Captain Kangaroo

Another quiet, methodical beatdown by the Zips.Linhart returned to form. You could tell once he made that big steal in the first half his face lit up...it was like a light switch was turned on and his confidence returned.Preston was OUTSTANDING in Futch's absense. No qualms with Joe Dunn's accolades tonight. Big Country deserved everything he got.I liked Rob's postgame comment regarding the loss to K-ent: "We got over it on Monday...man, that Monday practice was brutal!"Whoa, has Rybek lost it or what? I wish he had gotten a little more PT at game's end to get his confidence up. His three's are barely drawing iron.The "airball" chant whenever Snider touched the ball seemed to work? He was uncharacteristically terrible from the field. AK-Rowdies continue to impress.Matt Newhouse has a career as a game show host in his future. Commentary is great during the promos!The AK-Rowdie won 52 cases of pop??!! Holy Hell...he'll have "Marshall teeth!" Every dentist in the audience cringed! BTW: Anyone remember the pop give-a-aways 6 or so years ago. You had to make something like 7 shots in a row to win a freaking 6-pack! I didn't think Romeo played all that great, but he filled up the stat sheet...so I'll shut up.Quade can be a frustrating guy to watch sometimes, but we need him to improve and contribute in the low post at some point. The 19 minutes he got tonight hopefully helps make him a bit more game-ready. He played some useful minutes this evening.I wish K-ent defended like WMU did tonight. We picked WMU apart. Again, it was methodical. We're up 6...then look up at the scoreboard and all of the sudden we're up 18??!!I was disappointed to hear KD's post game commentary regarding the attendance. Obviously he reads this board. I am sure everyone on this board is tired of my Beacon rants, but I feel compelled to say the following:1.) EVERYONE on this board realizes the importance of the Beacon Journal's support with regards to Zips attendance. Myself included. Many here are frustrated with the lack of quality coverage, but no one denies it's importance and potential.2.) NO ONE on this board puts the blame for the Zips poor attendance solely on The Beacon. But to deny is is a contributor is taking all of us for fools. 3.) EVERYONE on this board realizes the Zips are playing some unbelieveable basketball this season. Some are frustrated that we're 0-3 vs K-ent recently, but KD - you should be happy about that...it shows people care about the rivalry, dammit!4.) We will sell out the OU and Can't games. That means in two weeks this whole attendance issue will be nul and void. Bank on that. 5.) If we proceed to the MAC finals at The Q, like we expect, you will see at least 10,000 Akron fans packing the joint. The final nail in the coffin regarding attendance will be dealt.6.) Next season, with the new recruits, plus Wood and Conyers, we will be much improved. We should also have the backing of a great season with a post-season NCAA/NIT appearance to legitimize the program's arrival. Next year the expectations and the sellouts will come. Bank on it.KD - Keep plugging away. I know it is frustrating. You have 17 wins in early February and it appears no one cares. Ride it out two more weeks. You will be drawing fans like flies to Portage County. You are sooo close. Finish strong and there will be a Motor City Bowl-esque love affair with Zips basketball within a couple weeks. Bank on it.Tom Gaffney - There's your answer.

Just watch out for their coaches after the game. :blink: That picture NEVER gets old! BTW: He's now an assistant at K-ent. Now THAT's a coaching resume'.When a Miami coach is arrested for punching a Marshall fan in the face, is that the text book definition of a "win-win" or what?

I enjoy the Rasor stuff as much as the next guy. I'd love to see him as the Zips beat writer one day because he knows, and prints the information Zips fans want to know. He also has critical opinions on things more substantial than attendance. However, giving him space to write Zips info on Ohio.com is the television equivalent of the Zips getting "exposure" on ESPN360.

