mes102

by the way, Serb had 9 points and 10 boards in 25 minutes against Hong Kong. Couldn't remember seeing that anywhere. Sorry if it was already posted...

This should also wake them up that they have a lot to learn still in order to be where they all want to be...

Just add this thought here. 1. This team is better(if stayed healthy) than last year to the "eye test". 2. only 3 seniors on team this year: Cvetinovic, McClannahan, and Petersen 3. So far it seems we'll have a good 3 player class next year. 4. So theoretically, we'll be better in next season than we will this season...

I'm not saying that without a key nonconference win we will be a top 25 team. To be honest, I could care less about the polls. No one really pays attention to the polls from the inside part of a program anyways. What I'm trying to say, and so is GoZips, is that this team, AT THE END OF THE YEAR, will be a top 25 team. Also, Memphis had to start somewhere. So did San Diego State. Because I'm a huge college basketball fan since I was in middle school, but I never heard about San Diego State until last year. We may be one year away from top 10/16 in nation, but we're not too far off from top 20/25 this year...

Lots of exuberant hyperbole posted recently, but this one is pretty over-the-top. I'll give you the past 8-or-so years haven't seen too many eyeball-test teams. But in the 10 years previous, EMU (Dial, Head, Boykins), K.e.n.t (Elite 8 guys), Miami (Sczerbiak, Newble, Davis, etc), OU (Jamerson, Trent, Hunter, and many others), BG (Stacey/McCloud), Ball State (Lonnie Jones, Theron Smith, etc)....all have had some really legit rosters. And won some big games. Even Marshall had some big teams, with VanHoose and Slay. This group of Zips hasn't won anything. In the past, KD's teams have been ones where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. Hopefully he can continue that, with the increased talent level. Then we'll have something extra-special. This will probably be KD's toughest year to coach. Dividing minutes will be tough. Zeke's a Junior...he needs to blossom big-time this year. Breaking-through and beating BCS-programs hasn't been done in a long time. I can't remember ever getting a single vote in any "real" basketball poll, let alone Top 25 ranking. A few votes in the "others" section would be an impressive step forward. Lots of milestones can be reached this season, beyond the elusive NCAA tourney win. I dig the excitement and the potential as much as anyone...but let's be real. Best ever...even by only the eyeball test? MAC basketball has a lot more tradition than that. I'm glad someone is slipping in a little reality every now and then. Top 25? This started with someone saying that anything less than Top-16 would be a dissappointment. Now I think I've seen someone who's been watching practices believe that we could even be better than that? Heck, we've never even BEATEN a Top-25 team. I think you're right. We've never received a single vote as an "others receiving votes" in any legit Top-25 poll.....ever....even with a 26-win team. So, if we win 27 or 28 games we'll not only get votes, but we'll get tons of votes, nationwide, from people who've barely even heard of Akron, and move all the way to the middle section of the Top-25? Dozens of people would all have to change their opinion about Akron, simultaneously, and that's not going to happen. Lets look at what could possibly happen sometime soon, although it still would require an amazing scenario to fall into place... Realistically, if we can somehow find a way to get through maybe our first 10 or 12 games of a season without a loss, maybe that would get 5 or 10 people to possibly change their opinion and vote for us? Where would that put us? Maybe about the 50-60 range? Of course, it would vanish after we lose our first game. But geez, I would consider that a MAJOR step forward for the program, which would be incredibly exciting. In fact, I'll jump for joy the first time we just simply record a win against a Top-25 team. I can go watch as many practices as I want, and I'm quite sure that I couldn't look at this team and predict a sudden and incredible 80 position rise in our national ranking. It's not ever going to happen that fast. Akron is still a nobody to far too many people who matter. So San Diego State, Butler and Memphis changed the voters' votes, but if we had a season like their's, it wouldn't be the same for us? That's right...because we're the black hole in the NCAA...we're the abandoned child of the NCAA

Low expectations? the sink isn't that big at all. Probably half the size of an average home sink...

Homer rationalizations aside, that very average team once Larry Sanders left ended up going to the Final Four. ...and here I am saying the same thing as I did then. Having seen our freshmen now and how good they can be, I think we'll give you a good game. I still don't predict a W because we are so young and the JAR is a tough place to play. It seems that Dambrot is also changing up the makeup of your team to a more full-court style like we play. Should be interesting to see how we match-up. It will be a good measuring stick for what is a very young team. Congrats!!! You want a cookie now? How about a cake? or how about a donut? or how about becoming the president? Jokes put to side, I disagree with you about a couple things. 1. Who cares if you win your conference? I rather have a coach get me to the Final Four than to win your conference. A lot of schools win their conference, but how many of them make it to the Final Four? Not many... 2. I believe a regular season series would be great for both programs. You're not going to get Big East, Big Ten, SEC, and ACC teams to come to your place constantly. So you'll have to get some mid-majors on your schedule.Why not play a school that would get you ready for CAA play, and it gets Akron ready for MAC play. You have to face reality, and reality is you have a coach that has now been in the Final Four. He'll be hungry to get that taste again...

