In The Paint - Akron recruit Zeke Marshall

[MACReport]

Ray Mernagh's "In The Paint" column at MAC Report Online talks about Akron's 7-foot blue chip recruit Zeke Marshall. Looks like the Zips are getting a solid player, assuming Dambrot uses Marshall better than Marshall's HS coach!Check out Ray's piece at: http://macreportonline.com/index.php/20090...e-Marshall.html

[Zip Watcher]

Great article Ray .. thanks for posting it. Good to have an objective perspective on things about Zeke.

[Dr Z]

I would love to have the coaches rebuttal to your article Ray, any chance?

[ZachTheZip]

When Zeke is on the court at Akron, he will need to want the ball. He has to demand it. I'm sure KD and Boals will work with him on that.

[dboze]

When Zeke is on the court at Akron, he will need to want the ball. He has to demand it. I'm sure KD and Boals will work with him on that.

I agree but I've seen McKeesport play. When you have guards that go 1-on-1 and jack up 3's, you can demand the ball all day long and still not get it. That's been the issue with the team all year long. Most people say 'he needs to demand the ball'. But when the guards don't even look inside and the coaches don't demand the team to utilize their post players, its useless.

[Dave in Green]

I would be shocked if this is a problem for the Zips next season. Any player who doesn't understand that running the ball through Zeke is the key to winning will have a hard time staying in the regular rotation.

[Blue & Gold]

Gamechanger has said similar things a couple of times on ZN. So Ray is probably spot-on in his observations. Thanks for the article, Ray!

[RACER]

zeke will give us an inside game next year.most big men in the mac are not very good.he wil fill a big need for the zips.we have nobody who can score on the low block consistently.chris mc night does some scoring on the low block,but at 6-6i don't think he can do it consistently.when we needed points at the end of the bg,valpo game we had nobody that could stop thier big man.

[Dave in Green]

Gamechanger has said similar things a couple of times on ZN. So Ray is probably spot-on in his observations. Thanks for the article, Ray!

..... As a team, however, they need to work on "gelling" together AND they need to GIVE ZEKE THE FREAKIN BALL!!! which is another issue that has plagued him since 10th grade. For whatever reason, the PG's hate to give Zeke the ball on the inside and by the time they do he as, at least, 3 defenders surrounding him and there is almost nothing he can do....

[ziptrumpet87]

The only thing that concerns me is his weight. Polk is 285, Parks is 270, Mavunga is 255, van Kempen is 265... he's going to have a hard time boxing out guys that considerably outweigh him.

[FromdaBurgh]

The only thing that concerns me is his weight. Polk is 285, Parks is 270, Mavunga is 255, van Kempen is 265... he's going to have a hard time boxing out guys that considerably outweigh him.

I agree to a certain extent...I know that the coaching staff really don't want to put "to much" more weight on Zeke because of his quickness. He is currently at 225..perhaps another 15-20 pounds on him will make a huge difference in his ability to box out those guys..but my question for u "trumpet" is how "quick" are those big guys? That is going to make all of the difference. Zeke runs up and down the court very quickly (which will work to his advantage) and can probably beat them in transition.

[ziptrumpet87]

The only thing that concerns me is his weight. Polk is 285, Parks is 270, Mavunga is 255, van Kempen is 265... he's going to have a hard time boxing out guys that considerably outweigh him.

I agree to a certain extent...I know that the coaching staff really don't want to put "too much" more weight on Zeke because of his quickness. He is currently at 225..perhaps another 15-20 pounds on him will make a huge difference in his ability to box out those guys..but my question for u "trumpet" is how "quick" are those big guys? That is going to make all of the difference. Zeke runs up and down the court very quickly (which will work to his advantage) and can probably beat them in transition.

When BG ran the 2-3 zone, Polk was basically parked in the lane the whole time giving him the advantage to get the defensive rebound. I agree that quickness can be an asset (Cetinovic seemed to able to score because of his quickness against him). I was hoping they would get the tempo up to negate Polk's size (and possibly stamina).

[Dave in Green]

It's important not to base a weight goal on the weight of others, but on the optimum weight defined by one's own genes -- skeletal structure, joints, musculature, etc. Additional weight that might help one hold position against a heavier opponent can have negative side effects on someone not built to carry that extra weight. The most important thing is Zeke's health. This is something that should only be determined by qualified medical professionals. Heavier players will play to their advantage, and Zeke will play to his advantage. Anyone can put on weight. Height and quickness are exclusive to precious few.

[RootforRoo44]

I dont see nor do i expect Zeke to come in and be a scoring threat his freshman season. He will excel far more on the defensive end and in the rebounding game. That coupled with him averaging around 6-7 ppg will give us an unbelievable boost.

[Blue & Gold]

I dont see nor do i expect Zeke to come in and be a scoring threat his freshman season. He will excel far more on the defensive end and in the rebounding game. That coupled with him averaging around 6-7 ppg will give us an unbelievable boost.

I agree. I think we may be expecting a bit too much from a true-freshman Zeke. He'll be good, no doubt, but still developing. Which is completely natural; we have to be patient. He may not hit his stride right away. None-the-less I expect he'll fit right in and be a contributor next season (though, honestly, I had the same high expectations for Steven Sweich).

[dboze]

I dont see nor do i expect Zeke to come in and be a scoring threat his freshman season. He will excel far more on the defensive end and in the rebounding game. That coupled with him averaging around 6-7 ppg will give us an unbelievable boost.

I agree. I think we may be expecting a bit too much from a true-freshman Zeke. He'll be good, no doubt, but still developing. Which is completely natural; we have to be patient. He may not hit his stride right away. None-the-less I expect he'll fit right in and be a contributor next season (though, honestly, I had the same high expectations for Steven Sweich).