If you think UAM will use the pathetic feedback of the bitter clowns that respond to this plea, you're nuts. Here...I save everyone some time:WIN. WIN SOMETHING. DON'T HOLD ON TO A PIECE OF SHIT COACH LIKE HIPSHER OR CRAWFORD FOR A COLLECTIVE 15 YEARS. WIN A CHAMPIONSHIP. WIN SOMETHING.We've sucked for 15 years. Totally sucked ass. Sucked to the point of embarassment. During this time our 7-mile away rival has 7 consecutive 20+ win seasons and a sack full of championships. We have 16 wins in February and Tom Gaffney wonders "Why are there only 3,000 fans at a game?" Dork.The only reason that column was written was to justify their shitty coverage. "Why don't we cover games? Because no one cares. See...look...only 3,000 in the area care.""The Beacon taking a controversial stand?" Give me an f-ing break. Where were they when Lee Owens was stinking up the Rubber Bowl? No where. In fact they openly lamented the Zips attempts to improve the football program by ditching Acme and firing Owens. I remember when Crawford was fired. Pluto wrote an article titled "Underdog"...a sappy story about what a swell guy our 3-24 coach was. He never once called for the guy's head.Dennis Helsel was a total buffoon. Did anyone in the Beacon take the time to publicize his numerous blunders? No. Pluto wrote his annual "Come see the Zips 'cause the work so hard...get floor burns...blah blah blah" column a month ago. That would have had some credibility, except for the fact that he wrote the same damn column 4 years earlier. In that game, Hipsher's Zips lost to EMU at home. EMU won 3 TOTAL games that season. The Zips played like total crap that night. I rode a canoe back home that night from the river of pee that had poured down Bryan Hipsher's leg as he bricked 2 free throws to lose the game by one. Pluto had numerous chances to rip Hipsher for this game, and in general his his self-destructing teams...to rip him for playing his D-III son in a D-1 conference. Instead he recommended the community come out and support Hipsher's garbage. Lauding the BJ for ripping on the Zips 3K attendance is laughable. They've had legit resons to question a lot of goings-on in the University's athletic department over the past 15 years and they've placed their head in the sand. Why: Because it suits their purpose. If the teams are bad, they don't have to spend the $$ to cover it. The BJ is flat broke.I read the Beacon last week. They didn't even send a reporter to the Signing Day Press Conference. If Morgan was there, he only wrote notes off the press release. Zero insight. Zero opinions. This, for the #1 ranked class in the conference...for the MAC Champions? Then you have the usual errors like Jabari being a senior and the pic where Rybek is listed as a Buffalo defender... and Linhart is listed as Rybek.Gaffney condecendingly talks of "the small number of Zips fans that disagree..." F him. If he wants to take a real stand, tell him to get the balls to stand up to Larry Pantages for once and tell him their lack of coverage and constant screw ups not only hurt attendance, but prolonged the job tenure of some absolutely terrible coaches. Zip AD's in the past were gutless enough to let shitty coaches hang arounf because it could be done "under the radar." Low stress...just hand out extensions and let thigs roll on.F The Beacon. Their motives for articles like Gaffney's are very tran$parent.

Any time we get a chance to prove ourselves vs. a high-caliber team we need to do so. Playing Nevada is a great opportunity.Furthermore, getting Nevada to come to the JAR next season is awesome. That would not be possible without the Bracket Buster.Akron and Can't have little room to bitch as of 2/8/06 anyhow. Can't has 7 losses, and just got waxed by Toledo. Akron had their chance to shine and came up short against Can't. No one to blame but ourselves.Next season we'll have a home Bracket Buster against a top-level team + Nevada. That is a great home schedule.

My theory:When you have a college team that has wavered between pathetic and mediocre for 18 years, people simply don't go "bananas" overnight. We're 16-5 in February, not 31-2 in March.If the Zips make it to the finals at "The Q" everyone will be shocked to see 10k-12k Zips fans packing the arena. Those fans will come to the JAR the following season. For now we simply have to live with the nominal increases we've seen thusfar. 12k sound crazy? In mid-October, how much weed would you have been accused of smoking if you predicted the Zips would bring 15,000 fans to a road game of ANY sort? Bales and bales of the stuff. The Zips fans are there...waiting...BTW: The TV game vs OU and the Can't rematch will put our attendance in the MAC upper-half by season's end.

I can't see where you're coming from?Toledo's football recruiting classes were ranked a lot closer to Buffalo than Akron's was to K-ent? Buffalo and Toledo's hoops programs seem to suck equally as bad now-a-days. I thereby contend you are more athletically aligned with Buffalo.Now go watch the Zips game tape and learn how to beat NIU in football (Note: We did it twice, so you have a lot of tape to view).

I think you are on the right track with this observation. Bubba leaving hurt a bit. It has given Middleton a chance to shine, but it cost a some depth.Bubba's departure would hardly have been felt if Peterson were healthy. He's not.Wood's loss really has hurt our interior toughness.Conyers was banked upon to be the guy to open up some spacing and create. Wood, Bubba, Conyers and Peterson are three guys we banked on to get serious minutes this year. Instead we're getting about 10 minutes combined....all from DP...and that's on a "good" day.That said, we have 16 wins, and 20 looks like a mortal lock. We play hard and smart every night and have some great weapons. I love our chances at home, and I love our chances on a neutral court. Thus I think we stand as good a chance as anyone to win the MACC in Cleveland.If we are to stand a chance of winning an NCAA/NIT tourney game, Linhart is going to have to get out of his "funk" and get his confidence back. And, Romeo is going to have to bang underneath and not hang out at the 3-point line.

The Zips have about as much in common with Can't as Toledo does with Buffalo. Can you make a relevant point?

AK-Rowdies are Gods. That was legendary. I'm in awe...simply in awe.

As of a few days ago it was up in the air whether or not the Zips would send him a letter of intent to sign. His grades are terrible. Looks like we may have passed on him.

BTW: I like names on the jersey too. Several players switched numbers this season and it was difficult to figure out who's who for quite a while.

One thing I do know about the rifle team: Members of the rifle team seem to be very regular contributors to our ZipsNation board. Number-wise they're small, but for some reason they seem to have more school spirit than about any other Zips athletic program.

