Captain Kangaroo

From what I understand, the NCAA declared several hundred AK-Rowdies "fanatically ineligible" for the first semester. Assuming finals go well...and fingers are crossed on this one...there should be a major influx of Rowdies arriving soon.

Odd that "OU" and "high" appear in the same sentence? Probably the first time ever?

We shall see. If he does regain eligibility, great. I know no one is banking on him. I also hear Jermain Lindsay is hoping to play for the Zips this fall. He's likewise trying to get his academics in order. And likewise -- I know no one is banking on him. It is a bonus if it happens.

Word on the street is Ryan Gardner has committed to the Zips. Unconfirmed at this time....but looks good.

All credit to ZFF for the find!! I'm just starting to get the 2008 recruiting stuff in order. I missed it. Too damn busy lately....

Click for StatsNot on Rivals or Scout yet...but trust me. 6' 6", 289lbs. :blink:

Terry Pluto would. He LOVED Crawford. After the chair beatings, drop-outs, gun charges and 20-loss seasons, I'll never forget Pluto writing his "Underdog" column. I'd take Crawford back...in the same University capacity as Gerry Faust. Crawford was, and probably still is, as solid a man as you'll ever meet. But he was a bad head coach.

Anything that keeps Akron from turning into "Youngstown" is a very good thing.

And Winthrop will rise....

GP1, can you confirm this?Frenchy mentioned it in the pregame.

I disagree. We have four seniors who log major minutes. Despite the aforementioned guard issues, we shouldn't be getting outscored 23-3 in the final 4:46 of any game. I don't buy the "learning process" with this team. Next year...when we only have 1 senior and a bunch of Fr's and Soph's? I'll buy it...sorta.Sub .500 from the FT line? Stiffs from the crowd shoot better than that during the Zips halftime promotions?People say the MAC can't get an at-large bid. Maybe...maybe not. We'll never know if we blow "marquee" games like this. Looking at how we closed out the 1st half...Quade pulls a "Jacquemain"...we're up four with 2.6seconds left and he tosses a perfect spiral out of bounds? CJ11's decision-making at the end of the UConn 1st half may have been trumped? The Linhart goes "Tim Crouch" on us and gets flagged for the hold with 2.6 seconds left? Instead of being up 4 to 7 points at half, we're only up two. We couldn't have botched the end of either half any better if we tried.Dials shoots 29% and 22% in games where our opponent begins with a "W." For his sake, thankfully we don't play Wofford next.In my opinion, this loss makes the Dayton game pretty much a "must win" if we want any chance of a post-season berth...should we falter @ The Q.

Click 4 Winthrop Hoops Home page

Click for Eagle BanterNot too much interest in tonight's game?

How do you know? He could really be 136 lbs? Hey -- If he's 149 lbs and getting D1 scholarship offers, I'm guessing he's a Holy Terror. It is fun to watch guys like that play. Hope he sticks with the Zips.

I haven't found any TV coverage. Would Cleats show the Internet feed?

My bad, you are correct...K.e.n.t. plays in Chapel Hill on Jan 2nd.

I recently calculated that 90% of the T-shirts tossed land in the lower reserved sections. As sparsely as it is typically filled, I think every season ticket holder down there can already clothe a small Central American country...and we're only in early December! How many more do they need?

I see all the hubbub regarding the Zips Basketball scheduling and I figured it was worth it's own topic. Unless...people are tired of it. The Very GoodI think this year's schedule is very good. Home games against Wyoming and Temple are great, and the wins will look nice to any selection committee. @ Dayton and @ Winthrop are also great opportunities for high-visibility wins, and a nice home/home addition. We blew it with our chance to play Colorado State, but the game was there for us if we'd have won. The Alaska tourney was a good, early season event. And, it looks like we should have another marquee opponent for the Bracket Buster.The "Decent"NC A&T is a decent team...mediocre record, but a nice win over DePaul to their credit. UIC looks to be similar, with a bad record, but a tough schedule. They have a win over Bradley and a 1-point loss to UNC Charlotte.YSU has turned their hoops program around as of late. They didn't look too bad vs. UCLA, and played Notre Dame within 12. A good local rivalry. I would schedule a home/home with them for the next decade.The "Slightly Bad"Austin Peay looks to be down from last year's 20-win team, but it is a return game for our earlier Bracket Buster. We didn't proactively schedule it. A tough road game.Binghamton is similar. They were a solid team when we scheduled the home/home following the 2005-6 season. But they aren't so hot now. Hopefully we can upgrade that schedule slot next season with a better opponent.The "Terrible"Walsh...but we needed the tune up. And it was a dramatic competitive upgrade over Tiffin circa 2006-7.UNC Central looks to be terrible, but we need a "breather" game or two.Other MAC SchoolsMiami seems to be the only MAC team that really went nuts with their schedule and had any success. And it garnered them wins vs. S. Alabama, Mississippi State and Xavier. They had close losses to USC, Dayton and Louisville that will probably be looked upon favorably by the NCAA selection committee should Miami falter in the MAC tourney. Toledo has been crushed regularly with their "ambitious" OOC schedule.K.e.n.t. scheduled no one of note other than Saint Louis and Xavier.Overall, for where our program presently sits, it is a good schedule, consistent with, and probably better than other MAC schools. It puts us in a better situation for the post season than last year's schedule. If we can take 2-of-3 from the Dayton/Winthrop/Bracket Buster...and finish with the type of overall season we had last year, I think the post season committees can't overlook us. And, I wouldn't trade a 9-point loss to Duke with a 15-point win vs. NC A&T.If Miami is a good as they appear, I think the MAC has a puncher's chance at 2-bids this year. We'll just have to see if the Zips, K.e.n.t., and OU are for real too. And maybe WMU.

