Captain Kangaroo

"Everyone does it." "Everyone cheats...he just got caught." Blah blah blah... Jim Tressel KNEW his players committed a MAJOR NCAA violation. Jim Tressel played student athletes who should have been on suspension in order to win a game. Jim Tressel is a cheat. A liar. A phony. Early in 2010 there was an article in the Plain Dealer detailing 17 secondary recruiting violations by Ohio State. I never posted that article here because minor stuff goes on everywhere. I could care less about a text or two that occurred in a non-contact period, or an Ohio State alum trying to sway a recruit to Columbus. In your warped world Tressel can do no wrong. Writers don't research. You make up your own reality. You cope with your hero's downfall through the same rationalizations that people do whenever a charismatic fraud is exposed. OJ could still get a foursome after he killed 2 people. Jimmy Swaggart could still fill a church after skanking it up. And Tressel will still have plenty of sheep to follow him. Tressel knowingly played ineligible players. That's as big a cheat as there is. If you look the other way, I can only say "Baaaa....baaaaa."

Rationalize all you want...Tressel is a sham. A liar. A cheat. He's Jimmy Swaggart...Jim Baker...insert whatever other phony baloney religious charlatan you want. He's exposed big time, baby. It is fact. I guarantee he doesn't end up at BYU after he's fired.

Best column I've read from the Beacon in a long, long time. Jason Lloyd won't be in Akron for long...dude's got mad skills.

You are correct. But no coach in Ohio would have the balls to call Tressel out.

It's not the first time.... Actually, he's spot on. Dambrot changed his ways by taking on transfers and guys with questionable academics for the first time since he has been here in an effort to make the team/program better. Basically, he is doing what you all want him to do - do what he needs to do to take this team to the next level, even if it means changing his ways of recruiting. The problem is - as Zach pointed out - you aren't even waiting to see how these guys pan out. I've liked what I've seen of Diggs, and we have Treadwell, Harney, Gilliam, and Walsh waiting in the wings for 2011-2012. All of these guys are very, very different from most previous KD recruits...how about we wait and see what happens with them? I've always said that Dambrot does more with less talent than other MAC teams. Let's see what happens when he gets some raw but high-ceiling talent that's taller and more athletic next year. I always enjoy when people paraphrase what I wrote in an original post and act like it is their own thought.

If our sack-o-crap March defense shows up, we will lose. K.e.n.t. scored on 21 of 23 second half possessions! And we scored at a good clip too, so we had plenty of time to get back on defense?! The OU and K.e.n.t. games really scared the crap out of me. I never thought this Zips team was awesome, but I never thought they were capable of playing so poorly. Did any of those K.e.n.t. guards that drove the lane so effortlessly ever get knocked down? Nik and Brett McKnight drive the lane and avoid contact like the opposing center has leprosy. Conversely, opponents can drive on us with no fear of getting brushed, let alone knocked on their @ss. We could lose by 15 tonight if Dambrot hasn't addressed our defensive issues.

It's not the first time....

Tressel: “There’s a gut-wrenching feeling when you lose a game and you know you could’ve done better,” he continued later. “And then there’s one that goes beyond when you don’t feel as if you did what you should do as people." Sounds like that "beyond" feeling is something he knows about first-hand?

K.e.n.t. is a hippie school in the middle of a cornfield, and they have no problem finding one 20-game winner after another.

Former Zips fullback gets Elyria Hall of Fame enshrinement. Tough SOB back in the Faust era.

What I would LIKE to think is -- KD himself was not satisfied with how things were progressing...hence why he sort of blew things up at the end of last season. It remains to be see what Walsh, Gilliam, Treadwell, Harney, Justice, etc bring to the table. They're all supposed to be above the level of player we've become accustomed to seeing. Supposed to be.... I have been fooled in the past by alleged "savior" recruits and transfers (Hipsher, Tarver, Conyers, Carson...the list is long) so I am beyond leery of upcoming "New KD Era." But he made the change...the "Tiny Guard Era" seems to be over. I guess we all need to see how it plays out on the court. More so than any other time, it will be interesting to see how KD coaches @ The Q. All the top teams are of equal talent. Strategy and substitutions are HUGE this year. That, and motivating his guys to cease with their uncanny Loyola Marymount defensive impersonation.

Sounds exactly like a guy that can't win basketball games.

I typically get a ticket from a random scalper near the arena for $10. It always seems insane to me to pay $35 for a seat, when you can sit anywhere you want for $10.

I like the Zips' confidence! UA Athletics again will partner with Cadillac Ranch (located at 200 Euclid Avenue in downtown Cleveland and within walking distance of The Q) to serve as its official fan headquarters throughout the week of the tournament. Cadillac Ranch will offer a variety of food and drink specials to patrons who are wearing Zips attire.

Looking at the PD today, I see we actually let K.e.n.t. waltz their way to scoring on 21 of 23 consecutive possessions!? That is the worst defensive stretch I can recall in the history of Zips basketball. And for it to come against K.e.n.t. is boarderline unforgivable. What happened to the team I saw in February? Fool's Gold, I guess... My final comment on that game.

I fear sub 1000.

