Dave in Green

If process was easy, more people would get it right. But you're right that a guiding philosophy is also important. It's proper execution of a process that turns philosophy into results.

No change at all from what I've always believed. A process is nothing more than a series of actions, changes, or functions bringing about a result. Winning and losing are not processes, but the result of successful or unsuccessful process execution. The ultimate goal of a sports team building process is to produce a measurable result of winning. Like everyone else, I hate unsuccessful building processes that never reach the goal of winning. That doesn't give me a phobia about all building processes, because there's nothing not to like about a successful process that produces wins.

I believe that Zeke has a 7-foot-5 wingspan. Forsythe was measured in HS with a 7-foot-0 wingspan even before the start of his senior season. Even if he added no length over the last two years, that's still pretty formidable.

@skip-zip, with all due respect to your old coach friend up north, two of the more successful coaches in college basketball history -- Thad Matta and Bob Huggins -- thought enough of Forsythe to offer him, and Huggins ended up signing him. Beyond that, when Huggins got Forsythe down to WVU, he thought enough of what he saw not to redshirt him, but to immediately make him one of the first bigs off the bench as a true freshman. While there's room for disagreement on any player, I'm leaning toward trusting the judgments of Motta and Huggins over your anonymous old coach friend. But if Forsythe ends up underperforming for the Zips, I'd like to meet your old coach friend up north and get his take on other basketball matters.

Just doing a little more research on Forsythe myself. An important point to remember about him is that he was a virtual unknown through his junior year of HS, when he averaged only about 7 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks per game. At the beginning of his senior season, Forsythe's name was not even mentioned in the Rick Bolus High Potential Basketball Recruiting Service list of Ohio’s Top Rising Prospects for 2010-2011. By the end of the season, after Forsythe averaged 22.7 points, 12.2 rebounds and 6.3 blocks, Bolus ranked him the 9th best player and #1 pure center in Ohio. So Forsythe literally exploded out of nowhere in his senior season. Through his junior season of HS he was unheralded and not really on the national radar. It's extremely rare for a HS senior to go from obscurity to Top 100. When MaxPreps named its Top 100 HS players from the class of 2011, Forsythe was ranked #71 in the country and #6 among all centers. The #1 player from that class was this year's #1 NBA draft pick Anthony Davis, and the #1 center was Cody Zeller, currently projected as next year's #1 NBA draft pick. Zeller is the same height as Forsythe and 10 pounds lighter. The top 11 players on the MaxPreps list were rated 5 star and the other 89 in the top 100 were all rated 4 star. Forsythe and Zeller were both ranked with 4 stars, and only one player ranked ahead of Forsythe by MaxPreps signed with a non-BCS school. Putting this all into perspective, it was a huge story when Zeke committed to play in the MAC for UA. Not only was Zeke a Top 100 HS prospect, but he was among the top half dozen true centers in the country. At the time, that was considered such a rarity that it generated national sports coverage. Honestly, it's just stunning that UA has apparently landed a second consecutive Top 100 HS player and Top 6 true center. This is rare for a major BCS program let alone little old UA. Honestly, I never imagined in my wildest dreams that UA could land another high-potential center to replace Zeke. I expected the Zips to have to soldier on with a 6-8 power forward playing center after this season. It's hard to predict how good Forsythe will become during his UA career. But the mere fact the Zips have landed two consecutive BCS-quality centers is a sign that the Zips are moving closer to national prominence in men's basketball. Now they just have to execute and WIN!

