Zip Watcher

Easy Win .. easy. Don't let this lead you to "the program is headed down" .. they were bad last night. No argument. But look at the roster .. look at the players .. we're no-where near the quitters. These guys are struggling .. but they're not quitting.No comparison to the quitters in my mind. A very good question. I'm looking forward to finding out more @ BG on Saturday. See you there?

If that were the case, we would have been playing 2 on 5 last night ...On second thought .. maybe we were. If you give up 80+ at home .. you're not guarding anybody

I was really looking forward to another Joe Dunn / Dan Hipsher style press conference last night.Joe Dunn: Gosh Dan, it seems like everyone has their career shooting night against the Zips.Dan: You, know it seems that way Joe .. we just keep running into the hot shooters, don't we.Alas .. no HC on the radio .. would have liked to hear KD's thoughts.They might just have shot 65% because they were either 3 feet from the rim, with no contest .. or standing wide open, with nary a defender near them. The Zips are not very good defensively right now .. check that .. they're horrible defensively right now. With far less talent, 2 or 3 years ago, KD was able to field a good defensive effort night in and night out .. what's changed this season?Is it just injuries in the back court? Depth? ???

What he said. I think that post hits things spot on.Other questions I have:1. If Jimmy Conyers is your best "on-ball" defender, and he's certainly one of the top 2 or 3 (Linhart .. ?? .. Bardo .. Roberts??), why does he not play more when you're giving up 65% ... SIXTY-FIVE PERCENT! If you tell me that it's because he's not a contributor on offense .. then I'd like to ask:2. If you're going to mail it in defensively by not playing your best defenders (see #1 above), and channel the coaching doctrine of Doug Moe, then why are 2 of your better scorers (McKnights, C & stapled to the bench for the last 10 minutes after giving you some inside punch? In the four possessions he touched the ball NIU had no idea what to do with Brett last night. None whatsoever. The Zips could have gone Tarver with him last night and probably pulled the game out.Seems like you can't have it both ways. You either win with defense .. and play those that are going to defend. Or you have to try and outscore people by putting points on the board while knowing you're not at your best on the defensive side.Last night, it appeared to me that the coaches made choices that limited their offensive productivity at the same time they didn't shore up or help the defense. Namely, stopping the penetration. We picked the wrong side of the equation on both sides of the floor.Definitely an off night by the coaching staff (among other things). Probably their worst effort ever @ UA. I'm certain it's a rarity and an isolated incident.Trouble in Rubber City at the moment, Zips fans.Go Zips.

No .. at the coaches luncheon a couple of weeks ago, it was indicated that Adidas would probably be retained for all sports other than men's hoops and that the LBJ group may be brought in on men's hoops. I don't know if it was a certainty or not.

Of course .. it's always possible the ABJ misquoted him, and he actually said:I'll Be BACK!!

Woody says: I Shall Return!!!I don't know about you .. but that could go down as one of the great quotes in Zips history .. tremendous leadership there.Get well Wood!Go Zips

Please...Put Bardo and C. McKnight in, they will do just fine, you also have Carroll tooGive some time to McNees, Goddard, B. McKnight and Roberts, throw Sallee in there tooYou guys act like these guys have no clue, some of them (Sallee and Goddard have been there from 3-5 years) when they get in, hell doesnt freeze over.... Good post .. maybe your best ever.Go Zips!

