Captain Kangaroo

Go to hell, you Suckeye-loving butt munch.

Throw caution to the wind. We should be boldly optimistic. I am going "Kobayashi" on the Zips Basketball Kool Aid. I can't keep up with the Joey Chestnuts of the Zips Kool Aid circuit, but I am drinking more than most.

How's that old line go...something like -- "I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken."

Here you run into trouble. You're here admonishing energized fans about their opinions, and you want to base the cold shower on facts to back up your reservations. I think it's good to be cautious here. You live in NEOH and are a Vikings fan. I get it. We all have big hopes, and some of us are more eager than others to dream big for our guys. Problem here is that your "facts" are categorically and completely inaccurate. The Zips have received AP votes, on multiple occasions under KD. It's not some magic land they've never visited. Is the AP poll a real poll? Two NCAA births in 3 seasons are real, tangible evidence of success. They weren't accidents. I look forward to more. I've got them on. B) Go Zips!! First - Let me clarify that I'm a Minnesota Vikings fan, not a CSU Vikings fan. If the Zips received an AP vote in the "others" category at some point over the last 7 years, I forgot about it. It must have happened back in the Travis-era for a week or two? Not exactly a Butler-esque run, but if true I certainly stand corrected. Assuming there are 22 "poll weeks" per season...over 7 seasons...that's 154 possible weeks in a poll (ran out of fingers and toes on that calculation). If we have 3 weeks on the charts out of 154...I think it is safe to say our street cred is, in the big picture of NCAA basketball, "leaving a lot of room for upside." Especially when compared to Memphis, Butler and the other marquee mid-majors mentioned. I realize I am tossing the smallest of wet blankets on our monumental pre-season run to the Sweet 16, but what the heck...Skip Zip was slacking off, so I had to fill the void.

Memphis and Butler played for National Championships. San Diego State was ranked #2 in the country. We've never received a single vote in any "real" poll, and have two double-digit losses in our only two NCAA appearances this millennium. Newcomers Harney and Treadwell played only one season of high school ball, and sat out last season entirely. Walsh could practice, but he's played really limited game minutes since Moon High in 2008. The MAC can be won with a plucky, mop-haired point guard. "Upper-tier" college basketball isn't so easy. I am fully on-board with the fact that this team will be a blast to watch. That it has huge upside. That we can knock off some previously un-knock-offable programs. But we need to earn street cred before we get ranked, and taken with the seriousness of a VCU, George Mason, Gonzaga, Butler, Memphis, SDSU...even a Saint Mary's or upper-tier MCV program. Those programs have earned their rankings and respect on the court. Until that time, we're just the plucky over-achievers from a slightly-below-mediocre basketball conference.

Lots of exuberant hyperbole posted recently, but this one is pretty over-the-top. I'll give you the past 8-or-so years haven't seen too many eyeball-test teams. But in the 10 years previous, EMU (Dial, Head, Boykins), K.e.n.t (Elite 8 guys), Miami (Sczerbiak, Newble, Davis, etc), OU (Jamerson, Trent, Hunter, and many others), BG (Stacey/McCloud), Ball State (Lonnie Jones, Theron Smith, etc)....all have had some really legit rosters. And won some big games. Even Marshall had some big teams, with VanHoose and Slay. This group of Zips hasn't won anything. In the past, KD's teams have been ones where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Hopefully he can continue that, with the increased talent level. Then we'll have something extra-special. This will probably be KD's toughest year to coach. Dividing minutes will be tough. Zeke's a Junior...he needs to blossom big-time this year. Breaking-through and beating BCS-programs hasn't been done in a long time. I can't remember ever getting a single vote in any "real" basketball poll, let alone Top 25 ranking. A few votes in the "others" section would be an impressive step forward. Lots of milestones can be reached this season, beyond the elusive NCAA tourney win. I dig the excitement and the potential as much as anyone...but let's be real. Best ever...even by only the eyeball test? MAC basketball has a lot more tradition than that.

Shooting from half court? Reminds me of Bubba! Love a 6' 5" shooter. He looks like he'll be fun to watch.

This Internet injury misinformation thing can go both ways. I saw Latina tweet that Zach the Zip sprained his index finger last night while posting a recruit update. Bet Ianello gives him an ear-full.

Love this post. Can't beat intelligent fans who say their team is playing poorly when it is playing poorly...and gush over it when it's playing well. Outside of 4-or-5 posters, I think everyone welcomes your comments here. Actually, other than one, I think everyone does. Thank you for your participation here. I look forward to the December 29th match up. I hope it is picked up by ESPN. It should be a showcase Midmajor match up. Which is of course, the best kind of college basketball match up.

So in light of his responses on the topic, what is your opinion? You knew...EVERYONE knew how BuckZip would respond the the topic. "Zips fans are jealous...Ohio State didn't do anything wrong, etc, etc etc." But worst of all, everyone KNOWS the guy never lets it die. Hence the enless "I know you are but what am I?" Pee Wee Herman responses above. If you are taken aback by my mention of your posts, you have my apology. I meant nothing personal. But asking for BuckZip for perspective on an OSU/Akron issue? Why? Why would he respond any differently than any other similar thread over the past 15 years? It always turns out this way.

