wadszip

I think you are joking, but if not, there is a huge disparity between an athletic men's team vs. an average athletic men's team compared to an athletic women's team vs. average women's teams. Anyway, great win and lets hope the men's team will follow through with a similiar effort tommorow (since it's after midnight) I should say later today.

Landing Sampson is a pipedream. Mainly because he's going to be able to pick just about whoever he wants. Secondly, he's not a true hometown kid. He lives in Cuyahoga County (Solon). He just happens to attend high school in Akron.damn, cuyahoga county? we are gonna have to fight against cuyahoga community college for him. might as well stop recruiting now. im hoping he has a sub par senior year, that way it may turn some of the big schools off of him.Way to completely miss the point. The kid is going to have dozens of high major offers. I think a lot of people are holding out hope that he will stay "home" ala Romeo, Dru, Wood because he's an Akron kid. Well, he's not. He's from Solon. Staying "home" for him could be Cleveland State. Obviously, being at St. V doesn't hurt, but I question how much of an affinity he has for Akron or the University of Akron not growing up down here.If Sampson was from, say, Firestone Park or the West side, then maybe Akron would have a slim chance.Dambrot has to recruit Sampson. He'd be a fool not to. But it is so much of a longshot to land him, I'm not getting my hopes up.Ziptrumpet,Never thought about that, but he and Oldham would've been teammates Sampson's freshman year. FWIW, I'm pretty sure Ohio freshman Reggie Keeley was also on that team. I think Sampson and Keeley transferred out (Keeley to Cleveland Heights) following that season.

Can't is beatable, but for whatever reason, we aren't the team that is set up to do that. But I'm actually happy with ending up with the No. 3 seed. The tourney sets up perfectly for us. Would've been better if NIU would've been able to hold off EMU, but still EMU and CMU is a nice road to the finals. Can't is going to have to dodge two of the No. 3, No. 4 and arguably the No. 5 team in the conference in (Buffalo, Miami and Ohio) just to get to the finals.I also hope the Can't players are as overconfident of a couple of fans I've had to deal with. They think it's a forgone conclusion that the tourney bid is theirs.

Thanks for the info. I have a meeting in Canton at 2, so hopefully I'll be able to catch the second half somewhere down there.

Landing Sampson is a pipedream. Mainly because he's going to be able to pick just about whoever he wants. Secondly, he's not a true hometown kid. He lives in Cuyahoga County (Solon). He just happens to attend high school in Akron.

I also don't even think it's solely a JUCO vs. high school thing, even though that is the most glaring difference between the two programs. Yes, it's true that Can't isn't shy about going after JUCO players. Like you said 40 percent of next year's class are JUCOs, 5 of the 13 players on this year's roster are also JUCOs. Overall, though, it has to do with taking a couple of educated chances. Can't is more willing to take a chance on a player who has tremendous talent, but may have some off the court question marks (a lot of JUCOs have that stigma, though some also go that route for different reasons). I'm more talking about players like Chris Singletary. He's taken a beating (and deservedly so) on this board and probably every other MAC message board. But the guy has talent. He's made his mistakes. But he also has/or will graduated (according to Elton). There is no way Keith Dambrot touches somebody like that.And with Can't, while they recruit a lot of JUCOs and may take some chances on some kids with questionable character, they also recruit kids that don't have those kinds of warts. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Justin Greene, Randall Holt, Rodriguez Sherman, Mike McKee were all high school recruits without any baggage. Look at the Henniger kid they have coming in, he's a preacher's son. As much as some us want to paint them as a renegade program, they really aren't.They seem to have a good mix of four-year character high school players, some JUCOs who may be more ready to contribute right away and and a couple of guys with a crap load of talent but came in with questionable character (Tyree Evans ... JUCO) and Singletary (HS, 4-year guy). As for Dambrot, he seems dead set on going after 100 percent high charcter 4-year high school kids. In theory, there is nothing wrong with that. Knock on wood, but I don't think Akron fans have to worry about any of our current players embarrasing the program by their off the court conduct. But, personally, I think Dambrot should take a chance (whether real or perceived) on a couple of kids who may have some question marks, which is why they would be overlooked by the biggers schools. Surround that player or two with the type of kids that Dambrot has been recruiting and there is a very good chance it will pay off.Don't get me wrong. Akron has recruited a lot of good players. Even by playing a weak schedule, you don't win 20-something games every year without having talent. But to take the program to the next level, I think that Dambrot is going to have to start taking a couple of chances (whether JUCO or a talented high school kid with character/academic risks) and hope they pan out.Let's face it, a kid like Zeke Marshall (7-foot, highly rated, high school, flawless character) is only going to come around once every 15-20 years, if that. You can't bank on situations like that.

