Zips vs. Arkansas Pine-Bluff

[RowdyZip]

Anyone have any info for what caused the blowup at the end of the game?For those not in attendance or listening, Humpty had a near mental breakdown at the end of the game and had to be restrained by a member of the UAPD. I'm not sure what caused the animosity, other than a hard foul on Humpty with just 2.4 seconds left in the game. Any info would be appreciated.

[akronzips71]

Anyone have any info for what caused the blowup at the end of the game?For those not in attendance or listening, Humpty had a near mental breakdown at the end of the game and had to be restrained by a member of the UAPD. I'm not sure what caused the animosity, other than a hard foul on Humpty with just 2.4 seconds left in the game. Any info would be appreciated.

According to what they said on the radio, someone chose to clobber him, rather than just foul. I don't know if he hit the floor, but lets just say UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS.oops, wrong sport.

[RowdyZip]

Anyone have any info for what caused the blowup at the end of the game?For those not in attendance or listening, Humpty had a near mental breakdown at the end of the game and had to be restrained by a member of the UAPD. I'm not sure what caused the animosity, other than a hard foul on Humpty with just 2.4 seconds left in the game. Any info would be appreciated.

According to what they said on the radio, someone chose to clobber him, rather than just foul. I don't know if he hit the floor, but lets just say UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS.oops, wrong sport.

Interesting. Well, after the game was over Hitchens charged over to the APB bench and was in the face of one of the coaches. He had to be pulled away by teammates and eventually be told to go to the locker room by UAPD. Everyone was very fired up.

[MDZip]

Didn't see exactly what happened but he was up in the face of the UAPB player who fouled him. Dumb move with the Zips up by only a point, could have had a technical foul called. If he is going to be a team leader, he has to keep his emotions in check, especially in those types of situations.

[bandzip]

Anyone have any info for what caused the blowup at the end of the game?For those not in attendance or listening, Humpty had a near mental breakdown at the end of the game and had to be restrained by a member of the UAPD. I'm not sure what caused the animosity, other than a hard foul on Humpty with just 2.4 seconds left in the game. Any info would be appreciated.

Only a couple seconds left in the game, Zips were inbounding and the guy covering Humpty was throwing elbows and they weren't getting called. Humpty got the inbound and instead of the UAPB guy just fouling him he shoved Humpty to the floor. Humpty got up and wrapped his arms around the kid and kept saying "You don't do that to me!" McNees ripped Humpty off the kid and threw him on the floor. Humpty made his foul shots. I was trying to watch while we were playing the fightsong when the clock wound down. Humpty let the kid hear about it again after the game. The head coach for Arkansas said something to Humpty and he went off and got in his face, that's when one of the officers pushed him away and two of the coaches pulled him to the locker room. At this point all of the players were yelling and Tom Wistcrill went over and it looked like he was aplogizing to the other coach, he then followed the team in the direction of the locker room....It was a hard foul, but Humpty has to learn to keep his cool. He was already going off on Roberts for letting a pass go out of bounds seconds earlier. If he would've got T'd up it definately could have cost us the game. Stupid move on his part. It'll be interesting to see if anything more comes out of this.

[ZippyforPresident]

Anyone have any info for what caused the blowup at the end of the game?For those not in attendance or listening, Humpty had a near mental breakdown at the end of the game and had to be restrained by a member of the UAPD. I'm not sure what caused the animosity, other than a hard foul on Humpty with just 2.4 seconds left in the game. Any info would be appreciated.

According to what they said on the radio, someone chose to clobber him, rather than just foul. I don't know if he hit the floor, but lets just say UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS.oops, wrong sport.

I was at the game and it looked to me like during the first instance Humpty did have an unnecessarily rough foul made against him where some words were exchanged. But that was not the first instance of an unnecessarily rough foul that uapb made in the game. I believe it may have been towards the end of the first half, but a uapb player threw a ridiculously unnecessary elbow towards someone (I don't recall who it was) and a personal foul was called, but in hindsight it seems like it maybe should have been a flagrant foul. The game got pretty physical at times. As for the scene at the end; It was obviously not a good idea for Humpty to approach uapb after the game like that, but it looked as if he approached a member of the coaching staff, not trying to go over there with violent intentions, but perhaps to ask something or give an explanation of sorts? It seemed to me that uapb was acting the part of a really sore loser. Humpty approaching them obviously didn't help the situation at all, but in seeing the other Zips players backing Humpty up, it seemed as if they were just going over to keep the peace and make sure their teammate wasn't going to get roughed up. (You win with dignity, and you should lose with dignity too). I did notice Sweich going over there with hands in the air trying to calm the situation down.. All I do know is that if I got into a rough situation I'd want big Swiech to be on my side. That coach probably had one or two unnecessary bodily functions when he approached.

