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Keeping up with Keith (Dambrot)


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37 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

KD's already an Akron legend, but he'll cement his legacy when he's AD & gets the downtown arena built. 💪💪

 

31 minutes ago, LZIp said:

IDK about ya'll, but I'm enjoying the Guthrie experience thus far. Hoping we can keep him here long term if he continues on the current trajectory.

Definitely in no hurry for Guthrie to go anywhere, that's for sure.  Maybe Guthrie will be an Akron Lifer?  He's a sharp dude!  Mr. Guthrie, if you're reading this, we need a new downtown arena across from Canal Park (the city's banking the land for it).  The dusty-but-finished blueprints should be rolled up in one of your closets.

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I'd love an arena but they'd have to get awfully creative with the financing as the voting populace in Summit County made it pretty clear they had no interest in funding it the last time it was raised.  It was headed to the ballot as a tax measure combined with county-wide 911 improvements and they did a poll which overwhelmingly showed that the levy would go down if the arena funding was included.  As a result, we've watched good basketball in a barn while we watch bad football in a nice stadium.   

 

One of the hot rumors circling the JAR early in the basketball season was that the groundwork had been laid for Charles Thomas to get the Central Michigan job at which time KD would resign at Duquesne and return to UA as AD.  The first block in that chain of events, Thomas getting the CMU job, fell through the and the KD return went along with it.  In the end, the job then went to Guthrie.  I'm not sure I am buying that rumor, but it is one that's made its rounds. 

Edited by clarkwgriswold
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59 minutes ago, clarkwgriswold said:

I'd love an arena but they'd have to get awfully creative with the financing as the voting populace in Summit County made it pretty clear they had no interest in funding it the last time it was raised.  It was headed to the ballot as a tax measure combined with county-wide 911 improvements and they did a poll which overwhelmingly showed that the levy would go down if the arena funding was included.  As a result, we've watched good basketball in a barn while we watch bad football in a nice stadium.   

 

One of the hot rumors circling the JAR early in the basketball season was that the groundwork had been laid for Charles Thomas to get the Central Michigan job at which time KD would resign at Duquesne and return to UA as AD.  The first block in that chain of events, Thomas getting the CMU job, fell through the and the KD return went along with it.  In the end, the job then went to Guthrie.  I'm not sure I am buying that rumor, but it is one that's made its rounds. 

It wasn't just a rumor.

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1 hour ago, Blue & Gold said:

 

Definitely in no hurry for Guthrie to go anywhere, that's for sure.  Maybe Guthrie will be an Akron Lifer?  He's a sharp dude!  Mr. Guthrie, if you're reading this, we need a new downtown arena across from Canal Park (the city's banking the land for it).  The dusty-but-finished blueprints should be rolled up in one of your closets.

Charles doesn't follow ZipsNation.o

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I'm kind of surprised Akron would consider Dambrot as AD. Naturally Dambrot being a basketball guy would likely start funneling more of the limited amount of athletic dollars to basketball, which I don't disagree with. It just seems the opposite of what the university has been pushing these past few decades, which has been funneling money to football (IPF, new stadium, paying 6 figure buyouts on numerous occasions). Meanwhile, all the basketball program has received is a fresh coat of paint and a new jumbotron...

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  • 2 weeks later...
On 1/27/2022 at 10:20 AM, Let'sGoZips94 said:

 

Shame. 

 

Sounds like Dookie fans are experiencing the same frustrations Zips fans did when KD was here, without the consistent league success. 

I feel bad for KD.  His team has lost 6 straight and lost the last game to Richmond by 20.  They are in next to last place in their conference.  Their forum is getting out the tar and feathers.  I think the new transfer rules probably hurt KD in that you cannot develop talent if the players can quickly jump ship.  He developed 4 year players and that just does not happen anymore.  Look how he developed players such as Zeke, Big Dog, Tree, Jake and numerous others.  I am sure this is his most difficult year.

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I've always felt that KD got lucky that his first few Zips teams were stacked with talent and he just kind of carried that momentum through the end. Using the sustained success to pull in more recruits and keep the cycle going. He always had good teams but never could get over the hump. At Duquesne he was basically starting from nothing. I was mad when he left and still salty. Even though I think the Zips are in much better hands now under Groce. 

 

Duquesne is in a weird position and I almost view them similar to Akron football. The school pumps the most money and resources into that program, but they aren't the #1 option in town. Where the Zips live in the Suckeyes shadow, Duquesne has Pitt literally right down the road. It's tough to build a fan base when you are a small school going against that. Being in the A10 doesn't help and honestly think if hypothetically they were in the MAC they wouldn't fair much better. Regardless of conference I think it was a lateral, if not downgrade, for KD to jump ship. Sure they have a better chance of making the tournament, but it's definitely not any easier. 