We will be sitting upper-middle.BTW: I hope the AK's get to Can't early and sit behind the hoops like they did at the Maryland soccer game. Those seats are general admission...anyone can sit there.

Signed a whopping 14 kids? Wow...that'll turn around a program that went 0-10 vs D 1A competition last season! Their "stud" QB recruit threw from....sit down....you won't believe it....400 yards in his senior season!! He's projected to compete for their starting job in 2006 Their coach took a truely hilarious swipe at Akron saying he'd wants to forge relationships locally rather than go to the "quick fix" of recruiting Florida. Good luck getting those 4.4 40 LB's out of Mogadore and Brimfield, pal!! If we don't beat those clowns buy 40 next year I'll be embarrassed. What a pathetic pile of crap.

I am ashamed to admit it, but...on my way to the airport Thursday morning I bought a Beacon Journal. ("Stupid" being me). The tiny recruiting column buried inside the sports section was absolutely pathetic. Z-E-R-O insight. Dr.Z's review of the press conference blew Morgan's GoZips.com cut-n-paste garbage away. Morgan could not have watched any of those tapes. I guarantee he simply read the press release from his Main Street cubicle and wrote his gratuitous little piece. Best recruiting class in the MAC 2 consecutive years....MAC champs...and we're on page 5 with a cut-n-paste column. Sad.Morgan also managed to screw up Jabari's eligibility too. He'll be a Junior next year, not a Senior. I know, I know...and editor's job is the hardest one in the world.... I haven't even gotten to the photo of "Buffalo's Rybek"...or was it Linhart? What a cluster f*ck. 16-4 and their putting us on page 5 and screwing up names left and right. I know, I know...and editor's job is the hardest one in the world.... :rolleyes:I kept hearing about the great job the Beacon was doing covering the Zips and figured I'd give it another shot. The Beacon still sucks. They still take Akron fans for fools. I will never spend another dime on their rag again. What the F was I thinking?

I think the Motor City Bowl game showed that Akron fans will show up for big games. The Zips have yet to truely take that "leap" where a home game is...in the minds of the Akron public...a "Big Game."The games vs. Can't and OU will be sellouts.If we win a game at the "Q," every successive game will be teeming with Akron fans.If we lose, the bandwagon stops.Assuming we continue our winning ways, sweep the MAC tourney, and return a bunch of stars for 2006-7, we will have the sellout crowds next season. Wait until you see the football crowds this year, they will blow you away.Fair or not, this season's Zips hoops squad really needs to perform some magic to get the fans in gear. Winning this weekend is the first of 5 big steps:1.) Beat K-ent2.) Beat OU on ESPN3.) Beat Nevada4.) Beat K-ent at home5.) Win the MAC tourneyThat's what we need to do. You can't turn around 16 years of losing/mediocrity with one season of 16 regular season wins. It is a great start, but see above to see what starts the bandwagon.

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I think it hurts us a bit that we don't have a go-to, clutch "stud" we can ride at game's end. In tight games it seems like Joyce is our man? Dribble...dribble...dribble...toss up a 29 footer, or an off-balance layup? Joyce is ok, but he ain't no Keith McCloud/Gary Trent/Anthony Stacy/Wally Sczerbiak/Huffman/Ben Reed...hell, even Bosley or Rashon Brown. Romeo still struggles with his inside game and is not a sure thing at the FT line either. Tough to give him the ball with 4 seconds remaining and behind by 1.Peterson's the wild card. If his back hold up, he can be "The Man." He, and Cedric are the two guys that look for their shot, and can create a shot. Conyers should be that person in 2006-7.It is testamony to KD and the hard work of the team that we're doing so well this season. We certainly don't have and "airport team" (the kind of team that, when you see them walking in the airport you immediately think "that's a basketball team!"). In fact, we probably have the anti-airport team...and STILL may be the best in the MAC! This team amazes me every night.

He could go to Pitt and play for a crappy coach like Wannstadt, losing to MAC doormats year in year out and going 3-8. Or, play for the MAC champs and train in a facility that second to none. And, get a great education to boot.There will be a lot more like him in the future. This is the tip of the iceberg.

FYI: I don't post "1-percenters." (Not trying to be a dick here, I just couldn't figure out a more tactful way to phrase it)Take it to the bank that the possibility is very real. "Guaranteed?" No, I can't say that. But the odds are very realistic.

I'll be there.

The only thing I will add is: I stand by my record. This isn't Joe Schmoe posting. If there weren't a realistic chance it would happen, I wouldn't post it.

Not Chris Webber, but "Chris Wells proportion." (See thread above).

A friend of mine from the Pittsburgh area is telling me LeSean McCoy, RB from Bishop McDevitt HS, is considering skipping prep school and committing to Akron. McCoy is 4-star. Top 10 RB in the nation...even ranked ahead of Chris Wells by some. He broke his ankle after game 4 of his senior season. He was on his way to becoming the #1 rusher in WPIAL history. Click, if You Hate the Beacon JournalStay tuned...