Captain Kangaroo

Per the Pittsburgh Tribune:Ex-Duquesne recruit chooses Akron By Kevin GormanTRIBUNE-REVIEWWednesday, April 26, 2006Steve McNees spent the weekend playing for the Cleveland Titans AAU basketball club at the Pittsburgh JamFest. The Shenango star will have to get used to an Ohio address now that he's headed there for college.McNees signed Tuesday with Akron after he was released from his national letter of intent and scholarship to Duquesne earlier this month.The 6-foot-2 point guard chose the Zips over Eastern Kentucky, George Washington and Rhode Island. He also had offers from James Madison, Can't State, Robert Morris, Wright State and Youngstown State."We had a lot of offers, and Steve had a good opportunity to go play," said Bill McNees, Steve's father and former coach at Shenango. "After sorting them all out, this is the program and staff Steve felt most comfortable with."McNees averaged 28.4 points, 8.0 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game this past season, after which he was named to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Terrific 10 and All-WPIAL Class AA first team. A four-year starter, he finished his career tied for 15th in WPIAL history with 2,192 points and with school records for points, assists (824) and steals (233).McNees made an official visit to Akron last fall before signing with Duquesne and then-coach Danny Nee. McNees asked for his release two weeks ago after meeting with new Dukes coach Ron Everhart."It's a school we've always been interested in and was interested in us," Bill McNees said of Akron. "It's a school we always thought very highly of. It's an excellent program. We liked the coaching staff, and it's a great atmosphere. We felt it was an excellent situation for Steve."

Proctor wasn't offered a scholarship due to bad grades.Hight still may never have graduated High School and Marshall lasted one semester before quitting. I too have heard Terry never qualified.

Fed up with the pathetic coverage of University of Akron athletics, Zippy apparently tracked-down a BJ photographer at...where else...the Mount Union spring game, and dished out some long overdue street justice.

Seems like the coach is just tring to play all the guys to get a feel for what he has to work with. Like spring football, I don't thing the soccer upper classmen are being worked all that hard.The 3-1 road win vs. WVa was nice to see. WVa really came off as snivelling little bitches when they whined about last season's NCAA tourney game being postponed. Consecutive 5-0 and 3-1 beatdowns...gotta love it. FYI: UIC is Illinois-Chicago.

Beaver Falls' Lance Jeter is close to deciding on a college -- and what sport he will play.Jeter will either play football at the University of Cincinnati, or basketball at George Washington or Akron. Jeter visited Cincinnati early last week and then went to George Washington. He is at Akron this weekend (April 22/23).George Washington started recruiting Jeter only recently, but the Colonials also are recruiting another WPIAL guard. Shenango's Steve McNees was released from his letter of intent with Duquesne, and George Washington recently offered him a scholarship."I think George Washington had a guard spot open up when Danilo Pinnock declared himself for the NBA draft," said Bill McNees, Steve's father and Shenango's coach. "I don't think they were expecting that."

Jeter, McNees updateBeaver Falls' Lance Jeter is close to deciding on a college -- and what sport he will play.Jeter will either play football at the University of Cincinnati, or basketball at George Washington or Akron. Jeter visited Cincinnati early last week and then went to George Washington. He is at Akron this weekend (April 22/23).George Washington started recruiting Jeter only recently, but the Colonials also are recruiting another WPIAL guard. Shenango's Steve McNees was released from his letter of intent with Duquesne, and George Washington recently offered him a scholarship."I think George Washington had a guard spot open up when Danilo Pinnock declared himself for the NBA draft," said Bill McNees, Steve's father and Shenango's coach. "I don't think they were expecting that."

I spoke to someone "in the know" at the spring game who said Andy Alleman will be playing NFL football in 2 years.

I'm just curious. If Jason Taylor came back, and Frye also attended, I have to believe it was pretty successful? Any good speaches or memorable moments?

