Dave in Green Posted February 7, 2009 Report Share Posted February 7, 2009 Tom Gaffney has a nice article on Nikola ''Nick'' Cvetinovic online:http://www.ohio.com/sports/zips/39261667.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zip37 Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Thanks, Dave. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Hip Zip Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Great read, thanks Dave.I like Nick a lot, he's one of those kids that should grow leaps and bounds from his freshman to soph seasons. With the addition of Zeke our low post game and rebounding should be outstanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zen Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 ''I tried to break him. That's why I quit playing him. Before I can get him to play the right way, I had to have him hit rock bottom.'' Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Z Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 That's the kind of article I want to read in the BJ, thanks Tom, I learned something. I hope Nik figures it out, I think he presents a good mismatch in the MAC. That should improve even more next season with Z getting minutes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Valpo Zip Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 ''I tried to break him. That's why I quit playing him. Before I can get him to play the right way, I had to have him hit rock bottom.''Am i the only one who finds this statement disturbing? does KD want his future recruits to read that he tried to break a player? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZipAlumn Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 ''I tried to break him. That's why I quit playing him. Before I can get him to play the right way, I had to have him hit rock bottom.''Am i the only one who finds this statement disturbing? does KD want his future recruits to read that he tried to break a player?I thought that quote was strange too. I am not sure how I would take it if a coach said that about me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted February 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 I interpreted that to mean coaches have to break players' bad habits. One of the worst habits is when a player doesn't listen to the coach, learn and grow. A player can hobble along with bad habits, doing a half-good job, and be satisfied thinking he's doing all he can. Hitting rock bottom can finally get the message across that the player can't do it all by himself. He needs to listen to the coaching staff and let them help build him into a better player. I thought the article was pretty clear that Cvetinovich now understands this and really appreciates the process he went through with KD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyzip84 Posted February 8, 2009 Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 A coach's job is to "break" players of habits that will ultimately be a detriment to the team. Nik's play today was FULL of enthusiasm, yet in a controlled, measured manner. I have to believe that KD has to be pretty pleased with the growth (so far) of this kid. Also, isn't it awesome to see a kid NOT become distracted by a media piece like Gaffney's story, but even take his game to another level right after it's written? This kid is a true find. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted February 8, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 8, 2009 Late in the second half, Cvetinovic was whistled for his 4th foul on minor contact that was somewhat questionable. It was the kind of play that would have caused an explosion of emotion earlier in the year. This time he walked away from the play looking downcourt at the bench, and made a "calm down" motion with his arms while nodding his head up and down. I took this to be a sign to KD that he was calm, in control and wanted to stay in the game. KD let him play on with 4 fouls. It was a clear sign of how much he has grown in a short couple of months, and there's no doubt more to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blue & Gold Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Late in the second half, Cvetinovic was whistled for his 4th foul on minor contact that was somewhat questionable. It was the kind of play that would have caused an explosion of emotion earlier in the year. This time he walked away from the play looking downcourt at the bench, and made a "calm down" motion with his arms while nodding his head up and down. I took this to be a sign to KD that he was calm, in control and wanted to stay in the game. KD let him play on with 4 fouls. It was a clear sign of how much he has grown in a short couple of months, and there's no doubt more to come.True. He's now more emotionally mature and stable than 90% of NBA players! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnnyzip84 Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Late in the second half, Cvetinovic was whistled for his 4th foul on minor contact that was somewhat questionable. It was the kind of play that would have caused an explosion of emotion earlier in the year. This time he walked away from the play looking downcourt at the bench, and made a "calm down" motion with his arms while nodding his head up and down. I took this to be a sign to KD that he was calm, in control and wanted to stay in the game. KD let him play on with 4 fouls. It was a clear sign of how much he has grown in a short couple of months, and there's no doubt more to come.True. He's now more emotionally mature and stable than 90% of NBA players!It's hard to argue against that, B&G!I also think that if Nik can continue to keep his emotions in check with regards to the officials, he will start getting more calls going his way. The blocking call just outside the foul-line in the 2nd half (might have been his 3rd or 4th foul) was pretty close to being a charge. He might get that call as a JR or SR, especially if he has managed to stay out of the "referee doghouse". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quickzips Posted February 9, 2009 Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 Is it too early to call this recruiting class a success? I mean right now it looks like we have the makings of at least three solid contributors out of this class and we haven't even gotten a chance to see what Parrish and Sullivan can do yet. You've got Nik out there showing that he is going to be a real tough PF in this league. Then there is Humpty with his ability to break down defenses, hassle opposing PG's and score from anywhere on the floor, now you've got McClanahan who is finally rounding into game form and looks to have a really nice shot. With this group of guys, plus some of our young guys like Brett McKnight, McNees, Roberts, Sweich and Zeke added on top of this whole thing. The MAC better watch out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted February 9, 2009 Author Report Share Posted February 9, 2009 It looks to me as if the Zips are set to have a strong 10-man rotation for the next several years. Think about next season. We lose Linhart but gain Zeke, who you have to believe will immediately be in the rotation. Now, assuming that Conyers gets his extra year, a healthy Steward returns and Parrish and Sullivan are available, there are three more players fighting for spots in an already full 10-player rotation. The potential is there for some quality players to get little or no playing time. Obviously, that's a situation that coaches and fans may like. But it will be hard on players who might have been starters for the Zips a few years ago to end up nailed to the bench.Looking further into the future, the growing success of Akron's basketball program could lead to commitments from even more talented recruits. Winners attract winners. Sure, it's dreaming right now. But the important thing to remember is that this is a dream that could be realized based on the groundwork that has already been laid in place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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