Valpo Zip

Dear coach Dambrot, I am not sure if you will read this letter or if you ever visit zipsnation.org or even know about its existance. I am also fully aware of the fact that you do not need my approval of your work and probably don't give a damn about any of my opinions. However, i will still say what's on my mind to, if for no other reason, just be able to sleep better at night. 1 - I have been recently very critical of you and i was extremely frustrated with your tactics and strategies. I am extremely happy now to eat a big pile of crow and admit that your team achieved the ultimate goal of all MAC teams and that i shouldn't have doubted you. 2 - I am in no way saying that you are perfect or that there aren't things that I, the simple fan, think that you can do better. However, I am learning with time that i should have confidence in you and your judgement. Thank you for teaching me that. 3 - Please understand that as a fan, even in the worst times, when frustration was peaking up (after losses to NIU and EMU), I never stopped rooting for you and your team and that is not going to ever change even if your team goes winless for a whole season. (you can ask coach Ianello about that, he tested my loyalty with a close to winless season) 4 - Please try to understand that when i think of your team, i think Gonzaga of the east, i think of top midmajors and as a result, I find comparing your teams to those of Hipsher and Coleman absolutely laughable. This change of mentality and aspirations is a great thing for our community and fanbase and you, sir, deserve all the credit for it. 5 - As you know by now, fans will bash you when you lose and idolize you when you win. I am sure that i will come back next year (or maybe later this year) with criticism and anger after a loss. I may not be reasonnable, why shall i be reasonnable? I am not a journalist... I am not an athletic director... I am merely a simple fan. I only care about one thing...I just want my team to win, every single freaking game. 6 - I am not a big fan of moral victories and i believe that the silver medalist is the first loser. Being the MAC champion 2 times in the last 3 years sounds waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay better than being in the final game for the last 5 years. To finish this letter, i wanted you to know that crow has never been more delicious than today. Thank you for showing me how clueless i was, and while i still feel that you can do better in some aspects, hats off coach Dambrot Sincerely, Ada Zip.

The difference is ESPN. The mac was told: we have a 2 hour slot for you guys on saturday evening. Don't let that game drag too long. If we play the same game tomorrow with the same refs, both teams will be shooting one and one with 10 minutes left in each half.

Not a bad idea. Bad idea. You'll see coaches continuously rubberstamping the additional $100 for all regardless of how well the refs were for the simple reason that they will see them again in the near future.

FYI - It looks just as embarassing when Zips fans continuously whine about referee conspiracies. I'm whole heartedly with you on this one captain.

...and Can't state still sucks

Why is this a season the zips aren't supposed to win? The zips currently have 5 players in their last year with the program. Can't's roster has 9 first year players out of 13. They are the ones who are inexperienced in the MAC. We will be young next year and Can't will have their whole team (except Rodriguez) back. So repeat after me : this is our year!

I just listened to KD's post game comments and i wish i didn't. I am all for coaches showing poise and confidence and moving on but i feel that there is a thin line between having poise and being careless. So someone asks KD about blowing up a huge lead in few minutes and his response: giggle and say that this is how we've been the whole year. Like this is our destiny that we have to accept and there is nothing he (as a coach) can do about it. And get this second one: with the foul trouble situation, i was close to playing Josh Egner especially that he's been playing great in practice but i decided it wouldn't be fair to him!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I would like to hear Josh's opinion about this.

This is an absolutely great thread in the absolutely wrong time. This discussion is a must have one just after the season is over.

Basketball

Here, fixed it for you Dr.

Can we trade KD for their coach?

Did we not have coach Boals in J-Wood's senior season? Who is our current big men's coach?

Nik will continue to show us why he's the MVP of this team with a 20 points 10 rebounds effort and the zips take the canadians in a "not even close" game.

Man, I have TWO degrees from Akron, shouldn't my mansion by two times better?

Are you aware that this veteran team of 4 seniors, 2 juniors, and arguably the best big guy talent in the conference, lost games to 6-18 NIU (RPI 308) and 5-18 EMU (RPI 321)?... and that's not under achieving to you? Look, I am not going to argue this any further because I want to enjoy the current status of the team and hopefully see them succeed and achieve the best they can do (which they can win it all). All what I'm saying is that Geno Ford achieved more than KD with less talent and experienceon his team.

OK, I took off my B & G glasses, so Geno Ford is IMHO the most deserving candidate. He has a young (rebuilding team) at the top of the conference. KD on the other side has a veteran, experienced team that is 2 games behind Ford's team. Just because KD's team underachieved early in the conference play and then went back to be the team they should be, doesn't make him COTY.

With 4 seniors graduating at the end of the year and all our freshmen (except Alex) not having any significant PT, it seems that next year will look like a re-building year for us. What makes things even worse is the fact that Serb is graduating and will probably leave to Europe. My question now is: what can we do to make Nik come back for a fourth year next year? With the way he is currently playing, I think that coming back for a 4th year may give him a good chance to make an NBA DL team (ala Nate Linhart), would that be a better career than the Serbian League? Also, seeing how he's interested in a diplomacy career after basketball, a masters degree will probably help wouldn't it? Are coaches McFadden, Peters etc... working on that matter?

I got my answer today. It was great to see the Zips able to win without every other shot being a 3.

+1. This was a great overall game. It is extremely refreshing to see the Zips be where they were expected to be.

I'll be happy with the 3rd seed overall. Always ends up with the easiest path to the final. Beating the west champ (seed 2) is usually easier than beating seed 4.

This was an absolutely great performance by the zips tonight. The whole team played a great game in general. Obviously, as the boxscore shows, Brett Mclannahan and D-Rob both had a great game, but the wow player for me was Quincy. He was all over the place, scoring, deffending, rebounding and showing some NBA moves. I also extremely enjoyed seeing Egner, Dakotah, and others come off the bench. While Dakotah may not be ready to play significant time in games. Josh seems to be itching to play and i would love to see him more often. I have only one concern, yeah I know... even when we win by 40, I still have concerns; this team still lives by the 3 and dies by the 3. I hope we have a game plan for when we play deffensive teams who take away the three (like Can't) or even for games when the open shots are just not falling. The question is: when/if a team crowds the arc area, do we have what it takes to punish them inside and have Zeke, B-mac, and Cventinovic take over a game?

I am with BigZip on this one. Fighting with Cleveland is childish and immature to say the least. And Lebron is (in my opinion) the biggest jacka$$ in the history of modern sports and that will not change not even if he tattoos zippy on his forehead.

I never thought i would be disappointed in a team when they win by 20. I didn't think it was even possible...it just happened today. This team seems to be extremely lazy. They don't want to work the ball inside, even against a team that is as bas as Toledo all we want to do is to keep hoisting threes. At some points in the game (specifically when Serb was on the bench), It felt like we were playing Zeke/Bardo with four 3 point shooters simply waiting at the perimeter to get the ball. Do you call that an offense? The other disappointing issue is that everybody...i mean everybody (including the Toledo commentator) knew that we're winning this game by the end of the first half. That's a whole second half for KD to help his younger players develop and help them integrate with the team. But no!!!!!! KD decides to let McNeese, Mcknight, and McClannahan practice their 3 point strokes and decides to throw Egner and Euton in the last 50 seconds to make sure they don't get to touch the ball.

I have tickets for this game and i was planning to make the 70 miles drive up 75. But mother nature had different plans. Any video feed anywhere?

Awesome! Thanks Rowdy Zip.