mes102 Posted May 26, 2013 Report Share Posted May 26, 2013 Didn't see this posted yet, so decided it should be. Dunnigan transfers to Akron That means the incoming class looks like this: NC State Transfer Therany Dunnigan - 6'2 forward- Will have two years of eligibility left after ineligible 2013-2014 season Keanna Gary- 6'1 true freshman forward from Leo Junior Senior High School (IN) Alex Ricketts- 5'11 true freshman guard from Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School (PA) Hannah Scipio- 5'4 true freshman point guard from New Albany High School (OH) Hannah Plybon- 5'9 true freshman guard from Orrville High School(OH). Rated as an "86" prospect by ESPN... Roster looks like this for next season: Seniors Kacie Cassell Cari Guyton?(Didn't play much at all, so not sure if she could of been redshirted or not, being a JUCO player) Sina King Hanna Luburgh Rachel Tecca Carly Young Sophomores Megan Barilla Anita Brown DiAndra Gibson Katie Nunan Jasmine Wood Freshmen Hannah Plybon Alex Ricketts Hannah Scipio Keanna Gary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mes102 Posted May 26, 2013 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2013 With an 85 or better rated true freshman coming to Akron in consecutive seasons, and then getting an NC State transfer who was a Top 100 player in the 2010 class(91 rating) to Akron, the Lady Zips program is taking the next step. They have a great senior group, good sophomore group that may be able to contribute more this season, and then a freshman class that is really good as well. One of the most underrated players in the state of Ohio, true freshman Hannah Plybon, is going to be a good edition to this program. I wouldn't even be surprised if Plybon is the first or second one off the bench by MAC play. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoZips Posted May 26, 2013 Report Share Posted May 26, 2013 Didn't see this posted yet, so decided it should be. It was, earlier. Happy to have this talented young lady who will replace Rachel Tecca after next season. Dunnigan transfers to Akron That means the incoming class looks like this: NC State Transfer Therany Dunnigan - 6'2 forward- Will have two years of eligibility left after ineligible 2013-2014 season Keanna Gary- 6'1 true freshman forward from Leo Junior Senior High School (IN) Alex Ricketts- 5'11 true freshman guard from Kennedy-Kenrick Catholic High School (PA) Hannah Scipio- 5'4 true freshman point guard from New Albany High School (OH) Hannah Plybon- 5'9 true freshman guard from Orrville High School(OH). Rated as an "86" prospect by ESPN... Roster looks like this for next season: Seniors Kacie Cassell Cassell is an outstanding point guard who has a proven track record. Starter. Cari Guyton?(Didn't play much at all, so not sure if she could of been redshirted or not, being a JUCO player) Cari has been a huge disappointment. She needs to get on a diet; hit the weight room; listen to the coaches; put maximum effort or she is a complete bust. Sina King Stud power forward who plays with guts and intensity. Sina is often under appreciated for her hard work and excellent results. Starter. Hanna Luburgh Strong, smart all round excellent small forward. Starter. Rachel Tecca MAC Player of the Year; likely to repeat. Starter. Carly Young First off the bench; a quality sixth man who has range and breaks games open with deadly three balls. Sophomores Megan Barilla A work in progress. Anita Brown Saw the most minutes of the sophomore group. Needs to be more confident in herself. DiAndra Gibson Show us. Katie Nunan Suppose to be a shooter. Turn her loose. Jasmine Wood Another work in progress. Freshmen Hannah Plybon Likely to take departing senior Ruper's starting spot at the two guard. Alex Ricketts Unknown. Hannah Scipio Talented point guard who will have a year to understudy Cassie Kassell. Keanna Gary Unknown. The Lady Zips were the MAC East Champs and played Central Michigan for the MAC Tournament Championship, but lost. The Zips may be the favorite to win it all in 2013-14. Most certainly the East favorite. Coach Kest has done the impossible. She has taken the perennial doormat and made them into a feared power house. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
legendofzippy Posted May 26, 2013 Report Share Posted May 26, 2013 The Lady Zips were the MAC East Champs and played Central Michigan for the MAC Tournament Championship, but lost. The Zips may be the favorite to win it all in 2013-14. Most certainly the East favorite. Coach Kest has done the impossible. She has taken the perennial doormat and made them into a feared power house. Nice summaries. With a senior laden roster, this coming season is big. There's certainly a chance that both the men and women could win conference titles. Would be great to see both in the NCAA tourney. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbalsinger Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 I'm loving this! The Lady Zips making it to the MAC Championship game was a huge surprise. With the additions that the Lady Zips have been making, as well as oustanding play by players on the team currently, we can probably look forward to MBB and WBB co-champions! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbalsinger Posted May 27, 2013 Report Share Posted May 27, 2013 Coach Kest has done the impossible. She has taken the perennial doormat and made them into a feared power house. Now if only Bowden could do that for Football... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akzipper Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Now if only Bowden could do that for Football... lol I would be happy to see 2 wins! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Now if only Bowden could do that for Football... How long did it take Kest? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GoZips Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 How long did it take Kest? Kest led the Ladies to a winning season (18-14) in her sixth season. Last year, her seventh, the Ladies went 23-10 for their best win/loss record ever in the program history. Success breeds more success as winning programs generally attract better players. This is what is happening at Akron now. Akron is probably now getting the 3rd or 4th best recruiting class. At the present rate the Ladies are likely to have the dominant program in the MAC with in the next three years. A new arena and a better conference is likely to propel the Ladies to a long term dominant role. The culture of losing is gone. Replaced by a winning attitude that is enjoying success. The best is yet to come. