loved the OU guards running their mouths and the Zips shutting them up. 

 

The Zips defense was relentless for the better part of the night. Other than losing track of Block on a few occasions they did a great job of switching and cutting off the dribble penetration. Constant defensive hustle.

 

Loved Cotton and Ivey closing it out at the FT line. 

 

Nice that the refs didn't get in the way of a good game tonight. By MAC standards, a well-refereed game.

 

Kudos to whomever decided to display  individual stats on the sideboards for the bulk of the game!

 

Ball State lost to Kent tonight, so Saturday's game doesn't look quite as daunting as it did earlier in the season. Are the Cardinals prepared for The Kostelac Attack?

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2 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

Tonight had every bit the feel of a traditional Akron/OU game. Loved the OU guards running their mouths and the Zips shutting them up. 

 

The Zips defense was relentless for the better part of the night. Other than losing track of Block on a few occasions they did a great job of switching and cutting off the dribble penetration. Constant defensive hustle.

 

Loved Cotton and Ivey closing it out at the FT line. 

 

Ball State lost to Kent tonight, so Saturday's game doesn't look quite as daunting as it did earlier in the season. Are the Cardinals prepared for The Kostelac Attack?

I did not see or hear the OU guards running their mouth.  I saw their center pick up several Akron players.  I also Ivey talking and smiling with one of their players.  I thought the sportmanship by OU was exemplary and I was happy to see  a hard fought game with the players showing respect to each other.

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7 minutes ago, 1981 grad said:

I did not see or hear the OU guards running their mouth.  I saw their center pick up several Akron players.  I also Ivey talking and smiling with one of their players.  I thought the sportmanship by OU was exemplary and I was happy to see  a hard fought game with the players showing respect to each other.

Maybe you were in the restroom? I never said blows were exchanged...Just some guys jawing back and forth. Cotton seemed to feed off it.

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10 hours ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

A few are speaking their minds now and mostly they are sick, basically despondent, that we have John Groce and, well, they don't.

 

Frenchy and Dunn mentioned how bold it was for Groce at 9minutes to put both Malcolm and Jimond back in the game together when they both had 4 fouls.  I watched the replay on espn3, and Jackie said that was incredible coaching to be aggressive in that situation.   Making back to back one and ones to end a game...when did that last happen?

 

Ravenna State beat the Werthen Originals for the 15th straight time.

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Reading BobcatAttack in full meltdown mode is beautiful, comforting, and promising. They are at a loss at what to do with their basketball program, and are in full-blown fear mode of Groce at the helm of the Zips. They know Groce's ceiling, and I think they expected his starting floor at Akron to be much lower. 

 

We are 10-9, 3-4 in the MAC (tied for 4th or 5th, however that cluster reads. We have 1 junior and 1 graduate student playing right now, with the rest being underclassmen. Heck, we even have a guy we found in the Rec Center getting playing time in crunch time. We have 2 bigs out, only one of which we're getting back this season, and 3 solid transfers waiting on the end of the bench. And we just beat OU in the middle of their coach's 4th season in the position.  

 

This is fun. Go Zips!

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All in all, I thought the OU kids and coaches were pretty sportsmanlike.  I first noticed it when they inadvertently mauled Kostleac in the first half then two or three of them rushed to check on him and help him up.  This OU group is tougher to hate than their predecessors, but it may be in large part due to the fact that they are sub .500.

 

I have moved from my traditional spot to a spot on the end overlooking the UA bench as I wanted to watch the bench and coaching staff and I have noticed how involved Kostelac is, even when not in the game.  I'm not ready to deem him the next Marshall or Wood, but he's come a long way.  Oddly, I am most impressed by his willingness to get on the floor for loose balls.

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I have to say I'm getting a chuckle out of all you guys jumping on the Kostolac bandwagon. Earlier in the season several posters had already written him off as a lost cause. Based on what I saw in the early practices I loved the kid. Here was a very athletic big man with a nice touch around the basket. The best part though was even though he is a very nice kid, when he gets on the court he has a certain mean streak in him. He loves the rough play. Early in the season that didn't help him. Too many quick whistles and trying too hard kept him buried on the bench. Now that he is getting quality minutes the game is starting to slow down and he is really showing what he is capable of doing on the court.

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Great game. Good hustle and effort. Coach is getting the most out of his players right now. 

 

I liked Virshon's emotional effort to work the crowd after the late foul.

virshon1.jpg

 

 

Then I loved his handshake with his "teammates" after he made his first free throw. 

virshon2.jpg

 

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The Ohio players were very respectful at the end especially their big guy Taylor not to be mistaken with their former guard Stevie Taylor.  

 

With Kostelac (who most of us didn't get to see in practice :rolleyes:), I'm seeing him make shots that former centers didn't make.   I'm so impressed by how both he and Sayles stepped up.  And also happy with the solid minutes from Patton.  He's not scoring, but he's doing his job and made a great rebound off a missed.free throw.

 

As for life in the Hocking Hills,  schadenfreude comes to mind.

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18 minutes ago, Hilltopper said:

I have to say I'm getting a chuckle out of all you guys jumping on the Kostolac bandwagon. Earlier in the season several posters had already written him off as a lost cause. Based on what I saw in the early practices I loved the kid. Here was a very athletic big man with a nice touch around the basket. The best part though was even though he is a very nice kid, when he gets on the court he has a certain mean streak in him. He loves the rough play. Early in the season that didn't help him. Too many quick whistles and trying too hard kept him buried on the bench. Now that he is getting quality minutes the game is starting to slow down and he is really showing what he is capable of doing on the court.

 

Frenchy and Joe Dunn had him on after the game and he came across very well.  He really seems to "get it" watching him on the bench.  He's engaged and interactive with the coaches and other players even occasionally offering a suggestion or guidance.

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9 minutes ago, K92 said:

Prediction:

 

The zn.o lovefest with the Kittens players will end when this kid comes back.

 

 

Probably, but I think the officiating crew had a big influence on last night's game.  They let them play and would step in and talk the players down when they sensed a problem.

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21 minutes ago, Captain Kangaroo said:

I want names! Skip, and who else?:lol:

I don't remember if I posted anything about it but I definitely thought about it.  Now next year will be, how do Center minutes get split between Kostelac, Sayles, Eman and Riak?  Who can add enough of an outside game to spell Utomi at the 4 for 10-15 minutes a game (potentially pushing Utomi to the 3 for about 5 minutes a game)?   I guess I will worry about that next year.

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