Zip Watcher

There's a couple of ways to land an elite job in coaching: - Be successful at a stepping stone program and move on to a better paying high-major. - Turn the program you're at into an elite program. Shaka & Stevens are on their way to the second approach. Both make big money where they're at. That reduces some of the motivation to take a bottom feeding BCS gig.

If i remember correctly, we lost to Arkansas LR, Illinois-chicago, and Toledo in that season. No team with losses to these 3 will ever get an at large bid even if their record was 30-3. Toledo won the regular season that year, did they not?

What about mandating that every conference has a tournament. That may only change the IVY league. All conference teams must be eligible to participate in their conference tournament. Then fix the field at 64 teams. Every regular season champion AND every conference tournament champion goes to the dance. That would be somewhere between 32 and 64 teams. As teams that win the regular season win their post season tournament .. it opens up spots for at large teams. This season there would have been about 10 at large teams. It rewards teams for having championship regular seasons as well as peaking at the right time in March. By having every conference have a post season tournament .. ever team is technically in a tournament draw to win the NCAA title. You keep winning, you keep playing.

The press this week about Shaka, showing that he's from among other things, the KD coaching tree .. will prove absolutely invaluable to the Zips down the road. I may have gone to UConn .. but I really hope VCU wins the title .. it could help the Zips by association.

It's not on the Rice roster because he won't be enrolling for about 5 months. Dude is a senior in HS now. He was always a 2011 recruit. B) B) Go Zips! P.S. Is Abreu tied to a chair watching Joey Rodriguez highlights yet?

A rising tide can raise all the boats in the program. FB can be a tsunami. When the football team gets rolling, and fans are travelling to the Ford for a title game & a bowl game later .. the Zips will be on their mind, and it will translate to continued interest heading in to BB season. When the Zips are averaging 18-20k of regular Zips fans attendees .. only about 10-15 % of those folks will be needed to stuff the JAR beyond capacity. If those folks are dis-interested by October .. it's hard to keep them on the hook for hoops. When the FB turns .. it will help everything out. Soccer has helped. FB can help even more. Go Zips!

News to me? Me too. I guess if being the knife in the back of Dan Hipsher is a better job, then so be it....someone had to put Hip and Zips fans out of their misery, why not KD? After being the knife, then he did have a better job. Tarver was the knife that ended DHip's run.

Z-I... P S !!!

I'm pretty sure Dwight Lowery was able to make it in for that game.

This was my first thought as well. Geno to Bradley? Really? He knows the Zips are going to dominate over the next two years. Bradley is a great gig .. in a town that supports the Braves as the main game in town. And with the happenings of the past weekend & last year's final four .. we might be entering a new golden era of college hoops where teams like Butler, VCU and even Akron & Bradley can compete with and beat the supposed "elite" teams. Stable programs and rosters can win the tight games because of trust and continuity that the one year reload teams don't have. The Bulldogs & now Rams are showing that it can be done. Geno can win at Bradley.

When KD was on the Ken Carman show last Monday .. Ken asked him about Shaka "wanting to stay at VCU" .. KD's answer was (paraphrasing) "sometimes you want to stay somewhere .. but you just can't. Especially for a young coach." A fundamental difference between Ford today and KD today is where they are in their careers. How old are their kids .. more simply: age. Geno is young, has a young family .. and doesn't have those deep ties to his (now former) employer. He owes it to himself, his wife & kids to advance his career as best he can with good decisions .. based on the basketball evidence, opportunity and .. yes. The finances. KD's in a different spot than Geno. Coles in much the same spot. It's a different time in their careers, thank heavens. Good for Bradley .. they got a very good coach who could be a great one. The interesting thing to watch will be if the new AD at Can't State can channel Laing Kennedy and make the right choice again. Kennedy never missed. B) B) Go Zips!

+1 For the first time in a little while, there are some NBA guys playing in the MAC on different teams. I can think of 3 that I'm pretty sure of .. and another 2 or 3 that are fringe guys. All underclassmen and returning for more next season. It's on the upswing. And the Zips are one of the teams at the head of the pack. Go Zips!

