Zip_ME87

@MaxZip, I agree with you that "little things" can be done in the "short game". Some improvements to the JAR and some entertainment added to the Basketball game experience. If, as someone said, IMG holding the entertainent back from happening, then why do we have IMG? I haven't seen an obvious increase in ticket sales since they've become involved. What are they doing for us? Someone enlighten me, please, if you can. I can't justify a new UoA, on campus arena. However I do believe that Akron, Summit County, and UoA might justify a downtown arena. I believe the reason that it didn't get to the ballot last year is that everyone saw it as UoA's arena. The idea seemed to be thrown together with little thought of marketing it to the voters or of its uses beyond UoA athletics. I don't understand why some folks on ZN.o are so hell bent on, if there is a new arena, it's being on campus. Downtown Akron is barely off campus. Being able to host concerts, high school graduations, UoA Mens & Womens Basketball, and other activities for Akron and surrounding counties/communities seems like it could work. Perhaps if UoA could bring some level of funding to it through donations and fundraising, then maybe asking the voters for the rest might work. I, too, have personal gain in mind in that I prefer to go to Akron with my entertainment dollar rather than Cleveland as well as I'd like to get more enjoyment out of Akron basketball games with a more comfortable and better in-game experience.

The "tons of games" that Zips Basketball wins only mean something to die hard Zips' fans. It is not rocket science to understand that others only see the Zips for what they accomplish in the NCAA Tourney...winless and blown out by another mid-major, 88-42, the last time we were there. That game was over in the first 5 minutes. VCU had 50 at half and needed no points in the 2nd half to win. That's the way others remember the Zips. Sorry, but that is how it is no matter how rose-colored one's glasses may be. BTW, Soccer's attendance was down last season from the previous season, I believe. Likely it will drop again in 2015 given the result in the 2014 NCAA Tourney. I'm a die hard; so, I'll be there supporting our young team to learn and improve over 2014. I hope we don't begin accepting stagnation in that program.

You asked.

A colleague of mine who is a Dayton alum attended that game. He couldn't believe how small our gym was. Think Bigger. Imagine Bigger. Ponder Bigger. Contemplate Bigger. Lose Bigger. Bigger Excuses. More Excuses. Stagnate [at best]. (I don't think you can Stagnate Bigger, or we'd probably do that.) Found the money for Football and Soccer, but can only find excuses for Basketball. I'm just about done caring.

Totally agree. One of the reasons why the Zips can't consistently draw a crowd. When people show up for a game against a good opponent, and it's actually a good (close) game, the Zips pee down their leg and give it away. Should have beat MTSU this season. Had 4 chances at the end. For the final chance, the Zips couldn't even get a shot off within 11 seconds or so.

Wil Trapp to January 2015 USMNT Camp http://columbuswired.net/wil-trapp-train-usmnt/

20+ win basketball seasons don't mean squat. People remember what a team did in the NCAA Tourney; not what they did during the regular season. I agree with the posters who have said that the administration is going to do what the administration is going to do and not listen to a bunch of posters on ZipsNation.org. However, anyone who thinks it doesn't come out of our pockets is WRONG. The last I checked UA is a state university and gets some of its funding from the State of Ohio to which many of us pay taxes. Also, whatever they put into facilities, they have to pick up out of our donations for scholarships. Some posters on this board are current students. Don't tell them it doesn't come out of their tuition and fees. I have no issue with putting some money into the JAR for the near term. However, if they eventually spend $38M on it, I'm done. I've watched uncaring ADs come and go and put funds into a football program that still has gone nowhere. If they were going to build Infocision and then give such little thought to the Head Coach, they should have shut down Akron Football and imploded the Rubber Bowl. They probably could have sold more tickets to that event than we draw in a football season. Those of you who can put up with the same stupidity year after year are welcome to it.