Why don't you come to the intrasquad practice tomorrow then? I'm sure you haven't seen this team yet. At first, I didn't think that either. But watching them, there is no way they can't be THAT good. Your opinion is what the players are thinking. But yet Dambrot and his staff can see this team can go far if they can work together and believe how good they really are. You have to look at it a different way too. We expected a lot this past season from the men's soccer team, and they came through. We've had high expectations in the past for the men's soccer team, and didn't come through. Give this team some time, it's only August. I like what I see, and I guess if you want to say it; Yes, I'm drinking the Blue & Gold kool-aid... oh yeah,

I totally agree. Dambrot was even yelling at his staff for not getting on the court and being ready fast enough. He didn't want to waste one second of that practice. The highlight moment of the practice was when Abreu passed it for an alley oop to Egner for a slam. Also, the funny moment of the practice had to be Abreu vs Zeke. After one of the screens set by Zeke, somehow Abreu got "stuck" guarding Zeke while Zeke was posting up down low. Let's just say it didn't go well for Alex... I'll be there tomorrow and then head over to the women's soccer scrimmage to check on the stadium and how the Lady Zips look this season...

I heard 9:30am...Talked to GoZips today at practice, and it sounds like tomorrow is open again. Double check with him though... On today, I was really impressed. GoZips is saying this could be a Sweet 16 team. What I saw today, I think we could be better than that. The team is already better than the team last year, and we're only in August. Another point, I'm not going to be missing the seniors from last year( no offense, all great players, but the practice made me forget them). Then, I realized Nik isn't here yet either. Is there anyway we can substitute football for fall basketball? Because this team's limit is too high in the sky for me to see right now. I seriously don't see a team in the MAC that can beat us. Maybe if we have an off night and it's on their home floor, or they play lights out, we might lose. But I guarantee no 20-30 point losses to Ohio this year.

So are you willing to go as far as we're this year's Butler?

US and Mexico tied 1-1 on Wednesday. Not sure how they did today...

I don't think he'll go at this time. I feel like whoever gets it this time, is only keeping the seat warm...

Will do Z.I.P. ....I will post the link to the article on here when I'm done with it...

Thank you ...Now I can start talking to them. I planned on previewing every athletic sport at UA before the fall semester begins, with questions from zipsnation. But if I have to wait this long to get some specific "reasonable" questions, I may not do that. I don't mind the question of the high school vs uswnt or whatever, but I need some other ones so I at least get SOME reply back. I could of went in many different directions with questions, but I wanted to know what the Zip fans wanted to know, not just one Zip fan. Apparently we have a long way to go until women's soccer gets at most ONE-FOURTH of the attention men's soccer gets. If you're a huge zip fan and not a fairweather fan(or maybe you're just sexist?), you would see that the Lady Zips are improving dramatically each year. They were 2009 MAC East champions, 2010 MAC East runner-ups(didn't lose in 2009 or 2010 to a MAC East team...2010 was 1 tie to Miami). They were getting blown out by MAC West schools in 09, but 2010 they were in just about every game til the final whistle. They took eventual regular season MAC Champs, Toledo, to 2OT, before losing 2-1 off a corner kick...Women's soccer style of play is improving as well. With the highly talented incoming freshmen class, and this year's sophomore class, I feel we can be expecting MAC titles in women's soccer like the men's team...

I'm still waiting for more questions please

If you really want to know, I'll ask them that. If there is any other questions you want them to answer about their upcoming season, the stadium, etc. let me know...

Do you have any questions that you want Akron Sports Now to ask the players?

the amount of international students we have, we could do very well at it...

I like all of these rule changes. Having an actual painted arc takes away power from the referees who were previously allowed to call charges under the basket however they saw fit. Not having two separate three-point lines on the court will make womens games less confusing for the fans, name changes to flagrant/intentional fouls also helps. If you recall, there were several instances last season where the type of foul called was in question, when the MAC officials decided that lifting Zeke's arms above his head was illegal. Let's hope that Taylor Ruper and the rest of the ladies adjust quickly to this...it could be a great year to be a Lady Zip basketball fan!!!!! I expect a top 4 regular season finish and a trip the championship game

First, Track & Field/Rifle have been doing well nationally from Akron's programs, and I don't see that happening.Golf is on the rise as well. What needs to happen is the MAC needs to stop making some sports like softball and baseball required so that schools can put lacrosse or any other sport missing in place of that...

You think SI would listen to us about recruiting violations Tressel had like Erick Howard now? just saying...lol...might as well put more wood on the fire while it's still burning...

it actually does count as a conference game...

http://www.golfweek.com/videos/2011/apr/22...DB_OEM_ID=10800