Captain Kangaroo

Amen, Brother. Your preaching to the choir with that one...

Williams' college future uncertain Wednesday, December 08, 2004 Speculation that former Benedictine High tailback Raymond Williams -- recently convicted and then given probation for his role in the death of former teammate Jon Huddleston -- will wind up at one of the open enrollment universities in the MAC (Akron or Toledo) is very, very premature. Yes, Cuyahoga County Common Pleas Judge Shirley Strickland Saffold has given him six months to enroll in a four-year college or be sent to jail. According to Williams' confidants, Akron, Toledo and Florida State have inquired about his status. But they also note Williams has to first secure his high school diploma or GED. It's understood he finished the required workload last summer, but it has yet to be approved. Then, considering each university has its own admission criteria regarding felons, Williams must pass those guidelines and be ready for the potential restrictions that go with them. Williams must be able to pay for his education, because he can't get a football scholarship until he is eligible. Felons are restricted in what kind of government aid they can receive. In a best-case scenario, Williams gets his diploma/GED within the next eight weeks, is cleared by a university to enroll, then pays for his education while he gets his eligibility. He can then get a scholarship in 2006. Any misstep along the way, including failure to maintain a 2.0 GPA, and the judge can still send Williams to jail.

Miami has wins vs Xavier and Purdue...Can't is 6-2, and beat Creighton soundly on the road last night. Can't beat Florida State too. Toledo beat Nevada and EMU beat some D3 school by 60 points last night...OU seems improved...Buffalo is 4-2...etc. Our Non conf after CSU (3-0 at the moment, I believe?) is Wright State, Dayton and Oakland. Wright State has a win vs. Tulsa under their belt already...Dayton is again solid...and although Oakland lost to Kansas State the other night, they had the lead for most of the game. These are the games that help the conference's Power Ratings. Zips need to at least split the next 4. It would be really heartening to see 3-1. Other MAC schools are coming up with some big OOC wins. Do the 2004-5 Zips have what it takes to join the club?

What's done is done. Time to move on. Here's hoping the MAC goes 5-0 in their bowls, and the public takes notice of the quality of football we play. Dividends will hopefully be seen in 2005.

I'm a VERY passive follower of women's hoops...but after 3 seasons...if you can't beat an 0-6 CSU team...you're at rock bottom. Can't's scrubs beat them by 20....easily. After 3 seasons...how can things be this bad? It wouldn't be so bad if ESPN didn't run those scores across the bottom ticker all night. You can't help but notice it.

HEY! David Falknor was TWICE the player Bubba Walther will ever be! By the way...I caught up with Dave the other day. He's found the perfect gig for this time of year:

You're right about the results of the defense. We're giving up big points. However, we're getting a lot more turnovers and easy baskets. I'm hopeful we'll continue to improve. Wood has an inside game. Travis...wish his offensive progress was better. He struggles anywhere from 2ft out. I wouldn't worry about being below .500...there's still 17 games remaining? NIU is a tough road game to start off. Wonder what changes Dambrot will make for CSU? Time to shorten the bench a bit?

Char-Houston lineman commits to Akron By John Grupp <mailto:jgrupp@tribweb.com> TRIBUNE-REVIEW Tuesday, December 7, 2004 Chartiers-Houston senior Elliott Bates made another fast move in Ohio. Bates, among the quickest offensive linemen at the Nike Camp at Ohio State, took his first official visit this past weekend, and saw enough to give a verbal commitment to the University of Akron. "It was a great campus; the people were nice," he said. "I felt that's where I needed to be." Bates (6-2, 275), who also had an offer from Pitt, is the second offensive lineman to pick Akron from the WPIAL Class of 2005. Left tackle Keith Huebner (6-7, 275) of Baldwin High School committed in September. Bates, a two-time first-team all-Black Hills Conference selection, visited Akron this weekend and committed to the Zips' coaches before he returned home on Sunday. "At first, I thought I was going to Pitt," he said. "I went to Akron with an open mind and I realized it was a great place." Interest in Bates picked up after he ran the 40-yard dash in 5.08 seconds at the Nike Camp in April, tops among all offensive linemen. He also ranked No. 5 in the shuttle (4.84) and No. 6 in the vertical leap (25 inches) among offensive lineman. Bates, who will play either guard or center, could be protecting Pitt transfer Luke Getsy somewhere down the road for former Pitt offensive coordinator and first-year Akron coach J.D. Brookhart. Bates admitted he was "split down the middle" between Akron and Pitt when he left for Ohio, but pointed to the coziness of Akron's campus and a quick bonding with his future teammates. He said uncertainty regarding coach Walt Harris's future at Pitt "played a little bit of a role" in his decision. "There's nothing against Pitt," he said. "I love their staff and the people down there, but the campus was a little too big. I wanted a smaller campus."

