Pine Bluff

[Blue & Gold]

Interesting post-Pine-Bluff comment from KD (courtesy of Rasor's blog):

"I’m really disappointed we didn’t get any pop out of McClanahan and Diggs [off

the bench]. Right now, Brett’s dead-faced, for whatever reason. Q isn’t going to

play against anyone who he doesn’t think is a great team. That disappointed me,

but it was good to see Chauncey put the ball in the basket.”

I don't think we have anything to worry about w/ Q. But the part of the quote which interests me is concerning Brett. He's looked awful & KD puts it as Brett is "dead-faced." I don't even know what that means. All I know is that both he, and Nic, look painfully less athletic than anyone else who gets PT & seem to be weighing the whole team down.

[Quickzips]

Interesting post-Pine-Bluff comment from KD (courtesy of Rasor's blog):

"I’m really disappointed we didn’t get any pop out of McClanahan and Diggs [off

the bench]. Right now, Brett’s dead-faced, for whatever reason. Q isn’t going to

play against anyone who he doesn’t think is a great team. That disappointed me,

but it was good to see Chauncey put the ball in the basket.”

I don't think we have anything to worry about w/ Q. But the part of the quote which interests me is concerning Brett. He's looked awful & KD puts it as Brett is "dead-faced." I don't even know what that means. All I know is that both he, and Nic, look painfully less athletic than anyone else who gets PT & seem to be weighing the whole team down.

Hit the nail on the head with a lot of the problems with these two this year. In past years we could play the scrappy, slow it down style of play that these two are best suited for. This year, having Nik and Brett in the lineup is like trying to driver a Ferrari down the road with a big sheet of ply-wood sticking up from out of the roof. What is most puzzling to me though is that Nik's inside game seems to have regressed a lot. I don't know if it is a by-product of him trying to become a better perimeter shooter or what. I've watched far too many times this year where his moves in the post have been so painfully slow that he's gotten shots rejected by defenders coming from far away on the weak side.

As far as the zone/man defense goes, if you all remember back to last season we started to turn things around when we started switching defenses up and playing a little zone mixed in with some man. Often times we would switch from zone to man mid-possession. That is what I would like to start to see from this years team. Play enough zone throughout the course of the game to keep teams off balance and limit some of the foul trouble for Zeke.

[Dave in Green]

What I noticed about Nitro is that after not starting, when he was inserted into the game, he immediately drove the lane and took an inside shot that just rolled off the rim. I took this as a sign of aggressiveness due to not starting. He only played 17 minutes, but was 2-3 on 3-pointers and had 2 rebounds and 2 assists with no turnovers. So while Nitro may not be playing inspired basketball, this was not a bad performance coming off the bench for the first game this season.

[Z.I.P.]

Folks -- a question from the Mid Pacific (so obviously I've seen the team play a grand total of once, but it was NICE!). The team is shooting approx 50% fewer 3-pointers this season than recent seasons (maybe more). Is this a sign of their earning higher percentage shots, or a lack of confidence from the coaching staff, or just some coincidence? Zeke's offensive improvement I'm sure has a lot to do with it.

[akronzips71]

ZEKE was awesome. He is really starting to look like a pro prospect. By the end of this year he will be a force to be reckoned with if he keeps improving.

I know people are still waiting for the big breakout after 2+ seasons. Some went out on a limb after the January Ken+ game last year, thinking that was the moment, and they were wrong.

I'm again seeing glimpses that make me want to believe that he's getting much better, and more consistent. But, last night was not one of those examples. To me, that was just a guy doing what he should be doing when he's a head taller than most of the defenders that are competing against him. But, I still think it could be encouraging if he starts to put up big numbers against those inferior teams anyway, since he hasn't always done that in the past.

More Game Thoughts:

Nice to see 20+ assists in a game. That;s the way it should be. Shows me we're working together to score points.

I'm getting more and more dissapointed with what Brett and Nik are showing as seniors.