I had gained a lot of respect for BuckZip as he kept quiet on ZN.o regarding this topic. Then Trimmy10 typed one of the all-time ill-conceived lines in the history of the board -- "Where is BuckZip for some perspective when you need it?" The flood gates opened, and BuckZip hasn't shut up, defending his Buckeyes on the Zips message board ever since. Thanks for issuing the carte blanche, Trimmy. The facts are as big and fat as any K.e.n.t. cheerleader. There's no debate. The Ohio State football program was run by a hypocrite liar cheat. That's all the perspective you need. Go Zips! Beat The Dirt Bag's Remnants on September 3rd!

What a great opportunity to learn about the program. What a great opportunity WASTED! "We're in helmets, we're going to wear shoulder pads, split squad, maximize..." Save it. B-O-R-I-N-G...Can somebody do there job and get this guy to tell the fans something that gets them excited about the season. Can we hire Emory? He knows how to fire up fans, you know why, because he is fired up. Rob needs to learn how KD excites the fan when someone puts the camera on him. I love listening to KD, I hate listening to Rob. At the minimum, he did say Go Zips?!? Coach I has Archie Bunker like excitement after a day of work. Personally, I don't care what any coach has to say about anything. All I want to see out of this team is some winning. I don't care who does it, which QB does it, which coach does it, etc. I don't even care what their names are, what year they are in or where they come from at this point. Want to get me excited? Win some games. Everything else is meaningless. I agree. But when the guy loses...and he's not even fun to listen to...it makes it all-the-worse. He're hoping for a decent football season, and a coaching personality that shows similar progression.

Coach needs to open his eyes.

I've never seen so much speculation and discussion regarding something so worthless and irrelevant.

I'm a little confused. Some may think baggage is some sort of emotional problem. However, when I think of a kid from WV and baggage, a stick with a red rag full of his personal belongings slung over his shoulder comes to mind. Please clarify. The kid had accolades that typically net a "bigger-school" offer. But the Zips were his only D-1 opportunity. Sometimes, grades...sometimes bad attitude...sometimes an arrest...all those scenarios are familiar to upper-tier players that land on MAC rosters. You know that, GP1. He was 17 when he signed with the Zips. Maybe hanging around 23 year old players was too much for him? Maybe all the losing beat him down. Who knows. I do know he was suspended from the program last season. He was an impressive player in his time with the Zips. He showed good size, and good hands. He seemed to be capable of living up to his billing. It is a shame he is gone. He had a lock on the TE position for 3 years.

Since he was suspended for the final 2 games of last season, I'll question that one.

You always wonder how a "West Virginia HS Defensive POTY" ends up with the Zips. Now you know...he has "baggage." Add him to the long list of too-good-too-be-true Zip recruits. Marcus Sanders...EJ Lilley...Nate Robinson...David Harvey...Derrick Tarver...

If you were looking for an Ianello Pipeline, it looks like he's got one running from Warren Harding to Akron.

Those are 10 questions Michael Beaven should be answering for me.

How many C's are in a Serbian Scrabble game? 90? It should be worth 0.3, not 3.

Outstanding! It looks like he'll be joining his Serbian squad in POOL B for the games. It'll be interesting to see how he does. Hopefully this will help him in preparing for BOTH the 2011-2012 Zip season AND his subsequent European career. I hope the Serb coach teaches him the art of the lay up. He'll increase is scoring average by 6ppg this season if he can consistently make the 2-ft bank shot.

FWIW - Brian Wagner went to a D-6 high school. He competes pretty well on the D-1 level. I recall Hipsher recruit Kevin Covert. He averaged 32ppg in high school, and was totally overwhelmed in his short stint @ UA. Brian Wood was Colorado's all-time leading scorer. He couldn't get a shot off at the D-1 level. But times are different today. The AAU circuit gives small school kids the ability to play, and be evaluated against, top-tier competition. I am sure Justice can ball.

What is the highest ppg any KD-era player has averaged for a single college season? Without looking, I'll say 13.8ppg. I think is is safe to say Justice won't get close to 20ppg. But I think we have a chance to be successful in 2011-12 anyhow.

Based upon what I saw on the field last year, it is pretty easy to make a case that we had scrubs for receivers. I'll be sure to inform some people who evaluate football talent for a living that they've completely screwed up by showing an interest in these two "scrubs". And since we've gotten this good news about two of our former receivers in the last few days, couldn't one conclude that these guys may have had much better numbers if they had a QB who would have delivered the ball to them with any kind of remotely reasonable consistency? It's a much stronger argument when you turn it around the other way, considering the facts. Should I sit back now and wait for a return to the "then it must have been our OL" argument? I can't wait until Nicely gets a mayfly look in 2013 Browns camp.

Based upon what I saw on the field last year, it is pretty easy to make a case that we had scrubs for receivers.