Onward and upward

[Quickzips]

Well, after the emotional roller-coaster that was, well really the entire Zips basketball season, but in particular the last 3-4 weeks of the season I felt like I needed a few weeks away from Zipsnation. It is tough as a fan not to become emotionally invested in your team at a very high level. After the extreme highs of the winning steak, the top-25 ranking and the conference title, and the lows of the Abreu suspension and the "what else could possibly go wrong" NCAA appearance it was time to take a break and re-charge.

I'm not going to go too much into what happened in the tournament here. That has already been hashed to death from what I can see, and I don't really have anything to add to the conversation. Instead I want my triumphant return to Zipsnation to take on a more positive tone.

First, a final note on the 2012-13 team. This is going to go down as a team I think a lot of us will remember for a lot of years. Partly for what they actually accomplished, and partly for what might have been. Make no mistake, this was a team that was very, very talented, but was never afforded the opportunity to fully live up to that potential due to circumstances outside of their control. Injuries happen. Illnesses happen. Suspensions happen. And on occasion all of those things happen in seemingly a matter of minutes in a way that can de-rail any program in the country. Despite all of it, the Zips still came home with another MAC title and have now securely established themselves as the top program in the MAC. I won't go too much into individual players other than to say that the 3 seniors will be sorely missed going forward. Each one of them represented themselves, the team and the University very well during their tenure with the Zips, and I only hope that the younger guys on the team learned some things about how to play and act as professionals on and off the court.

Now to the future. I feel like next years team is going to have an entirely different look. Primarily due to the absence of Zeke Marshall, but for other reasons as well. Zeke's absence will change a lot of things the Zips do, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. Let's face it, there are few players out there that protect the front of the rim the way Zeke does. His presence changed the way the entire team was able to play for the better part of 4 years. Dambrot is going to have some adjustments to make with Forsythe and Johnson in the middle next year, but I trust he can adapt and move forward.

Beyond Zeke's absence the big story going into next year for me will be PG play. Betancourt showed some flashes of ability to be a starting PG at this level, but he has a long way to go, particularly as a scorer, before I will be completely comfortable with him running the show. I'm not as concerned about his conditioning, as I think a complete offseason knowing what he needs to do to get ready to play major minutes will help him. I'm mostly concerned about that shot, which has a long way to go before it can even be considered average at this level. On the flip side we have Nyles Evans coming in who is more of a score first PG by all accounts. That combination is going to have to make up for the absence of Alex Abreu (who I would guess has less than a 1% chance of re-joining the team). The real wild-card is the Quincy Diggs situation, but I have to be honest, I've never been a big fan of Diggs at PG. He can do it for maybe 5-10 minutes a night, but if we are relying on Q to come back and play major minutes at PG, particularly after a year away, I think we are in big trouble.

Speaking of Diggs, I do think his presence or absence next year is going to be significant for the Zips. Let's face it, we are a bit thin on the wings going into next year without Walsh and Gilliam. Right now we have Reggie McAdams and a whole bunch of question marks. You would hope that B.J. Gladden and Aaron Jackson can come in as freshmen and have the kind of impact that Reggie and Jake Kretzer had this season, but there are no guarantees of that. At this point I have to say that I hope (and believe) that the Deji Ibitayo experiment is over. He will make a nice D-II or D-III player for someone out there, but his length and athletic ability just can't overcome his lack of basketball skills and basketball IQ at this level. Blake Justice is a lost cause at this point as well. To have a veteran like Q come back, even if he needs a few weeks to blow off the rust, would really stabilize us on the wings.

More than anything next year I'm looking forward to the continued development of our star forwards from the Cleveland area. Particularly Tree. If this guy stays on track and stays humble and hungry there is no telling what he can accomplish. I truly believe that he could average 18 and 10 each night, even in Dambrot's system. He is just that special a player. Harney is even more intriguing. The biggest thing I want to see from him is consistency. He can be an absolute nightmare for opponents when he has his head in the game, but he has yet to demonstrate that he can do it night in and night out.

