ZipAnalyst

Districtballer is correct. VCU needs to play its game. If they stay hot they could win the tournament. But the problem with having a singular approach is that there is another side of the coin. I saw VCU play Temple earlier this year. I tuned in on the game in progress. I was shocked how far behind VCU was at the time. They did recover somewhat but the game was pretty much lost by the time the recovery happened. We Akron fans need to realize that the Zips need more basketball tuned athletes in terms of quantity and quality. The Zips are getting there. The silver lining in the blow out to VCU is that our underclassmen now know first hand what a championship contending team looks like and how they stay on task questing to perfect their style. As they mature and are joined by upgraded fresh talent, the Zips will during Dambrot's tenure become a championship level team. Districtballer makes the case to me that Shaka Smart managed the team the way he should have.

From The Repository: Dambrot says he will be at Akron 'for the duration' '" ... Dambrot told the Pro Football Hall of Fame Luncheon Club on Monday. 'I am the University of Akron for the duration.'" On the new arena: "'I believe there’s more momentum for it now than anytime I’ve been at Akron,' he said. 'The question is where it is and who controls it.'"

Interesting article on Jatavis Brown

See Egner stats in Jackson game against Boardman: CLICK HERE

A fascinating part of the story:"So Ostergren, like other Akron backups, approaches each practice with a game-like zest.'It’s intense, and it’s passionate, ... We want to win as much as possible, whether it’s in a game or practice. Because there’s so much talent ... when we split up in teams and scrimmage, our second team is pretty much as good as most teams that we play.'"

As we all "painfully" know, the Zips were 3 (W) and 9 (L) this year. All the 3 and 9 Zip players were recruited by the Brookhart regime. Should Zip fans be all that concerned about the 2010 Brookhart recruits that are vacillating already on their verbals? Is the new coach duty-bound to accept Brookhart recruits?

http://www.cantonrep.com/highschool/x19452...ad-Jackson-boys

Good choice.But can The University of Akron:" Go get him, and pay him."Does this link indicate the "real" price?http://collegefootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2...-somebodys-job/

What did not come out in the newspaper article is the likelihood that he wanted to do the BS/MD (NEOUCOM) program which takes students to Akron, Youngstown and Can't for the first two years (in which they complete their undergrad work) and then onto the Rootstown medical school campus to complete their four years of medical school.A daughter of mine, was a NEOUCOM/Akron, student was clearly capable of playing and contributing to the the Lady Zips basketball program could not because of the strenuous load of doing four years in two years. There is no way that you can play basketball or another intercollegiate sports program and do the NEOUCOM thing too.Another daughter walked on at Can't for basketball and found the basketball/academic regime very demanding.

"Bad coaching doesn't define the Zips football program over the past 23 years, it is stupidity that defines it." (Comment by GP1 on another topic)Stupidity is part and parcel of bad coaching. It starts with recruiting. What is the classroom record? In the dialogue between recruiter and a prospect, situational football talk should be part of the evaluative process. For example, borrowing on GP1's example (the from the end zone run), would be a good "what if" question. The question: What if you were the lone running back in the backfield and the play call was for you to run off right tackle, but on getting the ball you think you see a wide open field veering off the right and, although there is room to run off tackle, it looks as if there is only a yard or two to gain, at best. What would you do?More work needs to be done by coaches to identify recruits who can make consistently wise decisionsYesterday the ESPNU announcers were amazed that the coaches decided to punt with about 5 to 6 minutes to go in the game with the Zips in reach, though, admittedly, the chances were slim of overtaking BG. They did everything but call the coaches stupid. In my estimate there has been plenty of stupid coaching and playing over the past 23 years.It seems to become a cultural thing with Zip football.When the AD goes about getting candidates to replace JD, one of his prime quests should be to get someone who will break they cycle.And that will require the AD having the intellectual wherewithal to identify the smart coaching candidates who, in turn, will select smart recruits and then combo exists that creates conditions where "on-the-field-adjustments" can "realistically" occur.

