GoZips

Celebrating? That does not really bother me. What gets my goat are all the foolish penalties for having the helmet come off because insert idiot's name thinks its cool to not buckle up the brain bucket. Up to me, every time the player allows this to happen they can count on "running the steps" at the end of the next practice. Cures that nonsense.

They don't. Coach Matthews needs to control his temper. JMU wasted time outs and other opportunities. It is a common issue. Did not see the JMU coach complaining about the several times the officials stiffed or nearly stiffed the Zips. Particularly the first down that they attempted to revert to a fourth and one. It took a lot of yelling from the Akron sideline to get a review which resulted in a correct spot two yards further up field and a first down. Where was coach Matthews on that one? What I liked about the game was the difference in attitude. Last year the Zips folded when they got behind. Not this year. Down thirteen nil and having not run an offensive play the Zips out fought, out muscled and out willed upset minded JMU. I think the Zips just might have grown up; sigh, finally.

Found the first of several annual basketball analysis magazines at Buehler's. Sporting News has a different take on the Zips than College Sports Madness. Where CSM rated the Zips fourth in the conference SN ranks the Zips as the best in conference and the team to beat. Full page picture of Tree skying over a hapless Owho defender in the MAC Championship game. Suitable for framing. Tree's colorful socks clearly shown. Buffalo picked second in the East with Toledo first over all in the West. Most of the "ink" went to the Zips. Kant rated fourth behind rebuilding Owho. Western and Eastern second and third in the west. Bulls beat writer was author. Note that he picked Javon "I play dirty" McCrea as the MAC POTY. Not me, I pick Demetrius Treadwell.

See that the Zips play THIRTY-ONE regular season games. One over the mandated limit thanks to the exempt rule. The off shore Diamond Head Classic gives the Zips an extra regular season game. Both Div-3 opponents are classified as exhibition games. That's fine. That they are not played one-two in the schedule is largely due to getting invited to ESPN's Tip Off Showcase.

UCLA topples #1 Indiana 1-0 with a golden goal in the first minute of OT. The Bruins were playing a man down and on the road still found the moxie to take down the Hoosiers. Got to love the Pig Ten network for show casing their pride and joy. <burp>oh, make that gack ... !!!

I am soooo tired of this chestnut. The University of Akron is not going to even consider falling back to FBS football. The entire athletic program would take such a hit that there would be not recovery in your grand children's lifetime. It simply ain't happening. Besides, dropping sports entirely would not make up for the short comings of the JAR. Replacement, in due course, is the only viable answer. Be patient. This is a great university. Treat it like one and you will be amazed at the results. All you negative nellies crawl back into you comfy rag piles and go back to sleep for another generation.

The schedule has been done for more than a month. There is a planned date to release it. Since I always take flak for revealing the OOC schedule, I decided to say nothing this year. You all have the important games already. There are no surprises waiting to be sprung. Of interest is that next season (2014-15) is also completed. Some surprises coming.

I was tempted to bark about no one mentioning what time the Marshal exhibition match is. Then, I went to GoZips. com and discovered that the start time is not readily appearant. Finally, digging through the schedule I discovered that the start time is 7:00 PM. And these bunnies (as in dumb) wonder why interest is flagging. Even when you are on top you must continually crow about your program. Sigh. p.s. I am sure they will post the pre-game story complete with the start time around four PM on game day.

Zip In Paradise, not in the near future as next season (2013-14) schedule is complete. Tip for the troops: the Zip will play in a Classic a lot closer to home. Again an ESPN sponsored event. A distance that is reachable by automobile (for the semi-diehard fan). Folks, don't ask me what tournament. KD would strangle me. Just be happy, happy that its a done deal.

This is because they have a better look into what goes on at Akron. The fans of NE Ohio are conditioned to expect and accept failure. ESPN and SI know better. Summer practice began June 10th and ends this Thursday. While the fans were invited to drop in and take a look; few did. Perhaps ten to twelve souls bothered to stop by. I attended nearly all the practices and have a solid appreciation for who the Zips will be in the Fall. This will be a better team on and off the floor than last season. Losing Zeke hurts. He has two successors that have an excellent chance of making their own marks. Their styles are different, but the talent level is just as good. Tree and Jake along with Nick Harney ably cover the small and power forward slots. The guards are Quincy Diggs, Reggie McAdams, Nyles Evans and Carmelo Betancourt. Where Deji Ibitayo fits is up to him. Deji has made great improvement in his game. Can he keep composed on court remains to be determined. Most likely the talented freshmen may have to bide their time. Which is a good thing.

McCrea throws sucker punches and bullies his opponents in a truly unsportsman like manner. He gets no respect or "creds" from me. Who remembers last season game that had to be stopped for several minutes after McCrea rabbit punched Reggie McAdams so hard that McAdams ended up writhing on the floor in pain? Now I ask you; is that the behavior of a champion or a thug? I stand by what I wrote: Quincy Diggs and Demetrius Treadwell are the two best players in the MAC regardless of position.

College sports madness has Toledo as the BEST men's team in the MAC for 2013-14. We'll See At a paltry eighty-ninth position for Too-Lee-Dew the MAC is going way, way down in conference power ratings. Unfortunately, I see everything through my rose colored Zippy glasses. Prediction: the Zips will finish better than fourth, AND, the Zips will win the MAC tourney (barring another Abreu stumble) The Zips are built around Q and Tree. Probably the two best players regardless of position in the MAC.

The team name is Steps Boutique. Nyles Evans reportedly had THIRTY-SEVEN points in the championship game.