I disagree...we make the NIT if we make MAC tourney championship.No, we make the CBI if we make the MAC championship game. The NIT went out the window tonight.

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 agree 100 percent. The game of basketball isn't all about athleticism, but give me athletic guys who can play over scrappy, average athletic guys who may be a little more skilled.any day of the week ... Though I actually think Can't is also more skilled as well.One thing in both the games I have noticed that hasn't really been brought up is how well Can't's big guys finish around the rim. That has been an ongoing problem at Akron Nik, C. McKnight and Zeke all have trouble finishing. Hell, even Jeremiah Wood would blow 3-4 bunnies a game around the rim, and he was arguably the Zips' best low-post player in the Dambrot era.I'll try to look on the bright side, and this pains me to say it, but I think Can't will be a dangerous team if they get in the tourney. I could see them getting a 10-12 seed and making a run at the Sweet 16. So this was loss was against a very good team, but it still doesn't change the fact that once again Akron was outclassed on national TV. The worst thing for me is I was telling some of my friend's from out of state who know nothing about the rivalry about the game and how they should tune in because it will be a great game between two "good" bitter rivals. I don't know how I'm going to explain what happened to them. I guess all I can say is Can't is the far superior team.

I'll add some insult to injury after tonight's performance by the Zips. After my last post, I called my buddy, who I hadn't talked to in about a month. He mentioned that he was going to the Jackson-Massillon game tonight at the Canton Civic Center. I asked him if he would give me a breakdown afterward of Egner and Henniger. Jackson rolled. Henniger scored 32. Egner scored 2 (and got a techical for hanging on the rim after he missed a put back dunk).Well, I just got off the phone with my buddy a little bit ago and he raved about Henniger. Again talking about how smooth he is on the court. He added that the more he watches, the more more impressed he is with Henniger and the less impressed he is with Egner (and he was super high on Egner last year and thought he had the brighter future). My buddy said Egner just hasn't improved his game and while he has the athleticism to play D1 ball, the rest of his skillset isn't coming around like he thought it would and he plays too out of control. He went as far to say that Egner may not even be the second best player on the team. That could go to the point guard ???? DuPont, who I guess had 13 assists and hit a couple of 22 foot three pointers. He said DuPont may not be quick enough to be a D1 player, but has a big body and can shoot the ball (sounds to me like a Jami Bosley type).I will admit, I've never seen Egner play, but what's a little disconcerning to me is 1. I trust my buddy's opinion (he has no ties to Can't or Akron and calls everything like he see's it) and 2. He isn't judging off of one performance. He has seen these two play 20-plus times the last couple of years.I still like the thoughts of Egner's athleticism, but let's hope that he can pick up his development. And I think all of us (myself included) should temper our expectations of him next year. He may take a while to develop into a rotational college player, while Henniger sounds like will be ready to contribute next year at Can't.Dave,I see where you are getting at with your U.S. Olympic team comparison, but there is a difference between stars willing to accept a role (like some of the Olympians) and true role players.