[RootforRoo44]

Anyone have any info for what caused the blowup at the end of the game?For those not in attendance or listening, Humpty had a near mental breakdown at the end of the game and had to be restrained by a member of the UAPD. I'm not sure what caused the animosity, other than a hard foul on Humpty with just 2.4 seconds left in the game. Any info would be appreciated.

According to what they said on the radio, someone chose to clobber him, rather than just foul. I don't know if he hit the floor, but lets just say UNNECESSARY ROUGHNESS.oops, wrong sport.

I was at the game and it looked to me like during the first instance Humpty did have an unnecessarily rough foul made against him where some words were exchanged. But that was not the first instance of an unnecessarily rough foul that uapb made in the game. I believe it may have been towards the end of the first half, but a uapb player threw a ridiculously unnecessary elbow towards someone (I don't recall who it was) and a personal foul was called, but in hindsight it seems like it maybe should have been a flagrant foul. The game got pretty physical at times. As for the scene at the end; It was obviously not a good idea for Humpty to approach uapb after the game like that, but it looked as if he approached a member of the coaching staff, not trying to go over there with violent intentions, but perhaps to ask something or give an explanation of sorts? It seemed to me that uapb was acting the part of a really sore loser. Humpty approaching them obviously didn't help the situation at all, but in seeing the other Zips players backing Humpty up, it seemed as if they were just going over to keep the peace and make sure their teammate wasn't going to get roughed up. (You win with dignity, and you should lose with dignity too). I did notice Sweich going over there with hands in the air trying to calm the situation down.. All I do know is that if I got into a rough situation I'd want big Swiech to be on my side. That coach probably had one or two unnecessary bodily functions when he approached.

To be honest, from what i saw it looked like Humpty said something and got in that guys head before the inbounds play. After the ref separated them the ball was inbounded and humpty got taken out by that guy. Personally i think Humpty drew the foul because of it, dont know if it was his plan or what but it upset that guy. After he calmy drained both free throws he picked the ball off to end the game and that's when it looked like their coach said soemthing to him when they were shaking hands. Humpty (and Bardo) had to be held back as both teams got in eachothers faces. I hope this doesn't lead to a suspension for Hitchens because he is really starting to play good ball but i could understand if they did. If he would have just kept his cool at the end it would have been alright because he really must have said something to upset that APB player and it caused that last foul. Who knows if that balls actually gets to be thown in if we get it in safely the way we were throwing it away late. It really could have been an important play.What's up with Zeke not playing the entire second half anyways?

[bandzip]

What's up with Zeke not playing the entire second half anyways?

I was wondering the same thing. Almost seemed like KD just wanted to prove they could win without him. Anyone have any info?

[RACER]

what is going on with marashll only playing ten min.if this team is going anywhere they are going to need zeke to develope.he will not do that on the bench.it's not like the other front line guys are playing lights out.if kd was only going to play him ten min a game then they should have red shirted him.if he is not ready to play red shirt him,or play him.i just don't uderstand what kd is doing.

[zipseuph]

what is going on with marashll only playing ten min.if this team is going anywhere they are going to need zeke to develope.he will not do that on the bench.it's not like the other front line guys are playing lights out.if kd was only going to play him ten min a game then they should have red shirted him.if he is not ready to play red shirt him,or play him.i just don't uderstand what kd is doing.

lets just remember that he is on the sidelines and we are on zipsnation for a reason

[The Hip Zip]

Anyone have any info for what caused the blowup at the end of the game?For those not in attendance or listening, Humpty had a near mental breakdown at the end of the game and had to be restrained by a member of the UAPD. I'm not sure what caused the animosity, other than a hard foul on Humpty with just 2.4 seconds left in the game. Any info would be appreciated.

I'm not going to sugar coat anything just because I'm an Akron fan. I thought that UAPB was guilty of nothing more than being a tough scrappy team. They played very hard and are very physical. The Zips had better get used to it quick because threre are others on our schedule that play the same wayHumpty may have had a problem with their kid and indeed did have a discussion with the ref about it just before the play began. After the foul Humpty was very wrong to get into the guys face and and really should have been T'd up which could have cost Akron the game. After the game someone above suggested that Humpty went over to shake hands but that was not what I saw and we are three rows behind the bench. It's not like Humpty got in line with his teammates for the post game tradition. Hitchens stormed over towards their bench as soon as the buzzer went off and was intercepted by their coaches which was a good thing because it appeared that he was intending to start trouble again.The lack of poise of both Humpty at the end and our team down the stretch was shocking. When UAPB poured on the defensive pressue late in the game our guys looked like they were scared to death out there. This team has a very long way to go to be considered a good team. We have already proved that we don't have a go-to guy, our defense is spotty at best and we are not a mentally strong bunch at this point.The only real positive that I saw out there was a strong performance from Jimmy Conyers. He sparked the team to the lead in the first half with some very nice plays on both ends. His defense in the 2nd half was also a big factor which had a big part in our winning this game.I'm still waiting for McClanahan to shoot the 3 ball with some consistancy and the McKnight's to start looking just a little better than average bench players. I'm beginning to think that this may be a very average season for the Zips.

