Captain Kangaroo

Just so you know the game has been changed to 3:30 PM to accomodate ESPN U. As of today...Wednesday...it seems many of the "hardcore" fans still are unaware of the Friday time change. I wonder how many people are going to show up at 1pm for the game? I'm betting quite a few. Oh well...at least they'll be there early instead of late.

I think Milum will make up for the loss of Preston's shot blocking. Mc Knight will cover for Futch's inside presence, and will likely shoot mant fewer 3's. I think the wild card for this team is the improvement of Linhart and the emergence of Conyers. Conyers can make up for the lost offense in Preston and Peterson, and then some...IF he fulfills KD's prophecy.I like this team's linup better than last season's. Preston was a "tweener"..a big man that played more like a "3." Futch was an enigma...a big man that too often wanted to be a "2" and who attracted fouls like K.e.n.t cheerleaders attract flies. And Peterson was either hurt, or in the doghouse too often. McKnight is a solid MAC "4" who doesn't seem to have any illusions of leading the MAC in 3's. Milum also knows his role, and plays D like a 7-footer. I think KD is just trying to motivate the guys. I think we're close to being set with our 9-man rotation.

Every tough team we've played this season has been on the road. We finally catch a break and play one at home, where we play decent ball. Zips 23WMU 21

Game time is 3:30pm, not 1pm. It was changed to accomodate a MAC doubleheader on ESPNU.Note: I received my local newspaper this weekend and it still had the game time listed as 1pm. What a blunder. I guess that's one thing the new administration will need to learn - don't assume the local newpapers will carry through on updating ads. More often than not, they will run the "old" ad with incorrect game dates and times. It happens every year. The papers need their hand held, and you need to follow up with them 10 times a day to confirm the changes were made. Even then, you only improve your chances of a "correct" game day ad to 50%.

I've noticed Dambrot and the players making some strong statements over the past few weeks too. It really seems like all of them are on a mission. You could see the attitude manifest itself in the Tiffin game. Instead of it turning into the sloppily-played dunkfest typical of such a blowout, the Zips played balls-to-the-walls the entire 40 minutes. You mention the football team. I think that's an interesting comparison. The vibe I get from this basketball team is they have a swagger, and a determination to be champions from top to bottom. I got that vibe from the football team @ NC State. But I never felt it the remainder of the year.

I think Harvey is a lot like Beanie Wells at OSU. Both freshman have a ton of talent and have made some amazing plays this year. And both have made some big freshman mistakes too. The difference between the two is OSU has the horses to overcome a freshman mistake, while any big mistake in a Zips drive this season has basically killed us. I look forward to Harvey and Lindsay next season. Jabari too, for that matter. I hope they're utilizing the indoor facility w/CJ and Hakes all winter and spring. The spring game this season should really be interesting...lots of new faces competing for starting positions.