First, let me say .. good topic. I like reading how people responded to this .. and it forces a little different dialog. I'm just now getting caught up from all of the time away the past 2 weeks, so I haven't been able to post much of my thoughts yet, but I have been mulling this particular one over for the past week. I thought of several words: Belief, Tenacity, Resiliency (someone used that?), Resolve, Habitual, Transitional .. etc .. but in the end, because of a feeling that I got from watching the MAC tournament, and then the ND game, and having the chance to speak with some of the staff & players both before and after the game in Chicago .. I choose the following: Ascending This season was one that will be looked back upon as a critical season in the ascension of the Zips from a team that is competitive in their mid-major conference to one that is competitive on the national stage. It wasn't a perfect season, without bumps & slumps. It was however, a season which saw a team right itself before it mattered .. and pull together to win 11 of 14 down the stretch, including their 2nd tourney title & NCAA birth in 3 seasons. It took a few trips to the Q for the Zips to make a habit of winning games there. Then it has taken some trips to the championship game for the Zips to make a habit of winning on Saturday. Now they have played in 5 straight .. and won 2 of 3. Likewise, it will take a couple of trips to the big dance to make a habit of winning there. I believe firmly that what transpired in Chicago proved to the Zips themselves that they belong on the stage w/ top D1 teams. They know they had the right game plan to beat ND. They know they had the size and athleticism to punch the ball in against a #2 seed. They see that they got the shots they needed to compete with and scare the Big East runners-up. Whether or not an ND beat writer saw that , or Zips fans saw that or believe that doesn't matter. The TEAM & STAFF know they had the game plan and the players to win that game. Shots didn't fall. So they will go back again .. and habits will continue to be formed .. and the Zips will continue to rise. For me, I will remember this as an ascending season, where another corner was turned in the belief structure of our Zips. Get 'em on. You're going to need them. B) B) Go Zips!

Akron Athletics youtube page uploads a post game video after every regular season home game. It usually include clips from the game as well as interviews with KD and some of the players. http://www.youtube.com/user/ZipsAthletics#p/u The ZipsAthletics channel on Youtube is great. But it's sadly under-viewed. Our goal as fans should be to get every video on there to 1000 views. And to get the number of channel subscribers to at least 500. It should also be the athletics department's job to promote this. Put a link to it on their Facebook pages, display an ad for it prominently on Gozips.com, things like that. There are so many simple things that could be done cheaply and quickly that aren't being done. Everything should tie into everything else, but instead you have the website, the YT channel, the social media stuff, and the traditional advertising all as separate entities. This is in the process of being blown up and re-done. There's a process underway to resolve these issues.

It would appear he's a Zips fan.

Really what's being discussed here is the potential for losing BOTH Bardo & Cvetinovic with no replacement to step in from the redshirts / rested players. To me, it's really boiling down to what do you do with Bardo's role. He's got his detractors, but just about everyone recognizes that Mike played a key role off the bench with good defense & rebounding this season. You'd think that Euton could replace that, along with perhaps providing some pick & pop .. so not necessarily replace .. since Mike is quicker .. but Euton has been here a year, and could provide that role. Now, if both Nik and Dakotah are gone .. there's a need for another body in the post to spell Zeke, and provide some muscle. At the moment, that would be a void on the roster & in the rotations. Go Zips! B)

I have just the guy to help the Zips next season:

VCU & Butler

You should PM Hilltopper .. he's taking his '72 MicroBus .. he can probably fit one more.

I'd bet most people who call themselves college basketball fans can't keep their attention on one of these game for more than 10 minutes. They really don't like them and the network has to switch to games to try to keep fans watching. They are a waste of time. So because a writer and a football-fan-first guy opines that the first 2 rounds are a waste of time, the rest of us should be deprived? +1 on Dr. Z's post .. if the games can't keep your attention, get out your VHS of the 1991 title game and watch that instead. The advertising $$$ says otherwise whether or not people will watch and enjoy it. Go Zips!

I like this matchup much better than the Gonzaga one two years ago. Brief thoughts: They're not THAT much bigger. Diggs and McClanahan can be guarding shooters .. and if the Zips are pressing the perimeter like they've done to some success the past months .. the shots will be contested. ND doesn't appear to run the ball much. The Zips will need to push tempo when they can, and try to score some in transition. ND plays largely zone (based on articles, not 1st hand viewing). The Zips could have some success from outside, especially if they attack it more like the game @ BG than the OU home game. These Zips have been there before, and won a bunch of do or die games over the past 4 years. They shouldn't get rattled. Gerry roots for Akron. B) B) Go Zips!

