Class of 82

Or maybe he saw the second half of the first Can't game on TV. That was a pretty decent display of the Harney Factor at work, IIRC.

An interesting perspective from the Toledo Blade's MAC guy: http://toledoblade.typepad.com/falconfodde...son-awards.html Don't agree with everything, but well-thought out and well argued, imo.

Well, I guess it's all relative in a way. It just seems to me that Miami has dropped a notch or two from where Redhawks fans expect their program to be. Whatever their seed last year, and whatever the injuries/problems this year, I think Miami fans can be rightly worried when they find themselves looking up at Akron, Buffalo, Ohio and Can't (and even Toledo as this year has progressed) and not much liking what they see. Were I in their shoes, I know that I wouldn't like it much either.

Charlie Coles will certainly be missed. He's a class guy. I hope retirement helps him stay happy and healthy for many years to come. I hate Miami almost as much as I hate Can't, but try as I might, I have never been able to wish anything ill on Coach Coles. Happy trails, Charlie. P.S. All deserving kudos aside, though, from a purely basketball perspective, if I were a Miami fan, I would think this retirement is a couple of years overdue.

As I read your post, I heard the distinct sound of a nail being hit squarely and forcefully upon the head. +1

Good stuff, Dave. As I see it, the biggest problem with Harney's drives is that defenders know they are coming. If you can't show you can consistently hit jump shots, which he hasn't shown yet, it isn't all that hard to sit and wait for the drive. I still say Harney's true development as a Zip can only begin when he starts working really hard on the defensive end... for two reasons. One, he won't get many minutes on a KD team if he doesn't; and two, I think his biggest strength at this level is going to be as a finisher in transition. He'll probably be the best finisher Akron's ever had once he decides to stop forcing his game and just get with the darned program. Once he does that, the rest of his game can blossom as he gets better and gets more confident in himself. But that's where he needs to start, imo.

I have to go with Zeke, with Abreu a close second. Alex is a key guy, especially since he's the only real point guard we have. But the importance of Zeke's mere presence at both ends trumps just about everything else. He really is a game-changer.

I get ya. I guess I just see a guy who's trying way too hard to force his offensive game more than I see a guy being intentionally selfish. Worse, he's so focused on his last and next offensive chance that he has zero focus on the defensive end. KD rightly won't accept that, so Harney gets less and less PT, which so far has only made the fundamental problem worse instead of better. Hopefully, he figures this out. P.S. You mention Watt and Porrini. Now there's two guys with crazy offensive skills who get the "play-good-defense-and-the-offense-will-follow" concept. Of course, they're both seniors, I think.

Funny. Zips Nation is ranked 162,738 by the same site. P.S. Don't tell the moderators, but http://webhost-a.com/www/zipsnation.org claims the Nation is worth $70,520 and could generate $736/month in profits. That's some decent change!

I disagree. What I see is a young guy who, quite rightly, sees himself as a scorer even though he's been struggling. The problem is that he's continually choosing the wrong pathway out of his funk. If and when he strives to play solid defense FIRST, his struggles on the offensive end and his frustrations over less floor time will take care of themselves, and he'll become the scorer he perceives himself to be. You gotta remember, though, that to Harney, that remedy is totally counter-intuitive. But, with input from the coaches and his teammates, I have to believe the light bulb is going to click on one of these days, and this kid is going to be something really, really special. Let's hope it happens sooner than later.

This is so bad... even funny in a tragically pathetic sort of way. Akron goes 13-3 with only one of the conference's 20 "best players" and it's coach is not COY!

Shaka would be great. Carol says the Butler coach is happy there, and I think she's right. But we're talking serious upgrade in cash. That would be really, really hard for anyone to forgo. Anyways, hope KD stays right where he is. Just think it would be an honor to him for his name to at least enter the conversation. He has to be one of the best coaches most people around the country have even heard of.

I know there are quite a few more likely candidates, but with Mike Thomas now the AD at Illinois, does anybody else think KD at least makes their discussion list of potential candidates for new basketball coach? If I'm them, I go all-out after Butler's Brad Stevens.

Concussions really aren't an equipment issue, imo. I believe what we're witnessing now is simply the culmination of players at every level being bigger, stronger and faster than ever before, meaning the kinetic forces at play in the game have multiplied several times over. At the same time, the sensitivity of the human brain has remained constant. So in other words, while being bigger, faster and stronger offers no enhanced protection from concussions, it virtually guarantees that concussions will happen more and more frequently.

Exactly right. It's clear that the stadium won't sell out until the product on the field warrants it. Curiosity about Coach Bowden might bring a few people out for the opener, just like curiosity about the new stadium brought people out for the first game or two. But curiosity in the short term is no substitute for entertaining football, as recent history has amply demonstrated.

