Captain Kangaroo

Per the PD this Morning I couldn't find the column link, but until someone does, trust me.

I think the best thing to come out of last night's game was the win. After that, it was the Coach showing the fans that he's willing to make changes to improve his chances of winning. Historically, Coach K has been VERY loyal to many of his upper-class players. Last night, for the first time this season, we saw McKnight cruising towards a 2-9 performance....when KD put on the brakes and sat him down. He inserted Digs...who made some mistakes...but brought a ton of energy, rebounding and hall-hawking to the fold. Diggs was allowed to make some mistakes and remain on the floor. And he didn't disappoint. Diggs has a long dribble that's ripe to be picked, but he'll figure it out if he's allowed to continue playing. And I think he will be. I liked PT for Roberts. He's taking care of the ball better than Abreu, DEFENDING BETTER and shooting it better too. I think a reduced role for Abreu is probably welcomed by Alex himself at this point in time. He seemed to be a little more at ease when the bulk of the load wasn't on his shoulders. We all wanted Egner to get some minutes, and he finally got a couple. I hope he continues to see the floor. He can't score like McKnight, but he can rebound and defend. And at this time, we need rebounders and defenders in the low post more than we need offense. McNees gets the weekly "Jawanza Moore Onslaught of Missed Lay ups Award." One guy that won't get it this year is Darryl Roberts. He's close to "money" when he's near the hoop. Bardo was outstanding last night. He played like the bad-ass bruiser we needed him to be. I'd keep giving him minutes. Zeke had a nice game offensively. And altered a bunch of shots. But somehow he needs more rebounds. Getting one against that Side Show Bob impersonator was too few. Still - nice game by the big guy. CMU seems to be a total train wreck right now. it reminds me of the Hipsher era, in the ensuing days after the Andrick fight. They even have a Savior Coach's son?! Elton Alexander (today's PD) took the angle that Zips fans should not clamor for increased PT for our Freshman, because that's what CMU's doing...and it ain't working. I disagree. CMU is a horrible team with a volatile coach and a lot of internal issues. They didn't lose because they were playing a bunch of Freshman...they lost because they are a terrible basketball program. Nice game by Nik last night. He missed his requisite couple bunnies, but otherwise played with a lot of energy and got results. Can't get too high after holding such a crappy team to around 40 points...but I can't complain about a nice win last night either. Good coaching, and good play on the court for the Zippers.

This is very bad for us. I know Andrew's parents, yes he's a very good kid and a hard worker, but in no way is he a D-I recruit. His only offers have been Patriot league schools like Bucknell and Holy Cross. Youngstown State isn't even giving him a look. Looks like we're getting a bit desperate. He sounds like the right size for a linebacker or long snapper. Any chance he is being looked at for those positions? Historically if you look at a lot of our offensive linemen, they were brought in at 245 lbs, and beef up to 300 by their redshirt freshman year. Kemme is a good example. If the kid is athletic, with a good frame, he's fine.

Yet another idea taken from ZipsNation. You're welcome Tom. Good luck with the $1.00 Buck-a-Roo Night..oh, I mean "Dollar Night"... next Wednesday! Next time, please use the name too. Using 1/2 of a good idea is not as good as using all of it.

His tirade was so profane -- How profane was it? The Zips Dance team started dancing to it.

Channeling Vince Hill...are you there, Vince...?

I want Milliken.

We're probably desperate to fill our recruiting class. 4 spots to fill in only a few days. This is probably a sign we aren't pursuing any more JUCOs. I would bet you are completely wrong.

Catching up with Dan racer will like this wun since he wunts to bring back dan. haha.

While I agree with the Cap'n that we really could use a WR with some height, both Russell and Sconiers played well at times for true FR last year. I respectfully disagree. If we had Cherry/Sparks/Irvin, Russell and Sconiers would be 4th and 5th on the depth chart. We need someone the caliber of Schifino, Bailey, Cherry, Sparks, Irvin, Hixon, Arthur etc. What we have now reminds me of Mongomery or Goodwin. We won't win anything if those guys are our in our Top 2 or 3 @ WR. Both are young, so I could be wrong. But I don't think I am.

I dunno...this year's Zips squad doesn't seem to be capable of blowing out any team...at least one that doesn't rhyme with "schmilliken." You're right. With each passing game, my over-optimism about the potential of this edition of the Zips is harshly mocked by their on-court performance. With the NIU game they've proven once again that they are the weakest Zips team in the last six years. They're not a bad team, but just an average one. We fans have been spoiled to having at least slightly above average basketball teams under KD, so just average seems pretty crappy. Realistically, these Zips are not going to do anything extraordinary this season. The most I'm hoping for now is that they somehow squeak their way back into the MAC tournament championship game for the fifth straight year. They will not blow out any team along the way. But they could get lucky and win a few close ones. I'll reserve my optimism for next season. To blow out teams you need to make defensive stops. We can't do that.