I'm seeing more and more up and down individual performances. Not one player on this team is good from game to game right now. Hopefully, that means we just have a ton of depth, with anyone being able to produce on any given night. We'll see.

I must disagree. Last night he showed a lot of athletic ability - something that has been lacking. As well, he NEEDS to keep shooting as much as possible. Most of the time Zeke shooting is the highest percentage shot we can ever take. Even if he is not a good shooter, he is in close and won't get blocked. Many of his shots will drop.

[Dave in Green]

Folks -- a question from the Mid Pacific (so obviously I've seen the team play a grand total of once, but it was NICE!). The team is shooting approx 50% fewer 3-pointers this season than recent seasons (maybe more). Is this a sign of their earning higher percentage shots, or a lack of confidence from the coaching staff, or just some coincidence? Zeke's offensive improvement I'm sure has a lot to do with it.

No need to shoot so much from long range when you have bigs who can hit a high percentage of their inside shots. Check out these field goal shooting percentages:

.648 - Zeke

.548 - Tree

.528 - Harney

Even Walsh is hitting at a .553 rate, mostly on mid-range jumpers and driving layups.

[gozips19]

Had a chance to make to down to Akron to watch the game and I got to hit up Luigi's for a pregame meal

Just about everything has been discussed so I'll just add a few things I agree with and a few things I heard during the game.

1. Nitro looks like he's sleep walking! Not sure what is up with the man but even when he does good it's not enough.

2. Nik seemed to be pouting while on the bench and when Tree was in the game. Not sure if he has the temperament to be the guy on the sidelines encouraging his teammates or not but he needs to be for the team to gel quicker.

3. Love Chancey in the starting lineup. Said it before the kid brings a ton of energy the second he steps on the floor. Plus that will leave Harney, Q, Tree, and Brett off the bench and that's a nice group.

4. Not sure who mentioned the story of KD getting on Chancey for not "Shooting the damn ball" but it had everyone in my section cracking up.

5. Zeke was the man last night!

Ok now for a few things I heard from some peeps from the AD

1. Winters is the guy. This will be the first and only time I'll post about this until they hire someone. I hate speculation but I know people on the board like to hear this stuff.

2. Alex update. Partially torn meniscus. Anyone watching the game could tell he was hurting. Was told he'll have surgery on the 22nd and will be ready for MAC play.

3. Harney update. Should be able to play Saturday.

Big stretch of games but I really like the rotations the team is working with. Time to smooth things out and get ready for conference play!

[johnnyzip84]

Had a chance to make to down to Akron to watch the game and I got to hit up Luigi's for a pregame meal

Just about everything has been discussed so I'll just add a few things I agree with and a few things I heard during the game.

1. Nitro looks like he's sleep walking! Not sure what is up with the man but even when he does good it's not enough.

2. Nik seemed to be pouting while on the bench and when Tree was in the game. Not sure if he has the temperament to be the guy on the sidelines encouraging his teammates or not but he needs to be for the team to gel quicker.

3. Love Chancey in the starting lineup. Said it before the kid brings a ton of energy the second he steps on the floor. Plus that will leave Harney, Q, Tree, and Brett off the bench and that's a nice group.

4. Not sure who mentioned the story of KD getting on Chancey for not "Shooting the damn ball" but it had everyone in my section cracking up.

5. Zeke was the man last night!

Ok now for a few things I heard from some peeps from the AD

1. Winters is the guy. This will be the first and only time I'll post about this until they hire someone. I hate speculation but I know people on the board like to hear this stuff.

2. Alex update. Partially torn meniscus. Anyone watching the game could tell he was hurting. Was told he'll have surgery on the 22nd and will be ready for MAC play.

3. Harney update. Should be able to play Saturday.

Big stretch of games but I really like the rotations the team is working with. Time to smooth things out and get ready for conference play!

Thanks for the scoops, gz19!

