ZippyforPresident

What about McNees and Roberts on the floor at the same time in some variation? Either McNees at the 1 and Roberts at the 2 or vice versa. I'm pretty sure Coach D used that combo at some points during the '09 tourney season. That would be a very experienced backcourt. Although, I am excited to see Abreu live and in action and from the looks of what Alex can do he should be able to really contribute and will get to see playing time right off the bat. Also, I want to see Brett McClanahan have a huge year. He has really good size for a 2 guard (especially for the MAC) and it would be great to see him catch fire this year. I'm looking for a big contribution from Nitro this year. I don't really know a lot about Quincy Diggs' game but from what I understand he is a pretty "athletic" type of player. I agree that he will probably find some time between the 2 and 3 spots. There's no doubt that Brett McKnight is going to play big minutes as a senior and has the opportunity to really take things over this year. He's well suited as a power forward during MAC play and has the range to play the 3 role as well. We all know how Brett has the ability to take over a game. Consistency is the name of his game and I think we're gonna see a very sharp and focused Brett in his senior season. The rest of our front court seems to be pretty loaded. I think we will see a lot of Nikola at PF, unless Egner just breaks out with his huge vertical and athleticism taking over. Needless to say, I don't think Egner will redshirt. To me Egner seems like the kind of player that would have no problem playing either the 3 or the 4. If he develops an outside game I see him playing a part very similar to Nate. Although if he doesn't, he really does play above the rim and may be a little more ferocious inside than Nate used to be. Dakotah sort of seems to be the wildcard to me. He could either be a really great forward or he could be another guy that had a lot of hype about him and ends up redshirting and not really seeing a lot of playing time. To me it seemed like Dakotah had a lot of hype surrounding him early in high school and then a lot of it seemed to kind of die off. Dakotah is a little older than the average incoming freshman though, so maybe that will work to his advantage. Either way, I hope he does well here. Center obviously belongs to Zeke. Although, I think that Mike, even with the limited time he saw last season, seemed to have improved his game a great deal from prior seasons. Mike seemed a lot quicker and much more decisive and aggressive. I can't help but wonder if at some point we really needed a BIG lineup, we might not see Zeke in the middle and Mike at the 4. I know, probably not, but that would be a lot of size and a very imposing defensive lineup with those two at the 4 and 5. That's what's fun about the off season, all of the speculation, scheming, and constructing of interesting lineups. I think we have a good shot at having another really good season. If we get some really good play from the underclassmen, especially a guy like Egner in the front court and Abreu in the back court, we really could have a very special season.

I don't think I would say Dayton is the best on our OOC schedule thus far. Temple is expected to be a preseason top-25 team from all indications. Don't get me wrong, Dayton will be a challenge, but I think Temple. Don't discount Minnesota too much. Tubby Smith is putting together a pretty nice program in that little corner of the Big 10, 11, 12, whatever the heck it is now. They won 21 games last year and made the tournament, even beating Butler in a preseason tournament. The Gophers may not be the flagship program of the that conference, but it isn't like we are talking about Penn State or Northwestern here. As far as the schedule goes, like I said earlier, it is lightyears ahead of where our normal OOC schedule is. If VCU isn't coming this year, then that indeed hurts a little bit, but it is still a solid schedule. The key again is going to be who we fill those last spots with. If we can find some more solid mid-majors and maybe a decent power conference team or two the schedule will certainly be more in line with what many on here have been clamoring for. If we fill those spots with teams like Malone and St. Francis, then it really isn't that significant an improvement. Good post QZ. I do agree that Temple looks to be very good again next season. They're an extremely solid A10 program coming off of a 29-6 season with a tourney appearance. In my mind they just kind of got overshadowed by Dayton's success in the NIT combined with the early exit from the tourney at the hands of Cornell and their Cinderella season. Temple will definitely be a test for us. Minnesota and Tubby Smith are definitely nothing to spit at either. And as for the remaining spots I would love to see the Zips match up at home against someone like a Murray State or Siena, or even another decent CAA team if VCU is indeed not scheduled for this season. Perhaps Northeastern or William and Mary, or maybe James Madison and Humpty Whoever it ends up being, I do hope we get at least another home game against a competitive mid major. If Coach Dambrot wants to throw a Malone or a Findlay on there for a very early season warm up that's understandable, but hopefully there will be some competitive mid majors that find their way into the remaining spots on the schedule. I also hope that some of this trend of "scheduling up" is indicative of Coach Dambrot maybe thinking that this year's team is at a level where they should be able to win against a majority of these more competitive out of conference opponents. Zeke-mania 2010-2011. I'm so ready.