149 lbs? Couldn't he round it up to 150, or put a roll of pennies in his socks? I'll be interested to learn more about him...149lbs is REALLY small.

Also -- The reason UNC came to NE Ohio wasn't because CSU had some whiz-bang, schedule-making God. UNC makes a deal with any recruit they sign, ensuring UNC will play a game in the kid's home town, in front of his friends and family, at some point during the kid's 4 year stay. Jawad Williams was from Cleveland, so UNC played @ CSU. Go Zips is correct -- It was originally scheduled to be Akron. Jerome Lane had the same arrangement back in the mid-80's, which is why Pitt came to Akron (Richfield).

Awesome domination by the Zips last night. Best game I think Wood has ever played. He was unstoppable.Milum Asylum! Quade was off-the-hook with his hook shot last night. When he plays with confidence...look out. Bardo yet again with some nice minutes.Ced is playing awesome.When McNees runs the fast break, the other four Zips on the court play at a heightened level. They all seem to relish the fact that if they work to get open, they know he'll find them for the shot.I wish Conyers had Dials shooting confidence...and sometimes I wish Dials had Conyers confidence. 5 of 17 from the field. Yeowch. But Dials made some clutch shots and played solid defense...and hit his FT's.The technical foul call was critical. And bogus. In general, the refs seemed to think we were all there to listen to their whistles rather than to watch a basketball game. Way too many ticky-tack fouls called.Not much more to say. The Zips thoroughly dominated a decent team. Our inside game was devastating, even though the opponent, statistically, had the bodies to match up with us. Who needs The Cavalry? McNeed/Dials/Ced rule. If either Roberts or McKnight can make any impact this year...we can run a lot of teams off the court. And if Steward gets healthy? :blink:

Here - I'll write it for Tom Gaffney:The Zips are not drawing big crowds right because:1.) Games meaningful to Ohio State football are being played on TV during the Zips games. No OSU fan is coming to the JAR if OU/Missouri or WVU/Pitt is on TV. And, it seems 95% of local sports fans are compelled to sit on their couch and watch those games rather than watch great Zips basketball in person.2.) The Zips game day basketball experiece is tragic. High Schools do a better job of making their games "an event." My friend went to a Woodridge game the other night. For a buck the kids that came through the door got their face painted, tatoos, signs, hair paint...the works. Same thing that I saw at the Cavs/Celtics game the other night, but on a high school's budget! The Zips do NOTHING like this. 3.) Travis and Joyce gone? Not a factor. No effect on attendance whatsoever. 4.) KD says he'll do "anything" to get butts in the stands. How about beating Western Michigan...Toledo...Miami to get an NCAA berth? Three consecutive times we were the better team in Cleveland, and three consevutive times we've lost. Like it or not, that has a TREMENDOUS affect on the early-season attendance. If we were coming off an NCAA appearance, and all the local Zips fans had their MAC championship T shirts...hats...their memories of rushing the court and high-5-ing the players at The Q...of getting on ESPN and being covered by the local media...of filling the local sports bar or student center with hundreds of like-minded (for a moment, at least) Zips fanatics for the NCAA tourney game...that's when you're really building a fan base.The NCAA tourney captures the fans imagination and excitement. The Zips basketball team sitting at home in March for the 21st consecutive year doesn't get Joe Akron off his butt to see Wyoming in December.Is the MAC tourney a crap-shoot where anyone can get knocked off? Sure...but K.e.n.t. has won it four times in the last 9 years...and with three different coaches. Winning at The Q IS possible. I've seen it.I DO care if tickets are being given away to Zips games. Why - Because I don't see ANY effort on UA's behalf to get people paying customers to the game. Z-E-R-O. Giving away free tickets to games is the lazy way out. If I saw ANY effort on UA Marketing's behalf to try to fill the arena with paying customers, I would say "hell...give the stupid tickets away." But I don't. No one is even trying. And it bugs me.There is a lot of blame to be spread around if you want to grouse about attendance. Lack of Marketing...poor overall game day experience...tragic concession options...the team's lack of NCAA tourney berths...the OSU machine...it all factors in.But -- Since this Zips team looks very good. And the MAC season is just around the corner, it is all a moot point. Our attendance will grow as the season progresses, and by year's end the JAR will be at, or near capacity. Just as it was last year. And if we can reach the NCAA's in March '08, then you'll see some better early season crowds to watch the 2008 - '09 Zips.There you go, Tom Gaffney. Massage it a bit, and print it.

the Nemer brothers are going to make Uof A pay for the Sun GrillI luvs my IC Lights at The Sun Bar and Grille...but OUTTA' MY WAY JOE!!! THE WRECKIN' BALL'S A COMIN'!!!!

I read that 900 rowdies have registered, but only 20 show up? Your 50/5 ratio isn't so bad?As long as we can bring my son down, my wife and I are in! (big difference between the Oldies and the Rowdies is the kids).

Nice Drubbing of St. Louis by K.e.n.t, but Other Than That...