As far as the MAC goes next year, I really think the programs to watch (other than the Zips) will be Toledo and Can't. Toledo is finally going to be able to get out from under the APR violation penalties and compete for a conference title for the first time in a long time. They have a good coach, some nice veterans already in place, some high-level transfers and a good recruiting class coming in. Can't returns a lot of players from a team that arguably under-achieved last season, but still made it to the conference semis. I'm still not sold on Rob Senderoff as a coach for them, but if he can make some adjustments in year 3 they can be dangerous. Buffalo is the big wild-card to me, as they have arguably the best player in the MAC in Javon McCrea, but they will be under a new coaching staff. Sometimes a new coaching staff can light a spark under a veteran team like that, other times the veterans ignore him and the whole thing falls apart. I think OU will take a serious step backwards without Cooper, Offutt, Kelley and Marshmallow Fluff. They don't have anyone coming back on that roster who has looked like anything more than a nice role-player at this level.

Way too early predictions for 2013-14:

Rotation:

PG - Evans/Betancourt

SG - McAdams/Jackson

SF - Diggs/Kretzer

PF - Treadwell/Harney

C - Forsythe/Johnson

The largest playing time off the bench will go to Harney followed by Kretzer and Betancourt. Gladden will see spot time at SG/SF. Cheatham will redshirt as he continue to grow. Ibitayo will be on the roster but won't see much playing time. I still expect to see an announcement that Blake Justice is transferring sometime this offseason.

Regular Season Record: 24-6

MAC Tournament Prediction: #1 seed. Semifinals victory over Buffalo. Finals victory over Toledo.

NCAA Tournament Prediction: #13 seed, and, unfortunately, another first round exit (I just think we are going to be a little too young next year).

[GP1]

Rotation:

PG - Evans/Betancourt

SG - McAdams/Jackson

SF - Diggs/Kretzer

PF - Treadwell/Harney

C - Forsythe/Johnson

Nice looking team.

[Dave in Green]

@Quickzips, your post was well worth waiting for. Really nice analysis of this season and a thoughtful first look at next season. It's hard to find much in your post that I disagree with. The one thing I'd question is the SG/SF/PF alignment. First, showing Harney as Tree's primary backup doesn't make sense to me. Tree and Harney were both starters most of this season, and Tree is playing long minutes. So there's not much backup time available at PF, and I'm not sure about Harney going from a starter to a backup. Second, showing Jackson in the regular rotation over Gladden is also questionable to me. By all accounts it appears that Gladden is more ready for college play than Jackson. Gladden is so strong that he's been characterized as an undersized power forward. Based on that, I'm guessing the early season starting/primary (secondary) backup lineup as follows:

PG - Evans/Betancourt (Diggs)

SG - Diggs/McAdams (Kretzer)

SF - Harney/Gladden (Kretzer)

PF - Treadwell/Kretzer (Harney)

C - Forsythe/Johnson (Treadwell)

Within that lineup there's a lot of flexibility at the 2/3/4 positions. For example, Kretzer averaged 21 minutes per game as a freshman, so he will surely get a lot more PT than just backing up Tree at PF. Kretzer may be a good 6th man candidate because he can play the 2/3/4. Diggs has already proven he can play several different positions and win the MAC 6th Man of the Year award. I guess that Harney could also qualify as a potential 6th man, which, of course, would take him out of the starting lineup as you suggested. I think Coach Dambrot will do his usual early season experimentation with different combinations to see which players work together best in different situations. Maybe the most effective lineup will be a surprise.

[pat]

Well, after the emotional roller-coaster that was, well really the entire Zips basketball season, but in particular the last 3-4 weeks of the season I felt like I needed a few weeks away from Zipsnation. It is tough as a fan not to become emotionally invested in your team at a very high level. After the extreme highs of the winning steak, the top-25 ranking and the conference title, and the lows of the Abreu suspension and the "what else could possibly go wrong" NCAA appearance it was time to take a break and re-charge.

I'm not going to go too much into what happened in the tournament here. That has already been hashed to death from what I can see, and I don't really have anything to add to the conversation. Instead I want my triumphant return to Zipsnation to take on a more positive tone.