Several days too late I finally get a chance to throw random thoughts about regarding the OU game. For only the second time this season, I didn’t personally attend the game. I was only able to watch the 4th quarter and the post game highlights on ESPNU. I taped the games, but I can’t bear to watch it. · On our first drive, sideline reported Joe Dunn states “Gosh Steve, this is the best-looking drive the Zips have put together this season.” High praise for a team that had just reached the opponent’s 37 yard line. Of course on the next play Luke lobbed a hurried “duck” to an OU linebacker.· On Luke – He had a bad game. There is no doubt. However, if his WR’s could hold onto a football, no one would be ripping on the guy. For all of Jabari’s fire, strength and effort, his hands are still wholly unreliable. Even the lone Zips’ TD he pulled in was a severe bobble. Looking ahead to 2007, Jabari MUST develop some hands. He can scream and rant and run smack all day long, but all that intensity is worthless if he’s the guy dropping critical pass after critical pass. And Harvey and Lindsay are in similar situations. All too often you see them bunched together. Someone, or both of them are running incorrect routes. And the drops are also killers. Luke is what he is. A reliable passer when he gets time to throw. Perfect? Hardly. The “flick/shovel” pass of his is maddening. He’s pretty immobile. But he’s also been the victim of some terrible OL play and a lot of drops. He’ll go down as the #2 statistical QB in Akron history with 40+ TD’s in two seasons. That is far from sucking.· Speaking of the OL – this week will be your last chance to watch one of the best OL’s to ever don a Zips uniform. Andy Alleman will be drafted in April. I believe the only other Zips offensive lineman to be drafted was John Buddenberg back in 1989?· I mentioned this before – Why was McClain sent in to kick that 48 yarder? I think he has a size 5 shoe? Domonokos should kick the long ones.· The on-side kick that Andre Jones recovered was a terrible call. That ref should be fired. He cost us any chance at a comeback. That’s not just sour grapes, it is a fact.· Speaking of McClain kicking – How predictable was it that once we got inside the twenty early in the game, that we’d march backwards? I was really torn between whether we’d take a sack, or if we’d get a penalty. Steve French must have thought the same thing as he said: “The one thing Luke absolutely can not do here is take a sack.” Sure enough he took the sack, and on came McClain.· Kennedy came back to earth. No surprise that on a slippery field he couldn’t turn the corner. We need a solid #2 RB for next season. IMO – we need a solid #1. I would love to see someone step up and give Kennedy some real competition. If we got someone who could juke a safety, stiff-arm and LB or cut towards the middle instead of going out of bounds, I’d be in heaven.· Why can’t we convert in the redzone? Why? That’s all I can offer. I hope we show up on Friday. For some reason, 6-6 sounds a whole lot better to me than 5-7.

I think those are all very good follow-up points. It looks like either Salee or Goddard will actually see some playing time this season...if they can prove they can play some D and handle the ball.Conyers' dunk was great. You can see f.lashes of why he's so highly touted...he reminds me a lot of Anthony Buford. But, it is going to take him some time to really contribute. I hope things begin clicking for him by the time MAC play rolls around.McKnight looks like he can contribute now. He plays beyond his years underneath the hoop. Hustles constantly too.I'm sure you can play Bardo and McNees at this time and not jeopardize their redshirt. Seeing them on the bench during a game like Tiffin tells me they're slated for a redshirt too. Unlike Conyers they will be able to practice with the team, which should help them to quickly acclimate to D-1 play in 2007-8.If Wood's knee acted up...or one of our three guards was seriously injured, you can probably bet the redshirt plan would be scrapped.

Wow...they made people pay to watch that? I was told it was supposed to be another Hillsdale "open seating" event. Someone decided to pass it off as a "real" event. Probably the same person who'd schedule the game on Browns/Steelers Sunday. Or maybe the same one who decided not to give any PA updates on said game. Or the one that put the football game on the center big screen after the Tiffin beatdown was complete..then decided to pull the plug with the Steelers on the 6 yard line with 20 seconds left. Tiffin blows. Their defensive complexity is rivaled only by the worst intramural teams in middle school history. Great coaching move to play a 2-3 zone THE ENTIRE GAME! I'll go out on a limb and speculate this Tiffin coach will not parallel former Tiffin coach Keith Dambrot's career progression as time goes on.The few things I can take out of the game:* The Zips played the entire game like they were on a mission. They never let up or started clowning around. They beat the Fighting Muffins mercilessly.* Cedrick was great. * Wood's low post game is looking pretty nice.* Conyers is lost. The game seems to be moving way to fast for him. I wonder at what point in the season will it "click" for him? He has great size and a smooth demeanor on the court, but he struggled quite a bit defensively against some really bad players today. Offensively he was never in the flow.* I thought Rybek might light it up against a weak opponent, but he still continues to lack confidence in his shot and miss badly in games.That's all that's worth writing about on this one.

I kinda wondered the same thing.

Glad to see Nick's mom checking in!

It's only a scrimmage vs. Tiffin. If it were a "real" opponent, then it would suck.

Pride will be an all-purpose back. I don't know about Brinson. Hopefully his grades are good...if not, there's no DB/RB decision to make.BTW - Listening to the game on the radio Thursday, I heard Reggie Corner may get a 5th year of eligibility?