Danny Gilbert is a piece of garbage. He's been one long before he took on the role of majority owner of the Cavaliers. I used to be a really big Cavs fan back when they played at the Coliseum and Gordon Gund was the owner. The only reason I've even bothered to watch the Cavaliers since Danny "Subprime" Gilbert became owner about five years ago is because LeBron James is one of the sickest basketball talents I've ever seen and is the most exciting basketball player in the world, not to mention the fact that we're from the same hometown. Danny Gilbert has only taken yet another step at showing his true colors with this cowardly, classless blathering of an email. What a joke. Let's not forget, this is the same guy that had all of the water fountains removed from Q arena so that all of those beloved, loyal, ticket buying dollar signs that "simply don't deserve this kind of cowardly betrayal" and their children could pay $4 for a bottle of Aquafina or go thirsty. I wouldn't put the idea of pay toilets at the Q past this rat. LeBron is 25 years old, although a man, at 25 we all still have some growing up to do. He made a rational decision to go to a team that he felt gave him the best chance at winning an NBA championship, even taking less money than he could have made by staying. How can one fault that decision? I wouldn't refuse an opportunity to advance my career, or put my family in a better position. Lets also not forget about the commercial proceeds that went to the boys and girls clubs of america as a result of his "decision" special. At least LeBron is and has been involved in some philanthropic endeavors throughout his career, I can't say I have known many that are or would have been that charitable if they had virtually unlimited resources at that age. And then you have Danny Gilbert who, one would think, is the age of a grown man, and yet here he is acting like a spoiled little child. I have two questions for him after reading that rallying cry of embarrassment; (1) What player in their right mind is going to want to come to play for the Cavaliers after seeing the way their jack@ss of an owner treats and talks to his players/former players? (2) If LeBron is the quitter that Gilbert is implying that he is, why was it that as of 9pm yesterday ol' Danny boy was begging to pay Mr. James the league maximum? Go back to michigan and sit on your dwindling pile of dishonest money, crook. You have no loyalty to northeast ohio and you certainly have no clue what it means to have heart. Go Miami! I hope you win the Finals every year for the next decade LeBron! Although to be honest, of course I would have loved it if he decided to stay. It is sad to see the guy leave, it's almost like having a friend or little brother leave to go pursue their career and make their mark in the world, just as most of us try to do at some point. Just don't forget to come back and visit every once and a while

I'll assume you are talking about Dials getting grabbed while shooting a three-pointer at the buzzer, and it was unbelievably called a "non shooting foul"? That highlight was in the internet for a long time, and maybe still is. Apparently I can still get heated about that botched call...haha. If I remember the post game interview with Mr. Dials correctly, when asked about the call and what he was trying to do, Nick responded with something to the extent of "I guess they [the blind official] thought I was trying to pass the ball, and I was trying to pass the ball, to a guy named the basket." Honestly, what player tries to pass the ball forward to no one when time is about to expire and you're down? Not Nick Dials, that's for damn sure... -sigh- There's no question Nick would have nailed every one of those free throws. If anybody should doubt that one they can review the footage of the Zips v. Seminoles game in the NIT where Nick went "LeBron" in overtime. And last but not least, I'm extremely excited about this years OOC schedule. Minnesota, Dayton, Temple, Oakland, Oral Roberts, and home games against regional teams in CSU (who could be pretty competitive again this year) and YSU (I know, but they could get better)? If anybody on here wants to make the claim that Coach Dambrot didn't thus far schedule an absolutely beautiful OOC, then that person must be spending their fall/winters drinking more Roo Brew than I ever thought possible and obviously not watching college basketball. We have some room to really prove ourselves this year. Every one of those games is a game we can win, and against some of the best that "mid major" basketball has to offer right now, not to mention a "mid major" level bs... err bcs "team." To be honest, I don't think minnesota is really the biggest challenge thus far, I'd say it's probably Dayton. I love the road game against the Flyers. As long as I don't end up having a scheduling conflict I'm chomping at the bit to make the trip down to UD (and not just for the Hudepohl ). And in the event that Coach D stumbles across this message board every now and again... Great job Coach. I can't wait until basketball season, the future is NOW and it is BRIGHT! GO ZIPS!!!

