GoZips

At what point in my post did I ever claim that parochial schools do not recruit? Of course they recruit. And we know that some public schools recruit as well.Note your statement about separation of parochial schools in the South. As I previously mentioned about Bob Dyer whining his anti-Catholic rant you post aboutparochial schools being segregated into separate back of the bus conferences, ahem. Talk about anti-Catholic. But we know there is no anti-Catholicism in the South.Right. The success of parochial schools in the South long ago led those upstanding folks to segregate and later impose offset ratios to stop the success of the parochial schools.Are you suggesting that their bigotry be imported to Akron and Ohio?I will support you on one condition. When all the dust settles from the various championships pit the public skewl champion against the parochial champion. Somestates actually do that. And, guess what? The parochial champion usually mops up the stadium with the public skewl champion. Fun.

Personally I did not find Dyer's hack article to be a "fine job". It was for all intents and purposes an anti-Catholic rant. A bush league hack job by a wanna be whiner.Parochial schools (nee: Catholic) have traditionally excelled in athletics. Check records for the entire twentieth century and you will find that there has always been astrong if not overwhelming presence of parochial schools winning championships. Which destroys the whine about recruiting. Parochial schools draw their studentsfrom a wider geographical area.Because parochial schools have traditionally promoted strong athletic programs they should be penalized? Sounds like left wing politics to me. Cryer is obviouslyranting the standard leftist bleat. "We must be fair to everyone. Non-athletes deserve trophies and championships just like the athletes have EARNED. Its justnot fair that the parochial schools get all the best athletes. Waaaaaa." This is America, pal. In our system you get rewarded for your personal effort.In today's world, just like at the university level, students with excellent athletic skills gravitate toward the upper echelon programs. A four or five star athlete isfar more likely to want to play at tOSU than at Akron. For this you want to penalize them? Shall we penalize tOSU with a 1.65 offset ratio similar to what Cryerwants for parochial schools? Sounds like a plan to me.

Good question. The coaching staff has to keep in contact with the other players they were recruiting just in case.The other schools vying for Zeke's services will continue to approach him with the slim hope that they can get him to back out of his verbal promise to play for Akron.Until Zeke signs a national Letter of Intent he is still technically available. What he has done at this point is let the coaching community know that he has promised Akronthat he will play here.There are several other players Akron courted or at least expressed interest in. The highest level ones will soon verbal to other schools. Akron will keep in touch withthese players. There is a lot of good talent out there and the Zips have just the one scholarship to give.Zeke is our man. He is the number one recruit as far as the coaches are concerned. He is the person they most wanted.Zeke's Mom has Zeke on a solid diet of tasty lasagna.

There is a huge upside to the Zeke-Akron relationship.Zeke will improve in ability, body and total skill set each season. While he may opt out early for the NBA (a genuine possibility), Zeke's mere presence as a Zip willattract upper echelon players to the program. Look for KD and staff to spend their few available scholarships on top shelf talent.Do not overlook the high caliber of talent currently on board and coming in this Fall. KD's next dilemma is to figure who to red shirt. Akron is loaded at the guards. Andthe front court has lots of young talent as well. As I see it, Anthony Hitchens and Nic Cvetinovic are the two incoming kids that will play right away. Andrew Parrish, if he gets his grades straightened out is another high potential for immediate play.Ray Chambers remains on my "love to have him in a Zips uniform" list.

Well, it looks like I miscounted. Zeke is the lone recruit of the 2009 recruiting season.According to KD there is just one scholarship available for 2010.Perhaps Jimmy got his fourth year which would be great news. Or, it is possible the scholly is going to Rydell Brooks. Again, a worthy recipient. What position need will be addressed. I contend that they will be looking for a tall, small forward.

Zips fan, that is a good thought. The basketball team has just one scholarship available for 2009. I agree with you that the coaches need to target a high qualityplayer for that one ticket. Of interest to me is what player position will they be looking at. I am hoping for a small forward. Say six-seven to six-nine, left handed,who loves to go to the basket shoot and rebound. Oh, sounds like a Nate Linhart clone. I would highly pleased with a recruit in the mold of Nate.

Read carefully what was written May 6th. Pay particular attention to the third line. Do you see the hidden message now?