I just haven't had the time to put any post-game thoughts together. I hope to put something up this weekend. I'll need something to do during the *yawn* Ohio State / Michigan game.Quickly on punting - Giachetti has pretty much impersonated Steve Sax all season, with just a touch of Rick Ankiel thrown in for good measure. His snaps have gone everywhere except near Stec's hands. Stec has been sub-par all season too. His mechanics are slow, and his leg strength is mediocre at best. You'd have figured if we brought a punter all the way from Florida to Akron that he'd be something "special." I'm guessing there are several local high schools with punters equivalent to, or better than Stec. Our punt blocking has also been terrible. Add it all up - the punting game has been a debacle this season. Hey...on the rare occasion that we've actually fielded a snap cleanly and punted unmolested...at least our coverage has been fine.On a semi-related topic - can someone other than JD tell me if they though McClain could kick a 48 yard field goal?

I think we will have trouble running the ball. Kennedy always wants to go outside, and there's no way he's going to turn the corner against OU's D on a wet field.To win:1.) We need to be motivated. We have a tendency to come out flat to begin games and that will hurt at OU.2.) Luke needs to toss for 300+. Screw the weather, we need to throw the ball to have success. Jabari could be huge in this game. I expect double coverage on Harvey.3.) Need to keep trowing balls to Poindexter and Kaz. 4.) We need to rediscover our run defense. I think we will struggle here, because OU runs inside the tackles so well and we typically place our undersized LB's on the line. If Fleming doesn't use 4 beefy guys on the line, OU should move the ball against us pretty easily. Our LB's speed will be negated tonight. Can Fleming adjust after 10 weeks?5.) Stec needs to have a good game. The ball will be slippery. He needs to field punts cleanly and get the ball off quickly. 6.) 9+ penalties will doom us. We need to play good, fundamental football.7.) Inside the 5 yard line, give it to Kennedy. And if that doesn't work, give it to him again.If we play like we have all season...I see us losing 17-11. If someone duct tapes Crouch to his hotel room floor prior to kickoff:..I see us winning 20-17.

FYI - While the player names, height and weight info is gleaned from Scout.com, all status info is a result of my own research around campus. It is as up-to-date and accurate as possible. Hopefully I can keep updating the status every couple weeks, plus add some other interesting stuff.

I think we will have trouble running the ball. Kennedy always wants to go outside, and there's no way he's going to turn the corner against OU's D on a wet field.To win:1.) We need to be motivated. We have a tendency to come out flat to begin games and that will hurt at OU.2.) Luke needs to toss for 300+. Screw the weather, we need to throw the ball to have success. Jabari could be huge in this game. I expect double coverage on Harvey.3.) Need to keep trowing balls to Poindexter and Kaz. 4.) We need to rediscover our run defense. I think we will struggle here, because OU runs inside the tackles so well and we typically place our undersized LB's on the line. If Fleming doesn't use 4 beefy guys on the line, OU should move the ball against us pretty easily. Our LB's speed will be negated tonight. Can Fleming adjust after 10 weeks?5.) Stec needs to have a good game. The ball will be slippery. He needs to field punts cleanly and get the ball off quickly. 6.) 9+ penalties will doom us. We need to play good, fundamental football.7.) Inside the 5 yard line, give it to Kennedy. And if that doesn't work, give it to him again.If we play like we have all season...I see us losing 17-11. If someone duct tapes Crouch to his hotel room floor prior to kickoff:..I see us winning 20-17.

Now we know why...