Sorry, but there is a difference between football and basketball and their respective facilities. I keep pushing for the downtown arena idea because it doesn't have to be just UA's venue. It could be used for much more, and UA wouldn't have to foot the entire bill. It is also possible to attract better teams to come play in a better arena. WVU played at the Wolstein Center. Akron could offer them part of the gate if we had a decent size gate to offer. I'd play tOSU twice at their place for once at ours, but not once at the Q. It's very shortsighted to focus only on Zips Basketball. I'd love to separate ourselves from the shortsightedness of those to our north. Morons in Cleveland had the opportunity to replace the mistake on the lake with an indoor football stadium, but shortsighted idiots prevailed and built an outdoor stadium on the same precious lake front property as the Depression-era former stadium. The stadium gets used a few times a year in addition to the Browns 10 games there. Had they built an indoor stadium, they could have hosted numerous events (Mens Final Four, potentially a Super Bowl like Detroit did, maybe a new Bowl game, other ...). Had they built it somewhere other than the lake front, they could have developed the lake front property like other cities with waterfronts have done.

Point was the 3x bump; not the actual numbers. Taking a crap team from a crap conference to a better conference is still crap. It might be even worse, like in the Crawford and Hipsher years, if the Zips can't even compete for the conference championship. Nobody gives a s%&t because the Zips haven't accomplished anything in football or basketball. In football, we went to one Bowl game, built a new stadium, and hired a know-nothing as head coach. Nice way to build excitement about your new facility...have absolutely the worst product possible on the field during its early seasons. TB really has his work cut out for him digging out of that hole. Getting blown out by 46 points by VCU in the NCAA Tourney last time we were there was a huge setback for basketball. Most fans only pay attention to March Madness. They don't give a s%&t about remember the teams you defeat in the regular season or the NIT. VCU had 50 points at the half. They could have scored ZERO (0) points in the 2nd half and still won. People, including alumni and students, are supposed to get excited just because the Zips were there. HaHaHa. Fat chance. A poopy post-season team in the MAC still stinks in a better conference; perhaps worse if that poopy team can never get an NCAA bid. As far as Can't State and blOU drawing bigger crowds for basketball than the Zips, look no further than their student sections proximity to the court and the fact that they have both made runs in the NCAA Tourney (the part of the season about which fans do give a s%&t). You don't have to be a genius to get it.

I used soccer crowds as an example of being able to draw crowds. Under Porter, soccer drew 3x or more than it did previously because of winning against top opponents. My point was that winning in football or basketball against good competition could have samilar results. As far as spending 70, 80, 90 ... milion, I said to fund it from multiple sources and market it differently. One problem with CSU's Wolstein Center (besides the fact that its design sucks) is the Q is just a few blocks away. There would be no such competition in Akron. As far as tOSU or WVU coming to a decent arena if we had one...drawing them for basketball is different than football. If Akron fans didn't fill our arena for a game vs tOSU, NEO tOSU fans would, for example. You're not going to get a football team that plays in front of 100k+ at home to come to our 25k+ stadium to play a team with no winning tradition. I don't get your MTSU comment. I know who the f MTSU is and that they are a good opponent. One MTSU (and perhaps a Marshall) does not make a good OoC schedule at the JAR or any type of interesting season for anyone other than die hard Zip fans.

blah blah blah blah blah You guys are so full of yourselves. A guilded turd (JAR) is still a turd (JAR) and stinks just as much as ever. Soccer is sooooo easy to draw crowds, big deal. eff u. If that was the case, where were the crowds during the Lolla years. The crowds came because Akron could defeat top teams and actually compete for something other than a weenie MAC Championship. Renovate the JAR all you want. WVU won't come there. tOSU won't come there. What "big" program are you going to get to come to the dump JAR? I convinced former alumni to give Zips Football a chance with the new Football Stadium. Problem was iCoach.They bought tickets for those 2 years and vowed not to return. I don't blame them. TB has done nothing yet to convince anyone to return from the abyss. His last name doesn't mean jack. Winning games, going to bowl games and winning them is what matters. Beating up on Blufton and Malone and winning 20+ games/season against little sisters of the poor and the MAC doesn't draw disinterested students and alumni. Go ahead, flush another $20M+ into guilding the turd JAR. Absolutely INSANE.