SK, I think I provided a good amount of new information.The coaches do not want details of their unfinished schedule published yet. Thus, names of opponents are not provided. Pointing out that playing VCU late in the OOCschedule is valuable data. And, it verifies that our coaches are wise. The upcoming team will be YOUNG. They need some easy games early to "jell". KD promisedthat the future schedule will be a lot tougher. Based on games already scheduled beyond the 2008-2009 season this is born out. Why do you require names?Here is a nice tip you can think about. The recent success of the basketball program has led to potential opponents contacting the Zips. This was not happeningpreviously. I asked about playing UMass. I thought that UMass would not play Akron. Truth is that UMass may appear on the Zip's schedule in the future.A fun exercise is pondering just who among the incoming freshmen is likely to be red shirted. This is a lot tougher than it first seems.My post was intended to generate interest as well as provide some information on what is happening.

The stadium cams are not doing justice regarding the progress on the stadium. I drove down the street along side of the fieldhouse today. The hole is at least thirty feet deep. What looks like outer retaining walls give a nice visual effect of theoverall size and shape of the stadium. Truly impressive.

While the waters seem to be still in Zippyland a lot is happening in men's basketball these days.First off, if you see any of the current players ask them to show you their freshly awarded NIT watches. Enough bling to use as a boat anchor. Congratulations team.Next, for the first time I can recall, the scheduling is ahead of schedule. Pleased to, that some future scheduling (beyond next season) is happening.Tickled to death that the possible game at the Q against a "huge" opponent is a one for one deal. That amazes me considering the opponent to be named later.Chatted with Brett "Bee" McKnight. He is looking strong. Great attitude this kid (man?) has. Truly personable like the rest of his family.Long term objectives and plans for men's basketball are being hammered out. Not my place to reveal just what they are. You will like what is in the mix.Next year's schedule is two thirds complete. Once again the deck is stacked with some "bought" home games. Best move I saw is that we do not play VCU untilthe eighth game of the out of conference schedule. Got some heady, wise thinkers in the basketball offices. Be glad to get YSU off the schedule. We go there thisyear. While KD may like playing local teams, YSU has such a horrific RPI that we will be hearing the same old rubbish about our strength of schedule. Hopefully the games being lined up for 2009-2010 will cure that.Pray for young Trevor Weigand. There is a fund raising pancake breakfast for him on Saturday, May 17 at the Chapel in Marlboro. Details will be forth coming.

Drove down Exchange past the new Odd Corner location.Why was he complaining? The new location is an amazing improvement over that rat hole they were in before.

Now, this truly makes me proud to be a Zip.My Dad, God rest his soul, died of pancreatic cancer.

I notice that the whole "what is Zeke going to do" has become very, very quiet.Now that Florida and Kentucky, among others, is in the mix a lot of re-think appearantly is going on.Still, as I walked on campus today I thought I heard a very, very faint beginning of the "I Believe" chant.Zeke's Mom , keep feeding that darn lasanga.

This whole smelly mess sounds like the old shell game of addition by subtraction.Overall, its pretty easy to sign five foot three and five foot four guards. A guard under five foot eight better be a four star to have any hope of contributing.Similar shell game signing a five-eleven small forward. The norm is six-one.My guess, the Lady Zips remain mired in the pits.

The girl from Sandusky signed with Florida State.

Greetings from sunny, sunny southern California. Ahaheim is great place to be this time of year. Or any time of yearwhen you are on an all expenses paid job trip for a week. This Residence Inn is first class. Bless the folks at AT&T fortreating me so well. Eat your heart out Hawai'ian Z.I.P.Couple of things to say. First and foremost, to Zeke's Mom, we all love Zeke. He has such a great potential especiallyif you keep feeding him that lasanga. The Zips thrive on lasanga.Second, Mom, do not let the kat out of the bag. Its fun watching all the speculation about the game planned for the Q.I do believe that you know who the opponent is. Sssshhhh .....!!!! Tantalizing isn't it?Third, a while back I encountered a talented young basketball player on the Akron campus. My foggy old brain failedto realize that he had just finished four great years as a stud player at Walsh University. So, Brandon Weems is NOTa potential future Zip. I am dumber than I look.

