Dave in Green

For better or worse, B. McKnight is the Zips go-to guy. He takes 35.1% of all the Zips' shots. That's not just a high number. It's the 6th highest percentage of any D1 player in the country. Only 5 D1 players take a larger percentage of their team shots than B. McKnight.That doesn't happen by accident. If someone shoots more than they're supposed to, you know KD is going to have them off the floor and on the bench pretty quick. Even though he's only shooting 40.6% from the field on the season, KD obviously still thinks B. McKnight is the Zips best scoring option. Otherwise he'd be telling B. McKnight to shoot less and others to shoot more.National Leaders in Percentage of Team Shots Taken

People say a lot on ZN that I may personally disagree with. I always feel free to express my disagreement, and expect others to disagree with me. That's the way it should be on a forum about sports or any other subject. There's nothing wrong with having disagreement. There's no good reason to be disagreeable.It's not a choice between anything goes or nothing goes. It's a case of having rules that prohibit certain behaviors that are generally considered to be in poor taste by most reasonable people, whether they be children or adults. For example, despite the fact that ZN has no written rules (that I've been able to find), we all know that certain posts have been and will continue to be removed by the moderators in the best interests of ZN and its members. The only question is how close one can push it to the edge of good taste on ZN before one or more moderators decides a line has been crossed.I personally believe that permitting adults to make ugly and demeaning comments about a high school kid from a disadvantaged home cheapens and demeans any forum.I personally would like to see the bar raised a little bit higher on a forum that bills itself as the unofficial web home of Akron Zips fans.

Another typically ugly MAC game. Another beautiful MAC road game victory for the Zips. The Zips obviously weren't too hot from the field in this one. But they won the rebound and free throw shooting battles, two areas where the Zips were thought to be most deficient earlier in the season.I could care less who plays well and who plays not so well in any given game as long as the overall goodness outweighs the overall not-so-goodness enough to get a win.

Don't be so sensitive, CK. Rasor also advised KD to ignore him. It was all in fun. He didn't say everyone on ZN was an idiot, just "some." I know we all agree with him, even though we may disagree about who the "idiots" are. ;)Most importantly, Rasor posted links to ZN in his blog. How can we not appreciate that?

Consider how highly rated and highly recruited big men Jared Sullinger and Adreian Payne have been. The best hint of Euton's defensive abilities I've seen was a couple of brief lines in a rivals.com report on the 2009 King James Classic:The vaunted All-Ohio frontline of Jared Sullinger and Adreian Payne was largely held in check because of the strong defensive performances of Parker and Dakotah Euton. Euton was physical with Sullinger and prevented him from getting rebounds.While it may be unrealistic to think Euton could consistently neutralize scout.com's #1 rated center in the HS class of 2010, the fact that he did so well against Sullinger in the King James Classic suggests that he has the ability and desire to play really good, hard D against anyone. If he plays D like that for KD, you know he's going to get a lot of minutes.rivals.com link

On a prioritized WWJD list of the worst inequities to correct in the modern world, paying cash to college athletes to supplement their free scholarships would probably rank somewhere in the neighborhood of providing free tanning salon passes to all Ohio residents every winter.

"His majesty" = total non-issue.I spent my entire professional life working with journalists, and they do this kind of stuff all the time. It's totally innocent and good natured even when someone takes it wrong and tries to make an issue of it.Whatever you do for a living, imagine that someone could peer over your shoulder all the time, pick out silly things and post them on a forum as representative of your "missteps."Anyway, how can we possibly get upset at Rasor after he showed the good sense to advise KD to ignore "what some idiots on ZipsNation.org say"?

It's disappointing to see how low some people can go in trashing a high school kid from an obviously disadvantaged home. But I suppose it's not unexpected based on the far uglier stuff to be found on forums across the internet, particularly in those with the loosest standards.What's more disappointing to me is that ZN has such loose standards as to allow this kind of talk to go on, even if the Zips banner is "unofficial."Maybe I'm missing it, but as far as I can see, ZN has no published standards. So how does one know what's acceptable and what's not? Trial and error?Are there other Zips fans reading this who would like to see ZN have clearly published and strictly enforced standards that are more representative of what you believe should and shouldn't be allowed on a forum representing Zips fans?

McNees is in a bad shooting slump. He's only 1 of 20 from the field over the past 3 games (4 games ago he shot 50% from the field).For the season, McNees has a .373 shooting percentage, which is not great. However, more than 2/3rds of his field goal attempts are 3-pointers, and his .356 shooting percentage on 3s is not bad (equivalent to .534 shooting percentage on 2s by points scored).By comparison, Hitchens' season field goal percentage is only slightly better at .381, and he's shooting .368 on 3s.None of the Zips point guards is a high percentage shooter. They all run hot and cold in the high 30s to low 40s percentage range. When choosing among point guards with similar shooting percentages, turnovers and assists become key factors in who gets the most minutes.

