Toledo Game

[Z-P]

What a great TEAM effort by EVERYONE.For those of you who missed it, too bad...........IMHO, it was a TEAM effort for the ages by the Zips.I'm just getting my "BB face on" now.............but here are a few starter observations to get the board going..........For the first time in recent memory Matt F played the whole game just like he should.......deep and with intensity. He got no run on post game talk, but IMHO his minutes were key..............he really pushed the Rockets around, and owned his region of the base line...............and no launchs from outside! Yea!I've been AWOL for a while, so last night was the first time I saw Linhart on the floor. I've got gloss for him.............he's now "The Ghost" in my book...........this guy has a ton of upside, and he's already a playa. He's so unimposing looking, he "gets lost" (The Ghost) by the opponent and turns up exactly where he can put the dagger in them........great ball control skills from underneath, and super hands.I'm really glad to see Cedric getting more time. In my section of the extreme upper bleachers, he's a local fave..........all the guys around me are Ced boosters........there was a short time last night, he owned the game.............what did he have, 7 consecutive points with steals in the same run? He owned the florr during that 3 or 4 minutes........Dru was Dru, and that's a good thing..................he's going to make a great leader for young men and a super HS Coach, hopefully locally.Nick D was a monster. His motor is never "off" and only his bad wheel will keep him from dominating this season..........and along those lines, last night he was pulling on his ankle, not favoring his knee...........I wonder if he hurt the ankle now too????DP has really had to learn to become more a "roll player" than "a star" we have been used to seeing on previous Zips teams.............and it appears he's OK with it, and it sure helps the team.I don't know what else to say...............it was just a great offensive and defensive effort by the whole team.On last thing.............I should have posted this on the FB side so all the slugs could see it over there..............but if you do not have tickets for upcoming home games, you'd better get off your butt and get them now. We are going to fill the JAR for every game going forward, and it's going to be a GREAT winter for BB.KD is what? 19-1 at home? What a great coach..............

[zipboy]

Great post ZP, you hit exactly everything that I was thinking. Futch really had a good game especially early on. DP must have the best points per minute average in the league this year. This will keep him fresh throughout the season. My only big concern is that we only have 3 guards to play and I worry about them getting worn down.Overall, just a great win against a top tier MAC team. Need to steal another road win next week to keep pace with Miami.

[Hilltopper]

I wish Dambrot would let Sowers play more. In the limited time he has been on the floor he has looked good. I'm afraid that as the season wears on our guards are going to wear down. Get someone some playing time now so they are ready when needed. My only complaint right now is that we seem to take the last 3 minutes of the first half off. It seems as though we end up with a line up of Millum. one of the freshmen, Preston, and no Dru joyce. It seems as though Dambrot is concerned about fouls and is just trying to hang on until halftime. Last night we gave up 8 unanswerd pints before he subbed back in the starters to stop the bleeding. Also why does Joyce have to take like 9.5 secs each possesion to get the ball over halfcourt? Get the ball in the frontcourt and run the offense!

[Captain Kangaroo]

I agree. It was one of the best start-to-finish beatdowns of a decent team the Zips have layed down in some time. I saw a UA official after the Motor City Bowl and we talked a few minutes about hoops. He was supremely confident the Zips would be in the NCAA's this season even if they stumble at The Q. I personally think that's a bit of a reach (at-large bid), but you can see where this team has it's "bar" set. And, they're quietly going about their business as a real "team." No Tarvers or Hollingsworthless' running around on the floor trying to get their individual numbers. These 14 guys give 100% on both ends of the floor.Futch did play well and kept his keester in the paint. That was a treat to behold. Toledo was missing their 6' 9" center, so Matt's life was made a bit easier than it could have been. Regardless, he played his best minutes of the season.Middleton was OUTSTANDING. Many on the board felt he would really blossom if given more than 10 minutes per game. Thank you thank you thank you Bubba Walther for giving Cedric this opportunity.Linhart gets better and better. Very solid, very steady. Kind of reminds you of a little Larry Bird with his all-around inside/outside game and assists. No, I'm not putting him in the hall of fame just yet, but he seems to have all the tools you need to become an outstanding all around player in the MAC. And, alot faster than anyone could have expected.The cartoon was awesome. I can't wait until it is played at the K-ent game. The place will erupt!Why was Dials still on the court with 4 minutes left and an 18 point lead? Is his knee better than we're lead to believe?Dru had another quietly solid game. I like his comments after the game too.Peterson's game wis alot like Bubba's in that he looks for his shot first...and also second...then thinks about passing. With both he and Bubba on the floor, defensive lapses and quick, ill-advised offensive shots were inevitable. With only one offense-centric player left on the team, I thing it will actually work out in our favor. Darryl can fill it up. And if his defense or rebounding isn't there, we have 4 other guys on the court to fill in. Darryl had a great game last night overall. 7 rebounds in limited minutes! Yet another plus taken from Bubba's departure.Nice end-to-end dribbling by Preston! Can you imagine how good this team would be if Bryan Hipsher hadn't transferred? Bad timing by the sound guy blasting the Zips fight song as the Joy Street kids are marching out of the arena. He should have given them time to finish their "thing" and exit.Big match up next week vs. NIU. Hope they play that clip of Hixson's catch on the big screen against those buggers!Final note: HOLY HELL....HELL HAS FROZEN OVER...SOMEONE ACTUALLY DECIDED TO INFORM THE CROWD REGARDING "Leading Rebounders" "Leading Scorers" "Assist Leaders" etc!!!!! I never thought I'd see the day??!! Now, can we get it right and put that info on the middle scoreboard? And do updates with some frequency? If that happens I'll die a happy man.