I bet Nate Linhart will be torn between the two as well. Okay, I give. Or do you mean, like Steve Sweich, etc. etc. (particularly as of late) he's a Ghana? Gotta admit though, I was wondering the same thing. If he roots for the USA, does he lose his royal inheritance? I'm guessing, since he has about a dozen or more caps with Team USA, that that's where his loyalty lies. I wonder if Ampai will be playing for _______________ (hate to be politically incorrect, so I'll admit my ignorance as to which nations he could represent) in the next round of qualifying. Well played sir. I don't think Nate's alma mater would make the cut, but then again, who knows. My little sister's roomate from college used to have a crush on Nate in HS, but I always thought Nate was too nice of a guy for her Anyway, congrats to USA soccer for finding their way into the second round. Go Zips soccer! Go USA soccer! Hopefully one day some of the names on both of those rosters are interchangeable. Perhaps when they both bring home the cup!

Already sent an email to the director of materials handling. Although I never saw a Zips basketball game from inside the walls of old Memorial, I do have some fond memories as an undergraduate of trying to get up early enough to make it to class in that building. I'm pretty sure those seats have the potential to make a very nice edition to any Zips oriented "man-cave" out there. Please don't tell me I was the only one thinking that.

I voted for EMU, but if all of the "directional michigan schools" were an option I would have voted for that. To me they just seem like very generic schools that scream MAC complacency. I believe they are some of the longer/longest tenured schools in the MAC and it seems to me that a school like EMU just kind of thinks, "oh well, we have our up years and our down years. So goes this roller coaster of the Mid American Conference." As far as BGSU goes, I would think they would be one of the last schools to have a reason to take a step down from the MAC. Like you said, they do have a great women's basketball team, but I'm not sure where you're getting the idea that they don't consistently compete in any sport. Their men's basketball team has had its ups and downs (looking forward to checking out the new Stroh center when Coach Dambrot's squad heads up there for the 2011-2012 season), but their football team has actually been pretty consistent, and I don't mean at losing. I think they've had one sub .500 season in the past 8 seasons. Not to mention a few bowl appearances in that time and wins over Missouri, Kansas, Purdue, Northwestern, Memphis, Minnesota, and Pittsburgh. As well as that shootout with Idaho in the Humanitarian Bowl last year, which was a really fun game to watch. If they have the lowest athletic budget in the MAC and are getting those kinds of results, then what has Zips football been doing wrong, because staring up from 3-9 a 7-6 record looks pretty darn good. BG actually has a loyal and solid following of fans, most of whom seem to be pretty knowledgeable and hospitable. All of my siblings attended BGSU, and for all of the games that I've attended out there in Wood Co., it was a pretty good experience, even when rooting against them and decked out in Zips apparel. Well, that's all, any more about BG and I'd probably be getting a phone call beginning with ay ziggy zoombah...

And thank god for that! Oh, come on now, who can honestly say they don't miss the Chuckery?

If Zips football can string together some meaningful winning seasons, well, watch what happens. If they could ever string together a few 10 win seasons and one or two somewhat meaningful bowl victories (or even maybe appearances) the c-bus faithful will be pretty hard to find in the UA neighborhood. It just takes a winning culture, and one bowl appearance five years ago isn't gonna do it. With a gem like Infocision Stadium people are just begging for a reason to go to the games. Give them one Rob Ianello. Also, I like what the creation of the Big Ten network has done for MAC football, at least in northeast Ohio anyway.. With the absence of many B10 games on ABC they've been broadcasting MAC games in their place during the afternoons the past few seasons. It is not good coverage for the MAC nationally, but its great for fans regionally, which is the kind of grassroots backing that a team like The Zips need to eventually reach a larger market (especially in the world of college football). If the Zips were able to establish a sense of a winning culture, and become some sort of a flagship team for MAC football (kind of like they've been able to do in Soccer and Basketball) guess what team would be broadcast to northern/northeastern Ohio on over the air TV numerous Saturdays each fall... It wouldn't be all that hard to establish a pretty large following in this region of the state. People in this state absolutely love football compared to soccer or basketball (even if a few of us are total hoops junkies). They just need a legitimate reason to watch... The number one reason why most people in the northeast ohio area don't care about zips football: They have never competed for anything that any average college football fan deems meaningful. College football helps those who help themselves. Make it happen Rob. This University, its President, and board members have provided you with all of the necessary tools to field a winning program in this division, this conference, and beyond. No excuses. Remember, UA is the new gold standard, not Notre Dame. Go Zips!

