Dr Z

More photos at gozips.com. SBNation "...Surprisingly, Akron drew plenty of NFL attention of Friday with 22 teams showing up for the Zips' pro day. The headliner for Akron is linebacker Jatavis Brown, the MAC Defensive Player of the Year who finished his senior season with 10.5 sacks and 17.5 tackles for loss. His 5'11 stature kept him from getting an NFL Combine invite, but he intrigued scouts at a regional combine with a 4.47 40-yard dash, according to John Harris of NFL.com..."

“...I just got a new five-year contract, so I plan on sticking around for a little bit,” Bowden, 60, said. “They can get rid of me, but they’re gonna pay me that contract...” Good news. Have we read this anywhere else? In searching for something, I found that coach Stroud has added the title of assistant head coach. I don't see anything on an extension anywhere. Did he break the news, and nobody caught it? I would think the ABJ or PD would have a story? I think this is a three year extension, no? ------------------------------------ Bowden also likes freshman recruit Kalyn Nelson, a 5-foot-11 dual threat quarterback from Miami, Fla. “We think he has a chance to be the next great quarterback,” Bowden said of Nelson. “Our starting quarterback has two more years of eligibility, but we have a freshman to build the future. I think a quarterback helps you recruit for the future.” Love reading this. PS, I don't think they got Kato's size correct. ------------------------------------ "...Bowden said the stories probably won’t hurt his recruiting nationally. But they could hurt him in northeast Ohio. “I don’t know if the Akron Beacon Journal gets read in Miami, Florida, or gets read in Orlando,” said Bowden, speaking to the Hall of Fame luncheon club at Tozzi’s on 12th. “But it gets read all over northeast Ohio. And I think the 12 other recruiting coordinators (in the Mid-American Conference) will make sure recruits get copies of those stories for the rest of the year.” He then added with a laugh, “That would be one smidgen of what’s happening in the SEC. That’s called good recruiting there...” I like that coach doesn't seem to be using this as any kind of an excuse.

Broncos interested in Dak Prescott. By Scotty Payne "...Prescott impressed scouts, GM's, and coaches at the Senior Bowl and Combine this year. He showed intelligence, leadership, and overall football character. Team's were reportedly raving over this before Prescott was arrested for a DUI in early March. This was a big step back for a guy who had a ton of positive momentum before this. He has owned up to his mistake, and hopefully, will only be a one-time thing for him. Now, I think Dak would fit well into Gary Kubiak's offense. It's friendly for the quarterback, and he and team could rely on his athleticism early on as he develops as an NFL passer..."

Not anymore, he is terminated. The University of Toledo is parting ways with men’s basketball assistant coach Nick Dials after the season, UT employment records confirm. Head coach Tod Kowalczyk signed a proof of service notice on March 9 — two days after the season’s final game — indicating he notified Dials of the termination.

George Thomas article about pro day with Phil Masturzo photography. Unofficially, Brown ran anywhere between 4.38 and 4.44 in the 40-yard dash — either time faster than the best Ohio State linebacker Darron Lee ran at the combine. His 33 repetitions of 225 pounds lifted would have ranked No. 1, as well. The vertical jump and broad jump would both rank in the Top 10. A svelte Cody Grice, a former defensive tackle for the Zips, showed up nearly 30 pounds lighter with an eye toward catching some eyes as a fullback. “I knew what I wanted to do at the end of the year,” Grice, who played running back at Firestone High School, said. “ I love defense. I love going out there and hitting somebody. I love it to death. I know if I want to have a future, longevity, offense is the way to go.”

Today is Akron's pro day. Seventeen Zips showed off their skills. Thirty scouts from twenty-two different teams were in attendance. The Browns had two scouts present. Rodney Coe was not able to work out because of an earlier sports hernia surgery. He still seemed in good spirits. Lots of excitement today around the field house today. I don't have any official numbers yet, as it was still going on as I departed. George is/was in attendance, so he may writing something. View video here.

• Woodson dropped 10 pounds to check in at 223 • Woodson is working with receivers three days a week on their own time to get on the same page Two great signs for the team and their fans.

Try it now.

I did notice the number change on the photo posted earlier in this thread. Hmmmm....

Elton Alexander writes the Zips need to play a better schedule. Sound familiar? "...To even be considered ... the MAC needs to be playing multiple games against teams in the top seven leagues in the country. The good thing is, around the league, the returning talent is on hand to do just that. So, looking ahead to 2017, which MAC teams should be looking to schedule at least as aggressively as Buffalo did this past season? The answer is most of the league. Every team with a quality point guard and proven post player should be in that mix. That includes Akron, Ball State, Buffalo, Central Michigan, Eastern Michigan, Kent State, Northern Illinois and Western Michigan, which accounts for two-thirds of the conference..."