First, a final note on the 2012-13 team. This is going to go down as a team I think a lot of us will remember for a lot of years. Partly for what they actually accomplished, and partly for what might have been. Make no mistake, this was a team that was very, very talented, but was never afforded the opportunity to fully live up to that potential due to circumstances outside of their control. Injuries happen. Illnesses happen. Suspensions happen. And on occasion all of those things happen in seemingly a matter of minutes in a way that can de-rail any program in the country. Despite all of it, the Zips still came home with another MAC title and have now securely established themselves as the top program in the MAC. I won't go too much into individual players other than to say that the 3 seniors will be sorely missed going forward. Each one of them represented themselves, the team and the University very well during their tenure with the Zips, and I only hope that the younger guys on the team learned some things about how to play and act as professionals on and off the court.

Now to the future. I feel like next years team is going to have an entirely different look. Primarily due to the absence of Zeke Marshall, but for other reasons as well. Zeke's absence will change a lot of things the Zips do, particularly on the defensive end of the floor. Let's face it, there are few players out there that protect the front of the rim the way Zeke does. His presence changed the way the entire team was able to play for the better part of 4 years. Dambrot is going to have some adjustments to make with Forsythe and Johnson in the middle next year, but I trust he can adapt and move forward.

Beyond Zeke's absence the big story going into next year for me will be PG play. Betancourt showed some flashes of ability to be a starting PG at this level, but he has a long way to go, particularly as a scorer, before I will be completely comfortable with him running the show. I'm not as concerned about his conditioning, as I think a complete offseason knowing what he needs to do to get ready to play major minutes will help him. I'm mostly concerned about that shot, which has a long way to go before it can even be considered average at this level. On the flip side we have Nyles Evans coming in who is more of a score first PG by all accounts. That combination is going to have to make up for the absence of Alex Abreu (who I would guess has less than a 1% chance of re-joining the team). The real wild-card is the Quincy Diggs situation, but I have to be honest, I've never been a big fan of Diggs at PG. He can do it for maybe 5-10 minutes a night, but if we are relying on Q to come back and play major minutes at PG, particularly after a year away, I think we are in big trouble.

Speaking of Diggs, I do think his presence or absence next year is going to be significant for the Zips. Let's face it, we are a bit thin on the wings going into next year without Walsh and Gilliam. Right now we have Reggie McAdams and a whole bunch of question marks. You would hope that B.J. Gladden and Aaron Jackson can come in as freshmen and have the kind of impact that Reggie and Jake Kretzer had this season, but there are no guarantees of that. At this point I have to say that I hope (and believe) that the Deji Ibitayo experiment is over. He will make a nice D-II or D-III player for someone out there, but his length and athletic ability just can't overcome his lack of basketball skills and basketball IQ at this level. Blake Justice is a lost cause at this point as well. To have a veteran like Q come back, even if he needs a few weeks to blow off the rust, would really stabilize us on the wings.

More than anything next year I'm looking forward to the continued development of our star forwards from the Cleveland area. Particularly Tree. If this guy stays on track and stays humble and hungry there is no telling what he can accomplish. I truly believe that he could average 18 and 10 each night, even in Dambrot's system. He is just that special a player. Harney is even more intriguing. The biggest thing I want to see from him is consistency. He can be an absolute nightmare for opponents when he has his head in the game, but he has yet to demonstrate that he can do it night in and night out.

As far as the MAC goes next year, I really think the programs to watch (other than the Zips) will be Toledo and Can't. Toledo is finally going to be able to get out from under the APR violation penalties and compete for a conference title for the first time in a long time. They have a good coach, some nice veterans already in place, some high-level transfers and a good recruiting class coming in. Can't returns a lot of players from a team that arguably under-achieved last season, but still made it to the conference semis. I'm still not sold on Rob Senderoff as a coach for them, but if he can make some adjustments in year 3 they can be dangerous. Buffalo is the big wild-card to me, as they have arguably the best player in the MAC in Javon McCrea, but they will be under a new coaching staff. Sometimes a new coaching staff can light a spark under a veteran team like that, other times the veterans ignore him and the whole thing falls apart. I think OU will take a serious step backwards without Cooper, Offutt, Kelley and Marshmallow Fluff. They don't have anyone coming back on that roster who has looked like anything more than a nice role-player at this level.

Way too early predictions for 2013-14:

Rotation:

PG - Evans/Betancourt

SG - McAdams/Jackson

SF - Diggs/Kretzer

PF - Treadwell/Harney

C - Forsythe/Johnson

The largest playing time off the bench will go to Harney followed by Kretzer and Betancourt. Gladden will see spot time at SG/SF. Cheatham will redshirt as he continue to grow. Ibitayo will be on the roster but won't see much playing time. I still expect to see an announcement that Blake Justice is transferring sometime this offseason.

