Zips Face Tall Order (Zeke has injured ankle)

[Dr Z]

LinkCoach Keith Dambrot wants his 2009-10 University of Akron basketball team to appreciate the recent past, but not be impressed by it.The Zips, who open practice for the new season Friday, won the Mid-American Conference tournament for the first time and made the NCAA Tournament for the second time in school history last March.Yet, that team lost more games (23-13 record) than any in Dambrot's five-year tenure, tied for third in the MAC East and needed two miraculous shots to edge Toledo in the first round of the MAC Tournament.''We were 9-8 at one time last year and needed a couple of great plays to get out of the first round,'' Dambrot said. ''We know what a fine line it is. We know we will be competitive, but we also know we could be middle-of-the-pack.''We have to get better. We were not a great team last year. We matured at the end.''Optimism is high because the Zips return all but Nate Linhart from last season and have added highly touted 7-foot freshman center Zeke Marshall to the lineup.But Dambrot has emphasized that complacency will not be allowed from now until March.''For us to win, we have to so the same things we always have to do. We have to guard the basketball,'' Dambrot said. ''And we have to rebound the basketball and shoot the basketball better.''Up front, the Zips return brothers Brett and Chris McKnight, who were first and third in scoring last season at 11.2 and 9.2 points per game, respectively.Also back in the frontcourt is Nikola Cvetinovic (4.5), Jimmy Conyers (3.2) and Mike Bardo (1.6).Marshall, one of the highest ranked high school centers in the country last season, will be used inside more for his defense and rebounding than scoring. The downside is that an ankle injury that has limited his number of fall workouts.The backcourt is loaded, led by starters Anthony ''Humpty'' Hitchens (8.8) and Darryl Roberts (8.3). They will share time with Steve McNees (5.8), Brett McClanahan (4.2) and the injury-plagued Ronnie Stewart (3.3).Dambrot said he worries most about the loss of Linhart, who was the second-leading scorer, leading rebounder and best defender in 2008-09.''It's tough to lose a player like that,'' Dambrot said. ''He did so much for us.''He also worries that every opponent will be looking to knock off his NCAA Tournament team.''We have a much more experienced team than last year. Obviously, that provides us with different challenges,'' Dambrot said. ''Last year, we were picked fifth or sixth in the East. This year, everybody thinks we are great. We are going to be playing with a bull's-eye on our backs all year.''The first practice will be at 5 p.m. Friday but is at Barberton High School because Rhodes Arena is being used for UA volleyball. The first practice at Rhodes Arena is 2 p.m. Saturday.At 5:30 p.m. Saturday, UA will hold a ''Meet the Team'' session at Rhodes Arena. Fans will be able to interact with UA men's and women's players, as well as take part in other festivities.The first exhibition game is Nov. 10 at Rhodes Arena against Mount Union. The season opener is Nov. 15 at home against Austin Peay as part of the Glenn Wilkes Classic.

[bandzip]

I mentioned in a thread a couple of weeks ago that he was limping pretty bad on the way to class and everyone thought I was joking. I did see him a couple of days ago and he looked to be walking just fine then. Get better big guy!

[zipseuph]

I mentioned in a thread a couple of weeks ago that he was limping pretty bad on the way to class and everyone thought I was joking. I did see him a couple of days ago and he looked to be walking just fine then. Get better big guy!

I saw him the other day wearing glasses, no wait that was the polymer building

[FromdaBurgh]

Zeke is fine everyone. He is working very, very hard and he is working through the "MINOR" ankle. He is practicing with the team and working out the kinks....

[bandzip]

Zeke is fine everyone. He is working very, very hard and he is working through the "MINOR" ankle. He is practicing with the team and working out the kinks....

Good to hear mama Zeke! It looked pretty bad a week or two ago. Thanks!

[Valpo Zip]

Thanks for the update GameChanger.

[Spin]

Getting EA Sport's NCAA08 ready to go this year, and was curious who you guys think will start at center, Bardo, Cvet, or Zeke?