A friend of mine has been following the Jackson program for the last four years. I've been asking him about the two players. A lot of what you said is spot on. After last year, he was convinced Egner had the higher upside of the two. However, from talking to him, it sounds like Henniger has improved tremendously. He raves about how smooth Henniger's game is. Henniger has also been carrying the Jackson team (while Egner has provided that nice second option.) He still loves Egner's upside, but seems less convinced that Egner will turn out to be the better college prospect. But that's not to discredit Egner. I think it more has to do with him now believing both will be very productive college players. With all that said. I was critical of the program's lack of athleticsim after the VCU loss. Egner will bring an above the rim game. That's something this program needs. So I wouldn't trade the two if given the chance. I asked my friend if he thougth Egner's above the rim game can translate to the college level (or is he just dunking over, for the most part 6-1 high school kids). He thinks Egner can. He said it is tough to find a comparision, but said he may be a slightly less athletic Rex Chapman. He wasn't trying to compare their overall games, Egner is at least 2 or 3 inches taller, just jumping ability.If we can even come close to getting somebody who can leap like this, we're in great shape http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PwLCwfOu1q4...feature=relatedP.S. Part of the reason Henniger is more polished is because he is a 4-year varsity player. Egner really came out of nowhere his Sophomore year and then starting turning heads last year. P.S.S. I think your premise of building a team around a few athletic superstars and some solid role players is valid. But using the 2008 Olympic team is a horrible example of that. When it's all said and done that team will have 9 Hall of Famers (LeBron, Kobe, Wade, Dwight Howard, Bosh, Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Carmelo and Jason Kidd), two Hall of Very Good players (Boozer, Michael Redd) and one role player (Tayshaun Prince) ... though you can argue Prince belongs in the Hall of Very Good category.The Spanish team, which gave the U.S. all it could handle, is a better example of that. Superstars were Pau Gasol and Ricky Rubio ... with solid role players like Calderon, Marc Gasol, Rudy Fernandez, etc.

Of course they did. They only scored 53 points. Points scored compared to the other team is the most important statistic. Turnovers, steals, blocks and rebounds lead to scoring opportunities, not necessarily points.In big games, you had better be able to score points and put pressure on the other team. Akron put no pressure on VCU to perform all day.That was just plain bad in every way.Bad that the Zips came within 2 rebounds of a team that was supposed to kill them on the boards?Bad that the Zips had fewer turnovers against a pressing defense that was supposed to cause a Zips meltdown?Bad that the Zips had more steals than the team with the "more athletic" players?Bad that the Zips had more blocked shots than the team with the experienced big with the 7-foot-7 wingspan who's projected to be an NBA lottery pick?Bad that the Zips caused the projected NBA lottery pick to foul out?The Zips played like men against men. They lost because they couldn't get the ball through the hoop. It happens to the biggest, baddest, toughest men who play the sport.One thing I do believe is bad are fans who are so focused on pointing fingers at what went wrong that they refuse to acknowledge any good from the team they claim to support.Whatever you are smoking, please send some down to South Carolina.It's OK to say the Zips got their asses kicked today. It happens to everyone and it happened today. Living in a statistical fantasy world does not help.Again, the only stat that matters is point differential. VCU scored more points today than UofA.I'm truly baffled about your continuing misconception that anyone is disputing the final score, or that it represents anything other than the sum of all components of the game. VCU whipped the Zips just as the experts had predicted. Pomeroy predicted that VCU would win, 77-66, and that the Zips only had a 16% chance of winning. I believed Pomeroy and other credible sources who made similar predictions. Apparently others here did not, as there was some trash talking about VCU not being as good as people thought and the Zips being better. Now most of the talk is about how bad the Zips players played and the coaches coached.I'm just reading the cold, hard numbers. If the experts had been told that the Zips would be within 2 rebounds of VCU, and would have outperformed them in the areas of turnovers, steals and blocked shots, the experts might have given the Zips a better shot at winning. But the good performance in those areas was offset by the poor performance in shooting, which did nothing more than bring the final score back to the area where the experts predicted it would be.So I think I had realistic expectations for the Zips before, during and after the game. There's really no mystery here as long as you consider all of the facts. If you want to ignore some of the facts and focus on others, then you will probably end up at a different location.Like you, I had realistic expectations and knew VCU was the favorite. But I didn't automatically believe the Zips were going to lose, despite what the formula Pomeroy uses to come up with his predictions showed. The game of basketball isn't played in a vacuum. This was a poor performance and I think people have every right to be upset and even question the direction of the program. Especially since the head coach wants to say they are building up to be "The Gonzaga of the East."Well if you want to be the Gonzaga of the East, games like today are a measuring stick. Once again, the Zips failed in a big way on the big stage. It's something they have done with regularity the last two years.Maybe my expectations are high, but this is a program that early on in Dambrot's tenure was winning some of those games ... Mississippi, Temple, Florida State, etc. Why has this program progressively gotten worse against these types of teams? I think it has to do with talent.I think every player on this roster can play a role on a tournament team. I also like Zeke's potential (though I think it won't be until his junior year until he's developed enough to be an impact player on both ends). But there is not a go-to guy on this team. It's a team of role players. The fact that nobody on this team is averaging double figures shows that. I would think after four straight 20 win seasons and a couple of postseason appearances, Dambrot could've recruited at least one or two difference makers (again maybe Zeke will be, but he is raw right now).With all that being said, the Zips still have a solid shot at making the tournament. Despite my frustrations, I'm not going to give up on them.