I think it's safe to say that today's bad news is a punch in the gut for all Zips hoops fans. It's bad on so many levels .. losing a team MVP / league POY candidate in the stretch run .. seeing Jeremiah lose more time to his knee .. the general struggles of this senior class to find their way to good health for a chance to build further upon last season. Mostly, I'm disapointed for JWood. The guy is already the best big man ever to play at UA in the D1 era .. there's probably not much debate about that. But for him to work as hard as he has to become the player he is, with his great play down the stretch last season and early this season .. it's heartbreaking for him to have to go through this. So we all wish him the best .. a speedy return to good health, and hopefully a half a dozen more games in the Blue & Gold of the Zips before it's all said and done. But in the meantime, where does that leave the Zips? The short answer? It leaves the Zips needing some of next year's contributors to become contributors .. and FAST. KD himself has mentioned in his postgames and pressers that he struggles to mix the new guys in .. it takes him a little time to build up trust in the new talent. We've seen that with McNees, Roberts & B. McKnight. But even to a certain extent .. it's happened a bit w/ CMcK also. Some of it is his TO problem .. but sometimes, it appears hard for KD to just put him out there and play him. Even in the past few games, when we were told pregame that Wood & Middleton were to see limited action .. they ended up playing 20-30 minutes. It's hard to go away from what you trust .. especially when they're warriors. Well .. times change. Chris McKnight just became one of the top 3 options in the Zips offense .. like it or not. Timing isn't too bad, since he's coming off one of his best performances on Wednesday night. But now the Zips & Chris have to find his offensive game more consistently .. I say "find his game" because it's clear that there's more of a face up component to it than JWood. We can NOT seek to squeeze him into Wood's touches and shots .. it won't work. The Zips have to adapt to what Chris can give the team in the flow of the offense and his skills. My guess is that BSU is watching tape of Travis tonight .. because that's maybe more representative of the type of attack that Chris brings. There's a sense of deja vu for me here. It's been discussed in our "next season" thread .. but recall back 37 months ago when JWood originally went down against OU with his ACL. In the second half of that game, Travis really stepped up. I think we may have lost that game .. but in the coming weeks & months, Romeo took it upon himself to improve and try and pick up some of the slack on the glass after Wood went down. Deja vu all over again? Chris had 18 in the game against WMU when Wood played his last 10 minutes for awhile. There's a bunch of folks out there that think Chris is a program builder .. a key component of continuing the climb to the top of the conference & midmajor ranks. I'm certainly one of them .. and always have been. We don't get Chris to come here without the efforts of Romeo and Dru and Jeremiah. But he might have a bigger upside than all of them IN TIME. I think we're going to see some of that in the next several weeks. The good thing here is that he's not going to be relied upon for everything. We still have experienced talented players around him in Dials, Linhart & Middleton. Chris isn't going to be the starting point of everything like Wood was earlier .. but I look for him to grow up fast with the increased minutes. Also: Younger brother Brett and Mike Bardo are now going to HAVE to contribute 15 minutes to the cause consistently. One is an offensive unknown and the other a defensive risk .. but between them, the Zips are going to have to play through the growing pains. I'm comfortable with it .. I think about what else was on the bench 3 seasons ago when Wood went down .. and after Travis, it was pretty thin. We have more options today than last time. All of us that have discussed the front court next season .. and wrung our hands about the loss of Wood going into November now have nothing to worry about for next year. These guys are going to have lots of game & big game experience coming into next year. The question is: how well can they step in and fill the gap right here and right now. And how well can KD & staff adapth the offensive flow to the new rotations. With my blue & gold glasses on, I still see Wood playing at least 4 more games in Zips colors. Now that doesn't require that CMcK lead us to 6 straight wins in his absence. It requires that the young front court players grow up quickly in the next 6 to become solid contributors that when added to JWood @ his return become that alternate post threat we've been looking for all season. I think we know an at large birth isn't coming the Zips way .. the team needs to improve and prepare for the 2nd week in March @ the Q. Nothing more and nothing less. Get ready to win games at the Q. With some effort and good bounces, hopefully they can maintain the bye .. but that margin is pretty thin. Probably need to be 11-5 to secure a bye to the quarters. That means holding serve at home and picking up 2 roadies .. not impossible. The future is now. Sieze the day and all that stuff ... Go Zips! Thoughts?

I think it's safe to say that today's bad news is a punch in the gut for all Zips hoops fans. It's bad on so many levels .. losing a team MVP / league POY candidate in the stretch run .. seeing Jeremiah lose more time to his knee .. the general struggles of this senior class to find their way to good health for a chance to build further upon last season. Mostly, I'm disapointed for JWood. The guy is already the best big man ever to play at UA in the D1 era .. there's probably not much debate about that. But for him to work as hard as he has to become the player he is, with his great play down the stretch last season and early this season .. it's heartbreaking for him to have to go through this.So we all wish him the best .. a speedy return to good health, and hopefully a half a dozen more games in the Blue & Gold of the Zips before it's all said and done.But in the meantime, where does that leave the Zips?The short answer? It leaves the Zips needing some of next year's contributors to become contributors .. and FAST. KD himself has mentioned in his postgames and pressers that he struggles to mix the new guys in .. it takes him a little time to build up trust in the new talent. We've seen that with McNees, Roberts & B. McKnight. But even to a certain extent .. it's happened a bit w/ CMcK also. Some of it is his TO problem .. but sometimes, it appears hard for KD to just put him out there and play him. Even in the past few games, when we were told pregame that Wood & Middleton were to see limited action .. they ended up playing 20-30 minutes. It's hard to go away from what you trust .. especially when they're warriors.Well .. times change.Chris McKnight just became one of the top 3 options in the Zips offense .. like it or not. Timing isn't too bad, since he's coming off one of his best performances on Wednesday night. But now the Zips & Chris have to find his offensive game more consistently .. I say "find his game" because it's clear that there's more of a face up component to it than JWood. We can NOT seek to squeeze him into Wood's touches and shots .. it won't work. The Zips have to adapt to what Chris can give the team in the flow of the offense and his skills.My guess is that BSU is watching tape of Travis tonight .. because that's maybe more representative of the type of attack that Chris brings. There's a sense of deja vu for me here. It's been discussed in our "next season" thread .. but recall back 37 months ago when JWood originally went down against OU with his ACL. In the second half of that game, Travis really stepped up. I think we may have won that game .. but in the coming weeks & months, Romeo took it upon himself to improve and try and pick up some of the slack on the glass after Wood went down.Deja vu all over again?Chris had 18 in the game against WMU when Wood played his last 10 minutes for awhile. There's a bunch of folks out there that think Chris is a program builder .. a key component of continuing the climb to the top of the conference & midmajor ranks. I'm certainly one of them .. and always have been. We don't get Chris to come here without the efforts of Romeo and Dru and Jeremiah. But he might have a bigger upside than all of them IN TIME. I think we're going to see some of that in the next several weeks.The good thing here is that he's not going to be relied upon for everything. We still have experienced talented players around him in Dials, Linhart & Middleton. Chris isn't going to be the starting point of everything like Wood was earlier .. but I look for him to grow up fast with the increased minutes.Also:Younger brother Brett and Mike Bardo are now going to HAVE to contribute 15 minutes to the cause consistently. One is an offensive unknown and the other a defensive risk .. but between them, the Zips are going to have to play through the growing pains. I'm comfortable with it .. I think about what else was on the bench 3 seasons ago when Wood went down .. and after Travis, it was pretty thin. We have more options today than last time.All of us that have discussed the front court next season .. and wrung our hands about the loss of Wood going into November now have nothing to worry about for next year. These guys are going to have lots of game & big game experience coming into next year. The question is: how well can they step in and fill the gap right here and right now. And how well can KD & staff adapth the offensive flow to the new rotations.With my blue & gold glasses on, I still see Wood playing at least 4 more games in Zips colors. Now that doesn't require that CMcK lead us to 6 straight wins in his absence. It requires that the young front court players grow up quickly in the next 6 to become solid contributors that when added to JWood @ his return become that alternate post threat we've been looking for all season.I think we know an at large birth isn't coming the Zips way .. the team needs to improve and prepare for the 2nd week in March @ the Q. Nothing more and nothing less. Get ready to win games at the Q. With some effort and good bounces, hopefully they can maintain the bye .. but that margin is pretty thin. Probably need to be 11-5 to secure a bye to the quarters. That means holding serve at home and picking up 2 roadies .. not impossible.The future is now. Sieze the day and all that stuff ... Go Zips! Thoughts?View the full blog post here.

