Blue & Gold

Why on earth is this not on FSO? They've got Columbus freaking Bluejackets hockey on!!! W...T...F.And on SportsTime Ohio? HIGH SCHOOL BOWLING?!?!?!?!There are not words...

[quote name='GameChngr44' 13 points, 9 rebounds, 6 blocks, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 to and 1 foul..enough said!!!And that against a very athletic and very big EMU frontcourt!Way to go big man!!!

On the postgame show Frenchy said that he shouldn't be suspended since the T's didn't involve "fisticuffs" (sp?).

Wadzip, there actually is a good-sized lake in Lake Township. Congress Lake - with Congress Lake C.C. - is, I believe, where Lake got it's name.

I saw more dunks tonight than I've ever seen in a high school game - and all by a single player... JaKarr Sampson. But my hero for the night is Kenmore 5'8" PG Antonio Hearn - best all-around player on the floor. He almost led Kenmore to the come-from-behind upset win. And he's only a SOPHOMORE!

Wow, JaKarr is an absolute dunking machine; one of those players who wants to humiliate you by posterizing you. Wow. If I might be so bold as to critique his game, he does need to work on his post moves. But he can handle the ball & runs the floor like a guard. What a player.And, btw, Antonio Hearn is one of the best little point guards I've seen in quite a while - not that I watch a ton of high school basketball - and he's only a sophomore! Reminds me of Antwan Lavendar.

JaKarr had 3 powerful dunks in the first quarter.Kenmore's Hearn brothers are great players also though. Lightning quick!

I could be wrong, but I believe I see both Matt Futch and Willie McGee's older brother assistant coaching for St.V/M. Man, if there's any school with an inside track to signing JaKarr it's the Zips.JaKarr is just as tall as Futch (they're eye to eye as they just gave each other a 'man-hug'). But he looks about 150 lbs less than Futch. Lol.

I'm at the Buchtel v Marlington playoff game. St.V/M plays Kenmore next.Looking over @ St.V/M, man, Jakarr is a man among boys. Watching him walk by blew me away. He's definitely got a big-time frame. As far as the eyeball-test goes, he's probably the best looking high school player I've seen since Raymar Morgan. Definitely a physical specimen. I'm looking forward to seeing what kind of game he has.

One of the very best movies I've seen in a very long time. Even if I wasn't a Zips/LeBron/Akron-in-general fan, I would have still found the movie to be excellent.I saw the movie @ the theater and subsequently purchased the movie the day it was released on dvd.

<br /><br />Actually, the "real" Reghi is pretty much the same.<br /><br /><br /><br />OZoner, didn't you have a Rhegi story you were going to share with us?

That's him. Sampson's the boy. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that he'll stay home & represent. He's exactly the type of player we need.

1:16 into the Cavs (sans LeBron) - Milwaukee Bucks game and Austin Carr just commented, "You can already see what the Cavs' problem is going to be. They don't have anyone who can take you off of the dribble."Ditto for the Zips. I wonder if it would have taken Mr. Carr any longer than 1:16 to notice that fact about us last night?(Actually, in fairness, I do think Nik does a good job in isolation.)

I also very much appreciated Jimmy's game last night. He, once again, was our best player. He was aggressive all night. I also love Nik's passion. He wasn't intimidated @ all & I'm sure would have loved to play the entire 40-minutes had KD allowed it.And I don't mind Zeke's occassional bad shots. I'd much rather see some bad shots due to being overly agressive, or overly confident, as oppossed to looking like a deer in headlight, afraid to even touch the ball (ironically, much how Jimmy looked his first 3 years in blue & gold.) I thought Zeke played a pretty good game, especially considering Ken+'s senior-ladden lineup.

<br />By what measure is that even remotely the case?<br /><br /><br /><br />I know you're post was more rhetorical than sincere, but 2 of the 3 incoming forwards - Egner excluded - are your Akron-typical earthbound 3-point shooters who don't take the ball to the rim, come swooping down from out of the rafters, have break-ankle first steps, will happily dunk in traffic or create their own shots. I think it's become quite evident this year that our "system players" can't compete at a level higher than the less-than-stellar MAC. Every athletic team that we've faced this year has exposed us; made us look like we've got lead weights in our LBJ's: NC State, Texas A&M, Rhode - The Gang That Couldn't Shoot Straight - Island, Ken+ (twice) and even the slightly athletic EMU squad. Jimmy and Zeke would be the two exceptions. Can Chris McKnight even touch the rim? I kid. The only other players that could hang with Ken+'s athletes were thwarted by Ken+'s length - Ronnie, Humpty & Darryl. Did you see the physical specimen that was Ken+'s PG? (Sherman?) 6-3, broad shoulders, narrow waist, arms that hang down to his knees, pogo sticks for legs. Why can't we get a baller that passes the eye-test like that? Anyhow, I digress.

