Zip Watcher

I seriously wonder if any of them will sniff a Final Four with that spend. BBN hasn't been to a Final Four in 11 years, and they can spend all they want and have the most lottery picks. The ?football school? in Bloomington hasn't been there in 24 years. They're casting about and spraying money at what they think is the problem. It's not translating to net cutting. You only need to look at the 2nd half of the Duke / UConn game last weekend to see what happens when experienced talent goes against pure talent in a high stress situation. The experienced team will maintain composure better than the teams new to that environment. Talent surely matters, but culture is wildly undervalued with the NIL top down perspective. There's a team shooting for it's 3rd NC in 4 years that has ample NIL (just below the cited list), but prioritizes culture and team building. It's the *same* reason that the Zips will be playing for their 4th straight MAC tournament title in about 11 months. His on-court antics aside, if you take the opportunity to listen to Dan Hurley's recruiting and program perspective, you'll see how much he values fit and background over projected draft status. Steph Castle is a prime example .. and it's the same reason he's a great fit for the Spurs. He wanted to be part of something bigger. Karaban is shooting for his 3rd NC. He's not a 1st round NBA guy .. but he's essential to UConn's success. There are plenty of other examples (Painter at Purdue for 1). Ultimately, success is less about the "X's and O's" than it is the "Johnny's and Joes." You either have the players or you don't .. but among 2 teams on the court with similar talent, it comes down to cohesiveness and collaboration. Teams that like themselves and play for their teammates will always be better than a group of individuals. No matter what happens this weekend, the signature play of Alex Karaban's college career will be giving up the ball to a Freshman who had a slightly cleaner look at a shot the team had to have. As we all know, the kid buried it .. but it was the trust the team had in each other that obliterated Duke in the 2nd half. Same is true in rec ball, middle school, CYO and almost every career. Build a high functioning team and successes will chase you down. It's one reason I'm excited to see Coach Ford's finger prints on the Zips. I fully expect to take my center court seats at the Q next March and watch the Zips play on Saturday for the hardware. The sun shines brightly on our team & program, and I hope the sun shines brightly on everyone here this Easter Weekend. Go Zips! {/captain obvious}

Not talking about when he was hired here. Agree it was highly positive. My comment was about our perspective when he was patrolling the sidelines of OU. In my memory, Charlie Coles was pretty much the only opposing coach that we didn't have healthy dislike for. People mature over the years.

I think if you went back 13 years and remembered how we viewed JG @ OU .. you might find a similar perspective.

Assistant @ tOSU. Not the top assistant I don't think.

Agree wholeheartedly with my guy @Hilltopper. Both have been fantastic stewards of our favorite program. Appreciation is my first and last instinct here. IMHO, program maintenance should not be the goal of the upcoming hire. While I understand the desire for rapid resolution and continuity, now might also be the time to really examine the opportunity to adjust the approach so as to break through the NCAA "ceiling." We wouldn't have thought or been seriously motivated to make a change solely for this reason, but now that the program is facing the need to replace a coach, it's a chance to really define the goals for the next regime. After KD did the heavy lifting to make the program a leader in the MAC, JG further moved the the program to sustained conference dominance. The Zips benefited from his experience at a High Major .. and how to beat High Major teams. Miami has benefited from Steele's time at a High Major. This is a time to evaluate what the program needs to keep ascending. For me, this means a coach with High Major experience. If they've also had success at a mid-major, that's a bonus. Not the only coach that would fit the bill, but I think we should make a few calls ...

You rang?! And I'll have you know that CK is at least a year or 2 older than me. Whitlock should be calling the Toledo Blade .. with Elton retired, that's where I'd start with a historian. Go Zips!

We have a winner and a true Zips Fan! Brian Wood, another in a long line of June signees that we pinned our hopes on for an evolution of Zips hoops. All time leading scorer in Colorado schoolboy history. Remember that? Talking about June pickups and which could move the needle? And then there was always the December surprise to deal with. CK knows his Zips better than the Falcons, because it was actually a *different* BG NBA guy, Keith McLeod that hit the jumper to send BG ahead. It was one of 3 good Hipsher vs. Dakich battles that year, centered mostly around BG working to keep the Bellvue Bomber from getting open. Byron Thompson had given us the lead before McLeod's jumper, and then Hip did get Faulkner a look at a game winner that just didn't go down. Two games in the MAC Tournament in 2002 {edit: the 1st round win was in Kalamazoo}. We thought we had turned the corner. Go Zips!