The 2014-15 men's basketball schedule is already completed. Louisville is not on it. Let's keep everything in perspective. Akron is a high mid-major team. Until the Zips can recruit the three and four star caliber players that teams like Louisville take for granted, wins against high major teams are going to remain few and far between. The occasional win against Top 40 teams indicates that the Zips are growing into a high major. The dominance of the MAC is not a coincidence. The caliber of player Akron has been recruiting in recent years is causing the separation from other MAC teams. This is intentional and requires a lot of hard work. A lot of hard work went into last season. The Zips were poised to kick down the door. Abreu hurt a hundred thousand hearts. Mark my words; this season will be better than last. These kids are hungry. They want it. Support the kids. They deserve your support. I apologize that I do not get specific enough to satisfy most people's curiosity. At the start of last season I predicted that the Zips would be a really good team. They were. They will be really good and fun to watch again this year.

Wow. Can anyone get in on this bet?

+1

We must have been close to each other. I sat with the basketball coaches at the north end. It was as you wrote quite a quick tempo. KD left early, but Glen Box and Dan Peters stayed a while as did I. Those QBs have cannons for arms. Tip: I was told that they can run two-a-days only so often. There is no evening practice on Friday.

May I suggest that you stop in at practice next Monday, Wednesday or Friday over at Central-Hower high school between nine and ten AM and determine for yourself if Big Dog is big and slow or just big. None of the freshmen worry me in the least. They are a great recruiting class.

Maybe, just maybe, you do not know what goes on behind the scene. In fact, you do not. It might not mean much to you, but to those nineteen year old freshmen it means a great deal to play ball with a legend.

The Zips are NOT targeting a shooting guard with their one available scholarship for 2013-14. Bank it. This is not a reflection on Jalen Hudson. The Zips are deep at the 2, 3 and 4 positions for the next couple of seasons. Joshua Williams help fill needs at the point. That leaves the post as still a tad thin. Isaiah Johnson is a huge (in more ways than one) help. Look for the one scholly to be spent on a post player or a point guard. I would think getting another "think big" player is the most likely.

The Zips ticket office called me today for a renewal of my season ticket. I stated that I will renew next Wednesday when my government free money (oh, that's right, I paid into S/S for a zillion years) comes in. You do not have to buy the $75 end zone seat if you buy the $35 bus trip. I plan to get a cheaper and probably better seat on ebay, stubflub, etc. Only will have to go sit in the end zone with the rest of the Zippies. Does anyone know if UM cracks down on pre-game scalpers near the stadium? 'Cause folks, there will be plenty of seats available. Yes, the Zips $75 seats are in the corner of the end zone. An Akron official showed me a map of the seating today.

Class! George you have a lot of class. The good kind.

first item of business: Western Michigan picked as team #100 in Top 144 teams for 2013-14 WMU lost three starters and is relying on a squad of incoming freshmen to carry the day. Wondering if these observers know the first thing about the Zips. Probably not. They ranked Akron at #128 and we lost just two starters. second item: Summer update of practice. The freshmen are starting to "get it" on defense. The practice Friday (today) was intense with plenty of going to the rack action. Many bruised bodies from today's practice. Big Dog and Forsythe continue to go hard at the hole. Tree was a monster. He could not be denied. Outside, rangy shooting by Reggie, Jake, Quincy and Nyles was blistering. They have a drill called 'four on four on four'. Blue team, white team and a red team all playing against each other. Full court is played at fast break speed. Probably the toughest and best drill I have watched all summer. The freshmen are competing for one or maybe two spots on the roster. Do not be surprised if as many as three of them will be red shirted. This is no indication of their talents and abilities. There are only two hundred minutes of player time in a regulation game. Have some fun figuring out a starting line up and the reserves. At this point not even the starting rotation is set. Yes, Tree and Q and Nick start (baring injuries because every one's grades are good). Battle for the post between two outstanding players in Forsythe and Johnson. There will be a fight for the starting point guard slot between Carmelo Betancourt and Nyles Evans. Do not count Deji Ibitayo out as he is having a great summer.

I saw Zeke at practice this morning. Sorry, I did not talk to him. Word I got is that he is working out on his own. I take this as a positive sign. In the mean time, his replacements, Pat Forsythe and Isiah Johnson, (Big Dog to his friends), have been crashing the glass and making mean in the paint. More than one wag has suggested that Big Dog will bring down the glass sooner or later. I am hoping for sooner for the psych effect it would have.

Roo, the Zips need fans for all levels of opponents. It is true that "big name" teams draw better. The Athletic staff would love to have three or four high quality opponents per season. Getting them to play the Zips has long been a difficult task. The climb up that mountain is a difficult one. If you compare the coming season's schedule with say 10-12 years ago you can see the upgrade. And, yes, Middle Tennessee is on the schedule this season. The Zips play at South Carolina as part of the Diamond Head Classic. It is also necessary to have mid and low major opponents for a variety of reasons. Cost is a factor. "Tuning up" especially early in the season is best done against lesser opponents such as NC A&T or Morgan State. A steady diet of Big Ten teams would be counter productive. Trust the coaching staff. They know what they are doing. Remember, they are just as eager as fans are to take on the challenge of playing high majors. It is frustrating for me as a dedicated fan to pass on information when the coaching staff tells me not to. I just want to challenge Jupitertoo to reveal the combination to the JAR arena door locks, since he writes that I am a fraud. There are posters on this board that KNOW that I know the combination. I write about Zips basketball because I care about Zips basketball. A few dedicated fans do have inside information that Joe fan does not possess. This is true at almost any school. Most of the tips I pass on are cleared by the coaches before I write them on ZipsNation. Why? Because that is how they want it. Example: I could right now reveal the complete OOC schedule. Except, that KD wants it to be released through the legitimate press. It is the correct way to make that information public. But, I digress. I am just a frustrated, wanna be something or other.