Captain Kangaroo

Still WVU Blackhawk football standout Jeremy Bruce (RB/WR/DB) made a verbal commitment to West Virginia last spring, but made a visit to Akron a few weeks ago. The Akron visit, ironically, sold Bruce on West Virginia. "Akron's been on me pretty good and they asked me to come out," Bruce said. "I went to see their facilities and everything, and it was nice. But I'm sticking with West Virginia. That's where my heart is."

Hoops player too: Kemme flexing muscles at center Thursday, December 16, 2004 PATRICK DOLAN ThisWeek Staff Writer As far as Upper Arlington High School boys basketball coach Tim Casey is concerned, some central Ohio teams can boast of having a taller center than his squad, but few can say it has a stronger post player. At 6-foot-6, 255 pounds, senior Chris Kemme can be a handful for opposing teams. His size enables him to take up a lot of room under the basket, while his strength allows him to outmuscle opponents for rebounds. "He's a moose," Casey said of Kemme, who made a verbal commitment to play football at Akron University on Dec. 7. "He's extremely hard to move. Guys just bounce off him. And he's deceptively quick. He doesn't look like he can move, but he's pretty quick. ... When he's focused, I don't think there's a whole lot of guys who can guard him. And he's a great defender in the middle." Kemme, a three-year varsity player and second-year starter, was third on the team in scoring (9.1 points per game) last season behind Thomas Kluz (15.3) and Ben Lupton (12.7). Given the fact that Kluz and Lupton both graduated, Kemme is being counted on to help carry the offensive load for the Bears this season. And through four games, he is averaging 13.5 points, which ranks him second on the team in scoring behind junior Matt Streng (16.8). "I knew that Matt Streng and I had to replace two good players," Kemme said, referring to Kluz and Lupton. "I knew I had to score more points this year. I had a couple chats with coach Casey before the season about how he needed me to be one of the leaders and about how he needed me to score points." Kemme scored a career-high 19 points in a 57-48 win over visiting Westerville North on Dec. 7 and has been in double figures in points in all but one game. Last season, he scored in double figures in nine of the 21 games. "He's the most experienced guy we have," said Casey, whose team fell to 2-2 overall and 1-1 in the OCC-Ohio Division with a 56-44 loss to Newark last Friday. "He's the one guy we have who has a tremendous amount of varsity experience. ... I told him that we needed to rely on him to score points this year, and he's come through for us. He's been doing a great job. If he stays out of foul trouble, he'll have a great senior year." According to Casey, Kemme is held in high esteem by all his teammates. "He's continuing to grow into the leadership role," Casey said. "He's one of the players in our program that guys instantly respond to. The kids really respect him."

Wasn't Jud Cummins from Upper Arlington?

Wow...and I thought I was frustrated over the past 20 years... BZ's post simply stated we've seen some great QB play in the past 7 years. Your rant about having too few wins during that period is marginally valid, but has noting to do with BZ's post. I'll leave it at that. Regarding the quoted passage above, I couldn't disagree more with respect to thanking the players that have competed for the University over the past several years. Who cares if they got a scholarship? All had opportunities to attend other universities, large or small, yet chose to be Zips. The seniors put "Akron" on their uniforms and represented the University well for 4 to 5 years. I had a blast watching the likes of Matt Cherry, Sparks, Payne, Frye, Dwight Smith, Jason Taylor, Chase Blackburn, Bobby Hendry, Konrad Dean, Jud Cummins, Jake Schifino...and on and on. Yes, the wins were fewer than I'd prefer, but those guys bought into an Akron program with no field house, no championship legacy, no adoring fan base, an ambivolent local media, 6 mile trips to practice in the backs of beater pick up trucks, no $100 OSU booster "hand shakes"...almost zero TV exposure...man...how can you rebuke an Akron fan for thanking these guys? They were the BEST! The saying "Hate the game, not the player" applies here. Get pissed at Dennis Helsel, Bill Muse, Gerry Faust, Lee Owens, Peggy Gordon Elliott...take your pick. But, don't dismiss these player's contributions. They're the bedrock for all the unbelievably positive team accomplishments we're going to witness over the next several years. BTW: A special "Thanks" to the recent players for the two Marshall wins! I'd been waiting 20 years for a legit reason to storm the field after a big win, and you gave it to me...and I am ETERNALLY gratefull! Existing players: Keep doing the great job your doing in selling the new recruits on the University during the recruiting visits! Unreal job thusfar!!

