Captain Kangaroo

Per Vandelay sports, the speculation about a Cleveland Stadium appears all for naught. The game will probably end up at the Rubber Bowl. In my heart, it seems like it is just too soon in JD's tenure to accept the risk of a Stadium flop...and there is a substantial risk. Once our program reaches the level of, say, Toledo (9+ wins year-in-year-out) I think something like that would be viable, and awesome.

I kinda feel "cheated" that we got a coach so fast? No speculation...no big names bandied-about...no non-finalists "removing their names from consideration"...nuthin'. Makes for a dull Zipsnation board in the early-offseason! What a rip-off that we don't get to see Dambrot's first "KD" recruiting class hit the floor until the Fall of 2005! Wonder if any of the two Ohio-based 2004 recruits will make the Wendy's all-star roster? That's always fun to keep tabs on during the summer. Is Corey Jones from St V Division 1 material? Does he have any interest in walking on at Akron, in light of the coaching change? Matt Futch seems to have the most work ahead of him. He started off the season pretty strong, then seemed to tire...then fell in love with his outside shot. We don't need 6' 8" 300 lb 3-point shooters. It'll be interesting to see how this new up-tempo Zips style affects his belly (I see a lot of puking in garbage cans in HIS near-future if he wants some PT next season). Does the kid from Wadsworth fit into Dambrot's plans (Goddard?). He's allegedly a good shooter...and we're losing the biggest one we had in Tarver. A few weeks ago someone "in-the-know" told me a few hoops transfers were already on-campus . This was before the reassignment. Wonder if any names will surface (I'm sure we'll see something in the Beacon)? Owens never so much as put his foot in his new cubicle after his reassignment? Has Hipsher? Man was the MAC "down" in hoops this season. WMU was clearly the class of the MAC. Toledo and Can't were the only ones with a legit claim to an NIT. No one was griping about not getting an at-large NCAA bid. Can't's DeAndre Haynes is a hell of a player. If I were Dru Joyce I'd stare-down Haynes' picture every morning before I went to work out. :angry: No comments regarding Tarver only getting 2nd team all-MAC? After watching the first-teamers at The Gund it is obvious it was the right choice. I would easily have traded any of those guards or forwards for Tarver. Like Zipboy, I liked what Dambrot had to say regarding Travis, Joyce and Wood. He had the opportunity to "gush" over them, but matter-of-factly stated that they all have a lot of work to do over the summer. That 7:00pm Monday 1350AM show with "Fred" and Joe Dunn is actually pretty good. There are free-thinkers on the show that are "fans" yet also are critical of things that aren't "peachy." Joe Dunn is the resident Zips "shill," so it makes for a balanced show. (Most of it is HS, but Zips coverage is there for the asking). For the MAC's sake, I hope Can't wins tonight.

I'm out for tonight, but hope to be there tomorrow. I stopped over in the section 108 "hood" a few times yesterday, but didn't see you. Overall, it was the worst opening round I've seen. It seems a lot of MAC schools had bad seasons, and no one wanted to travel to the games to see an expected loss? WMU and Can't fans will probably be back in force tonight. Buffalo had a great crowd, WMU was good, Can't ok, Toledo ok, BG below average. Ball State terrible, Miami bad, Marshall bad. OU always brought a good crowd...I'm sure the Gund missed them.

Larry Penn wasn't a Division 1 player. He's better off where he's at now. That said, his complaints regarding Hipher shouldn't be dismissed as sour grapes from a disgruntled player. He basically said what we've all witnessed for the past 9 years. Enough Hipsher bashing...the future's so bright I gotta wear shades!

From what I know, this game would be played AFTER the HS regular season. The playoffs will be underway, but the game would not compete with many, if any local HS games. I did not know anything about Cleveland being considered as a possible game location? MT mentioned the near certainty of a nationally televised ESPN game at Brookhart's press conference. My information is a month old, so things may have evolved?

