More Dambrot at HOF Luncheon

[GeorgeThomasABJ]

http://www.ohio.com/blogs/ua-zips/universi...canton-1.297254

[Dave in Green]

On his goals: “We want to win games in the NCAA Tournament. We want to be the first mid-major to win a national championship.”

Didn't someone recently post on here that KD didn't set high enough goals for the team?

[GeorgeThomasABJ]

On his goals: “We want to win games in the NCAA Tournament. We want to be the first mid-major to win a national championship.”

Didn't someone recently post on here that KD didn't set high enough goals for the team?

Yes, they did. No one at UA is tipping their hand on anything related to sports beyond the here and now. But personally, I think there are those in the know and who have power who are looking beyond the MAC. I think they are desperate to have football succeed so they can justify a move to a more prestigious conference. That, for the record, is my opinion.

[Zipmeister]

Yes, they did. No one at UA is tipping their hand on anything related to sports beyond the here and now. But personally, I think there are those in the know and who have power who are looking beyond the MAC. I think they are desperate to have football succeed so they can justify a move to a more prestigious conference. That, for the record, is my opinion.

PAC 12 (or whatever) here we come.

[ZachTheZip]

FS Ohio's Zac Jackson has been tweeting his conversation with Dambrot. Provides a little more context for some of the things. Also, I's pretty sure he's Josh Egner's uncle or something.

[Dave in Green]

Zac Jackson and Todd Porter co-wrote the book, “We Believed ... Lessons Learned from Jackson’s Improbable Run to State Basketball Championship.” So Zac has a special interest in Josh Egner and Zips basketball right now.

The comment about Rico becoming the best guard UA has ever had is one that I had heard from another source close to the team. He's got two seasons left to get it done, and next season is Zeke's final one. A lot of things have to come together to make it happen.

If all the Zips players dedicate themselves to giving everything they have, next season could be pretty special.

[UAZip0510]

Player A (Sophomore): 30 MPG, 10 PPG on 6 FG attempts per game, .457 FG%, .430 3PT%, .818 FT%, 3 RPG, 5 APG, 2 SPG, 2.5 TOPG

Player B (Junior): 32 MPG, 15 PPG on 13 FG attempts per game, .348 FG%, .307 3PT%, .745 FT%, 4 RPG, 6 APG, 2 SPG, 2.8 TOPG

1) Who would you rather have?

2) How close do you feel the two players are in value?

[72 Roo]

Yes, they did. No one at UA is tipping their hand on anything related to sports beyond the here and now. But personally, I think there are those in the know and who have power who are looking beyond the MAC. I think they are desperate to have football succeed so they can justify a move to a more prestigious conference. That, for the record, is my opinion.

George, you are right on the mark from what I've learned. I talked to a head coach who said that two years ago TW talked to the coaches in a meeting about positioning the entire athletic program to move to a higher level. Conference USA was specifically discussed as a benchmark for the budgeting each team must have to be successful at a higher level. Slowly TW has been building each team's budget to allow them to survive the leap when it is appropriate. Having a winning football team that generates revenue is the key. The university wants to position itself to have winning programs across the board that give it options for growth outside the MAC. C-USA may not be our destination but it serves as a good measuring stick in building budgets. If our aspirations lie beyond CUSA we will have to generate even more money.

[zippy5]

Player A (Sophomore): 30 MPG, 10 PPG on 6 FG attempts per game, .457 FG%, .430 3PT%, .818 FT%, 3 RPG, 5 APG, 2 SPG, 2.5 TOPG

Player B (Junior): 32 MPG, 15 PPG on 13 FG attempts per game, .348 FG%, .307 3PT%, .745 FT%, 4 RPG, 6 APG, 2 SPG, 2.8 TOPG

1) Who would you rather have?

2) How close do you feel the two players are in value?

Yes, abreu and cooper are the pretty similar, when you take into account DJ's extra year. Abreu was a great find. Remember when he was just that guy we recruited when humpty left?

[UAZipster0305]

On his goals: “We want to win games in the NCAA Tournament. We want to be the first mid-major to win a national championship.”

Didn't someone recently post on here that KD didn't set high enough goals for the team?

I think you are calling me out on this one, DiG, so here I am. I certainly did say those things in the context of setting a goal of being eligible for an NCAA at-large, which means playing to win every OOC game and not using it as a presaeson or expecting / intending to only qualify for the NCAA's by winning the MACC. In the past, this was KD's approach, and I will stand by my assertion but not incessantly argue (yet again) with those who disagree.