Sent a vote or two your buddies' way. The folk legend that is GP1 would probably not be too enthused about this, but I also had to vote for the Hostile Omish (Amish). How can one not love a punk band committed to establishing the genre of "Barncore?" Noticed that Love Turns Hate is from the Youngstown area. Another Youngstown based band worth checking out that is pretty rad is Johnie 3, especially if anybody out there is into bands of the Ramones-esque punk rock variety. I just thought somebody had to finally go ahead and say it.

Wooden Dies at 99 If ever there was a model to look to for coaching a college basketball team... In both basketball and life.

I'll agree that the whole thing is kind of campy, but no more so than the LA Clippers Parade or New York Mayor Bloomberg pitching what a "great place" New York City is to live (eew), or even the President stating that it would be great to see LeBron in a Chicago Bulls uniform. The guy is of such a phenomenal talent that it is maybe "witnessed" (couldn't resist) once or twice in a lifetime, and he's from Akron. I don't blame the Don for trying to be proactive and create a bunch of "hooplah" that puts the city in the spotlight. And to put it in a purely economic light, LeBron is a "cash cow" for Northeast Ohio, no offense intended to him or anyone else at all, but with the kind of revenue that he generates for the area, it's bound to become somewhat of a political issue (as evidenced by the campaigning of cities and politicians alike for his services). I also think that in no way does this put UA in a negative light. If anything, I completely agree that it does nothing but showcase the university more than it would be showcased otherwise. So the Info makes it into the national media and maybe gets some more air time on ESPN, since when did that become a bad thing? Remember, there is no such thing as bad publicity. It's more about gaining public interest in a way that makes it memorable to the customer, client, audience... Bad, good, or whatever, as long as it is generating discussion. (i.e. "Infocision Stadium? Oh yeah, that place where there was a riot for LeBron James? Yeah. The Akron Zips play there don't they? Yeah, the Akron Zips, they have a football team don't they? I wonder how they're doing this year? Looks like they have a big game coming up next weekend. Yeah, we should go check it out.") Something like that anyway... On a side note: I think it would be really fun to see LeBron play with a young talented guard like Derrick Rose. (Preferably both in Cavaliers' Uniforms .)

I love the map on the YSU page with the logos and their territories. Zips, Vikings, Penguins, and Piss Colored Purple Losers, that's awesome. I love these match ups. The more OOC Ohio schools we play the better, in my opinion. So many people fail to realize that we have some AMAZING college basketball in this state. This is not just a powerhouse football state. I'd love to see (not necessarily annual, but at least an aim to play "match up" with the ooc teams within state, we'd all love those bragging rights!! And UA and "that other team" and maybe even OU could throw a wrench at some of those "Upper/High major opponents") match ups with all of the conferences within our state: A10, MAC, Horizon, Big East, and Big Ten. There are a ton of sensational basketball match ups in that list.. Keeping it in state at that level would be really fun. And outside of baseball and soccer it would offer Akron and some more MAC teams an opportunity to kick our in state big ten opponent in the gunardis As far as the "rumors" surrounding the dissolution of the NE Ohio MAC/Horizon scheduling next season, I haven't heard anything uber convincing, just a lot of hearsay. All that I have to say is that Akron will not be the ones backing away from the proposed deal. From the appearances neither MAC school seems like they want out of the scheduled games. I'd say YSU is the linchpin here, but I guess we'll see. I really hope they keep all of the match ups. (P.S. I didn't know Ron Jaworski was a Penguin Alumnus. Very nice job with the football ad. Distinguished alumni = awesome promotion)

