Captain Kangaroo

Baseless Internet Speculation actually a job now-a-days. I think Zach is working on his Masters on that very subject. Here's my blog - "Dambrot isn't going to Duquesne." CK

The listing of HS Juniors is something I've never seen before. Nice job, GT. Hope some of the games are scheduled later, so fall kids sports don't affect my Saturday tailgating.

Egner: Needs to get a lot stronger in the off season to have any chance of PT in 2012-13. How will he lift weights with a bad back? Ibitayo: Long arms, and a long shot for meaningful minutes in 2012-13. He was very overmatched in his limited PT this season. Maybe due to injury, but my gut says he's a major project. Maybe a Conyers-like development curve. Justice: I predict he's a surprise contributor for 2012-13, assuming he can hit the open 3. Look at OU's build - A bunch of guards who can nail 3-pointers. Justice could be our Kellog/Offutt? Betancourt: Biggest addition for 2012-13. Any 2011-12 guard other than Abreu dribbled and passed like their hands we on fire. Diggs will really benefit from Melo's addition. McAdams: I agree. Redshirt. I think he'll be a Linhart-type player. Tough kid, just needs to get stronger for D1 college hoops. Kretzer: I agree - Redshirt. Great potential, but no room on the floor this season

Wasn't the culmination of his "progress" a 66-5 deficit in the 3rd quarter of his final game?

OU is committed to winning basketball. Look at Larry Hunter...the guy had a career record of 204-148 @ OU, was 19-11 in his final season, and they fired him. Basketball expectations are high in Athens. Their next coach will be very good. Bank on it.

I find it fascinating, the difference in hiring a coach in Champaign/Chicago vs. Akron. Wistercil can hire an absolute clown for a football coach in 2009, and other than the 16-or-so people on this site, no one threw a fit. No one even noticed. Ok, Terry Pluto wanted Paul Winters, but he's written that one 38 times. Conversely, the Chicago Tribune prints a column decrying the potential Groce hire. And he's a GREAT coach. It is really un-Akron.

He makes Geno Ford look like a booger.

That is the best thing you can do. I used to attend practices several years ago when DL Morgan was the Zips beat writer. With about 2 minutes remaining in the practice, Morgan would show up, ask Brookhart a question or two after everything was done, and then leave. The next day, MAYBE there'd be a line or two in the sports section...the same quotes you'd read 20 hours earlier on GoZips.com. Conversely, Michael Holley used to do an outstanding job of talking Zips football. I wish some of his old columns were available, but that was pre-internet days. Regardless, he was always a fun, insightful read that made you feel you were at the practice. I looked forward to the Beacon every morning. Be like Mike, George.

Isn't it possible to be a dual threat QB who makes good decisions, understands the offense and is accurate?

It is unfortunate that the ignorant sports fans & writers grossly outnumber the intelligent, free-thinking ones. It would be interesting to see what David Haugh thought about Bruce Weber when his Illinois team reached the NCAA finals. Was he leaning towards a contract extension, or did he know Weber was destined for a mediocre career conclusion in Champaign? I'll guess he probably leaned towards an extension. Funny how hindsight makes some people experts. Now we see this writer rail on Groce...a guy whose career he's researched for roughly 38 seconds. Groce's Ohio University, not Ohio State teams have whipped Georgetown, beat Michigan and beat USF in the NCAA tourney during their last 2 appearances. Take a look at the post season results of all MAC basketball programs over the past several years and tell me how impressive that is to have on your resume. It's a hell of a lot more impressive than winning NCAA tourney games coming from the CAA, Horizon or MVC. Keith Dambrot is a great basketball coach. Won 20+ games per season for 7...8 consecutive seasons (I forget offhand)? And recently, Groce has owned him. The Zips last 2 trips to Athens bear witness to the most uncompetitive beatdowns of those respective Akron Basketball seasons. If Haugh wants to boil things down to a single shot, like Walsh's miss, than why not use the identical logic on Offutt's free throw? Groce could just as easily been in the Elite 8 as the NIT? Whether or not Groce is a Big10-level coach depends on how stupid you are, and what you want to believe. As previously stated, Mike Thomas made one bad hire - JD Brookhart (his first hire as an AD). And that guy won Akron's only MAC football championship. Mike Thomas knows how to evaluate coaching talent. He has a proven record of elevating and sustaining excellence in collegiate athletic programs. He will find Illinois a great Head Basketball Coach. And that guy is probably John Groce.

