Dave in Green

I work in the construction industry..... The E. Europeans are much better at it than us though. I really give them credit. So you're saying you're only a small-time construction industry crook looking to move up to the big time?

If you're thinking it's possible that Walsh could beat out Rico for the starting PG position, I'd agree that's a possibility. But if Rico improves his game during the off-season as you'd expect a freshman to do, Walsh would have to be awfully good to bump a guy who was a solid backup to McNees in his freshman season. Let's hope that both players are so good at the point that they push each other to become even better, and that there is no drop in effectiveness when one subs for the other, regardless of who starts.

Did I just see "Nik" and "returnees" in the same sentence?

I really don't see this as such a big deal. It happens all the time in college basketball. Otherwise, the Zips wouldn't have Walsh and Gilliam on the roster.

Just curious if you know this to be a fact or just think it might be. My amateur evaluation would be that putting in continuous rows of seats at a steeper angle from floor to ceiling shouldn't really require major structural changes to the building. You'd essentially be building on top of the structure that's already in place. But if there's an engineering reason why that wouldn't work, then I'd agree that major structural changes to the building don't make good economic sense when compared with the cost of a new facility optimized for the future.

Some rumors do turn out to be true. You can't totally ignore rumors and you can't treat them as gospel, because many turn out to be baseless. This news triggers a couple of thoughts. First, on a really optimistic note, it could be an indication that the Serb may be leaning more toward returning for his senior season. No evidence at all to support that. Just a wild, hopeful guess. Second, it makes you wonder exactly why Euton doesn't think he's a good fit with a team that's already proven it can make the NCAA tournament. My best guess on the second point is related to Euton's speed. The one consistent criticism I found about Euton in the Kentucky high school sports forums was that he wasn't fast and athletic enough to perform at a high level on a major college team. Now that may not have necessarily disqualified him from playing a role on previous Zips teams. But all signs are that future Zips teams are going to play at a faster tempo with more athletic players. That's just a guess. Maybe more will come out later about what actually happened to cause this decision.

This belongs in OT.

The highlighted area is an important point. Miami DOES need to beat some of these teams to make a big impact. But, they are putting themselves in a position to make that impact if they do win these games. We don't even have that opportunity. It's like trying to win a contest that you don't even enter. And what if Miami doesn't win any of these games? You guessed it. They still make it to the MAC Tournament as a 2nd chance to get to The Dance, just like everyone else. Miami has skpped step 2 in the 5-step process by putting themselves in a position to lose a lot of games against tougher teams before first proving they could win at least a couple of tough games in a slightly weaker schedule. Exactly what has that gotten them that the Zips haven't gotten by remaining focused on completing step 2 before moving on to step 3? Would any Zips fans want to trade the Zips' results over the last 5 years with Miami's? If Miami's strategy was producing better results than UA's in the real world, I'd be a leading advocate for the Zips trying a similar strategy. But it's not. The Zips' strategy of sticking with the 5-step process is currently producing better overall season results. The proof is in the pudding. The Zips current OOC schedule is balanced just about right in terms of number of tougher opponents for a team that has yet to prove that it can win a couple of those tougher games. The day that UA wins 2 or more of those tougher games in a season is the day I start advocating for the Zips to increase their number of tougher games to a more Miami-like level.

I watched the 1st round game against EMU from the lower seats, and it reminded me why I prefer the upper level. The vertical angle of the seating rows in the lower level is so shallow that you can't see the whole court over the heads of those in front of you. Then there's the matter of the track between the lower level and the upper level. Eliminate that, make all the rows of seats at an angle where you can see the whole court over the heads of those in front of you, and I could live with the JAR until the Zips prove that they're capable of filling a larger facility. I'd rather have a smaller, packed, rockin' facility that's frequently sold out than a spacious new facility with sounds echoing off of rows of empty seats where it's no problem getting tickets to any game. Freshening up and modernizing everything visible to fans, such as the restrooms and nicer, well-run refreshment vendor facilities, wouldn't add much to the overall cost, and would make the JAR at least a slightly nicer destination. All of these improvements should be made as longterm investments to make the JAR more useful to UA when, ultimately, it is replaced by an all-new facility. Don't spend so much on the JAR renovation that it makes it fiscally impossible to justify a new facility for decades to come.

The norm in shooting percentage is a lot like the norm in temperatures. Look at the temperature norm for the Akron area on any given day, and it's more likely to be 10 degrees lower or higher than it is to be the norm. Norm is nothing but the statistical average of all the highs and lows over time, not a number you expect to see in any given event.