I think it's possible (at least I hope it is!) that T-Bowden's arrival in Akron is something akin to Hank Peters and John Hart coming to the Indians back in the day. For the first time in most of our lifetimes, the hapless Tribe had credible, competent leadership with an impeccable track record and a commitment to an actual plan to bringing the Indians back to respectability. Still, hardly anybody, least of all fans, held out much hope. Indians ineptitude was an immovable object, too. But move it did. I don't want to stretch the analogy too far, and maybe I'm being overly optimistic here. But my confidence level in the Zips turning things around... and quickly... is incredibly high. It's not just the head coach, whose credibility and charisma are exactly what we needed; it's the whole staff he's assembled. These guys, virtually to a man, are proven winners in their profession. I have no doubt they will 1) help all of the players we have now play better, and 2) recruit new players they can win with. Indeed, if this level of coaching staff can't turn our program around... well, I'm just confident that they will do it.

While the numbers may not always show it, I believe Zeke is far and away the most important and valuable player on this team. Every game, how to handle Zeke is mission #1 for opposing teams, and with good reason; if you don't prepare for him and keep on your guard, an athletic 7-footer is going to kill you-- at both ends of the floor. All the things Zeke still contributes notwithstanding, that constant focus on him can't help but open things up for the rest of your team. Zeke is fine. He's progressed well every year he's been here. And there is no question in my mind that we would not be anywhere near as good as we are if he weren't here.

At this point, our RPI is as much... or even more... in the hands of the teams we have already played. We beat NIU by 24, and yet CBS (and I'm sure others) dropped us from 51 to 59, probably to Miss St. and Ohio losing games they shouldn't have. We are now 3-7 against the RPI top 100.

You're right, GJ. My bad. UMass was a second-round loss. Jeremiah Wood had the game of his career, but UMass beat us 68-63 with a 19-5 run to close it out. http://www.gozips.com/sports/mbkb/2007-08/releases/1417330_1 I remember watching that game. Thought we had it in the bag. But I thought wrong.

I was listening this morning on my way to my office. As it turns out, the SID did tell the producer it was likely he wouldn't be able to get Waters on. I have to agree with those who have noted the penchant for negativity by Kylie and Booms. Laying on that SID and Waters before they even had all the facts is just unprofessional. If I were a Clevelander, I'd more than happy to have Waters in town. The guy's a damned good coach and a decent guy. The Vikings have a good coach, an awesome arena and finally have a consistently competitive program. I expect they'll get over the hump in the Horizon one of these days, and to have the coach trashed on local radio by a couple of hacks is a joke. On a side note, I was more than happy to see Waters leave K.e.n.t for Rutgers, because-- in the long run-- I think his departure set them back quite a bit and made Akron's continued improvement a heckuva lot easier than it might have been. I'm even happier he is at CSU and not coaching in our league.

I'd be sorely disappointed if we missed the NCAAs, but the last time we were in the NIT was a positive for the program. IIRC, we won at Florida St. and Temple(?) before losing a tough one at UMass that would have taken us to the Garden.

Very good article, Captain. Thanks. Interesting that they're rooting on Xavier. I've been doing the same with Miss. St. and Marshall, but even more so with Valporaiso and Duquesne. Valpo's been doing pretty well of late and has a huge game tonight at Cleve. St. I know we lost to both them and CSU, but Valpo's still listed as a "bad loss" when it comes to our RPI. Duquesne's helped us out with a few decent wins. Marshall is barely treading water now with losses to Tulsa and UAB. Miss. St. is holding their own.

Not trying to sound pessimistic, but I think winning the rest of our games is an extremely tall order. We still have trips to Athens and K.e.n.t and a very good Buffalo team at home. Which would be easier? Winning out the regular season? Or winning the MAC tournament as the No.-1 or 2 seed? I know which one I'd pick. P.S. Of course, doing both would be pretty darned awesome. Might get us a single-digit seed.

My take on last night's game... 1) I give a lot of credit to WMU for taking advantage of the way the game was being called... as in rebounding (especially in the first half) was allowed to be an absolute free-for-all when usually MAC officials won't allow you to even LOOK like you MIGHT have gone over the back. It seemed like we took forever to fight fire with fire, and we got absolutely clobbered on the boards. (Didn't help that we shot a really bad percentage.) 2) I give a lot of credit to WMU for scrapping and clawing like their season depended on this one game. Their point guard, especially, played his behind off, but the big fat dude who looks like the little brother on Orange County Choppers played an amazingly strong game. Their whole team, though, played like they were on a mission. 3) KD did not get out-coached. I thought he did just about everything right once we clawed our way back into the game in the second half. If anything, I thought WMU's coach... and their entire bench... kind of panicked near the end of regulation. In contrast to the WMU bench, you could see KD's and the assistants' confidence, and I think the Zips players responded in kind. While I was nervous at the beginning of OT, I was pretty certain we would win, and I'm just a fan watching on TV. 4) The poke steal by Abreu was one of the most clutch defensive plays I've ever seen a Zip make. How fricking huge was that? 5) We WON!!!! Go Zips!

I agree with those looking for Western wanting this game desperately... as in really desperately. If the Zips can find a way to want it more than Western does, they will win a close one. If not... they will lose a close one. Zips 77 WMU 71