The Men's Basketball Awards and Recognition Picnic must be considered an overwhelming success.The dress was suppose to be casual (I wore jeans and a Fear da Roo Tee), but, many folks over dressed like they were attending a wake. KD said to make the next oneCASUAL. The four dollar beers at the open bar seemed to go well. My fussy date just loves gin and tonics made with enough Rose's lime juice to make them into a sour. Thebartender accommodated her request quite well. Bravo.Plenty of pre buffet chat and mingling.Jeremy Sallee's lady stole the show. She is one beautiful young lady. And, mind you, sweet as a cherry. Congrats Jeremy.Plenty of kudos to go around for the players. The Rowdies presented the five seniors wth framed versions of the individual signs that were often displayed all season.Nice touch and well executed.The five seniors spoke. Ced choked on heartfelt tears that brought the room to a standing ovation.J Wood strongly hinted that he WILL be playing at the next level. I hope so.To me, the best part was not basking in the after glow of a 24-11 season which included a takedown of an arrogant ACC team on their home court in the NIT. No, thebest part was the glimpse into the future. No incoherent babble of some grand palace to play in. Rather a look at next season's OOC schedule, partially completed,whetted my appetite for more Zips basketball.A series with Mississippi State was announced. Monies being provided to "buy" two or three home games ala last season when the Zips "bought" games with Wyoming,NC Central and NC A&T. The big hit being a teaser about playing a HUGE name opponent in the Fall at Quicken Loans Arena. While I know who that opponent is Iwill let others reveal who they are. Just suffice to say that they are only a nice bus ride away for when we go play at their house.

While I enjoy soccer and have a rudimentary understanding of the game I still get puzzled about the intricacies.I think that others are like me. Not fully understanding the game. But, as a Zips fan our interest grows because the Zips are a high visibility winning program.The attendance appears to be growing year by year. Some home games, especially Ohio State and Indiana pack the house. In general, marquee names draw.The Zips seem to play a fair number of quality out of conference opponents.I speculate that while soccer probably does not generate sufficient money to "run in the black", men's soccer must be fairly close to covering. A new stadium andcontinued success on the pitch should lead to financial success. Thus, economically speaking, a new or improved stadium is a cost/benefit plus and should be built.Obviously the Mid-American conference is teetering on losing more schools willing to invest in men's soccer. Thank Title IX for this mess. Also, the long term continualsuccess of Akron dominating the conference is influencing other schools. Akron looks to them as a mountain they can not afford to compete with. Thus, the MACas a soccer conference with an automatic bid is likely to soon be a thing of the past.Currently only five MAC schools participate in men's soccer. The conference's automatic bid is hanging by a thread. Hartwick joined as men's soccer only participanttwo years ago. How long they will stay is a matter of some speculation. An opening in an eastern region conference may find Hartwick a past member of the MAC.The University of Kentucky joined the MAC in men's soccer only a few years back. Kentucky reasoned that the MAC provided an easy way to get an NCAA bid yearafter year. But, Kentucky ran into the Akron mountain. Success eluded Kentucky. So, Kentucky opted to move to C-USA where the opportunities to get an NCAAbid are vastly easier than what they found in the MAC.How long will the MAC have enough teams to retain their automatic bid? Time will tell. The Zips need to be looking to a new conference for men's soccer only. With the recent demise of men's soccer at Western Kentucky an opening now exists in theMissouri Valley Conference. Akron's options are not limited to just the MVC. The Big Ten is powerful soccer conference. Akron frequently plays four to six Big Tenteams annually. Akron offers a powerhouse team that would improve the Big Ten's chances of getting multiple bids, ala the Big East.

Kyle Peterson just might not be the last preferred walk-on added to the team.I saw a young man today on campus who is a well known area HS basketball player.

Please correct me if I am wrong. Here is what I speculate. The current roster has twelve players listed. Two are seniors. That leaves ten scholarship players.The signed incoming class consisted of four new freshmen (fresh women to you PC folks). That totals fourteen scholarships. Women's basketball allowsa total of FIFTEEN scholarship players (men is only 13). Thus, there was an open scholarship all along. Such scholarships are often held in reserve just incase a player as sweet as this young lady turn up unexpectedly.Thus, do not read into this that anyone currently on the team is gone.

