UA-Can't State Game Thread

[Blue & Gold]

Upper north side (the left side, if you're watching on TV).

Awesome. I hope all the students had a blast and will come back!

[Blue & Gold]

I am really starting to love this guy Harney. If he keeps it up, he will start getting national notice. He has the slickest inside moves I can ever remember seeing in a Zip. If he was a starter (he WILL be one soon enough) I think he will average over 20 PPG.

And he is really stealing Q's thunder! And Q has lots of thunder of his own.

Q's got enough thunder to not care if someone steals some! And I think you're right about Harney starting... but not until next year.

[Quickzips]

Just back from the game. What a tale of two halves. At one point we made a 23 point swing of it from down 8 to up 15. That is pretty incredible. I can only dream of what would have been if everyone had been healthy and out of trouble during the OOC season. This team is legit.

I don't think I am the only one right now absolutely salivating over having Harney and Tree for three more seasons. The last time the Zips had two youngsters in the front court come through with this much talent was Wood and Romeo. Although both were good, those teams never quite lived up to all the potential they showed early on. Let's hope Nick and Tree can stay out of trouble, keep their grades up, stay healthy and keep developing. They could well form the best frontcourt in MAC history before it is all said and done.

Can't State hoops as a whole is in big BIG trouble. When Justin Greene isn't in the game they have absolutely noone worth a wooden nickle in the post. Greene got in some foul trouble and the Zips just hammered that team inside and out. Greene is a senior this year, and they don't have anyone on their roster, or any notable recruits coming in to take his place. I know better than to count Can't out, as we've all predicted their eventual demise as a program many times before only to watch some JUCO nobody come on the scene and tear it up, but things are not looking good in Portage County.

Frenchy mentioned on the postgame that everyone who played for the Zips tonight had at least 5 points. Harney was obviously the offensive story of the night, but that kind of diversity on offense make this team a lot of fun to watch.

Have to give a big shout out to Q as well. He had a rough first half, but was absolutely brilliant in the second. His consecutive 3's to draw us back even with Can't were a thing of beauty, and he had probably his best game running the point all year.

Disagree about the idea of starting Harney. There isn't another team in the conference who has a scorer like him coming off the bench. Huge advantage for the Zips. As long as the starters are playing fairly well let's not mess with the rotation.

4-1 the first time through the East. I will take that any day. Bring on the cupcakes...I mean the MAC West.

[FearTheRoo]

Just back from the game. What a tale of two halves. At one point we made a 23 point swing of it from down 8 to up 15. That is pretty incredible. I can only dream of what would have been if everyone had been healthy and out of trouble during the OOC season. This team is legit.

I don't think I am the only one right now absolutely salivating over having Harney and Tree for three more seasons. The last time the Zips had two youngsters in the front court come through with this much talent was Wood and Romeo. Although both were good, those teams never quite lived up to all the potential they showed early on. Let's hope Nick and Tree can stay out of trouble, keep their grades up, stay healthy and keep developing. They could well form the best frontcourt in MAC history before it is all said and done.

Can't State hoops as a whole is in big BIG trouble. When Justin Greene isn't in the game they have absolutely noone worth a wooden nickle in the post. Greene got in some foul trouble and the Zips just hammered that team inside and out. Greene is a senior this year, and they don't have anyone on their roster, or any notable recruits coming in to take his place. I know better than to count Can't out, as we've all predicted their eventual demise as a program many times before only to watch some JUCO nobody come on the scene and tear it up, but things are not looking good in Portage County.

Frenchy mentioned on the postgame that everyone who played for the Zips tonight had at least 5 points. Harney was obviously the offensive story of the night, but that kind of diversity on offense make this team a lot of fun to watch.

Have to give a big shout out to Q as well. He had a rough first half, but was absolutely brilliant in the second. His consecutive 3's to draw us back even with Can't were a thing of beauty, and he had probably his best game running the point all year.

Disagree about the idea of starting Harney. There isn't another team in the conference who has a scorer like him coming off the bench. Huge advantage for the Zips. As long as the starters are playing fairly well let's not mess with the rotation.

4-1 the first time through the East. I will take that any day. Bring on the cupcakes...I mean the MAC West.

What he said!

[akronzips71]

The MAC feed was the TV broadcast. They had Harney listed as a guard! A 6'7" guard in the MAC. WAY COOL.