Focused on what? did you see any defense last night?I didn't say the Zips play great defense every game. I just cited the commonly known reality that KD puts a higher priority on defense than offense.Didn't someone put a stat on the board a couple of weeks ago showing how much more UofA is in high scoring games than low scoring games? The Zips played a really good offensive game last year in the MAC Championship and won. Every time they have attempted to win a low scoring game in the Championship they lose. Focus on offense...offense puts pressure on the other team....pressure makes you do things you aren't good at then you lose.There's another positive for at least some fans when the focus is on offense. It's just plain more fun and entertaining for many fans to see a fast-paced shootout than a plodding defensive battle. Even if the Zips were playing against the same teams on their current schedule and had the same won-lost record, they'd draw more Joe Akrons to the JAR if they were averaging 100 points a game and playing just enough defense to hold their opponents to 99 or less.Stifling defense is only good when it results in more wins. All other things being equal, offensive shootouts are more entertaining to casual fans.Absolutely YES. And we have to remember that athletics are essentially a form of entertainment. Light up the scoreboard & rattle the rim with dunks on the fast break. Otherwise, I might as well go watch a decent high school game.

"Explosive" is going off for 30 points or 14 assists or 20 rebounds. Roberts is anything but explosive, at least this season. Steward is quick, but has yet to show he's anything but a "change-of-pace back" to McNees.If either were on K.e.n.t's roster, they wouldn't see double digit minutes.Nope. In fact, looking down the Zips' roster, IMO only B-Mac, Jimmy & Zeke would get much playing time at all if they played for Ken+, and none of them would start.

Guess you haven't been reading about Josh Egner in the recruiting forum.Actually, that quote of mine was slightly edited by the moderator. And rightly so (thank you). But, sadly, it sounds as if, excluding Zeke, Egner will easily be our most explosive athlete next year. Man, what's that say about the caliber of athlete on the team now? Where are the hops? Where are the rim-rattlers? Where are the players salivating on every fastbreak opportunity?

Ummm... actually they run faster, jump higher and have longer arms. Oh yeah, and almost to a man also have quicker first steps.

I suggest that you carry a barf bag around with you. Whenever players run faster and jump higher than those they're playing against, and use those abilities to make their opponents appear slow and soft, the "A" word will be used frequently by douche bags and non-douche bags alike.The most "A" team doesn't always win. There are other aspects of the game that can compensate for lack of "A." But all other things being equal, the team with the most "A" will usually win.You are allegedly a writer. How would you grade another writer who uses one adjective? How interesting is it to read? If spoken, how interesting is it to listen to?If all one has to say about K.e.n.t.'s basketball team is "they are athletic...they are more athletic than the Zips...they have great athleticism...etc" then that person obviously has a shallow knowledge of the game.I like reading and listening to people that offer depth and insight. If all you bring to the table is "athletic," you're shallow and pedantic.Ahh, then you were simply tired of people stating the obvious. I hope KD sees the obvious that everyone else sees and doesn't try to dismiss the disparity between these two programs (or, for that matter, VCU, or Rhode Island - who can't shoot straight, or Texas A&M, or NC State) by trying to blame this loss (or the previous) on "We just didn't hit shots," or "They just have our number."I hope KD realizes we absolutely must be recruiting a higher caliber... dare I say it... athlete.

I suggest that you carry a barf bag around with you. Whenever players run faster and jump higher than those they're playing against, and use those abilities to make their opponents appear slow and soft, the "A" word will be used frequently by douche bags and non-douche bags alike.The most "A" team doesn't always win. There are other aspects of the game that can compensate for lack of "A." But all other things being equal, the team with the most "A" will usually win.Lol. Precisely. What an odd comment by CK, unless, out of frustration, he was simply weary of people stating the obvious? Ken+'s clearly superior "A" was the overriding decisive factor.It was NOT that the Zips choked.It was NOT that the Zips pissed down thier legs.It was NOT that the Zips didn't want the game.It was NOT that the Zips didn't have heart.It was NOT that the Zips simply took poor shots.It was NOT that the Zips simply missed their shots.It was NOT that the Zips were simply outrebounded.It was NOT that the Zips played poor defense.It was NOT that KD was out-coached (unless you consider recruiting).It WAS that Ken+'s far superior "A" @ nearly every position on the floor made all those things happen or appear to happen.We didn't stand a chance last night. If those two teams would play 10 times, Akron would not win a single game. The only way Akron beats that Can't team is if the stars ALL align and Ken+ turns in an epically poor effort while Akron is lights out. Even then, Ken+ probably beats the Zips by double digits.KD's recruiting efforts and/or philosophy absolutely must be called into question. Isn't it KD who said, "We must think bigger than the MAC"? Well, only one of those two teams is built to contend on a bigger stage than the MAC and it ain't the Zips.And coming next year? 3 unathletic forwards? That just screams "Mid-American Conference."

It is very disappointing that the Rowdies fail to fill those tiny sections. 1000 students for soccer, but less than 100 for basketball? Yeah, that's front-running @ it's best. I shudder to think what soccer attendance would be should we have a down year.But kudos to the Rowdies that do show up. You guys do a great job!

I go to Can't games on occassion with some unenlightened Can't State friends. The only time their student section is filled is for the Akron game.

AMEN!!! Thank you, Tom Gaffney!!!

Athletic teams have hurt Akron for too long now. This year alone we've seen Rhode Island, VCU, Can't State, and (needless to say) NC State & Texas A&M out-athlete us. After 5 years of KD recruiting, we really need to be getting more explosive athletes to don the Zips' blue & gold. I'm tired of seeing forwards lay the ball up. Get guys in here who abuse the rim when they play. Or how about a 2G who can actually dunk the ball on a fast break?