Zeke played an excellent game, as did Diggs. Roberts was tough too. After that...blech. We played soft SOFT SOFT on defense. Inside and outside. I think at one point K.e.n.t. scored on 18 of 20 consecutive second half possessions! How the hell is that possible?! This Zips team is like the playground bully. We play weaker teams...the kind you can intimidate and they immediately fork over their lunch money, and we whup 'em. We play a team that fights back and punches us in the nose, and all of the sudden we hear our mom calling us, and we sprint off the playground. What is the deal with Zeke kicking the ball out when he's in perfect position for his 8-foot baseline hook? I don't get it? He's had 10 looks at that shot over the past 2 games and he's kicked it out every time. KD MUST give him the green light to take that shot! None of the lessons learned in February stuck. We're back to rotating late on defense and letting our opponent do whatever they please. We'll have a short stay in Cleveland if the guys keep their February Defense tucked-away in the closet.

Reminds me of a funny story -- When my son was 5 years old he had a writing assignment - "Write two things you love and two things you hate." For "Hate," he wrote (in kindergarten kid crayon): Bees and K.e.n.t If I can ever find that paper, I'll scan it and post it. It still cracks me up.

Homecoming Queen:

I really hope we're up for the task tonight. The OU game was on the internet...this one is an ESPN2 broadcast. Put on a show, Zeke!! K.e.n.t. is YOUR game!! As Chris Berman would chant: "Prime Time...Prime Time...Prime Time..."

My old college roommates were from Indian Valley, Newcomerstown and Dover. If you can't beat 'em, join 'em.

Here's a trip down memory lane --

The 5' 2" OU kid that was on the court at game's end was not a starter.

My first...and possibly final basketball overview of the season - The Captain is looking to construct a brick pizza oven in his back yard this summer, and sourced some materials from a foundry in Urichsville. I parlayed the plant visit into an excuse to go the extra 2 hours to Athens West Virginia and watch the surging Zips. Didn't work out as I'd hoped.... The drive was simple. 77S to West Virginia, hang a right, and you're there. From Northern Summit County, roughly a 3 hour trek. All highway...72MPH. I'd never been to the Convo for a game. It's a great facility, and was 1/2 full for OU's senior night...which equates to a packed house at the JAR. The game itself was almost an exact replica of OU/Akron game #1. OU kicked our butts in every phase of the game. Obviously OU sees UA as more of a rival than the Zips view OU. The Bobcats were ready to battle...the Zips were ready for Milliken. Maybe. What was most striking to me in this game was our absolute invisibility in the paint. The 40-21 rebounding differential pegs the Desire-o-Meter in OU's favor. Every missed shot was fought for by two OU players, and you hardly saw a white jersey within 5 feet them. Our defense was the proverbial Chinese Fire Drill the entire night...guys running around, out of position, arms flailing futilely as OU methodically picked us apart inside-and-out. The epic scoring drought returned. Boooooo. Everyone was stone cold. It was so bad at one point that, when McClanahan drained a late three, the O-Zone kids politely clapped. Sure, 1/2 of them were clapping sarcastically...but many of them were simply compelled to try and be nice. A bad sign for McNees is when he's missing his warm up shots. The ball came off his fingers differently every time. He was destined to have a bad night from the moment the OU senior's parents left center court. Ironically he had as many points as DeVaughn Washington's mom. To be fair -- he had one more assist. Alex Abreu doesn't fear the roo, but he sure does Fear the Coop. DJ Cooper is fun to watch. And when he sees Alex Abreu guarding him, his eyes light up. Cooper looked for his shot all night, and when he played off the ball he always had it delivered in his sweet spot. No Zip could guard Cooper last night, but when Abreu was on him, you could see him kick it to another level. Likewise, Alex's facial expressions grew increasingly worried as the night wore on. And wear on it did... The refs stunk. Charges were called on the Zips at the offensive end, and blocks were called (on us) at the defensive end. That was, until the point differential became large enough that the refs felt they could begin calling it evenly. That said, like in 99% of the games, the refs in no way decided the outcome of this one...OU put the wood to us with a savage brutality. Speaking of brutality....KD tortured me by calling 3 time outs in the final minute. Or was he punishing his players...interestingly, none of whom were named Peterson, Oldham or Euton? Or was he messing with the inept refs (I think the old coot is the Athens Mayor during the day)? Regardless, I arrived at home really really late this morning. After a great February run, the Zips forgot what got them to the point where they were vying for a Championship. OU out-coached, out-fought, out-executed and out-everythinged the Zips. We needed to put forth a supreme effort to beat OU on senior night, and we dropped a deuce on center court. Bummer of a trip...except for my sweet front row seats. Off to K.e.n.t. A win over those smelly bastards and all is right with the world.

Both MAC centers. Both 7-foot. Both in the same relative era (not comparing anyone to Wayne Embry or Nate Thurmond). I think the comparison is valid, at least to people who know basketball. Check out John Edwards' stats. Another valid comparison. Another recent MAC 7-foot center who played in the NBA. Zeke's stats are better. Beyond that stated above, my original post highlights Kaman's production growth from year #2 to year #3. It was clearly not a comparison of their respective Sophomore seasons. Check back with me next season at this time, and I'll show you that Zeke's ppg and rpg will have doubled from his Sophomore season. And you will have learned.