To my knowledge, this is the first public buffet-style comment KD has offered for Joe Akron and (Joe NEOH ). Neither care about Zips Basketball until we start acting like and then playing like an OSWho caliber program. That reality sucks for us die hards. Nonetheless, now that we are talking like BAD A$$ES, let's come out of the gate in the fall playing like it too. Otherwise, we are total chumps and known more as the guy on the playground who runs his mouth rather than a feared opponent.

Kudos to KD for advancing his philosophy commensurate with the direction of the program and potential talent of this team. However, I would have left out the talk about an NCAA Championship until we at least win a few NCAA Tournament games. Get our program to have success like Butler and VCU (both recently by far better than Gonzaga), then the National Championship talk becomes relevant. Is it remotely realistic to go from never having won an NCAA Tournament game in program history to getting to the Final Four (let alone winning a National Championship)?

Instead, I would have preferred KD to have made a statement about being in the conversation for or being granted an NCAA at-large or earning the MAC's best tournament seed in modern history. These are realistic goals.

Win ONE NCAA game next year, and I will be happy. Win TWO, and I will be ecstatic. These are also realistic goals. Anything more than that will garner the interest and support of Joe Akron and Joe NEOH; anything less will likely be just another 20+ win season...and what great shape the program is in if this is a point of complaint. The standards are high. Seriously, way to go, KD, keep it up!

[Hilltopper]

I think you are calling me out on this one, DiG, so here I am. I certainly did say those things in the context of setting a goal of being eligible for an NCAA at-large, which means playing to win every OOC game and not using it as a presaeson or expecting / intending to only qualify for the NCAA's by winning the MACC. In the past, this was KD's approach, and I will stand by my assertion but not incessantly argue (yet again) with those who disagree.

I can agree with everything you are saying except this part. Do you really believe that we don't play to win those out of conference games ? Are we just looking at them as some kind of practice scrimmage?

[Big Zip]

@Hilltopper KD has repeatedly said the Bracket Buster games don't matter if they win because they have to win the conference.

Also, on the radio interview KD did and Trimmy is talking about he was not talking like this interview at all relative to winning NCAA tournament games -- he was talking about the unrealistic expectations of the fans.

Sounds like someone got to him. I'd really like for GT or another writer to listen to the interview he did with Kiley and Booms on 92.3 the fan (it was archived on their website) and ask him why all of a sudden the change from him.

[Zipmeister]

George, you are right on the mark from what I've learned. I talked to a head coach who said that two years ago TW talked to the coaches in a meeting about positioning the entire athletic program to move to a higher level. Conference USA was specifically discussed as a benchmark for the budgeting each team must have to be successful at a higher level. Slowly TW has been building each team's budget to allow them to survive the leap when it is appropriate. Having a winning football team that generates revenue is the key. The university wants to position itself to have winning programs across the board that give it options for growth outside the MAC. C-USA may not be our destination but it serves as a good measuring stick in building budgets. If our aspirations lie beyond CUSA we will have to generate even more money.

Good news; our football team is already generating revenue. Unfortunately, like almost all other college football teams the team's expenses are much larger than the revenue generated.

[Blue & Gold]

Yes, abreu and cooper are the pretty similar, when you take into account DJ's extra year. Abreu was a great find. Remember when he was just that guy we recruited when humpty left?

That does seem like a distant memory. I remember loving Humpty, but hoping we could bring in a taller PG to replace him, then being very disappointed when I learned we were bringing in another 5'9" PG in AA.

[Blue & Gold]

Good news; our football team is already generating revenue. Unfortunately, like almost all other college football teams the team's expenses are much larger than the revenue generated.

This is true. IIRC, I read once that only two NCAA D-1 schools actually turned a profit off football: Texas & Columbus. Every other team in the nation operated at a deficit. I don't know if that's entirely accurate, but schools, as a rule, don't operate in the black. I would suppose that schools basically consider athletics part of their advertising budget - and that would hold true for D-1 through NAIA; I don't think any schools operate in the black.

[Hilltopper]

@Hilltopper KD has repeatedly said the Bracket Buster games don't matter if they win because they have to win the conference.

Also, on the radio interview KD did and Trimmy is talking about he was not talking like this interview at all relative to winning NCAA tournament games -- he was talking about the unrealistic expectations of the fans.

