Leadership

[UAZip0510]

Terry Pluto wrote about the Zips again this morning and a few quotes stood out to me.

The Zips are 3-2 after Saturday's victory over Detroit. Coach Keith Dambrot said "reality returned" after the team pulled a 68-58 upset at Mississippi State. The Zips lost the next two games to Valparaiso (62-59) and Duquesne (81-76). They had leads in both games, but Dambrot talked about a lack of leadership and iffy point guard play in the losses. Sophomore point guard Alex Abreu has had some injury issues, and was suspended for "a violation of team rules." That has Quincy Diggs -- a natural small forward -- handling the point. Diggs leads the team with a 12-point scoring average and is shooting 51 percent, but running an offense is new to him. The backup point guard is Brian Walsh, but the transfer from Xavier is battling hip injuries. "Right now, he's not moving well enough to play point," said Dambrot. "We are headed into a rough 3-4 week stretch as we figure some things out. It may look like we are taking a step back, but I think it will help in the long run." Dambrot praised the talent of Benedictine product Nick Harney (9.5 points, 53 percent shooting) and Euclid's Demetrius Treadwell (8.3 points), but said both first year players "just need to learn to practice harder." Treadwell is 18-of-25 from the field, but 3-of-12 at the foul line. "It's not just them," said Dambrot. "Overall, our entire team doesn't practice at a championship level." The Zips have two seniors -- Nikola Cvetinovic and Brett McClanahan -- have "been inconsistent" according Dambrot. He talked about the need for his seniors to "step up." He also said the Zips history has sometimes been rocky starts and strong finishes, "so we've been through this before."

I know this is how Dambrot works - he offers pointed remarks throughout the season to push his players. Even so, leadership was one of my main concerns coming into this season. Darryl Roberts and Steve McNees were outstanding leaders both on and off the court...especially Roberts, who I viewed as an "on-court coach". Brett McClanahan doesn't seem to have a "take charge" personality, while Nik Cvetinovic seems too emotional/immature to become the team's leader. I've seen him arguing and talking back to Dambrot quite a bit this season, which obviously isn't what you want to see from a senior. The lack of leadership may not be a problem now, but it will be in both the MAC and NCAA Tournaments.

Who will step up to lead this team when it matters most?

[The Hip Zip]

Terry Pluto wrote about the Zips again this morning and a few quotes stood out to me.

The Zips are 3-2 after Saturday's victory over Detroit. Coach Keith Dambrot said "reality returned" after the team pulled a 68-58 upset at Mississippi State. The Zips lost the next two games to Valparaiso (62-59) and Duquesne (81-76). They had leads in both games, but Dambrot talked about a lack of leadership and iffy point guard play in the losses. Sophomore point guard Alex Abreu has had some injury issues, and was suspended for "a violation of team rules." That has Quincy Diggs -- a natural small forward -- handling the point. Diggs leads the team with a 12-point scoring average and is shooting 51 percent, but running an offense is new to him. The backup point guard is Brian Walsh, but the transfer from Xavier is battling hip injuries. "Right now, he's not moving well enough to play point," said Dambrot. "We are headed into a rough 3-4 week stretch as we figure some things out. It may look like we are taking a step back, but I think it will help in the long run." Dambrot praised the talent of Benedictine product Nick Harney (9.5 points, 53 percent shooting) and Euclid's Demetrius Treadwell (8.3 points), but said both first year players "just need to learn to practice harder." Treadwell is 18-of-25 from the field, but 3-of-12 at the foul line. "It's not just them," said Dambrot. "Overall, our entire team doesn't practice at a championship level." The Zips have two seniors -- Nikola Cvetinovic and Brett McClanahan -- have "been inconsistent" according Dambrot. He talked about the need for his seniors to "step up." He also said the Zips history has sometimes been rocky starts and strong finishes, "so we've been through this before."

I know this is how Dambrot works - he offers pointed remarks throughout the season to push his players. Even so, leadership was one of my main concerns coming into this season. Darryl Roberts and Steve McNees were outstanding leaders both on and off the court...especially Roberts, who I viewed as an "on-court coach". Brett McClanahan doesn't seem to have a "take charge" personality, while Nik Cvetinovic seems too emotional/immature to become the team's leader. I've seen him arguing and talking back to Dambrot quite a bit this season, which obviously isn't what you want to see from a senior. The lack of leadership may not be a problem now, but it will be in both the MAC and NCAA Tournaments.

Who will step up to lead this team when it matters most?

Good question.

As young as we are now, I still see Nik as the guy. Down the road, I think Brian Walsh can be that guy. Maybe Rico too, he's already been a big influence on the PR pipeline with Bentancourt and has the fire to lead. Just needs to be a bit more heady on the floor. Ideally, the point guard would be the best position to keep things settled and on point.

[Quickzips]

Terry Pluto wrote about the Zips again this morning and a few quotes stood out to me.

