johnnyzip84

There's no question the freshmen have been called on to deliver far more than anticipated. And kudos to the board members who accurately predicted that these 4 were very capable. We'd be in a world of hurt without them. At this point, only Melo has somewhat failed to live up to the expectations (still think a RS year NEXT season might be beneficial). After this season, the obvious question related to this analysis is whether Tree and/or Harney get a 4th year of eligibility. If not, the data presented here effectively shifts dramatically from a slim majority (53%) of underclassmen minutes to a substantial majority (67%) of upperclassmen minutes.

I agree 100%, which is why I complained (some might call it whined ) when the MAC stuck it to the Zips with the 2013 schedule. But after I looked into this class and considered the little I saw of KP16 at the helm last year, I feel good about this team winning a minimum of 3 or 4 games, in spite of the challenging schedule. The only caveat is we can't afford to have too many of these guys wash out due to grades, etc.

Is anyone else disappointed that CNN.com is now using Bleacher Report for their sports link instead of Sports Illustrated?

There has been a fair amount of discussion in the football recruiting forum, but it might not be a bad idea to collect the various thoughts on individual players here. CJ Mizell is the key to this class for me. If he can graduate from his CC in Florida this summer, he should be eligible to play here in the fall. He should be a dominant linebacker in the MAC if he gets that opportunity. I like it that TB hit the major needs (line depth on both sides) with this class. If they all see the field, the Zips ought to be better in 2013. We'll just have to see how many wins that may translate into. The seondary remains my biggest concern.

I thought you were going to say "I'm not a REAL doctor", but.....

For those of you hoping for UA to join a hoops oriented league, apparently it's already happened right before our eyes: SOURCE

Another way of looking at tonight's game is that it was a step, albeit a small one, in the right direction following the CMU and Miami contests. Harney had his first productive outputs in a few games. I think Alex can clean up the turnovers, some of which EMU's size and style were at least partially responsible for. I've been concerned about this game for some time, so I'm glad it's over and the Zips are done with the West. You really have to wonder if the streak itself is starting to weigh on the players a little. They'd have to be robots for that not to be the case to some degree.

KD was pretty open this week about Chauncey once again dealing with injuries, which seem to have gotten worse as evidenced by his floor movement in past games. Maybe they decided to rest him a while, which I think is the way to go. Maybe he'll be able to bounce back come tourney time when they most need him?

It's a good thing I only look at the line for "amusement". It may have been ugly, but it's the worst loss EMU has suffered at home this year. Don't get me wrong, there is PLENTY to work on, but I'd rather learn lessons this way than with painful losses. Go Zips!!! Let's get after the Falcons on Saturday before a FULL HOUSE in the JAMMED JAR!

Cover! Cover! Cover!

Also, it's widely accepted that Xavier will be joining the "Catholic 7" very soon (Dayton is also a possibility).

I'm not sure if this has been posted yet, but HERE is a Columbus Dispatch story on Traylor-Bennett. Some nice quotes are listed below: And here is my favorite:

NewZipsFan?

I am not of the opinion that Melo and Deji shouldn't play. In fact, until a better backup PG solution is uncovered, Melo pretty much has to put in a few mnutes here and there (although I still think Walsh and McAdams both merit some consideration in a pinch). And I haven't given up on Deji as a player, but I have as a PG. And it's got as much to do with his decision making than anything else. If Deji is going to develop into a GOOD player, his position will probably have to be on the wing. I realize he was somewhat of a raw talent with limited hoop experience before coming to UA. But I'm really puzzled that someone hasn't taught him how to shoot a jumpshot by now. Usually when a player prefers a set shot over a jumpshot, it's because they lack the necessary upper body strength to consistently deliver an accurate shot at the top of their leap. Deji looks to be plenty strong in his upper body, so I have to believe the ability is there. Now I don't expect this to happen in the middle of the season, but there is NO reason for him to settle for shooting a set shot next season provided he works all summer on this. Dru Joyce got away with the set shot because he was a very good distributor and he was very accurate from well beyond the arc. If Deji can develop a jumper, he will also be able to use it in a pull up situation from 10-12 feet, a shot he should be able to get often because of the defense having to respect his speed. I know someone will say that he's simply more accurate using a set shot now. That may be, but we are talking about player DEVELOPMENT and I don't believe the coaches or Deji should settle for him shooting this way long term. As far as Harney's set shot, I'm not sure he has the upper body strength I see in Deji. This may inhibit getting Nick to alter his shooting style (not that I want him takiing a lot of threes anyway). Lastly, since you guys won't (understandably) allow me to give Tree to Coach Bowden for a tryout, how about allowing TB to give Deji a look at cornerback or free safety? With his speed, length, strength, and leaping ability I would think he would make a great, physical cover guy. OK, this is just a random thought, so please don't take this last item too seriously