Seems like every time it occurs to me to stop by and post some game observations, the top of the board is littered with nonsense like this from dudes who (I assume) were born way after Huggins left and can't conceive of the heavy lift that KD performed at Akron. I find it unfortunate and disheartening. Well I hope everyone can bring themselves to enjoy this evening and pull for these kids and coaches who are chasing a dream together and appear to really enjoy the collective effort. The Watcher clan will be there in full force and pleased to attend yet another MAC Championship Game in seats I started buying during the years when the Zips never even qualified for the MAC Tournament. Bonus points if you can tell me the name of the starting 2 guard for the Zips the first game they actually made it to the Q. No cheaters. Shout-out to the diehards that keep the hopeful and supportive spirit of ZN.O alive, especially @Hilltopper, @ZZZips, @Dr Z, @Captain Kangaroo and The Great™ @GP1 .. hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy your St. Patrick's Day! #Porkys7Forever #4PetesSake Go Zips!

This is certainly not unique to the Zips and is sadly one of the consequences of the current rostering climate. As a guy who went to schools in the Big East and Big Ten, when I moved back and resumed watching the Zips, it was refreshing to watch guys develop over several seasons. There have been guys like Jeremiah Wood who might have gotten plucked up by a bigger program .. and we would have missed seeing him mature, rally from injury and become one of the elite Zips players of all time. A bigger loss, in my mind is guys like Jimmy Conyers and Jawanza Moore who were afforded the time to get better, have the game slow down .. and then have really impactful senior years. That's one of the reasons I wouldn't have traded my JAR seats for front row at Mackey or Gampel .. my kids could follow the program, see the same players .. get to know them a bit, and really follow the program. It will be interesting to watch as it develops. The pendulum will eventually swing a bit back in favor of the smaller programs when guys start getting left in the portal to land in D2 / D3 ... or nowhere. With the top programs eating each other up for a one year deep tournament run, teams like SDSU and FAU will become more common and succeed with continuity and togetherness and make a dent in the Sweet 16 and beyond. It takes the right people and a commitment to the mindset .. but it can be done. Stability isn't something many of the top programs value at the moment, unless they're hanging banners.

Just dropping in to echo CK's thanks and comments. It's a group effort, and a worthwhile one. Amazing to think about the Porky's Seven and how long ago that really was. Shout-out to @Z-Pouch, wherever the winds have taken him. The only unfortunate aspect of the move was losing some of those legendary "Blue Board" Dreamwater (??) posters that didn't make the move, such as "Dan_Hipshers_Seat" and "Rubber Bowl Port-o-let". We did lose some levity and brevity with the (necessary) shift to a solution that could be moderated. Have a great day everyone! Go Zips!

There's a thing about statistics, damn lies .. etc. Or statistics are for losers .. can't recall. Regardless, LCJ did play 4 years .. just happened that his Freshman Year wasn't at Akron. Dude is a legit UA legend, I'm in agreement with you. He also is the most recent, which keeps it fresh. In my original post, he's listed behind McNees, but that's wholly inadvertent .. he'd be my 3rd guard behind McLaughlin and Brown. It is splitting hairs, but over a 4 year span it breaks down like this: Points 1810 vs. 1783 (wash) Assists 476 vs. 433 (marginal difference) Steals 178 vs. 105 (significant) The Cricket leads in all categories, but for me the steals thing is not small. Not intimating that LCJ wasn't a good two way player, just that Cricket excelled on both ends of the court for several seasons. If one were to look at shooting percentages and efficiency, they'd see more of the story. Cricket was so good, the Suckeyes needed to throw him under the scorer's table and injure him to escape the NIT game at St. John Arena. Fantastic players, both of them. Of all my posts on ZN.O, this is my most recent. Hope you are all well. Go Zips!

Cricket #3 in scoring, #2 in assists and #4 in steals. Both were the key guys on their team, but Cricket a better shooter and better distributor. Also stronger on the other end.

Quick reaction to the question: Point Guard: Cricket Shooting Guard: Brown SF: Linhart PF: Wood (Zips D-1 MVP) Center: Johnson 6th Man: Senior year Conyers (guard 4 spots) Halftime Show: Red Panda after the McNees explosion vs. Miami Next Up: Point: McNees, LCJ Shooter: Diggs, Ivey SF: Hipsher (before the back injury), Harney PF: Travis, Cvetinovic, Treadwell Center: Freeman, Marshall Haven't seen a ton of the team in person the past few years, so I'm not able to judge much past LCJ and Freeman, who both are exceptional and appear to really love the game. I struggled with the SG spot, maybe because of clarity of roles. I'm going with both Cricket and Brown as my starting back court, even though I think they were both PG's. McNees was everywhere and had a hand in lots of big moments. Big Dog vs. Marshall vs. Freeman was my toughest decision. I'm just not sure Marshall really wanted it in the end. Freeman probably ends up on top in the end. Championships matter. Other guys who came to mind that occurred to me, but I guess not at this level: The McKnight brothers were great. Middleton changed the program. Utomi and Jackson left. Dials was gritty. I'm sure there are others. It speaks to the high quality of the program over the last 20 years that this isn't easier. Prior to his back injury, Andy Hipsher was the only player we had that I thought had a real shot at an NBA career. He was dynamic, competitive and clutch. Go Zips!