We seem to be in general agreement here, but also seem to be splitting hairs on some of the details. Miami is an example of a MAC team that schedules more tough OOC games than other MAC teams. They usually lose them all, but occasionally come close. Does this help Miami recruit a higher caliber of player than UA? I don't think so. I think it requires regularly beating tougher opponents to attract higher level recruits. And that takes us back to the 5-step process outlined in my previous post. The Zips are still stuck at step 2. Skipping ahead to step 3 without completing step 2 is likely to produce Miami-like results. KD has to find a way to complete step 2 before moving on to step 3. His odds have never been better than they will be the next 2 seasons, with Zeke maturing and potential help from incoming players who appear at least on the surface to have more potential than some of the departing players. I'd like to see step 2 completed next season with a goal of winning at least 2 of the toughest OOC games, and then increasing the number of tough OOC games by a couple the following season. This will be critical to attracting players of Zeke's caliber to UA to help keep the Zips playing at a higher level after Zeke is gone. Talented recruits will have to believe that the Zips have a great chance of making the NCAA tournament every year, and a reasonable chance of going beyond one-and-done, before they commit to UA. EDIT: I have to say I think the Zips took at least a half step forward this season by earning an NCAA berth for the 2nd time in 3 years. That rises above the description of "occasionally" making the tournament.

Speaking of mid-majors who've made the big time, there's an interesting Sporting News story on where this might take the NCAA Tournament: Sporting News

Dr Z, judging from the time of your last post, you must have been reading that FSU article at about the same time I was. I'm sure it does KD's heart good to see that a team with such a ferocious dedication to defense can take out a higher-seeded team noted mainly for its offense. Maybe KD will make this mandatory reading for everyone returning to the team next season. Actually, the Zips didn't play bad defense against ND. It was the Zips offense that failed to get the ball through the hoop. FSU happened to combine a brilliant defensive game with an above average (for FSU) offensive performance. That's a pretty tough combination to beat, especially when you're loaded with athletic players like FSU. With more athletic players on the way for the Zips next season, FSU's style might make a good role model.

Totally agree on VCU and Butler. These are two teams the Zips should aspire to be. By the way, did anyone else watching 5-10 Joey Rodriguez run the point for VCU see any resemblance in style to Rico? Obviously, Rodriguez is a senior and more polished. But I could see Rico potentially having similar performances in upcoming seasons. It does show that a sub-6-foot PG is not a liability if the player is good enough to compensate for his lack of height with speed, great ball handling, pinpoint passing and general control of the offensive flow. Interesting note on the upcoming VCU-FSU matchup: It will be the first game in NCAA tournament history between #10 and #11 seeds.

An all-MAC final would be nice for the conference.

The hypothesis here is whether you would prefer going to the NCAA knowing you're going to lose in the first round versus going to the NIT knowing you're going to at least reach the quarterfinals. As long as this is purely speculative, I'd want to take the speculation a step further with two different options that create two different responses from me: Would you prefer going to the NCAA knowing in advance that you're going to lose in a big, embarassing blowout in the first round that has national sports columnists questioning how a team this weak could ever get into the tournament, or the NIT knowing that you're going to beat at least a couple of fairly strong teams in impressive fashion? I'll take the NIT in this case. Would you prefer going to the NCAA knowing in advance that you're going to lose in a tightly contested game in the first round that has national sports columnists crediting your team for playing a tough game against a tough opponent, or the NIT knowing that you're going to beat at least a couple of teams regardless of the opponents' strength or margins of victory? I'll take the NCAA in this case.

It's certainly understandable how these rumors start. Euton's redshirt was burned when it was thought that B. McKnight might be done for the season, and that he might be able to provide some of McKnight's missing instant offense. He ended up riding the bench and essentially wasting a full season of his eligibility. I'm sure he wishes he was playing for a team where he either got some decent PT or redshirted the whole first season. It's interesting to consider the possibility that Euton may think he doesn't have the ability to earn significant PT with the Zips. This is a guy who played at a high level on a high level HS basketball team that played other national HS powerhouses across the country. This is a guy who was once committed to a full scholarship at the University of Kentucky. Even if the finished product was not up to current UK standards (not many HS players are), he should have what it takes to contribute to the Zips. This is all pure speculation. But there are many reasons why Euton might be considering transferring from UA, if that rumor has any legs at all. Some students really do get homesick going to college far from home, and end up transferring closer to home. There's also the possibility that he's been watching Egner, Treadwell and Harney develop, and is not sure if he can beat them all out for PT. Then there's the possibility that this is all baloney, and Euton can't wait for next season to start and have the opportunity to play a role in taking the Zips back to another NCAA tournament. To borrow a phrase from an old Led Zeppelin song: Lots of people talking but few of them know .....