Why the Zips Will Win the MAC East"The Zips win the MAC East? Are you nuts? The Zips will be lucky to break .500 this year. They lost to much talent. They're too unproven." That's the response I'd expect from the vast majority of those who follow Zips football.I'll disagree. Here's why:A Parallel WorldTo find a parallel to the 2006 Zips football season, one only needs to look as far as the 2006 Cleveland Indians. Hang with me here…Like the Zips of 2005, the 2005 Cleveland Indians were a young, hungry bunch of kids that no one really expected much from. Unbelievably, by the end of the season they were competing for a division championship. On Opening Day 2006, expectations were justifiably for both teams in their respective sports. And both fell flat on their face. They had no idea what is was like to play as a "favorite," and laid a massive egg. Learning from 2006, the 2007 Tribe …with essentially the same roster as 2006...has grown into a real contender. The same will happen with the 2007 Zips football team.While the 2006 Zips team underperformed, the individual players weren't terrible. The coaches weren't terrible. For a culmination of reasons…underestimating impact of lost senior leadership…getting the "best shot" from opponents who had previously taken the Zips lightly…injuries…luck...things just didn't "click." I think was all addressed in the off-season (except, of course, for "luck").Starting at Quarterback - A Battle?!Only once in the past decade have the Zips had a legitimate QB battle. Butchie Washington had a solid grip on his job for 3 years. Charlie Frye -- He was beaten out by Nick Sparks, but Nick's turf toe in game #1 removed any competition Frye would see for the following 3.95 seasons. And aside from a few token practices alongside Jabari, Luke had the QB position to himself for two years. QB Experience - Far from GreenThe QB, or QB's (…don't rule out a Tebow/Leak scenario for the Zips) that emerge this fall will be inexperienced, but they are all highly skilled and practice-seasoned. Carlton Jackson was a tremendous HS star in Florida -- a Rivals Top 50 player on the national scene who spurned Michigan State to attend Akron. Although he's only taken a handful of snaps, he's been through two spring drills and this will be his third summer camp in Akron. I read about his alleged bad attitude, but kids with bad attitudes are typically gone by the time their third year rolls around. If he's now enrolled for his 5th semester, with no eligibility issues, I think that speaks for his dedication to playing football for the Zips. The only scenario where I could see Jackson leaving the program is if he was so ticked off at losing the QB battle that he transferred to Tennessee State, who also offered him a scholarship to play QB (MSU wanted him as a safety). He wouldn't need to sit out if he went 1-AA. Again, I don't see that playing-out. Sean Hakes won back-to-back Texas state high school championships, garnering MVP in the latter game. He graduated high school a semester early so he could get a jump in preparing to be the Zips QB. He wants the job badly. Athletically he's as elusive as Jackson -- capable of making plays with both his arms and feet. And he's bulked up to around 215lbs. Chris Jacquemain would surprise me if he emerged as the starter. He's a solid-enough player, but we need a playmaker at QB, and I think this CJ, style-wise, is more along the lines of Luke. If he doesn't get the job, I think he's got the size and skills to move to WR…if he wanted to do so. Should he lose the derby and not want to switch positions…looking at all the young QBs on the Zips roster...it wouldn't be a shocker if Jacquemain decided to transfer to a lower division to play QB. Jordan Miller and Matt Rogers will be in the fold next season…and maybe another QB too. 5-6 QB's is a bit much for the Zips.Regardless of who takes the first snap of the 2007 season, the top back up(s) won't be relegated to a ball cap and clip board. They'll all see appreciable time. Unknown Doesn't Mean "Bad"OK - They're still a bunch of unknown commodities right? True…but so was Frye. And likewise was Butchie. Unknown doesn't automatically translate to "bad." In this instance, with the talent level so high, and the competition so fierce, I think it will fast-track our QB position to a pretty high level. This isn't like Frye's era, when an injury to Charlie meant Jonathan Gill or Michah Fahler behind center. Depth/talent + competition typically translates to good things at the QB position. It will be interesting to see how JD manages the situation. Practice Makes PerfectAnother aspect of the QB situation that will assist in expediting our QB's growth will be the practice intensity vs. our #1 defense. Overlooked in 2006 was some pretty stellar defensive play. Lack of a dominate pass rush was disappointing, and hurt us severely against mobile QB's like LaFevour and Edelman. But overall our defense was very good. Hakes/Jackson/Jacquemain will be throwing against the top LB's and DB's the MAC has to offer during practices this summer/fall. That makes the weekly game days vs. Buffalo/Temple/K.e.n.t much less daunting.The Loose Cannon FactorMore likely than not, the QB that emerges as the starter at Cleveland Browns Stadium this year will be the one that makes the fewest mistakes during August practices. This year's offense will be more run-oriented…more TE tosses (a big strength this season) and much less "wing-it-down-the-field-and-let-David Harvey (now Vince Hill)-run-underneath-it." OU won 9 games last season with a QB that would be 4th on our depth chart. And our 2007 defense will be better than OU's 2006 group. That should add up to a very successful season.Where's the Beef? Will the offensive line give any of these guys time to throw? Based upon history, I'd say "yes." Tim Crouch is gone. God love him…nice kid and a true student athlete. But he was abused on a weekly basis last year. Crouch's "open door policy" reduced Getsy to a gun-shy wreck by mid-season last year.As a unit, the incoming OL crew is unproven, but with a decent mix of experience and great HS accolades. The addition of Estrada helps immediately, and the other new guys are redshirts with a lot of side-by-side practice time under their belts. Wills and Alleman will be missed, but overall I think we'll be in better shape in the trenches