Two comments: Lively's departure somewhat explains the avalanche of TE's we've stockpiled...but not completely. It will be interesting to see what positions some of the guys presently listed as TE's actually end up playing. Plummer went to Indiana State after the Zips gave him the boot. He didn't appear on their roster this season, so I assume his Sycamore career was about as brief as his Zips "career."

Bad news on the doorstep...I couldn't take one more step... What a damn shame. He and Travis have been killing the boards. Can't lost Gerwig last season and did pretty well. Let's hope Futch can pick it up a couple notches...hopefully keeping his butt in the paint, and not hoisting 17 footers. Damn damn damn.

Zips Notes: Sophomore forward Jeremiah Wood (Akron, Ohio/Central-Hower HS), who left Sunday's game against Ohio after injuring his right knee, is scheduled to undergo an MRI Monday evening, X-Rays following Sunday's game were negative.

What's the rule? What is the game # cut-off before you can redshirt a player?

It is likely "guest posting" will be eliminated in the near future.

Random thoughts: Hope Wood is ok. It looked bad. My wife talked to Wood's mom for a second as the ambulance arrived. She said it was just a "twisted leg" and was somewhat confident he'd be ok. X-rays may prove otherwise. The 4th year of the Tim O'Shea's tenure looks bad. $300k/year for him? Larry Hunter looks like John Wooden compared to O'Shea. Futch played very well in Wood's absense. Lots of energy and great D. Nick Meyers is bad...rusty...or both bad and rusty. Looks like Futch will get the lion's share of Wood's minutes, should Wood be out for an extended period. Joyce played another solid game. Best overall Zips PG since Eric McLauglin? I like him better than Ball. Travis is again solid, as it Peterson. In general, the whole team plays hard every night. Dambrot coaches hard too...mixing things up with regularity. It seems like the Zips try to win every possession every game. This group is an easy team to love. Bubba out of his slump? Hope so. What the hell was that line up befor the half? Milum, Middleton, Meyers, Collins and Bubba? Couldn't figure that one for the life of me. Great offensive game by McFadden, but some of his passes were flat out scary. He's not missing his calling as a PG. See where Oakland waxed BG by 20? Can't loses to Ball State To beat OU by double digits without Wood is really impressive. Kudos to the guys for focusing on the job at hand. Toledo up next.