My answer hasn't changed, either. We first need to prove that we can handle the OOC schedule we have now before trying to increase its strength. If the Zips go 0-5 in their 5 toughest OOC games one season, it does no good to schedule 7 tough OOC games the next season. All that does is make it less likely to have a 20-win season, and will do nothing to help earn an NCAA tournament at-large berth should the Zips not win the MAC tournament championship. Here's the 5-step process: 1. Schedule a modest number of tough OOC games. (DONE) 2. Win a fair percentage of tough OOC games. (NOT DONE) 3. Schedule an increasing number of tough OOC games. (PENDING COMPLETION OF STEP 2) 4. Win an increasing percentage of tough OOC games. (PENDING COMPLETION OF STEPS 2 AND 3) 5. Become recognized as a national basketball power and earn consideration for an NCAA at-large bid. (PENDING COMPLETION OF STEPS 2, 3 AND 4)

This is probably going to end up looking a lot like the previous discussion about how to get where Gonzaga is now. In that discussion it was brought out that Gonzaga has made a major commitment to having a top basketball program, including a budget so large that it supports a private jet used to fly around the globe to scout international players. I suspect that VCU and Butler have similar major commitments to basketball, since, like Gonzaga, they don't have major DI football programs and basketball is the unchallenged top sport at each of these three schools.

I've been a little remiss in posting updates. Honestly, this thing is so broad and deep, and there's so much going on, it's really difficult to track it all and regularly summarize it here. My last post was about the former treasurer and the former vice president of Taylor Bean both pleading guilty to bank fraud. Since then, the president of Taylor Bean has also pled guilty. That leaves only the chairman and CEO. If he pleads guilty, it's expected that the big fish he will implicate is the former CEO and chairman of Colonial Bank, Bobby Lowder, who I've previously described as the man who has controlled Auburn University athletics for nearly 30 years. Most of the wiretap tapes in this FBI case are being kept under lock and key right now, and won't be revealed for some time. But it's believed that some tapes may involve Auburn football. Another branch of this massive tree is the ongoing discussion on various forums of Auburn recruiting known gang members. Specifically, Auburn has recruited from some Atlanta area high schools that are the center of the 30 Deep gang, a violent gang known to specialize in armed robberies. The FBI and Georgia law officials swept up nearly 100 of these gang members a week or two ago, and it was a big story in Atlanta. Within days of that, 4 members of Auburn's football team were arrested for armed robbery in Alabama. One or more of these players came from the Atlanta high schools where the 30 Deep gang is centered. There may be bits and pieces of news that will continue to dribble out. But I personally think this whole thing is going to take months and months to unravel and become public. Here's a link to the story about the Auburn players arrested for armed robbery: Fox Sports

People skipping their team's basketball games because they honestly can't afford to attend is a heck of a lot different from not going because you think the opponent isn't strong enough or the tournament prestigious enough. An adult general admission ticket to the Zips CBI game last season cost $10. Any Zips fan who honestly couldn't afford that had a legitimate reason for staying home. Economic issues aside, skipping a game because the opponent isn't strong enough or the tournament prestigious enough is a clear choice of personal priorities. More dedicated fans are more likely to attend more games, and less likely to make excuses that some of their team's games are not worthy of their presence.

Please see my post #88 above. NCAA bylaw 10.1 deals with unethical conduct. It requires coaches and others to be truthful and forthcoming about possible NCAA violations. Deliberately hiding violations from the NCAA is considered among the worst transgressions a coach or school can make in violation of NCAA rules. Tressel admitted to this only after being outed when OSU discovered the e-mails that proved that Tressel deliberately tried to hide them. It's prima facie evidence that the transgression was deliberate and not accidental.

Old news!!! I saw this last week. Way to stay on top of things That's funny, the original story was posted online by Sporting News 5 days ago on March 15. GoZips posted his link to the story on the day it appeared, 5 days ago on March 15. Did you see the article before it came out?

I guess we all have our own definitions of what a true fan is. I never tire of basketball. I could watch it 12 months a year. The Zips are the team I've adopted as my favorite college team. I'd never dream of missing a home game, even against a DII or DIII team, and especially not a post-season game, no matter who the opponent. As far as I'm concerned, the people who don't show up for their team's home games do not fit the definition of "fans." They are simply casual attendees who show up or don't show up depending on other entertainment options they may have for that day.

It's interesting how there are so many rumors swirling around about how well or how poorly different players for next season are doing. One week we hear a rumor that someone is an almost sure contributor and the next week we hear that they might not be good enough to earn PT. This latest on Gilliam is a real puzzle. Here you have an athletic wing similar to Q who has already proven that he could average double digit scoring at another DI university, and suddenly he goes from likely contributor to questionable on the basis of a single rumor. Same with Green from the opposite side. He goes from questionable to likely contributor. I think I'm going to wait out the spring/summer rumor cycles before penciling in who I think is likely to be a contributor to next season's team and who might leave UA to find PT elsewhere. But in the spirit of throwing out rumors for consideration, here's one I heard in Chicago. Overheard some folks talking about Diggs. They were saying that he doesn't like being called Quincy. They said if you walk up behind him and say "Quincy" he won't even turn around and acknowledge you. Apparently he likes Q and prefers to be called that. So if that rumor is true, it looks like we on ZN.O are on the right path here in referring to him simply as Q.