I know. It is about double what my EE GPA was after completing my sophomore year! F-ing Calculus....To accomplish a 4.0 in Akron's engineering and be a D1 athlete is unfathomable to me. CKBSEET '89(after the 4-semester EE beatdown I moved on to the Tech program)

McNees weighs scholarship offers By Kevin GormanTRIBUNE-REVIEWSunday, April 16, 2006It took less time for Steve McNees to pick up seven scholarship offers than it did for Duquesne basketball coach Ron Everhart to contact the former Dukes recruit."I didn't get a call for a while, which I didn't like," McNees said. "I didn't expect anybody to call and suck up to me, but I did expect him to call and introduce himself. He didn't call for a week, which was entirely too long."I didn't feel like I was a priority."Since asking Duquesne for a release from his national letter of intent April 7, the Shenango basketball star has received offers from Akron, Eastern Kentucky, George Washington, Can't State, Rhode Island, Robert Morris and Youngstown State.McNees said GW coach Karl Hobbs on Friday visited the homes of McNees and Beaver Falls guard Lance Jeter. Jeter said he will take a football visit to Cincinnati on Monday and plans to visit GW on Wednesday and Akron later this week.McNees took an unofficial visit to Akron on Friday, will make an official visit to Eastern Kentucky on Monday with Colonels recruit Josh Taylor of Brentwood and a trip to GW on Wednesday."I knew I had a few options, but I didn't think I'd have that many," McNees said. "Hopefully, by the weekend I can have it picked."

McNees weighs scholarship offers By Kevin GormanTRIBUNE-REVIEWSunday, April 16, 2006It took less time for Steve McNees to pick up seven scholarship offers than it did for Duquesne basketball coach Ron Everhart to contact the former Dukes recruit."I didn't get a call for a while, which I didn't like," McNees said. "I didn't expect anybody to call and suck up to me, but I did expect him to call and introduce himself. He didn't call for a week, which was entirely too long."I didn't feel like I was a priority."Since asking Duquesne for a release from his national letter of intent April 7, the Shenango basketball star has received offers from Akron, Eastern Kentucky, George Washington, Can't State, Rhode Island, Robert Morris and Youngstown State.McNees said GW coach Karl Hobbs on Friday visited the homes of McNees and Beaver Falls guard Lance Jeter. Jeter said he will take a football visit to Cincinnati on Monday and plans to visit GW on Wednesday and Akron later this week.McNees took an unofficial visit to Akron on Friday, will make an official visit to Eastern Kentucky on Monday with Colonels recruit Josh Taylor of Brentwood and a trip to GW on Wednesday."I knew I had a few options, but I didn't think I'd have that many," McNees said. "Hopefully, by the weekend I can have it picked."

Should we all chip in to help defray his travel costs?

I hear Mickey Baker is expected to start @ LB. Regarding Groza...he's made some great strides since the spring of last year. You can tell he's worked pretty hard because he isn't the most athletically gifted players on our roster.

Most of what was written above echoes my thoughts too. I'll add:That HS punter from Florida can't get here soon enough. If you went to that scrimmage to see a punting exhibition, you left pretty disappointed.The Kennedy/Allen combo looks really good.Offense was really smooth w/Getsey at QB. He looked very good.Jabari is the definitive #1 wr. As someone else said above, no one stood out as a #2. I guess that will be sorted out in the summer?Did anyone see the 3 TE formation? I like Cruz.Biggest hit of the day - Mackey leveled Poindexter.Cheerleaers we're not in mid-season form. Fell like dominoes.Nate Robinson ain't in good shape, per some insiders. He has a lot of work to do before being a contributor this upcoming season.I liked both Jacqumaine and Jackson. If I had to pick, I thought Jacqumaine moved the team a hair better.Lively sure put on some weight.McMillon should get some carries this season. He is a pretty tough kid.I asked someone affiliated with the team "Who's gonna replace Rohr?" The reply was "Someone bigger, stronger and faster. We have a couple of them in line for the position." I thought Balaam looked solid.Staff seems to think this team will again compete for a championship. Insiders say this was easily the best spring of the still-young Brookhart tenure. I believe it.Hope to add some more tomorrow if time permits.