"Since I was a kid, I always said I'd find a way to put Akron on the map," James said. "It will always be my home and it will always be my life." James' comments seemed slightly ominous for a player on the eve of a big decision. He has given few clues about his intentions for when free agency opens on July 1, but James almost sounded as if he was preparing to say goodbye. "Akron, Ohio is my home," he said. "Akron, Ohio will always be remembered. Akron, Ohio is my life and I love this city." Later, he was asked how he could leave "all this." "This is home for me," he said. "I love this place to death. Every day I wake up I understand that I'm not just carrying myself but I'm also carrying this city to bigger and better heights. No matter where life may head me, I'm never gone from here." Read more: http://www.sacbee.com/2010/05/02/2721745/l...l#ixzz0mvZtQU8o That's really very cool. I take those statements at face value. I think that's pretty sincere and pretty excellent. What I hope this all means is that Lebron will be leaving Cleveland... with the rest of his teammates. He buys the team from that carpetbagger gilbert and moves the team about an hour south/southeast. Akron Cavaliers? Has a much better ring to it... Also, as long as he plays for them, he knows the team will be a great investment... Almost monopolistic, or maybe some form of insider trading in a way..

I know your comment is a lighthearted one with the "toothy smile icon" But I just wanted to say that it's great that he decided to accept the award at our school, and that is all the gesture he needs to make. Thanks for taking pride in Akron. It's LeBron's day and he is being rewarded for all of the hard work and all of the dedication to his craft, which is absolutely awesome for him and it gives all Akronites something to believe and take pride in. Afterall, hard work is something to be proud of, whether gritting it out to take care of your friends and loved ones or proving that Northeast Ohio (Akron) is now basketball's holy land (or both) Thanks LeBron, you're a good man for all that you do for our city of Akron. It's really awesome to think that an international icon takes as much pride in Market, Buchtel, or Exchange street as I do. Keep doing what you're doing friend. I don't think you get nearly enough credit for all that you do in helping this city. Go Zips! and Go Cavs! Beat Boston!

Basketball Travelers Inc. This page is totally new to me, but it seems like sort of a linkedin/amazon.com page for scheduling college basketball games. It appears to be completely legit as the Zips, Flas hes, and Bobcats staff are on there looking for games to schedule with names, emails and phone numbers included. I guess this is just part of the scheduling process... It was interesting to just randomly stumble across something like this. I thought that the whole process was somehow more closely guarded and sort of guided by some NCAA governing body somehow. But I guess the "business" of college basketball is just like anything else and networking is networking. If any of the basketball posters know more about the whole basketball scheduling process and the hierarchy of it all, I'd be very interested in learning about how they go about the entire process. Zips Basketball 2010-11?

That is an amazing showing of solidarity on behalf of Akron's squad. You're all really good friends and good guys for doing that for a teammate. My deepest sympathies are with the Hitchens family for such a horrible and just plain unfair loss. My family also suffered a devastating and suddenly unexpected loss of a man about the same age as Mr. Hitchens these past few months. He was my uncle and was a family patriarch and role model for many young people, including myself. He was also an Akron School of Engineering Alumni and Basketball fan and wore his Blue and Gold with pride. I remember watching Akron basketball at the JAR with him and his son (my cousin) when they came to visit me when I was an undergraduate (and him telling me about going to Zips games in the 80s when apparently they used to fill that gym to the rafters ). And I think I've done an alright job trying to keep that tradition alive by taking my cousin to some great games this year. I hope for nothing more than to be able to continue that proud tradition. My point in all of this is that Humpty, you don't just have a bunch of fans in the stands at games, but you have a second family here. In many ways we all go through triumphs and tragedies together. The blue and gold creates a common bond that I believe is an especially strong one. All of my family's thoughts and prayers go out to you and your family. Stay strong friend.

How did we go from having Monsters of Rock festival to wishing for Jay-Z or Dave Mathews!?!? I've seen Nirvana at the JAR, Tool at the Daily Double. What happen to the Akron music scene??? Nirvana played at the JAR?!! That. is. AWESOME! As for the music scene in Akron, there are still some pretty good venues to see quality local bands. I'm not much into the pop or hip hop scene, but if you're interested in more of the guitar oriented variety of music loosely defined as "rock" places like the Mocha Maiden and Annabell's have a lot of quality live music. Thursday's and The Matinee also have shows on certain days. It's too bad the Lime Spider closed. I've been in bands that have played all of these places and have had a lot of fun both playing and watching bands play at all of these venues. Mocha Maiden is probably the nicest and cleanest venue I have ever played or seen a band at. And as far as your Nirvana experience at the JAR goes, the closest I can come to that is having seen the Pixies there a few years back. That was a really good show. Oh, and to stay vaguely on topic... I think UA sports have a very positive impact on the city, especially with the Info taking up the corner of Spicer and Exchange. A lot of revenue can be generated from that addition to the campus. The Exchange strip is twice the place it was 9-10 years ago and is slowly but surely moving in the right direction. Eradicate the ZLB plasma services, get some more investors for the blocks behind exchange and drive out some of those slum lords and "University Park" can be a pretty nice place I believe. Also kudos to the Don Drumm studios for having a positive impact on that area and doing something creative with it.