[zipboy]

Akron went with a 3 guard line up most of the 2nd half and the team was playing pretty well which is why I don't think Zeke played. KD wanted to win the game and went with the line up that was working.I had a good vantage point of the handshakes, I couldn't see the foul itself very well. What I saw, game ended, Humpty made a beeline for their coach and started yelling/pleading about what happened. Their assisstant, a little guy started screaming back at Humpty, then some pushing came in, the McKnight kids started getting heated, Bardo was pissed as well. McFadden got Humpty out of there and Nik and a couple of others got in there and broke it up. The AD as the coaches did a good job controlling the situation. I don't know what happened, but the McKnight kids are pretty calm and they were pissed so take it for what it is worth.I can't imagine anything happening, no punches were thrown just a little pushing and a lot of jawing. I wanted to hear KD's postgame but he never made it on the air.As far as the coaches and AD, I saw all of them, both sides apologizing to each other. From my view the foul looked like a hard foul with maybe an elbow to the eye? Humpty's eye looked red after game. In any case, the guy has played here over a year and isn't a guy that goes off the deep end. I am going to give Humpty the benefit of the doubt until I hear something different.

[Hilltopper]

It looked like someone stepping up to be a leader on this team to me. Humpty was pissed at Roberts for not paying attention and letting a pass in the final seconds go out of bounds. The Zips need some passion and if our seniors won't provide it, I'm glad Humpty will. UAPB played alot of smaller lineups, so that forced KD to do the same and thats why I think Zeke didn't play. The other thing that was interesting, was our use of a zone defense for quite a bit of the game. A win is a win.

[MDZip]

What's up with Zeke not playing the entire second half anyways?

I was wondering the same thing. Almost seemed like KD just wanted to prove they could win without him. Anyone have any info?

We had a lot of matchup problems with their smaller, quicker guards driving on us (although that coulkd be an argument for having Zeke in the game), so I supect that may be the reason Zeke didn't play much. Mike Nardo was also in for only 7 minutes so that would be my guess. I did hear a few fans complaining about it on the way out. We are all experts in the seats.

[Dave in Green]

As they were setting up for the inbounds, Humpty was being grabbed and held by the UAPB guy. Humpty complained to the ref, and I believe the ref warned the UAPB player. But when the inbounds play was triggered, it did look like the UAPB player deliberately threw an elbow into Humpty's face. This is what should have been T'ed up, and no one can blame Humpty for being teed off after that sequence. It also looked to me as if Humpty went directly to the UAPB coach after the final buzzer to register a formal complaint.Let's all remember that the Zips are not trained thugs spoiling for a fight. They are good, clean players with no history of fighting. This was not that different from the incident last season where Linhart got sucker-punched by Singletary, and the Zips reacted with anger but no violence. Technically, what Humpty did in response was wrong. But he reacted with anger and not with retaliatory violence, and he did what he did only under the most extreme provocation.

[Captain Kangaroo]

When UAPB poured on the defensive pressue late in the game our guys looked like they were scared to death out there. This team has a very long way to go to be considered a good team. We have already proved that we don't have a go-to guy, our defense is spotty at best and we are not a mentally strong bunch at this point.The only real positive that I saw out there was a strong performance from Jimmy Conyers. He sparked the team to the lead in the first half with some very nice plays on both ends. His defense in the 2nd half was also a big factor which had a big part in our winning this game.I'm still waiting for McClanahan to shoot the 3 ball with some consistancy and the McKnight's to start looking just a little better than average bench players. I'm beginning to think that this may be a very average season for the Zips.

Thanks, Hip Zip...you saved me some typing. Spot-on analysis of last night's game, and where things are heading this season if we do not improve.This team remains "assassin-free." Our offense strikes fear into no one. We go soft to the hole, and we miss 40% of our free throws. We got out-rebounded by about FIFTEEN last night. With seconds remaining in a 1-point game, our point guard is practically begging the refs to call a technical on him.We learned no lessons from the Austin Peay loss. We folded in similar fashion last night. We just caught a break and won this time.That said - UAPB is a solid team. In the Dambrot-free post game analysis, Frenchie stated - "Niagara will be a lot tougher team than UAPB." I doubt it. USPB is a solid team. Good shooters. Great rebounders. And, they hit 80% of their free throws. Conyers had one of those games he seems to pull out 3 or maybe 4 times per season. He was both aggressive and poised at the same time. If he can play like that every night, I'd play him 20+ mpg at the expense of the McKnight's PT.I remember when we NEVER lost at the JAR. While the home court numbers we put up in the Joyce/Middleton/Dials era may never be approached again, I'm disappointed at how swagger-free the present day players are when it comes to putting a team away @ the JAR. Instead of attacking and picking apart the opponent, we're rubbing a rabbit's foot and crossing our fingers.