Caleb Porter proved that a winning Zips team could draw crowds. What got us a "big, giant, empty info" was hiring iCoach. He dug us a bigger hole than the one on which the Info sits. I agree that UA has to be careful with its funds, but putting millions into the JAR would be right up there with building it in the first place and hiring iCoach. The reason the downtown arena never made it to the ballot is folks tied it to UA and UA only. It needs to be marketed as an entertainment venue for Akron and Summit County and not tied to UA in marketing it. It needs to be an "aside" that Zips Mens Basketball will play there. If UA believes it can come up with $20M to put into the POS JAR, then offer those funds toward help with the downtown arena if the voters pass it. See if we could also get LeBron to throw in some funds to help out, and keep the taxpayer investment even lower.

Great Fall Semester https://twitter.com/ZipsCoachEmbick/status/545935643701178368 Please to hear our grades. The team had 18 players above a 3.0 gpa, 11 of those above a 3.5 gpa and 3 -4.0 gpa!! #morethangoodplayers

Perhaps it is speculation about player development, but it is not wild speculation and assumptions about KD's statements about the Zips being young and setting the goal to win the MAC and other such things. It's always something. There has to be a time when the goal is more than winning the MAC, and the coach actually pushes the players, staff. etc. to believe. I've talked to Keith Dambrot a number of times. I talked with Caleb Porter a number of times. I've talked with Jared Embick a number of times. I'd like to talk with Jodi Kest as well. The first thing I noticed about Caleb is that he said and believed he could do it when no one else believed. He set multiple goals for his team to stepwise get to the top goal. Jared and Keith are both good coaches, but I don't see the fire I did with Caleb. I'd like to understand Jodi better. I follow her twitter feed, and she tweets and retweets a lot of the things I've been trying to get at here. https://twitter.com/zipscoachkest just a few examples "It takes less time to do a thing right, than it does to explain why you did it wrong." - Henry Longfellow When a team/organization focuses on solutions instead of complaints their performance rises to a higher level. #nocomplainingrule Don't settle for "good enough." Good is the enemy of great. Tough teams aren't fooled by winning, they're able to clearly evaluate areas of improvement, and never lose sight of their standards. #Bilas If you think you are one of your teams top leaders/players you have to be receptive to being pushed & coached harder than others. –Tom Crean Every workout, every practice, and every game is a chance to improve. Take advantage. A good coach will tell you what you need to hear; not what you want to hear.

I gotcha. Sorry I misunderstood.

Agree to disagree, fine. But, I don't understand the "heavy-handed talk and threats" thing. Sorry, if I implied that I thought anyone should go to KD and tell him he should be fired if he doesn't win an NCAA Tournament game in x years or any other such threat. All that I've been trying to say is that I wish Zips fans would stop treading around like he's the diety of basketball. What's wrong with letting him know that we'd like to see more and a plan to get there. No one can guarantee that the Zips can get there, but always making excuses that we're too young, or this and that guarantees we'll never get there.

I completely disagree with you. A 10-year contract definitely alleviates pressure that most coaches feel. Couple that with a fan base who is comfortable with where the ZIps are and doesn't question their coach, and there's not a lot of motivation except self-ambition vs comfort. Even the most experienced person needs continuous learning, no matter the profession. That not being on a "high horse". As far as self-ambition vs comfort, it's completely up to your and my intepretation as to why KD has turned down other offers. $300k+/yr for 10 years for someone in their mid-50's who's been through some ups and downs seems like a great deal to me. No need for risk of any kind at this point. Leaves those of us who want more stuck however. No pain. No gain.

I really don't understand you're comment. Ada brought up some good points, and you make it sound like he wants KD fired. I didn't read that into it at all. Why make the comparison to the MAC? How about other successful mid-major programs who have advanced in the NCAA Tourney? Can someone please help me with the fascination of being the best or near the top of the MAC? That seems like a low goal to set. To DiG's point about wanting to discuss specifics. I'm only a casual basketball fan. I don't consider myself knowledgeable enough to pick out specific basketball coaching issues, nor am I interested in studying the recruiting/retainment of Zips Mens Basketball players. My main point is that KD makes a lot of excuses of why we shouldn't expect more. We're in the MAC. We're young. Other teams in the MAC aren't improving to bring up the calibre of the league. yada yada yada. He continually sets the bar low, trying to keep the heat from the fans down. I absolutely agree with AdaZip "... my experience here has been that most of the fans act as if Dambrot can do no wrong and no one should ever question any thing he does." I don't want KD fired, but I would like him to feel some "heat" from the fans, especially those dedicated fans who have attended many more Zips Mens Basketball games than I have. I love the Zips above all other teams, pro or college, and would like to see more from the program. However, those who have hung in there the longest deserve to see more. It can be done but not by doing the same things over and again and just expecting it to happen.