Hats off to Butler. Thanks for making a statement for all the mid majors out there and keeping that hope alive. Not a thing to be ashamed of in that performance last night. That was a great game with great defense, heart, hustle, and intensity. The final outcome really came down to nothing more than pure dumb luck. For as big of a "mid major" advocate as I am I can't stand it that a number 1 seed who was given a region that was a cake walk to the tournament (or as some have referred to this tournament as the "Duke Invitiational") ended up with the hardware, but that game was one of those situations where nobody really won, time just ran out with one team in the lead. All the other things aside, this was just an absolutely sensational tournament and yet another reason why the excitement of march madness completely dwarfs the outdated, pre-calculated bureaucracy of dinosaurs that is the bowl championship series of college football. Although to be honest, I watched twice as many NIT games as I did bowl games this winter.

I think a significant difference between this year's Zips squad and Butler has to do with the mental aspect. i.e. preparedness, focus, not getting rattled when things aren't going your way, always believing that you can win and never doubting your ability. For example, last night Matt Howard got into some foul trouble early, but I didn't see him complaining or whining or sitting on the bench with his head down. He stayed in the game and stayed mentally focused. This years Zips squad looked miles away from reaching that level of focus. Maybe some of that has to do with inexperience, but I will say this much, some of the freshman last year looked a lot more focused last season than they did as sophomores this season. Butler doesn't make nearly the amount of mental errors that cost a team possessions which subsequently provide the opponent with easy baskets and open looks. Butler obviously understands the game plan, this years Zips squad always seemed to show up unprepared as if showing up to class without preparing their homework the night before. I will give credit where credit is due and think that McNees and the Seniors showed up prepared and focused for most games and didn't get rattled over things that happen essentially every night on the floor. The problem is that on the Zips squad this season people refer to that level of focus as "leadership" but on Butler's squad it's merely the norm. They play like a team and while it is evident that some players on the Zips do show up prepared, the old adage remains true; a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. And when you've got Nikola screaming at an official and Humpty letting some opponent get him in an uproar and seeing red, and various others walking up the floor when they miss a shot instead of getting back on defense and focusing on getting the ball back you're not gonna beat many quality opponents. I guess a good way to sum it up would be that Butler came to work every night and didn't take anything for granted. The Zips just seemed to think that they could ride last year's tourney appearance to another one. I know the life of a student athlete is a busy one and a total balancing act and don't mean to call anyone out for not trying or not wanting to win. That's not my intention at all. I just think that inexperience played a factor as well as some easily controllable things that once exposed and addressed, people can make a conscious effort to correct and learn from them. It's all part of growing as a person, a player, and a team. Good luck in 2010-2011. I'm looking forward to the renewed focus and dominant attitude of Akron Basketball.

Just bought 3 lower reserve tix. I'm stoked about tomorrow. Should be a good game.

I think they've got a chance to be really, really good next year. The back court will be full of upperclassmen. I really liked what I saw from McNees and McClanahan these past three games. Hitchens will be a sparkplug as usual and Steward has shown some flushes of being able to do some really good things with his speed and ability to slash, penetrate and just plain make plays, whether by passing or scoring. I think Zeke is going to show a TON more next season, he's going to give everyone huge match up problems both offensively and defensively. His potential is virtually unlimited at this point, and he just has a really nice touch shooting the ball for a big man. I think the big area of focus will be at Forward. It's all going to be up to Brett and Nikola next year. If Dakotah Euton, or Josh Egner can hit the ground running then I think we can be pretty/extremely awesome next year. It's a lot of pressure to put on any true freshman, but in the last two years all we have lost are forwards. And Linhart, C. McKnight, and Conyers leave some gargantuan shoes to fill.