This one is easyWoodTravisConyersMiddletonDialsThe only debate is whether to replace Middleton with somebody else. That doesn't have anything to do with skill, he is easily better than any of the current guards, but he flourished providing a spark off the bench. But under your scenario, there isn't anybody better suited to replace him. Maybe you can go big with Wood, Travis, McKnight, Conyers, Dials. But I think McKnight is a horrible fit at SF (he would just bog down the paint) and Conyers doesn't shoot the ball well enough to be a SG.

Only the biggest Akron homer in the world can say that they really didn't see a difference between the two teams. Conyers has been the Zips most consistent player all year. He would be the first or second guy off the VCU bench. No question this program is better than what it was under Hipsher, but it's begining to be obvious that it is growing stagnant. Yes, they'll continue to win 20 games as long as the MAC stays down because they will load up on cupcakes in the non-conference and scrap their way to 10 MAC wins. But is that what fans want to settle with?I think one of the reasons attendence has been as bad as it has this year is because of how boring this team is to watch. It's a bunch of guys with decent skills, who try hard and scrap. But the lack of athleticism for a 20-win D1 team is glaring. It makes for some painful basketball to watch.Is there anybody on this team that can play above the rim? No (dunking on a fast break doesn't count). Is there anybody who can create offense for themselves off the dribble? Conyers and Brett McKnight (though with McKnight is usually ends up in a bad shot). Humpty has the athleticism to make plays off the dribble but his decision making and shot selection is something to be desired. Is there anybody who can consistently score in the post? I haven't seen it. C. McKnight and Cvetenovic have had their moments, but neither are going to be confused with Romeo Travis or Jeremiah Wood. Both those guys also spend too much time on the perimeter. I know some of it is by design, but it pains me everytime one of them gets the ball 18 feet from the basket and put there head down and bull into the paint, usually resulting in a charge or a wild layup (though it seems like those wild layups have been semi-successful because they've led to some offensive rebounds and second-chance points. Still, not exactly how you want to draw up a play.) Zeke is a long way away from being an offensive threat.Is there anybody who will give 100 percent and scrap on defense. Yes. Basically the entire team. Unfortanutely grit and hustle will only get you so far on a basketball court.