I would say that, at the present commitment pace, Jarvis may find himmself on the outside looking in if he waits until late Jan/early Feb to commit to the Zips. Temple? They aren't even in a conference and may be 1-AA soon. Can't? Hey, if that's what he wants, we're better off without him. I'd love to see him in the Zips Blue and Gold. He seems like a hell of a fun player to watch. Jarvis ready to dispel doubters again By Kevin Gorman TRIBUNE-REVIEW Sunday, January 2, 2005 Forget, for a moment, his size. Take into consideration just his statistics this season. He rushed for 2,196 yards and 34 touchdowns on 266 carries in 13 games. He set a WPIAL championship-game record with 221 yards, tied a PIAA finals record with five touchdowns and became only the fifth player in WPIAL Quad-A history to eclipse 4,000 career yards (4,375). What more could Eugene Jarvis have done? For all his exploits, which includes leading Central Catholic (16-0) to WPIAL and PIAA Class AAAA titles, Jarvis has had as many scholarship offers withdrawn (Bowling Green, Pitt and West Virginia) as he has remaining on the table (Akron, Can't State and Temple). "I was a little upset, with all the accolades I've earned," Jarvis said. "Whoever gets me will be proud they got me." Now is the time to remember that Jarvis is 5-foot-6, 165 pounds. That his academic standing -- he claims to be qualified for freshman eligibility -- is in question. And that he made some comments last spring that irked Pitt's staff. When a Pitt fan-based Internet recruiting site asked Jarvis about the Panthers, he said something to the effect of knowing that at least he can play Division I football. At the time, it sounded like he was making the Panthers an afterthought, a fallback plan if bigger and better schools didn't come through. His words angered Pitt coaches and fans alike, especially after the Johnson-Morelli debacle. "People probably took it the wrong way," Jarvis admits, "but I didn't mean it like that." When Pitt got a commitment from Johnstown's LaRod Stephens -- another diminutive all-purpose back -- it withdrew its offer to Jarvis. Except, nobody from Pitt's coaching staff delivered the news to Jarvis directly. "They gave me an offer face-to-face; I don't understand why they couldn't tell me to my face," said Jarvis, who recently heard that his offer was being pulled by West Virginia directly from assistant Tony Gibson. "Coach Gibson personally told me they weren't taking any more running backs. I can respect him for that." So, Pitt isn't alone in backing off Jarvis -- and Panthers fans are quick to complain that no one criticizes Penn State for not taking overlooked WPIAL prospects - but new Pitt coach Dave Wannstedt is in position to make a splash in local recruiting by re-offering the dynamic playmaker. Wannstedt has emphasized that the running game will be a priority, and Jarvis is not just the WPIAL's best remaining running back but its best running back, period, in years. Jarvis has unique football instincts, a combination of acceleration, elusiveness, quickness and vision that are uncommon. He's a miniature version of Tony Dorsett, and Pitt has been waiting for his second coming since 1976. Yet Jarvis realizes that, at his size, he might be best suited for the Mid-American Conference and an offense that best utilizes his ability to line up in multiple positions. "I know size and speed play a big role in college recruiting," said Jarvis, who runs a consistent 4.4-second 40-yard dash. "There's nothing I can do about that. I know that college has bigger players. I'm not just a running back. I can play in the slot, catch the ball and do returns. "I think heart is the key. If you play football, you're going to take a pounding. I've got a lot of heart." Unless he has a change of heart, Jarvis is scheduled to take official visits to Can't State on Jan. 14, Akron on Jan. 21 and Temple on Jan. 28. He's open to the idea of entertaining more schools, including Pitt. "I'm giving everybody a chance," Jarvis said. "I think the visits are going to play a big role. We'll see at the end." With Jarvis, seeing is believing. He thrives on proving doubters wrong, and relished the opportunity to outshine Upper St. Clair's Sean Lee, Gateway's Justin King, McDowell's Justin Hammond, Bishop McDevitt's LeSean McCoy and Neshaminy's Georg Coleman in the playoffs. Now, Jarvis wants to prove some college coach right. "It gives me another chip on my shoulder," Jarvis said. "I'm going to work hard for whoever I commit to. Whoever misses out on me, that's their fault." And don't say we didn't warn you.

As an informative annex to the "Weak Scheduling" topic, I offer the MAC strength of schedule thusfar, and the present RPI: Can't State--11 (15) NIU--55 (70) Toledo--61 (122) BG--90 (71) Miami--96 (79) WMU--101 (87) Buffalo--116 (109) Ohio--126 (116) Ball St.--159 (169) CMU--175 (198) Marshall--193 (222) EMU--201 (234) Akron--218 (192) Good thing we played Northern Illinois already, or it would be worse!

Good for Matt. I hope to see him on the tube in NFL Europe this summer...and on fall Sundays in 2005/6!

Other than the fact that I don't mind attending the games against "lesser" opponents, I agree with you. I've seen the lower reserved section. There have been A LOT of empty seats thusfar (no more than normal, mind you). Many people have a hard time forking out $200-$400 per seat PSL to watch the level of basketball we've witnessed over the past several years coupled with the weak schedules. There exist, however, a level of fans that WILL pay this money regardless of how terrible the team is...who the coach is...or who the opponent is. The University has made the decision that a half-full lower reserved section with people willing to pay the big $$ PSL's is better than a full lower reserved section with reduced PSL money. Hey, that's their call. It just bugs me to see all those empty seats down below. It isn't much of a home court advantage to have the court-area seating half empty and stick people in the upper level. But it probably makes the accounting books look good. Bring in higher-caliber opponents and start competing for championships...THEN you can charge the big PSL money.

And you're DA ZIPMAN's love child!

Roger Brown is typically a total idiot...but even a broken clock is right twice a day. The first time I heard Tommy G on ZSN I thought he was from a national broadcast, not an Akron production. He "has what it takes" to go far in his profession. Joe Dunn...great guy...great Zips supporter...actually a decent sideline guy in football...I'll leave it at that. Frenchy...I like him...other than the fact that he screws up the names in football too often, and sounds like someone killed his dog if the Zips are behind in a game. If you don't like the Zips broadcasters, try listenening to Bill Needle do the Can't games. Worst I've ever heard...football or basketball.

