Rico

[Dave in Green]

It seems like we've had a separate thread on just about every player except the one player who really makes the team go -- Alex Abreu. The PG is the QB of basketball, and we talk all the time about how bad the Zips look when Rico is off and how great they look when he's on. Well, Rico is finally starting to get some national recognition:

* NBC Sports has given Rico a shout-out just behind some really big-name players at the end of its College Hoops Player of the Week story.

* College Sports Madness just named Rico its MAC Player of the Week.

So let's make sure that Alex feels the love from all Zips fans here as he tries his best to lead the Zips deep into the NCAA tournament, which is his personal goal.

[odhgibo]

Abreu is the most difficult player on the roster to figure out, at least for me.

In the OU game, he clearly was a step (or more) behind on defense, yet he had no problem getting past his defender on offense.

Some games, he shoots lights out; other games, he can't throw it in the ocean. Yet he's never afraid to be the one to take the shot when the time comes.

His play definitely will determine whether this team is able to take the step up it wants to make.

[phil]

I agree with you that Rico deserves a great deal of the credit for the win over OU. He is the engine that makes this team run. When he is playing well this team has no limit on what they can do. I love his comments in the paper because this team has the ability to play great ball with any team.

However, I wish we could start this engine on the opening toss. I would like Rico and Walsh to get off to quicker starts so that we are not behind after the first 10 minutes. Hopefully, with the solid game on Saturday, Rico can get this team off to a fast start tonight.

[Dr Z]

I wish we could start this engine on the opening toss.

Somebody should tell him we are down by 18 before the tipoff. On the other hand, better he show up at the end of the game, than the beginning.

His social media jersey should read @Finisher. Darn, that would have been a good thread topic. #MissedOpportunity

[MDZip]

* College Sports Madness just named Rico its MAC Player of the Week.

And they listed the MAC as a High Major instead of a mid-Major. Nice.

[Blue & Gold]

And they listed the MAC as a High Major instead of a mid-Major. Nice.

I noticed that as well. However, they have the "Big 6" conferences labeled as "national conferences"and then the MAC in their second-tier of conferences, strangely labeled as "high major."

[Dave in Green]

NBC Sports calls Rico "the key for Akron in March" today in their story, Five Mid-Majors Who Can Throw Your Bracket Into Chaos:

2) Akron (17-4, 8-0 MAC)

The nation’s hottest team, the Akron Zips have won 13 straight games and are the lone undefeated team in MAC play. Leading the way are 7-footer Zeke Marshall and 6-7 forward Demetrius Treadwell, with five other players averaging between 5.8 and 9.9 points per game. The Zips are one of the nation’s most efficient offenses, ranking 28th in efficiency according to statsheet.com and that front court tandem of Marshall and Treadwell can give opponents fits in the paint. The key for Akron in March may be point guard Alex Abreu however, because when he’s under control and properly balances getting his own shots with putting teammates in the best position to be effective Akron is a handful.

[Dave in Green]

With 36 points in the last 2 games, Rico has raised his season scoring average to 10.1 points per game, joining Zeke (12.6) and Tree (10.8) in double digits. He's hitting a decent 43.6% from the field and 42.2% of his 3s. He seems to be finding the right PG balance of getting all of his teammates into the game and scoring himself when the team most needs his points.

Alex does not have top 10 national stats like Zeke. But he does have high ratings in a couple of key areas. He's #23 in both assists and assists per game, #29 in assist percentage, and #88 in assist-to-turnover ratio. These all represent major improvements over last season, and have been trending up in recent weeks as he was recovering from a badly sprained ankle that adversely affected his performance in early season games.

[Captain Kangaroo]

Abreu needs Betancourt to continue to improve. We need at least 8 solid minutes out of CB if we are going to have any success against major opponents. Abreu can play tired against CMU and still be effective. He can't do that against Michigan State. That is my biggest concern as we make our post-season push. We can cover temporary holes at any other position except point guard.

[clarkwgriswold]

I enjoy watching Rico play on offense, but he is painful to watch play defense. His inability to stay in front of the man he is guarding coupled with his tendency to get distracted and lose his man, are often maddening.

[odhgibo]

Abreu needs Betancourt to continue to improve. We need at least 8 solid minutes out of CB if we are going to have any success against major opponents. Abreu can play tired against CMU and still be effective. He can't do that against Michigan State. That is my biggest concern as we make our post-season push. We can cover temporary holes at any other position except point guard.

Agreed. Even if Diggs wasn't a pure point guard, wouldn't you feel better if he were playing those 5-10 min/game versus Betancourt (who really could've benefited from a red shirt season)?

[bigzipguy]

Agree on Betancourt!!!! Hopefully he will focus on playing defense and distributing as best as he can. The more rest for our starting PG , the better in those touch match-ups. Stay within yourself Melo.

[odhgibo]

I enjoy watching Rico play on offense, but he is painful to watch play defense. His inability to stay in front of the man he is guarding coupled with his tendency to get distracted and lose his man, are often maddening.

+1

[Captain Kangaroo]

Agreed. Even if Diggs wasn't a pure point guard, wouldn't you feel better if he were playing those 5-10 min/game versus Betancourt (who really could've benefited from a red shirt season)?

Betancourt had a year of prep school, so I'd have figured his learning curve would have been shorter.

You see increasing glimpses of his capabilities with each and every game. He's lightning quick, and a pretty sure short-range shooter off the glass. I am keeping my fingers crossed that it continues.

I miss Diggs in many ways, but I was not a big fan of Diggs at the point (not like we had much of a choice last season). He dominated the ball, and just made too many bad pass/drive decisions. He's mentality is shooter/slasher, not PG.

[CincyZip]

I enjoy watching Rico play on offense, but he is painful to watch play defense. His inability to stay in front of the man he is guarding coupled with his tendency to get distracted and lose his man, are often maddening.

Though the things you list are true, he has also displayed the ability to poke the ball away from more athletic players that beat him around corners.

[Dave in Green]

Rico is not fast, but he's quick and deceptive. He's really good at moving slowly, faking one way and taking off another direction before his defender can recover. While he can fake and get around faster guards on offense, he struggles to stay with them on defense when they're on the run. Rico has quick hands, and is good at poking the ball away from behind when a faster guard blows by him. He benefits from having Zeke and Pat guarding the paint when a faster guard gets past him and heads to the bucket. The combination of Rico's lack of outright speed plus having Zeke and Pat anchoring the defense is a good reason for the Zips to play more zone defense.

I had really thought that Melo would catch on a little quicker. But everyone seems to be in agreement that he is in the midst of recovering from his slow start and is starting to look a little more polished in recent games. Melo is faster than Rico and seems better able to stay with his man on D. In limited 3-point shooting so far, he's only 1-6. But he's hitting 55% of his 2-pointers, and seems to be good at taking it to the basket against taller defenders. Now that he's starting to play with more confidence, hopefully he can get extra minutes, especially in games where the Zips run up a big lead. He needs more PT to continue developing.