Not a bad idea, but both Ohio and that other school off I-76 have tried this and did not draw well. On the other hand, it's possible to get an away-and-neutral with a better team than you'd get a home-and-home with.Only one team would draw well at the Q against a MAC team, and that's Ohio State. No other team brings the interest they do. Pitt would be second, but they would have to being their own fans from Pittsburgh while OSU draws the locals.I think Michigan, Michigan State, West Virginia, Pittsburgh, Syracuse are just a few schools within 5 hours that would draw well both from the locals and some of their fans. And, really, if the game is at the Q who cares if it is, say, 50% Akron fans and 50% Pittsburgh fans. It would still NOT BE A ROAD GAME IN THEIR PLACE.The problem is the TIMING of the game. WVU came to CSU in mid-Dec..college basketball just hasn't heated up at that time. They had 5,500 there but many were WVU fans. And, no doubt, the success of the Cavaliers makes it more difficult for college basketball to draw.If the timing was right and build up (advertisement in print, radio and TV) was right..I think 9,000-10,000 fans at the Q is possible for an Akron vs. Pitt game.In an ideal world, we would schedule a double header with CSU or that team from 8 miles away also playing a big-time team. Schedule it on a night when hopefully the Cavs don't play at all (obviously, road game) and the Browns are not in town. Make it THE event of the weekend. CSU vs. Michigan 6PMAkron vs. Pitt 8:30 PMHarken back to the days of the Rock-n-Roll shootout (yes, it had some good years!!).The Rock-n-Roll Shootout indeed had some good years and some great basketball games, but I don't think the card you proposed is economically feasible with two "high-majors". They are going to want a lot of guaranteed money to forfeit a home game to come to Cleveland. Akron would be better off trying to go at it alone with Pitt at the Q. There wouldn't be more than 5,000 CSU and Michigan fans combined.Akron-Pitt could draw well. I could see as much as 10-12,000. If the two schools combine to bring 7-8,000, I could see 3-4,000 non-affliated fans coming out due to Pitt being a top 15 program and having Cameron Wright (a Benedictine kid) coming in next year. But Pitt would be no better than my fifth choice.In order, this is who I would like to see Akron play:1. Kentucky - Kentucky fans would bring 10,000 to Cleveland to watch an intra-squad scrimmage. It's a marquee name and, though Kentucky doesn't have any players from NEO, non-affiliated fans would show up to get a chance to see Coach Cal and Co. in Cleveland. That game could sell out (10,000 Kentucky fans, 3-4,000 Akron fans, 6-7,000 just to see the Calapari sideshow).2. Michigan State - Spartan fans travel well, it's a bigger name program to people in NEO than Pitt and you could generate a lot of local interest with Delvon Roe (St. Edward). I could see between 15-18,000 for that.3. Ohio State - Ohio State basketball is an afterthought to football, but with the recruiting class they have coming in, there seems to be a buzz. I can see a big draw to watch Jared Sullinger and DeShaun Thomas. Of course, those guys could both be one-and-done, so if that game isn't next year, then it would draw no better than Pitt.4. North Carolina - North Carolina fans won't travel like Kentucky fans, but it's a program that people in NEO would show up to see. Didn't about 15,000 show up when Carolina came to the Q a couple of years ago to play CSU? I know Carolina had Jawad Williams (St. Edward), but I still think you could see a similiar crowd without that local connection.After that Pitt and Louisville (who has a local kid Zack Price coming in) would be my next choices. There is some high-major talent coming up in the Cleveland area (Benedictine, St. Edward and Garfield Heights all have stud freshmen) so I could see those schools interested in heading up here as a another way to sell their product. It's also a way for the Zips to sell their product to fans in Northeast Ohio. It's obvious by attendance this year (that's on top of landing Zeke and coming off an NCAA appearance) that the Rhode Islands of the world aren't cutting it.But Cleveland State will probably be the school that brings in one of those teams, and Akron will keep bringing in a couple of mid-majors that, while they are nice programs, the average fan has no incentive to come to the JAR to watch.To bring this back on topic. In order to justify a new arena, it's important that the Zips continue to win. But winning isn't enough. The school has to sway the Northeast Ohio basketball fans (who aren't Can't State or CSU students or alums) on their side. The best way to do that is to play (and hopefully upset) big-time schools. The easiest way to do that is to get them on a neutral court in your backyard. The Q offers the venue. Cleveland is an area schools would be willing to come for recruiting purposes.Even losing a game like is more productive for a program than beating up on a tomato can like South Carolina Upstate at home. If nothing else, you sell to your own recruits that if you come to Akron, you are going to get a chance to play a Kentucky, Pitt, Louisville, MSU, etc. at LeBron's house.

