ZipAnalyst

It may help their bowl eligibilty but not their average home attendance. I, for one, will not be going to see the Zips play a D-IAA team. I will go when they have a worthy opponent.Go ahead Mr. Waddell, schedule a !-AA team; invite me to stay at home.

If I see anymore of this on the Zip schedule of the future:November 19, 2005. Akron 116 - St Vincents College 65.December 7, 2005. Akron 123 - Dennison 52. Now this really helps the RPI!Then the Zips v. Walsh would be more than "tongue in cheek" for those ZipsNationers who were not bright enough to see my sarcastic twist on Pluto's piece.Oh, its such a burden to have to deal with the hoi polloi.

Looks like there going to be no big game at the Rubber Bowl in 2006 from reading between the lines in Rasor's interview with Rhoades.

Pluto's article in today's ABJ should be the impetus for the Zips to schedule NAIA power Walsh University, North Canton, OH at the JAR - the first game.It would be great to see the former SVSM teammates play a game against each other in Akron!

Thank you Zipper for making the religious connection.It makes sense to me. While I like to read some of the stuff Pluto writes about, I know he also writes a religous column. One of the terrific things about ZipsNation contributors is the wide ranging information and contacts they have.But for Zipper's connection I would not have known about the LO/Pluto background. Obviously, it's okay for Pluto to have an opinion on anyone including LO but he ought to let the readers know about "out of the public view" factors that may influence his opinion.I could never understand why LO held on as long as he did at Akron. The ABJ was as the forefront of championing "one more year" for LO. Maybe? Zipper's point explains it all!

It wasn't the spread but how they bulldoggedly forged a lead and kept it consistent thoughout the second half.Futch staying around the basket and tipping in. He made an outstanding drop-step move and wore down the BG inside game with his body. And, he added 5 rebounds.Preston demoralized the inside shooting game with his 5 blocks. Peterson is strong and showed it (4 rebounds). Travis rebounded superbly (12). Dials hustled, hustled and hustled more. Some terrific passes.BG tried the Can't State strategy (2nd half) of denying the ball to Joyce (with some success - you can always take away one thing). But this team is showing its resourcefulness and easily handled a decent team and shut down several of its stars.KD has said that he will do whatever he has to be build attendance. It is getting better and will continue to increase this season. Next year season ticket sales will ratchet up big time.Unlike Can't which has had success for a number of years now but only shows support in key contests (a la Akron v. Can't), Akron fans will be much more consistent and constant now that they are buying into the reality that KD is bringing something special to Akron which has the promise of being for the long term.It has been a long, long time since Akron fans jammed Memmorial Hall for Laterza led teams, and a long time since fans came out in large numbers for Huggins et al. Year 2006/2007 will be the beginning for fans to start scrounging around for Zip BB tickets. They are going to be hard to come by. This is a team that is fun to watch!!!

I repeat. "Commendations to Rasor ... " (I did say this in my original comment)"Worried ... "discourage" - not a all. A complete misreading of what I wrote. All ZIPSNATION.ORG readers and contributors should support Rasor fully!!!More people on ZIPSNATION.ORG with very good contacts versus one person doing a very good job who often credits sources from ZIPSNATION.ORG. It just stands to reason that the many will have more information than one. I have my opinion and "bobbyake" has his on the "inside scoop" value of the two efforts. I see Rasor/ZipsNation as being complementary efforts. I see no competiveness, no turfism; none of that stuff as erroneously inferred by "bobbyake."Let me say in plain English - Mike Rasor is doing a terrific job, I read his blog frequently.Keep up the great work, Mike! And, all you ZipsNations folks, keep up your splendid work too!

BracketBuster should be completely re-configured.The top ten Mid-Majors (in terms of win/loss record) perhaps weighted by other factors (strength of schedule, etc) should be matched up with 10 through 20 ranked Majors with the game being played on the Mid-Major's home court.A Mid-Major could truly move up in ranking by beating a Major. And it would help the annual attendance significanlty for Mid-Majors with great facilities (not Akron but Ohio U - yes).

This is not a criticism of Rasor.Rasor touched on the questions he should have but was unable to elicit much new information from Rhoades - apparently, because Rhoades in new on the job.A year or two down the "road" (no pun intended) an interview will produce much the same result. The nature of the the job is that you play it close to the vest and only reveal when everyone in the administration (most importantly, Proenza) have approved what is to be made public.Having said that, let me say this.ZIPSNATION.ORG will continue to be the best source for inside information. Some of it will be wrong, some of it will have been correct when communicated but will get changed when the reaction sets in and some of it will right on.Commendations to Rasor and his effort but the primary place to get scoops will be ZIPSNATION.ORG.

Let't put it this way.Would French and Dunn be accepted to do Ohio State broadcasts and commentary?Part of the credibility that the Akron program says it wants to achieve involves more professionalism than this duo demonstrates.

The PD article should be a challenge to the KD crew.Can't's program is qualitatively better than Akron's at the present moment. The Zips can start changing that by defeating Can't State at home and then by winning the MAC tournament which hopefully will mean having to defeat the flushes a second time.Akron may be on the cusp of doing it this year, I am not sure. But certainly in the 2006/2007 season.

It has been alluded to in other topic disucssions. Is an athletic program on the rise in the public eye properly served by the broadcasting skill of Steve French.Unquestionably a nice man with close relationships with the coaching staff, does he provide an accurate picture of the game? For myself, I cannot listen to an entire Steve French broadcast because he obviously does not have a handle on what is really going on. All one has to do is to watch a telecast (with the sound off) and listen to the broadcase. Quite a disparity!What's more, what about the limited range of the station carrying the game; can't we do better than this?