[The Hip Zip]

Without doubt, the best half of Akron BB that I have seen in 20 + years.

Great to see CG get involved and all of our new players were fantastic. If I had a game ball I'd divide it between Nick H, CG, and Q.

This was a game that I will never forget

[phil]

What an amazing 2nd half. As soon as we grabbed a rebound or forced a turnover we were looking to run and Can't was just looking.

Nitro was on a fast break and hit a 3. Q then followed it up with 2 threes. And then Nik hit a 3 after missing 2 wide open threes during the game.

With 2 minutes left and we were trying to run down the clock Nik had an open 3, looked like he was going to take the shot and everyone in the crowd yelled no and Nik then passed the ball with a sly grin. This team has personality.

I am also going to compliment the refs. They let the guys play ball and kept the touch fouls to a minimum and let the flow develop.

Great win for Akron.

[The Hip Zip]

Replay at 10PM on STO. I want to see how it looked on TV

[Blue & Gold]

I watched the game on tv tonight, but I DVR'd it and am watching it again already.

[jem101]

I watched the game on tv tonight, but I DVR'd it and am watching it again already.

I was at the JAR tonight. About to go watch it on TV.

[The Hip Zip]

I was at the JAR tonight. About to go watch it on TV.

With a little Bacardi :thumb: :thumb:

[Valpo Zip]

That was a great second half and a nice way to win a game. The difference between those two teams was the depth. We played a rotation of 9 while Can't played a rotation of 6/7. I saw porrini asking his coach for a break. He was subbed out and came back in in less than 2 minutes of play (maybe 4 minutes total). In the second half, the flushes were too tired to keep up with our fresher players. If I was KD, i will run and run and run in every game and play full court press to wear down the opposition because no one in the MAC can keep up with our depth.

Senderoff was extremely unimpressive. He played with Geno's team and didn't seem to be capable of injecting any fresh legs to help. A rotation of 7 with 5 seniors!!!!! Wow, unless they are bringing a top 20 recruiting class, the flushes will reaaaallyyy suck next year.

Can you believe Harney is only a freshman? When was the last time we had freshmen of the Harney/Treadwell caliber? Can you imagine being a MAC fan thinking about facing those guys for 3.5 more years? Man am I glad to be a Zip.

People shouldn't make this sound like a competition between Harney and Q or Zeke and Tree. Those guys complement one another and it is in the best interest of everyone to think team and play team. The fact that Q scored only 8 points doesn't mean anything because he was a huge part of this win. Zeke didn't play the last 8-9 minutes because Can't went small with Green's foul trouble. Different games have different game plans and different players will step up. When we win, there will be enough thunder for everyone to share.

One little thing that i didn't like: in the post game conversation KD mentions how Harney and Tree practice really bad. Really, coach? It seems that no matter how good the moment is, KD is always looking for an excuse for the next loss. I just don't get it.

[jjackson123]

Awesome game. Thoughts:

- The 5 that broke the game open (Tree Harney Chauncey Q Brett) run very hot and cold, tonight we saw the hot. There is more upside with that group but also more of a chance for turnovers, bad shots, poor defense, overall undiscipliness. A group with Zeke, Nik and AA, doesnt have as high of an upside but they are the safe group, and you know what you will get from them. So when you are wondering why KD doesn't play that group more, the above is why.

- Those four threes was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. I tivoed the game as well, and the first thing I did when I came home was fast forward to see that.

- Justin Greene in foul trouble in the 2nd half did not hurt.

- Loved Brian Walsh's enthusiasm. He was our biggest cheerleader tonight and was always enthusiastic, supportive and loud in the timeouts.

- How long has McNees been with the program this year? I watched a little of Friday's practice and saw him running with the "second" team. Not sure exactly what he was wearing tonight, but it didn't look good... Somebody get him a suit! He also cut his hair, looks different. He knows the MAC teams so well, its nothing but good having him around and whispering knowledge in the players and coaches ears.

- Caught KD's postgame with Frenchi on the way home. Rick McFaddens daughter had emergancy staff infection surgery which is why he wasn't there. Not sure what that entails, but it must be serious to force coach to miss. Prayers to the family.