Thanks for a great season Zips. 24 wins is nothing to be ashamed of and neither are four consecutive MAC championship appearances. You guys have scratched, clawed, and battled until the bitter end and have shown nothing but heart, resilience and toughness this season, and that is something to be admired. As a college basketball fan, it's impossible to ask for anything more.Also, best of luck to Chris McKnight, Tim Carroll and Jimmy Conyers in all of their endeavors after college basketball, whatever they may be. If you guys approach life anything like you approach the game, I'm sure your futures will be bright, whatever path you choose.NIT, CBI, or whatever... I'll be there for every second of this crazy ride known as college basketball season. The future of Akron basketball remains bright, and I believe that with all that I have. Whether it's for the last time this season or not: LET'S GO ZIPS!

I don't think "rolled by a bunch of jucos" is completely correct. Geno has 3 HS guys entering next year and 2 Junior College boys. I think as far as PF's, Keith has outdone Geno big time by getting Dakotah Euton (Dakotah is a 6'8" bullseye shooter as compared to geno's 6'6" Juco DeAndre Nealy. I'll take Dakotah all day in that battle. Can't also has a HS kid Knight at 6'6" they've recruited as a power forward, and once again I think we're getting better talent at that position.) At this point I think that our front court is stacked with a bunch of size and will be able to hang with nearly anyone in the nation. But it's the back court that gets those guys going and really makes things go in the MAC and we need to get some guards with size back there... Not knocking our "smaller" guys but we need some slashers for Zeke. Zeke is going to make it all go, so we need to surround him with what he needs. (i.e. outside guys that can slash and just throw darts, thus spreading things out). Despite his size I think Humpty absolutely has that ability. That kid is a big time athlete. I don't think you're wrong for asking that question though. Can't does exercize the JUCO option and we have not gone that route, although I've heard Coach D say that he was not totally in opposition to taking a JUCO player. But I do think that Dakotah and Egner will easily "athletically" compete with the "JUCO" stuff that Crap bag State U has coming in. Although they do have a few more scholarships to offer than the Zips do.Screw off frat boy state.Go Zips,Z4P

You are nuts...that was a CHOKE through and through. We crapped down our leg and beat ourselves with terrible play. How many offensive rebounds did Can't get and score points off of?Uninspired basketball like that will insure that even next year they will struggle to get ANYONE at the game.I'm embarrassed and every Zip should be as well.We'll agree to disagree then.....but you can't ignore our performance against more athletic teams this year.....actually it's been ugly. How many dunks did we have tonight? How about Can't? You mention rebounds but don't you think athletic ability plays a little part in that? You can point out our shooting percentage, but our shots were being contested. Any three pointer we took was rushed. You can cite turnovers, but again Can't has longer, quicker guards and they were clogging the passing lanes. There were a lot of tipped passes tonight. We were afraid to move the ball around and settled for terrible shots. Then you figure Can't has three to four guys on the floor at any given time who could beat you. Tonight it was Simpson who killed us. The reason we beat these guys last year is that they still didn't have their heads screwed on right. To Geno's credit, he's got his guys playing together and now they are wreaking havoc on the conference with their raw talent and athleticism. It seems that we don't have an answer for this team, and that worried me even before the game. Just saying....I think you're right about the reason that we beat these guys last year, they (Can't) did not have their heads on straight. That's the problem with The Zips this year. It's mental. If you think that Can't has some sort of insane recruiting advantage to more "athletic" players you're absolutely insane. We are in the same conference, in exactly the same region, competing for the same recruits (if anyone thinks that Geno freaking Ford is going to out scout or out recruit Keith Dambrot you have to be residing in an insane asylum). We basically won the superbowl with getting Zeke this year, just wait until things start slowing down for him, no one will have an answer for a 7'1 or 2" kid that knows the game, because he is more of an "athlete" than anyone in this conference. The difference tonight came down to a bunch of jack@ss seniors on Can't State's team who have some retarded sense of entitlement compared to a Zips team that was too young and too nervous to execute their gameplan... and if you're going to tell me that Anthony Simpson is that much more of an "athlete" than Chris McKnight you're just about off your rocker.Point is, Can't played their game and stayed glued to their gameplan, we didn't. Take it for what it's worth.