Zip_ME87

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.

I like KD, too, but I can't understand the defensiveness that some of you constantly seem to exhibit. Regardles of who RooYahoo is, I get his point. I was disappointed in the apparent lack of development of our 7-foot center whom we had all hoped would get an opportunity in the NBA. I think the Zips program let Zeke down, not working more closely with him to strengthen him for a potential NBA career. Maybe some of you did, but I didn't really see the progression. It would have benefitted the Zips as well. I can't help but wonder if his development would have been different if Jeff Boals hadn't left.KD said at the EOY banquet last year something to the effect that he wasn't disapponted or some such thing about how the season ended. With the distractions and illnesses, perhaps the Zips had no chance in the Palace, but it didn't appear they had developed any plan whatsoever to deal with the full-court press. It looked like they were just going to play their game with no apparent adjustment for an opponent that we supposedly knew. I wish KD would have said that the distractions were an issue, taken responsibility, and apologized to the fans for what happened. He is the HC, and carries the responsibility.I have other examples, but I don't want this to be a "bitch fest". As I said, I like KD, too, but I think he has become too comfortable. He needs to take a critical look at his program, including himself. It's a cop out to blame all of the program's shortcomings on the shortcomings of players.

Interesting to see Channel 19 talk with Darlington Nagbe (wearing a Cavs jersey) at the Q last night about Johnny Manziel (clip on 10 pm news on Ch 43). Too bad they had no clue to whom they were talking. Just another Cavs fan, not. Moron Cleveland sports media. So caught up in Johnny hype ( ), they don't know much else.

Extremely disappointing to see Virginia win the College Cup with that performance effort in the final. They played to get to PKs. It was awful to watch. So much for the "beautiful game". I also don't understand why the refs are so hesitant to give out red cards in the College Cup. An elbow in the face followed by a punch should have resulted in red cards for both players. I'd have loved to see both teams down to 10. Perhaps it would have livened it up a bit.

I just wish there had been a shot, any shot, rather than time running out.

Best wishes to you Demetrius. I'm glad that Keith and Akron took a chance on you. You were a great contributer. It's sad that you didn't take full advantage of what you had, but I hope you learn from the experience, and I wish you every success. Personally, I'm torn in these situations. This reflects on the university and all of us as alumni, fans, current students, etc. It really bothers me when people don't realize how precious what they have is. Everyone makes mistakes and, in most cases, should be given second chances. However, that can only go so far like in Tree's situation. (I'm referring to the multiple incidents as I don't know the details of any of them.) I understand, also, how Keith could feel "refreshed" with this behind him because he can now concentrate on the guys who are working hard at accomplishing their goals. I just hope that Keith and other coaches at UA never stop giving future players the opportunity. I know it's difficult, but if no one gives them an opportunity to make good, then how are they ever supposed to make anything of themselves. I don't know what UA does for orientation for freshman athletic scholars, but perhaps some words from athletic alumni demonstrating how the opportunity bettered their lives and how grateful they are for it would be worthwhile, if not already being done. Some real world reminder of how precious the opportunity is that they've been given and how they should cherish it.

Agreed. They do represent the university unlike other students and are receiving compensation from it.

http://www.ohio.com/sports/zips/marla-ridenour-zips-basketball-coach-keith-dambrot-feels-refreshed-to-move-past-team-s-off-court-issues-1.549213