Good for you, but I'm not sure this is the right forum for this .. Zips FB member or not .. I did hear Andy was a STUD. :blink: :blink:

How ZIP Got the Zach Anderson Scoop (look at the roster)

I wonder if, in light of our recent success in WPa, Mr. Smizek still feels the possibility of Akron stealing recruits from Pitt is "preposterous?" Smizik: Getsy gets flak; why not Brookhart? Wednesday, September 15, 2004 By Bob Smizik, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette If you are a member of the Pitt football program and believe you have a chance to better yourself by switching your allegiance to, say, the University of Akron, there are two paths you could follow. If you're a coach in the Pitt program, you leave with back slaps from your superiors and best wishes and congratulations all around. And, of course, forget about any contractual obligations. If you're a player in the Pitt program, you depart under no such happy circumstances. Instead, you leave in near disgrace, with the university doing all it can to make your transition as difficult as possible and with the media portraying you as disloyal. Two men left Pitt for Akron in the past year. J.D. Brookhart, a former offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach, left to follow his dream and become head coach. Luke Getsy, a backup quarterback, left to follow his dream of becoming a starting Division I-A quarterback. On the surface, both moves were similar, if not the same. But the treatment received by both couldn't be more different. Brookhart, who immediately assumed his new duties, was congratulated; Getsy, who must sit out a year under NCAA rules, was criticized. It all goes to the hypocrisy of college athletics, where coaches, the royalty of the sport, can do what they please in moving unencumbered from job to job, and athletes, the indentured servants of the sport, are tightly bound by rules that limit their movement. Getsy decided to transfer after losing the competition for starting quarterback to Tyler Palko. He faced three years of sitting on the bench. It's true, he was an injury away from starting, but it's also true as time went by the chances were good Pitt would have groomed a younger quarterback to back up and eventually replace Palko. Pitt coach Walt Harris, as is his custom, refused to grant Getsy his release. That didn't stop Getsy from transferring but it prevented Akron from giving him a scholarship, which means he has to pay out-of-state tuition. This move was as petty as it gets. What did Pitt accomplish by refusing to give Getsy his release other than to make life a little harder on him and his family? Attempts to portray Akron, a small-time program, as some kind of recruiting or competitive rival are preposterous. It was nothing more than an attempt to punish Getsy for wanting to better himself. If this is a common practice all over the country, it doesn't make Pitt's move any less reprehensible. Shame on Harris for sinking so low and shame on athletic director Jeff Long for not overruling the coach. In fact, where was chancellor Mark Nordenberg to nullify these misguided decisions? When students on academic scholarships transfer from Pitt, are they required to get a release? Are they ineligible for a similar scholarship at their new school? It was suggested the Getsy owes something to Pitt. That, too, is preposterous. Scholarships are two-way streets. The college gives the scholarship and all that comes with it, and the athlete gives his body and all that comes with that. But if Getsy did owe Pitt something, what does Brookhart owe Pitt? Harris gave Brookhart his first big-time job. His previous experience had been as a coaching assistant -- which is decidedly different than an assistant coach -- with the Denver Broncos. It would seem Brookhart owes Pitt at least as much, if not more, than Getsy. It also has been suggested that Getsy has left Pitt in a precarious position without a backup to Palko. It's not as if Getsy was steeped in experience. He had thrown 13 passes in his college career and completed three of them for 32 yards. It's possible the new No. 2 quarterback, Joe Flacco -- who had high school credentials at least the equal of Getsy and who has a stronger arm than Getsy and Palko -- could become as good a backup. And what about Brookhart? Where did he leave Pitt? In a bind at least as deep. Brookhart helped develop such outstanding receivers as Latef Grim, Antonio Bryant and Larry Fitzgerald. The last two are the greatest in Pitt history. Pitt is severely depleted at wide receiver this year. It could use a coach of Brookhart's experience to upgrade the position. The truth of the matter is that Brookhart had every right to leave Pitt in an attempt to better himself. In that respect, he's no different than Getsy. Too bad Pitt didn't treat them the same.

Scroll down to #15 to see the latest Zip commit, as listed by ZIP, Rivals etc.: Click HERE If JD can find a couple DL's by February, this is going to be one hell of a recruiting class!!