Takes a pandemic to bring me back for a bit I guess .. or the Great GP1. I do think that saying "no" is a largely undervalued skill these days. What is the big picture? GP1 makes some interesting observations. What's the actual objective of adding a non revenue sport to the athletic department of an (awesome) midwestern university? What's the objective of adding a sport which is at a distinctive disadvantage to southern schools in a sport where the weather is a problem in the north, and leveling the playing field requires substantial travel budget or indoor facilities? I'm not sure .. other than perhaps pacifiying some medium (deep) pocket vendors who played UA baseball or have an affinity for it. This is interesting to me as I'm in a funny spot with baseball. Years ago, I really had a disdain for MLB after the strike shortened MLB year, and the fake manufactured season of Sosa / McGuire. Now that my kids are playing lots of baseball and softball, I really enjoy the summer evenings at the ball field. But it's the ball field with my kids playing on it .. there's no real or imagined sense that anyone out there will ever make any money playing the sport .. they're with their friends and having a good time, and hoping they can get the win before Bossie's ice cream truck shuts down at around 9PM. We like an MLB or MiLB game here and there, but it's based on the fact the kids are playing the game. Opportunity exists in chaos. And opportunity to reshape the athletic department exists in the current situation. The current climate calls for real and substantial efforts in belt tightening by the current UA Administration .. the same type of belt tightening that was called for by Scarborough (and hampered by clumsy PR) and attempted by Wilson through better administrative approaches. Understand that the lens through which I currently view sports is one defined by what my kids are currently interested in. Winter church league basketball is one of the main reasons I'm not at the JAR as much as I'd like. The simple fact for me is that a 5th grade girls CYO game on a slippery lineoleum floor in Parma at noon on a Saturday is the best use of my time and energy. As much as I love the Zips .. I love CYO hoops more. It's not close. A recent thing I've gotten exposed to due to our boys' interest is rugby. Our youngest picked it up last year as a 6 year old .. and it led our oldest picking it up as a freshman in HS. It's a fascinating sport, with its own unique culture and history. I'm certain that the biggest thing I'll remember out of this pandemic shutdown is the lost season from our oldest as he was carving out a spot contributing on his HS team. Not much exceeds the joy in seeing your kid find a sport he / she likes and gets after while also finding supportive and demanding coaches to push them. Why do I mention this? It occurs to me that if you want to add sports to an Athletic Department, you'd pick one which is a growth opportunity. What sports are growing in the US on a participation basis? Baseball sure isn't one of them. What sports are there that are currently niche sports which not every university has but are among the fastest growing in the US (look it up)? And what sports are growing in the region of the University which might be quickly adopted by the region if a University nearby fielded a team? Finally, what sports could be added which require minimal capital investment for facilities or training ground? If you ask these questions .. there are only a couple of sports that fit the bill. Sad to say, I don't think baseball is one of them. Lacrosse does seem like it's a growth opportunity. Tons of kids (boys and girls) are chewing up their parent's hard earned quid to play this now. I think they got it right in adding Women's Lacrosse. I'd also submt that rugby would be another to be considered. It's a winter / early spring sport and could leverage First Energy Field at a time that doesn't conflict with Soccer. Northeast Ohio is one of the bigger youth and HS Rugby areas in the US .. and a couple of teams in the area are among the best in the nation annually. And not a lot of Universities have it, especially locally. UA could be the regional leader in multiple GLOBAL sports .. not just an also-ran in the usual menu. While now isn't going to be a time to add sports .. cuttiing and sensible budgeting are the order of the times, I wonder if the Athletic Department has a broader view of the horizon which includes more than "what we've always done at Akron", or "what the rest of the MAC does" .. or "what we need to have to be attractive for some mythical future realignment frenzy?" Shouldn't UA be asking more fundamental and existential questions of it's Athletic Department now? What is the real objective of the department? What are the real goals? And what sports should be sponsored to help reach those objectives? A pissing match between fans who see UA as a football school vs. hoops school or vise versa isn't productive. I guess I went ful DiG here .. thanks for sticking with me. Hope all of ZN.O is safe and healthy. Go Zips!

"Building Process" .. "Big Dialer" .. good times. Pleasantly surprised to peruse the forum for the first time in awhile, in time to catch a GP1 appearance. I'd just like to drop in briefly to say hello to the Great GP1. I'd do it in a PM ... but you know .. Good health and safety to all Zips fans. #MACChamps #GoZips