[Zipmeister]

Getting EA Sport's NCAA08 ready to go this year, and was curious who you guys think will start at center, Bardo, Cvet, or Zeke?

I think you have them in the correct order. Yes, go with that.

[Quickzips]

Getting EA Sport's NCAA08 ready to go this year, and was curious who you guys think will start at center, Bardo, Cvet, or Zeke?

I think you have them in the correct order. Yes, go with that.

Doubtful, Bardo didn't even start the 2nd half of last year. It was Nik starting at C. So if Zeke isn't quite ready to take over the starting spot I'm sure it will be Nik starting at C. I would go with Nik, Zeke, Bardo.

[ksu sucks]

Getting EA Sport's NCAA08 ready to go this year, and was curious who you guys think will start at center, Bardo, Cvet, or Zeke?

I think you have them in the correct order. Yes, go with that.

Doubtful, Bardo didn't even start the 2nd half of last year. It was Nik starting at C. So if Zeke isn't quite ready to take over the starting spot I'm sure it will be Nik starting at C. I would go with Nik, Zeke, Bardo.

Not quite, good sir. Bardo's quick feet and supreme coordination make him a shoe in for the starting spot.

[RootforRoo44]

Getting EA Sport's NCAA08 ready to go this year, and was curious who you guys think will start at center, Bardo, Cvet, or Zeke?

I think you have them in the correct order. Yes, go with that.

Doubtful, Bardo didn't even start the 2nd half of last year. It was Nik starting at C. So if Zeke isn't quite ready to take over the starting spot I'm sure it will be Nik starting at C. I would go with Nik, Zeke, Bardo.

Not quite, good sir. Bardo's quick feet and supreme coordination make him a shoe in for the starting spot.

And McNeeses consistency scoring make him a shoe in for the starting SG spot.

[nbs95]

Getting EA Sport's NCAA08 ready to go this year, and was curious who you guys think will start at center, Bardo, Cvet, or Zeke?

I think you have them in the correct order. Yes, go with that.

Doubtful, Bardo didn't even start the 2nd half of last year. It was Nik starting at C. So if Zeke isn't quite ready to take over the starting spot I'm sure it will be Nik starting at C. I would go with Nik, Zeke, Bardo.

Not quite, good sir. Bardo's quick feet and supreme coordination make him a shoe in for the starting spot.

I know no one is going to agree with me, however my feeling is this. It will be Bardo, Nik, Swiech. Zeke Redshirted The reason The team has to many Center to begin with. If Zeke dosen't knock the soxs of KD, KD will Red shirt him to save him for the 2010-2011 year. KD has done it before. It's just my opinion

[w00t]

Getting EA Sport's NCAA08 ready to go this year, and was curious who you guys think will start at center, Bardo, Cvet, or Zeke?

I think you have them in the correct order. Yes, go with that.

Doubtful, Bardo didn't even start the 2nd half of last year. It was Nik starting at C. So if Zeke isn't quite ready to take over the starting spot I'm sure it will be Nik starting at C. I would go with Nik, Zeke, Bardo.

Not quite, good sir. Bardo's quick feet and supreme coordination make him a shoe in for the starting spot.

I know no one is going to agree with me, however my feeling is this. It will be Bardo, Nik, Swiech. Zeke Redshirted The reason The team has to many Center to begin with. If Zeke dosen't knock the soxs of KD, KD will Red shirt him to save him for the 2010-2011 year. KD has done it before. It's just my opinion

I can't imagine Marshall not being in the starting lineup from game one, let alone redshirting.

[Quickzips]

The only way Zeke redshirts is if this ankle injury becomes a lingering problem and KD decides to shut him down for a year and let it heal up. You talk about the Zips having too many C's, but we really don't. Cvetinovic played there last year, but that was more of KD playing the two PF strategy that he has employed in the past (think Romeo and JWood) out of necessity than Nik being a true C. He is much more PF than C. We all know Bardo's limitations so I won't hash them out here again. He's a 15 minute a night guy, maximum. And unless the light came on for Sweich this offseason and he's figured out how to play the college game I don't expect him to get too many minutes again this year. That leaves.....Zeke Marshall. Let's be honest here, a progam like Akron's doesn't bring in the 7th rated C in the country to redshirt him.