I think it's quite a long shot for that to happen. But, lets hope. It would be one of our rare opportunities to play a ranked team at home. But, after narrowly slipping by Drexel the other night, and having to pass about 20 other teams when the next poll comes out, it seems like a pretty remote possibility to me, even if they beat a quality opponent in Ok. State. Nonetheless, beating a Top-50 team from a great basketball conference would be a great accomplishment for our program. I am looking forward to the game.I agree it may be a longshot for Rhode Island to be ranked in the top 25, but they could jump into the top 30 with a win over Okie State. The Atlantic 10 is currently the 4th rated conference by RPI (ahead of the Big Ten, SEC and Pac 10) and Rhode Island is No. 14 in RPI. Oklahoma State, while they haven't played a great schedule, is 11-1. I could see Rhode Island picking up 50 or so votes with a win.

First time poster. ... Not sure if this belongs on this board or the recruiting board, but I was interested in hearing thoughts on what coach Ianello's recruiting philosophy should be to build the program.Here is my take:1. Take a page out of the Minter/Dantonio/Kelly book in Cincinnati and sell the program to kids in the Cleveland/Akron/Canton area and start developing pipelines at some of the marquee programs. Cincy has been getting a lot of players from Colerain, St. Xavier, Elder, etc. Hopefully, coach Ianello can do the same thing here and hit schools like Massillon, McKinley, St. Vincent-St. Mary, Hoban, Walsh, St. Edward, Glenville (though I know it didn't work out the first time with Cloud and Fuqua) and even St. Ignatius (though their MAC level players gravitate toward Miami or even Ivy League schools). Those are schools that year-in and year-out produce Division I talent. I believe Akron can even target some marginal kids from those schools in hopes that it leads to a relationship down the line and higher rated prospects.2. Recruit "programs" in other areas of Ohio and Western Pa. By "programs" I mean schools like Steubenville, Cardinal Mooney, Ursuline, Dublin Coffman, Hilliard Davidson, Brookhaven, Trotwood-Madison, Gateway (Pa.), Penn Hills (Pa.). ... schools that have winning traditions and produce a lot of talent year-in and out.3. Recruit Texas. This will take some effort and I'm not sure what ties Ianello has down there (but coming from ND I'm sure he has some). MAC schools have had success recruiting leftovers out of Florida for years. Hell, everybody is trying to recruit Florida so there is a lot of competition for those kids. I would try to go a different route and put OOS resources into the Lonestar State. IMO, Texas is on its way to passing Florida as the No. 1 state for high school football talent. The year-round training and facilities available for those kids has been paying dividends. Like Florida kids for the past 20 years, Texas kids are going to have to start leaving the region. I think it could be a goldmine if Akron can get in there before other Northern teams.4. Target other local schools. This could be tricky because coaches will be pushing Akron to offer some FCS and D2 kids. But Akron can't ignore schools like Wadsworth, Copley, Tallmadge, Twinsburg, Hoover, etc. While not enough to build a pipeline, IMO, there is still enough talent at some of these schools to pick a kid or two a year.5. Look for the small-school diamonds. Brian Wagner is the perfect example of this. I wouldn't avoid the small schools becaue you will find some good players. But I can't justify putting a lot of resources into going to those places. Even though Wagner looks like he is going to be a star, it could be 20 years before Springfield Central Catholic produces another D1 player.6. Avoid JUCO players. I'm not a fan of the quick fix of JUCO kids. For every Deryn Bowser there are 3-4 JUCOs who don't pan out or make minimal impact and you only get those guys for 2 years. Maybe 4-5 years down the line and the program is in a position to win a championship and a JUCO kid may be the missing piece, I would go that route, but not now when the foundation is not in place.7. Instead of going the JUCO route, take one chance a year on a highly touted recruit that may have some baggage or grade issues. If it works out, you have the kid for four years. If not, it's only one scholarship. JD took too many chances on recruits like that and got burned by it.Maybe it's my blue and gold-shaded glasses, but firmly believe that with the sorry state of the MAC, the talent that is in NE Ohio and with the facilities in place, Akron can do in Northern Ohio what Cincinnati (even the CUSA version consistently made bowls) has done in Southern Ohio. The biggest thing now is to get the talent in place.