- My message to Nick Harney: ... Also, don't let your ego get too big, don't get too cocky, keep getting better. Remember youre a Zip, not a flash

Go Zips

[Dave in Green]

Zips were down by 8 at the half, and things didn't look good. The early second half didn't look much better as the teams just kept trading scores. With 13:21 left in the game, Can't had expanded its lead to 9 and there was no sign that the Zips could stop Can't from scoring and score enough to catch up.

Then, boom, the hammer fell. Over the next 10 minutes, the Zips went from a 9-point deficit to a 15-point lead -- a 24-point turnaround in 10 minutes.

For an extended period during that run, there was only 1 player with 1 full year of experience with the Zips on the floor -- Q. The other 4 were Harney, Tree, Gilliam and Walsh. None of them were on the court for the Zips last season. They ripped Can't to shreds.

They can't take all the credit. At times, Rico, Zeke, the Serb and Nitro also played important roles. But the sight of so many players on the floor at once with so little experience in Zips uniforms tearing out the Golden Felons' hearts was a sight and experience I will never forget.

You really don't want to shortchange anyone, because this is really a team of 9 starters who all contribute more or less in every game. Whoever didn't have a great game tonight will have one the next game or the one after that.

But you just can't keep your eyeballs in their sockets over Harney and Tree because they have so little organized basketball experience but they're so otherworldly.

Honestly, I look at Harney standing there with the ball 10 feet from the basket with 2 Can't players between him and the bucket, and I tell myself there's no way he can get around them. And somehow he teleports himself past them and lays the ball on the rim so gently that it takes a couple of seconds to slowly roll in. The Can't players, who we formerly considered to be so athletic, have no chance at stopping Harney, and he drops 21 points in 14 minutes.

Then there's Tree. He must have been born with a basketball gripped between his hands, and the doctor who delivered him couldn't pry it loose. When he's in the game, you know he's going to get the rebound, and no one is going to pry it loose from his hands. In just 16 minutes he grabs 9 rebounds. And his 5 offensive rebounds keeps him firmly in the top 10 in the country in offensive rebounding percentage.

You want to see Harney and Tree play longer minutes because of how spectacular they are in their brief appearances. But toward the end of their brief stints, you see them breathing heavily and realize they've given it all and are running out of gas. They aren't used to playing long minutes of intense D-I basketball. They'll get better as the season goes on. But before they become full-time stars, they'll need to work hard on endurance training in the off-season. Like Zeke, they both have NBA potential. But there's a lot of hard work ahead.

Gilliam also deserves a lot of credit for his performance in this game. I think it was his most complete performance as a Zip, both on offense and defense. He's especially effective when running with Q, Harney and Tree. These guys can all run and pass. And when they get out on a fast break, they can be spectacular.

That 10-minute second-half run is what I've been hoping to see since I first saw this Zips team practice many months ago. This is what they are capable of doing now. They will be capable of more by the end of the season. They need to work hard and they need to get more consistent. But when they're on, they are the Sweet 16 team that GoZips predicted many months ago.

I also want to add that I was honored to meet Q's parents tonight. They came in all the way from Dallas, Texas, to see their son play in the big game against Can't. I told them how very much I enjoyed watching Q play, and Q rewarded his parents and all of us with a great performance, especially during that magic 10-minute run in the second half.

[skip-zip]

Watching on the tube, I also noted that we made our run and pulled away with Big Zeke on the bench. Treadwell is also much, much more of a hard arse than good ol' Zeke, which may be what we really need against a bunch of thugs like Can't.

From the first game that I saw Treadwell play, I said to myself, "This guy was made for the Ken+ game", and I confirmed that tonight. He led us in rebounding, and 5 of them were OFFENSIVE rebounds.

There were just so many things to talk about with this game, but one clearly stuck out for me:

Early in the 2nd half, we had 13 turnover.....but had only TWO the rest of the game. That was the story, folks. All we needed was to get possessions that resulted in shots, and we cashed in when we finally gave ourselves those opportunities.

Secondly, I think Ken+ really lost control offensively when we started to make a run, and several players decided to try to make things happen on their own. It was pretty stupid, and their coach obviously falied to get them back on track.

How in the world did Harney score 21 while only playing 14 minutes?

LOVED the stretches with Diggs playing out top, offensively and defensively, and Treadwell replacing Zeke. It really helped us defend the perrimeter, and push the ball.