Regular Season Record: 24-6

MAC Tournament Prediction: #1 seed. Semifinals victory over Buffalo. Finals victory over Toledo.

NCAA Tournament Prediction: #13 seed, and, unfortunately, another first round exit (I just think we are going to be a little too young next year).

Is that you Dave Liberth, or is it just a bunch of gas?

[Zipmeister]

@Quickzips, your post was well worth waiting for. Really nice analysis of this season and a thoughtful first look at next season. It's hard to find much in your post that I disagree with. The one thing I'd question is the SG/SF/PF alignment. First, showing Harney as Tree's primary backup doesn't make sense to me. Tree and Harney were both starters most of this season, and Tree is playing long minutes. So there's not much backup time available at PF, and I'm not sure about Harney going from a starter to a backup. Second, showing Jackson in the regular rotation over Gladden is also questionable to me. By all accounts it appears that Gladden is more ready for college play than Jackson. Gladden is so strong that he's been characterized as an undersized power forward. Based on that, I'm guessing the early season starting/primary (secondary) backup lineup as follows:

PG - Evans/Betancourt (Diggs)

SG - Diggs/McAdams (Kretzer)

SF - Harney/Gladden (Kretzer)

PF - Treadwell/Kretzer (Harney)

C - Forsythe/Johnson (Treadwell)

Within that lineup there's a lot of flexibility at the 2/3/4 positions. For example, Kretzer averaged 21 minutes per game as a freshman, so he will surely get a lot more PT than just backing up Tree at PF. Kretzer may be a good 6th man candidate because he can play the 2/3/4. Diggs has already proven he can play several different positions and win the MAC 6th Man of the Year award. I guess that Harney could also qualify as a potential 6th man, which, of course, would take him out of the starting lineup as you suggested. I think Coach Dambrot will do his usual early season experimentation with different combinations to see which players work together best in different situations. Maybe the most effective lineup will be a surprise.

My prediction is that at least one and maybe two of your rotation will not be in uniform next year.

[LZIp]

My prediction is that at least one and maybe two of your rotation will not be in uniform next year.

Could you be any more blunt? Please, name who you do not think will be on the team.

[skip-zip]

I think I'd rather look at it this way:

Locks to Start:

Diggs, Treadwell, Harney

Frontrunners for the Other Two Spots:

Kretzer and Betancourt

I would guess that this coaching staff is not determined to put a guy on the floor like Pat, who can potentially block shots. I also don't think they are looking for the best fit at each individual position. Harney and Treadwell have been in the paint together before, without Zeke on the floor. This is the most experienced group we can put out there, that includes a point guard. And our coach has a long history of trusting his most experienced players.

[Dave in Green]

@LZip, when and why did you start taking Zipmeister's comments seriously?

@skip-zip, do you honestly believe that with two talented true centers on the roster that the Zips are going to start a power forward at center? Think about it: Coach Dambrot used to have a long history of not recruiting transfers. Then along come Q, Gilliam and Walsh. He used to have a long history of not recruiting academic non-qualifiers. Then along come Tree and Harney. He used to have a long history of not playing freshmen long minutes. Then along comes Kretzer who plays 40+ minutes in his first D-I game and averages more than 20 minutes per game on the season. He used to have a long history of not recruiting junior college players. Then along comes Nyles Evans for next season. I'm not a bettor, but I'd be willing to ante up some cash that a true center will start at center next season. Eagerly anticipating your well-thought-out response.

[akronzips71]

It seems to me that an awful lot can happen between now and October.

One or more players could transfer for reasons that don't even exist now.

One or more players could get hurt or have academic problems and be declared ineligible.

We could suddenly get a transfer like we did with Pat F last year.

LeBron James could decide to go to college - he still has his four years, right?

I mean, it is just to early to be psyched up or project what will happen.

[zippy5]

I hate to say it but after the last couple years, my biggest worry is someone getting in trouble in the offseason with the free time. Fingers crossed no one does anything dumb, and next season looks very promising.

[skip-zip]

@LZip, when and why did you start taking Zipmeister's comments seriously?