Wonder if the Beacon will have a reporter at the OSU spring game? How's Mount Union's QB situation looking this season, by the way? If the Beacon actually DID write print something...would you learn anything from it? I promise you the recaps found on this page will blow away anything you'll see in Sunday's Beacon. GoZips.com has done a nice job this spring too.

Things are going pretty good when the two hottest coaching seats are women's tennis and women's soccer!

I recall he couldn't get medical clearance to play due to multiple concussions? It has little relevance to the Zips since we're pretty stacked at TE, but I wonder how he got the clearance to resume football?

Back from arm injury, Penn State's Williams eager to shineBy GENARO C. ARMAS, Associated Press WriterSTATE COLLEGE, Pa. (AP) - While sidelined by a severely broken left arm late last season, Derrick Williams ached to get back on the football field, so much so that he cried while watching one practice from afar. (GP1's gotta love this kid )That's when coach Joe Paterno walked up to his star wideout and told him to use the time off as a learning experience. "I didn't want to hear that at all," Williams said Wednesday. "But in the long run, I know it helped me a lot."Last season's impact freshman is back, and he's eager to show off in spring practice what he learned from the bench."I always tell people when you miss practice, it's one of the toughest things in the world to miss something you love so much," Williams said. "But I can read coverages better. I got new insights from the experience. Just learning the game more."Early last season, Williams helped ignite a potent offense as a big-play receiving threat. Paterno also used the speedy Williams at times in the backfield, where he averaged 4.8 yards a rush on 22 carries and three touchdowns before hurting his arm in a last-second loss to Michigan in October.The injury knocked him out for the year. Williams was forced to scale back in the weight room, and it took him awhile to regain his range of motion in the arm.He admits that having to watch Penn State's Orange Bowl win in January from the sidelines was tough, but he understood why Paterno was being cautious.Williams says he is now 100 percent and the arm is fine when taking a hit in practice. The real test is still five months away, when the Nittany Lions open the new season on Sept. 2 against Akron.There will be some different faces in the huddle. Left tackle Levi Brown is the only returning starter from last year's offensive line. Anthony Morelli, the backup quarterback the last two years, will likely be playing quarterback instead of Michael Robinson, who graduated.Morelli can relate with Williams about the view from the bench."It was really tough, but it was a learning experience," Morelli said. "I've got to put that behind me and get ready for the season."That means lots of reps this spring between Morelli and Williams and the rest of talented receivers as they try to develop a rapport that can carry over to the fall. Getting timing down is key."They're all new to me this coming season," Morelli said. "I just wanted to practice with Derrick and them. They're a lot faster."Morelli has a stronger arm and is more of a drop-back passer than Robinson, who could beat opponents through the air or on the ground. But Morelli hasn't played many meaningful minutes yet in his career, and there's no telling how the revamped offensive line will look come fall.Hard-nosed running back Tony Hunt, a 1,000-yard rusher, will be back, along with backup Austin Scott. Deon Butler, who caught nine touchdowns last season, and sure-handed Jordan Norwood return at receiver as sophomores. Wideout Chris Bell, one of this year's top recruits, may also be an important contributor right away.Williams' return should be a boon for Morelli, too. Williams said he's not practicing in the backfield much this season because coaches are familiar with his talents, including a 40-yard dash that has been clocked at less than 4.3 seconds."We just don't want to be a one-hit wonder, then come back the next year and stink it up," Williams said.Spring practice concludes April 22 with the annual Blue-White scrimmage.

Just thinking...for those who think the 5-of-6 roadies to begin the football season is bad...the Zips women's softball team had their first THIRTY games on the road this season! They came through around .500, with wins over Oregon State and Notre Dame.Can the Zips football team "sack up" and become road warriors, following the example of the Zips women? BTW: Can female softball players "sack up?" Or, do they "labia up" when the odds are against them?Yes...it is the off-season...the comedy gets a tad weak in the spring...