Really enjoyed watching the Zips scrimmage in their open gym session this morning. Zeke, Tree and Deji were all in classes. But the rest of the players were there, and it was fun watching the new players working out with the veterans. They all look healthy and energetic, and played continuously at a frantic pace without anyone gasping for air. The coaches all left the gym prior to the scrimmage per NCAA rules, and the players did a nice job of running things. First impressions are that they're really loose and enjoying themselves, but playing intensely enough that a few players hit the floor from hard contact. There were no hard feelings, though, and it looks like everyone is getting along well with everyone else. Chauncey was especially vocal throughout the scrimmage, and drew a lot of smiles, as did Q. Those two not only showed a lot of energy and humor, but both were on fire from the field. Both were hitting most of their 3s, and both were finishing around the rim at a high percentage. It was interesting to watch Rico and Melo going at each other. Rico obviously has more experience and is more familiar with his teammates. But Melo looks like he fits right in. His style of play is similar to Rico's. His main focus is on ball distribution, and he made some really nifty moves and passes. Really, all the players were doing well on ball movement and finding the open man. This looks to be a pretty unselfish team. Egner looked good. He nailed a few mid-range jumpers and a nice hook shot, and also had the best block of the day to prevent a breakaway layup. When Egner stood next to Harney, it appeared that Harney is now at least an inch taller than Egner not counting hair height. Harney was clearly the tallest player on the court in Zeke's absence, and he was really going hard after rebounds. Harney still has his smooth, deceptive moves to the bucket, and the same, flat-footed set shot from the outside that looks like a throwback to the 1950s. Justice did a nice job bringing the ball upcourt on a few occasions, hit a few deep 3s and also had a nice drive to the basket for a tough score against a tight defender. Walsh was everywhere, as usual, with sound passing, shooting and rebounding. McAdams looked as good on the floor with veteran D-I players as he did on TV during the HS tournament. He can handle the ball like a PG, shoot 3s from the corner like a shooting guard and rebound like a forward. Kretzer also looks like a capable player. A new walk-on was scrimmaging with the Zips for the first time. All I heard about him is that he transferred from University of Illinois Chicago, he's about 6-8, and that he may be of Lithuanian heritage. For his first time scrimmaging with the Zips, I was impressed with the effort he made to set screens, go after rebounds, and stay with his man on D. He appeared to have pretty good fundamentals as a lot of European players do. He seemed to start running out of breath with the pace of play, so he may be a little out of shape from lack of recent playing. Looking forward to attending more open gyms, especially when Forsythe shows up and starts going head-to-head against Zeke.

Pat Forsythe was on campus today with his father (a tall man who wears dark glasses indoors and clearly has little if any vision) and some other folks who were either family or friends. They were looking over the campus and athletic facilities and continuing the process of getting enrolled. Once all of the formalities are out of the way, he should be available to practice with the Zips. He's definitely a big man and looks to be extremely fit. He stopped by the Zips open gym and was really impressed by the up-tempo style of play the Zips were practicing as that's the style he prefers to play. It remains purely speculative whether or not Forsythe would be eligible for an NCAA hardship waiver transfer that would allow him to play this season without sitting out a year. No one is talking publicly about what might be going on in that area, and it's probably equally speculative what the NCAA would do if they were petitioned. I found a recent article on the subject that at least has some numbers to consider, along with some specific details about hardship transfers related to the health of a family member: NCAA approves half of all hardship waivers

From all I know Coach Bowden is pretty dadgum good at selecting which at-risk players would bring more positives than negatives to his team. So whatever Coach Bowden decides on Reid is OK with me.

You probably don't need a new DVR, but just an add-on hard drive to increase storage space. Most DVRs have a port to attach a USB hard drive. The DVR can format the USB hard drive and add its capacity on to the capacity of the internal hard drive in the DVR. For example, Western Digital markets their models as "DVR Expanders."

Clanton has only one year of eligibility remaining. About the time he'd be getting confortably integrated into the Zips' system, he'd be outta here. May not be worth the risk of disrupting team chemistry for a one-and-done.

I guess technically the news was on the internet the instant Hilltopper posted it here. Congrats to Hilltopper for breaking the news, and thanks to GameChngr44 for confirming.

I can't find any internet reference to CJ transferring to Gannon. If it's not on the internet, it can't be true.