Titans Cut Jake, Drew Cancels Move to Tennessee

A few quick searches revealed he was offered a scholarship by Pitt. "Chartiers-Houston clinched a playoff spot with last week's 28-24 victory over Fort Cherry, and hopes to prolong an up-and-down season that included a 4-0 start before a mid-season slide. The Buccaneers feature a pair of big-time players, senior OL Elliott Bates (6-4, 290), who has an offer from Pitt, and TE/LB Jason Janov, a sculpted 6-1, 225-pounder."

Everyone is happy there are no more Hipsher's roaming the JAR. My blood pressure this season is 20 points lower this December than last December...I attribute that soley to lack of Hipshers @ The JAR. BTW: I wish none of the Hipsher's any ill-will. Mrs. Hipsher taught one of my friend's kids in Tallmdage and he couldn't say enough good things about her. Andy and Bryan were solid students. But...Andy's back robbed him of the skills to merit the PT his dad gave him...and Bryan never had the skills to merit the PT his dad gave him. Dad's coaching style wore on the fans as well as the players over the course of 9 years. Ooops...blood pressure just went up 10 points! Dambrot...Dambrot...now its down 2 points...no Hollingsworthless...no Tarver...two more points down...Futch and Wood lost a combined 80 lbs of fat...two more points down...Dambrot doesn't say "Well exactly, Steve" after every interview comment...down two more points...team is playing fun-to-watch, hard-nose defense...ahhhhhhhh back to normal blood pressure.

Bill Livingston's column today mentioned Akron is "considering" Williams. Must be true then...

Oh well.

Tulane is going to get crushed.

My only comments on the game: This was alluded to by the TV game announcers...the Zips put good free throw shooters in the game and slowed things down once they had a sufficient lead. Unlike Drake, where we kept up the run-n-gun although when we were up by 6 late in the game. Lessons were apparently learned by the team and it's "young" coach. Oh yeah...Jeff Phelps did a very nice job. He said a few strange comments...like "The Zips are going to rely heavily on Nick Myers to combat Duquesne's size"...but I think by his next TV game...when he's more familiar with the players...he'll be very good. He worked well with Mike. Click me or else

That is good news! I hope we aren't in the Rubber Bowl in 2009, however. Kentucky would be a great opener in the new stadium! Also interesting that they singed up to play home-home with Temple? Temple is getting booted from the Big East? They might be 1-AA by that time?

Lots of teams win the MAC without criminals. Lots of teams compete at the highest level of NCAA D-1 football without criminals. When I bring my son to "Meet the Team Day" I want him to meet guys like Cherry, Sparks, Frye, Basch, Blackburn, Payne, etc. I don't want him meeting thugs. I saw John Clarke selling crushed aspirin as cocaine at Super America...Marcus Reliford breaking into off campus housing...Mack Warren selling crack out of his dorm room. Faust took in plenty of suspect guys. It's taken 9 years to shed that image, and I have no desire to watch history repeat itself. No one has really had to worry about what the guys recruited over the past several years were doing Sunday through Friday. You start recruiting guys that face manslaughter charges and that will change. If JD takes on the guy, I have to have faith that he did exhaustive homework beforehand. And, I still won't like it.