I'm taking tomorrow off, so I figured I should show up for work today. Besides, it was supposed to be on the web! :angry:

So these are the shoes of U of A lore? :blink:

Will Hipsher "pull and Owens" and leave, or will he accept his reassignment? I would have to believe he'll end up on someone's bench next season as an assistant...maybe at Texas Tech? If Bryan Hipsher shows up on the court next season in anything other than a mascot's suit, or with a trumpet in his hand, I'll explode. Will Nick Meyers get some PT in 2004-5? Wonder what the three 2004 recruits think about this development? Ditto for the existing players. Who will comprise Dambrot's staff? How long will it take Ellen Alexander to bring up the racial thing at the press conference in an attempt to embarass Dambrot? If Dambrot is any good, you'd think he'll stick with the program for quite a while? The U of A has really stuck its neck out on this one...even hiring him as an assistant was risky. I think that, coupled with the fact that he's an alum, should help in keeping him a Zips coach for some time. IF, of course, he can win some games. As cruel as it sounds, learning of Hipsher's reassignment really made me happy..."popping champagne corks and running around the neighborhood naked screaming 'woooo hoooo'" happy! My season tickets will be renewed for 2004-5. I feel better about being at the Gund tomorrow. Not great, but better. For "not having this idea cemented until after the Ball State loss," MT sure made a quick decision on the hire? From the time Hipsher was gone until the time of Dambrot's press conference is about 21 1/2 hours? Seems like he must have at least considered the possibility for a day or two beforehand?

Zips to name Dambrot as new coach 03/10/04 Elton Alexander Plain Dealer Reporter The postseason. That is the bottom line. And Tuesday, University of Akron men's basketball coach Dan Hipsher was cut by it. Akron Athletic Director Mike Thomas reassigned Hipsher to the university's development and public affairs office. Later Tuesday evening, it was announced the Zips will hold a news conference at 2 p.m. today and will name third-year assistant Keith Dambrot, 45, a former Zips player, as Akron's next coach. This would bring a troubled college coaching history full circle for Dambrot. He first emerged as one of the youngest college coaches. But an Ashland College program he took to a 48-13 record (1989 and 1990) and national prominence during his tenure was later hit with two years of NCAA probation for major violations after he left for Central Michigan. Dambrot himself was not sanctioned for misdeeds at Ashland. After two years as coach of the Chippewas (20-34), Dambrot was fired following an incident in which he used a racial epithet toward his players. He returned to Akron and found work before returning to coaching at St. Vincent-St. Mary High School, and three seasons ago as an assistant with the Zips. An Akron team with many of Dambrot's recruits was expected to contend for a MAC title but finished 13-15, 7-11, due in great measure to the downturn of senior guard Johnny Hollingsworth, who was ultimately suspended for academic reasons, and the continued poor health of 6-8 senior Andy Hipsher. The coach's son suffered with back problems for three years. But the final straw that led to Dan Hipsher's demise was Akron's 76-72 defeat to Ball State on Monday night in the opening round of the MAC Tournament. "The idea [to replace Hipsher] was not cemented until then," Thomas said. Thomas cited the Zips' inability to make any moves in the postseason as the reason to end the nine-year tenure of the MAC's dean of basketball coaches. That loss gave Hipsher a 1-7 MAC tournament record, which is the deepest into postseason play the Zips ever advanced under the graduate from Bowling Green. "If you look at our history in the postseason, that is what you are judged on," Thomas said. "Our teams don't get better at the end of the season. We've struggled in the postseason. We were not moving in a positive direction. We needed a change in leadership." Hipsher's 15-year coaching record at Wittenberg, Stetson and Akron is 238-182, including 112-137 with the Zips. The highlight for Akron under Hipsher came in 1997-98 when the Zips finished 17-10, won the MAC's East Division and Hipsher was named the MAC's coach of the year. One noteworthy achievement for Hipsher is the fact he is the only Akron basketball coach to win a game at rival Can't State in the last 40 years, including Zip legends Bob Huggins and Wyatt Webb. Hipsher won, 93-68, at Can't State in 1998; he won, 85-70, in 2003. "I understand they have their decisions to make," Hipsher said. "But I love Akron. I'm an Ohio guy. I'm a MAC guy. This job has meant a ton to me. The question is always asked, 'Did you see this coming?' With the young guys we have, and the guys coming in, I was looking forward to working with this group of players in the future." Now, that chore will go to Dambrot, who will start his Akron career holding an 0-2 MAC Tournament record while at Central Michigan.