Keith Dambrot is determined to make Akron a first-rate basketball program.On his post-game with Steve French after the WMU game he expressed his displeasure at the attendance factor.But he did not put the monkey on anyone else's back. He views building the Akron program as his first priority - including selling season tickets. He will not be moving from Akron (if he ever does; I think he does intend to become an Akron University icon) until he takes the program beyond what Huggins built.The Akron athletic administration dropped the basketball "ball" when Huggins left. Its hires until Dambrot were disasters. The relevance to Dambrot is that he has lot of ground to make up because of the errors in judgment by the Akron University administration. Zip Nation participants need to be a strong ally to Dambrot to move the program forward. Most of us are good at talk. We need to do the talk but also the walk. First things first indicates that those up us who are not season ticket holders need to get on board.Additionally, this forum should be one that Dambrot looks at frequently so he can stay in touch with the player and game analysis, thoughts, opinions and suggestions of everyday followers of the Zips.

E-mail the Cleveland TV stations, Channel 23 (Akron-Canton) and ask them to pick up the Zips/Nevada Bracket-Buster that is currently set to be on ESPNU.Mike Rasor, ABJ Zip Blogger, has done so.Let all of us Zip Nation folks get on his bandwagon!!!

Thanks for the added information gozips19.We expect to hear coaches (who did the recruiting) say that they did well. But we fans do not want to be kidding ourselves (not that the coaches are kidding themselves in this instance). When the Zips put a first-rate team (skill wise) on the field, the seats will start filling up. Right now the Zips are only attracting hard core loyalists and band wagon fans (MAC Championship & Motor City Bowl). This team has potential now but that is exactly what it is. Superior recruiting classes will be the impetus to make potential reality.A quality team with credible quality opponents will be the carrot that will fill the bowl or any facility the Zips play in.

A value added post.The signifcance of this post with its rankings is that when we read in the newspaper and see on television about "so and so" going to, let's say Indiana - is that, if a recruit was offered an Akron U scholarship, but chose Indiana - he is going to see over the ensuing year or so that he did not make the best choice in terms of where the program is heading.

My family has been a BJ subscriber many, many years. First step was to go from daily to weekend. This week we got a "renewal notice" for the weekend subscription. Guess, what? We sent the following message: "non-renew." Failure to adequately cover the Zips (I have two degree from UA, my wife had two degrees and I have two daughters with UA degrees) is just one factor for my decision but a significant part of it.Whoever is making their decisions is not accounting for families like mine. It's not that we are anti-OSU (one of my daughters has an OSU degree) but our ties and many in the area are to the Zips.One has to wonder what the future holds for the ABJ when longstanding subcribers like us peel off?

Is this something new? Last night I noticed we were having some trouble getting the ball in bounds. Was this Buffalo's defensing it especially well? Were the Zips being lackadasical? Or was this a one game aberration never to surface again?

The Zips made progress tonight in not blowing leads. Most impressive is that Buffalo can be a good team. KD made reference to the fact that some of us have been concerned about the Central Michigan and Bowling Green debacles.KD is a very good coach and he understands the game completely and in time (as talent improves, and that is a factor in this) that the Zips will not be blowing leads, will not get blown out by anyone (e.g. Louisville) and, in fact, will be manhandling teams that you would not think that would happen to.Congratulations to the Zips for a terrific effort v. Buffalo.

Several comments on what Captain Kangaroo has to say:(1) This is a truly amazing team. KD is doing it with "smoke and mirrors," With all due respect to the players; they are over-achieving. (2) KD is over-relying on Joyce or Dru is taking too much on himself. I saw that in the Ohio U game at the end. The Zips to focus on the team concept even at crunch time. I liked that it was Rob Preston who made the key rebound and put back at Bowling Green. Team efforts will have different players stepping up from game to game and situation to situation.(3) I wish Futch would forget the 3 pointers. Certainly, KD has told him this?This is an exciting team to watch. They can go further in the NCAA/NIT than many suppose if they solve the "lapse problem." KD himself says a good team is a consistent team. I know he and the players are working on being consistent and hopefully progress is being made. Eastern Michigan should be a good test. The Zips should be able to build up a confortable lead. If they keep it or extend it, then they are making progress.

It may not be any more complicated than that. The three guards are so spent from game after game after game of extending themselves that when a "window of opportunity" comes to relax - they let down just a little (not that perceptible; certainly not the guards themselves, that is to say - they do not consciously rachet down a notch) it would only be human nature.Dambrott himself says he has a hard time working new people in. He says so in the form of "they earn their game time in practice." He'll also says "the coach is the last person to figure some things out." In his scheme of managing players, how in the world would a player who is not a superb practice player ever work himself into playing time. We all know of instances of players in many sports that do not extend themselves in practice but are very good when it comes to an actual game.It could be that if he doesn't go to a four guard rotation Akron will have an early exit from the tournament and end up playing in the NIT rather than the NCAA.I like the "four guard rotation" analysis.

The point is well taken "that they have won in the end." But one of these games they are going to get a sizable lead on a premier team (perhaps in the tournament), lose it, and not be able to recover unless they have some clue as to the cause. Then the "could have, "should have" etc will surface. The reason I think Dambrott is such a good coach, is, that in time he will figure out the why. He will put this insight into his "bank of basketball knowledge" which will equip him to eventually be a great coach.Now he frequently talks about "putting the game away." So I know he is working on finding an answer.

Ever heard of "an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure?"

Nothing wrong? That's not what I hear the coach saying in his post-game interviews. I think the sudden loss of focus and intensity bothers him but, presently, he has not figured out the cause.

First it was Central Michigian - a fluke? No, because now we have the Bowling Green game. Will it repeat at Eastern Michigan? What's up with the Zips and their blowing big leads?