Sounds like someone got to him. I'd really like for GT or another writer to listen to the interview he did with Kiley and Booms on 92.3 the fan (it was archived on their website) and ask him why all of a sudden the change from him.

I don't see any sudden changes. Until the MAC as a whole makes a commitment to improve, the individual schools that are trying are being held back by those who do not care to spend the money necessary to get a consistent at-large bid. Having to play a large # of games each year against conference opponents who have RPI's in the 250+ range makes it very difficult.

[Big Zip]

@Hilltopper -- go back and read your question I was answering.

Do you really believe that we don't play to win those out of conference games ? Are we just looking at them as some kind of practice scrimmage?

[Dave in Green]

In the past, winning the Bracket Buster games did not make a difference in getting an at-large NCAA tournament bid because the rest of the Zips' OOC schedule was too weak, and winning the MAC tournament was the only route for UA to the Big Dance.

As the Zips slowly improved their OOC schedule, that began changing. This season, the Bracket Buster game and others on the OOC schedule were important because the Zips' SOS was high enough to earn an at-large bid with enough wins in those games.

Next season's OOC SOS is looking to be close to this season's. So, again, winning enough of those games could put the Zips in position for an at-large bid should an otherwise great season be spoiled by losing the MAC tournament championship.

KD has been slowly growing the program, which among other things involves slowly evolving his coaching philosophy. Previously KD's realistic position was that the Zips had to focus on winning the MAC tournament. Now the Zips have a realistic shot at an at-large NCAA bid if they can win 85-90% of their regular season games.

I don't think we will be seeing KD make any more statements about Bracket Buster and other OOC games not being important. I think we will see the coaching staff and the players approaching each game as important to setting up the opportunity for a post-season run in the NCAA tournament.

[LZIp]

@Hilltopper KD has repeatedly said the Bracket Buster games don't matter if they win because they have to win the conference.

Also, on the radio interview KD did and Trimmy is talking about he was not talking like this interview at all relative to winning NCAA tournament games -- he was talking about the unrealistic expectations of the fans.

Sounds like someone got to him. I'd really like for GT or another writer to listen to the interview he did with Kiley and Booms on 92.3 the fan (it was archived on their website) and ask him why all of a sudden the change from him.

I believe when KD says the bracketbusters doesn't matter, it is when it is already determined that Akron will not be getting an at-large. This year, they MAY have had a chance when the bracketbuster game came around, but that is something we will never know. The bracketbuster game has a chance to matter every year (thats what its their for), Akron just usually isnt in the position where it is going to make a difference for them.

I, too, wonder the change of heart KD suddenly has. I remember the interview where he said fans have unrealistic expectations due to mid major programs like Butler, VCU, and even OU this year. Seems he has drastically changed his tone in a short period of time.

Good news; our football team is already generating revenue. Unfortunately, like almost all other college football teams the team's expenses are much larger than the revenue generated.

This is true. More revenue generated (a realistic amount) doesn't, and most likely will not mean profit for the UofA football program. I haven't looked at financial statements, so I am sort of curious how far in the red we are. However, more revenue generated, profit or not, means less money lost for the University that we are able to put somewhere else, such as a coaches salary.

[BirdZip]

Kudos to KD for advancing his philosophy commensurate with the direction of the program and potential talent of this team. However, I would have left out the talk about an NCAA Championship until we at least win a few NCAA Tournament games. Get our program to have success like Butler and VCU (both recently by far better than Gonzaga), then the National Championship talk becomes relevant. Is it remotely realistic to go from never having won an NCAA Tournament game in program history to getting to the Final Four (let alone winning a National Championship)?

I'll check with George Mason and let you know...

[UAZip0510]

I believe when KD says the bracketbusters doesn't matter, it is when it is already determined that Akron will not be getting an at-large. This year, they MAY have had a chance when the bracketbuster game came around, but that is something we will never know. The bracketbuster game has a chance to matter every year (thats what its their for), Akron just usually isnt in the position where it is going to make a difference for them.

Beat me to it. Dambrot says these things when the chance for an at-large is already gone so his team doesn't view it as a safety net. The Zips' at-large chances faded big time when they hit the stretch where they lost to Valpo, Duquesne, West Virginia, Middle Tennessee State, and Cleveland State. The was a miniscule chance at an at-large prior to the Bracketbuster IF the Zips won out and IF the selection committee went against what they usually do (taking BCS conference schools). I don't think I've ever heard Dambrot talk about ANY game not mattering unless he was doing so for a reason, like the one I've mentioned above.