Trust me on this one: Tammy will use the words "growl" (followed by a metaphor) and "barrel-chested" in his column describing Hipsher. He's done it in every Hipsher column he's ever written. Unlike Owens, Pluto won't be 100% kind to Hipsher. Pluto soured on him a few years ago, after the Andrick incident.

I forgot about Peters. He was also an assistant under Huggins. Did he coach YSU for a while too? All 3 seem like good candidates.

I quit listening to the show a while ago. I can't take it. Fire Hipsher. Keep me.

I don't want Hipsher fired because of this season. I want him gone because of the past N-I-N-E seasons! Every year it is a new excuse. I'm sick of it. Another thing...the MAC B-L-E-W this year. Can't is several notches below their level of the past few seasons. Miami is terrible...EMU blows, CMU is worse, Ball State is as bad as they've been in years, OU is horrible, NIU is horrible, Buffalo has improved to become "mediocre," BG is down, Toledo is mediocre and Marshall is terrible. WMU is the only team in the MAC who could "run with the big dogs" this year. To have 7 wins against this level of MAC competition is tragic. How many times this season did you hear "Gosh...we've been 'in' every game we've lost this season...no one blew us out." The common denominator in all those games was the fact that we lost them. If there is any consistencey to MT's firing practices, Hipsher should be fired. Owens consistently lost games he was "in," like Miami, Wisconsin, Can't and UConn. You don't win in the MAC with a bunch of freshman. We had Joyce, Futch, Travis and Wood. However...why did we need to give these kids so much PT this season? Because a lot of kids left the program. If Hipsher returns in 2004, I don't. The University will be taking me for a fool if they think I should return to see Dan Hipsher and his career 35% winning percentage and 1st round tourney exits enter a 10th season. Man...I hate to forfeit those valuable ZAC points...I'm sure season tickets will be at a premium next year...but I guess I can make that sacrifice. Fire Hipsher. Keep me.

Forget keeping Hipsher I don't like Dambrot as much as everyone else. Just a gut feeling...I wouldn't kill myself if he were hired, but I wouldn't have a party either. If Larry Hunter couldn't win at OU, why would Akron be any different? Dubious past for John Loyer. How's he doing now-a-days as a JUCO coach? Write-in: I need to research it a bit, but there MUST be some really sharp D-II coaches ready to move up.

Is he gone? Who will be the new guy? It'll be nice to see 4 good college basketball games at The Gund Thursday...I haven't seen 4 good games all season.

Reggie Witherspoon took over a program in mid-season 4 years ago. The previous coach was canned for NCAA violations. The following year Buffalo was on NCAA probation. They drew 1,000 or so fans per game. Fastforward to today: They are better than Dan Hipsher's Zips in every facet of the game, even though they lost 3 players to suspension and one to injury this season. They'll have 9,000 fans for their game tonight. Regarding Z-P's post: It would be interesting to see what the present Marketing group could do with a winning team to promote? I bet it would be some great stuff. Wonder if we'll ever find out? Say MT wants to dismiss Hipsher. Say the University blocks it, like they did Owens in 2002. Does MT start firing out resumes left and right? If I were him I would. I firmly believe firing Hipsher not only gives our hoops program new life, but also keeps our AD around for a few more years. Put the shackles on him and stop him from making the "moves" he wants, and he'll have no choice but to move on. Bryan Hipsher hustles. However, per John Wooden: "Activity doesn't mean achievement." On offense he sits on the wing trying to create spacing. Once his defender realizes Bryan's not going to do anything, he sags off him and it is essentially 4-on-5 offensively. Defensively, a simple cross-over dribble crumples his legs. All he's capable of doing is holding up his arms and trying to block the passing lanes. I agree with the poster below...I don't care how much BH has improved his game, there is no reason for him to be on the floor...ever. There MUST be some other line up the coach can utilize that makes the sets 5-on-5. Is BH the reason we're as bad as we are? No...the problems are much deeper. But the Taliban has a better chance of putting a man on the moon than BH does of being anything but a liability. Ball State game...could there be any less excitement building up to this one? The tragic thing is the winner of this game will play Miami at The Gund. Miami is not great (and that's being kind). Our bracket is a cake walk to the semi's if we had a good team. Over/under on the Zips free throw percentage tonight? .500 When does spring football begin? The hoops season is in the