Funny thing is... his Jacksonville 2004-5 points and rebounding totals will still essentialy match those of his Akron 2003-4 stats. Click Here to Learn More About Antonio Cool

If Michigan State beats Hawaii, the Zips go to Hawai'i? Is that a 100% guaranteed statement? If I stay up to watch the Hawai'i game...MSU wins...and we don't go to Hawai'i, I'll "Go Marshall" (similar to "Going Postal," but instead you beat up things like innocent fast food drive thru machines or OSU football players).

Only 60 players are allowed to travel. If any others want to go, it is on their own dime and they can't suit up. NCAA rules.

Click Me Unhappy campers.

Might still be a chance to get this kid! Recruiting: Moon High School lineman commits to Indiana Friday, October 08, 2004 By Mike White, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette John Bachman had some scholarship offers this summer from Mid-American Conference schools. Then a Big Ten school offered and won his heart. Bachman, a 6-foot-4, 255-pound lineman at Moon High School, has made a verbal commitment to the Indiana Hoosiers. He is the fifth offensive lineman from the WPIAL senior class to commit to a Division I-A school. Bachman had offers from Akron, Bowling Green, Can't State and Central Michigan before Indiana came through. "Whenever you get an offer from a Big Ten school, it kind of changes the situation," said Bachman, who was recruited to play offensive guard. "Probably what turned me around was when I went up there and met the coaches." Bachman participated in Indiana's football camp in June and also attended the Hoosiers' season opener against Central Michigan. Pitt also offered a scholarship to Bachman last week. "I definitely did like Pitt," Bachman said. "Maybe if they would've offered in June or July, I might have taken it. But it just didn't work out." Bachman committed to Indiana last week. "A big part of it is their coaching staff," Bachman said. "When I went out there for their camp, I saw not only are they good coaches, but they're really good guys. They're down to earth and they're real. I feel like I can really relate to them. Plus, they've got first-class facilities and they're in the Big Ten, which in my eyes is the best conference in college football." Indiana is 2-3 this season, but Bachman believes the Hoosiers are on the rise. "I really believe they can be, if not on top in the Big Ten, then at least a top competitor," he said. The other WPIAL offensive linemen who have committed to Division I-A schools are Burrell's John Brown (Pitt), Riverview's Shane Steffy (Bowling Green), Baldwin's Keith Huebner (Akron) and Montour's Josh Byrom (Louisville).