@skip-zip, do you honestly believe that with two talented true centers on the roster that the Zips are going to start a power forward at center? Think about it: Coach Dambrot used to have a long history of not recruiting transfers. Then along come Q, Gilliam and Walsh. He used to have a long history of not recruiting academic non-qualifiers. Then along come Tree and Harney. He used to have a long history of not playing freshmen long minutes. Then along comes Kretzer who plays 40+ minutes in his first D-I game and averages more than 20 minutes per game on the season. He used to have a long history of not recruiting junior college players. Then along comes Nyles Evans for next season. I'm not a bettor, but I'd be willing to ante up some cash that a true center will start at center next season. Eagerly anticipating your well-thought-out response.

I thought about it for one second, and I haven't changed my mind about what I think will happen when the season starts.

Seriously, if two guys need to start the season as starters in the paint, which two do you think our coach would pick between Harney, Treadwell, and Pat?

Who says that having a "true" Center on the floor is so critical? We played plenty this year without a Center on the floor, and so do plenty of other teams. As my first post indicated, I think people get way too caught up on whether the 5 guys on the floor fit the traditional 5 positions. Heck, the Dambrot era has featured plenty of Akron Basketball when a "True Center" wasn't even in the rotation.

[Zipmeister]

@71 - You are a very wise man.

@5 - if that's your biggest worry, things are going pretty darn good for you (although your concern is extremely legitimate).

[Dave in Green]

@skip-zip, we're talking starting lineup here, not what the lineup might look like from time to time in the middle of some games. How many times has Coach Dambrot ever not had a true center in the starting lineup when he had a healthy, qualified center on the roster? With two centers of the caliber of Pat Forsythe and Isaiah Johnson on the roster, it's almost certain that there will be a true center in the starting lineup next season. I'll bookmark this thread and we can revisit the subject after next season is underway.

[Captain Kangaroo]

My three keys to a successful 2013-14:

1.) Forsythe needs to prove he can step up and be "The Man." Early on he showed some flashes of awesomeness, flying through the air and throwing down some one-handed dunks. By years-end, he was giving us few serviceable minutes, with scant few points and rebounds. Not much defense either. Was he dissatisfied with being a back up? Had he simply hit the wall after a tumultuous first 1.5 years of college?

The Zips relied on game-changing Zeke's interior presence to bail them out sooooo many times over the past 4 seasons, so having a similar interior force in 2013-14 will be less of a shock to their existing habits.

Prediction - Pat will exceed Zeke's 2012-13 rebound average, score roughly 7 ppg, and average 2.6 blocks per game.

2.) Betancourt needs to develop an outside shot. He needs to shoot about 200 3-pointers per day from now until October. He can dribble, he can get from a-to-b as fast as any other Zips guard in history. But if he's zero threat to hit an open jumper, he's of little help to us.

Prediction - He takes his 200 3-pointers per day, which both improves his scoring, and strengthens his legs...allowing him to play 25 minutes/game without cramping up.

3.) Harney needs to alter his shot. No more starting at the waist and hoisting up floaters that careen off the backboard/rim like something off Tom Candiotti's hand. Harney has the softest hands of any Zip I've seen, and he's money on the short put-back. His defense has improved to the point where he's becoming serviceable. His drives to the hoop are still pretty reckless...but I can live with them. Those 3-pointers? They gotta improve big-time.

And he doesn't need to change much...hell, he can keep shooting from the waist. Some of the best college women have that same 3-point shot. But he's gotta drain it at at least a 32% clip. And that comes with hard work. And hard work has been more associated with Tree than Harney over year's #1 and #2 of their inexorably linked careers.

Prediction - Only a slight improvement in his 3-point percentage. Eeeks it up to 28.1 percent. Hope I'm wrong.

[skip-zip]

@skip-zip, we're talking starting lineup here, not what the lineup might look like from time to time in the middle of some games. How many times has Coach Dambrot ever not had a true center in the starting lineup when he had a healthy, qualified center on the roster? With two centers of the caliber of Pat Forsythe and Isaiah Johnson on the roster, it's almost certain that there will be a true center in the starting lineup next season. I'll bookmark this thread and we can revisit the subject after next season is underway.

Cool. We'll see what happens.

I hope you're not calling Wood and Romeo "Centers". And I wouldn't put a "qualified starter" label on a freshman who hasn't even stepped on a college court yet.