[lumberjack]

Twas a time, not long ago, that we were not athletic enough to play a good zone. Guy's were just too slow sliding over on the wing. This is no longer the case. We have athletes 1 though 10 who have this ability so why not more zone to protect Zeke ?

I understand we want to protect Zeke and keep him in the paint. Here are some things to consider:

1. A good man to man is the more difficult defense to beat.

2. To be fair to Zeke...he needs to learn to play man to man if he is going to succeed at the next level.

3. When Zeke goes for the block on shots 6-8 feet or more from the rim...he is out of position to get a rebound. If we don't get the rebound and the other team puts it back in from close range...we lose the impact of Zeke altering shots. We need a coordinated effort and strong play form Tree and the Serb to be really good and effective. We should get better as the team gets to know each other and they learn what to exect from KD and their teammates.

I think mixing zone and help schemes are beneficial and KD will know whenis the right time. But I think this team is not as experienced or does not have as high of "basketball IQ" as past teams. That will dictate going a little slower as guys learn the system playing with each other and understanding their roles. The good thing is we have lots of solid players and they are good guys who have the ability to learn. Now..we will see about their desire over the next few months.

I disagree, this team has very high IQ but is a little young and lack time playing together...

[lumberjack]

@lumberjack, I really appreciate your educated observations. You do a great job of pointing out that basketball is like chess, where each move on the court produces multiple offensive and defensive options, and the best coaches, players and teams are planning several moves ahead and constantly adjusting.

Teams that scout the Zips understand that Zeke is a key component of both the Zips offense and defense, so it's logical that they would employ tactics designed to neutralize him. Since there are countermoves to every move, it's up to KD and the coaching staff to train Zeke and the rest of the team to recognize and counter tactics other teams use to neutralize Zeke.

On defense, Zeke's presence in the lineup is so critical that they really can't afford to have him getting into foul trouble on a regular basis. Other teams understand this and do all they can to put him in a position where he's likely to be called for trivial contact.

So on defense, while Zeke and the rest of the Zips must react to the offensive moves that are thrown at them, there have to be multiple options on how to react. Some of those options will be more effective than others in keeping Zeke from getting drawn into the kind of situations where he's most likely to pick up unnecessary fouls.

At the very minimum, Zeke needs to understand that when he's drawn out of position and more likely to be whistled by a ref, he has to back off of his standard aggressive defensive mode, even if it gives the player he's defending a better chance to score. Ultimately, having Zeke on the floor at the end of a game is more important than giving up a few baskets in the middle of the game by playing slightly looser defense when he's drawn out of position.

This is so true and thanks...

[lumberjack]

Interesting post-Pine-Bluff comment from KD (courtesy of Rasor's blog):

"I’m really disappointed we didn’t get any pop out of McClanahan and Diggs [off

the bench]. Right now, Brett’s dead-faced, for whatever reason. Q isn’t going to

play against anyone who he doesn’t think is a great team. That disappointed me,

but it was good to see Chauncey put the ball in the basket.”

I don't think we have anything to worry about w/ Q. But the part of the quote which interests me is concerning Brett. He's looked awful & KD puts it as Brett is "dead-faced." I don't even know what that means. All I know is that both he, and Nic, look painfully less athletic than anyone else who gets PT & seem to be weighing the whole team down.

Hit the nail on the head with a lot of the problems with these two this year. In past years we could play the scrappy, slow it down style of play that these two are best suited for. This year, having Nik and Brett in the lineup is like trying to driver a Ferrari down the road with a big sheet of ply-wood sticking up from out of the roof. What is most puzzling to me though is that Nik's inside game seems to have regressed a lot. I don't know if it is a by-product of him trying to become a better perimeter shooter or what. I've watched far too many times this year where his moves in the post have been so painfully slow that he's gotten shots rejected by defenders coming from far away on the weak side.