I do agree that we cannot expect too much from a true freshman. After watching Zeke play a few times in AAU and during the season, he is a better scorer than most people think. I believe that the Coaching staff will work on this part of his game prior to the season. If he can give us 5 - 7 points a game with those 6 - 7 rebounds per game as a Freshman. I would be excited.

[Hilltopper]

[i agree. I think we may be expecting a bit too much from a true-freshman Zeke. He'll be good, no doubt, but still developing. Which is completely natural; we have to be patient. He may not hit his stride right away. None-the-less I expect he'll fit right in and be a contributor next season (though, honestly, I had the same high expectations for Steven Sweich).

I would hope that Zeke can come in and compete at a higher level than Sweich. My guess is that Sweich's competetion was a bunch of rural programs. Sweich didn't play on a high level AAU team or the WPIAL. He didn't attend the King James Classic and compete against the other high ranked highschoolers. Will he average a double-double, no, but he should be able to see the floor.

[ZippyRulz]

No way should a 7-footer average less than a bucket per "quarter", freshman or not. Surely to goodness KD can coach better than that. I will be very disappointed if Z only averages 5 ppg regardless of his other stats.

[WinZip]

Zeke has said it himself that he really doesn't care about scoring tons of points, he would much rather be making blocks. While I understand that he is regarded for his defensive ability, I hope here at Akron he can develop a thirst for success on all sides of the ball. We need a consistent inside threat and I think the coaches will ease him into that role. I think it's unfair to expect Zeke to come in and change the team, but to be honest we have a lot going for us. Just building on what we already have will set us apart. But lets be honest.. we have the potential to be miles apart from the rest of the carbon-copy MAC. With a little experience I feel Zeke will grow into quite the leader, unselfish yet able to take control at any moment. He'll be the role player Akron needs most.Zeke Attack

[Dave in Green]

Blocking shots is only a part-time job. It's only needed on the defensive end. I'd like to hear what Zeke prefers to do on the offensive end. Hopefully he would say he'd much rather be passing to the open man and getting assists for his teammates' buckets than scoring tons of points himself. On the offesive end, I really think that Zeke's passing will be more important to the team than his scoring. He only needs to score enough to cause the defense to collapse on him when he gets the ball. Then it's just a matter of finding the open man. Wood was really good at finding the open man and kicking the ball back out. Zeke is half a foot taller than Wood, and will have a penthouse view for finding the open man.

[RootforRoo44]

It has to get you excited at least that we should have a big guy that can do some damage down low on defense and at least be in the minds of the opponent when on offense. That could work wonders for the shooting percentages of DRob, Humpty, Nitro, and even Brett McKnightmare

[RootforRoo44]

and maybe McNees....mayyyybee

[FromdaBurgh]

If I may..allow me to address a comment by DaveInGreen..." I'd like to hear what Zeke prefers to do on the offensive end. Hopefully he would say he'd much rather be passing to the open man and getting assists for his teammates' buckets than scoring tons of points himself. On the offesive end, I really think that Zeke's passing will be more important to the team than his scoring. He only needs to score enough to cause the defense to collapse on him when he gets the ball. Then it's just a matter of finding the open man. Wood was really good at finding the open man and kicking the ball back out. Zeke is half a foot taller than Wood, and will have a penthouse view for finding the open man."Dave..I want you to personally know that YOU have tapped into the very THOUGHTS of Zeke. That is EXACTLY how he thinks on offense. Because he knows that he is coming onto a team that has some CRAZY shooters...Zeke is going to have a field day...looking to pass the ball to them. Zeke has always been of the mindset that he would rather get the ball..pull the defenders to him and then pass it back out to the 3 pointer or drop it down for the easy layup. The hardest thing for Zeke to get use to doing, this year, was to score on the inside...HOWEVER...when he realized that HE had to score....AND his point guards actually got the revelation also that they needed to get the ball to him so he could score..he ended with 20 + points each game. Soooo....I'm glad to see that you all are excited about Zeke coming and I too am just as excited..but I do also appreciate the fact that you ALL realize that Zeke is an "INCOMING FRESHMAN" and along with the adjustments of college basketball, he will also be adjusting to "college life" in general. Most, if not all of you know that it is difficult for a "normal" freshman student to adjust to college life and all of the responsibilities that come along with it...but to have added on top of that change..the pressures of being a "highly touted" recruit (according to the reports I've read)...makes it a little more difficult (if I can use that adjective)..not to mention that..and this has to stay between us...ZEKE IS A MOMMA'S BOY!! SSShhhhh!!!!! Don't tell noone I said that!! will make things even more intriguing for the big guy. So, I would say...be excited..because the last conversation I had with Zeke...(which was last night..LOL!!) He talked about looking forward to playing in the Zips uniform. Get ready ZipNation. Zeke is getting ready to go back into the gym, conditioning, training and getting his mind wrapped around what it is going to take for him to improve and make an impact at the "next level" AND beyond!! BTW...guess who is on the cover of ESPNRise Magazine for Western PA??? Here is the photo..If anyone wants a copy of the mag..shoot me your mailing address and I'll send it out to you. The article is AWESOME and there are more pics on the inside. You all would be proud. I sent 5 copies to Coach Boals. Holla Back..Zipnation!!!

[Dave in Green]

Perfect! I figured that Zeke's unselfish attitude would carry over to putting a high priority on helping his teammates score. It's really great to know that he is such a wise young man with good, strong family ties. We'll all try to keep our expectations under control and not start pushing the Zips to schedule North Carolina or Duke in his freshman year.

[Dr Z]

Thanks for the post GC54. Great insight. Nice cover too. I would hope the article would show up here soon (click)Zeke gets a mention here