Ok...I'll stop now. Great win!!

[akronzips71]

If Harney took himself more seriously and really worked on those skills we would lose him to an early draft declaration. But from what KD said, that is unlikely to happen.

[jem101]

- Those four threes was one of the coolest things I have ever experienced. I tivoed the game as well, and the first thing I did when I came home was fast forward to see that.

- Loved Brian Walsh's enthusiasm. He was our biggest cheerleader tonight and was always enthusiastic, supportive and loud in the timeouts.

While watching the game on DVR I replayed Diggs's game tying 3 at least five times. One of my favorite parts was Walsh going absolutely crazy on the bench. Once Nik moves on next year, I fully expect Walsh to take over the leadership role on this team.

[johnnyzip84]

That should be an STO instant classic. Oooops wrong network. Well it was also on ESPN3, so who knows? I'll sure never forget this game.

gozips19 told us ahead of the game, he had the Zips winning by 10. Pretty good call!

Not much for me to add beyond what I've seen posted already. But here are a few things I really enjoyed:

1) Nitro getting the 3-ball run started after seeing him struggle overall in the 1st half

2) Chauncey playing perhaps his best half as a Zip and showing the home crowd his "heart"

3) Sophomore Harney absolutely dominating in seemingly effortless fashion

4) K.E.N.T. completely falling apart in the 2nd half for the 2nd straight game

5) Nik's unique sense of humor and his redemption from a goose egg 1st half

6) The "white out" working pretty well

OK, now it's that time of the year when the MAC East puts the silly MAC West in its place.

Go Zips!!!

[akzipper]

Wait...Harney is a soph? I didn't know him and Tree lost a year of eligibility because they sat out for grades

[zippy5]

Wait...Harney is a soph? I didn't know him and Tree lost a year of eligibility because they sat out for grades

Sophomore academically, but if he keeps his grades right, he'll have 3 more years.

[akzipper]

Sophomore academically, but if he keeps his grades right, he'll have 3 more years.

That sure is scary thinking we could have Harney for three more years!!! Dude just threw down 21 on the best team in the MAC. In only 14 minutes in his first year!

[K92]

For those who may have missed it, for your reading pleasure...Flash Fanatics Akron game thread.

How quickly the thread changes from

To

Love it.

[Blue & Gold]

Another excellent article from Marla Ridenhour. She fleshes out much of what has been pointed out here.

M. Ridenhour for the ABJ

[Blue & Gold]

And here's a very good article by the Canton Repository's Todd Porter.

Linky.

It's good to see the Rep send a reporter to cover the game. He also includes some postgame quotes that Marla did not, so that is nice.

There's also a nice, 21-picture photo gallery from the game. So they sent a photographer as well. However, there aren't any real exciting pictures, as they're mostly of Michael Porinni, Josh Egner & Mark Henniger (all Stark County products). But none-the-less, a coverage job really well done by the Repository!

[Hilltopper]

Even the Plain Dealer is starting to realize we have something special going on at the JAR.

On a raucous night, Akron zips right past Can't State: Bill Livingston

For five minutes in the second half, Akron was as scary as anything coach Keith Dambrot has designed in his decorated career at the school. The Zips hit four straight three-pointers -- by Brett McClanahan, Quincy Diggs, Diggs again, finally Nikola Cvetinovic -- each picking up the decibel scraps from the last and gulping it down, feeding off the crowd's energy the way a shark feeds off chum.

After that, as the Golden Flashes reeled, Diggs, Demetrius Treadwell, Chauncey Gilliam and Nick Harney (especially Harney) got out and ran with such devastating results that Dambrot was musing about pressing more often and loosening the reins on the most talented, yet inconsistently focused, team he has had.

Akron's second-half blitz pushes Zips past Can't State, 84-75

AKRON, Ohio -- Presented the opportunity to rip and run, Akron turned a 10-point second-half deficit into a 84-75 victory over Can't State in men's basketball Saturday night. Newcomer Nick Harney led a layup parade after a barrage of 3-pointers from the Zips turned the Golden Flashes' hopes aside.

"Long time coming," said Harney, who missed last season with eligibility issues but had a team-high 21 points on Saturday. "I've been waiting to play in one of these games."