in 2007. Kemme is legit all-MAC and Shepp is solid too. Holley hasn't played much to-date, but is a 5th year senior. Mike Ward is a tough kid too.Harvey and Lindsay are Gone - Boo Hoo HooMany Zips fans continue to wring their collective hands regarding the WR situation. I don't get it. When we lost Jake Schifno and Lavel Bailey, you heard the same thing…and Cherry, Irvin and Sparks emerged. Then we lost Cherry, Irvin and Sparks and everyone fretted…and Montgomery and Hixson capably filled in. We lost Motgomery and Hixson…and Harvey, Lindsay and Jabari stepped up. I learned in Physics class that nature abhors a vacuum. The same is true for the Zips WR position. With Harvey and Lindsay gone, the door is again open for the next generation of Zips wide receivers to step up. Jabari is poised to have a solid senior season. What MAC corner can match up with a 6' 4', 225lb WR? Alphonso Owen continues to draw raves. And Vince Hill has all the promise of Harvey, but with none of the baggage. If Al Groh fought tooth and nail to poach Vince for Akron, you know the kid is special. And UVA has very stringent academic standards…if Groh fought so hard to keep him, he certainly felt Vince could handle the academics too.Every year people fret over lost talent. And every year someone new seems to step in and get the job done. I wish Harvey would have gotten his act together, but "Wish in one hand, "K.e.n.t." in the other, and see which one fills up first." We won a MAC title without David Harvey, and so has every other MAC champ since the dawn of the conference. It can be done.The Running BacksDennis Kennedy is back, and allegedly healthy. We'll see what that translates to on the field. After two seasons I'm still leery that DK has the big-strike capability we need at the position. Unlike 2006 however, we should have some real depth at the position should he falter. Andre Walker is a serviceable back. Despite not playing RB since high school, he did a nice job in spot duty in 2006. He'll hit the holes a lot quicker now that he's got a season's worth of collegiate backfield experience under his belt. A name that continues to pop up in the RB mix is Alex Allen. Thanks to his own hard work, the knee he injured last summer appears to be rock-solid. He's expected to be near 100% for the season opener….maybe even better/stronger than before.A wild card is Bryan Williams. A very strong, very fast runner. He will be on the field somewhere in 2007. Still tough to tell if it will be RB or DB, but I'm guessing RB.The elusive true Freshman scat back Gary Pride is going to see some snaps this year too. And if Aaris Reed, a top 100 HS RB nationally in 2005, can get his act together it could be a banner rushing year for the Zips. The deep, talented 2007 Zips rushing attack will be far from the unspectacular dud we all witnessed in 2006. And that will take a lot of heat off our new QB's.The Schedule: "Cupcake City, BAY-BEE!"Another reason the Zips will be fine at the QB position in 2007 is the schedule. Joey Chestnut would only make it half way through our pile of cupcakes before surrendering to a bloated abdomen. The only 95% probable loss is the OSU game. And even then, OSU will be breaking in a new QB against the best linebacking corp and secondary in the MAC. If Beanie Wells pulls a hammy in the first quarter, look for Buckeye fans to be sweating well into the 4th quarter.Army is a terrible football team. They will be well-disciplined, methodical and strong. But the Zips athleticism should easily overcome it. I can't see JD losing to Army twice.Indiana - They're horrible. They had a "successful" (by their standards) Big 10 season in 2006, going 3-5. The previous three years they went 1-7. That said - a horrible team by Big10 standards still has the horses to be a Top 4 MAC team. I tend to think Indiana will win our game based upon how the beat CMU @ Mount Pleasant in 2006. They went on the road against one of the MAC's better teams and won. But it is certainly a game the Zips can win. And with Indiana's horrific defense, there should be points-a-plenty.We will not lose to a sorry K.e.n.t. team two years in a row. Once word spread that K.e.n.t. was mediocre last season, good ol' K.e.n.t. reverted back to their decades-old losing ways. Look for a big-time beatdown at the Rubber Bowl this fall. BTW -- The K.e.n.t. game will sell out. 25k guaranteed. That's a minimum 55k for the first two games. Not too shabby.UCONN - UCONN is terrible. They were 5-6 in 2005. They were 4-8 in 2006. They'll be bad again this year. In general, MAC teams win games like this -- We beat NC State last year. WMU beat Virginia. OU beat Illinois. When a decent MAC school, with a good defense and solid coaching staff plays a BCS doormat it bodes well for the MAC school. I will visit Storrs this fall to see the both the autumn leaves and coach Randy Edsall's face simultaneously turn red. Prepare another BCS "scalp" for the Zips belt.Western Michigan @ Kalamazoo -- Tough to expect the Zips to pull this one out. WMU is solid. Temple -- Cup cake.Buffalo -- Joey Chestnut gets some Hot Wings to go with his cupcakes. The Bulls always give us a tough game in Buffalo…and somehow we always win. I saw Turner Gill coach at the Rubber Bowl last year. Bizarre stuff. No way a clown like him beats the Zips.Bowling Green -- Urban Meyer's departure has led to Urban Decay. The young Zips begin hitting their stride here and easily handle the Falcons.OU -- Home team seems to win this annual match up, and the Zips are at home. The Bong Cats are going to come back to earth hard this year, BTW. No back-to-back 9-win seasons. Solich will be hitting the bottle hard again this fall.Miami -- Continuing a trend that started with Rothlisberger's departure for Pittsburgh, the once proud Red Hawks will dig themselves ever deeper into the MAC East basement. They are a bad football team, and their coach is headed along the post-MAC career path of Lee Owens, not that of his predecessors Randy Walker and Terry Hoeppner.CMU -- A tough game, but something should be on the line for both teams here. Edge to the home Zips in this 11am tilt as CMU completes the first year of breaking in their new coach.That puts the Zips and their new QB(s) @ 9-3…8-4 worst case. In the sorry MAC East, that will be good for a Championship berth in Detroit...assuming we find a reliable kicker.