Pesky moralists. Always preaching about trying to maintain higher standards of right and wrong behavior. The answer is obviously to allow guns in locker rooms. That will scare the moralists away.

Wait a minute. I thought the big criticism of KD was that he was too quick to pull players for making mistakes.Now the criticism is that he's too quick to take players out when they're not making mistakes?So, if KD starts letting players stay in longer, how long will it be before he's criticized for wearing out his players?Has anyone read Aesop's fable about the man, the boy and the donkey?Aesop's Fables

I agree with the term "stats are for losers" in the context of citing stats to try to find a bright spot in a loss. But the reality of sports is that teams that consistently have the best statistics also tend to have the best records. It's not a direct 1:1 correlation, but it is a strong correlation.In the context of comparing meaningful statistics to anecdotal stories from fans who have wide emotional mood swings depending on how their team is doing at the moment, stats are generally the winner.While he may not talk much about statistics, I suspect that Belichick would fire any of his coaching staff who did not closely analyze team statistics after every loss and every win.

No, I don't. I'd be interested to hear what any winning coach has to say about the value of stats vs. the value of anecdotal stories. Speaking of anecdotal stories , is this the same point guard who two years ago destroyed Miami at the JAR by hitting all 6 of his 3-point attempts?Yes, I'm pretty sure KD has told McNees to go ahead and take a reasonable number of 3-point attempts per game if he's feeling confident and the defender is far enough off not to even get a hand in his face. There have been many games this season where the Zips acted as if they were setting up a play, the defender sagged off McNees and McNees shot uncontested 3-point attempts. It pays not to be too predictable, so it's a good surprise strategy to try this a couple of times a game before the defense adjusts.Once the defense catches on, and especially if the shot's not falling, it's time to distribute the ball to someone who's a little hotter that night. In this year's Miami game, McNees was 1 of 4 on 3-pointers, but had 6 assists and only 1 turnover.

OK, we're close to agreement. In the transition from HS to D1, it takes a little time for players to adjust to the difference in shot timing vs. bigger, quicker defenders. Zeke has made steady progress on this, which is all that I think is fair to ask of him or any other true freshman. He still makes mistakes, but so do veterans. You can see veteran players occasionally rushing shots in NBA games.

A little more statistical information on Zips field goal shooting:Their 35.3% 3-point percentage is 1.2% above the D1 average (34.1%).Their 49.8% 2-point percentage is 2.2% above the D1 average (47.6%).They score .353 x 3 = 1.059 points per 3-point shot attempt and .498 x 2 = .996 points per 2-point shot attempt.In summary, the Zips are slightly above D1 average in percentage of 3-point vs. 2-point shots taken, they are above average in both 2-point and 3-point shooting percentages, and they average slightly more (.063) points scored per 3-point attempt than 2-point attempt.On balance, it appears that the Zips are pretty well balanced.Zips Shooting Stats

I always find it helpful to check my impressions against actual statistics. According to statistics for all D1 teams, the Zips attempt 34.5% of all their field goal attempts from 3-point range. That ranks the Zips 112th out of 347 D1 teams.The D1 field goal attempt average is 32.5% from 3-point range, so the Zips' 34.5% is just 2% above average when compared with all 346 other D1 teams in the country. In other words, they're very close to average in this regard.D1 3-Point Attempt Percentage

Can't 75, Eastern Mich. 68Ball St. 64, Bowling Green 59Miami 56, Western Mich. 54Central Mich. 88, Buffalo 82Ohio 65, Toledo 59MAC StandingsEastCan't 7-2Akron 6-3Miami 6-3Buffalo 4-5Bowling Green 4-5Ohio 3-5WestCentral Mich. 6-2Ball St. 6-3Western Mich. 4-5Northern Ill. 4-5Eastern Mich. 3-6Toledo 0-9

I don't understand every move KD makes, but some are easier to understand than others. The answer to your question about McNees is in the team statistics (link below). The primary job of the point guard is to protect and distribute the ball, with scoring being secondary. When studying the season statistics, pay particular attention to the assist-to-turnover ratio. The best point guards are those who are steady, reliable, get the most out of the other players, and have high assist-to-turnover ratios. If he were relieved of point guard responsibilities and totally focused on shooting, I have no doubt that McNees would be as effective at shooting guard as he is at point guard. It's up to the other point guards to take time away from him by proving they can perform point guard duties as effectively as he has. Zips Season Stats

