GoZips

Fire the Scar .... !!!!

Pertaining to Cleveland State; does not CSU still have the infamous Homer E. Woodling gymnasium? The only basketball arena with the word "homer" written on the wall? At 2,500 seats Woodling is currently excess capacity for CSU games. What is the feasibility of selling Wolstien to UA and moving the structure to the Akron campus? Those ugly dark green seats have to go.

As of now (May 18th) there is NO contract with Louisville. May I point out that coaches some times change their minds. Should that be held against us or me? Note that Louisville has issues that may be causing them difficulty scheduling. Apparently our cold butts are more inviting than the chill of an empty arena. Who knows?

Blue & Gold, by all means please include the AAC. They are one of two conferences that the Zips have the best opportunity to join. The other conference is the negatistas favorite "we can't join them". Sad. Same crowd that whined that the Zips could not make it in the MAC. A fine conference that the Zips have out grown.

Good to see the positive responses and interest in upgrading. Lots of valid concerns and suggestions. Probably the best attribute the Zips have to offer is the market. Cleveland-Akron has no major college sports program. Akron could fill that gap. A fair number of P5 schools have basketball arenas the size of the JAR. Putting some lipstick on our "pig" gives Akron some time regarding the arena. Fortunately Infocision is expandable. Again, time No need to expand for a few years. It is a good point worth planning around. TV exposure and revenue from TV and conference bowl games could pump a lot of money into Akron sports. We could enjoy teasing our Bucky neighbors about stepping up and playing Akron in Akron. Small, yet fun point. Having a plan, a goal, and a vision help secure a better future. Keep up the good ideas.

That is a kind suggestion. I doubt I have time to do that. I know one of the moderators on this board. It requires a lot of work. For me, basketball is my prime interest. I have contact with Jody and Keith. I am probably going to run the clocks for practice again this Fall. We had our last one-on-one workout today until June. You will be pleasantly surprised by Big Dog's conditioning.

The unsportsmanlike conduct has gone to far. Nasty has driven several high quality posters off the board. Your childish and unkind behavior is destroying ZipsNation. I try to give a look inside the team. I actually have access. If smart ass sniping is your meat you will destroy ZipsNation. Thirty years ago people similar to yourselves whined that the Zips were not good enough to join the MAC. Many people who lacked vision wanted to stay in the Ohio Athletic Conference. The OAC kicked Akron out. The university is well aware of the need to go up and out of the MAC. The MAC no longer fits for Akron. Nothing against the MAC. It is a fine One A conference. It just no longer is the best fit for Akron. Sports finances should improve by upgrading to a better conference. That is important. There is a need to generate more revenue. P5 type conferences generate more revenue and allow their members to participate in more sports at less cost to those universities. It is high time that posters on ZipsNation make some positive contributions to the discussions. I, for one, have a fair bit of quality information that needs to be shared with members of ZipsNation. I am reluctant to share this good information because everything is negative, a joke and spun to insult. I am tired of being ridiculed and made the butt of sorry jokes. I see that recently a young poster who has in the past held a positive attitude has turned into a sour, nasty poster like many of you are. What a shame. Like I stated, I WILL report EVERY nasty uncalled for post from here on out. ZipsNation has become a sewer.

For Sportsjunkie and the rest of the nasty, smart mouth posters . I WILL report you every time from here on out.

Yes, Zippy5, the Zips will have a solid, tough OOC schedule this year.

What I am telling you is that the staff has identified who potential opponents are and contacting them. So far it looks promising. And, for people such as yourself, Akron will still be able to schedule home games with Hiram and MD Eastern Shore. Oh, btw, the Zips are getting the asked for amount. No worries Mate..

Well, well, some good news. It seems that the Zips are not so poisonous to some quality teams. P5 teams that need to bolster their OOC Strength of Schedule are finding Akron a good choice. Explanation: P5 programs that are in the top one-third of their conference have no desire to risk losing to the Zips. Nor do teams in the bottom one-third. However, those teams that are "bubble" teams are eyeing the Zips as a way to improve their Strength of Schedule, And, win or lose it does not really matter. Creighton is an example. A couple of teams are close to signing a contract with Akron. High quality programs that will make for a good road trip as they are NOT coming to Akron. Details and names to follow.