[GoZips]

You previous posters made some great comments. Pretty much right on target.What I saw last night at the game was that three minute collapse at the end of thehalf. I agree it should have not beeen allowed. That was the ideal time to finishoff Toledo. They could have been sent to the locker room down 20 to 25.I noticed that Nick Dials seemed to be in pain and or a funk. He was really spotty.Nick is usually steady. Cedric Middleton needed to be on the floor longer. Ced ledthe second half charge that put UT away. Nick needs less minutes in order to keephim healthy for the whole season.While we do need a fourth guard I think that person is Chad Marz. He has the experience both in high school and college to play with these guys. He was onthe same team with Rome, Dru and LeBron. He has two solid years at Div-3 wherehe excelled. I like Zach Sowers myself. However, inside source tells me that hehas difficulty staying in the rythym of the game. He is great when its free for all time.But, the Zips actually do have a stategy of chaos that takes effort to execute. Mraz has the edge on this.Futch was a load. That is far and away the best game I have seen him play. Helooked like the player we expected him to be.I anguish over the treatment of Darryl Peterson. Sorry, but that kid is a bonafidestarter in my book. DP should be getting 20-25 minutes a game. As much as Ilike coach I feel there is something a miss between coach and DP. I would loveto see it cured. We need DP on the floor. Seven rebounds offsets light duty defense.The freshman are supurb. Seeing Jimmy Conyers sitting behind the bench makesyou ponder how good this team could have been.Have heard, too, that we may never see Jerimah Wood in a Zips uniform again.Word is that Wood's knee is in better condition than Dials' is. A little matter ofheart, desire and soul.Referee Phil Bova actually gave us a really good game behind the whistle. The othertwo were turkeys that seemed to me to influence in Toledo's favor any chance theygot. Dru being called for a foul when the UT player lost his balance reboundingthe ball and fell on DRU. The UT player dribbling the baseline with his footcompletely out of bounds and no call. Rome being called for travelling when hewas knocked to the floor pulling down a rebound. Its still the MAC.I listened to portions of the UT post game as I drove home. Their announcers madethe game sound like Akron barely got past the Rockets. More a matter of luck thangetting out played. They continually pointed out favorable UT stats. It was a funride home listening to their apologetics.

[Z-Pouch]

I agree with everyone on the need to get the 4th guard some playing time and mentioned it in another earlier thread. It must not be a concern of KD's - If you're up 15-20 points and and you don't get them time, it's not a priority. Captain mentioned it but maybe Dials knee is better then we think. I'd go with Sowers, simply because he seems to move best, he seems athletic and defense wouldn't suffer. This team has enough offense.Another thing, I have no idea why Joyce feels it necessary to kill the momentum and tempo of the game walking the ball up the court. Geeezzzz, we are on a big run and we take the wind out of our own sails. I'm not sure if it's a coaching strategy or Joyce's way of managing the game, I just don't understand it when you've got the other team against the wall.Great posts on the game by everyone. The energy in the JAR is great, I hope more people continue to come out - They will not be dissappointed. I'm not sure how they count attendence but that seemed like more then 3k. If the JAR only holds 6k, I'm not sure where the other 3K would have sat last night.

[msopher]

I was there rooting for Toledo and it was a painful and frustrating experience. On the flip side, I was really impressed with Akron and I plan on using my Zip card to get into several other home games this year. Also, I saw in the program that Akron's girls team has some hot players and a good looking asst. coach. I may sneak in for one of those games too.