Will Higgins find his shot as 'Instant Offense?' By Dave Mackall TRIBUNE-REVIEW Wednesday, December 1, 2004 A year ago, Jack Higgins was raining shots from all around the arc. He finished second in the Atlantic 10 Conference in 3-point field-goal percentage, earning a reputation as "Instant Offense" in his role as a reserve guard for the Duquesne basketball team. This season has been much different for the slumping Higgins, who has lost his starting job with the Dukes -- at least temporarily -- after his latest effort resulted in another woeful showing. The 6-foot-5 Higgins scored just two points on 1-of-8 shooting during Duquesne's 78-59 loss Saturday at George Mason, and he has made only 5 of 27 field-goal attempts in the past three games, including 1 for 10 in a listless 85-71 setback to Lafayette in the Dukes' home opener Nov. 20. "I want to help Jack be successful," Duquesne coach Danny Nee said Tuesday. "He has been putting a lot of pressure on himself, and I think this might be a good thing for him for now. He has continued to work hard in practice, and he had a good practice today." Freshman Chauncey Duke will replace Higgins when Duquesne (1-5) entertains Akron (2-1) tonight at Palumbo Center with hopes of ending a four-game losing streak that has dampened the spirits of the Dukes' coaches, players and fans alike. Duke, a 6-6 swingman, is averaging 3.0 points and 2.7 rebounds in 13.0 minutes and enjoyed his best game in Duquesne's lone victory -- an 82-69 win over North Carolina A&T, when he hit all four of his 3-point shots. He and fellow freshman DeVario Hudson will begin to get longer looks from Nee. Hudson, a 6-6 power forward, is coming off an impressive, career-high 18-point, 8-rebound performance in 21 minutes at George Mason. "They both will get opportunities to play, but they both have a lot to learn, and we'll help them through it," Nee said. After Saturday's dismal outcome against George Mason, Nee promised changes. This week, he made at least one with regards to the lineup. But, just as he isn't about to hang his head, he doesn't expect anyone else associated with his basketball program to do so, either. "We're in rough times, but the team hasn't quit," Nee said. "Between the tough schedule (Duquesne already will be playing in its seventh game on the first day of December) and injuries, we're underachieving a little." For Higgins, the Schenley High School graduate, it has been a difficult struggle through the first six games. He is shooting 30.4 percent from the arc and just 27.7 overall. As a sophomore last season, he converted 45.6 percent from 3-point range to finish second in the A-10 to Pat Carroll of Saint Joseph's (45.8). "It's been real hard, but you just have to stay positive. Nothing like this has happened to me before," said Higgins, who is averaging 7.5 points after opening the year with a season-high 15 in Duquesne's 74-65 loss to Santa Clara. "All good shooters go through shooting slumps. It gets into your mind and you definitely start thinking more about putting the ball in the hole." Higgins and backcourt mates Bryant McAllister and Martin Osimani struggled to score in the Dukes' most recent game Saturday. The trio combined for just 11 points, including seven by Osimani, the Dukes' pass-first point guard. "I feel that my coaches and teammates expect a lot out of me and that they are behind me. I expect a lot out of myself, too," Higgins said, adding that he won't let pride get in the way of the team's progress. If Higgins' role becomes "Instant Offense" again -- he scored in double figures 10 times off the bench last season -- what will it mean to him? "Coach has been real humble and very positive with me. I understand what he's doing," Higgins said. "I had to play that role last year, and if it does work out that way, if it's going to be good for the team and if it's going to make the university look good, then that's what I'll do." Duquesne (1-5) vs. Akron (2-1) When, where: 7:05 p.m., Palumbo Center Probable starters Duquesne Pos. Name Ht. PPG F Gayden 6-8 8.2 F Duke 6-6 3.0 C Achara 6-9 12.8 G McAllister 6-3 14.3 G Osimani 6-4 9.8 Akron Pos. Name Ht. PPG F Wood 6-6 14.3 F Peterson 6-5 12.7 C Meyers 6-9 2.3 G Collins 5-5 4.3 G Joyce 6-0 6.7 Around the Dukes # After sitting out Saturday's 79-58 loss at George Mason with a sprained ankle, junior forward Keith Gayden will be back in the Duquesne lineup tonight against Akron. The 6-foot-8 Gayden, playing in his first season with the Dukes after transferring from Kennedy-King (Ill.) College, started the Dukes' first three games and has played in 5 of 6, averaging 8.2 points and 5.8 rebounds, which is second on the team. He injured the ankle the day before posting career highs of 15 points and nine rebounds in 22 minutes off the bench in a 72-69 home loss to West Virginia on Nov. 24. # While Gayden will be back in the starting lineup for Duquesne, senior forward Jon Pawlak is out with a similar injury. The 6-9 Pawlak, who has played in all six games, starting two, hurt his ankle during the loss to George Mason. He is averaging 1.7 points and 4.0 rebounds in 16.2 minutes. Meanwhile, redshirt freshman center Sean McKeon remains sidelined with mononucleosis and senior point guard Martin Osimani has nearly recovered from a broken nose that required him to play with a face mask for the Dukes' first five games. # Three of the past five meetings between Duquesne and Akron have been overtime affairs. The Dukes lead the series, 12-5, but Akron has taken the past three meetings, including a 64-61 OT victory a year ago. While Duquesne has lost four in a row, including both of its home games thus far, Akron looks to keep a two-game season winning streak alive. The Zips have posted home victories over NCAA Division III Mount Union (77-47) and Hampton (80-59) after opening with a 90-88 loss at Drake. # Sophomore center Kieron Achara has scored in double digits in Duquesne's first six games and has recorded double-doubles in three of the past four. The 6-9, 255-pound Achara is coming off a 15-point, 11-rebound effort against George Mason. # First-year Akron coach Keith Dambrot's father, Sid, played basketball at Duquesne from 1952 to 1954, when the Dukes competed in the NCAA Tournament and the National Invitation Tournament in 1952 and the NIT in 1953 and 1954. The younger Dambrot also has been a head coach at Central Michigan and at NCAA Division II schools Ashland and Tiffin as well as at Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary High School. Digits 60-31 Duquesne's all-time record against schools from the Mid-American Conference, of which Akron is a member. 80.9 Duquesne's free-throw shooting percentage this season. 2.4 Difference in average assists per game between the top returnee in NCAA Division I (Aaron Miles of Kansas, who averaged 7.3 last season) and Duquesne point guard Martin Osimani, who is 12th on the list at 5.9.

