Zips vs. Rhode Island

[Quickzips]

I did not watch nor listen to game, however looking at the stats now. No matter who the Zips play, they will find it really hard to win shooting 38% or so and having 16 TO's in a game. They seemed to hang with a good team. Once again though (Austin Peay, Gonzaga, NC State), they came up just short.They should tear apart the MAC schedule!

38% shooting didn't lose us that game either. Rhode Island only shot 35% from the field. It was 61% FT shooting on 18 FT's for the Zips against 80% FT shooting on 25 FT's for Rhode Island combined with 16 TO's for the Zips and only 10 for Rhode Island that contributed to losing that game.

[Dr Z]

Nikola needs to completely change his free throw motion. Stop shooting from way above your head like that. Shoot from the elbow.Dambrot got flat out-coached last night. I thought at halftime there was one defensive adjustment each team could make that would win them the game. For Rhode Island it was backing out of the full court pressure and playing in a half court set. Their full court pressure was completely ineffective, but when they went into a half court they seemed to confuse the Zips. For us, I felt we should have come out of the locker room playing a 2/3 zone and stick with it until the Rams show us they can shoot over it.

+2Defensive halftime adjustment won RI that game. Dambrot made the comment after the game "we prepared all week for the press, it surprised us when they backed out"

[FromdaBurgh]

I'll go ahead and be the first to say it. I think Zeke needs to sit down for a week or two and rest those knees. He was effective at times last night, but after about 2 minutes on the floor you could tell he was laboring. His defensive rotations became slow and he just couldn't seem to get up and down the floor like he normally does. I know it would suck to sit him for the first week or two of conference play, but in the long term we need those knees to be healthy.

Well..Quickzips..I have to agree with you! Zeke has really been struggling with trying to get healthy. He came home with an ice machine, had to ice his knees 3x a day and then had to return on Christmas to a 3 hr. practice. He really hasnt had a chance to just HEAL! But, I also want to address a comment someone made when they said that Zeke was "being tossed around like a salad"..I have to respectfully disagree. Do I think, Zeke's head wasn't in the game the first half..YES SIR I do! I don't know what the heck he was thinking..but after a "friendly, maternal" rebuke..he pulled it together for the second half. I will say that he did manage to keep the big guy for URI from doing anything "sensational" and for that I'm greatful! Be that as it may, again, I wish Coach D would just allow Zeke to rest himself and allow his body to catch up to all of the work and abuse his body has endured. I'm concerned that his lack of rest will be detrimental to him and the team later on down the road. Just my UNBIASED opinion. Be gentle ZipNation....LOL:)

[GoZips]

I'll go ahead and be the first to say it. I think Zeke needs to sit down for a week or two and rest those knees. He was effective at times last night, but after about 2 minutes on the floor you could tell he was laboring. His defensive rotations became slow and he just couldn't seem to get up and down the floor like he normally does. I know it would suck to sit him for the first week or two of conference play, but in the long term we need those knees to be healthy.

Well..Quickzips..I have to agree with you! Zeke has really been struggling with trying to get healthy. He came home with an ice machine, had to ice his knees 3x a day and then had to return on Christmas to a 3 hr. practice. He really hasnt had a chance to just HEAL! But, I also want to address a comment someone made when they said that Zeke was "being tossed around like a salad"..I have to respectfully disagree. Do I think, Zeke's head wasn't in the game the first half..YES SIR I do! I don't know what the heck he was thinking..but after a "friendly, maternal" rebuke..he pulled it together for the second half. I will say that he did manage to keep the big guy for URI from doing anything "sensational" and for that I'm greatful! Be that as it may, again, I wish Coach D would just allow Zeke to rest himself and allow his body to catch up to all of the work and abuse his body has endured. I'm concerned that his lack of rest will be detrimental to him and the team later on down the road. Just my UNBIASED opinion. Be gentle ZipNation....LOL:)

GameChangr44, good to see you.Personally, I would like to see Zeke get more minutes against lesser opponents and few minutes against the toughies. Two reasons. First, to allow him time to heal. Second, allow him to develop at thecollege level. More time on the floor will get him up to speed with the pace of the college game.Zeke needs to keep the ball high. The opposition will continually foul him until he develops a murderous free throw percentage. As a big man he should feast on free throws. I think Zeke is a pretty decent freshman player. Each game, each season he will just get better. Cometournament time I expect Zeke to be a major contributor .

[FromdaBurgh]

I'll go ahead and be the first to say it. I think Zeke needs to sit down for a week or two and rest those knees. He was effective at times last night, but after about 2 minutes on the floor you could tell he was laboring. His defensive rotations became slow and he just couldn't seem to get up and down the floor like he normally does. I know it would suck to sit him for the first week or two of conference play, but in the long term we need those knees to be healthy.

Well..Quickzips..I have to agree with you! Zeke has really been struggling with trying to get healthy. He came home with an ice machine, had to ice his knees 3x a day and then had to return on Christmas to a 3 hr. practice. He really hasnt had a chance to just HEAL! But, I also want to address a comment someone made when they said that Zeke was "being tossed around like a salad"..I have to respectfully disagree. Do I think, Zeke's head wasn't in the game the first half..YES SIR I do! I don't know what the heck he was thinking..but after a "friendly, maternal" rebuke..he pulled it together for the second half. I will say that he did manage to keep the big guy for URI from doing anything "sensational" and for that I'm greatful! Be that as it may, again, I wish Coach D would just allow Zeke to rest himself and allow his body to catch up to all of the work and abuse his body has endured. I'm concerned that his lack of rest will be detrimental to him and the team later on down the road. Just my UNBIASED opinion. Be gentle ZipNation....LOL:)

GameChangr44, good to see you.Personally, I would like to see Zeke get more minutes against lesser opponents and few minutes against the toughies. Two reasons. First, to allow him time to heal. Second, allow him to develop at thecollege level. More time on the floor will get him up to speed with the pace of the college game.Zeke needs to keep the ball high. The opposition will continually foul him until he develops a murderous free throw percentage. As a big man he should feast on free throws. I think Zeke is a pretty decent freshman player. Each game, each season he will just get better. Cometournament time I expect Zeke to be a major contributor .

Thanks GoZips...its good to be seen...SMILE:) I can agree with your statement. Zeke is learning alot and although he and Coach D work one-on-one after their practices...it is still difficult for him...because like "another coach" said..Zeke is basically learning as he goes and that can be a little intimidating, which is why sometimes he seems like he doesnt know what to do. I do believe that Zeke is going to really break out soon, he just needs sometime time to COMPLETELY HEAL and he will be fine. I guess we will all have to wait and see what happens!!!!

[Zip Watcher]

Seemed to me that Zeke really showed some grit late in the URI game. He was in there battling defensively and changed a bunch of shots late. I can remember one where the guy was going up baseline, got Zeke to buy the fake and tried to go to the lane side to get around. Zeke knocked the ball free with his back side hand as the guy dribbled by. It was a great athletic play. I think URI got it back in the scrum, but it showed Zeke's determination to defend.