Cap'n, I am in complete agreement with you. Six-seven Ray Chambers is a stud player worthy of playing Division one ball. Several D-I schools have eitheroffered or shown high interest in Ray. Chambers is a senior this year. Which means he would be a freshman in college in the Fall. From what I read about him a few weeks ago he has not successfullypassed his ACT. Typical of some kids, his school work is satisfactory, but has struggled with the ACT.If any one cares to do the research I think you will find me singing praises about Ray as early as January including questioning coach Dambrot on the air duringone of the spaghetti fest luncheon buffets.He is not likely to "walk on". Chambers has scholarship offers from Wright State and probably Ohio U and Miami of Ohio. This means that a current scholarshipplayer at Akron would have to vamoose. I think it is safe to say that at least one player is considering seeking his fame and fortune some where other than Akron.

I wonder how many folks realize just how close the Zips were to the prize.A few breaks, a few less injuries, a couple of youngsters stepping up a tad better and the scenario changes in a truly positive direction.The Zips were close, really close to kicking the door down. In fact, they were so close that people beyond the local world now recognize Akron as a player. CoachDambrot and his staff have elevated this program to a level where the goal is in sight. That goal being to be the Gonzaga of the East. The NIT performance surelysells the program far better than Cant's "one and done" did for them.A comment a UMass fan made to me toward the end of the Akron-UMass game was, "how on Earth did you guys lose to Cant State"? The several UMass fans I talkedwith were impressed and encouraging. They all would love to see a series between the two schools. I think that so would we.Two notes about the UMass game. UMass has their pep band play when the opponent is attempting to inbound the ball. Nasty. It even cost the Zips a timeout (to whichtheir fans loudly cheered). The UMass announcer drones on with game statistics while an opposing player is attempting free throws. Of course, he is silent when their player was at the line. Nasty.UMass was truly the best opponent Akron faced all season. They really are an excellent team. The Zips gave an excellent account of themselves. Notice that UMassused the same spirited blitz tactic to over come a twenty-two point deficit at Syracuse. UMass has a lot of talented athletes. Hats off to the Zips for standing up.In my limited understanding I saw this as the best season by an Akron team since the team that went to the NCAA's in the late eighties.Congratulation to coach Dambrot, his staff and especially to the players for a wonderful, fulfilling season.

There will always remain the strong possibility that coach Dambrot might move on. Perhaps this is good as it keeps the administration and the fans on their toes.Twenty years ago a foolish administration let a great coach "move on" simply because they had their eyes focused on football. It is a bitter mistake that the university needs to have permanently stuck in their craw. It was and remains a stupid blunder by short sighted idiots. This should never happen again. If coachever gets the fidgets the administration best make sure that the price another school pays to gain his services is so costly that only fools would try.Pay the staff well, not just the head coach, but the assistants as well. And I say this for ALL sports. The best teams have great assistants. Akron lost a great assistant in Shaka Smart. Fortunately, coach Dambrot was able to gain the services of Jeff Boals. How longAkron can keep him depends a lot on how well he and other assistants are paid. Its a money game.

Like most Zips fans, I hate Cant State.That being said, I congratulate Jim Christian for his tenure at our hated rival where he excelled. I wish him success at Texas Christian. May he have the courage toschedule both Akron and Cant in the near future. As a victim of the snubs the MAC has repeatedly had over the years by former MAC coaches perhaps he will reversethe tendency to ignore the MAC as so many others have when they "moved up".It is in Akron's best interest that Cant State and other MAC schools continue to be strong opponents. The success of the conference depends on solid competition, notwimpy, whiney also rans. Akron's role is to get better. We certainly have a coach capable of elevating the Zips. In fact, Keith Dambrot has done just that.Several weeks ago the Beacon Journal beat writer criticized Akron as a team that played well enough to get to the big game, but could not finish. This year's Zipsproved him wrong. While the Zips went down in flames to what was then an outstanding Can't State squad, they recovered in the NIT. Florida State on the road was a hugewin for the program. The solid performance again on the road at UMass proved that coach Dambrot was right. The Zips can compete with anybody. And, they will.

First off, every one is entitled to their own opinions. Second, as some one stated, this a farewellthread. To me, that means express your own views positive or negative.In my opinion, these players, starters and role players were terrific. I love them all. Eachcontributed with their hearts as much as their skills.Were there failures? Of course, so what? The final outcome was that this team gave thebest Akron performance since the 1986 team of a different era. A pack of most delightfulover-achievers. God bless them all in their future endeavors.The future years will take care of themselves. The bar has been raised.I for one, strongly believe that coach Dambrot and young players will go beyond this year'sgreat accomplishments.