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akzipper Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Kest led the Ladies to a winning season (18-14) in her sixth season. Last year, her seventh, the Ladies went 23-10 for their best win/loss record ever in the program history. Success breeds more success as winning programs generally attract better players. This is what is happening at Akron now. Akron is probably now getting the 3rd or 4th best recruiting class. At the present rate the Ladies are likely to have the dominant program in the MAC with in the next three years. A new arena and a better conference is likely to propel the Ladies to a long term dominant role. The culture of losing is gone. Replaced by a winning attitude that is enjoying success. The best is yet to come. I've given up on a dream of a new arena. Just doesn't look like that's happening. Hopefully UA can do enough to keep Kest happy and keep her with the Zips. Maybe it's just me but I feel the women's basketball is definitely gaining popularity. We won't ever have a program like Notre Dame, UConn, or Baylor but their games are actually fairly entertaining. I will also say that having girls like Skylar Diggins doesn't hurt either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MDZip Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 The Lady Zips were the MAC East Champs and played Central Michigan for the MAC Tournament Championship, but lost. The Zips may be the favorite to win it all in 2013-14. Most certainly the East favorite. Coach Kest has done the impossible. She has taken the perennial doormat and made them into a feared power house. As well as they did last year and having most of the team back, they are quite likely to be MAC East Champs again. Unfortunately, CMU who dominated the Zips in both games has their entire team core back, so I suspect they will be MAC favorites. Love what the women have done but I think it is an awfully tall order to knock CMU off their perch this coming year. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Maybe it's just me but I feel the women's basketball is definitely gaining popularity. It's just you. Some programs have a respectable following, but the vast majority do not. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZachTheZip Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 It's just you. Some programs have a respectable following, but the vast majority do not. That's true. I don't have attendance numbers, but I doubt they've changed in any real way throughout Division I. That being said, the major game changer that might lead to the idea that WBB is gaining popularity is TV and internet broadcasts. It's much more accessible now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 NCAA D-I women's basketball attendance has been pretty flat for the past decade, with the average of all games in the low-to-mid-1,600s season after season. Link Average attendance for the Zips women's team has risen from the 500s to the 900s over the past eight seasons, according to GoZips.com. Link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dr Z Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 Average attendance for the Zips women's team has risen from the 500s to the 900s over the past eight seasons, according to GoZips.com.Is that actual bodies in seats, or just sold tickets? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave in Green Posted May 28, 2013 Report Share Posted May 28, 2013 @Dr Z, to the best of my knowledge UA counts attendance at all sports events (men's and women's) the same way -- tickets sold to the general public plus the number of students who actually show up and have their student IDs scanned. So it's kind of a hybrid system of general public tickets sold plus student butts in seats. I believe that most schools do it like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mbalsinger Posted May 29, 2013 Report Share Posted May 29, 2013 @Dr Z, to the best of my knowledge UA counts attendance at all sports events (men's and women's) the same way -- tickets sold to the general public plus the number of students who actually show up and have their student IDs scanned. So it's kind of a hybrid system of general public tickets sold plus student butts in seats. I believe that most schools do it like this. This is true...but I think we should also note that many of the students don't stay long for the game. Many scan in for free stuff/Roowards points...stay for a little while and then leave. Even with the Lady Zips doing so well this season, I dare to say there were not 1000 people in those games. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Kangaroo Posted May 29, 2013 Report Share Posted May 29, 2013 I dare to say there were not 1000 people in those games. Combined. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mes102 Posted June 6, 2013 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2013 Hopefully, even if it's only for next season, the attendance will increase. IMHO, the favorites next season are Central Michigan, Ball State, Akron, and Toledo (Bowling Green and Buffalo not too far off). Next year may be the best season for the MAC women's overall as a conference in a LONG time. Good chance at a two-bid league. Only reason I say that, is because of Ball State. They're the wild card in this. Coach Sallee does not shy away from playing big time teams, and with everyone returning plus a top 40 recruiting class nationally, They could have a very good RPI and record going into conference play. We match up better with them than CMU, and Ball State matches up better with CMU than us. If we could win the MAC regular season, most likely it will be Ball State and CMU 2 and 3, with either Toledo or Bowling Green most likely at 4. I like our chances there, especially with the good chance of Ball State in the MAC title game. I also think with our up-tempo play, the new rule of a 10 second half court violation for the women's game being implemented(finally!), could help us cause more turnovers... Of course, this is like 8 months premature, but just undoing the cobwebs right now in my empty head. Stumbled upon this video, and figured to share it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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