Listed below is the most up to date recruiting status of the student athletes listed on Scout.com, plus a few others. The most recent Zips Verbal is Sean Fobbs, a strong safety out of Miamisburg.· Ryan Brinson On campus. RB Canton McKinley · Vince Hill Verbal. Staff loves him. (Friendly HS) Fort Washington, MD 5-10/175 · Zac Kasparek Verbal. Had strong interest from Penn State and Northwestern.· (New Brighton Area HS) New Brighton, PA 6-6/300/5.10 Med · Jerome Royal Verbal (Cleveland Heights HS) University Hts, OH 6-2/180 · Gary Pride Verbal. QB of the #1 D1 HS in Ohio. Will likely be an all-purpose back at Akron. (Colerain HS) Cincinnati, OH 5-9/180 · Matt Rodgers Verbal. Set the WPIAL on fire this season. His team lost 12-7 this past week, ending their year. (Seton-Lasalle HS) Pittsburgh, PA 6-3/180/4.70 · Sean Fobbs Verbal. Projected to be a strong safety. (Miamisburg HS) Miamisburg, OH 6-1/200/4.50 Med · Tyler Holmes Visited campus last week. His decision is narrowed down to Houston, Tulsa and Akron. He would begin school this January. DL 6'5" 280 lbs. Canada · Jeremiah Martin Visited campus last week. 6' 1" 220 lbs DL Upper Marlboro, Maryland · Cornelius Ward Teammate of Zips commital Vince Hill. Zips are interested, but have yet to offer a scholarship. Friendly HS Fort Washington, MD · Da`von Moore Good player. Zips are interested. (Brentwood SHS) Pittsburgh, PA 5-11/205 · Rontez Miles Good player. Zips are interested. (Woodland Hills SHS) Pittsburgh, PA 6-2/185 · Frank Edmonds Zips like him. Limited scholarships will be extended to smaller RB's in this class, so if another "small" RB commits before Edmonds the Zips may stop recruiting him. (St. Edward HS) Lakewood, OH 5-8/185/4.50 Med · Brian Gamble Zips love him. However, if his grades are in order, he will likely go to a Big 10 school. (Washington HS) Massillon, OH 6-0/190 Med · Tim Cortazzo Zips like him, but we already have quite a few WR's. WR scholarships will be limited in this Zips recruiting class. (Penn Trafford HS) Harrison City, PA 6-0.5/185/4.39 Med · B.J. Cunningham Zips love him. (Westerville-South HS) Westerville, OH 6-1/185 · Kyle Jefferson Will likley be a Buckeye. (Glenville HS) Cleveland, OH 6-5/170 · Haroon Brown No info. (Phoebus HS) Hampton, VA 5-11/225 · Landon Givers No info. (Phoebus HS) Hampton, VA 6-2/215 · Danny Dario Doesn't appear to be D1 material. (Archbishop Hoban HS) Akron, OH 6-0/230 · Aaron Williams Zips would LOVE to get him. Hopefully Penn Hills grad Coach Moorhead can work his magic and get him in the Zips Blue and Gold. I saw Williams in a playoff game last week (on TV). He was unstoppable. (Penn Hills SHS) Pittsburgh, PA 6-2/205 · John Hughes Good player. Zips are interested. (Lincoln HS) Gahanna, OH 6-2/260· Jake Anderson Zips love him, but so do several BCS schools. (McDowell SHS) Erie, PA 6-5/290 · Ben Burkett Staff loves him, but he'll be tough to get. (St. Johns Jesuit HS) Toledo, OH 6-4/260 · Lester Bell No info. (Kempsville HS) Virginia Beach, VA 5-11/170 · Pete Rolf Staff loves him, but he'll be tough to get. (Piqua HS) Piqua, OH 6-4/220 · James Butts Staff loves him, but he'll be tough to get. (Maury HS) Norfolk, VA 5-10/172· Carson Byrd Looking to Big 10 schools. (Trotwood-Madison HS) Trotwood, OH 6-2.5/255/4.75 · Giorgio Morgan From Dantley Cline's HS. Not much info at this time. (Tri-Cities HS) East Point, GA 6-3/189 · Jack DiNardo No info. (Hinsdale Central HS) Hinsdale, IL 6-4/240· Vondre Griffin Excellent player whom the Zips feel they have a shot at getting. (Woodland Hills SHS) · Rocco Pentello Zips have offered him. (Westerville-South HS) Westerville, OH 6-0/195 · Jafe Pitcock Low-level interest by the Zips at this time. (Piqua HS) Piqua, OH 6-2/240 Med· Chris Rucker Excellent player. He's getting interest from BCS schools recently. Zips will stay after him. (Warren G. Harding HS) Warren, OH 6-1/185/4.50· Joe Rash Has a good shot at being a Zip in 2007. (Penn Hills SHS) Pittsburgh, PA 6-2/205 · Jeff Rieskamp He'll be a tough one to get. BCS schools are very interested. (Elder HS) Cincinnati, OH 6-3/235· Mark Wooldridge Good player. Another one of those smaller RB's. The Zips likely won't take both he and Edmonds. (Walsh Jesuit HS) Cuyahoga Falls, OH 5-9/190· Dyrri McCain No info. (Maury HS) Norfolk, VA 5-10/172 · Jalil Carter Very good player. Starting to get a lot of BCS school interest. (St. Johns Jesuit HS) Toledo, OH 6-1/175 · Lamar Mason No info. (Woodland Hills SHS) Pittsburgh, PA 6-1/185 · Marcus Dowtin No info. (Georgetown Preparatory School) North Bethesda, MD 6-2/205 RB · Mike Brown No info. (Brandon HS) Brandon, FL 5-8/175/4.38 WR · Terence White No info. (Pickerington HS Central) Pickerington, OH 6-1/175/4.50 · Jared McGaha Staff loves him, but he'll be tough to get. (Powell HS) Powell, TN 6-6/270/5.20 DT · Aaron Douglas No info. (Salem HS) Virginia Beach, VA 6-2/270/4.90 LB · David Davis No info. (Southwest Dekalb HS) Decatur, GA 6-1.5/195