Only mention of progress of Akron is the new stadium.Here is the article: Alliance Review on MAC Football

Stark County's Josh Egner (Jackson High School) verbally commits to the University of Akronhttp://www.cantonrep.com/sports/highschool...etball-at-Akron

From the uakronkid: "JD and his staff will spend countless hours going over the tape from the Cinci game. There is tons to learn from a game where virtually any play could have decided the outcome. Watch carefully to see if some of the mistakes are corrected next week. It's the sign of a good coaching staff. If it's the same old stuff we still might win, but you can't count on beating anybody else."A very astute observation!

Ditto!I made a point of watching Hitchens in the state playoffs in the semi and the final. He will be a terrific complement to the Zip inside people as he was for his teammate Chambers.Kudos to Nick Dials for getting the most out of himself in is time at Akron but he did not have the innate ability that Hitchens has. I haven't seen Steward, however, from what other ZipsNation folks are saying, he is special also.Have any links been posted on ZipsNation showing Steward in action?There is no doubt that Hitchens will be a special player for Zips in his own right. What's more, the value added to the remaining four on the court will be a sight to behold. Indeed, it's a "can't wait" for all of us.

All Zip fans should watch this kid in action on Saturday at 10:45 a.m. on Sports Time Ohio. He will be going up against one of the very best in the state perhaps nation at his position.KD did qualify his analysis with a "if he continues to develop." What he will do for the team is make the McKnights, Bardo and Linhart better. He is just so-so on defense. The "continue to develop" mostly applies to his defensive abilities.With his "stop and pop" ability and his agility he is able to play under control while performing at full speed.This kid will draw fans to the JAR just to see him play. We will all get an added value because he will be the catalyst to make the overall team much better. His playing style is "unselfish" even though he is the best overall skilled player on the court.

"Nik is a constant," [Cvetinovi's coach] Windham said. "It was nice to see the other guys stepping up."Consistency is what Akron needs most for next year - and, of course, for this year; if the players can achieve it. This has had to be a very trying year for Dambrot. He never knows who is going to show up on game day. In the end it is Dambrot's job to bring in/develop consistent players - consistently productive, this is! Apparently, this kid is reliable; game-in, game-out.

Only on MAC-Sports.com as an Internet feed at $7.95.

From ABJ's Rasor on quotes from Dambrot, among others, after last night's game:On McNees (or McThrees - as a Rasorism): "The thing that makes him is that he is of the highest character.” On Chris McKnight: "He’s another high-character kid.”As we all know KD does not recruit JUCOs. I wonder if this means that he worries about the "character" factor with a kid that cannot get into a four-year school for academic reasons? That is the reason most athletes go to junior college, isn't it?A major part of KD's assessment of a recruit has to be the "character" factor given his frequent reference to the word. What does character mean to KD?I think it means that he has assessed that a player wants to learn and develop and is willing to accept constructive criticism which the player incorporates into his "work-on" agenda which in time will result in the player fitting into KD's concept of TEAM. I'd be interested in hearing what other ZipNationeers think "character" means from KD's perspective.

''I told our players we are playing a team that we want to be like,'' said Eaves, who is in his fifth year as head coach of A&T. ''They are very disciplined and they do what they are asked. That's a credit to their coach. Hats off to Akron. It's someone we want to emulate.'' (from today's ABJ)By the time NC A&T matches where Akron is now, the Zips will be somewhere else. I'd say within 5 years KD"s Zips will be the talk of the media and how KD has brought quality to the Zip basketball program.KD is getting the right players in place now. A concurrent goal has to be upgrading the schedule. Some on this board say existing mid-majors will not schedule us home-and-home and that may well be. So the Zips will, as the talent improves, have to schedule RPI enhancing opponents on-the-road until we attain status as a top tier mid-major power. Once there, we will be in position to have a class home schedule that will bring in the crowds.