[Quickzips]

My three keys to a successful 2013-14:

1.) Forsythe needs to prove he can step up and be "The Man." Early on he showed some flashes of awesomeness, flying through the air and throwing down some one-handed dunks. By years-end, he was giving us few serviceable minutes, with scant few points and rebounds. Not much defense either. Was he dissatisfied with being a back up? Had he simply hit the wall after a tumultuous first 1.5 years of college?

The Zips relied on game-changing Zeke's interior presence to bail them out sooooo many times over the past 4 seasons, so having a similar interior force in 2013-14 will be less of a shock to their existing habits.

Prediction - Pat will exceed Zeke's 2012-13 rebound average, score roughly 7 ppg, and average 2.6 blocks per game.

2.) Betancourt needs to develop an outside shot. He needs to shoot about 200 3-pointers per day from now until October. He can dribble, he can get from a-to-b as fast as any other Zips guard in history. But if he's zero threat to hit an open jumper, he's of little help to us.

Prediction - He takes his 200 3-pointers per day, which both improves his scoring, and strengthens his legs...allowing him to play 25 minutes/game without cramping up.

3.) Harney needs to alter his shot. No more starting at the waist and hoisting up floaters that careen off the backboard/rim like something off Tom Candiotti's hand. Harney has the softest hands of any Zip I've seen, and he's money on the short put-back. His defense has improved to the point where he's becoming serviceable. His drives to the hoop are still pretty reckless...but I can live with them. Those 3-pointers? They gotta improve big-time.

And he doesn't need to change much...hell, he can keep shooting from the waist. Some of the best college women have that same 3-point shot. But he's gotta drain it at at least a 32% clip. And that comes with hard work. And hard work has been more associated with Tree than Harney over year's #1 and #2 of their inexorably linked careers.

Prediction - Only a slight improvement in his 3-point percentage. Eeeks it up to 28.1 percent. Hope I'm wrong.

All three would be big helps. Of the three I think Harney's 3 point shot is the least important. In fact, I could make an argument that instead of working on his 3 point shot Harney should continue polishing the rest of his game and more or less eliminate the 3 pointer from his repitoire.

I'm honestly most concerned about C and PG going into next year. I have no idea what to expect from either position. If we get the Forsythe that we saw against Princeton we will be just fine at C. If we get the Forsythe we saw the last 2 months of the season we are in trouble unless Ike Johnson is ready to play big minutes either way. Either way, I really think 2.6 blocks per game is a wildly optimistic for Pat. Consider that Zeke Marshall, the best shot-blocker in the history of the conference, didn't average more than 2.8/game until his senior season. Pat F. is not anywhere close to the shot-blocker that Zeke is. 1.5-1.8 per game is more realistic if everything falls into place.

At PG I really think Nyles Evans will work himself into the starting PG role before long. Maybe he doesn't play 35 minutes a night, but I do think he will get the bulk of the minutes. Melo just has such a long way to go with his shot, and I'm not sure he can get there in one offseason, no matter how many 3's he puts up. I guess the good news is that those two being such different styles of PG will keep opponents on their toes if we can find the right balance between them.

[Dave in Green]

@skip-zip, no, I'm not calling Wood and Romeo "Centers". And I didn't put a "qualified starter" label on Isaiah Johnson, either. The point is that the Zips will have two talented true centers next season. As I said in an earlier post, I expect Forsythe to start and Johnson to back him up. I do not see the Zips starting games with two true centers sitting.

After showing early promise, Forsythe did struggle as the season went on. Still, his numbers were not that bad. In 11.2 minutes per game, Pat averaged 3.4 points, 2.7 rebounds and .8 blocks per game. If he doubled his PT next season to 22.4 minutes per game and made no improvement in his performance, he'd average 6.8 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game. By comparison, Zeke averaged exactly 22.4 minutes per game in his sophomore season, and he averaged 8.5 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.6 blocks per game. So any reasonable improvement in Pat's overall performance next season should allow him to approach Zeke's overall sophomore performance.

[Captain Kangaroo]

All three would be big helps. Of the three I think Harney's 3 point shot is the least important. In fact, I could make an argument that instead of working on his 3 point shot Harney should continue polishing the rest of his game and more or less eliminate the 3 pointer from his repitoire.