My criteria was simple: The 5 most important games Nick has played in since he's been at Akron. Clemson was a championship game. K.e.n.t games are always the most important of any season. Toledo was the single most important game of 2005-6. UALR was a chance for the Zips to break out on national TV...to play Texas Tech and Bobby Knight...to get national respect. It was a HUGE game.Nick's numbers in those games are terrible. 1-23 from 3-point territory for a guy that shoots 37% from that range overall? I'm not saying he "is shit" as some so eloquently put it. I am saying our starting shooting guard needs to perform better in big games. Shooting 4% ain't gonna cut it.I like Nick. I like any player who tells OSU "Go to hell, I want to be a Zip." I hope he turns things around this year. He is key to our success this season. But, if he goes 1-8 against K.e.n.t and is 0-6 in 3-pointers, it will likely be mentioned in my post-game summary. That's how it goes...

Since my post ripping on Bubba got hijacked I will offer the following in support of the anti-Nick Dials sentiment:The 5 most important games the Zips have played w/Nick Dials at shooting guard are as follows:Clemson (Puerto Rican Championship): Dials was 1-7 from the field, 0-5 from 3-point landK.e.n.t #1: Dials was 1-7 from the field, 0-4 from 3-point landK.e.n.t #2: Dials was 1-6 from the field, 1-4 from 3-point landToledo (tourney semi's): Dials was 1-6 from the field, 0-5 from 3-point landUALR (2006): Dials was 1-7 from the field, 0-5 from 3-point landAdd that up, and our starting "shooting guard" was 5-33 from the field and a sparkling 1 out of freaking 23 from 3-point land in the most critical games of last season through the beginning of 2006-7. Forgive the Zips' fans if they grow a bit skeptical of Dials' offensive capabilities. Yeah, it is great he goes 7-8 in free throws. That's easy to do when no one's guarding him. If he has a hand in his face, in a big game, he's got some work to do to overcome his proven track record.At this time, give me Ced in the clutch. No ref blows his whistle in the last 5 seconds of a game anyhow, and that's the only way Dials has proven he can reliably score...from the free throw line. Ced can create a shot and drain it.Against Sisters of the Poor...or in a game where we're getting drilled...I'll take Dials. In those situations, he's "money."Prove me wrong, Nick.