Joseph goes first overall to Saskatchewan in CFL dispersal draftat 16:36 on April 12, 2006, EST.TORONTO (CP) - The Saskatchewan Roughriders made quarterback Kerry Joseph the first player taken in the CFL dispersal draft Wednesday. Saskatchewan obtained the No. 1 pick prior to the draft by dealing import running back-kick returner Corey Holmes, non-import safety Scott Gordon, a negotiation list player and 2007 first-round pick from the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. The six-foot-one, 215-pound Joseph ran for 1,006 yards last year with Ottawa, becoming just the third quarterback in CFL history last season to surpass the 1,000-yard rushing plateau (Damon Allen and Tracy Ham were the others). Joseph threw for 4,466 yards with 25 touchdowns, but also had 23 interceptions. Inconsistency at quarterback was a problem last year for Saskatchewan (9-0), who finished fourth in the West Division with veterans Nealon Greene and Marcus Crandell took turns under centre. But Saskatchewan gave up a lot in the deal. Holmes was the CFL's top special-teams player last year and a finalist for the league's outstanding player award, won by Toronto's Allen. The draft was of players under contract to the Ottawa Renegades, who were suspended for the 2006 season by the CFL on Sunday. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who also reportedly coveted Joseph, took offensive lineman Ibrahim Khan second overall. The six-foot-four, 305-poud Khan was Ottawa's first-round pick (second overall) in the 2004 Canadian college draft out of Simon Fraser University. The top lineman in Canadian college football in 2003, Khan, an Ottawa native, appeared in 15 games for the Renegades last season. Saskatchewan, at No. 3, took receiver Jason Armstead with the second overall selection. The five-foot-10, 160-pound receiver was Ottawa's leading receiver last year with 89 catches for 1,307 yards, which left him fifth in both categories in the CFL. The former University of Mississippi star was also third in the league in punt returns (70 for 699 yards, one touchdown) and kickoff returns (51 for 1,082 yards). He also returned five missed field goal tries for 221 yards. Calgary then took linebacker Cam Yeow. Ottawa selected Yeow with the No. 2 pick in last year's Canadian college draft out of the University of Akron.

I think you misread me. I see no way in hell that the Big East comes calling ANYONE. It is already too big. The MAC-related fallout will be in the near future, when when teams depart the Big East and look to join...or most likely form...their own conference.

If we followed UCF and Marshall to C-USA, Mack Roades would eclipse the immortal Dennis Helsel in my book. No way such a move happens.It will be interesting to see what transpires when the Big East downsizes. I think that could/will affect the MAC pretty severely.

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McNees looking at his options again By Kevin GormanTRIBUNE-REVIEWSunday, April 9, 2006 During Duquesne's tumultuous season and subsequent coaching search, Shenango senior Steve McNees remained committed to the Dukes. After meeting with new coach Ron Everhart on Friday, McNees asked for a release from his national letter of intent and scholarship with Duquesne. "We just weren't real comfortable with the situation," said Steve's father, Bill McNees, who retired last week as Shenango's coach last week after 25 seasons. "They still wanted Steve to come to Duquesne. We just thought our best thing for Steve was to get his release and look at other options. There will be a lot of interest in him, I'm sure." Bill McNees wasn't specific about what led to the change of heart or which schools are showing interest, but his son certainly has an impressive high school resume to fall back on. The 6-foot-2 guard averaged 28.4 points, 8.0 assists and 6.9 assists per game last season and finished with 2,192 career points. Akron and Can't State were among the schools showing interest in McNees prior to his signing with Duquesne. McNees is the Dukes' second WPIAL recruit to ask out of his scholarship, following Bishop Canevin swingman Antonio DiMaria. "It's not how you plan it, that's for sure," Bill McNees said. "You roll with the punches."

Zac Derr? I don't even think he officially made it to a training camp? Swap him for Frye.BTW: Ryan Myers played for the Jets last season.