What a week it was. From the loss at Can't State to the 2nd MAC Tourney title in 3 years in a matter of 8 days. I'm digging out of the short week from last week, during this short week before heading to Chicago. Thought I would put down some of my thoughts about the MAC Tourney while they remained fresh in my mind. Brevity is king here, because awesomeness needs few words. And awesome it was! B) So with the customary nod to Sergio Leone, my take aways from the weekend of dreams at the Q: The Good: Team Tenacity: None other than Geno commented in the postgame about the ability of the Zips to remain calm when things were trending for the opposition. The Zips faced big runs at the end of the Miami game, the beginning of the Can't game .. and to a lesser extent the end of the WMU game. Teams will put forth runs, and things won't always go your way .. but it is the team that can rally itself, keep its composure and see through the storm that usually comes out on top. Our seniors this season are now 12-2 in the MAC Tournament. Are there any other MAC players who have even BEEN IN 12 postseason games, much less won 12 of them? IMHO this played a huge role in the Zips emerging victorious. Multiple Sources: McClanahan comes up big with a huge performance vs. Miami, and a big bucket against Western. Diggs tears western up. McNees brings the Zips back in the first half vs. Can't .. and Zeke obliterates the paint in the 2nd half & overtime in the title game. The Zips got big performances from lots of different places .. so many places that it has to be difficult to coach against, if you don't know where it's going to come from. The true essence of a team working together for a common goal. Great to see that. Thanks guys. The Environment: It wasn't a huge crowd by MAC Title game standards, but it was a lively one, and after watching the replay, it played well on TV for a national audience. It was a great atmosphere, and validates the conference having the tournament in a centralized, professional setting. Nice show as always. Boroski, Simpson & Wyman: Perhaps the best officiated game I've witnessed in the MAC. Calls were made .. and it was even. But for the first time in what seems like forever, the stripes just let them play. Both teams were able to get into a flow .. and the stripes weren't the center of attention for most of the night. Thanks for that, guys. The Better: Zeke! was huge, tremendous & clutch for the Zips against Can't State. He found a groove in the second half of the Can't game where he was able to keep the drivers away from his body and swat the shot without fouling. A big step for him. Keeping him on the floor really changed everything. No one expects that this will be the norm every game .. at least not right away. However, he was hugely deserving of MVP honors .. and played his best on the biggest stage he's yet faced. KD has said for awhile that a big like Zeke helps the Zips compete "when we get into the NCAA's." I for one can't wait to see the big guy's first go at in in the Big Dance on Friday. McKnight: comes close to earning the Jawanza Moore award for this season. On the offensive end of the floor in the title game, he put the Zips on his back late. He took and made tough shots, late in the shot clock .. when the Zips absolutely needed them. The knock on having a team like the Zips where 6 guys average between 8 and 11 points, but no one scores 20 has always been: there's no go-to guy .. no clutch player to carry a team. Brett may have come as close as we've seen on Saturday. A great performance in his last in a Zips uniform in Ohio. Tremendous effort. Brett has shown the ability to go off against high major competition. The 2nd half against Pitt being an example. Now would be a great time for another game like that. Honorable mention to Roberts & McNees as they also were clutch. The Beautiful: This needs no words .. just pictures. This one credit to the Beacon Journal / Phil Masturzo Credit to Mark Duncan / AP This one also credit to Mark Duncan / AP .. And a few Comments More: Ecstatic for the team: I'm really happy for the team .. and it's great for us fans. What really strikes me is how cool it is to see a group of people excel at what they're working hard at. We witnessed a group of 15-20 people having one of the best days in their basketball lives .. for some their career. It's a cool moment I think. I couldn't be happier for the guys. They deserve this. Great seasons are defined in March .. but made in the summer months and early season workouts. This team has put in the work .. battled through slumps of different kinds .. and come out on top. This continues to be a great season because the team trusted themselves, the coaches and the process .. enough to be able to make the crucial plays down the stretch in 3 nights in Cleveland. More basketball awaits them and us in Chicago. If you're able to go .. I recommend it. During my days as a student, I had the opportunity to attend several NCAA tournament games in which my schools were participating .. and it's a whole different experience. My hope is that as many Zips fans as want to attend this can find a way to attend it. My secondary hope is that thousands of Purdue fans have purchased all session tickets. Because if they have, I can tell you that the Zips fans in attendance will have friends Friday .. LOTS of them. Go Zips! Enjoy the moment. Play smart .. play hard .. and play together. And have fun. I know I will. B) B) :champs:

What a week it was. From the loss at Can't State to the 2nd MAC Tourney title in 3 years in a matter of 8 days. I'm digging out of the short week from last week, during this short week before heading to Chicago. Thought I would put down some of my thoughts about the MAC Tourney while they remained fresh in my mind. Brevity is king here, because awesomeness needs few words. And awesome it was! B) So with the customary nod to Sergio Leone, my take aways from the weekend of dreams at the Q: The Good: Team Tenacity: None other than Geno commented in the postgame about the ability of the Zips to remain calm when things were trending for the opposition. The Zips faced big runs at the end of the Miami game, the beginning of the Can't game .. and to a lesser extent the end of the WMU game. Teams will put forth runs, and things won't always go your way .. but it is the team that can rally itself, keep its composure and see through the storm that usually comes out on top. Our seniors this season are now 12-2 in the MAC Tournament. Are there any other MAC players who have even BEEN IN 12 postseason games, much less won 12 of them? IMHO this played a huge role in the Zips emerging victorious. Multiple Sources: McClanahan comes up big with a huge performance vs. Miami, and a big bucket against Western. Diggs tears western up. McNees brings the Zips back in the first half vs. Can't .. and Zeke obliterates the paint in the 2nd half & overtime in the title game. The Zips got big performances from lots of different places .. so many places that it has to be difficult to coach against, if you don't know where it's going to come from. The true essence of a team working together for a common goal. Great to see that. Thanks guys. The Environment: It wasn't a huge crowd by MAC Title game standards, but it was a lively one, and after watching the replay, it played well on TV for a national audience. It was a great atmosphere, and validates the conference having the tournament in a centralized, professional setting. Nice show as always. Boroski, Simpson & Wyman: Perhaps the best officiated game I've witnessed in the MAC. Calls were made .. and it was even. But for the first time in what seems like forever, the stripes just let them play. Both teams were able to get into a flow .. and the stripes weren't the center of attention for most of the night. Thanks for that, guys. The Better: Zeke! was huge, tremendous & clutch for the Zips against Can't State. He found a groove in the second half of the Can't game where he was able to keep the drivers away from his body and swat the shot without fouling. A big step for him. Keeping him on the floor really changed everything. No one expects that this will be the norm every game .. at least not right away. However, he was hugely deserving of MVP honors .. and played his best on the biggest stage he's yet faced. KD has said for awhile that a big like Zeke helps the Zips compete "when we get into the NCAA's." I for one can't wait to see the big guy's first go at in in the Big Dance on Friday. McKnight: comes close to earning the Jawanza Moore award for this season. On the offensive end of the floor in the title game, he put the Zips on his back late. He took and made tough shots, late in the shot clock .. when the Zips absolutely needed them. The knock on having a team like the Zips where 6 guys average between 8 and 11 points, but no one scores 20 has always been: there's no go-to guy .. no clutch player to carry a team. Brett may have come as close as we've seen on Saturday. A great performance in his last in a Zips uniform in Ohio. Tremendous effort. Brett has shown the ability to go off against high major competition. The 2nd half against Pitt being an example. Now would be a great time for another game like that. Honorable mention to Roberts & McNees as they also were clutch. The Beautiful: This needs no words .. just pictures. This one credit to the Beacon Journal / Phil Masturzo Credit to Mark Duncan / AP This one also credit to Mark Duncan / AP .. And a few Comments More: Ecstatic for the team: I'm really happy for the team .. and it's great for us fans. What really strikes me is how cool it is to see a group of people excel at what they're working hard at. We witnessed a group of 15-20 people having one of the best days in their basketball lives .. for some their career. It's a cool moment I think. I couldn't be happier for the guys. They deserve this. Great seasons are defined in March .. but made in the summer months and early season workouts. This team has put in the work .. battled through slumps of different kinds .. and come out on top. This continues to be a great season because the team trusted themselves, the coaches and the process .. enough to be able to make the crucial plays down the stretch in 3 nights in Cleveland. More basketball awaits them and us in Chicago. If you're able to go .. I recommend it. During my days as a student, I had the opportunity to attend several NCAA tournament games in which my schools were participating .. and it's a whole different experience. My hope is that as many Zips fans as want to attend this can find a way to attend it. My secondary hope is that thousands of Purdue fans have purchased all session tickets. Because if they have, I can tell you that the Zips fans in attendance will have friends Friday .. LOTS of them. Go Zips! Enjoy the moment. Play smart .. play hard .. and play together. And have fun. I know I will. B) B) :champs: View the full blog post here.

From where I stand, the team on paper looks pretty damn good. They were loaded with seniors, brought in some good talent in the off season and have a high school All-American playing for them. I don't know why everyone is so quick to downplay the talent on the team. They have better talent than Can't State and showed it last night. Can't State was the No.1 seed and there is no way that team has more talent than Akron. We ARE a talented team. +1 on that!

Can't made some shots early, certainly that's true. The nuance here is that the Zips forced them into jump shots. Can't hit some jumpers early .. and for the most part, fell in love with them for the rest of the half. Very little inside scoring was done by Can't & almost none of the open path layups we saw a week ago. Can't hitting shots isn't necessarily indicative of the quality of D being played. The Zips executed a game plan designed to force Can't into their weakness offensively, and away from their strength. Can't State hit some big shots early and they weren't aggressive in getting back to what they do well. At no time, even in the beginning of the game did I think that Can't was getting over on our D. They were hitting the shots we wanted them to be taking .. percentages even things out .. and it played out in the Zips favor. It was a good game plan, and the guys executed it well. Go Zips!