I believe "offense" was the other primary problem for the Zips last season. Special teams was next.

The worst coaching hire in Mike Thomas' career still won a MAC football championship. He's a great AD.

I would vote for Cventinovic squaring up for the 3-pointer, and the home crowd screaming "NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" as my #1.

Comparing the national notoriety of the Green Bay Packers to the Akron Zips is obviously not my point. At least I thought that was obvious. To be clear, my point is - Regular season titles are nice, but winning in the post-season, at any level of sports, in any sport, is what your team's success is ultimately judged by. What is the stereotype of Marty Schottenheimer - Never made a Super Bowl despite always having great regular seasons? He's a notch below Marv Levy, who whiffed in 4 consecutive Super Bowls. What's the stereotype of LeBron? Until he wins a playoff championship, he's just another great player who couldn't win the big one. Ditto Dan Marino. Keith Dambrot is correct in saying the MAC regular season title is Nice. Winning it on K.e.n.t.'s court was really nice. But would a Zips' fan trade it for a 1st round NCAA win against Michigan? In an f-ing heartbeat.

Who had the better season?: Green Bay Packers: 15-1, best record in the NFL NY Giants: 9-7 regular season, Super Bowl Championship Dambrot said it, Cventinovic, Abreu and other players said it too - "Winning the MAC Regular Season Championship is 'the little prize.' Winning the MAC Tournament and getting the NCAA bid is 'The Big Prize'."

If Groce won the NIT, and Dambrot made it to the Sweet 16, who would get the Illinois job? Seriously - Groce's resume, with 3 NCAA wins, dwarfs KD's. Groce is being considered for Big 10 jobs. MAC coaches with 20-win seasons, and zero noteworthy post-season wins get consideration for lower-level MVC jobs. Not Big10 jobs.

But the results haven't markedly changed. So did Nate Linhart I think the list of games where a Zips player played well and we lost is pretty long. If he was a 20-10 player this year...wow, would we have had a hell of a season. I appreciate your point of view. Next year should be awesome, with Zeke being a senior, and replacing Nitro and Nik's minutes with more Tree and Harney (& others). But I'm an old guy now. I've grown tired of potential...I've heard about it since Ball and Bosley graced the JAR floor. It is time for potential to be realized. Moderator Note: I screwed up. As a moderator I have the ability to edit any post. I accidentally edited G-Mann's post rather than "Reply." Once I hit "enter" the original was gone. My sincere apologies.

While this is a Zeke thread, my comments are more "team" comparison oriented. That said - This year was the Zips 1st outright regular season MAC Basketball Championship. Teams of the past 3 seasons have 1 NCAA appearance...same as the teams from 4-6 years ago. Yes, the schedule was more difficult this season. But we lost the bulk of those more-difficult games. "Potential simply means you haven't done it." This Zips era/team has potential, but they haven't done much to separate themselves from their predecessors.

I will play devil's advocate. And please, I would appreciate it if no one freaks out and twists my words here (a plea that I am certain will fall on deaf ears): Compare what we won in the three seasons prior to Zeke, with the three seasons w/Zeke. BCS wins. Tourney wins. Overall record. Throw in team graduation rates if you so choose. Where's the difference? "A lot of what he does can't be measured?" - Yes it can: wins. We're winning at the same level today as we were 3 seasons ago. Differently style, but the end result is essentially identical. We did win "The Little Prize" for the first time this year (as described by KD and Nik after we beat K.e..n.t.). But the group from 4-6 years ago won post-season games. Points for discussion. Feel free to discuss.

Xerox wishes they could copy so good.

In anticipation of his arrival in Akron, I'm working on a song. It goes somethig like this -- "Jose Jose, oh, oooh, you can block. Yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah" "Jose Jose, oh, oooh, K.e.n.t. State sucks ______" Rats. I'm stuck there...what rhymes with block? Stupid writers block.

Ah, but there is so much time remaining to re-hash!

Jose and O’Leary apparently exchanged words a few days prior to spring break and the conversation escalated into an argument, although Jose would not say what the two argued about. I'll guess they argued about whether or not Jose is over 4 bills.

"March" In like a lion (Mississippi State), out like a lamb (lost 5 of our last 8).

I see the tears streaming down my son's face after the OU game. Then he collapses in the living room last night when Abreu's shot falls short. And people wonder why kids cheer for Ohio State instead of the Zips? People wonder "Why are our fans are so terrible?" Being a Zips fan ain't easy.