As far as the zone/man defense goes, if you all remember back to last season we started to turn things around when we started switching defenses up and playing a little zone mixed in with some man. Often times we would switch from zone to man mid-possession. That is what I would like to start to see from this years team. Play enough zone throughout the course of the game to keep teams off balance and limit some of the foul trouble for Zeke.

I liked the ferrari plywood analysis...lol I think "change" makes some people uncomfortable. To go from non athletic to being athletic it becomes realistic when player realizes that he can't keep up. For that reason they feel uncomfortable. So what do you do let them stay in the game or move towards "change"? I say move towards "change" because this is where the depth of the post conference season lies. The deeper the Zips go in NCAA the more money for the school and program. Also with "change" Akron is potentially a top 40 team nationally.

[RootforRoo44]

wait, Cvetinovic played last night? I can't even recall a play he was in.

Seriously though, he's plenty athletic enough to play with these guys at their pace. Something is seriously wrong though, and i'm a bit worried. We need his post play, his rebounding, and his senior leadership sooner rather than later.

[Dave in Green]

I wouldn't write the Serb off so quickly just because he's off to a slow start. He's leading the team in rebounding, which is a pretty important area where the Zips need all the help they can get. His role has changed a little in that he now has a decent outside shot and is hitting 40% of his 3-pointers. But his inside shooting percentage is off. So is his free throw percentage, which indicates his focus may be a little off.

As the season goes on I think we'll see times where the Serb will look better and play a major role. But the bottom line is that the Zips have a much deeper frontcourt this season than last. With Tree and Harney playing so well, there's not as much need for the Serb to play long minutes.

[Districtballer]

2. Alex update. Partially torn meniscus. Anyone watching the game could tell he was hurting. Was told he'll have surgery on the 22nd and will be ready for MAC play.

That's a tough break for the VCU and Marshall games then. I would have liked to face a full and healthy Zips squad, but I'm sure we'll have our hands full at your place regardless. I have to admit I do like our chances a little bit better with him not handling the ball.

You guys are little bit of an enigma from what I've seen. You have some very good talent for a mid-major school and flashes of downright impressive athleticism and ability from some of your guys. There are also just awful stretches where you guys look like you're still trying to figure it out, and that's normal at this point of the early season. I think this team could be pretty scary for a lot of teams in the MAC come March and I like the movement KD's making towards athletic guys who play ball as opposed to just basketball players. You can see that they are green in some places, but the long-term potential is much higher for this group than any other Akron squad I've seen since we've played each other.

The Hip Zip...the all-time record is actually 5-0 in favor of VCU as we played a home-home series during the 1969 and 1970 seasons in addition to this bracketbuster stretch. I was hoping for something similar to our last game against each other to close it out, but somehow I think the game will be a lot tougher to win for us this time around.

Darius Theus (#10) did some pretty impressive things that game as a freshman, and he'll have to be very good for us to have a chance against you guys this time around.

[Doug Snyder]

Twas a time, not long ago, that we were not athletic enough to play a good zone. Guy's were just too slow sliding over on the wing. This is no longer the case. We have athletes 1 though 10 who have this ability so why not more zone to protect Zeke ?

I understand we want to protect Zeke and keep him in the paint. Here are some things to consider:

1. A good man to man is the more difficult defense to beat.

2. To be fair to Zeke...he needs to learn to play man to man if he is going to succeed at the next level.

3. When Zeke goes for the block on shots 6-8 feet or more from the rim...he is out of position to get a rebound. If we don't get the rebound and the other team puts it back in from close range...we lose the impact of Zeke altering shots. We need a coordinated effort and strong play form Tree and the Serb to be really good and effective. We should get better as the team gets to know each other and they learn what to exect from KD and their teammates.

I think mixing zone and help schemes are beneficial and KD will know whenis the right time. But I think this team is not as experienced or does not have as high of "basketball IQ" as past teams. That will dictate going a little slower as guys learn the system playing with each other and understanding their roles. The good thing is we have lots of solid players and they are good guys who have the ability to learn. Now..we will see about their desire over the next few months.