Not the greatest.

One thing I didn't see mentioned here. I thought OSU did a very nice job off of all their time outs. That, and free throws made the difference (in regulation) in my opinion. It sure must be nice to march a recruit through that arena, what a nice venue. Many people that watched the game, asked me this morning if Akron had more fans than OSU fans at the game. Hats off to the Zip fans that went, they must have made enough noise on tv to make a noticeable difference.

Reggie McAdams gets his final introduction. —©Photo by Dr Z The Zips got a lot of support from their cheer team. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog keeps Trevor Thompson from reaching the rim. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog gets fouled on the way to the basket. —©Photo by Dr Z Marc Loving defends a Reggie McAdams three point attempt. —©Photo by Dr Z Marc Loving splits the Zips defense. —©Photo by Dr Z Coach Dambrot encourages Big Dog during a timeout. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog drives the lane for a two handed dunk. —©Photo by Dr Z Jaquan Lyle attempts to defend Antino's jump shot. —©Photo by Dr Z Noah Robotham looks to see if his three point attempt will find the bottom of the net. —©Photo by Dr Z Kwan Cheatham attempts to find Big Dog down low. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino Jackson attempts a free throw. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino Jackson describes what he sees to coach Dambrot. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog was no stranger to the charity stripe. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog looks back to the referee. —©Photo by Dr Z Coach Dambrot looks up to see Kwan's attempted three. —©Photo by Dr Z Reggie McAdams gets fouled as he makes a three. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino Jackson knifes through the defense. —©Photo by Dr Z Antino puts the breaks on during a late Akron possession. —©Photo by Dr Z Big Dog looks to get to the rim in overtime. —©Photo by Dr Z Jake and Reggie walk off the floor during a timeout. —©Photo by Dr Z Ohio State coach Thad Matta congratulates the Akron staff on a hard fought game. —©Photo by Dr Z

Zips warming it up !!

I hope the Columbus radio crews don't learn how effective Big Dog can be underneath...because the Zips torched the nets from three point land, and they didn't need an inside game. I think it will be interesting how coach uses Big Dog tonight. He mentioned in his pressers over the weekend how he was concerned with keeping him fresh for the three days in a row with substitutions. Is he rested well enough for that to not be the case tonight, or will that continue?

LeBron is rooting for the Zips. Hope he is there wearing Zips gear. "Obviously I'm torn, You know, being a huge supporter of Ohio State, but I'm also a big supporter of my high school coach in Keith Dambrot. "He helped shaped me into who I am today as a basketball player, and it's where I'm from, so I'm going with the Zips for sure." Zips are five point underdogs This was on ESPN's front page (on the right side) this morning.

If the destiny is to beat Columbus and host Florida at the JAR next week, I'm diggin the "destiny." I'll bet a LOT of area fans will be too. Opportunity is knockin LOUD!

From Mike B. ‏@Mr_Football10

Photos from Chuck Crow of the Plain Dealer found here.

I don't know much about the Columbus team. I found some info at Maize n Brew from last month. Columbus is incredibly young. The rotation consists of only one player who isn't a sophomore or freshman, and he's a junior. There is talent on this team as this roster is filled with former four-stars. However, none of them are near the caliber of D'Angelo Russell, and it'll take some time. There have been flashes of that this season, when Columbus looks like a juggernaut, and it usually happens at home. No surprise that a young team would play better when comfortable. That talent and athleticism seem to show on the defensive end, where Columbus is 36th in adjusted efficiency, particularly in the paint. Columbus is 28th in eFG% because few teams protect the rim better. Where the talent struggles to come out is on offense as Columbus is 140th in adjusted offensive efficiency. It's difficult to describe this offense because there's not much that stands out. Columbus ranks between 157th and 218th in all four offensive factors. It's an average offense in almost every aspect, except Columbus doesn't fare well at the free-throw line or record many assists. However, Columbus is much better when it is able to push the tempo. Columbus is led by a trio of forwards, junior Marc Loving, sophomore Keita Bates-Diop, and sophomore Jae'Sean Tate, all average 11-plus PPG and five-plus RPG. Loving can get to the free-throw line, but he functions as a jump-shooter. Dishing the ball is freshman point guard JaQuan Lyle, who was the jewel of the Columbus 2015 class. He's the only player on the team that averages more than two APG. However, he still has trouble orchestrating the offense because he is sloppy with the basketball. At center, Columbus splits the time between 6-foot-11 sophomore and Trevor Thompson and 6-foot-10 freshman Daniel Giddens. Thompson usually is the starter and averages 6.8 points, 5.3 rebounds. Thompson isn't the best finisher at the rim, but he's still a strong scorer because he can hit his jumpers near the bucket.