Can't have an intelligent discussion about wanting more from our current coach/program...professional development, like in any profession.

I think part of the problem is that the Zips are not fun to watch. Watching iCoach games was absolutely unbearable. TB's offense in 2012 and 2013 made the games somewhat fun, but the 2014 offense, especially 2nd half of the season, was boring. Prior to iCoach (and Infocision), Brookhart and Owens didn't win a lot of games, but many of them were high scoring, which made them fun.

By the way, kudos to the person who stood up at the EOY banquet and asked about the poor performances at the end of last season. That guy was the only person with guts enough to ask a good, thoughtful question rather than stroking egos. Too bad no one took the opportunity to really address the man's question; just take offense to it and move on.

Reading this forum, I don't expect the Zips to ever be better than top of the MAC. A glorious place to be, I guess. Sorry that I believe that Akron could rise above that with the right attitude and drive. I was in no way attacking KD. I pointed out some shortcomings and suggested some "soul searching" is needed. OMG, I guess that means I think Zips Mens Basketball absolutely sucks. It's a shame that so many are so comfortable being near the top of a less than mediocre conference. Next time you complain about the quality of the teams that we play at the JAR and that the MAC only gets the 1 bid to the NCAA Tourney, take a look at your comfortable selves in the mirror. Edit: Sorry, I forgot to prove that the MAC is a less than mediocre conference. I guess I inferred it from the number of bids the MAC gets to the NCAA Tourney. Probably more my opinion rather than fact. Seeing other midmajors get to the Final Four and having experienced a truly driven coach who led us to a Nat'l Championship and who totally believed Akron could be so much more than it is, makes me want more. Not even an alumnus, and he wanted so much more for all of us. He left for bigger things because he didn't like "being comfortable". Oh well...so much for that kind of thinking. Let's all wallow around in pitying ourselves and comforting each other.

If I read some of you correctly, KD is not responsible for Zips Mens Basketball even though he's the Head Coach. It's the MAC. It's the players he's stuck with. It's the JAR. (I'll give you that.) It's "Joe Akron". It's the students. It's our location. It's x. It's y. It's z. But, it's not KD. Seriously? Ken Lolla, Zips Mens Soccer Coach for how many years (11?) ... It cannot be done at Akron... went to Louisville because the grass appeared greener (although much of it is blue). It has yet to be done by UL Head Coach Ken Lolla even though it was done by Akron led by Head Coach Caleb Porter. I know..."It's soccer. That's different."...BS Ask Coach Embick how difficult it is, even in soccer. I'll say it again, I like KD, but he needs to look critically at himself and his program.

KD does a good job with what he has and what he has is a roster full of MAC players and MAC players are players that can't play for the bigger schools. I am not saying there is anything wrong with that in any way, I'm just saying that this is not a KD coaching problem. 1. Who gets KD "what he has"? ... As Head Coach, KD has overall responsibility for recruiting 2. MAC players ... some do get to the NBA, as skip-zip stated. Also, Can't got to the Elite 8 with MAC players; OU got to the Sweet 16 with MAC players. ... Let's not expect more out of "comfortable" KD; we can then forever expect our current attendance and to play in our dump of an arena and a mostly crap OoC schedule 3. Perhaps Zeke never had the determination to get to the NBA. That may have been the issue, but did anyone in the Zips program have a discussion with him and his family on what effort that would really entail? As far as skill set, if he truly had the determination, he might have been able to develop it if the Zips program had the right assistance to offer.

My point about Zeke was that I didn't see any real progression that I think a D1 program should provide. Whether or not he ever would get into the NBA was kind of beside the point, which is why I used the words "opportunity" and "potential". Like some have pointed out that strength and conditioning were lacking in the football program prior to Terry Bowden, I think the Zips Mens Basketball also has similar issues.