[nbs95]

The only way Zeke redshirts is if this ankle injury becomes a lingering problem and KD decides to shut him down for a year and let it heal up. You talk about the Zips having too many C's, but we really don't. Cvetinovic played there last year, but that was more of KD playing the two PF strategy that he has employed in the past (think Romeo and JWood) out of necessity than Nik being a true C. He is much more PF than C. We all know Bardo's limitations so I won't hash them out here again. He's a 15 minute a night guy, maximum. And unless the light came on for Sweich this offseason and he's figured out how to play the college game I don't expect him to get too many minutes again this year. That leaves.....Zeke Marshall. Let's be honest here, a progam like Akron's doesn't bring in the 7th rated C in the country to redshirt him.

well putting it that way you make sense. I'm interested to see how this plays out. like I said it's just my opion like it or not.

[Captain Kangaroo]

The only way Zeke redshirts is if this ankle injury becomes a lingering problem and KD decides to shut him down for a year and let it heal up. You talk about the Zips having too many C's, but we really don't. Cvetinovic played there last year, but that was more of KD playing the two PF strategy that he has employed in the past (think Romeo and JWood) out of necessity than Nik being a true C. He is much more PF than C. We all know Bardo's limitations so I won't hash them out here again. He's a 15 minute a night guy, maximum. And unless the light came on for Sweich this offseason and he's figured out how to play the college game I don't expect him to get too many minutes again this year. That leaves.....Zeke Marshall. Let's be honest here, a progam like Akron's doesn't bring in the 7th rated C in the country to redshirt him.

well putting it that way you make sense. I'm interested to see how this plays out. like I said it's just my opion like it or not.

I know you're a big Sweich fan. How'd he spend the off-season? What part of his game did he work to improve?

[skip-zip]

The only way Zeke redshirts is if this ankle injury becomes a lingering problem and KD decides to shut him down for a year and let it heal up. You talk about the Zips having too many C's, but we really don't. Cvetinovic played there last year, but that was more of KD playing the two PF strategy that he has employed in the past (think Romeo and JWood) out of necessity than Nik being a true C. He is much more PF than C. We all know Bardo's limitations so I won't hash them out here again. He's a 15 minute a night guy, maximum. And unless the light came on for Sweich this offseason and he's figured out how to play the college game I don't expect him to get too many minutes again this year. That leaves.....Zeke Marshall. Let's be honest here, a progam like Akron's doesn't bring in the 7th rated C in the country to redshirt him.

well putting it that way you make sense. I'm interested to see how this plays out. like I said it's just my opion like it or not.

Zeke: I'm not thinking that he will redshirt, unless it's an injury problem where it becomes doubtful that he can play this year. I think we've all read in the past that it appears the intent is to give him good playing time from day one, to see if he really has the ability to impact our team in a significant way. The next month will probably decide if he will be an opening day starter. But really, I don't think it matters.Bardo: I expect to see him paired with another post player at various parts of the game, but I think he's a 10 minutes p/game guy. Max.Nik: I think he'll also be paired with another post guy, and likely play 15 plus this year.Sweich: I'm not sure he'll play at all until C. Mac finishes his senior year.C. Mac: Will have a starting post position, and will play 20 plus per game.B. Mac: Although I don't think he will ever play a "post position" here, he will get favorable matchups that will once again get him scoring opportunities in the post. Summary: Even with Zeke here, I still don't think we'll ever see anything that resembles a "man in the middle" with 4 other guys providing support, like you sometimes find on NBA teams. I expect that you'll always see some kind of combination of two posts, a G/F perimeter player, and two guards.

