johnnyzip84

I definitely agree with the bold print. But between Quincy, Walsh, and Chauncey, who would you like to see coming off the bench?

Here are some thoughts and wishes I have for the players and coaches as they head into the off-season. I’ll start with the 2 senior scholarship players. • Nikola – I hope you’ve enjoyed your 4 years at UA as much as I have. You’ve always played with such passion, and at times that has gotten the best of you. That never bothered me too much, because I can relate to someone who flies off the handle every now and then. It just means that you care very much about the game. Best of luck back home in Serbia as you and your bride-to-be start off your shared life together. I’ll always remember your patented baseline spin move, once seemingly taken away by MAC officials. Your last one against Northwestern was a thing of beauty with a sweet slam to boot! You are clearly one of a kind, Nik. Don’t forget to visit every now and then. • Brett – This had to have been an unbelievably difficult year for you, and I wished things had gone much differently for you as a player. But I know you’ll face other difficult patches in life and I hope you continue to work hard through them as well. I choose to remember the brighter moments in your UA career, such as the big shots throughout the 2011-2011 season. I hope you get your wish to continue with the team in some capacity. • Coach Dambrot – Thanks for your willingness to incorporate a different style of player into the program. I realize this has made your job more difficult, but we’ve all seen the potential and hopefully it will all pay off in the long run. I hope you consider more 2-3 zone in your plans for next season. The typical weakness of the 2-3, rebounding, should be partially offset by having Tree in there for more minutes and having Zeke nearer to the basket. This can be the foundation of a fast-break offense to take full advantage of guys like Chauncey, Quincy, Harney, Walsh, and Egner. I also hope you think about playing some full-court defense as well, considering the numbers that are on Akron’s side. • Tree – Thanks for all of the scintillating highlights this year! Your leadership in the locker room is greatly appreciated as well. If you continue to work on FTs, ball handling, and defensive positioning, the sky is the limit for you. • Harney – Who can forget the 1st demolition of K.E.N.T.? You have talents that are unique in this program. I think you realized as the season progressed that good teams will try to take away your strengths. If you can work on recognizing the double (and triple) teams more, this will allow other Zips to score easy baskets and consequently you’ll be seeing less and less double teams. • Zeke – I can’t tell you how pleased I am with the improvement I’ve seen at the charity stripe. As far as I’m concerned, you’ve turned a weakness into a strength, through dedication and hard work. I have no doubt that if you put the same focus on rebounding, you’ll see similar growth. Keep up the good work and I can’t wait to see you back on the court in November. • Alex – You’ve made huge strides this year in your ability to run this team. Your leadership is greatly appreciated. Like I’ve said a number of times, I’ll take my chances with you taking the big shot in a key game. You’ll make more than your share. I look forward to seeing you mentor Mr. Betancourt when he arrives from your homeland next year. Great job in 2011-2012! • Walsh – I had a few friends from Coraopolis when I was in high school, so I laugh every time an announcer screws up the pronunciation. I know you’ll have a hard time forgetting a few misses this year, but I choose to remember the high percentage of makes and your dedication to the finer points of the game. You’re the type of player who makes a team better, and I believe you’ll be key in the next two years and the Zips look to break through. • Chauncey – You’re not the only one who was disappointed in your playing time this year, as I’ve seen enough to believe you could have been a greater factor with increased minutes. I really enjoyed the acrobatics and solid shooting from outside. I believe you’ll get more opportunities in 2012-2013 and I look forward to seeing your production skyrocket. • Quincy – Thanks again for your willingness to come off the bench when it’s obvious you’d be a 1st or 2nd option as a starter for most MAC teams. Your play against Northwestern was terrific, and I hope this serves as a springboard for consistently high levels of performance heading into next season. I see no reason why you can’t claim the MAC 6th man of the year once again, if this is the role you’re assigned. • Egner – Keep working, because I believe the red-shirt year will pay off for you in the long run. If the Zips can raise the tempo of the offense a little, I believe we’ll finally get to enjoy you’re high-flying talents at the JAR. Go Zips!!!!

Let's not forget that AA was playing with 4 fouls, and the propect of losing him to his 5th in OT may have also played into the decision to go for the win. Good luck against their traps without him!

Abrieu got a clean look and missed. He's hit PLENTY of those over the last few weeks. On the road, I think you go for the jugular. It just didn't fall.

Great effort guys. I don't think the better team won tonight. As long as the odds are stacked against us, we'll be forced to be 15-20% better than the other team to overcome the tilted hoops landscape.

Yes, go for the 3 now!

Come on Tree!

Deja vu

Defense is much better! Must be on-the-job training Edit: they're figuring it out that it's all about OFF-THE-BALL defense and communication, especially against a team like this.

Standing around on long rebounds and fighting your own team for others. That's got to stop.

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Awe gee, I sure hope Ward wasn't being too hard on the Beaver.

You should have temporarily changed your screen name to "Zips Win I Lose!" during the Ianello era

I’ve never had an usher tell me to sit down during a key moment in the game. That’s just ridiculous. I’ve also never had an usher tell me to lower my volume. BUT I have sat next to numerous people over the years that have made it clear by their body language that they don’t appreciate my rather loud rooting for the Zips. I used to unconsciously allow them to affect my cheers, but lately I’ve just ignored them.

Well done! :rofl: I'd like to audition for "Gus, the Fireman" He has a SWEET gig

I came to the same conclusion when looking through Massillon Cable's guide, but I decided to go ahead and see for myself. Sure enough, Massillon Cable had the Indians on well past 6:00 pm. I guess I'm just screwed for this (final for 2012?) show

I expected 3-4 points, so I guess I shouldn't be too bothered by a couple more. I think I still have a little of the MAC championship game blues. Let's hope the team doesn't.

Wildcats are 6.5 point favorites. For some reason, this really pisses me off. I hope the team feels the same way and takes it right to them. I honestly think this game is all about how much the Zips want to continue to play this season. We'll find out soon enough.

My disdain for anything OU is at an all-time high. But I think it's fair to assume that, based on solid play by MAC-East members throughout the season, the winner of the OU-UA championship game was destined to be a cinderella for quite a few prognosticators. It just so happens that the bad guys won this time around, in about as close a game as you can expect to see.

Here is his FSU bio. Welcome aboard, Brian!!!

That may be true, but I'll take Carmelo Betancourt ANY DAY over him.

Nice find! Thanks for posting.

If we can get past the Wildcats and win a few more, it seems likely we'll eventually have a rematch with somebody. I mean, this could easily be the Zip OOC tournament! Miss St, ORU, Cleve St, Middle Tenn, Marshall, Valpo....just another testament to the strength of this year's schedule. Go Zips!!!!

I'll bet some K.E.N.T. fans have a similar appreciation for Treadwell. After all, aren't there quite a few tree-huggers over there in Portage County?

Well said. It also seems to me that Tree and Harney are extra motivated to play in Cleveland. I'll go Zips 79 Bobcats 72