[GoZips88]

At this point all of the players were yelling and Tom Wistcrill went over and it looked like he was aplogizing to the other coach, he then followed the team in the direction of the locker room....

I too saw Wistrcil talking to the UAPB coaching staff as they exited the floor in what appeared to be an apologetic, assuring manner. Tom then seemed to head towards the UA locker room. Oh to be a fly on the wall in there!

[Dave in Green]

As far as Zeke's minutes go, in the first 5 games he is averaging about 15 minutes per game, with a high of 24 minutes and a low of 10 (last night). I think it's pretty smart not to play Zeke too many minutes so early in the season. It's a big transition from a HS to college schedule for a true freshman, and especially for a big 7-footer like Zeke. It takes time to get conditioned to a longer, more physically draining season. The most important thing is to have Zeke peaking around the MAC tournament. The worst thing would be to physically wear him out before then. I will be surprised if Zeke does not gradually work up to about 30 minutes per game by the end of the season.

[zippyrifle32]

As far as the Roberts not paying attention thing, it appeared to me that KD was giving some instructions to Roberts at the time, which is why he was completely looking the other way and not paying attention to the game. If that was the situation, that's a no win for him. Do you ignore your coach to play? Or do you pay attention to him, only to get your chops busted for missing a pass coming your way while listening?

[Zips Win!]

As they were setting up for the inbounds, Humpty was being grabbed and held by the UAPB guy. Humpty complained to the ref, and I believe the ref warned the UAPB player. But when the inbounds play was triggered, it did look like the UAPB player deliberately threw an elbow into Humpty's face. This is what should have been T'ed up, and no one can blame Humpty for being teed off after that sequence. It also looked to me as if Humpty went directly to the UAPB coach after the final buzzer to register a formal complaint.

I thought there were two plays that set Humpty off..However, I did not believe either plays were dirty, or even fouls in a physical game.What is posted above is what I kinda remember, although I do not recall an elbow on this particular inbounds play. The APB player was pretty physical not letting Humpty free. Humpty raised his hands as if to say I'm not grabbing-he is, but the ref let them go...Then as the ball was getting inbounded, both players made contact again with Humpty's face making contact with the defenders chest as the defender was much bigger.Also, a few minutes earlier, APB was denying Humpty an inbounds pass. Humpty fell to the floor, catching himself with both hands on the floor only to hop up, catch the ball and dribble down the court... I thought I saw him jawing at APB on this one first...Anyway, I didn't think either play warranted Humpty to go off. Teams will soon realize that he makes UA go and they will do everything in their power to slow him down. We had no business almost giving another one away. We seem to miss more mid-range/close to the hoop jumpers than anyone.... Hopefully KD gets the rotation figured out soon...Finally, I completely disagree with the notion that the refs made this one closer than it should have been. I thought we fouled them a half dozen times on each of APB's two final possessions...yet the refs swallowed their whistles.

[Sergeant Zip]

As far as Zeke's minutes go, ...

Rasor's post game quotes of Dambort state that “I felt like we were going to go with our older guys. They were physical. We probably needed to play him.”

[Dave in Green]

I'm sure that each of us had a slightly different view from our various seat locations, and that none of us saw everything exactly the way it happened on the floor. None of us really knew what a brutal sucker punch Linhart took from Singletary last season until we studied the video frame by frame.Maybe Humpty had a good reason to be as angry as he was, and maybe he didn't. Maybe his reaction was over the top, and maybe other players would have reacted similarly under similar conditions. Unless proven otherwise, I'm going to give any Zips player with no prior history of similar reactions the benefit of the doubt that there was a serious provocation.This does not excuse Humpty for his response. Approaching the other bench in the heat of the moment could have gotten out of control and produced a really ugly incident. This cannot be condoned under any circumstance. Players must have enough discipline to avoid allowing even the worst provocation to escalate into something far worse.

[Dave in Green]

UAPB coach George Ivory quote from Rasor's blog:“I don’t know if he [Hitchens] was coming to shake hands. I don’t think there was trying to be no fight. It wasn’t as bad as it looked. Both teams played hard. When it gets heated like that, it’s because of the competition. It was good competition. That’s all it was.”