I disagree, this team has very high IQ but is a little young and lack time playing together...

Really...tell me a little about the last few years teams.

[Dave in Green]

It really depends on how you define IQ. Is it more about what one has already learned before taking an IQ test, or is it more about one's inherent ability to learn?

For example, Steve McNees led the Zips over the past few years, and there's no question that he had a lot of basketball knowledge. His father was a coach, and McNees was immersed in basketball from an early age. McNees might make a good coach.

On the other hand, one could argue that basketball IQ is more related to one's inherent ability to catch on to the way the game is played rather than what one has already learned about the game.

Some players catch on quickly and some are slow to learn. I'd argue that the ones who catch on quickest have the highest inherent basketball IQ even if they haven't been at it long enough or had the proper training to grasp all the fine details.

[Doug Snyder]

It really depends on how you define IQ. Is it more about what one has already learned before taking an IQ test, or is it more about one's inherent ability to learn?

For example, Steve McNees led the Zips over the past few years, and there's no question that he had a lot of basketball knowledge. His father was a coach, and McNees was immersed in basketball from an early age. McNees might make a good coach.

On the other hand, one could argue that basketball IQ is more related to one's inherent ability to catch on to the way the game is played rather than what one has already learned about the game.

Some players catch on quickly and some are slow to learn. I'd argue that the ones who catch on quickest have the highest inherent basketball IQ even if they haven't been at it long enough or had the proper training to grasp all the fine details.

Guilty. That is why the phrase is in quotes. It is the term used by KD. The point is...you had McNees, KcKights, Roberts, Linhart, Bardo and some others that understood basketball and had years of playing experience. But...if KD wants to call it "Basketball IQ"...it works for me. I do think these guys have the ability to learn...just they have a lot to learn.

[Quickzips]

I wouldn't write the Serb off so quickly just because he's off to a slow start. He's leading the team in rebounding, which is a pretty important area where the Zips need all the help they can get. His role has changed a little in that he now has a decent outside shot and is hitting 40% of his 3-pointers. But his inside shooting percentage is off. So is his free throw percentage, which indicates his focus may be a little off.

As the season goes on I think we'll see times where the Serb will look better and play a major role. But the bottom line is that the Zips have a much deeper frontcourt this season than last. With Tree and Harney playing so well, there's not as much need for the Serb to play long minutes.

All great stats Dave, here are a few more from Nik:

FG% - .405

FT% - .529

Turnovers/game - 2.4

Points/game - 8.1

Those are unacceptable numbers. When your starting PF is shooting 40% from the field and turns the ball over almost as much as your starting PG you are going to struggle to win games. I don't care how many boards he grabs or how many 3's he hits. If these types of performances continue I would not be at all surprised to see Tree starting at PF by the time we reach MAC play.

[Blue & Gold]

I wouldn't write the Serb off so quickly just because he's off to a slow start. He's leading the team in rebounding, which is a pretty important area where the Zips need all the help they can get. His role has changed a little in that he now has a decent outside shot and is hitting 40% of his 3-pointers. But his inside shooting percentage is off. So is his free throw percentage, which indicates his focus may be a little off.

As the season goes on I think we'll see times where the Serb will look better and play a major role. But the bottom line is that the Zips have a much deeper frontcourt this season than last. With Tree and Harney playing so well, there's not as much need for the Serb to play long minutes.

All great stats Dave, here are a few more from Nik:

FG% - .405

FT% - .529

Turnovers/game - 2.4

Points/game - 8.1

Those are unacceptable numbers. When your starting PF is shooting 40% from the field and turns the ball over almost as much as your starting PG you are going to struggle to win games. I don't care how many boards he grabs or how many 3's he hits. If these types of performances continue I would not be at all surprised to see Tree starting at PF by the time we reach MAC play.

I agree. This puts KD in an awkward position, as we were really crossing our fingers & putting pressure on Nic to come back for one more year. But he's gotta do what's best for the team.