Let us look at facts. You know facts, (something you never seem to bother with). I will begin by granting you one fact. I did state that the Zips were a Sweet 16 caliber team and it did not come to pass. It seems our starting point guard, who was a most talented player decided to supplement his income with a nefarious activity. His behavior got him removed from the team and dashed hopes of a fine post season. But, it did lead to Akron seeking several fine, young point guards. Players such as Noah Robotham, Antino Jackson, Josh Williams among others. Excellent recovery. Now for your uncalled for accusations. In kindness I would say untruths or half truths, I never stated that Akron was joining the ACC. I wrote that the POSSIBILITY of joining the ACC was being investigated. And, it was and is to some extent still under consideration. But, idiots choose the down side. So be it. I wrote about "cupcakes" claiming they do not exist. Well, Valparaiso is one of those cupcakes. Does that suit you? Valpo and the rest of the non P5 schools run the gamut of strong to weak. It fluctuates year to year. Some conferences are better than others. But, no one is a cupcake. That label is insulting to the thousands of college players who are not upper echelon talent. Why is it necessary to insult the hard work of people you do not know? Insulting me is plenty. I asked a question when Jamie Dixon left PITT. I did not "promote" Coach Dambrot for the PITT job. It was merely a topic starter. You have been offered many times the opportunity to help with scheduling. Instead of using what little influence you might have you choose to belly ache and insult. Truth be told I have some inside information on scheduling and I shared some of it with ZipsNation. I plan to post more information later. If I list schools that have turned Akron down it is because they did. Our people deserve to know the truth rather than the bilge some post. Please explain what motivation there is to not play Akron if it is not fear of losing? Oh, btw, the Zips lost the championship game against Buffalo on a buzzer beater. Good shot. Bad luck. Oh, poopy. And, the Zips lost in overtime in Columbus because they were on "dead" legs. Fact. Not bilge. And, some are idiots. Where are ZipWatcher, Hilltopper, Dave In Green and others who use to post? Driven away.

DITTO

There is no problem with KD or anyone else on staff. Akron just does not fit their agenda or yours. More than fifty programs have been contacted thus far. That six of them have not YET responded does not indicate any sort of a problem. Stop blaming our (your? well, not your) coaches. Since you have predetermined that there is a problem with the Akron staff be so kind as to illuminate the rest of us.

Louisville is on my next list. They turned Akron down COLD. You need to understand the politics of playing "by the rules". Accepting a low payout is a death sentence. It is $95,000 or nothing. Why be a cheap who-or? You can only play teams that will play you. Playing Akron does little for a high major; especially when they lose at home. Remember Arkansas? South Carolina? Mississippi State? Florida State's loss to Akron in the NIT nearly cost Lenard Hamilton his job. Think of Thad Matta explaining losing at home to the Zips in this year's NIT. Ain't prudy. I have no problem with keeping a 21 game per season win streak going. The players want to win. They do not look at opponents like fans do. They lace 'em up and play. As I have stated many times, there are NO cupcakes. Fans have strange notions. Every effort is made by the coaching staff and support staff to make Zips basketball among the best. They largely succeed. The next step is to get to a better conference that is more committed to sports. People (idiots) poke fun at my comments about going to the ACC or other conferences. They squeak without the knowledge of what is going on. It is imperative to get to a better conference. Nothing against the MAC. Half the teams in the conference could not care less about winning championships. Other programs end up being stepping stones for ambitious coaches like Bobby Hurley. Only people inside the program know how close the Zips were to joining the ACC or AAC. In time they will. Thanks for caring.

I will provide several useful factoids to consider and comment on. Several people doubted the veracity of my claims that the Zips are "poisonous". Let us review what we have learned thus far. Thus far Akron has OOC games scheduled with YSU (Coach's vs. Cancer Classic), a home game with Marshall and good road game at Creighton. People poo-pooed about being turned down for OOC games at "scale" with no return. Scale currently is approximately $95,000. Some teams have offered to play Akron at their venue for the princely sum of $60,000. That will NOT happen. Can not cover expenses and it is demeaning. Forget the hog wash about getting our collective foot in the door. In a future post I will show high major games the Zips have played in the past decade. Here is a partial list of teams that rejected Akron's offer to play at their arena with NO return game. Cincinnati, Dayton, Xavier, PITT, Houston, Michigan, Michigan State. Tennessee, Florida, Alabama, LSU, Mississippi State, Wake Forest, Oklahoma State, Auburn, Tulane. See any you like? Not one of these schools want to play Akron on their own court. There are more; I will list them at another time. Six so called high majors did not even respond. Will name them later. Big Ten, SEC, A-10, ACC schools that did not to have the courtesy to even respond. There are numerous statistics and facts concerning scheduling that will be presented later. Akron will play in two early season tournaments. The UTEP tournament has promised that UTEP will play the Zips. That is good news. The Savanna tournament is larger; eight teams reportedly. Akron will play two of those games in Akron against mid-major teams. Then the Zips travel to Savanna to play two more schools. I hope this helps.