Great arena too.

As the Zips Dance Team Coach would say: "F#$K Stats, we are F%$*-ing S-O-F-T!" Brett McKnight drives the lane like every defender is 7' 8" and 389 lbs. Wide open lay ups, and he pulls up from 10 ft. Miss after miss after miss from 1ft. I apologize for getting on Cventinovic for his missed lay ups. McKnight is WAY worse. At least Nik hits 60% of his 1-footers. McKnight hits about 43%, and begs for fouls...while he's FADING AWAY?! Zeke was soft tonight. McKnight was soft. We overplayed on defense like we have all season, leading to numerous easy scoring opportunites for NIU. Silas averages 24 ppg, so against our vaunted "1.7 Multiplier Perimeter Defense" he went for 39. He joins Cooper and Cotton and Kool and....oh, I give up. If you're a scorer and you play against the Zips, you can name your points. McNees panicked when we had PLENTY of time left for a poised come back, tossing up all sorts of wild stuff. Not a 5th year senior performance tonight. Dambrot's technical was a total blunder. We got out of it surrendering only 2 points, but the guy has to compose himself. We had NIU on the ropes, and he broke our momentum and let them off. Beyond that, no need to get a T because the foul disparity was justified! The lazy, slow-footed Zips were reaching, grabbing, pushing...doing everything but playing hard-nose D. This team isn't as talented as those of year's past, but their lack of defensive effort, and offensive poise makes them difficult to enjoy. Unless...we're playing Milliken. Mopped the floor with those sorry bastards...

And the JAR scoreboard operator is officially exposed.

I caught that too. If he was on the fence with regards to continuing his blog coverage of the Zips, you may have just nudged him to stop I wonder what he thinks of Almondo Lemon's chances of getting a pro try out?

I dunno...this year's Zips squad doesn't seem to be capable of blowing out any team...at least one that doesn't rhyme with "schmilliken." Are you suggesting that we put St. Louis on the schedule ? Visit My Website If BG could beat them by 6, I like our chances for a blow-out! It would be fun to play Majerus in the Bracket Buster, but the Billiken's look to be on an OU-esque roll right now. I don't think the planets are aligning.

Coming to theatres near you: Disney ROOligans (in 3-D). Starring the voices of Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. Fun for the whole family! Movie Trailer: "Welcome to Lee Jackson Field, the home of the ROOligans, A place where there are no ROOles, An atmosphere filled with unROOly patrons, A stadium where opponent's seasons are ROOined." (Maybe Tim Allen can play the Firm's boss) Sort of like a Wes Welker press conference?

I dunno...this year's Zips squad doesn't seem to be capable of blowing out any team...at least one that doesn't rhyme with "schmilliken."

Roberts turned it on when Humpty was injured last season. He seems to be a guy that plays measurably better as his minutes increase.

They have on less win than the Zips. Ohio: 8-11 (1-4). six losses at home Akron: 11-8 (2-3). two losses at home OU Fan says - "Score board." That's the bottom line. Like Toledo in years past, OU is a really bad match up for the Zips. Zips fans should pray we don't see OU in the tourney. And - I predict OU will win a home game this season.

They have on less win than the Zips.

+1

Do you typically do this good a job posting superfluous comments simply to weasel some free advertising for your web site or Twitter?

You know how, at Cavs games, they'll put a Michigan logo, or some schlep in the stands wearing a Michigan shirt on the big screen, just to get the crowd to begin booo-ing? Last season I saw the "Jeff Penno Shot" shown on the video screen several times in an attempt to get Zips fans to "boo" when an opponent was at the free throw line. Without a doubt, the most ignorant idea in the world. If you were at that game, and saw that shot go down, it absolutely ripped your heart out. To show the Miami team celebrating on the JAR video screen is consistent with the other inane decisions we've seen this year. ZZZips is correct...stupidity, and no control. I wish we had an AD that was a Zip. When will George Van Horne be ready?

Could it be that Zeke isn't winning his battles for position? Or that he's not calling for the ball? Or that he's not getting in a point guard's ear and letting him know that he's tired of busting his hump on the offensive end for nothing? Zeke needs to be more aggressive. It goes against his nature, but it has to happen. He's a skilled 7-footer in a league full of hamburger post men. It's time to pick up the pace. I saw Zeke play against K.e.n.t. It isn't the same player I've seen the past couple games. I want to see his K.e.n.t. effort more frequently.