A 19 point lead at the half, while shooting 2-16 from 3-point range? To quote Proenza: "Wow." Wood and Travis were unstoppable. The reason we had the huge lead was, after every 3-point brick, those guys got the rebound! What an awesome display of rebounding tenacity. Bubba is bringing back memories of Tarver...launches 3-pointers with wreckless abandon...might score 30 one night...4 the next two...and "average" a deceptively decent number like 12.6. Love Bubba's upside...hope to see a more consistant shot in early 2005...but don't expect it until fall 2005-6. Peterson looks ready for MAC play. His game is rounding into shape. Goddard filled in nicely! In the Hipsher era...a la Ken Kowall or Jeff Penno...you'd never see him on the floor again after a nice game. I think it will be different w/Dambrot. Goddard could play a somewhat significant role if Bubba or Cedric struggle. I liked everything Nick had to say in his interview after the game. Aside from a spark to start the 2nd half, Oakland was really listless. The Zips beat them to just about every loose ball and rebound. I saw Oakland play Kansas State a few weeks ago, and Oakland led for most of the game before losing. I expected more out of them. Maybe the Zips just played "that well"? Wood's passing is underrated. He has a good eye for the open man. Big 3 by Preston to end the half. What is his role on this team? 7th man? Speaking of roles...where does Futch fit in? The run-n-gun press style obviously doesn't suit him. Under what circumstances will he see significant minutes? Only when Travis or Wood get in foul trouble? Quade Milum...can he still redshirt? Will he? I can't see him playing 1 minute once MAC play starts. Nice win tonight. Fun to watch. Wood and Travis made what could have been a close game a blow-out.

Again. I take no credit for the "scoop." Thanks goes out to the Zips fan that gave me the heads-up! Input like that is what makes this board great.

Bingo

Can someone remind him that "big time" Kentucky lost to MAC doormat Ohio this past season (a team the Zips beat handily)?

Wannstedt hire rouses recruits Saturday, December 25, 2004 By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Time will tell about coach Dave Wannstedt's recruiting abilities. But his hiring Thursday as Pitt's new coach is a positive sign in the eyes of some potential recruits. Central Catholic quarterback/defensive back Shane Murray made his official visit to Pitt last weekend when he had no idea Wannstedt would be the Panthers' next coach. Murray also has been to Hofstra, and has January visits scheduled to Richmond and Connecticut. He was pleased to hear of Wannstedt's hiring. "You figure he's seen so much talent because he's coached at such a high level," Murray said. "You know he knows a lot about football." Murray sounded like Pitt was his top choice now. "[Wannstedt] does kind of push you there a little bit more," he said. "If I'm going to go there, I'm going on my own will. But it does help knowing that there's a coach there now -- and a good one." Duquesne running back Shane Brooks also visited Pitt last weekend and seemed encouraged with Wannstedt. "He's a veteran coach who coached NFL teams," Brooks said. "You can't beat experience like that." Brooks, though, stopped short of saying Pitt is his leader. He has January visits planned to Connecticut and Akron. Although Pitt has verbal commitments from 12 high school players, Wannstedt does not have to honor those scholarship offers. "I still have to meet him and see if he still offers me a scholarship," Brooks said. "Probably in a couple more days I'll be able to figure things out a little more." Monessen fullback/linebacker Mick Williams has visited Akron and is going to West Virginia Jan. 14. Pitt had offered a scholarship, but Williams did not want to visit Pitt until the coaching situation was resolved. He said he hopes to make an official visit in January, but didn't say Wannstedt's hiring made the Panthers No. 1 in his eyes. "I never met the dude, so that's what I'll wait for," he said. "I'll wait until I meet him and then go from there." It will be interesting to see if Wannstedt offers scholarships to any other Western Pennsylvania players. Two weeks ago, Central Catholic coach Art Walker said he believes the new Pitt coach could do himself wonders if he offered a scholarship to Central Catholic star running back Eugene Jarvis, a two-time Post-Gazette Player of the Year. Former Pitt coach Walt Harris offered Jarvis a scholarship in the spring, but the Panthers pulled it in the summer after getting a commitment from Johnstown running back LaRod Stephens. Burrell offensive lineman John Brown is one of three WPIAL seniors to commit to Pitt. The others are Aliquippa receiver/defensive back Tommie Campbell and Moon lineman John Bachman. Brown, whose father played at Pitt, said he would have stuck with his commitment no matter who Pitt hired. "But I think this is definitely a plus for the Pitt team," Brown said of Wannstedt's hiring. "He coached in the NFL so you know he knows what he's talking about. I think he can take this team to new heights and I think it's awesome that he's a local guy and a Pitt alum. He knows this area and I think that's what Pitt needed most."