I agree with most of what you have to say about Zeke except the part about rushing up wild shots. I think it's important that he use quickness to his advantage against the slower bigs who guard him. He absolutely needs a quick release, which is not the same as rushing up wild shots. As for wildness, I commented during the game that Zeke's shooting percentage is going up, and he only infrequently has a bad miss in more recent games. Most of his misses now are at least finding the rim and bouncing around, with a possibility of falling through. So I would say that the instances of Zeke rushing up a wild shot are now pretty rare, and no longer a serious issue.As for the photo of Nik's block, it would clearly demonstrate to MAC refs that they were correct. Please note the proximity of Nik's thumbnail to the shooter's middle fingernail. Only MAC refs have the eyesight and confidence to call that a foul. Likewise, in the photo of Zeke's attempted block, can there be any doubt that Zeke's little fingernail brushed the shooter's ring fingernail a fraction of a second after this photo was taken?Flagrant stuff to be sure if you're a MAC ref.Personally, I think there is a difference between having a quick release and rushing a shot. Having a quick release is a good thing. It means you are getting the ball to the hoop before a defender can get in good position to make a play on the shot. Rushing a shot is a bad thing. It means you aren't really gathering yourself, your out of control and you aren't really getting off a good shot. I've seen Zeke rush a lot of shots this season where taking an extra second or two to gather and make a good move would yield a much higher percentage.Yep, based on what you and I said in our last posts, we are in full agreement that there is a difference between having a quick release and rushing a shot. We agree that Zeke was rushing his shot a lot early in the season and getting some bad misses. We apparently disagree that he's still doing it as much. I see him learning and improving from game to game, and turning his previous rushed shots into quick releases. When he takes an extra second or two to gather, the defense collapses on him and the shot becomes much more difficult. He must both shoot quickly and be in control. Practice and experience will continue to make him better and better at this, just as he has gotten better since the beginning of the season.

Thanks for following through on that question, Dr Z. The answer helps explain why you never really got an in depth answer from any ZN member. Only a really serious student of the sport would have been able to identify in detail all the variations KD employs without a lot of analysis ..... or asking the coaching staff. It's great that the moderators on ZN use their connections with the UA staff to get answers to questions like this and share with all of us.

I agree with most of what you have to say about Zeke except the part about rushing up wild shots. I think it's important that he use quickness to his advantage against the slower bigs who guard him. He absolutely needs a quick release, which is not the same as rushing up wild shots. As for wildness, I commented during the game that Zeke's shooting percentage is going up, and he only infrequently has a bad miss in more recent games. Most of his misses now are at least finding the rim and bouncing around, with a possibility of falling through. So I would say that the instances of Zeke rushing up a wild shot are now pretty rare, and no longer a serious issue.As for the photo of Nik's block, it would clearly demonstrate to MAC refs that they were correct. Please note the proximity of Nik's thumbnail to the shooter's middle fingernail. Only MAC refs have the eyesight and confidence to call that a foul. Likewise, in the photo of Zeke's attempted block, can there be any doubt that Zeke's little fingernail brushed the shooter's ring fingernail a fraction of a second after this photo was taken?Flagrant stuff to be sure if you're a MAC ref.

I listened to KD on the radio after tonight's game, and he was gracious as always. It's funny, I've never as a fan felt personally insulted by anything he's said. Of course, I'm not naturally inclined to be looking for negative connotations in what others say. I always try to assume the best, especially with those I admire and respect. Since I admire and respect KD as both a coach and a man, I'm not likely to interpret anything he says as dumping on people, and especially not his loyal fans.But I do understand that the general atmosphere has been spoiled in this era of ever nastier political dirty tricks, outrageously insulting and hateful talking heads in the media, and poisonous internet forums ruled by the concept of shoot first and don't bother asking questions later -- just keep shooting.In this atmosphere, I understand how some people tend to read insults into innocent comments, take immediate offense and come back angry and firing at will. It's the nature of the world we live in. Occasionally this continuous verbal animosity escalates beyond words, and we are all very sorry about the results after it's too late.Then, after a brief pause, we re-escalate the war of words.

I didn't have a desire to see the Zips lose to NIU, either. That's why I went to the game.

The hardcore fans were at the game, and the game boycotters are apparently off doing something unrelated to Zips basketball.Hardcore fans were well rewarded for their loyalty by witnessing the Zips play a thoroughly enjoyable and impressive game. While several Zips will get special acknowledgement for their individual efforts, it was very much a team effort. Even the players who weren't hitting their shots or didn't play long minutes were intense and focused while on the floor. As always, there were a few mistakes. But the Zips forced way more mistakes than they made, and the outcome was never in doubt once the Zips began executing consistently.I learned my lesson last year. I was a big cheerleader on this forum while many others were saying the Zips just weren't going to develop into a good team. After a string of mid-season losses, I finally gave in and admitted I doubted them. They immediately rebounded, won several in a row and ultimately won the MAC tournament.Whether they go as far this year as last is hard to predict. But I'm not giving up on them.Just one last thought for MAC referees everywhere:Zeke Marshall is really tall, really quick and really capable of making clean blocks. Every time you call yet another foul on one of his clean blocks, you make a mockery of the MAC, the profession of officiating and the sport of basketball. Please try to look at some game film between games. Use slo-mo from all angles and take good note of how long his arms are, how far away his body is from the shooter's body, and how his palm is extended face down. The only contact inititated by Zeke is with the ball. Maybe once you've seen it in slo-mo you'll realize it's not a foul the next time you see it in real time.

Sorry, that's a violation of internet forum discussion policy.