[GP1]

I don't want to single anyone out, especially those who love to redshirt players (redshirting can actually be horrible for a player, but that's another discussion), but the only way Zeke gets redshirted is if he gets an injury between now and the beginning of the season that will not mend until after the MAC Tournament.God forbid if the kid got hurt tomorrow and only got back a week before the MAC Tournament, he should play. He is a high school All American. For those that like "growing", put Zeke in the starting line-up on day one and let him grow on the court instead of growing at practice and hoping he is ready to play when he gets in games.

[Dave in Green]

There's certainly nothing wrong with having an opinion that the 7th-highest-rated HS center in the country might be redshirted in his first year in college. But history simply does not support this happening at even the top university basketball programs, let alone smaller programs like UA's. The only scenarios in which this is likely to happen would be if the center enrolled at a university that already had a top-ranked center playing, or, as already mentioned, if the player were to be injured. There is not much else in the history of college basketball to support anything different. The more you study the history of anything, the less likely you are to be surprised when reality is at odds with your opinions.

[Redhawkball]

There's certainly nothing wrong with having an opinion that the 7th-highest-rated HS center in the country might be redshirted in his first year in college. But history simply does not support this happening at even the top university basketball programs, let alone smaller programs like UA's. The only scenarios in which this is likely to happen would be if the center enrolled at a university that already had a top-ranked center playing, or, as already mentioned, if the player were to be injured. There is not much else in the history of college basketball to support anything different. The more you study the history of anything, the less likely you are to be surprised when reality is at odds with your opinions.

Zeke is what folks call has a high side, please do not think you out recruited Penn State and Pitt. Zeke is who he is, if he starts, he will get pushed around like a little kid, his up side is in his junior senior year.

[Zip Watcher]

Zeke is what folks call has a high side, please do not think you out recruited Penn State and Pitt. Zeke is who he is, if he starts, he will get pushed around like a little kid, his up side is in his junior senior year.

He won't get pushed by many in the MAC. The problem may arise against NC St and maybe A&M .. but the conference simply doesn't have a post player that is skilled enough that strength alone will push Zeke around. His athleticism is at such a level that Polk, Fletcher (gone??), Parks .. etc aren't going to be able to just lean on the guy .. he's got good feet.

[tbozeglav]

Zeke is what folks call has a high side, please do not think you out recruited Penn State and Pitt. Zeke is who he is, if he starts, he will get pushed around like a little kid, his up side is in his junior senior year.

Jealousy is a awful stench...

[Quickzips]

There's certainly nothing wrong with having an opinion that the 7th-highest-rated HS center in the country might be redshirted in his first year in college. But history simply does not support this happening at even the top university basketball programs, let alone smaller programs like UA's. The only scenarios in which this is likely to happen would be if the center enrolled at a university that already had a top-ranked center playing, or, as already mentioned, if the player were to be injured. There is not much else in the history of college basketball to support anything different. The more you study the history of anything, the less likely you are to be surprised when reality is at odds with your opinions.

Zeke is what folks call has a high side, please do not think you out recruited Penn State and Pitt. Zeke is who he is, if he starts, he will get pushed around like a little kid, his up side is in his junior senior year.

The Green of Envy certainly looks good paired up with your Red. Kind of reminds me of Christmas.Is Zeke going to come in here and light up the world from the moment he steps on the floor? Probably not. I'm realistic enough to know that he's probably not going to be giving us 18 points, 8 rebounds and 3 blocks right from the get go. I agree that he is far from a finished product. But to imply that Penn State and Pitt didn't really want him, or that he isn't going to have an impact for us until his junior and senior years is plain old, simple, unadulterated, jealous ignorance.

[bigzipguy]

Redhawkball,What'ya you going do, when the Zips come to Oxford and run wild on you?????????????

[Redhawkball]

Redhawkball,What'ya you going do, when the Zips come to Oxford and run wild on you?????????????

Watch and enjoy, Fletcher is still here and Kenny Hayes, it will be fun.