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QB Omar Jacobs – Bowling Green *** Offensive Player of the Year Honorable Mention: Bruce Gradkowski - Toledo ; Charlie Frye - Akron & Joshua Cribbs – Can't State RB Garrett Wolfe – NIU Jerry Seymour – Central Michigan Alex Hayes - UCF Honorable Mention: Adell Givens – Ball State ; PJ Pope - Bowling Green & Brett Biggs - Akron WR Dante Ridgeway – Ball State Eric Deslauriers – Eastern Michigan Lance Moore – Toledo Greg Jennings – Western Michigan Honorable Mention: Josh Davis – Marshall; Charles Sharon – BGSU; Dan Sheldon – NIU; Domenik Hixon – Akron; Steve Sanders – BGSU; Cole Magner – BGSU & Ryne Robinson - Miami TE Brad Cieslak - Northern Illinois Honorable Mention: Tony Scheffler - Western Michigan & Chris Holmes, Toledo OL Brian Van Acker - NIU Adam Kieft - Central Michigan Jake VerStraete - NIU Nick Kaczur – Toledo Scott Mruczkowski - BGSU Rob Warren - BGSU Ben Lueck – NIU Todd Landot - Miami DL Jonathan Goddard – Marshall *** Defensive Player of the Year Justin Parrish – Can't State Jack Gitler – Western Michigan Jamus Martin – Marshall Marcus Johnson - Miami Chase Blackburn – Akron Honorable Mention: Phil Alexander – Toledo; Jamal Whyce; Dan Muir – Can't State; Jean Oliver Gagnon-Gordillo; Aaron Sanders – Buffalo & Ernest Osbone – Western Michigan LB Kevin Harrison – Eastern Michigan Javon Lee - NIU Eric Mahl – Can't State Thomas Keith – Central Michigan Honorable Mention: Brian Atkinson – NIU; Anthony Jordan – Toledo; James King – Central Michigan; Kevin Adkins – Marshall & Matt Muncy - Ohio DB Chris Royal – Marshall Keon Newsome – BGSU Lionel Hickenbottom – NIU Patrick Body – Toledo Honorable Mention: Justin Beriault – Ball State; JJ Gibson – Buffalo; Jerry Gaines – EMU; John Fuller – Akron; Jelani Jordan – BGSU; Matt Pusateri – Miami & Chip Cox - Ohio Place-Kicker Andrew Wellock – Eastern Michigan Honorable Mention: Chris Nednick – NIU Punter Reggie Hodges – Ball State Honorable Mention: Adam Anderson – Western Michigan & Matthew Miller - Ohio Return Specialists Korey Kirkpatrick – Miami Dominek Hixon - Akron Honorable Mention: Dan Sheldon – NIU; Asante White – Central Michigan; Greg Jennings – Western Michigan & Ryne Robinson - Miami