The Harney-Treadwell-Marshall inside passing game just wasn't clicking today. It's been the SECOND pass that has been effective with those three, so I hope they work on that ASAP. I agree with the criticism of Alex's 1st half defense, but he did a better job staying in front of his man in the 2nd half. That points to effort, so I hope he can ramp it up some. He won't have many games like this where his shot simply won't fall, so I'm not too concerned about his offense. Of course, it doesn't help that he's still called on to play mega minutes every game. EMU still scares me, both from a style standpoint and their roster. Having all those transfers early on no doubt caused some cohesion issues for Rob Murphy, but now that the season is far enough along they very well may be coming together some. I don't think the Zips need to play GREAT on Wednesday, but they will have to play a GOOD game. Today's effort and execution won't cut it. ps. was it common knowledge around here that Nick Harney's uncle is Ron Harper? If so, I'm not sure how I missed that.

Not a good lineup decision once we got it back to 4 down, IMHO. Need more McAdams, less Melo and Deji.

On the other hand, JZ84, if this team is 1/2 as good as people have been saying (inlcuding themselves), they should be able to roar back and win this one going away.

I know we've seen this script before, but something tells me we've bitten off more than we can chew today. If you play with fire long enough......well you know the rest.

I always thought Toledo would be the most likely, but I am glad the core members seem to be as committed as they are in this climate. Interestingly, as the Big East looks to finalize their split in 2014, two of the schools mentioned as possible additions to the football-based conference are Tulsa and UMass. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. The MAC should force UMass' hands on this and make them either join the MAC for all sports or leave pronto.

In 2013? That's terrific news, if that's the case. It means the Zips are going bowling this year!

It looks like the line is Zips -10. It's not that I'm not concerned about playing in Oxford, I just don't think Miami matches up too well with us. They're very small, especially in the starting lineup (although they've somehow managed to outrebound their last 3 foes). If Sullivan and crew get hot again from deep (like he did in the 1st half of last year's game at the JAR), the Sweaters have a puncher's chance. Of course, our various zone defenses should stifle that before it gets too far out of control. Of the road games MDZip mentioned (besides the obvious one in Athens), I'm mostly concerned with EMU. They have shown size and athleticism all season long, but their shooting skills have been horrific up until recently. The team that smoked U@B the other night on STO looked much more dangerous than the early season Hur-eagles. Riley has enough size to potentially bother our bigs, Bryant is a nice all-around talent, Harper and Sims are starting to provide some outside shooting and they're pretty deep as well. I think UA will be favored, but it'll take a GOOD game from the Zips to prevail in Ypsilanti IMHO. Let's go Zips!! Take care of business tomorrow and we'll see what happens the rest of the way.

I think you're right about that. TB mentioned that several area players (and he made the distinction that this does not even count possible players from Stark county) would be joining the program as preferred walk-ons over the next few weeks. I think (my guess only) WR Fransohn Bickley from St V could very well be one of these guys. Overall, I am pretty happy with this class. I think it fills a lot of needs on both lines and linebacker, and has several athletes who should help with the high-octane attack and provide a major upgrade to the return game. Throw in a QB for the future and this class hits all the right spots for me. Now we'll see how they all pan out.

Hacked into again!

1) We can't afford for Tree to get many technicals. Hopefully, this won't happen again. 2) That grad student (#12) balled against anyone who guarded him. 3) The "old" Zips would very likely have lost a game like this. 4) Even though it was a bit of a letdown in terms of national reputation, Nick Harney and Alex Abreu helped to mitigate the damage by making the ESPN top 10 plays

In the interest of providing a welcome environment for our future foes, let's make sure to call them by their correct sports nickname. It's the Bison.. After all, the ESPNU dude just called us the Zags (although, that's not all bad if you think about it ) Anyway, welcome to ZnO, Bison fans The Zips are tall, deep, and seem to be hitting their stride of late. UA rotates 10 or 11 players although the starting 5, Treadwell, Abreu, Harney, and Marshall in particular, have been getting more minutes in recent games. Harney is a gifted athlete who has been improving his defense and rebounding of late. Demetrius "Tree" Treadwell has an NBA body, rebounds with a fury, and has developed a nice touch from 10-15 feet. Always a gamechanger on defense, Zeke has blossomed into a force on both ends this year. In my opinion, the most important player in PG Alex Abreu. He's smart, tough, competetive and sneaky quick. He also hit big shots. The 2 guard spot has a lot of depth and often the hot player (Walsh, McAdams, Gilliam) is contributing there. We also have a high quality backup center in 6'11" Pat Forythe, a transfer from WVU. Looking forward to the matchup with a quality foe!