Three things OU fans will love about Bubba:His defense:His attitude:And his fondness for classwork:Have fun with him.

you get an automatic bid by winning the MAc tourney, you wouldn't need an at-large bid in that case.as long as we both realize that FYI - He stated we could win the regular season MAC title. He stated we stand a decent chance of faltering in the post-season due to our past history.Can't argue with that logic.

I could post on several fronts, but I'll limit myself to these few thoughts:Like the Toledo game last season, this was a HUGE opportunity lost. We needed a win vs. a quality team like UALR for our post-season chances. We had them on a neutral court. We needed the exposure vs. a team like Texas Tech on ESPN 2. We needed a "buzz" to help hype the team in the early season. Instead, we got Gardner Webb and Tiffin. That sucks.Don't fret over Joyce not being in the game. He would have hoisted a 29 footer at the buzzer.We need Dials to knock down his open 3's. He missed a ton last year vs. Toledo and he missed too many tonight. Hell...he missed quite a few vs. Hillsdale.Ok Frenchy...why did you keep mentioning that UALR had the advantage of a game under ther belt vs. a D2 team? We had pretty much the same thing vs. Hillsdale. Long season to go. I'm banking on us getting better each game. We did play tough and never folded. I love it that Quade is contributing. But...in the end it was yet another HUGE opportunity lost. See you at at the Tiffin game. Whooppeee.