Three years later, my boy & I feel the same way:

Harvey completing a degree would be the best day in JD's coaching tenure.

So the Byrd fellow goes to HS w/ a certain Zeke Marshall if I read this right.Hmmmm ...

HUGE game for a couple of reasons. #1 - Need to keep pace w/ Can't State & OU just to keep pace.#2 - Would be nice to go on a roll in the next few and steal some of these road games#3 - This game may well determine the seeding / division title & the NIT bid. Should the Zips end up in a 3 way tie w/ Can't State & OU, and have all 3 teams go 1-1 against the other 2, the record against the top teams in the West come into play. Can't State has already beaten WMU. UA needs to follow suit.I say the Zips are snapping out of it .. CM looked pretty quick on Saturday. WMU doesn't have the perimeter athleticism that OU & Can't have .. and shouldn't be able to cause the same disruption.Wood gets 25 touches in the low block during the first 20 seconds of the shot clock tonight.Zips 70-65.Go Zips.

CK, you got inside dirt on that start time?

GZ .. for the benefit of all here .. can you please share a source for this claim?

It's precisely this sentiment that is causing you problems around here. You seem to believe that you're somehow beneath playing the Zips. With the "we got hosed" attitude .. you better well come in here and beat the Zips .. because you're acting like it's an inconvenience.Two other things:The Zips are 21-10 all time in NCAA tournament games. Look it up. We've been D1 for less than 30 years .. but it doesn't mean there isn't history and tradition here. Basketball didn't start when we moved up.And lay off the Governors .. they're welcome friends around these parts. And by the way .. they've provided a bigger upset than VCU in the NCAA .. don't be so quick to dismiss them. Look it up. VCU fans would do well to be considered fans as good as AP's.

Ok .. well I was citing current scoring averages per ESPN. Certainly your roster does look young overall.You can snoop around here and find lots on what the Zips have coming back next year if you like. In fact, we have an incoming frosh from your neck of the woods (statewise anyway .. I have no idea where VES is in respect to VCU). Check the thread in recruiting about Nikola Cvetinovic .. he appears to be having a pretty good senior year.We lost our 2 "best" players last year also .. btw.

At the moment, I wouldn't worry yourselves too much about the Zips next year .. they'll still be pretty good. Besides, VCU will be losing 3 of their top 4 also. I think it's a good matchup. Perhaps we should play this year's game first.Hope you can make it up to the WOODshed for the contest.Go Zips.

What he said.Great post.

I'd guess:PG: McNeesSG: DialsSF: LinhartPF: B. McKnightC: C. McKnightI think three Zips set career highs tonight.

Nice of Tom to give us a plug. I didn't catch that the first read through .. that's pretty cool!

We should probably try to contain Greg Stempin .. he can put up big numbers in a hurry if left unchecked.

Actually .. no .. Chris is a Sophomore .. He played in 31 games as a Freshman

I think in Andy's case, it came down to things like Fees / Books / Stipend that are covered in a full ride case.The guy passed up several offers elsewhere to stay here, and rumor (I stress that RUMOR) was that DHip's wife insisted he be treated the same as he would have at any school he could have gone to.That's my recollection, I could be wrong. I do recall that Andy committed early, which limited the efforts of other schools to recruit him. When we were up at Syracuse watching the Zips in ?2000? .. there was an article in the local fishwrap where Boheem was quoted as saying they would have chased him & offered if it wasn't clear that he wanted to play for his old man.