Well said. You nailed it. Win three at the "Q".

BTW, Ty Dalton the player mentioned in the recruiting forum will walk on. Per Coach.

Banquet hashtag &EatWell A large overflow crowd enjoyed the festivities celebrating the highly successful 2015-16 men's basketball season. Coach Dambrot asked that anyone who thinks they can get OOC games to help the Zips schedule as it is even tougher after this season's success. Here is your chance. Coach mentioned that every effort was made to schedule a game with Houston. A game to be played in Houston for Antino and the other two Houston players to play at home. Coach Sampson turned us down. He wants no part of playing Akron. Chicken livers. The tournament in Savanna will feature two home games for the Zips and two in Savanna. Also, the UTEP tournament will include the Zips playing UTEP. An away game is scheduled with Creighton. Home game with Marshall is planned. Was pointed out that Akron is so "poisonous" that several high majors will not play the Zips at their place for the going rate of "buy" games. Ah, and you think scheduling is easy. Please contact Steve McNeese for additional details. Coach talked at length about next season and the four incoming freshman. Craig Eubanks and Jimond Ivey expected to contribute. Micheal Hughes is the lynch pin and expected to play along side of Isaiah "Big Dog" Johnson. Other attendees can elaborate on these and other topics. The food was excellent. Piggie here gobbled up lots of desert.

How Sweet it is ... !!!!!!!

Jamie Dixon is leaving PITT for TCU (his alma mater). Wonder if Coach Dambrot is a candidate for the PITT job. He is a good fit.

Let us get off Kwan's back. KC spent an hour pre-practice yesterday working on several aspects of his game with coaches. Yes, he worked on shooting both inside and beyond the arc. KC cares and has a strong desire to win. Encourage him. Being down on any player is detrimental. Akron is a really good team. Encourage them all. KC is NOT the reason the Zips lost to Buffalo. KC plays good defense and leads. Have faith in him, He will be a positive force. Kwan was a shooting guard through out high school. He was six-four when recruited by Akron. His expected maximum height was six-six or seven. KC never expected to be a post player or power forward. In this regard he has done well learning to play out of position. As regards to Aaron Jackson don't you just love his energy and attitude? Aaron plays his heart out. Yes, he is as wild as a March hare. Aaron is growing out of that. Aaron plays good defense especially when he avoids reach in fouls. We need Ace to give 10-15 minutes per game. It is a balancing act managing minutes. Make yourself a depth chart (your own) and determine how to distribute them. Keep in mind that most players can not go much over 30 minutes in a game. Then, factor in that they will play again in two or three days. The coaching staff looks at many factors in deciding a player's playing time. Love the kids; all of them.

The 2016 WNIT field is set. FIVE teams from the MAC are invited. Akron (19-13) Ball State (21-9) Central Michigan (22-10) Eastern Michigan 21-11 Ohio (24-6) http://www.womensnit.com/2016.html Match and date still to be revealed later Monday evening.

In determining what to wear to Cowlumbus I found three different "for Pete's Sake" tee shirts. I plan on wearing this year's version with the "Z" as a tribute to our loved coach Dan Peters. note: Thad Matta fired coach Peters to make room for his pal on the osu staff. Spread the word about the purple "for Pete's Sake" tee shirt as most of us have this shirt and it will stand out.

In determining what to wear to Cowlumbus I found three different "for Pete's Sake" tee shirts. I plan on wearing this year's version with the "Z" as a tribute to our loved coach Dan Peters. note: Thad Matta fired coach Peters to make room for his pal on the osu staff.