 

Edited by akzipper
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I feel @1981 grad hit it on the head. Dambrot strength was always recruiting and developing players that fit his system. He did a really great job of never losing key contributors to the transfer portal. Now with NIL and the transfer rules change I just feel the game has passed Dambrot by. What he had success with before really isn't going to be a winning formula now. 

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Those are good points.  Did KD ever bring in a transfer?  Let alone an impact transfer?  I'm drawing a blank if he did, though I could be forgetting someone obvious.  He was against bringing in transfers, wasn't he?  IIRC he though it unfair to the kids who were here as freshmen and had paid dues to earn PT.

 

Ah, I'm remembering he brought in Nyles Evans - that 2G from Hoover who went to JUCO for 2 years.  But as far as I can remember that's about it.

 

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31 minutes ago, Blue & Gold said:

Those are good points.  Did KD ever bring in a transfer?  Let alone an impact transfer?  I'm drawing a blank if he did, though I could be forgetting someone obvious.  He was against bringing in transfers, wasn't he?  IIRC he though it unfair to the kids who were here as freshmen and had paid dues to earn PT.

 

Ah, I'm remembering he brought in Nyles Evans - that 2G from Hoover who went to JUCO for 2 years.  But as far as I can remember that's about it.

 

Seriously? No impactful transfers? Brian Walsh? Noah Robotham? There were others.

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14 minutes ago, Hilltopper said:

Seriously? No impactful transfers? Brian Walsh? Noah Robotham? There were others.

Ummm, Noah was recruited from Bishop Gorman HS in Vegas.  The coaches camped out at a casino after they lost out on another PG at the last second.  Noah was one of the top unsigned PGs.  He had earlier verballed to a high major, IIRC.

Edited by Z.I.P.
Damn Spellcheck!
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1 minute ago, Z.I.P. said:

Ummm, Noah was recruited from Bishop Gorman HS in Vegas.  The coaches camped out at a casino after they lost out on another PG at the last second.  Noah was one of the top unsigned PGs.  He had earlier verballed to a high major, IIRC.

You're right!  Quincy Diggs was a transfer.

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On 1/27/2022 at 9:38 AM, kreed5120 said:

I honestly don't think him leaving was as much about the money as it was him wanting to try to cement his legacy by making a sweet 16 run. He had opportunities to leave for more money throughout the years but choose to stay.

 

Duquesne promised him a renovated arena and a commitment to an increased budget. He looked at his age and knew he didn't have many seasons left as he's said numerous times that he doesn't plan to coach into his 70s. He thought Duquesne gave him the best chance to get those tourney wins that was the only thing his resume was missing. The fact it appears he won't make the tournament at Duquesne, let alone get tournament wins, I'm sure he'll view it as a mistake.

If any of this is true, KD isn't as smart as I thought he was. 

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On 1/27/2022 at 6:57 PM, kreed5120 said:

I'm kind of surprised Akron would consider Dambrot as AD. 

So am I. In fact, I find the idea laughable. In addition to being too old for the job, he has zero experience in running an athletic department staff, hiring head coaches, marketing or anything else that might make him at least moderately competent at the job. He would be the laziest leadership move the University made since placing John Green in the President's seat. The decay of the athletic department would make the decay of Rolling Acres Mall photos on the internet look like a remodeling job. 

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32 minutes ago, GP1 said:

If any of this is true, KD isn't as smart as I thought he was. 

KD was having troubles at U of A so he found greener pastures, hoping a new school and a new arena would solve his problems.   Of course, that never happens because you take your problems with you because you are the problem.

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22 hours ago, 1981 grad said:

I feel bad for KD. 

I don't. He's a grown man who has an extremely high paying job to coach basketball and win games and is losing. He has been given a brand new arena to recruit around and has done nothing with it. He should be fired at the end of the season. He is their Rob Ianello. 

 

Maybe the Riverhounds are hiring. He could get some money from LBJ to support the team. 

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4 minutes ago, NWAkron said:

KD was having troubles at U of A so he found greener pastures, hoping a new school and a new arena would solve his problems.   Of course, that never happens because you take your problems with you because you are the problem.

I always thought he left because his talentless soccer playing son couldn't get on the field for the Zips nationally recognized soccer program. It couldn't be because Duquesne was greener pastures because it is a joke of a program. 

 

He literally did take his problem with him. 

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