The Zips are 3-2 after Saturday's victory over Detroit. Coach Keith Dambrot said "reality returned" after the team pulled a 68-58 upset at Mississippi State. The Zips lost the next two games to Valparaiso (62-59) and Duquesne (81-76). They had leads in both games, but Dambrot talked about a lack of leadership and iffy point guard play in the losses. Sophomore point guard Alex Abreu has had some injury issues, and was suspended for "a violation of team rules." That has Quincy Diggs -- a natural small forward -- handling the point. Diggs leads the team with a 12-point scoring average and is shooting 51 percent, but running an offense is new to him. The backup point guard is Brian Walsh, but the transfer from Xavier is battling hip injuries. "Right now, he's not moving well enough to play point," said Dambrot. "We are headed into a rough 3-4 week stretch as we figure some things out. It may look like we are taking a step back, but I think it will help in the long run." Dambrot praised the talent of Benedictine product Nick Harney (9.5 points, 53 percent shooting) and Euclid's Demetrius Treadwell (8.3 points), but said both first year players "just need to learn to practice harder." Treadwell is 18-of-25 from the field, but 3-of-12 at the foul line. "It's not just them," said Dambrot. "Overall, our entire team doesn't practice at a championship level." The Zips have two seniors -- Nikola Cvetinovic and Brett McClanahan -- have "been inconsistent" according Dambrot. He talked about the need for his seniors to "step up." He also said the Zips history has sometimes been rocky starts and strong finishes, "so we've been through this before."

I know this is how Dambrot works - he offers pointed remarks throughout the season to push his players. Even so, leadership was one of my main concerns coming into this season. Darryl Roberts and Steve McNees were outstanding leaders both on and off the court...especially Roberts, who I viewed as an "on-court coach". Brett McClanahan doesn't seem to have a "take charge" personality, while Nik Cvetinovic seems too emotional/immature to become the team's leader. I've seen him arguing and talking back to Dambrot quite a bit this season, which obviously isn't what you want to see from a senior. The lack of leadership may not be a problem now, but it will be in both the MAC and NCAA Tournaments.

Who will step up to lead this team when it matters most?

Good question.

As young as we are now, I still see Nik as the guy. Down the road, I think Brian Walsh can be that guy. Maybe Rico too, he's already been a big influence on the PR pipeline with Bentancourt and has the fire to lead. Just needs to be a bit more heady on the floor. Ideally, the point guard would be the best position to keep things settled and on point.

Whatever the cause, AA hurts his credibility as a leader with the suspension. He is going to have to earn some trust back from the guys.

Right now, I've been hoping that Serb would grab hold of the leadership position. He's probably the most natural leader on the team that I've seen. However, right now he seems more interested in settling into a secondary role and the need to get guys like Tree, Harney and Egner on the floor is limiting his playing time. I don't think he's too happy about that.

I agree that Nitro is probably not the guy to look too. He has a lot of value to this team as a perimeter shooter on a team that can get the ball to the rim with multiple guys, but he isn't particularly a take charge kind of guy.

One name not brought up yet is Q. He was a bit of a loose cannon at times last year, but seems to have settled down a bit so far this young season. It seems as if the lightbulb has gone off for him, and if he is going to have the ball in his hands more and more it will only be natural for him to take on more of a leadership role.

[tpsjugglerdude]

One name not brought up yet is Q. He was a bit of a loose cannon at times last year, but seems to have settled down a bit so far this young season. It seems as if the lightbulb has gone off for him, and if he is going to have the ball in his hands more and more it will only be natural for him to take on more of a leadership role.

Q is a strong possibility. He was the 2nd guy out on the court about 2 hours before the game warming up.

[UAZip0510]

My candidates:

Alex Abreu - The suspension hurts his case, but hopefully he learns from it. He's fearless, is a natural floor general, and seems to want to be involved in key situations.

Chauncey Gilliam - He hasn't broken out yet, but I think he will. Very intelligent and plays with a chip on his shoulder. He always seems to give 100%.

Nick Harney - I know. He's young, he's raw, and for a long time, we worried about him even staying eligible...but watch him out there. He listens intently in every huddle...he accepts KD's coaching and rarely repeats mistakes...he plays aggressive (too aggressive right now), and plays with a quiet confidence. His potential is incredible.

[Quickzips]

My candidates:

Alex Abreu - The suspension hurts his case, but hopefully he learns from it. He's fearless, is a natural floor general, and seems to want to be involved in key situations.

Chauncey Gilliam - He hasn't broken out yet, but I think he will. Very intelligent and plays with a chip on his shoulder. He always seems to give 100%.

Nick Harney - I know. He's young, he's raw, and for a long time, we worried about him even staying eligible...but watch him out there. He listens intently in every huddle...he accepts KD's coaching and rarely repeats mistakes...he plays aggressive (too aggressive right now), and plays with a quiet confidence. His potential is incredible.

I'll take issue with this a little bit. I haven't seen Harney play overly aggressive yet. If you are referring to the two cheap fouls he got in quick succession last night I don't think that was a matter of Nick himself being too agressive. I've seen pretty much every big man that has come through our program pick up fould like that, especially early in their career. Zeke himself has picked up literally dozens of them. I think it is more a matter of our defensive scheme, trying to draw our big guys out away from the rim and trap hard on opposing guards.

Right now Nick is second on the team in scoring despite being seventh on the team in minutes. This from a guy who had one year of organized high school ball and then sat out all of last year (including practices) to focus on grades. Pretty impressive if you ask me. Is he a team leader? I don't think so right now. Developing into a team leader takes time, but I for one am VERY excited at what this kids future holds.

[Valpo Zip]

You can't expect a first year player to assume the leader's role. Not with the way KD does things.

Nitro and Zeke don't seem to be able to assume the leader's spot.

Serb is still volatile and ready to blow up at any moment (had a scary instance vs Duquesne)

Rico was a great fit for the job but his suspension doesn't help, and we don't even know when will he come back.

The best option now, and it is a good one, will be Q. Last year's Q was not leadership material but this year's Q definitely is.

[Blue & Gold]

Hopefully one or two of the ball-handling guards step up. IMHO they usually make the best leaders on a basketball team. Much like a football team usually wants/needs a good leader @ the QB position & maybe @ linebacker. It just comes with the nature of the game.