If we're talking about the Robert M. Kraus who has been a citizen of Akron for more than 92 years, any water that's ever gone over any dam and ended up anywhere is still open for discussion.

So what does someone closely associated with the Freeh report think about the NCAA using the report as its basis for penalizing PSU? Here's the report from The Chronicle of Higher Education, the major news service in the United States academic world: "That document was not meant to be used as the sole piece, or the large piece, of the NCAA's decision making," a source familiar with the investigation told The Chronicle on Thursday. "It was meant to be a mechanism to help Penn State move forward. To be used otherwise creates an obstacle to the institution changing." "The Freeh team reviewed how Penn State operated, not how they worked within the NCAA's system," this person said. "The NCAA's job is to investigate whether Penn State broke its rules and whether it gained a competitive advantage in doing so." "In using this report largely as the basis for their decision, the NCAA could hurt Penn State's enrollment, recruiting, and outside relationships and partnerships," the source said. "If you don't attract good faculty and research dollars, your institution has no stature." "The report is critical, but nothing is black and white," The Chronicle's source said. "No investigation can totally answer all the questions everyone has." "The NCAA took this report and ran with it without further exploration," this person said. "If you really wanted to show there was a nexus to cover up, interview the coaches. See their knowledge and culpability and how far this went." "The sanctions against Penn State were really overwhelming, and no one imagined the report being used to do that," this person said. "People thought it would help others draw conclusions about what happened and provide a guide for leaders to be able to identify minefields and navigate through them. "Instead, Emmert took the report and used Penn State's own resources to do them in," the person said. "The institution is made of people, too. And they don't deserve this." Freeh Group Member Criticizes NCAA's Use of Investigative Report

In retrospect, it was a classic case of plea bargaining. NCAA school presidents agreed that an appropriate punishment was to kill PSU football for four years. When Emmert told Erickson what to expect, Erickson pled for a lesser punishment and signed a consent decree accepting all facts and conclusions from the Freeh report that Paterno, Spanier, Curley and Schultz concealed Sandusky's heinous actions. The NCAA did not feel obligated to wait for due process to play out in the judicial system but accepted the results of the PSU-commissioned Freeh report as PSU's investigation of itself and admission of guilt. For those who think the NCAA punishment was too great, it should be noted that PSU's peers (other school presidents) had agreed on an even harsher punishment. For those who think the punishment was too little, that's the nature of plea bargains where there is an agreement not to appeal. For those who think the punishment could have been better crafted, that goes with the territory. There is never universal agreement on how guilty someone is and whether the punishment is appropriate to the crime. Penn State faced 4-year death penalty

Akron men's basketball to face Oklahoma State in Puerto Rico Tip-Off tourney

As due process continues in the judicial system for those who may or may not have knowingly contributed in any way to enabling Sandusky's heinous crimes, more information will come out that may make the NCAA's actions appear more or less appropriate. But it's important to remember that the NCAA is an association of schools and not some independent body. Without the support of its member institutions, the NCAA ceases to exist. Representatives of member institutions voted to enable the NCAA president to take whatever actions against PSU that he deemed appropriate. So, in reality, this is all the other schools as an association supporting the actions that the NCAA took against a fellow member school. So while others may agree or disagree that the actions taken were the most appropriate and effective, PSU's fate in terms of NCAA punishment was decided with the full approval of its peers. They all have to live with the results and all of the potential future implications.

I think the dictionary definition of survivor fits just fine: A person who continues to function or prosper in spite of opposition, hardship, or setbacks.

That clears up a lot of the questions.