"Not to diminish the win, but Houston is not that good." Also: "Coach Krest has done an amazing job and does deserve more fan support." (by Zips fan) Zips fan makes a realistic comment. It has always pained me that the University of Akron women's program has been in the doldrums for I don't know how long. My three daughters all played high school basketball and my eldest walked on successfully at (may I say it?) Can't State. Notwithstanding our daughter's connection to Can't, my wife and I (both with multiple degrees from Akron), follow the Akron women - even attend their games from time-to-time.The future is looking brighter and brighter for the Lady Zips!

The Zips need to be playing as many quality mid-majors (Butler, Nevada, Southern Illinois, Gonzaga, Marquette, DePaul, et cetera) as will schedule them in the out-of-conference games. If they can break 500, they will have a much better chance to go to the NCAA tournament not being the MAC tournament champion than if they go undefeated with a schedule full of Youngstown States.It does no good to play teams (Duke, UCLA, North Carolina, and the likes) that you have very little chance to win against. Even if a "huge upset" happenes, it would be explained away as being "a fluke."Once Zip fans know that at home they have better than a 50/50 chance to win against a quality mid-major (it will take some time, after creating an actual history of results for the 'winning expectation to to sink in), then the Zips can look for a JAR to be filled game, after game, after game.Playing a steady diet of quality mid-majors and getting results will help KD recruit those "one-notch-up" level kids to the Zip program. Success breeds success!

The reality is that only the Mid-American Conference tournament winner is going the "big-dance." KD's modality now is that the Zips have a lot of improving to do to be in a position to win the MAC tournament. True enough, but OU, Miami and Can't will be advantaged in the MAC tournament because of their tougher non-conference schedule.The Zips current schedule (in terms of difficulty) makes no sense at all. Even if Zips were to lose only 2, 3 or 4 games, we would be hanging onto the edge of our seats when the NCAA tournament selections are announced - if we have not won the MAC tournament.ZipsNation folks ought to start a steady drumbeat for a qualitative non-conference schedule that crescendos into a cacophany which the athletic administration must respond to. If ZipsNationeers cannot effect a response and change by University of Akron officials; what value added is the Nation to improving overall Zip athletic standing within the inter-collegiate community and to improving the fan support level in northeast Ohio?Can the ZipNation be a catalyst for change?

"Bramos finished with 36 points and nine 3-pointers - both career-highs. Tim Pollitz added 13 points for Miami."Flyers watch out for the Zips. Wood doing his thing inside with Dials, McNees and Middleton setting up outside the 3-pont arc?

Is Akron improving? If so, this will be a close game and Akron should win by a few points. Making foul shots will be critical. KD will eventually get this ship righted. But it may be too early in the season given the injuries and ineligibility problems. Wood, Linhart and Conyers need to demonstrate leadership by accentuated/accelerated performance.

How pathetic, indeed! The ineptitude comes right from the top. Remember all the touting of the "great" recruiting classes JD was having. Then, this past week, we see on GoZips and the ABJ how JD is making excuses. Which is it? Bad coaching or bad recruiting? Obviously, these are rhetorical questions. Pick your mix of the two ingredients. But the on-balance failure falls back a la "the buck stops here" as being the responsibility of the head coach. It would not shock me if JD comes back next year. This process of exiting JD will most likely replicate the Owens saga. How many times did we hear a plea for more time. "Success is just around corner." Meanwhile, the program erodes and erodes and erodes. Is this a program that justifies building a $50 million plus stadium for? Will it not remain just as empty as the Rubber Bowl if Brookhart continues on?Undoubtedly we will hear from JD supporters that "he wears a 2005 MAC championship ring" as if this chant is the ultimate shut up. The championship was a serendipity dunked in extremely good fortune. We were all pleased with the surprise but the more astute Zip football followers knew that "luck" was the prime foundation of the 2005 season; not good coaching, and, only so-so play. It was a classic back into success operation. Yes, how pathetic, indeed!