Good to see the BJ up to speed. This concept was first penned on the old Blue Board about...oh...maybe 2 months ago? Don't these BJ guys earn a salary based upon timely, insightful reporting on events/stories in the Akron area? Must be nice to click on a web site, copy something someone else wrote, pass it off as your own work, and get paid for doing it? If anyone knows a good product management web site, clue me in.

We'll see how the position coach of Antonio Bryant and Larry Fitzgerald does with Drew Higgins, Johnny Long, Jamie Goodwin, Jason Montgomery and Mo Ellington. Who runs the slant now that Sparks is gone? Predictions: Higgins will be a player...Long will start as a Frosh. Also: Dennis Basch will be utilized at TE.

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Sutton is around 5' 9"185lbs, which is small by Big 10 standards. That gives us a shot at him. His older brother Tony put up similar numbers at Hoban, and now plays for Wooster. I never understood why Owens didn't give him a shot. We shall see what JD does with local kids. He stated there will be plenty of Akron-area kids in the 2005 recruiting class. I don't think you'll ever stop the Vrabels and Antonio Winfields (Akron HS stars) from going to Big 10 schools, but if JD's good, he can convince the local kids that "hometown" Akron is a better avenue than BG, Toledo, Pitt, and other similar schools that have stolen Zips-level talent from under our noses for so long. Owens recruited mid-Ohio very well, but locally he was horrible. He simply didn't have the relationships with the local coaches. Additiona note: Jerrel Ringer has a brother(?) in the Dayton area that is tearing things up! I think he'll go BCS, but it'll be interesting to see if he at least considers the Zips.

The Marshall game appears to be the difference between a home or away MAC tourney 1st round game...probably against Marshall again. Is it better to have a MAC tourney home game? Hipsher's had plenty of them and lost every one. A win this Wednesday would also mean we'd need to beat Marshall 3 times in one season to advance to The Gund...and beating a team thrice (my word) in a season is always very tough to do. As unpopular as it sounds, history dictates it would probably be best if we lost on Wednesday and played in Huntington next week. If we finish as an 8/9 seed...and win in the 1st round...we'd play Can't @ The Gund next Thursday. That would be pretty cool. Does it happen...or does the ghost of Anthony Stacey...Jose Davis...Keith McCloud...or Brandon Hunter send the Zips to yet another disappointing 1st round loss? Stay tuned... :o

I bought one for my son and wife. Still trying to decide on a name and number for myself. They're really nice. Material and stitching are 1st rate, free delivery and the guy that runs the store/site is pretty helpful. The only thing I didn't like was the name on the back, which is silk-screened on instead of stitched. Regardless, it looks really good.

From Hawai'i I can understand your point of view. From section 2a of The JAR...the pre-season 1st Team All MAC senior point guard (team leader) put forth a profoundly weak effort in 2003-4. He quit before the season began. There's no "stat" for effort, unfortunately. At least we now have a chance in the tourney. BTW: No more H-Worth stuff from me. I've offically moved on. :wub:

Sept Column He is going to put up some monster numbers this year...he's the premiere back in NE Ohio...and he's in our own backyard. Let's see what JD and his crew can do regarding local recruiting!