Everyone wants anyone remotely connected to the Sandusky case to be harshly punished because the crime was so heinous. But there's a reason why Lady Justice is usually depicted wearing a blindfold. The scales in her right hand measure the pros and cons of a case, the double-edge sword in her left hand symbolizes the power of reason and justice, and the blindfold represents blind justice and impartiality without fear or favor. The question here is whether the NCAA's swift action represents the spirit of Lady Justice that most Americans believe helps make this country so great, or was it a premature, emotional reaction to demonstrate to the public that the NCAA is just as horrified and angry about what happened at PSU as the American public? For every journalist who's already written that PSU got exactly what it deserved from the NCAA, there's another saying, wait a minute, let's try to look at this a little more dispassionately and analytically and try to understand if the NCAA may have overstepped its authority here: NCAA's Mark Emmert overstepped bounds in hammering Penn State NCAA deals unprecedented blow And Graham Spanier, the number one man at PSU when the crimes were covered up, hasn't even had a chance to be heard yet: Graham Spanier wants to be heard The facts were all in on Sandusky's actions. He got his fair trial and justice was served. The rest is still a big, hot, stinking mess that's yet to be completely untangled. But the usually slow and deliberate NCAA has already swung its sword, and now, for better or worse, it has to live with the ultimate results of that action every bit as much as PSU. This is far from over.

PSU voluntarily belongs to the NCAA, which has a set of rules for member institutions established with the consent of member institutions. Wherever PSU violated the letter and intent of NCAA rules with which they agreed to abide, they deserve to be appropriately punished. The NCAA announcement will lay out a full description of the rules violated, and then we can all form our own opinions on how appropriately the NCAA punishment matches the rules violated. I personally do not believe it would be appropriate for the NCAA to attempt to duplicate what the judicial system is currently in the process of adjudicating, but that they should deal exclusively with those NCAA rules by which member institutions agreed to abide in the strict legal sense of each rule's definition. The cumulative negative effect from the actions of the judicial system, the NCAA and the court of public opinion will devastate PSU for years and even decades. It will be far worse than any "death penalty" the NCAA could enforce on its own.

This ought to put an end to all the rumors about UA dumping KD to go after John Calipari, Mike Krzyzewski, Tom Izzo or Roy Williams.

OK, so in the old Nicely vs. Moore debate, who voted "neither?" No disrespect intended toward either player. They were both in bad situations under the previous coaching staff, and neither suited the style of the new coaching staff. Both QBs took some really hard hits along the way, and I was especially worried about Moore's longterm health the way he was being frequently leveled. I wish the same good luck to Moore in finding a better situation that I did to Nicely.

Word out of Morgantown is that Forsythe was expected to be the first big off the bench this season as a medical redshirt freshman, and a starter next season as a sophomore. First big off the bench for a big-time program like the Mountaineers under Huggins ought to translate to more than a few minutes per game with the Zips. In any case, it's all hypothetical at this point.

Darn you people. Don't you know that premature speculation is contagious, that it's commonly spread on internet forums and that there's no cure? So now that I've been exposed to the disease, and on the fragile assumption that things will work out for the best, I'm going to jump into this hypothetical conjecturing about how it might play out if we should be so fortunate that Forsythe ends up at UA and even more hypothetically ends up playing this season. Addressing Quickzips' points, Zeke is just fine guarding out to the 3-point line, as long as he's guarding bigs and not speedy little guards. Everyone complains that Zeke doesn't rebound that much, anyway, so if Zeke and Forsythe should end up on the floor at the same time, why not let Zeke guard a big out to the 3-point line while Forsythe guards the big closer to the basket? By all accounts out of WVU, Forsythe is a better rebounder than Zeke, anyway, so if they're in the game together, this scenario works out just fine for the Zips. On the other hand, if the big that Forsythe is hypothetically guarding is the one out by the 3-point line, one of his strong points as described by WVU fans is his lateral quickness and foot speed. So he would also do just fine guarding a stretch 4 far from the basket. The biggest problem as I see it is that Forsythe could not only share center time with Zeke, but also work well on the floor along with Zeke when having two 7-footers on the floor could be a devastating force. The reason this is the biggest problem is that it's too good to be true. It's about time now for someone to jump in and talk about the Akron/NEO curse that keeps great things like this from happening to our sports teams.