Since he increased his cumulative 3-point attempts from 22 to 51 in 2012-13, asking him to completely eliminate that shot is not realistic. Realistic is he'll probably shoot about 80 of them in 2013-14.

It doesn't take much for him to elevate from "slightly above 5-of-20" (Harney was 12-51 last season, for 23.5%) to "slightly below 7-of 20". When he takes a 3-pointer, he's typically wide open with his feet set...he never shoots a 3 on the run, or with a hand in his face. He just needs to drain those open looks.

And an additional barometer for the 2013-14 season - Diggs time spent at PG*. If he's rarely at the point, we'll be in great shape. If he's logging 8+ mpg at the point, we have problems.

*Preempting Zipmeister - this is assuming Diggs plays for the Zips next season.

[Zipmeister]

Since he increased his cumulative 3-point attempts from 22 to 51 in 2012-13, asking him to completely eliminate that shot is not realistic. Realistic is he'll probably shoot about 80 of them in 2013-14.

It doesn't take much for him to elevate from "slightly above 5-of-20" (Harney was 12-51 last season, for 23.5%) to "slightly below 7-of 20". When he takes a 3-pointer, he's typically wide open with his feet set...he never shoots a 3 on the run, or with a hand in his face. He just needs to drain those open looks.

And an additional barometer for the 2013-14 season - Diggs time spent at PG*. If he's rarely at the point, we'll be in great shape. If he's logging 8+ mpg at the point, we have problems.

*Preempting Zipmeister - this is assuming Diggs plays for the Zips next season.

Using your minutes at the point metric, I predict we will be in great shape.

[ZachTheZip]

Blake Justice is transferring

[Dave in Green]

@ZachTheZip, good find. Not a big surprise. Justice was obviously recruited for his 3-point shooting in HS. He might have stuck around as a low-minute bench player on previous Zips teams, as Nick Goddard did. But it takes a lot more than that to make it as a contributor at the level the Zips are now playing. If Justice picks the right team, he could still have a productive college career. I wish him the best of luck.

[akronzips71]

Drew McGhee, 6-11, C, Jr., Miami (Ohio) - KENNESAW STATE

Andre McPhail, 6-7, F, Fr., Buffalo

Earvin Morris Jr., 6-5, SF, Fr., Can't State

Abdel Nader, 6-7, F, Soph., Northern Illinois

Mike Ramey, 6-4, G, Fr., Ball State - MIAMI DADE

Allen Roberts, 6-3, G, Jr., Miami (Ohio) (can play immediately)

Akeem Springs, 6-3, G, Fr., Northern Illinois

Jared Tadlock, 6-9, C, Soph., Miami (Ohio)

Jon Harris, 6-8, F, Jr., Miami (Ohio)

Reese Holliday, 6-4, F, Jr., Toledo

[ZachTheZip]

Drew McGhee, 6-11, C, Jr., Miami (Ohio) - KENNESAW STATE

Andre McPhail, 6-7, F, Fr., Buffalo

Earvin Morris Jr., 6-5, SF, Fr., Can't State

Abdel Nader, 6-7, F, Soph., Northern Illinois

Mike Ramey, 6-4, G, Fr., Ball State - MIAMI DADE

Allen Roberts, 6-3, G, Jr., Miami (Ohio) (can play immediately)

Akeem Springs, 6-3, G, Fr., Northern Illinois

Jared Tadlock, 6-9, C, Soph., Miami (Ohio)

Jon Harris, 6-8, F, Jr., Miami (Ohio)

Reese Holliday, 6-4, F, Jr., Toledo

Austin Harper, 6-2, G, Jr., Eastern Michigan

Darius Paul, 6-8, F, Fr., Western Michigan

The big shocker is Darius Paul, the MAC Freshman of the year.

[Captain Kangaroo]

If Hawkins coached in the MAC East, he'd have been fired years ago.

And if Witherspoon had coached in the MAC West, he'd probably have received a contract extension instead of the boot.

[akronzips71]

Austin Harper, 6-2, G, Jr., Eastern Michigan

Darius Paul, 6-8, F, Fr., Western Michigan

The big shocker is Darius Paul, the MAC Freshman of the year.

Any chance he transfers to A K R O N?